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Prayer Request (for site updates, see below)
I was laid off from my full-time job several years ago when -- after a lot of prayer, soul searching and discussion with my wife -- we decided to operate the Hebrew for Christians ministry entirely by faith in God's provision through the love and kindness of His people. I am not paid for doing this work, and therefore I ask you to consider supporting us. If you can help, please offer a donation or purchase some of the Hebrew study materials offered here. Encouraging other web sites to link here also helps us become more visible on the web. Above all, agree with us for the Lord's will to be done in our lives. Todah, chaverim.
    
Note: My wife and I have have three young children (Josiah, Judah, and Emanuel David - born Jan. 17, 2016). The LORD has graciously provided for us as Adonai Yireh (יְהוָה יִרְאֶה), "the One who sees [our need]." We are living one day at a time by the grace and mercy of God, and I want to publicly praise Yeshua and acknowledge His faithful love in caring for my family -- despite the trials during this time. The LORD God of Israel is faithful and true! And to those of you who have sent us a word of encouragement or donation during this difficult time, please accept our heartfelt appreciation! Your chesed truly helps sustain us.
יהי שׁם יהוה מברך - "May the Name of the Lord be blessed."
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Jewish Holiday Calendar
Note: For site updates, please scroll past this entry....
The Torah divides the calendar into two symmetrical halves: the Spring and the Fall, indicating the two advents of Messiah. The Biblical year officially begins during the month of the Passover from Egypt (called Rosh Chodashim, see Exod. 12:2), and the spring holidays of Passover, Unleavened Bread, and Firstfruits both recall our deliverance from Egypt and also our greater deliverance given by means of the death, burial, and resurrection of the Messiah, the great Passover Lamb of God. The holiday of Shavuot (i.e., "Pentecost") both commemorates the revelation of the Torah at Sinai as well as the revelation of the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) at Zion, in fulfillment of the promise given by our Lord....
The intermediate months of summer end with the advent of the sixth month of the calendar, called the month of Elul, which recalls the time Moses interceded on behalf of Israel after the sin of the Golden Calf. To commemorate this time of our history, we likewise focus on teshuvah (repentance) in anticipation of Rosh Hashanah and especially in anticipation of Yom Kippur, the great "Day of Atonement." In Jewish tradition the 30 days of Elul are combined with the first ten days of the seventh month (called the "Days of Awe") to set apart "Forty Days of Teshuvah" leading up to the Day of Forgiveness for Israel. Immediately following Yom Kippur, the mood changes as we begin preparing for a joyous week-long celebration called Sukkot (i.e., "Tabernacles") that concludes with the holiday of Simchat Torah.
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The Summer Holidays:
In the summer there occurs a three week period of mourning that begins with the Fast of Tammuz and ends with Tishah B'Av. The last nine days of this three week period (i.e., from Av 1 until Av 9th) are days of increased mourning. However, after this somber time, the romantic holiday of Tu B'Av, the 15th of Av occurs. The summer season ends after the 30 days of the month of Elul, a yearly season of teshuvah (repentance) that anticipates Rosh Hashanah and the fall holidays. As mentioned above, the 30 days of Elul are combined with the first 10 days of the month of Tishri to create the "Forty Days of Teshuvah" that culminate with Yom Kippur. The summer holidays therefore help us prepare for the second coming of the Messiah.
Note that in accordance with tradition, holiday dates begin at sundown (Gen. 1:5). Moreover, some holidays may be postponed one day if they happen to fall on the weekly Sabbath:
- Month of Tammuz (Tues. June 28th [eve] - Thurs. July 28th [day])
- Month of Av (Thurs. July 28th [eve] - Fri. Aug. 26th [day])
- Month of Elul (Fri. Aug. 26th [eve] - Sun. Sept. 25th [day])
- Month of Tishri (Sun. Sept. 25th [eve] - Mon. Oct. 24th [day]) - Fall holidays begin!
Note: For more about the dates of these holidays see the Calendar pages....
August 2022 Site Updates
Seeing the Blessing...
[ The following is related to our Torah reading for this week, parashat Re'eh.... ]
08.25.22 (Av 278, 5782) "See, I am giving... the blessing (הַבְּרָכָה) when you hearken (i.e, shama: שָׁמַע) to the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you today" (Deut. 11:26-27). Do not understand this as referring to blessing that results from hearing God's word, but rather the blessing that enables you to hear it in the first place... That is the blessing of being made awake, alive, and attuned to the Spirit of God. In this world you may or may not receive material blessing as you heed the truth, though you assuredly will be sustained by God's ongoing care (Psalm 37:25). The heavenly blessing is always present before you, however, when you sincerely turn to God and seek to do his will. And may it please the LORD our God to help us turn to Him now, in this hour...
"Blessed be the God and Father of our our Lord Yeshua the Messiah, who has blessed us in Messiah with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places" (Eph. 1:3). Note that the Greek text translated "with every spiritual blessing" (i.e., ἐν πάσῃ εὐλογίᾳ πνευματικῇ) does not refer to "merely spiritual" as opposed to substantial or material blessings, but rather the blessing given by the Holy Spirit, those powers and graces "in heavenly places" (ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις), that derive from the kingdom of God, which are the highest blessings of all.
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 112:1 reading (click):
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Education for Eternity...
[ The following entry concerns this week's Torah reading, parashat Re'eh... ]
08.25.22 (Av 278, 5782) "Know within your heart that, as a man disciplines his son, so the LORD your God disciplines you" (Deut. 8:5). This verse expresses the idea of "musar" (מוסר), or moral education intended to develop godly character within us. "My son, despise not the chastening (i.e., musar) of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction (i.e., tokhechah). For whom the Lord loves he corrects; even as a father the son in whom he delights" (Prov. 3:11; see also Heb. 12:5-6). In light of Torah we infer that God disciplines us because we are his children, for the sake of our growth and maturity, and not for vindictive reasons. God's correction indicates that he feels responsible for our character development, as a good father feels responsible for the character development of his child. Correction from the Lord is ultimately "soul-building," since it enables us to be partakers of His holiness -- and is grounded in His love and concern for us as our Heavenly Father (see Heb. 12:5-11). Hang in there, friend. "For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it" (Heb. 12:11). May God help us in our "education for eternity."
וְיָדַעְתָּ עִם־לְבָבֶךָ
כִּי כַּאֲשֶׁר יְיַסֵּר אִישׁ אֶת־בְּנוֹ
יְהוָה אֱלהֶיךָ מְיַסְּרֶךָּ
ve·yah·da'·ta · eem-le·vah·ve'·kha
kee · ka·a·sher · ye·ya·seir · eesh · et-be·noh
Adonai · e·loh·hey'·kha · me·ya·se·re'·ka
"So know with your heart that, as a man disciplines his son,
the LORD your God is disciplining you." (Deut. 8:5)
Click to listen and learn the Hebrew text:
HaMakom - the Place of God
08.24.22 (Av 27, 5782) From our Torah portion this week (i.e., Re'eh) we read: "But you shall seek the place (הַמָּקוֹם) that the LORD your God will choose... there you shall go" (Deut. 12:5). This indicates the primacy of seeking: you must first seek "the place" and then you can go up (Matt. 6:33). The sages note that the gematria for this verse is the same as "You shall therefore lay up these words of Mine in your heart and in your soul..." (Deut. 11:18), which again reveals that the Divine Presence, "HaMakom" (הַמָּקוֹם), is manifest within the place of our hearts... If we seek God with all our hearts we will "come there," and we will find Him there. Our yearning for God leads us to the place of His Presence, as it says: "Open to me the gates of righteousness (שַׁעֲרֵי־צֶדֶק), that I may enter through them and give thanks to the LORD" (Psalm 118:19). It is our heartache, our hunger, thirst, and our yearning for love that opens the gate to come before God. Praise the LORD - His heart is the place we truly need.
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 132:13 reading (click):
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Of the "Place of God" (הַמָּקוֹם) the Torah says "that I may dwell in their midst" (Exod. 25:8), which can be translated as "that I may dwell within them," indicating that the point of the Tabernacle was to bring God within the hearts of His people... We must create a place within our hearts, in other words, for God to dwell within us. Yeshua likewise told us that we would experience peace and joy when we "abide in Him." Note that the numeric value of the word mishkan (מִשְׁכָּן) is the same as the word shema (שְׁמַע), "hear" or "listen" (Deut. 6:4). When we really stop to listen to the LORD, we will find His glorious and loving Presence...
Remember who you are...
[ The following entry concerns this week's Torah reading, parashat Re'eh... ]
08.24.22 (Av 27, 5782) One of the greatest mistakes is to forget who you really are and your beloved status before the LORD... "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine" (Isa. 43:1). Forgetting who you are leads to forgetting who the LORD is, just as forgetting who the LORD is leads to forgetting who you are...
In our Torah portion this week we read: "You are children of the LORD your God (בָּנִים אַתֶּם לַיהוָה אֱלהֵיכֶם). You shall not cut yourselves for the dead" (Deut. 14:1). Here Moses reminds the people that they are children of the Eternal (יהוה) and therefore they were not to mourn for the dead like those without hope of life beyond the grave... Our God, the Father of Israel, is the Source of Life, and even if our earthly fathers die, we will never be orphans, because the LORD, the Everlasting God who is the "God of the spirits of all flesh" (אֱלהֵי הָרוּחת לְכָל־בָּשָׂר), always watches over us: "He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber" (Psalm 121:3). But if we forget who we are, if we lose sight of our place in the Heavenly Father's heart, then we are likely to fall into a state of excessive and self-destructive mourning over the losses we experience in this world. In the most tragic cases, this can lead to the darkness of unremedied despair, "living among the tombs, crying out and cutting himself with stones" (Mark 5:5). On the other hand, if remember our place at the Father's table as his children, if we take hold that we are beloved of God - his very own "treasured people" - then we will regard the difficulties we encounter in this world as a test of faith intended for our good (Deut. 8:3,16, Jer. 29:11).
God regards us as his beloved children, and therefore we trust him as a child trusts his father. We may not always understand all that our father does, but we have complete faith in his good will toward us, even in the face of death itself. We do not engage in self-destructive mourning, then, because we are treasured by God and we trust in God's promises for eternal life (John 11:25). Because of this, Jewish halachah (legal custom) puts limits to grieving practices. Excessive mourning, interminable gloom, self-destructive anger, or the refusal to let go of our fear may indicate a lack of faith in God's care as our Father. Remember where it says "God works all things together for good," for that includes even physical death... Let us therefore "hope to the LORD (קַוֵּה אֶל־יְהוָה); be strong and strengthen our heart; and (again) let us hope to the LORD" (Psalm 27:14).
Hebrew Lesson
Isaiah 43:1b reading (click):
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Note: For more on this very important topic, please see the article "Am Segulah."
Repentance and Paradox...
[ The following is related to the month of Elul and the "Season of Repentance"... ]
08.24.22 (Av 27, 5782) To be a human being is a paradox, caught between the realms of the infinite and nothingness; a union of endless possibility yet terminating limitation. Man desires to live forever but is conscious that one day he will die. He is an incongruity - a mix of flesh and spirit, saint and sinner, good and evil, angel and animal... In light of this, a spirituality that demands for us to be always happy, always "up," is dishonest, since the truth is grounded in what is real, and that includes both the miserable and the tragic as well as the joyful and sublime. It's not that there is no difference between good and evil within the heart, but both are part of who we really are. It is the bittersweet struggle, the process of walking as "saintly sinners," "holy fools," "dying immortals," and so on, that defines us. We must embrace our brokenness, in order to become whole; there is no healing without true confession of our need. Therefore we come to the paradoxical cross - the place of utter pain, separation, and death - to find healing, acceptance and life.
Please note this is not to deny that we are to walk by the Spirit and reckon ourselves dead to sin in the Messiah (Rom. 6:11); however, far from being a sign of a lack of spirituality, personal struggle is a sign of its presence.... Only those who are conscious of the tragic, who are haunted by the disparity between what "is" and what "ought" to be; only those who are divided within themselves, torn by inner tension and conflict - those aware that they are both in this world but not of it - sojourners, a long long way from home, homesick for the heavenly city, who inwardly ache and yearn to be fully redeemed - only these, it may be said, are consciously spiritual. After all, the worldling, the self-confident and self-possessed, rarely desire deliverance from themselves and are often content to rationalize the state of their soul; the spiritual person, on the other hand, senses a profound incompletion, a lack, a fracture that runs straight through the core of reality, a breach that needs to be healed...
I would utterly die of despair over myself were it not for the truth that it is not about who I am that is as important as about who He is...
There is great joy, of course, and we are indeed to "rejoice in the Lord always," but there is also real pain in our lives, and I'd rather be in the company of those mourning the mess they have made of their lives than with someone who thinks they've got it all together... "We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything" (2 Cor. 6:8-10).
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 41:4 Hebrew lesson (click):
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Personal Note: I want to express my heartfelt appreciation to each of you who stand with this ministry and encourage me to continue... You are in my prayers, and may it please the LORD our God to draw you ever closer to Him through the grace we share in Yeshua our glorious Savior. Amen, and chodesh Elul tov!
Dangers of Self-Deception...
08.23.22 (Av 26, 5782) When an enemy deceives you, he knows the truth about something and deliberately tries to conceal it from you. He may do this by telling you outright lies or by misleading your judgment in some way. This is called genivat da'at (גניבת דעת), or "stealing the mind." Regardless of the deceptive method used, however, once he defrauds you of the truth, you become subject to his manipulation and control. This is a common technique used by thieves, advertisers, politicians, public health officials, critical race and other social theorists, gender revolutionaries, community organizers, and so on....
There is a different kind of deception, however, that is more insidious than being misled by an external enemy. This deception comes from within the heart and involves choosing to believe a lie, often for self-serving or self-flattering reasons. To be sure, it is paradoxical that we can knowingly lie to ourselves, but is quite a common practice, and it makes sense once you realize that the essence of the "self" is dialectical (i.e., dialogical), and that your soul finds its voice in the midst of an conversation it has within itself.
Self-deception is a universal problem of humanity. The Scripture declares: kol derekh ish yashar be'einav – "every person's way is right in his own eyes" – indicating that by nature we are self-justifying creatures, prone to believe our own "propaganda" and engage in wishful thinking. We are apt to be biased in our self-examination and ready to excuse ourselves at every turn, rationalizing our behavior and suppressing the truth about ourselves in order to quell the voice of conscience within our hearts. When faced with an inconsistency between our behavior and our fictional self-image, we often regard ourselves as something other than what we really are. We prefer the lie to the truth. In short, we deceive ourselves.
"If anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives (or seduces) himself" (Gal. 6:3). When we hide (or suppress) our true motives from ourselves, things become spiritual precarious... If we suppress or squelch the inner voice of conscience and truth, we run the risk of becoming hardened, and ultimately locked into an irresolute and "divided self" in which the center does not hold... With no spiritual foundation within, we can become lost to ourselves. The Scriptures teach us, however, that we are responsible for our choices, and therefore we are responsible for how we think and negotiate the inner dialog of our heart. If we do not submit to the authority of God as our Creator and Lawgiver, we are left to sort through the clamor of passions on our own, in the transience of the moment...
The remedy for self-deception is honest acceptance of ourselves as God sees us, since vetokhein libot Adonai – "the Lord weighs the heart." The Hebrew word for "weighs" is takhan, meaning to measure, balance, make even, or to adjust to a standard. God's moral law functions as a "looking glass" of our inward condition, revealing both the divine standard of life required of us and also the truth of our own need for deliverance from ourselves.
It is only though the honest confession of our condition that we will find healing from the "divided self" – and thereby make our way right in the eyes of the Lord. As Yeshua said, you shall then know the truth, and "the truth shall make you free" (John 8:32).
Hebrew Lesson
Proverbs 21:2 reading (click):
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Daily Dvar Podcast:
Torah of the Good Eye...
08.23.22 (Av 26, 5782) Shalom chaverim. The way we choose to see is ultimately a spiritual decision. In this "Daily Dvar broadcast, I discuss the "Torah of the Good Eye" and the spiritual need to seek goodness in everyday reality. I hope you will find it helpful. Links are below.
Linked Podcasts:
Related Article:
Teshuvah and Healing...
08.23.22 (Av 26, 5782) The biblical Hebrew word for healing is refuah (רְפוּאָה), from the root rapha (רָפָא), meaning to repair, restore, or make healthful. Some of the sages have said that the root letters indicate the meaning or essence of healing itself, namely, confessing the truth of God. This can be seen when we consider that the letter Resh (ר) refers to the head (i.e., rosh: ראשׁ), or that which is first -- suggesting that thinking and the will to do teshuvah (Psalm 90:2-3) is primary; the letter Pey (פּ) refers to the mouth (i.e., peh: פֶּה), that is, to speech, confession, and prayer; and the letter Aleph (א) refers to faith (אמונה) in the LORD (i.e., ehyeh: אֶהְיֶה), the One and only true God who is the Master of the universe (Exod. 3:14). So we can see how the Hebrew word for healing is connected first with changing our thinking by doing teshuvah, confessing our sin, and finally trusting God for life, as it says, "confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed" (James 5:16), and "I considered my ways, and turned my feet unto Thy testimonies" (Psalm 119:56).
Refuah shleimah (רְפוּאָה שְׁלֵמָה), or a complete healing, is ultimately found when we turn to God with all our hearts and find his shalom (שָׁלוֹם), as it says, "the Torah of the LORD is perfect, returning the soul" (Psalm 19:7). The Hebrew word for sickness (i.e., choleh: חוֹלֶה), on the other hand, comes from a root (חלה) that stands for blocked (חָסום) or profane (חל) learning (לִמוּד) of the Holy Spirit (ה). The LORD comes to seek and to save those who are lost, saying "I am your Healer" (אֲנִי יְהוָה רפְאֶךָ). Therefore confess your confidence that he forgives all your iniquities and heals everything that blocks you from his blessing. Amen.
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 103:3 reading (click):
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Please note that I am certainly not suggesting that believers will never experience sickness or physical death, since "as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment, so Messiah was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation" (Heb. 9:27-28). The deepest healing we all need is spiritual, that is, deliverance from spiritual death by finding true peace with God, so that all that was, and is, and ever shall be about who we are finds its place in the divine love. We we born out of God's love, and we will die into God's love....
Torah of Teshuvah...
08.22.22 (Av 25, 5782) Perhaps you (like me) once learned Psalm 19:7 as, "The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul." However, the Hebrew text might better be translated as, "The instruction (i.e., Torah) of the LORD is perfect, returning the soul." This is the message of teshuvah (תְּשׁוּבָה), or "repentance," of course. We turn away from ourselves to discover that only the love of God given in Yeshua gives life to our dead hearts (Mark 1:15). Teshuvah is therefore first of all a matter of faith, of trusting in the miracle of God. And though it is indeed a great gift from heaven, it requires that we pass through the "narrow gate" of humility by confessing the truth about who we are (Matt. 7:13). We turn away from our pride; we acknowledge our inner poverty, our neediness, and we mourn over the loss and hurt caused by our sin. Teshuvah turns us away from our attempts to defend or justify ourselves and instead turns to God to heal our separation from love (Rom. 8:3-4). The miracle of love buries our old nature and transforms us into a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17).
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 19:7 Hebrew read (click):
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The 40 Days of Teshuvah...
[ The Forty Day "Season of Repentance" begins Friday, August 26th this year... ]
08.22.22 (Av 25, 5782) The last month of the Jewish calendar (counting from Tishri) is called Elul (אֱלוּל), which begins at sundown on Friday, August 26th this year. Traditionally, Rosh Chodesh Elul marks the beginning of a forty day "Season of Teshuvah" that culminates on the solemn holiday of Yom Kippur. The month of Elul is therefore a time set aside each year to prepare for the Yamim Nora'im, the "Days of Awe," by getting our spiritual house in order.
During this time we make additional effort to repent, or "turn [shuv] toward God." In Jewish tradition, these 40 days are sometimes called Yemei Ratzon (יְמֵי רָצוֹן) - "Days of Favor," since it was during this time that the LORD forgave the Jewish nation after the sin of the Golden Calf (Pirke d'Reb Eliezar). Some of the sages liken these 40 days to the number of days it takes for the human fetus to be formed within the womb.
The advent of the "Season of Teshuvah" reminds us that we all fail, that we all are broken people, and that errors and mistakes are part of our daily spiritual life... We journey toward humility and compassion rather than struggle for perfection; we confess our need for forgiveness and seek reconciliation with all those we might have harmed... During this season it is common enough to hear messages about our need to turn and draw near to God for life, but it is equally important to remember that God turns and draws near to the brokenhearted for consolation. As it is said, the Lord is near to the nishbar lev (נִשְׁבָּר לֵב), the one with a broken and crushed heart (Psalm 34:18).
Brokenness is the means through which God performs some of His deepest work within our hearts. A.W. Tozer once said, "It is doubtful whether God can bless a man greatly until he has hurt him deeply." Likewise Alan Redpath once wrote, "When God wants to do an impossible task, he takes an impossible individual – and crushes him." William James called this deep work of the spiritual life Zerrissenheit, a term that roughly can be translated as "torn-to-pieces-hood," or a state of being utterly broken and in disarray... The brokenhearted live in day-to-day dependence upon God for the miracle...
"Resolved, to act, in all respects, both speaking and doing, as if nobody had been so vile as I, and as if I had committed the same sins, or had the same infirmities or failings as others; and that I will let the knowledge of their failings promote nothing but shame in myself, and prove only an occasion of my confessing my own sins and misery to God." - Jonathan Edwards
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 34:18 Hebrew reading (click):
Note that the word "Elul" (אֱלוּל) may be read as an acronym for the phrase,
ani le'dodi ve'dodi li (אֲנִי לְדוֹדִי וְדוֹדִי לִי), "I am my beloved's, and my beloved in mine"
(Song 6:3), to encourage to become full of desire for the Beloved of our soul...
Torah's Weightier Matters...
[ The following entry concerns this week's Torah reading, parashat Re'eh... ]
08.22.22 (Av 25, 5782) Shalom friends. We read in our Torah portion this week: "See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse: the blessing (הַבְּרָכָה), if you obey (שָׁמַע) the commandments of the LORD your God... and the curse (הַקְּלָלָה), if you turn aside (סוּר, "withdraw," "draw back") from the way that I am commanding you today, to go after other gods that you have not known" (Deut. 11:26-28). Presupposed here, of course, is knowing what the commandments of the Lord are, which is why we are further commanded neither add nor to subtract from Torah (Deut. 4:2). We are neither to go back to passivity and slavery by making Torah another "taskmaster" (i.e., "adding" to Torah), nor are we to erect "private altars" by exalting our own interpretation as exclusionary and divine (i.e., "subtracting" from Torah) (Deut. 12:1-7). Instead, we must face up to our responsibilities by making difficult life choices: we must discern the "weightier matters of Torah" (see Matt. 23:23). When we were enslaved in Egypt, we were free from responsibility; we could play the victim by blaming others for our sins, our sorrows, our troubles. When were set free to serve God, however, we were given the power to choose to live outside of the realm of the curse by accepting God's blessing. Therefore choose life so you and your offspring may live!
Hebrew Lesson
Deut. 30:19b reading (click):
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Prayer for this hour...
08.22.22 (Av 25, 5782) Many of us are hurting, Lord, and we sometimes are tempted to feel abandoned in our struggle... This world seems so senseless, so brutal, and so evil at times; we feel powerless, overwhelmed, and even sick inside... We look to You, O God, and for your mercy and power. Help us to accept what we cannot change and to completely trust in Your great healing, despite the sickness of the world around us and the sickness within us. Remind us that though we cannot change the world, we are given grace to sustain our trust in You, our glorious and merciful Healer. And may we never be ashamed; may we never grow bitter; may our sorrows lead us mechayil el chayil, from strength to strength. And may this time of testing lead us to greater wisdom, to compassion, and finally back to You. Amen.
God allows us to suffer because....... will any words here suffice? Suffering, like nearly everything else in the universe, is a mystery. Yes, we believe God will wipe away all our tears, but there are tears, after all, and things really hurt sometimes. Thomas Aquinas once said, "With faith there are no questions; without faith, there are no answers," which is to say that trusting in God's love ultimately gives rest to our relentless questions, whereas no amount of answers will ever be enough for the heart that refuses to trust. Having faith doesn't mean pretending to have all the answers, of course, but it affirms – even in the absence of understanding, in dark moments, in the midst of sorrow or pain or confusion – that hope is real, love is what matters most, and that God will never, ever fail us...
Again, it is a great paradox, but the more we understand our complete dependence on God, the more freedom we have from the weight of worldly fears, and this courage enables us to walk as His children in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation.
Hebrew Lesson:
Psalm 39:12 Hebrew reading:
The Blessing or the Curse...
08.21.22 (Av 24, 5782) Our Torah portion this week (i.e., parashat Re'eh) begins, "See (רְאֵה), I give before you today a blessing and a curse: the blessing (הַבְּרָכָה), if you obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you today, and the curse (הַקְּלָלָה), if you ... turn aside from the way that I am commanding you today, to go after other gods that you have not known" (Deut. 11:26-28). We obtain God's blessing (i.e., berakhah: בְּרָכָה) when we obey the LORD, and our decision to obey manifests the blessed state of walking before the Divine Presence (the direct object marker et (את) before the word "the blessing" alludes to the blessings of "Aleph to Tav," that is from Yeshua, as described in Lev. 26:3-13). As King David said, "I have set (שִׁוִּיתִי) the LORD always before me..." (Psalm 16:8). David made a choice to "set" the LORD before his eyes, for he understood that opening his eyes to Reality was the only path of real blessing.
On the other hand, we obtain God's curse (i.e., kelalah: קְלָלָה) when we close our eyes and "forget" that the LORD is always present.... Suppressing God's truth invariably leads to idolatry, that is, to self exaltation. Note that the root word for the word "curse" (kalal) means to be treated as of little account, and therefore "ratifies" the rebellious heart's attitude toward God. This is middah keneged middah - we are ignored by the LORD as we ignore Him, just as we seen by Him when we truly seek His face (Isa. 55:6-7). So we see that the blessing or the curse really comes from our own inward decision, and God establishes the path we have chosen. As King David said, "God supports my lot" (Psalm 16:5), and Solomon wrote, "The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps" (Prov. 16:9).
Click to listen and learn the Hebrew text:
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Note: "See, I am setting before you this day a blessing and a curse: the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you today, and the curse, if you do not" (Deut 11:26-28). Some of the sages say this admonition constitutes a severe reprimand of their immaturity. Forty years after receving the Torah at Sinai and the people still need to be cajoled like children with promises of rewards and threats of punishments? Those who are mature in their faith recognize good and evil for what they are: they seek the good because it is the way of truth and life. It is a sign of carnality to seek God because of the manna he provides rather than to seek him as the giver of life itself....
Haftarah: Aniyah So'arah (עֲנִיָּה סעֲרָה)
The weekly haftarah portion (i.e., reading from the Prophets) is usually thematically connected with the weekly Torah portion; however, beginning with the Fast of the Fourth month until the end of the Jewish year, the connection changes. First we always read three prophetic portions of rebuke leading up to the fast day of Tishah B'Av. Then, following Tishah B'Av, and for the next seven weeks leading up to Rosh Hashanah (i.e., the new year), we read selections of comfort that foretell of the future redemption of the Jewish people and the coming Messianic Era.
The third of the "Seven Weeks of Comfort" leading up to Rosh Hashanah is called Aniyah so'arah (i.e., עֲנִיָּה סעֲרָה, "O afflicted and storm-tossed one," Isa. 54:11-55:5), which reminds the Jewish people of God's eternal and unconditional covenant of peace. Indeed of the Jewish people it is said, "no weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed, and you shall refute every tongue that rises against you in judgment." Therefore the LORD invites the people to drink from the waters of life: "Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant (בְּרִית עוֹלָם), my steadfast, sure love for David (Isa. 55:3; Luke 1:68-75; Acts 13:34). Note. however, that when this Sabbath occurs on the New Moon of Elul, Isa. 66:1-24 is read instead.
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Out of our Depths...
08.21.22 (Av 24, 5782) God gives us what we need, not necessarily what we want. My bout with sickness over the last four days was brutal, and I wanted to be free of its effects, though the Lord brought me low to open my heart to His presence in a new way. He knows what we need; His wounds heal. "Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O LORD..."
"Our life is full of brokenness - broken relationships, broken promises, broken expectations. How can we live with that brokenness without becoming bitter and resentful except by returning again and again to God's faithful presence in our lives" (Henri Nouwen). It is a great paradox, but the more we understand our complete dependence on God, the more freedom we have from the weight of worldly fears, and this courage enables us to live as His children in the midst of our sorrows.
The Fight of your Life...
[ "The question is not, 'To be or not to be,' it is what we should be until we are not..."
- Soren Aabye Kierkegaard ]
08.18.22 (Av 21, 5782) Shalom friends. Because we are in the midst of a raging spiritual war, it is imperative to gird your mind and heart with the truth (John 17:17). Keep yourself armed for the battle and be aware of the common strategies of the enemy of your soul (2 Cor. 2:11). Trust in God's power to deliver you from evil (1 Cor. 10:13). Be resolute in your convictions, refusing to yield to worldly pressures to compromise your faith in the name of supposed "tolerance." It is not loving to suppress the truth of Yeshua or to minimize the truth claims of our Messiah's vision of reality.
Fight the good fight of faith, and take hold of those spiritual weapons that are "mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds" (2 Cor. 10:4). Always be ready to yield every thought to the obedience of your LORD (2 Cor. 10:4). Know that this is the fight for your life, friend. The Prince of Peace (שַׂר־שָׁלוֹם) came to make peace between God and sinners through his sacrificial blood, but he did so by means of a terrible conflict with the powers of darkness, and his message still offends those enslaved by pride and fear...
The devil provides weapons for those in his service, namely violence, the lies of darkness, the impudence of pride, and the vain seductions of this world, and therefore it behooves us to avail ourselves of the weapons of faith received by the agency of the Spirit of God (Eph. 6:11-18). Be sober and vigilant because your adversary (ἀντίδικος) prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world" (1 Pet. 5:7-8). Yield yourself to God, resist the the wicked one will flee from you (James 4:7). The end of all things draws near: stay awake and call upon the Name of the LORD.
Hebrew Lesson:
Proverbs 28:1 Hebrew reading:
Danger of Forgetfulness...
[ The following entry concerns this week's Torah reading, parashat Eikev... ]
08.18.22 (Av 21, 5782) The sages note: "Great is the power of forgetfulness, for it is also capable of causing you to forget the LORD your God, as it is written in this week's Torah portion (Eikev), "Guard yourself lest you forget the LORD your God by not keeping his commandments and his rules and his statutes, which I command you today" (Deut. 8:11).
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Note that the word "forget" in this verse comes from a root (i.e., shakhach: שָׁכַח) that means to ignore or "wither," thus evoking the words of Yeshua: "I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers (ξηραίνω); and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned" (John 15:5-6). Therefore it is essential to earnestly strive to remember and to retain the truth that has been entrusted to you, as it is written: "Get wisdom; get insight; do not forget, and do not turn away from the words of my mouth" (Prov. 4:5).
קְנֵה חָכְמָה קְנֵה בִינָה
אַל־תִּשְׁכַּח וְאַל־תֵּט מֵאִמְרֵי־פִי
ke·neih · chokh·mah ke·neih · vee-nah
ahl-teesh-kach · ve·ahl-teit · mei·eem·rey·fee
"Get wisdom; gain insight; do not forget
and do not turn away from the words of my mouth.
(Prov. 4:5)
The Divine Light...
08.17.22 (Av 20, 5782) "If I say, surely the darkness shall cover me, even the night shall be light about me, for the darkness cannot hide from You, but the night shines as the day: nothing escapes your radiance" (Psalm 139:11-12). The heart of faith confesses that the light of God overcomes all the darkness, even the darkness of our own hearts, and furthermore that we can trust that God is in our darkness, in the silence, in the unknown... Yeshua was covered by the dark cloud as He suffered on the cross on your behalf. You come out of the shadows when you admit that you act just like other people, that you are human, in need of reconciliation yourself... Above all you need God. You need help. You need a miracle to help you to truly love. You may find excuses for many things, but you cannot escape the "wretched man that I am" reality that is grounded in your fears.
God sees in the darkness and is present there, too. When you feel alone, like an unbridgeable gulf lay between you and all that is good; when you feel like you want to scream but are afraid that even then no one would hear, may the LORD shine His light upon you... Amen, may His light shine upon you.
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 139:11 reading (click):
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Prophetic Listening...
08.17.22 (Av 20, 5782) A verse from our Torah portion this week (i.e., Eikev) recalls Yeshua's words that "every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old" (Matt. 13:53). Rashi noted that the phrase often translated, "And it shall come to pass if you diligently hear" in Deut. 11:13, i.e., ve'hayah eem shamo'a teeshme'oo (וְהָיָה אִם־שָׁמעַ תִּשְׁמְעוּ), is grammatically puzzling, since the Hebrew literally reads "if you hear, you will hear," which suggests that as we listen attentively to the words of Torah, we will hear more, and we will encounter spiritual connections and applications that are new and ready for this hour. The early sages commented: "If you listen to the old, you will listen to the new" (Berachot 40a). Focusing our attention on the commandments even while in exile is likened to practice for the world to come, since then they will not be new to you when the final redemption appears. Happy are those who love the Torah. More light comes as we live in the truth (John 13:17). As Yeshua also said: "For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away" (Matt. 13:12).
Hebrew Lesson
Deut. 11:13a reading (click):
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Heeding the Call of Hope...
08.17.22 (Av 20, 5782) The only way out of the painful ambiguity of life is to hear a message from the higher world, the Heavenly Voice, that brings hope to our aching and troubled hearts: "Faith comes by hearing the word of Messiah - ῥῆμα Χριστοῦ" (Rom. 10:17). And yet what is the meaning of this message if it is not that all shall be made well by heaven's hand? There is hope, there is hope, and all your fears will one day be cast into outer darkness, swallowed up by God's unending comfort... "Go into all the world and make students (תַּלְמִידִים) of all nations" (Matt 28:19), and that means sharing the hope that what makes us sick - our depravity and despair - has been healed by Yeshua, and that we escape the gravity of our own fallenness if we accept his invitation to receive life in him. "For you will light my lamp; the LORD my God will outshine my darkness."
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Exercising faith means actively listening to the Eternal Voice, the Word of the LORD that calls out in love in search of your heart's trust... To have faith means esteeming God's love for you, that is, understanding that you truly matter to God, and that the Divine Voice calls out your name, too.... Living in faith means consciously accepting that you are accepted by God's love and grace. Trusting God means that you bear ambiguity, heartache, and darkness, yet you still allow hope to enlighten your way.
The Rizhiner Rebbe once said, "Let your light penetrate the darkness until the darkness itself becomes the light and there is no longer a division between the two. As it is written, "And there was evening and there was morning, one day." Yea, the darkness and the light are both alike unto Thee, O LORD, as it is written: "If I say, "Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night, even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you" (Psalm 139:11-12).
We walk by faith, not by sight - by hearing the Word of God, heeding what the Spirit of God is saying to the heart (2 Cor. 5:7). For now we "see through a glass darkly," which literally means "in a riddle" (ἐν αἰνίγματι). A riddle is an analogy given through some resemblance to the truth, though quite often the correspondences are puzzling and even obscure. Hence, "seeing through a glass darkly" means perceiving obscurely or imperfectly, looking "through" something else instead of directly apprehending reality. 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 no longer be hidden. Being "face to face" with reality means being free of the riddles, the analogies, the semblances, etc., which cause us to languish in uncertainty... Now we know in part, but then shall we know in whole.
Despite the obscurity of life in this temporary age, we are encouraged not to lose heart, since though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being raised into newness (ἀνακαινόω) day by day (2 Cor. 4:16). "For our light and transient troubles are achieving for us an everlasting glory whose weight is beyond description, because we are not looking at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen. For what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal" (2 Cor. 4:17).
Therefore walk "by faith" as if the invisible is indeed visible. Stay strong and keep hope, for it is through hope that we are saved (Rom. 8:24). Faith is the conviction (ἔλεγχος) of things unseen (Heb. 11:1). Do not be seduced by mere appearances; do not allow yourself to be bewitched into thinking that this world could ever be your home. No, we are strangers and pilgrims here; we are on the journey to the reach "the City of Living God, to heavenly Jerusalem, to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven" (Heb. 12:22-23). Therefore do not lose heart. Stay focused and keep to the narrow path. Set your affections on things above since your real life is "hidden with God" (Col. 3:1-4). Do not yield to the temptation of despair. Look beyond the "giants of the land" and reckon them as already fallen. Keep pressing on. Chazak, chazak, ve-nit chazek - "Be strong, be strong, and let us be strengthened!" Fight the good fight of the faith. May the LORD our God help you take hold of the eternal life to which you were called (1 Tim. 6:12). Amen.
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The Whole Commandment...
[ The following is related to our Torah reading for this week, parashat Eikev.... ]
08.16.22 (Av 19, 5782) From our Torah portion for this week (i.e., parashat Eikev) we read: "The whole commandment that I am commanding you this day you shall observe and do, so that you may live..." (Deut. 8:1). The Hebrew phrase kol ha'mitzvah (כל־המצוה), here translated as "the whole commandment," refers to the heart attitude, or the inner passion of the soul. Some have linked the word "commandment" (מצוה) with the word "connection" (צוותא), suggesting that God's commandments are the means by which we cleave to Him, as is written: "this is the love of God (אהבת אלהים), that we hold fast to his commandments" (1 John 5:3). The commandments are "for life" (Lev. 18:5), which means they serve as the call of the Beloved to rise to something far greater...
Hebrew Lesson
Deut. 8:1 Hebrew reading (click):
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The "whole commandment," then, is to walk in God's love and to grow into the full stature of his truth. As it is written, tamim yiyeh im Adonai Elohekha: "You shall be wholehearted with the LORD your God - תמים תהיה עם יהוה אלהיך" (Deut. 18:13), and "Fear God and keep his commandments - כי־זה כל־האדם - for this is the whole man" (Eccl. 12:13).
The Kotzker once said, "The prohibition against making idols includes the prohibition against making idols out of the commandments. We should never imagine that the whole purpose of the Torah is its outer form, but rather the inward meaning." Indeed, sacrificial blood was placed over the tablets of the law (i.e., the blood sprinkled on the kapporet, or the "crown" of the Ark) that represented God's forgiveness and atonement for sin. The life is "in the blood," which represents God's passion, the deepest truth of Torah. And this is the message of the gospel itself, of course, since the blood of Yeshua passionately shed for our sake has opened up a new and everlasting way for us to be rightly related to God (Heb. 9:12).
Hebrew Lesson
Eccl. 12:13 Hebrew reading (click):
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Gratitude and Seeing...
08.16.22 (Av 19, 5782) We are instructed to look for small miracles -- everyday "signs and wonders." In our Torah portion for this week (i.e., Eikev) we read: "And you shall bless the LORD your God for the good land he has given you." (Deut. 8:10). Whenever we derive benefit or enjoyment from something we are to bless (i.e., thank) God for his goodness. Jewish tradition says that if one eats or drinks without saying a blessing, it is as if he has stolen from God. From the verse, "What does the LORD ask of you..." (Deut. 10:12), the sages infer that a person should say at least 100 blessings a day, since the word מה, "what," alludes to the word מאה, a "hundred." The Hebrew term for gratitude is hakarat tovah (הַכָּרַת טוֹבָה), a phrase that means "recognizing the good." The heart looks through the eye, and therefore how we see is ultimately a spiritual decision: "If your eye is "single" (i.e., ἁπλοῦς, sincere, focused)," Yeshua said, "your whole body will be filled with light" (Matt. 6:22). When we see rightly, we are awakened to God's Presence in the little things of life, those small miracles and glories that constantly surround us. The good eye of faith sees hundreds of reasons to bless God for the precious gift of life (1 Cor. 10:31). Open your eyes... The LORD is "enthroned among the blessings of His people" (Psalm 22:3).
Addictions, cravings, lusts, etc., arise from a refusal to be satisfied, by hungering for more than the blessing of the present moment. "My people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water" (Jer. 2:13). The living waters are present for us, but we will only find them if we open our hearts to the wonder of God in this moment. We can "break the spell" of continual dissatisfaction, of the power of greed, ambition, and so on, when we discover that our constant hunger is really a cry for God and His blessing. This is the blessed "hunger and thirst" given by the Spirit (Matt. 5:6). Our sense of inner emptiness is an invitation to come to the waters and drink life. So come to God's table and ask the Lord Yeshua to give you the water that will satisfy your heart's true thirst for life...
It is written: "Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him! Oh, fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who fear him have no lack" (Psalm 34:8-9). We can only "taste and see" when we are earnest however, when we seek God with passion... When you pray, lift up your heart and soul to God, asking for the miracle to surrender to Him in the truth. Where it says, "with all your heart" (בְּכָל־לְבָבְךָ), present before him all your passion and desires; your hopes and your needs, your fears and your anger; and where it says, "with all your soul" (וּבְכָל־נַפְשְׁךָ), offer before him your very soul, as if to be sacrificed in his service; and where it says, "with all your muchness" (וּבְכָל־מְאדֶךָ) offer to him all your strength, all your means, and all your dreams. Ask to be filled with the Ruach HaKodesh to be enabled to apprehend the glory of God in the face of the Messiah (בִּפְנֵי הַמָּשִׁיחַ), through whom we are being transformed for the glory of God.
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 34:8 Hebrew reading (click):
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Idolatry and Rage...
[ The following is related to our Torah reading for this week, parashat Eikev.... ]
08.16.22 (Av 19, 5782) We are warned not to destroy ourselves by allowing bitterness, anger, or fear to consume our hearts. In our Torah this week (Eikev) we read: "And you shall not bring an abominable thing (תּוֹעֵבָה) into your house and become devoted to destruction like it" (Deut. 7:26). The sages of the Mishnah said that yielding to rage is equivalent to idol worship and should never be brought into the home. Indeed, rage is linked with avodah zarah - idolatry - because it exalts the ego and claims that the Lord can't (or won't) help you in your moment of testing or need. The Scriptures are clear, however, that "there is no test given to you that you cannot handle with God's help" (1 Cor. 10:13), and we are invited to come boldly before the Divine Presence to find just such help in our time of need (Heb. 4:16). Believing that you can't overcome your fear or anger problem is therefore a form of idolatry since it assumes that you are enslaved to a self-destructive power greater than yourself, and that you owe its allegiance by obeying its impulses. However it is written: Lo yiheyeh vekha el zar (לא־יִהְיֶה בְךָ אֵל זָר) -- "there shall be no foreign god within you" (Psalm 81:9), which means that we must expressly deny the ego's demand to have its will be done. Being full of a sense of self-importance (or even powerlessness) is to be ensnared by vanity and to have a foreign god "within you." God and human arrogance cannot coexist - since the inner world of the arrogant person denies God's rightful place as King. As it is written in our Scriptures: "The wrath of man (קֶצֶף אָדָם) does not work the righteousness of God" (James 1:20). God will indeed help us if we ask according to his will (1 John 5:14-15). Thank you, Lord. "Blessed is the LORD who delivers us from self-destruction." Amen.
בָּרוּך יהוה שֶׁמַצִיל אוֹתנוּ מֵהַרֵס עַצְמִי
bah·rookh · Adonai · sheh·ma·tzeel
oh·tah'-noo · mei'·ha-reis · atz·mee
"Blessed is the LORD who delivers us from self-destruction."
Mehareis Atzmi Blessing (pdf)
Connecting with God...
[ Even one step in the right direction is - a step in the right direction; the miracle begins there... ]
08.15.22 (Av 18, 5782) From our Torah portion this week (i.e., parashat Eikev) we read: "And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments and statutes of the LORD, which I am commanding you today for your good?" (Deut. 10:12-13). Ultimately we must make the choice whether we will respect life or not, since that is the question set before us... In this present world, God "hides" so that people may seek him (Isa. 45:15; Matt. 13:10-15). The voice of conscience may be suppressed and the revelation of nature ignored; moreover, some things are perceived only if they are looked for in the right way, for instance, the Divine Presence is not apprehended apart from humility and reverence. We must "make room" for wonder; we must open the "eye of the heart" to see what is greater than our everyday vision. "It is good to look at the sky often, as this helps develop the awe of God." Indeed the word for fear, yirah (יִרְאָה), is connected with the word for seeing, ra'ah (רָאָה). When we really see life as it is, we will be filled with wonder over the glory of it all. Every bush will be aflame with the Presence of God and the ground we walk upon shall suddenly be perceived as holy (Exod. 3:2-5). Nothing will seem small, trivial, or insignificant. In this sense, "fear and trembling" (φόβοv καὶ τρόμοv) before the LORD is a description of the inner awareness of the sanctity and eternal significance of life itself (Psalm 2:11, Phil. 2:12).
Connecting with God is paradoxical. We find verses that teach both the fear of the Lord (i.e., his power), and others that teach the amazing love of the Lord (i.e., his grace). We are drawn to God in adoration, appreciation, wonder, and love, and yet we are compelled to shrink back because of His overwhelming power, glory, holiness, and radiance. Therefore we see "the disciple whom Jesus loved" both leaning on his chest but also falling on his face in "dreadful adoration" (John 13:23; Rev. 1:17). Only when these heart attitudes are combined is the heart balanced. But the fear of the Lord is primary (see Psalm 111:10; Prov. 1:7, 9:10), and when we walk in it, we are released from the common fears of men by apprehending a far surpassing power that overrules all things. Again, it is a paradox: if we fear lesser things we lose sight of the awe of God; but if we first revere God, we will lose sight of lesser fears.
In Jewish tradition, seeing the Presence of God in all things is called yirat ha-rommemnut (יִרְאַת הָרוֹמְמוּת), or the "Awe of the Exalted." We might get a sense of this reverential awe when we behold the canopy of stars in the night sky, or when we look down from atop a mountain peak, or when we catch site of a spectacular sunset. Or we might experience it during the birth of a baby or the death of a loved one... This sense of awe or "transcendent mystery" is also called yirat Adonai (יִרְאַת יְהוָה), the "fear of the Name." It presents a holy hush, a feeling that you are standing before something utterly wonderful, sacred, set apart, mysterious, and profoundly significant; it both attracts yet causes you to tremble...
Hebrew Lesson
Deuteronomy 8:6 reading (click):
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Opening your Heart...
08.15.22 (Av 18, 5782) Our Torah reading for this week (i.e., parashat Eikev) appeals for us to let go of our hurt and anger: "Circumcise (i.e., cut away) the barriers to your heart, and be no longer unresponsive to love" (Deut. 10:16). The metaphor of a "circumcised heart" (ברית מילה של הלב) symbolizes cutting away the outer covering of the heart so that it is "opened up" to feel once again. God wants us to let go of "hard feelings" so we can experience compassion (i.e., com+passion: "feeling-with") and sympathy for other people... Heart circumcision represents a radical turning away from the insular realm of the self toward the emotional realm of others and God. When our hearts are open, we are able to receive the flow of the Spirit of God and obey the "law of the Messiah" (תּוֹרַת הַמָּשִׁיחַ) to bear one another's burdens (Gal. 6:2).
וּמַלְתֶּם אֵת עָרְלַת לְבַבְכֶם
וְעָרְפְּכֶם לא תַקְשׁוּ עוֹד
oo·mal·tem · et · ohr·lat · le·vav·khem
ve·ohr·pe·khem · loh · tak·shoo · ohd
"Cut away the barriers to your heart,
and be no longer unresponsive to love."
(Deut. 10:16)
Physical circumcision represents a sign or mark of inclusion; it is a token that you are one of God's family, a Jew, though it is only a sign or token. Spiritual circumcision is an inner operation of the heart that marks you a true child of heaven. It is about your identity and purpose. Therefore we see the paradox that some physical Jews are not spiritual Jews, and some spiritual Jews are not physical Jews (though some are both), as the Apostle Paul said: For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit (ἐν πνεύματι), not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God (Rom. 2:28-29).
Metaphorically speaking, a heart that is insensitive, indifferent, unfeeling, and callous toward the needs of others is "hard" or "uncircumcised." Often such hardness comes as a result of living in a fallen world. Many wounded people live with "scar tissue" that surrounds their heart, making them feel numb and unwilling to open up and trust others. Their affections have become disordered and they rationalize blaming others or seeking various forms of entitlement. "Turning off your heart" can mean suppressing any positive regard for others (empathy) while nurturing anger and self-righteousness, or it may mean withdrawing from others as a lifeless shell (both approaches vainly attempt to defend the heart from hurt). Although Yeshua always showed great compassion, especially to the wounded and broken in spirit (Isa. 42:3), He regularly condemned the "hardness of heart" (called "sclero-cardia," σκληροκαρδία) of those who resisted his message of healing and love.
A hard heart is closed off and impermeable to love from others, and especially from God. It is a "difficult" (קָשֶׁה) heart, inflexible and even cruel. Scripture uses various images to picture this condition, including a "heart of stone" (Ezek. 36:26, Zech. 7:12), an "uncircumcised heart" (Jer. 9:26), a "stiff neck" (Deut. 31:27), and so on. Stubbornness is really a form of idolatry, an exaltation of self-will that refuses to surrender to God. If you are wounded and afraid to open your heart in trust to others, ask God for healing...
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Wounds of Loneliness...
08.15.22 (Av 18, 5782) 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 (Matt. 8:28-34)? 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). We will live for He lives...
"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 ve'amen.
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 147:3 reading (click):
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Note: I have quoted Henri Nouwen at times on this site, and I have been blessed reading some of his books over the years. Someone recently told me that Henri was a "homosexual Catholic" and I had no business quoting him. I knew he was a Catholic, though I had no idea about his sexual orientation. Here's what I read about this issue: click.
Parashat Eikev - עקב
[ The Torah reading for this week is parashat Eikev, which is traditionally read during Shabbat Va'tomer, the second "Sabbath of Consolation" after Tishah B'Av.... ]
08.14.22 (Av 17, 5782) In our Torah reading for this week (i.e., parashat Eikev), Moses continues his farewell address to Israel by saying, "And because (עֵקֶב) you will listen to these rules and keep and do them, the LORD your God will keep with you the covenant and the love that he swore to your fathers" (Deut. 7:12). Note that the word eikev (עֵקֶב), often translated "because," literally means "heel," which recalls Jacob (יעקב) the "heel-holder" who wrestled with the pain of his past to learn to bear the name Israel (יִשְׂרָאֵל), the "prince of God" (Gen. 32:28)... And like Jacob, we must grapple to believe that the covenant of God's love and acceptance is for us, too...
The Sassover rebbe interpreted the opening verse of our Torah portion, "And because you will listen..." (וְהָיָה עֵקֶב תִּשְׁמְעוּן) as, "and it shall be when your heel is ready to take a step, you will listen to your heart." This is the step of faith. As you begin to walk with God, you will come to know yourself as a child of the great King. Likewise regarding the related verse in the Torah, "Because Abraham heard my voice" (עֵקֶב אֲשֶׁר־שָׁמַע אַבְרָהָם בְּקלִי), the sages read, "Abraham heard the word 'down to his heel'" (Gen. 26:5). Like Abraham, we will hear God's voice as we walk with him by faith...
Hebrew Lesson
1 Chron. 22:19a reading (click):
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The portion begins: "ve'hayah eikev..." (Deut. 7:12). Here translators differ about how to understand the Hebrew. The JPS version, for instance, renders this as "and if you listen," whereas others render it as, "and because you listen..." The former translation makes the blessing seem conditional upon obedience, whereas the latter reading affirms the obedience that leads to blessing... The Hebrew word eikev (i.e., עקב, "heel," "step"), however, refers to action, and therefore it may be regarded as a prophecy expressing faith that the blessing which God swore on oath will be fulfilled. May it be so for us, chaverim...
Hebrew Lesson
Opening words of parashat Eikev (click):
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Trust in Difficult Days...
08.12.22 (Av 15, 5782) We are living in times of difficulty leading up to the coming of our Messiah, Yeshua, and therefore we all need courage and grace to persevere. When Andrew Murray was bedridden and sick, he advised another sufferer using these words: "In time of trouble say: "First, He brought me here. It is by His will I am in this straight place; in that I will rest. Next, He will keep me here in His love, and give me grace to behave as His child. Then, He will make the trial a blessing, teaching me the lessons He intends me to learn, and working in me the grace He means to bestow. Last, In His good time He can bring me out again – how and when He knows. [Therefore] let me say I am here, (1) by God's appointment; (2) in his keeping; (3) under His training; and (4) for His time."
Deep within I discover that I can bless the Lord, losing sight of myself and my fears as I affirm my deepest purpose and heritage: "My (boundary) lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; indeed, my inheritance is beautiful to me" (Psalm 16:6). Though I might have felt bereft and even tempted to curse my estate, by God's grace I am made able to give thanks and to bless, even in the midst of my troubles and pain: "I will bless the LORD who has counseled me; my conscience disciplines me in the night" (Psalm 16:7). Therefore שִׁוִּיתִי יְהוָה לְנֶגְדִּי תָמִיד - "I have set the Lord always before me" – especially in desperate moments when I can barely endure – since I have learned that "because he is at my right hand, I shall not come undone" (Psalm 16:8). God gives me strength to renew my hope: therefore "my heart is made glad, my whole being rejoices, and my body rests in trust" (Psalm 16:9). Amen, Shabbat Shalom!
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 35:9 Hebrew reading (click):
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The Holiday of Tu B'Av...
08.12.22 (Av 15, 5782) Tu B'Av (ט"ו באב, the "fifteenth [day] of [the month of] Av") is an annual holiday of love and affection (sometimes called chag ha-ahavah: חַג הָאַהֲבָה) that is celebrated as a sort of "Valentine's Day" in modern Israel (though it is a much older holiday that St. Valentine's Day). Just as Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement) originally celebrated the reconciliation of Israel to the LORD after the sin of the Golden Calf, so Tu B'Av originally celebrated the reconciliation of Israel for the Sin of the Spies. Therefore both the fifteenth of Av and Yom Kippur became joyous times celebrating forgiveness and restoration to the LORD. Indeed, the Babylonian Talmud (Ta'anit 31a) quotes Shimon ben Gamliel as saying, "Israel had no holidays as joyous as the fifteenth of Av and the Day of Atonement, when the maidens of Israel would go out and dance in the vineyards... What were they saying: Young man, consider whom you choose to be your wife..."
Since it marks the "last" festival of the Jewish year, Tu B'Av prophetically pictures our marriage to the Lamb of God (Seh Elohim), Yeshua our beloved Messiah. On a soon-coming day those who belong to him and are faithful to follow his ways will be blessed with the unspeakable joy as their "wedding day" finally has come. This is heaven itself - to be in the Presence of the LORD and to be His beloved (Rev. 19:6-9).
With the advent of the holiday of Tu B'Av, we are reminded of the beautiful phrase, ani l'dodi ve'dodi li (אֲנִי לְדוֹדִי וְדוֹדִי לִי), "I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine" (Song. 6:3), a phrase the sages say is an acronym for the name Elul (אלול). Since the month of Elul begins in just a couple of weeks (i.e., Friday, August 6th this year), the entire month is set apart to prepare us for the coming High Holidays in early September. During this time it we engage in cheshbon ha-nefesh ("soul searching") and to derive comfort that God is forgiving and loving to those who turn to Him. The sages chose the seven "Haftarot of comfort" to encourage us to make our hearts ready for the upcoming High Holiday Season.
Hebrew Lesson
Song 6:3 reading (click):
Every Prayer Answered...
08.12.22 (Av 15, 5782) If you earnestly pray but are tempted to suspect that God is indifferent to your pleas, remind yourself that every prayer uttered to God from a heart of honest faith, that is, from a heart that trusts in God's redemptive love given in Messiah, is indeed answered, and not a syllable goes unheeded or will be lost before heaven. Just as assuredly we believe that no one will get away with evil -- that justice will eventually be served and all wrongs redressed at the bar of Eternal Judgment -- so we understand that every utterance of the heart of faith finds compassionate response from the heart of heaven. Indeed the essence of teshuvah (return, "repentance") is heartfelt prayer, and therefore when we bring honest words and turn back to accept the truth, God's mercy and compassion are decisively evoked (1 John 1:9). The most important thing is not to lose faith, however, but to believe that God hears you and will indeed answer the cry of your heart. Decide to believe and settle your expectation. Never give up hope. God is faithful; He will do it (1 Thess. 5:24).
King David asked for God's direct and miraculous intervention to heal his soul: "Cause me to me hear your lovingkindness in the morning, for in You do I trust. Cause me to know the way I should go, for I lift up my soul to you" (Psalm 143:8). David's request was that he would be empowered to hear God's loving voice calling to his heart at the start the day, to be assured of God's kindness and favor. Note that the Hebrew verbs used in this verse are both hiphal imperatives, implying that God is the agent or cause of the action. We lift up our heart in expectation, understanding that the LORD alone is the One who is able to draw us near to Him: "You [God] cause me to hear... You [God] cause me to know..."
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 143:8 Hebrew reading (click):
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The First Commandment...
08.12.22 (Av 15, 5782) Our Torah for this week (Va'etchanan) includes the first part of the Shema (שמע): "Hear, O Israel, the LORD is our God; the LORD is One, and you shall love (וְאָהַבְתָּ) the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might" (Deut. 6:4-5). During its recitation we pronounce each word very carefully and cover our eyes with our right hand, focusing on the sovereignty of God and our primary need to love Him with our whole being. Yeshua said that the Shema was the "first" commandment of Torah (see Mark 12:28-31). Note that the opening declaration of the Shema includes three Divine Names: Lord (יהוה), God (אלהים), and Lord (יהוה) again, which suggests the multiplicity-in-oneness (unity) that the word "echad" implies (see below). The two letters Ayin (ע) and Dalet (ד) are written enlarged in the opening verse of the Shema. Together, these letters form the word 'ed (עֵד), which means "witness," suggesting that we recite the Shema to testify of the sovereignty of God and our duty to love Him bekhol levavkha, (בּכָל־לְבָבְךָ) with all our being.
שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל יְהוָה אֱלהֵינוּ יְהוָה אֶחָד
she·ma · Yis·ra·el · Adonai · e·loh·hey'·noo · Adonai · e·chad
"Hear, O Israel, the LORD is our God, the LORD is one LORD."
(Deut. 6:4)
Hebrew Study Card / Shema Reader Page
The Shema says "The LORD our God is one LORD" (יְהוָה אֱלהֵינוּ יְהוָה אֶחָד). Interestingly, the word echad (אֶחָד) in Hebrew, translated as "one," implies unity in diversity, not absolute numerical identity (the word for one and only one, i.e., "unique," is yachid (יָחִיד)). For example, in Exodus 26:6 the parts of the Tabernacle (Mishkan) are to be constructed so that "it shall be one (echad) tabernacle," and Ezekiel spoke of two "sticks" (representing fragmented Israel) as being reunited into one: "and they shall be one (echad) stick in My hand" (Ezek. 37:19). Moses also uses echad in Genesis 2:24 when he says: "And they (husband and wife) will become one flesh (basar echad)." God's attributes as Compassionate Source of life, Eternal Judge, and Savior, are unified and affirmed in this verse. Ultimate Reality is multidimensional, personal and loving, and that is part of the very essence of God. There is no such thing as a "Person" - either human or Divine - that exists in an absolute vacuum, outside of relationship. Absolute monism is inconsistent with the idea of Divine Personhood, just as Aristotle's "Unmoved Mover" is a logical absurdity.
Note: For more information about the Shema and its blessings, or to download Shema study pages, please see the Shema section of the site. Shalom.
Comfort and Hope...
08.12.22 (Av 15, 5782) From this week's Torah (i.e., parashat Va'etchanan) we read: "if you seek for the LORD your God from there, you will find him, if you search for him with all your heart (בְּכָל־לְבָבְךָ) and with all your soul" (Deut. 4:29). From where do we search, from what place, except while we are in exile, after hardship, testing, and tribulation? If you seek for the LORD your God from there - in the midst of your exile, in the midst of your heart's cry - you will find him there, in your heart. This message is a prophecy, so that even after testing befalls you, in the end you will belong to the LORD and will hear his voice.
"Where is God to be found?" asks the Kotzker Rebbe, but "in the place where He is given entry!" As the Apostle Paul wrote, "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Yeshua is LORD and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, "Everyone who believes in Him will not be put to shame." For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same LORD is LORD of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For "everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved" (Rom. 10:8-13). Even in the face of the tribulations and distresses we may encounter in this world, the lovingkindess (chesed) of the Lord is always present for those who look to Him in trust (Lam. 3:22-23).
Hebrew Lesson:
Lamentations 3:22-23 reading (click):
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The Heart of Heaven...
08.12.22 (Av 15, 5782) In our Torah for this week (Vaetchanan), Moses recalled the awesome revelation of the Torah at Sinai, describing how the mountain "burned with fire unto the heart of heaven" (בּעֵר בָּאֵשׁ עַד־לֵב הַשָּׁמַיִם) when the Ten Commandments were inscribed upon the two tablets of testimony (Deut. 4:11-13). The sages say that the tablets represented a heart, as it says, "write them on the tablet of your heart" (Prov. 3:3), and God's word is likened to a fire that reveals the great passion of God's heart for us (Jer. 23:29; Deut. 4:24). Tragically, the two tablets were smashed after the people lost sight of the heart of heaven (לב שמים), and therefore God requires a broken heart - teshuvah - to behold his glory once again. Therefore we see that Yeshua died of a broken heart upon the cross for our return to God, when the fire of his passion burned unto the very heart of heaven, and in his mesirat ha'nefesh we see the greater glory of God...
Hebrew Lesson
Proverbs 3:3 reading (click):
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Every Soul a Teacher...
08.11.22 (Av 14, 5782) Every one of us is a teacher of sorts, proclaiming through our personal choices what we believe to be true. False teachers are those whose choices "teach" that there is no God, no eternal life, no meaning to life, and ultimately, no real hope... It cannot be any other way, for we all teach by our choices; we communicate by our assumptions of what we regard is of "ultimate concern." Don't be fooled by the phony intellectuals of our day: so-called "postmodern" philosophy never answered any of the haunting existential questions of life, such as: What is reality? Why is there something rather than nothing? What is the purpose of life? What happens when we die? Who am I? Do moral choices matter? and so on, but instead merely reinterpreted the hunger for meaning to be about power and control... Nonsense! People may evade the great questions of life by pretending they are unknowable, but Scripture attests that all people are created in God's image and are intuitively aware of God's reality and power: "For His invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made; so they are without excuse" (Rom. 1:20). We have a sacred duty to honor God's truth and that implies we bear a sacred animosity toward lies and false teaching. "Do not be deceived: associating with false teaching corrupts good character" (1 Cor. 15:33). We abhor sin because it wounds and kills the soul. Think straight; awaken to the holiness of life; turn away from vain thoughts and lies; embrace the truth of God's salvation.
Every day we make decisions regarding good and evil, and therefore every day we are deciding (i.e., proclaiming, teaching, and attesting) our faith to others. The issue is not whether we will teach others, but what we will teach them by the testimony of our lives and the decisions we make regarding our ultimate concerns...
יִרְאַת יְהוָה שְׂנאת רָע
גֵּאָה וְגָאוֹן וְדֶרֶךְ רָע
וּפִי תַהְפֻּכוֹת שָׂנֵאתִי
yeer·at · Adonai · se·noht · rah
gei·ah · ve'·ga·ohn · ve'·de'·rekh · rah
oo'·fee · tah·poo·khot · sah·nei'·tee
"The fear of the LORD is to hate evil -
pride and boasting and the way of evil
and perverted speech I hate."
(Prov. 8:13)
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Contrary to the philosophy of this fallen world, the essence of love is not spineless tolerance, for tolerating evil is a form of hating what is good... Followers of Yeshua must love the truth and abhor the lie. Tolerating sin in a world ripe for judgment is a tacit form of "collaboration" with the enemy... Indeed, the only thing regarded as intolerable in the devil's world is the objection that people have a supposed "liberty" to sin. But the LORD is clear on this point: "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and who flatter themseves as understanding" (Isa. 5:20-21). Therefore we are enjoined: "O you who love the LORD, hate evil" (Psalm 97:10). Yes, hate what is evil and love what is good (Amos 5:15). The connection between loving God and hating evil is repeated in the New Testament: "Let your love be genuine (ἀνυπόκριτος, without a "mask" put on): abhor what is evil; cling to what is good (Rom. 12:9). If we truly love the LORD, let us walk in the awe of His great Name by hating what is evil.
Hebrew Lesson
Isaiah 5:20a reading (click):
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The so-called "elite" of this world wage their war by systematically redefining everything in terms that invert common historical usage. They call good evil and evil good. They've no linguistic warrant for doing this except for their "will to power" that justifies deception.
Hebrew Lesson
Job 17:12 reading (click):
Tyranny and God's Judgment...
[ "If God does not judge America, he owes Sodom and Gommorah an apology..." ]
08.11.22 (Av 14, 5782) "Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the LORD hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me. The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master's crib, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand." Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward. Why should ye be stricken any more? you will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment. Your country is desolate, your cities are burned with fire: your land, strangers devour it in your presence, and it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers" (Isa. 1:2-7).
"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction" - and now we are here.... Godlessness, anarchy, and treachery rule the day; every one does what is "right" in their own eyes continually (Gen. 6:5). Consequently people no longer are capable of thinking clearly: God has given their minds over to madness and derangement (Rom. 1:28). Since engineered lawlessness and depravity are so widespread, America has fallen into tyranny. There is no political remedy, either from the left or the right... Justice has fallen and our culture is reaping the whirlwind. For the ungodly who despise moral authority and truth, devastating judgment awaits: the righteousness of the LORD will be vindicated. As for the remnant that still believes, only the LORD can protect us now... May God show his mercy. כָּל־רֹאשׁ לָחֳלִי וְכָל־לֵבָב דַּוָּי - "The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint" (Isa. 1:5).
Hebrew Lesson
2 Chron. 20:12b reading (click):
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The Works of God...
08.11.22 (Av 14, 5782) Yeshua somberly warned those who professed faith: "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness'" (Matt. 7:21-23). Despite the practice and profession of their faith, these people were strangers to God... They had a false sense of assurance, believing that they were "serving God" while they really were not... So the essential question here is whether Yeshua truly knows you. You may know a lot about God, religion, spirituality, and yet you may remain unknown by him... So where do you find life? What are you loving? Where are you going?
"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven" (Matt. 7:21). Yet what is the will of the Father but to trust in Messiah for life (John 6:40)? "What must we do, to be doing the works of God?" Yeshua answers: "This is the work of God, that you believe in the One whom he has sent" (John 6:28-29). The Torah of God centers on trusting the Messiah (Titus 3:5-7).
On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not ... do many mighty works in your name?' And then will I say to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness' (Matt. 7:22-23). From this we see that good works - even those done in the name of Messiah - are insufficient for life, and that something more is needed... That "something more" is the reality of relationship with him. However, even Yeshua's sacrifice on the cross can't bring you into relationship with him apart from receiving it for your healing... By faith you encounter Yeshua clothed in your flesh, your sin, and suffering death for you. "As long as Christ remains outside of us we are separated from him."
Some people feel frightened when they consider all this, but fear arises only if we miss Yeshua's point... Good works can't save you, even those performed in the Savior's name... What saves you is trusting in God's great love for your life: "This is the work of God, to trust in the One whom God has sent [for you]" (John 6:28-29). Genuine salvation is "from the LORD," that is, comes as a result of his loving intervention on your behalf (Titus 3:5-7; Eph. 2:8-10). This is the will of the Father, the true Torah of the LORD, namely, to honor the Messiah and know him by faith... You trust him for eternal life, you believe that he bears your sins, you seek to know his heart, and you desire to share your life with him. It is lawlessness to reject the Torah of the LORD that commands us to follow Messiah and know him in all our ways - including the ways of our struggles, our fears, and so on... Each of us must wrestle alone, in the dark places of fear, to find our new name from God (Gen. 32:24). Is the blessing for you or not? The essential thing is to know (and more importantly) to be known by Yeshua.... It is a matter of trust, of sharing your heart, being real with him, walking with him, loving him... "This is the work of God, to trust in the One whom God has sent [for you]." Trusting in the Lord means accepting that you are truly loved (and made safe) because of who God is...
The gospel is "the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek" (Rom. 1:16). It is a miracle of being in a right relationship with God. We are pursued by his love, and he haunts us until we surrender to his will... Like Jonah we first must be "swallowed up" in consciousness of our own rebellion before we realize we are undone, that we are without remedy apart from God's intervention and deliverance. We start there - in the "belly of the fish" - and later are resurrected to go forth by God's mercy and grace. As we look to Yeshua, as we lean on him, he reveals more of himself to us. He gives us the grace and strength we need; he is always enough...
Whether Yeshua is living in you (and you are living in Him) is the most important question of your life upon which everything else turns. The great mystery is "Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Col. 1:27). As Ravenhill once said, "I don't ask people if they're saved anymore; I look them straight in the eye and say, "Does Christ live inside you?" Indeed, He is present right now -- for you -- in this very moment... Are you connected with Him in the truth? Are you drawing life from His life? Do you really live in Yeshua? "God is making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Messiah, be reconciled to God" (2 Cor. 5:20).
Hebrew Lesson
Isa. 43:11 Hebrew reading (click):
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Insiders and Outsiders...
"And would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the Temple" (Mark 11:16).
08.10.22 (Av 13, 5782) The parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector is a well-known teaching of Yeshua. Two people go to the Temple to pray, one a devout Pharisee, and the other a despised tax collector. The Pharisee thanked God that he was not like other men (on account of his religious devotion), whereas the tax collector lamented that he was a sinner and simply appealed to God for mercy. The surprising "twist" to the story, however, is that the tax collector was justified in the eyes of heaven, and not the Pharisee (Luke 18:10-24).
Most people assume Yeshua told this story to teach how pride can deceive the heart, and that humility is essential to be rightly related to God, and while this application may be inferred from the parable, it is important to understand that the Pharisee only did what was expected of him regarding his religious obligations at the time. Indeed, the Pharisees (i.e., perushim) were Torah scholars who sought to obey Moses' teaching wholeheartedly. When the Pharisee of the story thanked God for not being like other men, such as thieves, adulterers, or "even like this tax collector," he was not necessarily being prideful but "honest," at least in terms of his devotion for the law: "I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income," the former statement exceeding the law's demand, and the later in full compliance. In fact, this rabbi's speech was typical of pious blessings recorded from the same period of Jewish history.
The tax collector, on the other hand, was an "outsider" to the religious establishment and therefore he stood "afar off" as he made pathetic appeal to God for mercy. His prayer was an unvarnished and heartsore cry to heaven for help. The surprise ending of the story, and what likely unsettled the audience of Yeshua's day, was that the tax collector "went down to his home justified" while the Pharisee did not. In the eyes of heaven, the tax collector was the real "insider" whereas the Pharisee stood "afar off," an outsider to God's heart...
But what's the moral of the story? First, of course, is the straightforward lesson regarding the virtue of humility - that is, the importance of knowing "in your kishkas" how much you need God, and therefore abandoning religious traditions (and the praises of men) in heartfelt contrition, looking instead to God for righteousness. But second, Yeshua is teaching that the kingdom of God has come and is no longer to be found in the confines of the Temple. Knowing the Divine Presence and walking in holiness is no longer the domain of religion but is a matter of the heart of the individual who trusts in God's mercy to deliver him from the guilt of his sin. Holiness, or the realm of the sacred, has transcended the confines of the Temple because the one who expresses the heart of the Divine Presence has come to seek and to save the lost. Yeshua was sacrificed "outside the camp," the curtain of the Temple was torn asunder, so that whosoever will believe in God's mercy in Yeshua will be saved.
Hebrew Lesson
Micah 6:8 reading (click):
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It is tragic that some pastors can preach about the pride and self-righteousness of the Pharisees, while turning a blind eye to their own preferred interpretations that are often held at the expense of brotherly love and unity among believers... For instance, some pastors will teach about how Jesus loves people and then turn around and condemn (i.e., ostracize) individuals and churches that differ with them regarding matters of "mint and cummin" in the realm of the Spirit. The "weightier matters" of the law, chaverim - the very heart of the Father for the lost - should be our guiding principle, even when we do theology, and perhaps *especially* when we do so. Shalom.
The Listening Heart...
08.10.22 (Av 13, 5782) 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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Struggles and Faith...
[ "When you sigh and groan over your unfulfilled yearning for holiness, it causes you to be attached to the ruach of holiness. Sighing is drawing breath – which is life itself." (Nachman) ]
08.09.22 (Av 12, 5782) Do you sometimes have trouble trusting God? Do you wrestle with fear, anxiety, or worry? Does an inexplicable dread or sense of hopelessness sometimes oppress you? Do you secretly wonder what's wrong with you - and whether you are truly saved, after all? Please hang on. Doubting and questioning are often a part of the journey of faith, and we don't have to be afraid of our questions, concerns, and difficulties... Being full of "certainty" is not the same as being full of faith, after all, since many sincere people are sincerely self-deceived, while many others experience fear, loneliness, and trouble as a result of their faith. There is so much we simply do not know, and it is dishonest to pretend otherwise. God knows your heart and its struggles; he knows all your secret fears. Thankfully, there is a special prayer included in the holy Scriptures for those times when we feel especially unsteady or insecure: "Lord, I believe, help thou my unbelief..." (Mark 9:24). Here we may bring our (lack of) faith to God for healing....
We should not be scandalized that we sometimes struggle with our faith. After all, Yeshua constantly questioned his disciples: "Do you now believe?" (John 16:31). And that's why we are commanded to "put off" the old nature and to "put on" the new nature -- because God knows we are fickle admixtures, contradictions, carnal-yet-spiritual, inwardly divided souls that need to learn to trust in the miracle of God with all our hearts....
Of course it's easy to believe when things are going well, when faith "makes sense" or provides you with a sense of community, etc., but when things are difficult, when there are disappointments, pain, grief, losses, etc., then you need to trust in the unseen good, the "hidden hand" of God's love, despite the trouble of your present circumstances. This is part of faith's journey: leaning on God's care, despite the "valley of the shadow of death," despite the tests... The way may sometimes be difficult, but "the tested genuineness of your faith -- more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire -- will be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Yeshua the Messiah" (1 Pet. 1:7).
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 119:19 Hebrew reading:
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Mitzvah of Connection...
[ "Prayer is the root of all attachment and devotion to God. Prayer is the gate through which we approach God, and through prayer we may come to know Him." - Likutey Moharan II, 84 ]
08.09.22 (Av 12, 5782) The Hebrew word "mitzvah" (מִצְוָה) is often translated as "commandment," though its basic idea is about connection to God (i.e., the root צוה means to bind or unite). Being connected with the Almighty means talking with him, relating to him as your heavenly Father, and trusting that he esteems you as his beloved child. Whatever else you may think about the commandments of God, this idea of a love connection is foundational and essential. The very first of the Ten Commandments is anochi Adonai Elohekha, "I am the Lord your God" (אנכי יהוה אלהיך) which summons your heart to receive the touch of the Spirit of God. There is no love like that of the Lord, but you can't feel that love if you don't speak to Him, pouring out your heart and clinging to the truth of his love for you....
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 62:8 Hebrew reading:
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Privately pouring out your heart to God in an honest, transparent, and earnest way is sometimes called hitbodedut (הִתְבּוֹדְדוּת), a word that means "solitude." As we unburden our souls before the Lord, made empty so that can begin to truly listen, as it says, "In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength" (Isa. 30:15). Only after we sigh deeply and surrender are we receptive to the voice of the Spirit's whisper. "Blessed are all those who wait for Him" - אַשְׁרֵי כָּל־חוֹכֵי לוֹ (Isa. 30:18). We wait, we abide, even when God takes his time or does not immediately intervene. We do not lose heart, for we find strength when we trust in God's love... No prayer uttered to the one true God in the passion of truth will ever go unanswered. The Light of the world still shines: Yeshua, be my inner word, my heart, and my groaning for life today, and forevermore, amen.
Since the essence of Torah is connection to God, the greatest blessing is to be filled with a steadfast desire to draw close to him, to experience hunger and thirst (visceral yearning) for God's presence and touch. Holy desire – expressed in the yearning of heartfelt prayer – is therefore a state of true blessedness, and the more desperate our need for God the more blessed we are. It is our desire, our holy need, that creates a bond between our soul and its Creator, and that is the deeper meaning of mitzvah... "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied" (Matt. 5:6).
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Return to your heart...
08.08.22 (Av 11, 5782) The condition of this evil world says absolutely nothing to us regarding the veracity of the life of faith... Our duty is to live before the Divine Presence at all times -- regardless of whatever our circumstances. "In relationship to God one can not involve himself 'to a certain degree.' God is precisely the contradiction to all that is 'to a certain degree'" (Kierkegaard). A believer must be contemporary with Christ's presence on earth, since the Eternal entered historical time to offer a timeless relationship with all who would believe. Our Lord touches us because He connects with our hearts in the present hour...
So what do you truly believe? What do you love? How do you "relate" to life? For those who trust in the Presence of God in Yeshua, nothing "happens" randomly or at a distance from our Heavenly Father's care... We do not know Yeshua as some hoary figure of the past, nor as a remote hope of the heart, but in the blood and guts of our daily struggle -- in the midst of our connection with him as we journey in faith. God's love is not a secondhand gift... Yeshua asks each of us: 'Who do you say that I am?' (Mark 8:29) and awaits for us to "show up" in our faith to reach out to Him.
From our Torah portion this week (i.e., Vaetchanan) we read, "Know therefore today and return to your heart (והשׁבת אל־לבבך), for the LORD is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other" (Deut. 4:39). Here again we see the centrality of the heart as the mode to encounter God (Luke 17:21). Savor the phrase, "Know therefore today and return to your heart..." It the heart that is the place of connection with God... As Yeshua said, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me" (Rev. 3:20). Today is the day to "return to your heart" and receive again God's love for your soul...
Hebrew Lesson
Deut 4:29 Hebrew reading (click):
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Praying to Pray...
[ "It is unbelievable what a person of prayer can achieve if he would but close the doors behind him." - Soren Kierkegaard ]
08.08.22 (Av 11, 5782) Our Torah portion for this week (i.e., Vaetchanan) begins, "And I pleaded (ואתחנן) with the LORD at that time, to say..." (Deut. 3:23), which implies that we must first pray in order to be able to pray, that is, we make ourselves ready to pray by finding the inner freedom and grace to groan before the LORD.... If you can't find the words to pray, or if you seem unwilling, then plead with the LORD and ask for the Holy Spirit to groan on your behalf (Rom. 8:26). Weep in order to weep; sigh in order to sigh; praise in order to praise. "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you" (Matt. 7:7). "O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will show forth your praise" (Psalm 51:15).
The need to pray with the proper focus, intention, and heart is surely one of our greatest needs... "Lord, teach us to pray" (Luke 11:1). The disciples were not asking for a formula or recipe prayer (such as might be recited from a prayer book), but for the right motivation, direction, and "Torah" of prayer... If we ask according to his will, God hears us (1 John 5:14), since we are speaking heaven's "language" of truth and humility. Therefore pray for the ability to pray earnestly, to commune in trust with your heavenly Father. The prayer of a righteous person has great power (James 5:16).
אדני שׂפתי תפתח
ופי יגיד תהלתך
Adonai · se·fah·tai · teef·tach
oo·fee · ya·geed · te·heel·lah·te'·kha
"O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise."
(Psalm 51:15)
Cleaving to God...
[ The following concerns this week's Torah reading, parashat Vaetchanan, which is always read on the Sabbath following Tishah B'Av... Nachamu, nachamu... ]
08.08.22 (Av 11, 5782) Our Torah portion this week says: "But you who have cleaved to the LORD your God are all alive today" (Deut. 4:4). The Hebrew word devakut (דְּבָקוּת) means "cleaving" and refers to communion with God. This word comes from the root word davak (דָּבַק), meaning to "cling" or "stick" (the Modern Hebrew word for "glue" is devek (דֶבֶק) which also comes from the same root). The sages comment that we can cleave to God only one day at a time. As Yeshua said: "Take therefore no thought for tomorrow: for tomorrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient for the day its own trouble" (Matt. 6:34). One day at a time. The LORD gives us daily bread (לֶחֶם חֻקֵּנוּ) so that we may persevere for this day. "For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand today -- if you hear his voice" (Psalm 95:7). Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your heart (Heb. 3:15). "Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God, but encourage one another every day, as long as it is called "today," so that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin" (Heb. 3:12-13).
Hebrew Lesson
Deut. 4:4 Hebrew reading (click):
Shavuah Tov Podcast:
Parashat Vaetchanan...
08.07.22 (Av 10, 5782) Shavuah tov, chaverim. Our Torah reading for this week (i.e., Vaetchanan) is always read on the Sabbath that immediately follows the somber holiday of Tishah B'Av (תשעה באב). In Jewish tradition, this special Sabbath is called "Shabbat Nachamu" (שַׁבַּת נַחֲמו), "the Sabbath of Comfort" and the assigned the prophetic portion is from the Book of Isaiah that begins with the famous phrase: נַחֲמוּ נַחֲמוּ עַמִּי - Nachamu, Nachamu ami - "Comfort, O comfort, my people..." (Isa. 40:1). With the advent of this special Sabbath, we have just seven weeks to prepare for the new year (i.e, Yom Teruah or "Rosh Hashanah") and the High Holidays - a "jubilee" season that heralds the return of Yeshua.
Hebrew Lesson
Isaiah 40:1 Hebrew reading (click):
Va'etchanan: Moses' Plea...
[ Our Torah reading for this week, parashat Vaetchanan, is always read on the Sabbath immediately following Tishah B'Av, called Shabbat Nachamu, or "the Sabbath of Comfort." ]
08.07.22 (Av 10, 5782) This week we will study parashat Vaetchanan (פרשת ואתחנן), a rich Torah portion that includes some of the most foundational texts of the Jewish Scriptures, including the Ten Commandments, the Shema (the duty to love God and study His Torah), as well as the commandments of tefillin and mezuzot. In addition, in this portion Moses predicted the worldwide exile and the eventual redemption of the Jewish people in acharit hayamim (the prophesied "End of Days").
The Torah portion begins with Moses' plea to the LORD to be allowed entry into the Promised Land, despite God's earlier decree (see Num. 20:8-12; 27:12-14). The Hebrew word va'etchanan (וָאֶתְחַנַּן) comes from the verb chanan (חָנַן), which means to beseech or implore. It derives from the noun chen (חֵן), grace, implying that the supplication appeals to God's favor, not to any idea of personal merit (in Jewish tradition, tachanun (תַּחֲנוּן) are prayers recited after the Amidah begging for God's grace and mercy). Moses was asking God to show him grace by reversing the decree that forbade him to enter the Promised Land.
Hebrew Lesson
Deut:3:23 Hebrew reading (click):
In addition to our Torah readings, on the 15th day of the month of Av we observe chag ha-ahavah (חַג הָאַהֲבָה), or "the holiday of love." Since it marks the "last" festival of the Jewish year, prophetically the 15th of Av (called Tu B'Av) pictures our marriage to the Lamb of God (Seh Elohim), the LORD Yeshua our beloved Messiah. On a soon-coming day those who belong to the LORD and are faithful to follow His ways will be blessed with the unspeakable joy of an eternally intimate relationship with Him. This is heaven itself - to be in the Presence of the LORD and to be regarded as His beloved (Rev. 19:6-9). Maranatha.
Daily Perush Podcast:
God's Glory and Tishah B'Av...
08.06.22 (Av 9, 5782) Shalom chaverim. In this "Daily perush broadcast" (see link below) I provide a quick exegesis and reading of a significant phrase in King Solomon's prayer at the dedication of the First Temple, namely, "Behold heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain you" (2 Chron. 6:18b), and then reflect on the meaning of these words in relation to the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem.
Hebrew Lesson
2 Chron. 6:18b reading (click):
Following Yeshua...
08.05.22 (Av 8, 5782) When Yeshua says "follow me," he doesn't mince words or ask for the impossible; neither does he seek "admirers" or the celebrity of mere men. To follow Yeshua means to walk along the same road he did, not in the physical sense, of course, but in the way or "how" of the road... To "walk as he walked" means your life will share his heart, vision, and spirit as much as is possible in your present circumstances. The life of the Teacher is the road; his heart voices the spirit that calls the disciple ahead; he prepares a place for you in the communion of his love. May the Lord help you to press on toward the goal of the upward call in Yeshua the Messiah (Phil. 3:14). Amen.
"What dreadful untruth it is to admire in relation to the truth instead of following it... When there is no danger, when there is dead calm, when everything is favorable to Christianity, it is all to easy to confuse an admirer with a follower, and this can happen very quietly; the admirer can die in the delusion that the position he took was the true one. Give heed, therefore, to the contemporaneity of Christ." - Soren Kierkegaard (Practice in Christianity).
Hebrew Lesson:
Psalm 141:8 reading (click):
The Tishah B'Av Prophecies...
08.05.22 (Av 8, 5782) Yeshua foretold the destruction of the Second Temple when he lamented: "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, Barukh Haba Ba'shem Adonai: 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.' Yeshua then left the Temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the Temple. But he answered them, "You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down." (Matt. 23:37-24:2). Note well that we are not awaiting the construction of the "Third Temple" which will be hastily erected during the time of Jacob's Trouble during the Great Tribulation, but we await the "Fourth Temple," that is, the Temple that will be built by Tzemach Tzaddik (צֶמַח צַדִּיק), namely, the Messiah the Son of David (מָשִׁיחַ בֶּן־דָוִד) who will come again to establish the Kingdom of Zion upon the earth in fulfillment of the promises of God (Zech. 6:12; Jer. 23:5). At that glorious time the mourning of the Jewish people will forgotten, as it is written: "Thus says Adonai Tzeva'ot (יהוה צְבָאוֹת): The fast of the fourth month (Tammuz), and the fast of the fifth month (Tishah B'Av), and the fast of the seventh month (Gedaliah), and the fast of the tenth month (Asarah b'Tevet), will be to the house of Judah for joy and rejoicing and for pleasant appointed seasons. Therefore love truth and peace" (Zech. 8:19). In that coming day, "The LORD will be king over all the earth. On that day the LORD will be one and his name one."
וְהָיָה יְהוָה לְמֶלֶךְ עַל־כָּל־הָאָרֶץ
בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא יִהְיֶה יְהוָה אֶחָד וּשְׁמוֹ אֶחָד
ve·ha·yah · Adonai · le·me'·lekh · al-kol-ha·a'·retz
ba·yom · ha·hoo · yee·he·yeh · Adonai · e·chad · oo·she·mo · e·chad
"And the LORD will be king over all the earth.
On that day the LORD will be one and his name one."
(Zech. 14:9)
Click to listen and learn the Hebrew text:
As I've mentioned repeatedly over the years, the word "Zion" (i.e., tziyon: צִיּוֹן) is mentioned over 160 times in the Scriptures. That's more than the words faith, hope, love, and countless others... And since Zion is a poetic form of the word Jerusalem, the number of occurrences swells to nearly 1,000! It is therefore not an overstatement to say that God Himself is a Zionist.... "Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines forth" (Psalm 50:2). Zion represents the rule and reign of God in the earth and is therefore synonymous with the Kingdom of God. The entire redemptive plan of God -- including the coming of the Messiah Himself and our very salvation -- is wrapped up in the concept of Zion. It is the "historiography" of God -- His "philosophy of history," if you will.
In a sense, the great vision of Zion is the heart of the Gospel message and the focal point of God's salvation in this world. Zion represents our eschatological future -- our home in olam haba (the world to come). Even the new heavens and earth will be called Jerusalem -- "Zion in her perfection" (Rev. 21). "This is what Adonai Tzeva'ot says: I am very jealous for Jerusalem and Zion, but I am very angry with the nations that feel secure" (Zech. 1:14-15). "For Zion's sake I will not keep silent, for Jerusalem's sake I will not remain quiet, till her righteousness shines out like the dawn, her salvation like a blazing torch" (Isa 62:1). "The builder of Jerusalem is God, the outcasts of Israel he will gather in... Praise God, O Jerusalem, laud your God, O Zion" (Psalm 147:2-12).
It is worth noting that in the discussion from the Talmud, the 6,000 years of human history are divided into three epochs of 2,000 years each. The period of "tohu" occurred from the time of the fall of Adam until the call of Abraham; the period of "Torah" occurred from Abraham until the time of the destruction of the Second Temple, and the period of the "Messiah" refers to the time when the Messiah could appear before the Kingdom is established in Zion. The time immediately preceding the appearance of the Messiah will be a time of testing in which the world will undergo various forms of tribulation, called chevlei Mashiach (חֶבְלֵי הַמָּשִׁיחַ) - the "birth pangs of the Messiah" (Sanhedrin 98a; Ketubot, Bereshit Rabbah 42:4, Matt. 24:8). Some say the birth pangs are to last for 70 years, with the last 7 years being the most intense period of tribulation -- called the "Time of Jacob's Trouble" / עֵת־צָרָה הִיא לְיַעֲקב (Jer. 30:7). The climax of the "Great Tribulation" (צָרָה גְדוֹלָה) is called the great "Day of the LORD" (יוֹם־יהוה הַגָּדוֹל) which represents God's wrath poured out upon a rebellious world system. On this fateful day, the LORD will terribly shake the entire earth (Isa. 2:19) and worldwide catastrophes will occur. "For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?" (Rev. 6:17). The prophet Malachi likewise says: "'Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and that day that is coming will set them on fire,' says the LORD Almighty. 'Not a root or a branch will be left to them'" (Mal. 4:1). Only after the nations of the world have been judged will the Messianic kingdom (מַלְכוּת הָאֱלהִים) be established upon the earth. The remnant of Israel will be saved and the 1000 year reign of King Messiah will then commence (Rev. 20:4).
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The concept of the King Messiah, the "Anointed One" who would one day come to deliver his people from oppression at the beginning of an era of world peace has been the sustaining hope of the Jewish people for generations. King Messiah is the instrument by whom God's kingdom is to be established in Israel and in the world. This hope runs throughout the entire Tanakh. According to rabbinical Judaism (following Maimonides), this Messiah figure is not divine, though he certainly has divine powers and attributes. Indeed, he functions as Israel's Savior who would be empowered by God to:
- Restore the Kingdom of David (Jer. 23:5, Jer 30:9, Ezek. 34:23)
- Restore the Temple in Zion (Isa. 2:2, Micah 4:1, Zech. 6:13, Ezek. 37:26-28)
- Regather the exiles (Isa. 11:12, 43:5-6, 51:11)
- Offer the New Covenant to Israel (Jer. 31:31-34)
- Usher in world peace and the knowledge of the true God (Isa. 2:4; 11:9). This will include the entire world speaking Hebrew (Zeph. 3:9).
- "Swallow up" death and disease (Isa. 25:8)
- Raise the dead to new life (Isa. 26:19)
- Spread Torah knowledge of the God of Israel, which will unite humanity as one. As it says: "God will be King over all the world -- on that day, God will be One and His Name will be One" (Zech. 14:9)
According to this general framework of history, we are currently living in the "days of the Messiah," just before the time of great worldwide tribulation that will lead to the prophesied acharit hayamim (אַחֲרִית הַיָּמִים), or the "End of Days." This is the age in which the spirit of the Messiah is available to all. These are "days of God's favor" that are ending soon. According to traditional Jewish sources (Pesachim 54b; Midrash Tehilim 9:2), no one knows the exact time when the Messiah will appear -- though there are some hints. The condition of the world during the end of days will be grossly evil (2 Pet. 3:3; 2 Thess. 2:3-4, 2 Tim. 3:1-5). The world will undergo various forms of tribulation, collectively called chevlei Mashiach (חֶבְלֵי הַמָּשִׁיחַ) - the "birth pangs of the Messiah" (Sanhedrin 98a; Ketubot, Bereshit Rabbah 42:4, Matt. 24:8). Some sages say the birth pangs will last 70 years, with the last 7 years as the most intense period -- the "Time of Jacob's Trouble" / עֵת־צָרָה הִיא לְיַעֲקב (Jer. 30:7). Just before the arrival of Yeshua as Mashiach ben David, a period of tribulation and distress for Israel will occur. After this "great tribulation" period, however, Yeshua will usher in Yom YHVH, the "Day of the LORD," and the sabbatical millennium, the 1000 year reign of King Messiah will commence (Rev. 20:4). (For more click here.)
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Although "Day of the LORD" (i.e., yom Adonai: יוֹם יְהוָה) is often associated with Tishah B'Av and the catastrophic destruction of the Jewish Temple, the words of the prophets were only partially fulfilled, and there awaits another Day coming when God will terribly shake the entire earth (Isa. 2:19). "For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?" (Rev. 6:17). The prophet Malachi likewise says: "'Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and that day that is coming will set them on fire,' says the LORD Almighty. 'Not a root or a branch will be left to them'" (Mal. 4:1). For those who are godless, the great Day of the LORD is a time of horrific judgment, but for those who belong to the LORD, it represents a day of victory and great blessing. Regarding that day the prophet Malachi said, "Then you will trample down the wicked; they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day when I do these things" (Mal. 4:3).
Ultimately the Great Tribulation period is purgative and restorative for Israel (sometimes called yissurim shel ahavah, or "the troubles of love"). The prophets wrote that Zion will go through labor and then give birth to children (Isa. 66:8). Thus the Vilna Gaon wrote that the geulah (national redemption) is something like rebirth of the nation of Israel. This accords with the prophetic fulfillment of Yom Kippur as the Day of Judgment and time of Israel's national conversion. In the verse from prophet Jeremiah regarding the "Time of Jacob's Trouble," it's vital to see the goal in mind - "yet out of it he is saved" (וּמִמֶּנָּה יִוָּשֵׁעַ). When Yeshua returns to Zion, all Israel will be saved (Rom. 11:26). The sages note that childbirth is a time of radical transition and struggle for the baby -- from the time of relatively peaceful existence within the womb into the harsh light of day -- and therefore a similar transition between this world and the Messianic world to come is about to take place...
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The End of Karma...
08.05.22 (Av 8, 5782) Human suffering, as opposed to that of animals, transcends the realm of the "phenomenological" to that of self-conscious interpretation. The purely animal mind is immersed in the present moment, and its suffering (though real) is experienced without context, without a story, with no sense of meaning or ulterior cosmic purpose.
When Job was tested by God, he was immersed in a religious philosophy that provided a "map" for ordering the temporal circumstances, or phenomena, of human life. Good and evil were descriptive categories grounded in God's approval or disapproval of a person's character and choices. If evil things happened, then, God was expressing his disapproval of the behavior or character of the person; if good things happened, God was expressing his approval...
This was the rather crude idea of "karma" that lay behind much religious superstition and nonsense of that time. If a person suffered, then God disapproved of the person (or ignored him), and conversely, if God approved of the person, suffering would not occur. And it was sometimes unclear exactly what pleased God or offended him, ideas of "luck" and "chance" blended in with superficial notions of moral cause and effect. Superstitious religiosity thus sought to improve a person's spiritual condition by "bribing" God through flattering words or rituals, or by seeking his approval by doing good deeds....
Meister Eckhart once said that we need God to deliver us from "God," by which he meant that we need the revelation of truth to deliver us from our illusions of who God is and what God is like. After all, people tend to make God in their own image, and yet the LORD forbids all such forms of idolatry. We need God to know the truth about God.
This might explain Job's wife's response to the loss of her home, her children, and the tortuous suffering of her husband. "Curse God and die" she counseled, which might mean: "Everything you've believed about God is an illusion - you have been 'religious,' you have been pious of heart, you have been a good man, and yet all this woe has befallen us... You seek for answers using terms of a religious philosophy to get us through life, and for awhile that map seemed to work, but now it has shown itself to be untrue, or at least it is powerless to help you. Forget the map! Forget the attempt to decipher why you (and me) are suffering - for the map itself has led you astray, and there is nothing left but to let it all go - to die to all that...."
On the face of it we tend to condemn Job's unnamed wife for being faithless, but just imagine what she was going through at the time, alongside her husband.... Her words of exasperation were unsettling, to be sure, but they were the words of someone who was greatly suffering and in need of grace....
The religious philosophy of karma runs deep within the human heart, even among the Jewish people. The law itself is karmic. How else could the "good Pharisee" pray: "I thank you God, that I am not like other men..." His gratitude was based on his comfort that he had played the "game" of religion better than others. Is that the best that legalistic Judaism can offer?
Among other things, the Book of Job "deconstructs" the religious idea of God as strictly karmic to be something more than we can fathom, as King Solomon later said during the dedication of the Holy Temple, "Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You. How much less this temple which I have built!" (1 Kings 8:27).
And yet is this not the very thing we must do, to "make a place" for God within us? "Let them make for me a sanctuary that I may dwell within them" - וְעָשׂוּ לִי מִקְדָּשׁ וְשָׁכַנְתִּי בְּתוֹכָם (Exod. 25:8). Moses' instruction to build a Mishkan was symbolic, of course, for the people were acquainted with the vast glories of the Egyptian temples, pyramids, and so on. By contrast, the Mishkan was small, humble, and nearly inconspicuous; it represented God's Presence in disguise, unseen by proud eyes, but the very place of the Spirit of God and truth (Isa. 45:15). "Building a Mishkan" then meant "enshrining faith, hope, and love" within our hearts, beautifying and magnifying the greatness of God within us. It is an idea of God that goes well beyond "mechanical karma" to that of deep heart relationship with the Lord...
God spoke to Job from the midst of the whirlwind (סְעָרָה), and it was from the midst of the head-spinning revelation that he heard God speak.... But how did Job get there? Was it not only after he had rebuffed the religious philosophy or "map" that his friends sought to justify his sufferings? Job was adamant, however: that map didn't work - "God" had failed him; "God" had hurt him unjustly, etc. All this "God-talk" was just that - ignorant blather used to justify the old news of karma - but something more else was going on - truth was beginning to be revealed. Using Eckhart's terms, God was delivering Job from his illusions about "God."
How did Mary Magdalene come to know the truth? How did the unnamed tax collector at the Temple who dared not lift up his eyes toward heaven? How did Jonah? How did you? Indeed, how can anyone come to know God apart from having their "world" crumble into dust and ashes before them? And in the midst of the implosion, in the eye of the whirlwind that churns overhead, God then speaks words to the heart...
Whatever the words are - divine poetry of the sort Job heard or something else, it doesn't matter so much what is being said but who is saying the words, that is, who is looking upon you in all your frailty, brokenness, and ruin - whatever the words, then, what is crucial is that the person hears, the person believes, the person is wholly engaged before the One who is beyond all our understanding, and the One who is beyond all our understanding then condescends and speaks into our tears, imparting peace that is beyond all our understanding - peace that is essentially ineffable, incommunicable - an inner sense of knowing that (despite everything) "all is well, and all manner of thing shall be well..."
Did God answer Job's question, then? Yes he did, for he gave Job what his heart needed most of all. Like the distinction between the "good Pharisee" and the "bad tax collector," God's ways are higher than our ways, and his thoughts than our thoughts, and therefore his Spirit "cuts through the soul and the spirit, and the joints and the marrow" to discern the thoughts and intents of the heart (Heb. 4:12). We are whatever we are by the grace of God, and faith is the "substance of hope" that affirms that this story, our story, is a good one, no matter what may happen. Let everyone be fully persuaded in his own mind.
"For we don't live for ourselves or die for ourselves. For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's" (Rom. 14:7-8). Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need (Heb. 4:16). "In me is darkness, but with You light; I am lonely, but You do not leave me; I am feeble in heart, but with You is help; I am restless, but with You is peace. In me is bitterness, but with You is patience; I do not understand Your ways, but You know the way for me" (Bonhoeffer). "Let me seek you in the darkness of my silence, and find you in the silence of Your light, which is love shining as the sun, flowing like the river, and joying like the heart" (Meister Eckhart).
"The whole world sighs..." (Apostle Paul). "It is of the very essence of Christianity to face suffering and death not because they are good, not because they have meaning, but because the resurrection of Jesus has robbed them of their meaning" (Merton). Amen, the final word is found in the resurrection life of our Lord, the one who emptied himself, clothed himself in our frailty, and overcame the sickness of death on our behalf.
God is both infinitely just and infinitely loving, and both of these "attributes" are inseparably a part of who he is. God is One. Nonetheless, the cross of Yeshua proves that "love is stronger than death, passion fiercer than the grave; its flashes are flashes of fire, a raging flame, the very flame of the Lord" (Song. 8:6). Amen, and shalom to you, chaverim.
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The City of the King...
[ The following is related to the fast of Tishah B'Av, which begins Saturday, August 6th.... ]
08.04.22 (Av 7, 5782) The somber holiday of Tishah B'Av recalls the tragic anniversary of the "sin of the spies" and God's subsequent decree that the generation redeemed from Egypt would die in exile from the promised land (Num. 14:26-37), though providentially it also marks the date of the destruction Temple in Jerusalem (both the first and second Temple) and the subsequent exile of the Jewish people. Because it remembers the loss of the vision of Zion, this date is observed with fasting, heartfelt lamentation and fervent calls for teshuvah (repentance).
Jerusalem (or Zion) is central to the Jewish heart since it represents all the promises of the Lord spoken by the Hebrew prophets to Israel... When religious Jews pray three times a day, they always turn toward the Holy City (i.e., mizrach: מזרח "east"). Synagogues likewise place the holy ark (the place where Torah scrolls are kept) on the wall closest to Jerusalem. Many observant Jews keep small section of an eastern wall of their house unpainted as a sign of mourning for the destruction of the Temple. Every year we close the Passover Seder with the words, La-Shanah Haba'ah Bi Yerushalayim! ("Next year in Jerusalem"). These same words are invoked to conclude the holiest day of the Jewish year, Yom Kippur. Indeed Yeshua called Jerusalem the "City of the great King" (Psalm 48:2; Matt 5:35): It is the place where He was crucified, buried, resurrected, and from where He ascended to heaven. It is also the birthplace of the true church (כלה של משיח) and the focal point of humanity's eschatological future. At the Second Coming, Yeshua will physically return to Jerusalem to restore the throne of King David. Then all the New Covenant promises given to Israel will be fulfilled as the Kingdom of God is manifest upon the earth.
God loves Zion since it symbolizes His redemptive program in human history. In a sense, Zion is the heart of the Gospel message and the focal point of God's salvation in this world. Zion represents our eschatological future -- our home in olam haba (the world to come). Even the new heavens and earth will be called Jerusalem -- "Zion in her perfection" (Rev. 21). "This is what Adonai Tzeva'ot says: I am very jealous for Jerusalem and Zion, but I am very angry with the nations that feel secure" (Zech. 1:14-15). "For Zion's sake I will not keep silent, for Jerusalem's sake I will not remain quiet, till her righteousness shines out like the dawn, her salvation like a blazing torch" (Isa 62:1). "The builder of Jerusalem is God, the outcasts of Israel he will gather in... Praise God, O Jerusalem, laud your God, O Zion" (Psalm 147:2-12).
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 137:5 Hebrew reading (click):
For more on this, see "The Significance of Zion and the Tragedy of Tishah B'Av."
The Plea of Moses...
[ The following entry is related to our Torah portion this week, parashat Devarim... ]
08.04.22 (Av 7, 5782) Various commentators regard Sefer Devarim (i.e., the Book of Deuteronomy) as Moses' final warning to Israel in light of their repeated failures and setbacks. Some (primarily Christian) commentators even go so far as to say that the book represents an indictment against the Jewish people that warrants regarding them as a cursed people. (This is essentially the repugnant doctrine of "replacement theology" that denies ethnic Israel has a future and a hope in God's plan of salvation.) Even many Jewish commentators, among them Rashi, seem to focus on Moses' rebuke (i.e., tochachah: תּוֹכָחָה) of Israel and regard the book in a negative light. Because of this, it should be stressed at the outset that Moses' correction of Israel - including his review of the unseemly history of the desert generation - was primarily intended to remind the Jews of their high calling, their new identity, and their preciousness as God's people. As will be seen, Moses wanted Israel to remember its identity as am segulah (עַם סְגֻלָּה), God's "treasured possession among all peoples" (Exod. 19:5). Moses' admonition (מוּסָר) functions more like the plea of a father to his children to walk in a manner that is worthy of his name than a stinging rebuke of the sins of his children. "My son, despise not the discipline (musar) of the Lord; neither be weary of his correction (tochachah). For whom the Lord loves he corrects; even as a father the son in whom he delights" (Prov. 3:11; cp. Heb. 12:5-6). Therefore we read, "Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son (כַּאֲשֶׁר יְיַסֵּר אִישׁ אֶת־בְּנוֹ), the LORD your God disciplines you (הוה אֱלהֶיךָ מְיַסְּרֶךָּ)" (Deut. 8:5).
To underscore this point, notice that just before Moses began his reproof of Israel, he declared his love and faith in the people. "The LORD your God has multiplied you until you are today as numerous as the stars in the sky (כְּכוֹכְבֵי הַשָּׁמַיִם). May the LORD, the God of your fathers, make you a thousand times more as you are (כָּכֶם), and bless you, as He promised you" (Deut. 1:10-11). Moses first brought up God's love for the Jews before he began his admonition. Notice he used the word kachem (כָּכֶם, "as you are") in this blessing. May the LORD multiply you - as you are - a thousand times! You are beloved; you are worthy: may the LORD bless you a thousand times over! (How different is this picture of Moses than the typical cartoon made of him by many in Christianity, who envision him smashing the tablets as if that were his "last word" on the subject of the Torah to Israel!)
Were the people perfect then? Obviously not, as would be clear through Moses' later admonition to them. Nonetheless, Moses used a "good eye" to see their potential as God's chosen people. Here was this ragtag group of desert wanderers, descendants of slaves from the "house of slavery," whom the LORD God Almighty personally redeemed to be His own treasured possession. Despite their failures in the past and all that went before, Moses reminded them that they were esteemed as mamlechet kohanim ve'goy kadosh (מַמְלֶכֶת כּהֲנִים וְגוֹי קָדוֹש), a "kingdom of priests and a holy people" (Exod. 19:6).
Hebrew Lesson
Isaiah 1:27 Hebrew reading (click):
Daily Dvar Podcast:
Blessing of Holy Desperation...
08.04.22 (Av 7, 5782) Shalom chaverim yakarim. In this "Daily Dvar broadcast" (see link below) I discuss what I have called the "blessing of holy desperation," or that very special blessing of needing God so viscerally that you would otherwise fall apart or even self-destruct apart from his ongoing intervention in your life. I hope you will find it helpful.
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 147:3 Hebrew reading (click):
Gospel in Few Words...
08.03.22 (Av 6, 5782) CAN YOU EXPOUND THE essential meaning of the "gospel" (εὐαγγέλιον) in a single (and preferably short) sentence? How about "Yeshua the Messiah came into the world to save sinners" (1 Tim 1:15), or perhaps, "For our sake he made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Cor. 5:21)? Of course "unpacking" the meaning of these sentences is where things get more difficult, but a succinct expression of faith can often provide us with a starting point...
"He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed" (וּבַחֲבֻרָתוֹ נִרְפָּא־לָנוּ). "For in him all the fullness (πᾶν τὸ πλήρωμα) of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the message (εὐαγγέλιον) that you heard" (Col 1:19-23).
"For the Messiah also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous (δίκαιος ὑπὲρ ἀδίκων), that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit" (1 Pet. 3:18). "And God is so rich in mercy (מָלֵא רַחֲמִים) and who loves us with such intense love (בְּרב אַהֲבָתוֹ אֲשֶׁר אָהַב אתָנוּ), even when we were dead because of our acts of disobedience, he brought us to life along with the Messiah- it is by grace that you have been delivered (בַּחֶסֶד נוֹשַׁעְתֶּם). That is, God raised us up with the Messiah Yeshua and seated us with him in heaven, in order to exhibit in the ages to come how infinitely rich is his grace, how great is his kindness toward us who are united with the Messiah Yeshua. For you have been delivered by grace through trusting, and even this is not your accomplishment but God's gift" (Eph. 2:4-8).
And of course there is always the old "stand by" verse of John 3:16:
כִּי־כֵן אהֵב אֱלהִים אֶת־הָעוֹלָם
עַד־אֲשֶׁר נָתַן בַּעֲדוֹ אֶת־בְּנוֹ אֶת־יְחִידוֹ
וְכָל־הַמַּאֲמִין בּוֹ לא־יאבַד
כִּי בוֹ יִמְצָא חַיֵּי עוֹלָם׃
kee-khen oh·heiv E·loh·heem et-ha'·oh·lahm
ad-a·sher nah·tan ba'·a·doh et-be·noh et-ye·chee·doh
ve'khol-ha·ma·a·meen boh, loh-yoh·vad
kee voh yeem·tzah chai·yei oh·lahm
"For God so loved the world that he gave his only and unique Son,
so that whoever trusts in Him should not be destroyed, but have eternal life"
(John 3:16)
Hebrew Study Card
Here are a few other simplified expressions of our faith (I am sure you can come up with some others, friends): "He has freed us from our sins by his blood" (Rev. 1:5); "he that has the Son has life" (1 John 5:12); "Yeshua died for our sins, was buried, rose again on the third day, and forever reigns" (1 Cor. 15:3-4,25).
Let's push this approach a bit further. How about just four words?
- "Mercy triumphs over judgment" (James 2:13)
- "Righteousness and peace kiss" (Psalm 85:10)
- "Saved by his life" (Rom. 5:12)
- "You have been healed" (1 Pet. 2:24)
- "Name above all names" (Phil. 2:9)
- "In Him is life" (John 1:4)
- Angel of the LORD (מַלְאַךְ יְהוָה)
- Branch of the LORD (צֶמַח יְהוָה)
Three words?
- "Yeshua loves me"
- "God saves sinners" (Luke 19:10)
- "God is love" (1 John 4:16)
- "God is Light" (1 John 1:5)
- "It is finished" (John 19:30) - this can be one word: "tetelestai!"
- "No other Name" (than Yeshua/Jesus) - Acts 4:12
- Stone of Israel (אֶבֶן יִשְׂרָאֵל)
- Creator of Israel (בּוֹרֵא יִשְׂרָאֵל)
Can we find two words?
- "Messiah Crucified" (המָּשִׁיחַ הַנִּצְלָב)
- "Jesus Saves" (ישוע מציל)
- "My help" (בְּעֶזְרָתִי)
- Everlasting Father (אֲבִיעַד)
- Wonderful Counselor (פֶּלֶא יוֹעֵץ)
- Consuming Fire (אֵשׁ אֹכְלָה)
Or how about just one word?
- LORD (יהוה)
- Yah (יָהּ)
- Amen (אָמֵן)
- Chesed / love (חֶסֶד)
- Grace (חֵן)
- Abba (Father)
- Avi / Father (אֲבִי)
- Ehyeh (I AM, אֶהְיֶה)
- Hakedoshim (הַקֳּדָשִׁים)
- Judge (הֲשֹׁפֵט)
- Healer (המרפא)
- Refuge (מַחְסֶה)
- Rock (הַצּוּר)
- Helper (הַעוֹזֵר)
- Lover (מְאַהֵב)
- Spirit (הָרוּחַ)
- Truth (הָאֱמֶת)
- Faithful (אֵמוּן)
- Hope (תִקוָה)
- Beloved (אָהוּב)
- Friend (חבר)
- Salvation (יְשׁוּעָה)
- Deliverer (מוֹשִׁיעַ)
- Redeemer (גּוֹאֵל)
- Mediator (מְתַוֵך)
- Priest (הַכֹּהֵן)
- Messiah (הַמָּשִׁיחַ)
- Moshia - Savior (מוֹשִׁיעַ)
- King (הַמֶּלֶךְ)
- Wonderful (פֶּלִאי)
- Jesus / Yeshua (יֵשׁוּעַ) - because whatever your need, the answer is found in Him.
Finally - dare I suggest it? - how about no words at all? To paraphrase Francis of Assisi, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel - and sometimes use words." Of course words are important, but by themselves they are never enough, and very often they are unnecessary (James 2:18)... There is a language of love ("the works of love") that goes beyond any diction the tongue may express. This is why the Name of the LORD always is something more than a mere word, concept, or idea... The Name of the LORD is God's love and power and glory and grace and kindness and mercy and passion as He Himself knows it to be real, true, and utterly invincible in all things...
חֶסֶד־וֶאֱמֶת נִפְגָּשׁוּ
צֶדֶק וְשָׁלוֹם נָשָׁקוּ
che'·sed ve'·e·met neef'·gah'·shoo
tze'·dek ve'·shah·lohm nah·shah'·koo
"Love and truth have met,
justice and peace have kissed." (Psalm 85:10)
Shabbat Chazon (שבת חזון)
08.03.22 (Av 6, 5782) Parashat Devarim is always read on the Sabbath before the 9th of Av (i.e., Tishah B'Av) the saddest date on the Jewish calendar, and the traditional date on which both the First and Second Temples were destroyed. This Sabbath is called "Shabbat Chazon" (שַׁבַּת חַזוֹן), the "Sabbath of Vision," so named from the opening verse of the Haftarah: "Chazon Yeshayahu ven-Amotz," the "Vision of Isaiah, the son of Amoz" (Isa. 1:1).
When it was first recorded, Isaiah's vision of the destruction of the Temple was still future, and the Jews still had a chance to repent before the great tragedy befell them. However, since they did not repent, calamity finally overtook the inhabitants of Judah.... Despite this devastation, however, the Berditchever Rebbe saw in Shabbat Chazon a distant "vision" of the Third Temple of Messianic times, as indicated by Moses' farewell address as a "second Torah" (i.e., mishneh ha'torah: מִשְׁנֵה הַתּוֹרָה), that is, a prophetic retelling given to the generation that finally would enter the Promised Land.
Despite a long period of exile and mourning, the Sabbath before Tishah B'Av foretells the World to Come, a time when our redemption will be complete and all traces of the pain of our past forgotten, as was spoken by Moses himself (Deut. 32:43) and later by the prophet Zechariah: "Thus says the LORD of hosts: 'The fast of the fourth month (i.e., Tammuz) and the fast of the fifth (i.e., Tishah B'Av) and the fast of the seventh (Gedaliah) and the fast of the tenth (Asarah B'Tevet) shall be to the house of Judah seasons of joy and gladness and cheerful feasts. Therefore love truth and peace'" (Zech. 8:19). The time is coming when the sorrows of our exile will be turned into the joys of redemption!
Hebrew Lesson
Hosea 14:1 Hebrew reading (click):
Note: For more see: "Vision of Destruction: Further Thought on Shabbat Chazon." For more information about Tishah B'Av, click here.
Love and Reproof...
08.03.22 (Av 6, 5782) Just before Moses began his reproof of Israel, he declared his love and faith in the people. "The LORD your God has multiplied you until you are today as numerous as the stars in the sky (כְּכוֹכְבֵי הַשָּׁמַיִם). May the LORD, the God of your fathers, make you a thousand times more as you are (כָּכֶם), and bless you, as He promised you" (Deut. 1:10-11). Moses first brought up God's love for the Jews before he began his admonition. Notice he used the word kachem (כָּכֶם, "as you are") in this blessing. May the LORD multiply you - as you are - a thousand times! You are beloved; you are worthy: may the LORD bless you a thousand times over! (How different is this picture of Moses than the typical cartoon made of him by many in Christianity, who envision him smashing the tablets as if that were his "last word" on the subject of the Torah to Israel!)
Were the people perfect then? Obviously not, as would be clear through Moses' later admonition to them. Nonetheless, Moses used a "good eye" to see their potential as God's chosen people. Here was this ragtag group of of desert wanderers, descendants of slaves from the "house of slavery," whom the LORD God Almighty personally redeemed to be His own treasured possession. Despite their failures in the past and all that went before, Moses reminded them that they were esteemed as mamlechet kohanim v'goy kadosh (מַמְלֶכֶת כּהֲנִים וְגוֹי קָדוֹש), a "kingdom of priests and a holy people" (Exod. 19:6).
Moses' approach gives us insight about how we might correct the people we truly love. Often people become defensive when they are criticized and stop listening. Adding sincere praise and encouragement helps them open up to our message, since it is grounded in a sense of respect and value for their well-being. God thinks highly of the Jewish people, and that is the very first thing to be heard. God greatly esteems us, too. Despite the fact that we are sinners, God truly loves us. He considers us worthy to be saved. Again, why else did Yeshua suffer and die on the cross if God did not value our lives so much?
Shame is never the goal of the Torah. As King David prayed: Elohai bekha vatachti; al-avoshah (אֱלהַי בְּךָ בָטַחְתִּי אַל־אֵבוֹשָׁה): "My God, I trust in you; let me not be ashamed" (Psalm 25:2). Some people use the idea of God's "law" as a sort of club to hammer a sense of guilt upon the soul. They insist that man is "totally depraved" and under God's death sentence. Such people then hope to explain the good news of the gospel to escape God's righteous wrath for sin. These people, perhaps well-meaning, forget that the LORD is "near" - karov- to the brokenhearted. This adverb means "close enough to touch." The same root is used for the word korban (קָרְבָּן), an offering that draws us near to God, as well as karov (קָרוֹב), a near kinsman. In other words, God's desire has always been for people to draw near to Him, and He has always provided a way for people to do so -- even those who lived under the terms of the Sinai Covenant.
Guilt (אַשְׁמָה) is an objective state of being sinful that may or may not be accompanied by feelings of remorse, but shame (בּוּשָׁה), at least in its toxic sense, is a state of soul that regards itself as fundamentally flawed, inadequate, and essentially unlovable. God does not want us to grovel in self-disgust or live in constant fear of His judgment. He does not want us to hate ourselves or to regard ourselves as unlovable. As His creation, He loves us and finds us of value and worth. Why else would he have given His Son up to ransom us from sin and death? Like a parent who loves his child but wants to correct him by saying, "this doesn't become you," so God wants us to remember who we really are. He wants us to "walk in love" as His "dear children of light" (Eph. 5:8). God's correction is meant to form His character within us, and this first must begin with our assurance of our value, dignity, and worth in His eyes.
We are commanded to judge with tzedakah, with love as our underlying assumption. If God so commands us, surely we can trust that He likewise judges us this way. God's love is his essence - "God is love" (ὁ θεὸς ἀγάπη ἐστίν) - and He regards you as worthy to receive His love and blessing. He loves you b'ahavat olam - with "an everlasting love" (אַהֲבַת עוֹלָם), and therefore in chesed he draws you to Himself (Jer. 31:3). Why else would Yeshua die on the cross unless He expressed God's desire to judge others favorably?
Be encouraged, chaverim. You are "fearfully and wonderfully made" and you have a future and a hope in the world to come (Jer. 29:11). "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love" (1 John 4:18). Keep hope. God's love never fails (1 Cor. 13:8).
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 25:2 reading (click):
The Will to Believe...
[ The following entry is related to our Torah portion this week, parashat Devarim... ]
08.03.22 (Av 6, 5782) In our Torah for this week (i.e., Devarim) we read: "But you were not willing to ascend (וְלא אֲבִיתֶם לַעֲלת), but became bitter (מָרָה) against the Word of the LORD your God" (Deut. 1:26). Moses' rebuke was not that the people were afraid to conquer the land as much as that they had lost heart and no longer desired to take hold of God's promise. The people gave up their dream; they forsook their hope; and they had lost the "devotion of their youth, their love as a bride, how they followed the LORD in the desert, into a land not sown" (Jer. 2:2). The people's failure was on two levels: First they lapsed in faith by abdicating trust in God's word, and second, they had lost the passion of their first love. In light of this, the sages say that the greater problem was that of losing heart, since the heart directs the will to believe in the miracle of God, or not...
Moses' rebuke of the people's heart condition recalls the sober warning Yeshua gave to the Ephesian believers: "I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name's sake, and you have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your menorah from its place, unless you repent" (Rev. 2:2-5). Likewise the author of the Book of Hebrews commented: "And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the desert? So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief" (Heb. 3:17-19). The question of our faith is essential: "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God" (Heb. 10:31).
Hebrew Lesson:
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He Carries us Through...
[ The following entry is related to our Torah portion this week, parashat Devarim... ]
08.03.22 (Av 6, 5782) From our Torah this week (Devarim) we read: "The LORD your God carried you, as a man carries his son, all the way that you went until you came to this place" (Deut. 1:31). Part of the miracle of faith is coming to believe that you matter – that your thoughts, words, and deeds all are of interest to God. You may be tempted to regard yourself as unseen and powerless before the Creator of the universe. How is it possible for anyone to serve the Infinite One, since "even the heavens, and the heaven of heavens, cannot sustain You" (1 Kings 8:27)? Are we not made of clay, whose foundation is but dust? (Job 4:19). Here the miracle of faith believes that God, the LORD and Source of all life, seeks relationship with us, and that He makes place within Himself to hear us, to engage our lives, and to walk with us... Indeed, "the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us:" God emptied himself (κενόω) and clothed himself with human dust so that we could be touched by His love. The LORD carries us through our exile so that we might know and trust him...
Hebrew Lesson
Isaiah 46:4b reading (click):
"And just as we have borne the image of the man of dust,
so we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven" (1 Cor. 15:49).
The Torah of Sorrows...
08.02.22 (Av 5, 5782) The Scriptures are filled with desperate cries of the heart... "How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day?" (Psalm 13:1-2). "Make haste to help me, O LORD, my salvation!" (Psalm 38:22). "My soul melts away from sorrow; strengthen me according to your word" (Psalm 119:28). "Answer me quickly, O LORD! My spirit fails! Hide not your face from me, lest I be like those who go down to the pit" (Psalm 143:7). God know that "hope deferred makes the heart sick" (Prov. 13:12), so there can be no turning to God, no teshuvah, apart from the presence of real hope (תִּקְוָה). Indeed, as the Apostle Paul wrote: "We are saved by hope" (Rom. 8:24).
The late Henri Nouwen wrote, "I am beginning to see that much of praying is grieving." Contrition, grief, and regret for our sins is at the heart of genuine teshuvah. Crying is a expression of utter humility, helplessness, and need. In this life we weep over many things, but we inwardly cry for our Abba, our heavenly Father's love... "Whenever you find tears in your eyes, especially unexpected tears, it is well to pay the closest attention. They are summoning you to where you should go next" (Frederick Buechner).
"Whenever you find tears in your eyes, especially unexpected tears, it is well to pay the closest attention. God is speaking to you through them of the mystery of where you have come from and is summoning you to where you should go to next. (Frederick Buechner, Whistling in the Dark: 1988).
An old Jewish prayer, uttered somewhat wistfully, begins, "O Lord, I know that Thou wilt help us; but wilt Thou help us before Thou wilt help us?" It's not always easy to wait for God, especially when we are in pain or anxiety, but we must never, ever, give up; we must never ever, abandon our heart's longing for ultimate healing. Faith exercises hope in the Reality, Substance, and Being (ὑπόστασις) of the Invisible and is made captive to undying hope (Heb. 11:1). Therefore the Spirit cries out: "Hope to the LORD; be strong and strengthen your heart; and (again) hope to the LORD" (Psalm 27:14). "Blessed are you, LORD our God, King of the Universe, who walks with the wounded" (שֶׁהוֹלֵךְ עִם הַפְצוּעִים).
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 13:1 Hebrew reading (click):
Daily Dvar Podcast:
Faith and the Challenge of Evil...
08.02.22 (Av 5, 5782) As people of faith in the LORD, we profoundly feel the tension between affirming both that our loving Creator sustains all things by the word of his power and also acknowledging the ongoing depravity of human beings and how that results in suffering, heartache, and pain in this world. In the following theological audio discussion, I ponder some questions that arise when we seriously consider these matters:
What are you Seeking?
08.01.22 (Av 4, 5782) "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world; if any one loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him" (1 John 2:15). The best way to keep a prisoner from escaping is to make sure he never knows he's in prison (Dostoevsky). We may abstain from overt forms of worldliness, but when we subconsciously accept the unspoken assumptions and values of this world, we become functional idolaters. Worldliness seeks its comfort in the present hour; it has its own mythology and religious worship.
Test yourself by thinking about what concerns you most. What takes up most of your attention? What do you really want? Where do you look to find value, significance, and worth? What can't you live without? Do you desire romantic love? A political change? Are you addicted to entertainment? fantasy-thinking? the internet? your phone, or perhaps your work? Do want your own way and feel frustrated when other demands arise? Do you wrestle with pride? lust? covetousness? Are you tempted by fear or anxiety? Do you make an idol out of your career and "providing for your family?" Or do you perhaps seek religious "observance" or new experiences to justify your spiritual life? What "barns" are you filling today, friend? (Luke 12:16-20). God sees all things, of course; He knows those who "hide deep from the LORD," whose deeds are in the dark, and think, "Who sees us? Who knows us?" (Isa. 29:15). Yeshua lamented: "This people draws near to me with their mouth, and honors me with their lips; but their heart is far from me" (Matt. 15:8). The LORD says, "Return! Turn from your idols of the heart (i.e., gilgulim, vain repetitions, addictions, reincarnation, illusions, etc.), and be grounded in what is real (Ezek. 14:6). God understands that we are only healed - that is, made whole - when we order our affections aright within our souls. We cannot enjoy the truth about life if we are living a lie. As C.S. Lewis once said, "God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself because it is not there" (Mere Christianity).
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 36:9 Hebrew reading lesson:
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The problem with many of us is not that we are so hungry, but rather that we are not hungry enough... We settle for junk food when God spreads out his banqueting table before us. There is a "deeper hunger" for life, and I pray we are all touched by such hunger pangs; there is a "blessed hunger and thirst" that feeds our heart's cry for God (Matt. 5:6); there is a "divine discontent" that leads to a deeper sense of contentment for the heart...
In the end, if we cannot say we have lived well, then nothing else matters... Seeking God is a process, a "how" of life, not a recipe or formula, no matter how venerated. Seeking God is the goal of life, and in the world to come, I am afraid that most of us will regret that we did not pursue the Eternal with all our hearts while we had the opportunity to do so...
"Give up yourself and you will find your real self. Lose your life and you will save it. Submit to death, death of your ambitions and favourite wishes every day and death of your whole body in the end submit with every fibre of your being, and you will find eternal life. Keep back nothing. Nothing that you have not given away will be really yours. Nothing in you that has not died will ever be raised from the dead. Look for yourself, and you will find in the long run only hatred, loneliness, despair, rage, ruin, and decay. But look for Christ and you will find Him, and with Him everything else thrown in" (Lewis: Mere Christianity).
Confession and Healing...
08.01.22 (Av 4, 5782) The inner life of the self can be one of tranquility and peace, or it can be one of turmoil and struggle -- as we sense forces within our own hearts that seek to pull us away from what is good... What is hidden within can become a destructive force, ready to erupt in unexpected moments. We have to be careful to "take every thought captive" before the presence of God, since otherwise our thoughts can lead to chaotic thinking and unrestrained emotions. If we allow ourselves to self-indulgently murmur or envy, for example, such thoughts may surreptitiously become a fixed part of our character.
As C.S. Lewis once said: "Hell begins with a grumbling mood, always complaining, always blaming others... but you are still distinct from it. You may even criticize it in yourself and wish you could stop it. But there may come a day when you can no longer. Then there will be no you left to criticize the mood or even to enjoy it, but just the grumble itself, going on forever like a machine. It is not a question of God "sending us" to hell. In each of us there is something growing, which will be hell unless it is nipped in the bud." (Great Divorce)
We find deliverance from our inner conflicts by humbling our self and opening our hearts to a trusted friend, as it says: "Confess your faults one to another and pray for one another, that you may be healed" (James 5:16). A good friend will make time to quietly listen to the story of your struggle and to then extend grace, compassion, and forgiveness, serving as a priest for your heart, revealing God's kindness and mercy in your darkest of moments... The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness cannot overcome it (John 1:5).
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 32:5 Hebrew reading (click):
July 2022 Site Updates
Shavuah Tov Podcast:
Parashat Devarim...
07.31.22 (Av 3, 5782) Our Torah reading this week (i.e., parashat Devarim) is the very first portion from the Book of Deuteronomy (ספר דברים), which is always read on the Sabbath that immediately precedes the somber holiday of Tishah B'Av (תשעה באב). In Jewish tradition, this special Sabbath is called "Shabbat Chazon" (שַׁבַּת חַזוֹן), "the Sabbath of Vision," since the Haftarah that is read (i.e., Isa. 1:1-25) comes from the vision of the prophet Isaiah regarding the destruction of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. In both Jewish tradition and liturgy, teshuvah (repentance) and viduy (confession of sin) are the themes of this preparatory Sabbath.
The Summary Book of Torah...
07.31.22 (Av 3, 5782) Shavuah tov, friends. This week we begin reading the concluding book of the Torah, called Sefer Devarim (ספר דברים), so named from the phrase eleh ha'devarim ("these are the words...") found in its opening verse (see verse below). In our English Bibles, Sefer Devarim is known as the Book of "Deuteronomy," from a Greek word meaning "second (or repeated) law" (i.e., δευτερονόμιον), a term used to translate the phrase mishneh ha-Torah (i.e. משׁנה התורה, "copy of the Torah," in Deut. 17:18). Generally speaking, this book represents Moses' "farewell address" to the people of Israel before he died wherein he reviewed the history and the laws given to the people and repeatedly warned that obedience would bring blessing while disobedience would bring disaster. The series of personal discourses (or sermons) in this book all have the tone of rebuke and admonition, and indeed some of the sages have said it resembles a sort of "deathbed blessing" not unlike Jacob's blessing given to his sons...
Our Torah portion (פרשה) for this week, called parashat Devarim (פרשת דברים), is the very first reading of the Book of Deuteronomy – which begins with Moses recounting the journey from Mount Sinai to the edge of the promised land. Moses mentioned the difficulty of personally governing the people and recalled how he had set up a system of judges to help him administer justice among the various tribes. He then reminded the people of the sin of the spies and the rebellion of the people at Kadesh Barnea which led to God's decree that no one of that generation would live to enter the land of Canaan (except for Caleb and Joshua). Moses then provided an outline of the 38 year exile of the Israelites back toward the Sea of Reeds, into the desert regions, and then back again until the subsequent generation was ready to enter the promised land. For more information, see the links listed below.
Our Meditation all the day...
07.29.22 (Av 1, 5782) The Scriptures declare: "Blessed is the man who ... delights in the Torah of the LORD (בְּתוֹרַת יְהוָה); all that he does shall prosper" (Psalm 1:1-3). And while it is true that we are no longer 'under' the terms of the covenant given at Sinai (Rom. 3:23), we still delight 'in' the Torah and meditate on its precepts day and night (Psalm 1:2; 19:8; 119:15, 47, 97; Neh. 8:12, etc.). After all, Torah "written upon the heart" is a mark of the New Covenant believer (Jer. 31:31-33). As it is written in Proverbs: "If you seek it [i.e., the wisdom revealed in the Torah] like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God" (Prov. 2:4-5).
Where it is written, "all Scripture is breathed out by God (θεόπνευστος) and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work" (2 Tim 3:16-17), it is evident that the Scriptures referred to here are the Jewish Scriptures (i.e., the Torah, the Prophets, and the Writings), since they are the foundation, the context, and the overarching matrix for the later New Covenant revelation. These were the Scriptures Yeshua used to contextualize and explain his ministry to his followers: "And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself" (Luke 24:27; John 1:45).
This implies that the Torah has a logical, linguistic, and theological priority regarding our understanding of the New Testament, and the failure to read in context invariably leads to faulty interpretations and doctrinal errors of various kinds. "To the Jew first, and [then] to the Greek" (Rom. 1:16) is a principle not only of how the gospel message would transcend ethnic Israel to be offered to all the nations, but also about how we should approach the subject of Biblical "hermeneutics." God "breathed out" his revelation in order, and the message itself must be understood in light of that order (John 4:22).
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 119:97 Hebrew commentary (click):
Personal Note / Update: It has been an extremely busy week for me, with various ministry issues (including Facebook harassment), my mom being hospitalized, my brother-on-law coming out of bypass surgery, my son Josiah being diagnosed with Covid, and Olga's grandmother passing away... Notwithstanding all this, let me wish you "Shabbat Shalom," the peace of the Lord to be upon you, the blessing of the Lord to uphold you, and the love of the Lord to establish your heart in all things. - John
Sufficient unto the day...
07.29.22 (Av 1, 5782) In the Gospel of Matthew we read these words of our Lord: "Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble" (Matt. 6:34). Soren Kierkegaard comments: "If there is no next day for you, then all earthly care is annihilated. When the next day comes, it loses its enchantment and its disquieting insecurity. If there is no next day for you, then either you are dying or you are one who by dying to temporality has grasped the Eternal, either one who is actually dying or one who is really living... The one who rows a boat turns his back to the goal toward which he is working. So it is with the next day. When, with the help of the Eternal, a person lives absorbed in today, he turns his back to the next day. The more he is eternally absorbed in today, the more decisively he turns his back to the next day." Amen. Today is the day of salvation; today may we hear His voice...
"If there is no next day for you, then either you are dying or you are one who by dying to temporality has grasped the Eternal, either one who is actually dying or one who is really living..." [Kierkegaard]
"For he that loses his life will find it..." (Luke 17:33). But how are we to understand this? An old story from the Desert Fathers comes to mind. A visitor came to the Master and was struck by his radiance. Later he spoke to a disciple and asked him for an explanation. The disciple quoted the Master's words, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit" (John 12:24). Life is a sacred mystery, but death provides the key to unlock its meaning. We can "turn the key" by surrendering ourselves in silent expectation before God. Once we die to life in this world we are set free and empowered to live in joy and gratitude for everything. We experience serenity as we let go in surrender to God's care.
A person must be content to be as he is; a dependent being, as little capable of sustaining himself as of creating himself. If we choose to forget God and look after our own sustenance, then we are overcome with anxiety. It is certainly praiseworthy and pleasing to God when a person works for his food. But if he forgets God, and thinks that he himself is supporting himself, then he becomes burdened with the necessities of life... Worry about making a living, or not making a living, is a snare. In actuality, it is the snare. No external power, no actual circumstance, can trap a person. If a person chooses to be his own providence, then he will go quite ingenuously into his own trap, the wealthy as well as the poor. If he wants to entrench himself in his own plot of ground that is not under God's care, then he is living, though he does not acknowledge it, in a prison. When the farmer shut the door on the wood dove, the wood dove believed himself to be safe, when in fact he was caught. Or to put it another way, he was shut out from the care of Providence and trapped in a life of anxiety. In a spiritual sense he made himself a captive and "trapped himself unto death." (Kierkegaard UPD)
It is the saddest thing of all if a human being goes through life without discovering his need for God. Therefore blessed indeed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 5:3). It is a "blessed fault" to understand our inner poverty, to know anguish of heart, and to be able to abide in God's salvation one day at a time....
The Spirit cries out: "Fear not, for I am with you..." אַל־תִּירָא כִּי עִמְּךָ־אָנִי. What we need most of all is right here, present in this hour, whether we're conscious of it or not. God is with you, even if you feel alone, lost in darkness, unclean, afraid... "Dear Lord Jesus, I don't know who I am, I don't know where I am, and I don't know what I am, but please love me" (prayer of a sufferer from Alzheimer's disease). That's what we need most, to trust that we are safe in God's love, and that's the ultimate message of our atonement in Messiah.
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 41:10 Hebrew reading (click):
Words and the Heart...
07.29.22 (Av 1, 5782) During his lectures on Jewish values, Joseph Telushkin used to ask his audience if they could go 24 hours without saying any unkind words about, or to, anybody. Most people said no, they couldn't. Rabbi Telushkin then commended them for their honesty, but then pointed out that if he had asked them if they could go 24 hours without drinking alcohol and they likewise said they couldn't, wouldn't that mean they have a serious drinking problem? (Words that Hurt). His point was that if you can't go 24 hours without saying unkind words about others (or raging at the world), you have lost control of your tongue. As Yeshua explained, words express the condition of the heart, since "from the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks" (Luke 6:45). Therefore the root issue concerns the heart (לֵב), the "midst of the self" that wills, desires, and chooses how to interpret and describe the world. If we choose to see from a heart of fear, we will tend to use our words as a weapon; but if we see with a heart of faith, we will seek to build others up....
In the Book of Proverbs we read, "Whoever restrains his words has knowledge, and one of a cool spirit (i.e., temperament) is a person of understanding" (Prov. 17:27). The Chofetz Chaim comments: "When people are preparing a telegram, notice how carefully they consider each word before they put it down. That is how careful we must be when we speak." As James admonishes us: "Let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger" (James 1:19). Friends, let us pray to be delivered from agitated passions and the hurtful words we sometimes say... May God give us hearts of peace that are restrained by the Spirit of God.
Hebrew Lesson
Proverbs 17:27 Hebrew reading (click):
The Glory of His Image...
07.29.22 (Av 1, 5782) One of the great tragedies of life - perhaps the greatest tragedy of all - is to walk your days without knowing the truth about why you exist and who you really are. Torah reveals that you are created b'tzelem Elohim (בצלם אלהים), in the very "image of God," for the purpose of knowing your Creator and understanding his love for you. Sin, however, has marred the divine image and therefore your heart needs to be recreated by means of the miracle of spiritual regeneration (1 Pet. 1:23). "This is the life of eternity: to know you, the only true God, and Yeshua the Messiah whom you have sent" (John 17:3).
Any "anthropology" or idea of man that is not grounded in this central reason for human existence debases the transcendent realm of human life to that of a "object" subject to impersonal forces... Naturalism reduces man to an animal that perishes and is no more (2 Pet. 2:12). The truth that our inmost existence is healed by regeneration restores us to the realm of the divine, reflecting the image of God anew, and therefore we are instructed to respect ourselves by honoring the gift of life that has been bestowed to us.
It is written: "A man is glorious (or "precious"), but if he does not understand, he is likened to a beast that perishes" (Psalm 49:20). Such a person is dehumanized and loses his connection with who he really is, for like an animal that is without "likeness" (דמה) to God, so he will be devoid of spiritual perspective, reasoning that all that is real concerns the immediacy of the present hour. He will be limited and bound to the dark "matrix" of this world wherein everything seems "natural" and everything happens as a result of material causes alone. The "natural man" can live his entire life without recognizing God's hand at work behind the scenes. His presuppositions and hardness of heart blind his eyes from apprehending spiritual reality. Those who have come alive and know God through the blessing of Yeshua the Messiah, however, shall also bear the image of the man of heaven, and "we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit" (2 Cor. 3:18).
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 49:20 Hebrew reading (click):
Knowing the Times and Seasons:
The Month of Av...
[ Today marks Rosh Chodesh Av, the start of the month of Av... ]
07.29.22 (Av 1, 5782) On the Biblical calendar, the fifth month of the year (counting from Nisan) is called "Av" (אָב) in Jewish tradition. The month of Av is traditionally regarded as the most tragic in the Jewish calendar. On the first day of this month, Aaron (the first High Priest of Israel) died (Num. 33:38), which was considered a ominous event. On the ninth day of the month (i.e., Tishah B'Av), the LORD decreed that the original generation rescued from Egypt would die out in the desert and be deprived from entering the Promised Land because they believed the faithless report of the Spies (Num. 13-14). Later both of the Holy Temples were destroyed on the ninth day of Av as well...
Because both of the Temples were destroyed on the ninth of Av, this date is remembered as lowest point of the "Three Weeks of Sorrow" (שלושה שבועות של צער) that began with the fast of the 17th of Tammuz (undertaken to recall both the shattering of the tablets after Moses discovered the people worshiping the golden calf and also the breach in the walls of Jerusalem by the Babylonians before the First Temple was destroyed). During this period, weddings and parties are forbidden. It is a time for solemn reflection and mourning for Israel.
The last two portions of the Book of Numbers (Mattot - Masei) are always read during the "Three Weeks of Sorrow." The sages say these readings were selected at this time to ultimately comfort us as we look forward to the "apportioning of the land" -- i.e., the ultimate fulfillment of God's promises to us. Indeed, the month of Av -- despite the sorrow of the loss of the Temple -- is sometimes called "Menachem Av" (מנחם אב) - the "Comfort of the Father." One day the lamentations of our present state of exile will come to an end.
Menachem Av may also mean the "comfort of Aleph-Bet" (אב). The Prophet Jeremiah, who witnessed the destruction of the Temple, later wrote the scroll of Lamentations to commemorate this tragic time. The form of Lamentations is an acrostic based on the letters of the Hebrew Aleph-Bet (like Psalm 25, 34, 37, 119, Prov. 31, etc.). The scroll has five sections (perekim). The verses of the first two chapters and the last two chapters all are written in alphabetical order (א,ב,ג). The middle chapter, however, writes its verses using a triple Aleph Bet ordering, i.e., "Aleph, Aleph, Aleph," "Bet, Bet, Bet," "Gimmel, Gimmel, Gimmel," and so on. Since Yeshua is called the "Aleph and Tav" of God (האלף והתו) in Rev. 23:13, the comfort of the Father is revealed in Him! Yeshua is "et" (את), the direct sign and wonder of God!
Since the Book of Deuteronomy is mishneh Torah - a "retelling of Torah," it can be said that the written Torah -- from a narrative point of view -- ends with the reading of these final portions from Numbers, and by extension, with the yearning for Zion. And so it is to this day. We await the return of our Messiah while we live in exile here on earth. And even though the Temple of the LORD is spiritually present in the Person of the resurrected Messiah, it will be made fully manifest in the days to come: first in the Millennial Kingdom (after Yeshua's Second Coming), and later still in olam habah (the world to come) as the eternal community of those redeemed by the Lamb of God (Rev. 21:22-23). So for those of us who hold faith in Yeshua as Messiah, our mourning for the Temple is really mourning for the Presence of our Beloved Savior.
Hebrew Lesson
Lamentations 1:1 reading (click):
Overcoming the Darkness...
07.29.22 (Av 1, 5782) These are indeed dark days, and it is difficult not to be seduced by the profanity and fear of this evil world... The mass media is controlled to run it's scripts; the love of many runs cold; and people are living in fear of the "pestilence that walketh in darkness" and the "destruction that wasteth at noonday." So what do we do but encourage ourselves to look to the LORD for His salvation. We groan; we lament; we protest: "How long O LORD?" And yet we resolve to make our refuge in God's promises "until these calamities be overpast...." (Psalm 57:1; Isa. 26:20)
As a seed planted within soil seeks life by "reaching" for the sun, so our souls are drawn upward by the desire for God. The Lord calls us "out of darkness into his marvelous light" (1 Pet. 2:9); he calls us to awaken, to grow, and to come to the fullness of his life (John 10:10). Being called "out of darkness" means being set free of those spiritual forces that attempt to hold us captive. When we turn to the Divine Light for our sustenance and healing, we are set free from the pain of our fears and the insanity of evil (Acts 26:18). As it is written: "God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power (δύναμις) and of love (ἀγάπη), and of a "sound mind" (2 Tim. 1:7). The Greek word "sound mind" (σωφρονισμός) comes from the verb sodzo (σῴζω), meaning "to save," from saos (σάος) "safe," in the sense of being under care and influence of the Spirit of God. "God is light, and in him is no darkness at all" (1 John 1:5). Heeding the truth of Yeshua grounds you in what is real and reveals your identity and provision as a child of God, as it is written: "For you are my lamp (כִּי־אַתָּה תָּאִיר נֵרִי), O LORD, and my God lightens my darkness" (Psalm 18:28).
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 18:28 Hebrew reading (click):
Torah of Speaking Truth...
07.28.22 (Tammuz 29, 5782) The Torah of "speaking truth," of being honest and upright (i.e., yashar: יָשָׁר) with ourselves and others, is called dibbur emet (דברי אמת) in Hebrew. Dibbur emet, or speaking truth, is the duty to use words and language with integrity and justice. "These are the things you are to do: speak truth (דַּבְּרוּ אֱמֶת) to one another; render in your gates judgments that are true and make for peace!" (Zech. 8:16; see also Lev. 19:11; Eph. 4:25, Col. 3:9, among other verses). Note that dibbur emet also forbids spreading gossip, sharing worthless news reports, expressing contempt, mockery, or outrage over the viewpoints of others, and so on. An honest person doesn't play games with words but understands that communication is a sacred trust. Our words are to be regarded as sacred, as an expression of truth. God has made us inviolable promises, and we are never to play games with that. Just as His word is sacred, so we should strive to be sacred in our speech, too.
Hebrew Lesson
Zechariah 8:16 Hebrew reading (click):
Our ability to use language and reason is essential to the image of God within us, and evil speech, or lashon ha'ra (לָשׁוֹן הָרָה), consequently profanes and corrupts the soul. Therefore the sages identify a metzora (i.e., leper) with hamotzi ra, "one who brings forth evil," and they stress shemirat ha-lashon (שְׁמִירַת הַלָּשׁוֹן), or "guarding of the tongue," as a central virtue of the righteous. In Jewish ethical thinking, speaking the truth must be contextualized with good will and kindness, and this implies that purposely saying something that to shame another person is forbidden. Some of the sages, such as the Chofetz Chaim, have gone so far as to say that you are forbidden to say anything evil about a person even if it is true. There are exceptions to this rule, of course, for example in legal proceedings when eye-witness testimony that a crime was committed is required for the sake of justice, but in general the sages recommend avoid saying anything gratuitously negative about others by using the good eye to look for their good qualities...
Our Lord went well beyond these requirements and told us that whatever is spoken in this life is "echoed" throughout eternity and will be reheard upon the day of judgment: "I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless (ἀργὸν) word they utter, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned" (Matt. 12:36-37). Our words, especially the words of our heart, are as prayers spoken to heaven. We are especially warned against making promises we might break: "Let what you say be simply 'Yes' or 'No'; anything more than this comes from evil" (Matt. 5:37). All this implies that our thinking, which is expressed in our words, must be sanctified as well. We have a duty to think clearly and righteously, and therefore evil and fearful thoughts are forbidden as well ...
"Come, O children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD. What person is there who desires life and loves many days, that he may see good? Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit. Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it." (Psalm 34:11-14). Fearing the LORD means being filled with the wonder of the Divine Presence. The one who fears the LORD will "see good," that is, he will see the goodness of his surroundings in the light of God's Presence. Seeing the good in others, using ayin tovah (a good eye), is therefore the contrary of lashon hara, or slander. Our words should be used to upbuild, edify, and esteem others, not to tear them down. Lashon hara is evidence, then, of a critical spirit, an evil eye, and a suspicious heart. We must look to God for the miracle of seeing the truth of His goodness in all things.
"Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips" (Psalm 141:3). Those who think it easy to control the tongue have likely never really tried to do so. "The tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell" (James 3:5-6). Ultimately, controlling your tongue is a matter of controlling your inner thoughts, your heart, and your attitude, called shemirat ha-lev (שמירת הלב). Therefore we are admonished to be "quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger," since the anger of man never works the righteousness of God (James 1:19). May the LORD our God help us always to speak with grace, "seasoned with salt" (Col. 4:6); and may we all "speak the truth in love to grow up in every way" (Eph. 4:15). "Let my words and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer" (Psalm 19:14). Amen.
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 19:14 Hebrew reading (click):
Sojourning the Promise...
07.28.22 (Tammuz 29, 5782) Our Torah reading this week (i.e., Masei) reviews the journey of the Israelites after the Exodus from Egypt to various places along the way to the Promised Land. The portion begins: "These are the journeys (מַסְעֵי) of the people of Israel, when they went out of the land of Egypt by their companies under the leadership of Moses and Aaron" (Num. 33:1). The portion then continues with a somewhat puzzling statement: "And Moses wrote down their starting places of their journeys (מוֹצָאֵיהֶם לְמַסְעֵיהֶם), as directed by the LORD," and then adds "and these are their journeys to their starting places (מְַסְעֵיהֶם לְמוֹצָאֵיהֶם)." The sages note here that the "starting places" are first mentioned followed by the "journeys to them" to indicate a sort of circularity about where we begin and end on our way to our inheritance. En route to the promise, we will wander and we will settle, and both our wandering and our settling are related to each other. The places we leave and the places we come evoke questions about our overall journey, such as "Where are we finally going? Will we ever arrive? How long before we can move forward?" and so on.
We are all on a journey, and each step of the way represents a starting point that leads to another journey along the way. We walk "as directed by God," literally," according to the Word of the LORD" (עַל־פִּי יְהוָה). "At the command of the LORD we encamp, and at the command of the LORD we journey" (Num. 9:23). Both our going and our coming are supervised by God. The ongoing reassembling of the Mishkan ("Tabernacle"), the arrangement of the settlements, the setting up of tents, and so on, all taught the people to constantly renew their lives before God during the days of their sojourning...
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 78:14 Hebrew reading (click):
The Way of Escape...
07.27.22 (Tammuz 28, 5782) Where it is written, "God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it" (1 Cor. 10:13), we note that the Greek text says that God will actively "make with the temptation the way of escape" (ποιήσει σὺν τῷ πειρασμῷ καὶ τὴν ἔκβασιν) so that you may be able to bear it.... When I was younger, I tended to think of temptation as the appeal to gratify my flesh, to impulsively seek hedonistic pleasure, and so on, but now I understand "temptation" (πειρασμό) to encompass far more than just that.
For instance, whenever I regard my experience in human or "natural" terms, apart from the consciousness of God's all-pervading and sustaining Presence, then I am surely under temptation. Fear, anger, despair, self-pity, and so on -- all are temptations to unbelief... This encouraging verse, then, assures us of the Divine Presence in every moment, at every turn of our journey, and in every circumstance. God is always present to help you as you turn to him in faith. The sages state in this regard: "God creates the cure before the plague," meaning that His love is the foundation of all things: עוֹלָם חֶסֶד יִבָּנֶה / olam chesed yibaneh: "steadfast love built the world" (Psalm 89:2). Just as God created mankind only after He created the pathway of repentance (i.e., the "Lamb slain from the foundation of the world": Eph. 1:4, Heb. 4:4, Rev 13:8), so the escape from temptation was likewise foreseen and provided. In all things, then, may we humble ourselves and seek God's face, understanding our radical dependence upon Him for our deliverance. Amen.
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 37:23-24 reading (click):
Integrity of our Words...
07.27.22 (Tammuz 28, 5782) Our Torah reading this week (i.e., Mattot) discusses various laws regarding vows and oaths... We read: "If a person vows a vow (i.e., neder: נֶדֶר) to the LORD, or swears an oath (i.e., shevuah: שְׁבוּעָה) to bind himself by a pledge, he shall not break his word. He shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth" (Num. 30:2). The Hebrew expression "break his word" literally means "profane his word" (יַחֵל דְּבָרוֹ), that is, to defile the soul by causing it to be inwardly divided, irresolute, and cowardly. After all, breaking your word means violating the integrity of who you are, showing that what you say and what you do are not unified, and this leads to feelings of shame. Your words confess your reality and bring it to life... If you cannot keep your word, your word becomes profane, empty, lost -- you become a "stranger to yourself," unsure of what you intend. "Let your "yes" be yes and your "no" be no; learn to say what you mean and mean what you say (Matt. 5:37).
In the Book of Proverbs we read, "When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is wise" (Prov. 10:19). The Chofetz Chaim comments: "When people are preparing a telegram, notice how carefully they consider each word before they put it down. That is how careful we must be when we speak." As James admonishes us: "Let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger" (James 1:19).
Hebrew Lesson:
Proverbs 10:19 reading (click):
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Since words represent thoughts, the use of our tongues has to do with how we choose to think... "Think on these things..." We are instructed to "take every thought captive" (αἰχμαλωτίζω, i.e., lead away as a prisoner) to the obedience of Messiah... It is wise to restrain our speech, because, after all, we often have no idea what we are talking about, and therefore our words can become unruly and even dangerous. Whenever we open our mouth to speak, Heaven is listening (Matt. 12:36-37).
The Central Thing...
07.27.22 (Tammuz 28, 5782) From our Torah portion this week (i.e., parashat Mattot) we read: zeh ha'davar asher tzivah Adonai (זה הדבר אשׁר צוה יהוה), "This is the thing the LORD has commanded" (Num. 30:1). The language here seems to suggest that there is only one matter that God has commanded, namely, to speak truth and to be faithful in our promises (Num. 30:2). This is because the sacredness of our word is the foundation for all our other responsibilities. After all, if our word is equivocal, it is unclear, unreliable, undecided, and therefore ultimately meaningless.... Insincere words are without genuine commitment, and the lack of decisiveness undermines all Torah. זה הדבר אשׁר צוה יהוה - "This is the thing the LORD has commanded," namely, to accept your duty to honor the truth; to keep your faith in God's word; and to hold sacred your commitment before God. May the Lord help us be people of righteousness and truth. Amen.
Hebrew Lesson
Proverbs 8:7 Hebrew reading (click):
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Blessing of Inner Peace...
07.27.22 (Tammuz 28, 5782) Our Lord said: "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God" (Matt. 5:9). The peacemakers, or "doers of peace" (עֹשֵׂי שָׁלוֹם), are those who choose to bless others and use the "good eye" (העין הטובה) to envision the good and call it forth. Those who bless others are blessed themselves, and their blessing is revealed in their good will and simplicity of heart. No one is blessed through curses, gossip, or blaming others, even if they may feel justified in their "righteous" indignation. Harboring anger, resentment, or vindictive desire creates inner darkness, pain and sorrow.
It's been wisely said that "you can't give away what you don't have," so the first order of business of being a "peacemaker" is to gain assurance of your own blessing and blessed place within God's heart. First know God's peace given to you in Yeshua.... If you are able to rest in God's personal love for you, then inner peace from the Holy Spirit becomes a grace that you can share with others. As you walk in peace and love, you are able to bless others in the truth, and God's compassion and grace will freely flow from your heart...
The Hebrew word shalom (שלום) is often translated as "peace," though it means "wholeness," "completeness," "healing" -- not merely the absence of strife. Shalom implies the positive enjoyment of God and "pleasures forevermore." In Jewish ethical teaching, redifat shalom (רְדִיפַת שָׁלוֹם), "seeking peace," is considered a primary heart quality. Rabbi Hillel is attributed as saying, "Be of the disciples of Aaron, loving peace and pursuing peace" (Pirke Avot 1:2).
The entire life of Yeshua is marked by peace. He is called "Sar Shalom" (שַׂר־שָׁלוֹם), the Prince of Peace (Isa. 9:6). God is called "El Shalom" (אל שָׁלוֹם), the God of Peace (Rom. 15:33, Heb. 13:20, etc.), and indeed the effect of the atonement and salvation itself brings reconciliation (peace) between God and man (Psalm 85:10; Isa. 32:17; Isa. 53:5; Rom. 5:1, Col. 1:20, etc.).
So important is the reconciliation of God that Yeshua states that those who "make peace" will be called the "children of God" (בני אלוהים). The world bestows its honors upon those who are war-makers and who routinely exercise self-aggrandizing "will to power." The way of the Spirit is on a different level: "the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace" (James 3:18). "The work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever" (Isa. 32:17). Those who seek peace by loving others - including their enemies - are doing as the Father does, and they shall never be shaken.
Hebrew Lesson
Matthew 5:9 reading (click):
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Acharit Hayamim:
Faith near the End of Days...
[ Any doubt that the USA (and the entire world) is being prepared for divine judgment can be removed by considering the various evils that have conspired to create the perfect storm of impending disaster for the nations. We are on the edge of the Great Tribulation... ]
07.27.22 (Tammuz 28, 5782) Shalom friends. Our Lord foretold that in the "end of days" there would be perilous times -- moral, political, ethnic, and spiritual chaos throughout the world, "as it was in the days of Noah." Of Noah's generation the Torah says: "The LORD saw that the wickedness of humanity was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually, so that it grieved the LORD to his heart" (Gen. 6:5-6). Indeed, Paul's description of the character of people before the time of the end is chillingly accurate of our present generation (see 2 Tim. 3:1-7).
With the increasing rise of anarchy and godless tyranny throughout the nations, the Scriptures further foretell the rise of a governmental system that would oppress and subjugate the entire world, using surveillance systems and devices to control every aspect of life, so that no one would be able to buy or sell without being tagged as an compliant member of the system. Once a global (cashless) currency system has been established, the prophesied "man of sin" would then arise to embody the presence of Satan on the earth, in mimicry of the advent of the true Messiah.
At first this "man of sin" (איש החטא) will seem to be a man of peace but after his reign is secured, his malice will be revealed by openly persecuting those who still believe in the one true God, causing great tribulation, particularly for the Jewish people. The rise of this "Messiah of Evil" or the "anti-Christ" will be in accordance with the great vision of the prophet Daniel, wherein the final "week" of "seventy weeks of years" is fulfilled...
Presently we are living in the "gap" between the 69th week and the 70th week of years, but we see signs that the gap is now closing, and soon the world will enter into the "tribulation" period... As things get closer to the time of great judgment (יום יהוה), followers of Messiah will be forcefully removed by God's hand (i.e., raptured) either before the tribulation proper begins ("pre-trib"), or perhaps just before the Great Tribulation period ("mid-trib"), the later view being argued because followers of Yeshua will see the rise of the man of sin (2 Thess. 2:3-4). Either way, however, God has not appointed his followers to undergo the unleashing of his wrath upon the world system during the last half of the seventieth week (1 Thess. 5:9), so "post-trib is not a sound eschatological option. The rapture will occur as we are gathered together with the LORD to meet him in the air (1 Thess. 4:16-17).
The 70th week of the vision will begin when the "man of sin" appears to make a "covenant" with the people of the world, though he will later set up an "abomination" and force all world citizens to bow down to its image (perhaps similar to Nebuchadnezzar's insanity to force people to bow down before the golden image of himself; at this time the rapture of followers of Messiah may occur). Like Daniel's three friends who refused to bow down before the image, many will refuse to comply and outright worldwide persecution of the Jewish people will take place. This is called the "time of Jacob's trouble" and the "Great Tribulation." Satan will rule only "until the end that is decreed is poured out on him" and then the great Day of LORD will seal his doom with the second coming of Yeshua (as described in Rev. 19:11-21).
So, in light of this (very brief) sketch of what is coming -- and as the world system becomes more and more tyrannical as it prepares for the arrival of the "messiah of evil" -- how are you walking out your faith? Spiritual warfare is not "optional" for a follower of Yeshua. How are you keeping free of fear or anger? How are you preparing for the days ahead?
Remember that the evil one "lives" to devour souls, as it is written: "Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour" (1 Pet. 5:8). The apostle Paul lists the panoply of armor required for our struggle: "Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication" (Eph. 6:11-18). In another place Paul refers to this as the "armor of light" (Rom. 13:12). James the Righteous (יעקב הצדיק) gives us remedy by saying: "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you" (James 4:7).
We are to walk "in truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left" (2 Cor. 6:7). Let us wear the armor of light (ὰ ὅπλα τοῦ φωτός), being sober (i.e., νήφω, "calm and of sound mind") putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation" (1 Thess. 5:8). "Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Yeshua the Messiah" (1 Pet. 1:13).
Hebrew Lesson
Zephaniah 1:14 reading (click):
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Learning to Die Daily...
07.26.22 (Tammuz 27, 5782) Many of us fear dying.... When we pray with all our heart, we ought pray as if it were our last breath... If we can learn to die well today - while we have the opportunity to reach out to the God in this temporal realm - we make passage from time to eternity, from darkness to light, and from exile to our promised land. Anger, bitterness, and regret burden our hearts with pain and fearful sorrow, but believing in forgiveness, being grateful for the people in our lives, and trusting that God's love is all we ever need gives us the courage to let go in hope. In this connection, I once read a wonderful passage from the late Henri Nouwen that I want to share with you here. I hope you will find it helpful, chaverim.
"If I die with much anger and bitterness, I will leave my family and friends behind in confusion, guilt, shame, or weakness. When I felt my death approaching, I suddenly realized how much I could influence the hearts of those whom I would leave behind. If I could truly say that I was grateful for what I had lived, eager to forgive and be forgiven, full of hope that those who loved me would continue their lives in joy and peace, and confident that Jesus who calls me would guide all who somehow had belonged to my life - if I could do that - I would, in the hour of my death, reveal more true spiritual freedom than I had been able to reveal during all the years of my life. I realized on a very deep level that dying is the most important act of living. It involves a choice to bind others with guilt or to set them free with gratitude." (Behind the Mirror, 1990)
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 73:26 reading (click):
The Life is in His Blood...
07.26.22 (Tammuz 27, 5782) "The life is in the blood" that is given for atonement upon the altar (Lev. 17:11). When we say that the blood of Yeshua, the great Lamb of God, cleanses us from our sin, we refer not only to the blood that was poured out upon the cross, but also to the blood of his entire life that was "poured out" in his mission to rescue us from the curse of death (John 3:16). "The life is in the blood" therefore refers to the divine life manifested in the reality of Yeshua: from his miraculous conception as the "promised Seed" of Abraham, through the sacrifice of his life leading up to the cross, and beyond - to his resurrection and ascension. The blood of Yeshua represents the very life and Presence of God that is poured out in intercession on behalf of his people. As it is written in our Scriptures: "Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them" (Heb. 7:25).
Hebrew Lesson
Lev. 17:11c Hebrew reading (click):
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His Costly Grace...
07.26.22 (Tammuz 27, 5782) "Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance" (Bonhoeffer: Cost of Discipleship). It's "cheap" because it is offered as salve for a guilty conscience, a "get out of hell free" card that makes no demand and costs you nothing to possess... "Cheap grace is the idea that 'grace' did it all for me so I do not need to change my lifestyle. The believer who accepts the idea of 'cheap grace' thinks he can continue to live like the rest of the world. Instead of following Christ in a radical way, the Christian lost in cheap grace thinks he can simply enjoy the consolations of his grace" (ibid). Because it denies the radical problem of our sin, however, "cheap grace" offers a correspondingly shallow solution to what brings utmost anxiety and despair to the human heart. Indeed, those who disregard the seriousness of sin correspondingly disregard the significance of grace, as Yeshua said: "To whom little is forgiven, the same loves little" (Luke 7:47).
There is a high cost for the grace of forgiveness, friends, first of all seen in the priceless sacrifice of Yeshua who died a harrowing and bloody death to make it "theologically possible" for us to be forgiven, and secondly, as seen in the wholesale demand to surrender our lives to God in response to his compassion toward us. Forgiveness is not just about our individual acts of sin - those various moral failures and perversities of heart we all have perpetrated - but is about our inner life and about who we ultimately are. Forgiveness is not accidental to our lives but is necessary and essential. We are not sinners because we sin, we sin because we are sinners. The root of our sinful condition is the lethal sickness called "spiritual death."
On the other hand, "costly grace" redeems and transforms the sinner. It is costly because it required all of God's heart, soul, mind and strength, and therefore it likewise requires all our heart, soul, mind, and strength in response... "Salvation is free (for you), but discipleship will cost you your life." We do not receive God's grace as license to coddle our lower nature but to enter into a new realm of existence as a child of God who desires righteousness to reign within our hearts. When Yeshua says to the trusting sinner, "Go and sin no more," he meant "Go in the reality of my love; go in the awareness of my grace; go in the assurance of my acceptance... and you will then sin no more." We best deny ourselves when we forget ourselves in the glory and beauty of our Lord....
Of course we can't do any of this in our own strength. We are saved from ourselves only by the miracle of God. "Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit," says the LORD of Hosts (Zech. 4:6). To those who "receive" him, God gives power (i.e., ἐξουσία, transcendent being) to become children of God. They are those "who are born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God" (John 1:12-13). This is the miracle that comes by faith, for faith "receives" the promise and trusts in God's power to do the impossible for us.
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 51:1 Hebrew reading (click):
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Humility and Surrender...
07.26.22 (Tammuz 27, 5782) Following Yeshua is a walk in humility, not a matter of showmanship.... "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast" (Eph. 2:8-9). The question is not how much are you going to accomplish, but are you in love with Yeshua? We attain humility by being so taken up with the Lord that we lose sight of ourselves, and the effect we have on others testifies of God's power working within us.
People naturally want "heroic" acts; they want to be seen as "spiritual" or "special," but it requires supernatural grace to go through drudgery, poverty, and suffering as a nobody. We sometimes think we should do exceptional things for God, but what is truly exceptional is to be surrendered to the Lord and at peace, despite the meanness and troubles of life...
Regarding those who seek the services of "miracle workers," the Kotzker Rebbe is reported to have said, "There are miracles and then there are miracles... Some people regard it as a miracle if God does someone's will; we regard as a miracle if someone does God's will." Amen, a true miracle, and one greater than the splitting of the sea, is that of a transformed heart that loves God and seeks to do God's will. Similarly, some people seek signs of the times and the End of the World, though the true "end of the world" arrives the moment you truly surrender your life to God's care.
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 34:2 Hebrew reading (click):
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The Journey of journeys...
[ The following is related to our Torah portion for this week, parashat Masei... ]
07.25.22 (Tammuz 26, 5782) From our Torah portion this week (i.e., Masei) we read: "These are the journeys of the people of Israel (מַסְעֵי בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל) who went out of the land of Egypt..." (Num. 33:1). The sages ask why the word "journeys" (plural) was used here, since only the first journey – from Rameses to Sukkot – literally marked "yetziat mitzrayim," the going out of Egypt – and all the other journeys were outside of Egypt, in desert regions. They answer that the journey out of Egypt goes beyond the physical land into the spiritual - an exodus from captivity to the world into the realm of the spirit. As has been said, it took the LORD 40 days to get Israel out of Egypt, but it took 40 years to get Egypt out of Israel... The "journey out of Egypt" is therefore a journey of smaller journeys that leads to the full consciousness of deliverance.
Along the way we are repeatedly tested. The "desert experience" reveals what is hidden in our hearts... The murmuring and rebellion of the Israelites in the desert is our own, and our challenge is to find healing from our fears. Anger, doubt, boredom, cravings, and outright rebellion are symptoms of a deeper problem, and to change we must first confess our inner poverty, neediness, and emptiness (James 5:16). When we stop making excuses we can learn to trust in God's provision for our lives; we will taste of the heavenly manna and be satisfied; we will be delivered from our fears by be filled with God's love. The impulses that sought to lead us away from God will no longer be able to pretend to be the truth, since God's peace and love will direct the heart. We will begin to take hold of the promise...
Be encouraged my fellow sojourners walking by faith through the desert of this present world. The Torah uses a repetitious expression, "Sanctify yourselves and you shall be holy" (הִתְקַדִּשְׁתֶּם וִהְיִיתֶם קְדשִׁים) (Lev. 11:44) because when we make an effort -- no matter how feeble at times -- to draw near to the LORD, He will draw near to us... Indeed the walk of faith is one of ascent and descent and ascent again: It's often "two steps forward, one step back..." It is a long road, a process, as we learn to obey and seek to grow closer to God. Authentic repentance doesn't imply that we will never sin or make any mistakes, of course, but rather means that the oscillating pattern of "up, then down, then up" is the basic way we walk. Our direction has changed for good; we have turned to God for life and hope. We now understand our sins in light of a greater love that bears them for us even as we draw ever closer to the One who calls us home...
Hebrew Lesson:
Zechariah 1:3 Hebrew reading (click):
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The Sanctity of your Heart...
[ The following entry concerns this week's Torah reading, parashat Mattot-Masei... ]
07.25.22 (Tammuz 26, 5782) From our Torah portion this week we read: "Speak to the children of Israel, and say unto them, 'When ye are passed over into the land of promise… drive away all the inhabitants of the land before you; destroy all their carved images, all their molten images, and demolish their high places'" (Num. 33:51-52). The Hebrew term for idolatry is "avodah zarah" (עֲבוֹדָה זַרָה), which literally means strange or "foreign" worship... The worship of anything other than the true God, whether it is pleasure, money, fame, control, security, self-improvement, health, religion, etc., is regarded as foreign, since it alienates us from the truth of reality. We were created to be in relationship with God but we lose sight of this truth whenever elevate what is finite to the status of the infinite. Indeed idolatry is the substitution of what is not-god (לא־אֵל) for the sacred, absolutizing the present and worshiping the temporal. Since our greatest good is found in the eternal verities of the divine communion, the Lord cannot give us an absolute good apart from Him, since there literally is no such thing. "No one can serve two masters," Yeshua said, and "a divided house cannot stand." For our own good, then, God necessarily is the Ultimate Concern of our life, and he wants to spare us the pain, disappointment, and trauma of being double-minded, disintegrated, and full of inner conflict. Spiritual warfare therefore means taking every thought captive before the bar of God's truth, rooting out and destroying all our inner idols so that we can be delivered from the anguish of uncertainty and ambivalence.
What is at stake here is your inner life, or rather the threat of the disintegration of your deepest essence into a fragmented multiplicity without center... The soul must be grounded in Reality or it is lost, dissipated in existential dread and despair. Yeshua said that when your eye is "single" (ἁπλοῦς), your whole being will be full of light (Matt. 6:22), which means that being single-minded and wholehearted unifies and heals the soul.... Being pulled in opposite directions is both painful and debilitating, for there is no overarching reason to direct the will in its decisions. Hating and loving the good is the ambivalence of despair. Being both willing and unwilling weakens the soul, but seeking the good and making God your ultimate concern binds up the broken heart and centers the will. "Your faith has made you whole..."
"Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life" (Prov. 4:23). The heart, that is, the willing and desiring center of the self, is to be proactively guarded, and for this sacred task God offers us heavenly comfort and resolve. Courage does not chase away or deny fear and despair, but instead gives us determination to persevere despite these feelings. "Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope thou in God" (Psalm 42:11). Courage expresses hope in the midst of the struggle; it finds strength to confront pain, danger, or grief with God's help. Courage is grounded in the decision to trust that God is with us, despite our circumstances or feelings of abandonment. How you choose to guard your heart from the corruption and hardness of the world will determine the "road" of your life. If you do not care to keep your heart open and soft, you will become cynical, weary, and more and more selfish. Your way will be lonely, suspicious, and dangerous. If, however, you keep yourself from the hardness of unbelief, you will experience compassion, encouragement, and the joy of loving others.
Hebrew Lesson:
Proverbs 4:23 Hebrew reading (click)
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