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Traditional Jewish chinuch (education) identifies various middot ha-lev (qualities of heart) that attend to a genuinely Jewish life. These include Talmud Torah (studying Scripture), ahavat Adonai (loving God), gemilut chasidim (doing works of compassion), bikkur cholim (visiting the sick), and so on. The follower of Yeshua likewise is intended to evidence middot hav-lev, though the Source for such comes directly from the power of the Ruach Ha-Kodesh (Holy Spirit) working within the heart of faith. The peirot (fruits) listed in Galatians 5:22-23 represent nine visible attributes of a true follower of Yeshua, namely: love (אהבה), joy (שׂמחה), peace (שׁלום), patience (סבלנות), generosity (נדיבות לב), kindness (חסד), loyalty (נֶאֱמָנוּת), humility (ענוה), and self-control (שְׁלִיטָה עַצְמִית).
Note that these fruits are decidedly not realized through self-effort or attempts at human "reformation," but rather are a supernatural outgrowth of the grace and love of God in the life of one who puts their trust in Yeshua as Savior. They are fruits "of the Spirit" (פּרי הרוח), not the result of human effort (see John 15:1-8, Mark 4:26-29). Our lives are sanctified in the same manner in which they were initially justified: entirely by faith in the love and the grace and the power of God...
The question we must searchingly ask ourselves is whether our lives give evidence to the power and agency of the Holy Spirit within us. Strictly speaking, these nine attributes are qualities that only the LORD God Himself possesses, since He alone is perfectly loving, perfectly joyful, and so on. But since we are created be'tzelem Elohim (in the image of God) and were given the Holy Spirit to help us walk as did our Teacher (Luke 6:40), spiritual fruit should be evident in our own lives (John 14:12; 15:1-8; 26-7). But again, obtaining such fruit is invariably a matter of faith – trusting that God will help us live our lives in truthful union with Him (Zech. 4:6). This is the "work of God" (John 6:28-29).
Let's remember to pray for one another and ask the LORD to make each of us fruitful le'shem shamayim - for the sake of the Name of our beloved One Yeshua.... Amen.
Hebrew Lesson
Proverbs 8:19 reading (click):
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