Yeshua likened His relationship with his followers in terms using the metaphor of a vine and its branches: “I am the true Vine (הַגֶּפֶן הָאֲמִתִּית), and you are the branches” (see John 15:1-5). We derive our identity, life and strength from being made part of His life… The purpose of the branch is to be a conduit of the life of the vine. Vine branches by themselves are of little value, apart from the manifestation of fruit; they cannot be used for building things and otherwise are regarded as bramble (Ezek. 15:2-4). Notice further that the vine branch cannot bear good fruit while it remains on the ground: it must “climb” upward and be elevated. And if you look closely at a vine, it is often difficult to see where the vine ends and the branches begin.
The life of the branch becomes “entangled” in God’s love as it bears spiritual fruit from the sustenance of the True Vine (הַגֶּפֶן הָאֲמִתִּית). When we abide in, or are truly connected with, Yeshua as the Source of life, we bear the fragrance and sweet-smelling savor of heaven itself…
“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” (John 15:5). Note that the expression “apart from me” (χωρὶς ἐμοῦ) means being in a state of separation from Yeshua, which is likened to spiritual death… It is the death of possibility, the absence of power to yield true good to the world, and so on. This is what is meant by “you can do nothing” (οὐ δύνασθε ποιεῖν οὐδέν), that is, you can do nothing of any lasting significance or worth… There is simply no true life apart from the Savior who is the Source of divine life. May you find your life and peace in Yeshua’s heart, friends.
- Matt. 11:28 Hebrew page (pdf)
Shalom friends. Our Torah reading this week honors Aaron’s grandson 
Our Torah portion for this week (i.e., 
In the State of Israel, “Jerusalem Day” (i.e., Yom Yerushalayim: יום ירושלים) commemorates the re-unification of old city of Jerusalem on June 7th, 1967 during the infamous Six Day War. In 1968 the Chief Rabbinate of Israel declared Iyyar 28 to be a holiday to thank God for answering the 2,000-year-old expression of hope recited by Jews throughout the world: “Next Year in Jerusalem.” On March 23, 1998, the Knesset passed the Jerusalem Day Law, making it a national holiday.
The goal of the Sinai revelation was not only the giving of the Ten Commandments to the Israelites but enshrining the Divine Presence within their hearts… In our Torah portion for this week (i.e., 
The ancient Greek philosophers sought for “salvation” (Σωτηρία), which they generally understood as freedom from the fear of death… Therefore Socrates sought to dispel mythical superstition by regarding philosophy as the “practice for death,” by which he meant that reflecting upon this “shadowy world” would instill a profound hunger for the eternal (and ideal) world, and he therefore advised that, since we all must die, we ought to prepare ourselves now for eternity, by focusing the mind on what is most essential, real, and beautiful.
In our Torah reading for this week, called 
Our Torah reading for this week, 
There is rational, intuitive, and empirical evidence to believe that the universe was created in time by a transcendental power that is the source of all value, meaning, purpose, and so on. Martin Heidegger asked, “Why is there something rather than nothing,” which is not a question about a possible cause for an observed effect, but is a question about the underlying cause of any possible existence at all. The Scriptures reply: “For God’s invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature from the creation of the world, have been clearly perceived, because they are understood through what has been made, so people are without excuse” (Rom 1:20).
