The Revelation of Light…

In the Gospel of John it is recorded that Yeshua said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (i.e., ᾽Εγώ εἰμι ἡ ὁδὸς καὶ ἡ ἀλήθεια καὶ ἡ ζωή; John 14:6). The Greek word translated “truth” in this verse is aletheia (ἀλήθεια), a compound word formed from an alpha prefix (α-) meaning “not,” and lethei (λήθη), meaning “forgetfulness.” (In Greek mythology, the “waters of Lethe” induced a state of oblivion or forgetfulness.) Truth is therefore a kind of “remembering” something forgotten, or a recollecting of what is essentially real. Etymologically, the word aletheia suggests that truth is also “unforgettable” (i.e., not lethei), that is, it has its own inherent and irresistible “witness” to reality. In that sense light is a metaphor for truth: “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:5). People may lie to themselves, but ultimately truth has the final word.

Greek scholars note that the word lethei is derived from the verb lanthano (λανθάνω), which means “to be hidden,” so the general idea is that a-letheia (i.e., truth) is non-concealment, non-hiddenness, or (put positively) revelation or disclosure. Thus the word of Yeshua – His message, logos (λόγος), revelation, and presence – is both “unforgettable” and irrepressible. Yeshua is the Unforgettable One that has been manifest as the Word of God (דְּבַר הָאֱלהִים). He is the Light of the world (אוֹר הָעוֹלָם) and the one who gives us the “light of life” (John 8:12). Though God’s message can be suppressed by evil and darkened thinking, the truth is regarded as self-evident and full of intuitive validation (see Rom. 1:18-21).

 

 

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Ready for Chanukah?



On the Biblical calendar the month of Kislev (כִּסְלֵו) is the ninth of the year (counting from Nisan), and also one of the “darkest,” with the days progressively getting shorter and the nights getting longer. Indeed, the Winter Solstice often occurs during the last week of Kislev, and therefore the week of Chanukah (which straddles the months of Kislev and Tevet) often contains the longest night of the year. It is no wonder that, among other things, the holiday of Chanukah represents an appropriate time to kindle the lights of faith – and to remember the Light of the World in the Messiah’s advent to earth…

The Hebrew word Chanukah (חֲנֻכָּה) means “dedication” and marks an eight day winter celebration that commemorates the victory of faith over the ways of speculative reason, and demonstrates the power of the miracle in the face of mere humanism. Although it is customarily observed as a “Festival of Lights,” Chanukah is a “fighting holiday” — a call to resist the oppression of this world and to exercise faith in the LORD (Rom. 13:12).

This year (i.e., 2020 / 5781) the eight days of Chanukah will begin on Thursday, December 10th at sundown (1st candle) and will run until Friday, December 18th just before sundown. On the first night of Chanukah one flame is lit, on the second night two, and so on until the eighth night when eight flames are lit. In this way we remember the ‘growth’ of the miracle.

 

 

 

 

Thanksgiving and Sukkot…

The American holiday of Thanksgiving (חַג הַהוֹדָיָה) undoubtedly has its roots in the Jewish tradition of giving thanks to God, and some historians believe that the early “pilgrims” actually derived the idea for the holiday from the Biblical festival of Sukkot (i.e., “the feast of Tabernacles”). Before fleeing to the “New World,” the pilgrims lived for a decade among the Sephardic Jews in Holland, since Holland was considered a safe haven from religious persecution at the time. Since the pilgrims were devout Calvinists and Puritans, their religious idealism led them to regard themselves as “new Israel,” and it is likely that they learned that Sukkot commemorated the people of Israel’s deliverance from their religious persecution in ancient Egypt at that time. After they emigrated to the “Promised Land” of America, it is not surprising that these pilgrims may have chosen the festival of Sukkot as the paradigm for their own celebration. As the Torah commands: “Celebrate the feast so that your generations may know that I made the people of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God” (Lev. 23:39-43). The highly devout pilgrims regarded their perilous journey to the new world as a type of “Exodus event” and therefore sought the appropriate Biblical holiday to commemorate their safe arrival in a land full of new promise…

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Vanity of the Wicked…

Regarding the pagan holiday of “Halloween,” remember that there is no “spell” or evil incantation (i.e., nachash: נַחַשׁ) effective against Jacob, there is no sorcery (i.e., kesem: קֶסֶם) against Israel. At this time it must be said of Jacob and of Israel, ‘Look at what God has done (מַה־פָּעַל אֵל)’ [Num. 23:23]. No weapon formed against God’s people shall prosper (Isa. 54:17), and the curse of the wicked is powerless against the tzaddikim (Prov. 26:2). Ein od milvado (אֵין עוֹד מִלְבַדּו) – God is the only true Power (Deut. 4:35; 1 Chron. 29:11; Rev. 4:11). Satan is an impostor and a foiled usurper. As Yeshua told his followers, “Behold I give to you authority (ἐξουσία) to tread on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy (καὶ ἐπὶ πᾶσαν τὴν δύναμιν τοῦ ἐχθροῦ), and nothing shall by any means hurt you” (Luke 10:19). Like Balaam and Haman, all who curse God’s people or attempt to foil His plans will be upended… Hallelujah and Amen.

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V’zot HaBerakhah Shavuah Tov Podcast

V’zot HaBerakhah (“this is the blessing”) is the final portion of the Torah, which records Moses’ last words to the people just before his death. It is always read just after the festival of Sukkot on the holiday called “Simchat Torah.” After reading this portion, we will “rewind the scroll” back to Parashat Bereshit to begin reading the Torah all over again. We do this every year because Talmud Torah – the study of Torah – never ends! A true student of Scripture cannot claim to have completed the study of the Torah, for the implications of such study extend forever. And so the cycle continues, over and over in a continuous chain of study, ever widening, and all encompassing.


Torah your Heritage…

Our spiritual inheritance is bound up with the Torah: it is part of our story, our history, and our heritage as follows of Yeshua, the Jewish Messiah (see Deut. 33:4; Matt. 5:17-19; Gal. 3:7; Rom. 4:16; Luke 24:27). הַיְשׁוּעָה מִן־הַיְּהוּדִים – “Salvation is of the Jews” (John 4:22). The stories, rituals, and laws of the Torah serve as parables and allegories that inform the deeper meaning of the ministry of Messiah: “Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come (1 Cor. 10:11). “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope” (Rom.15:4). Therefore you are no longer a stranger or outsider to the great heritage of the LORD (Eph. 2:19). Disciples of Yeshua are called talmidim (תַּלְמִידִים) — a word that comes from lamad (לָמַד) meaning “to learn.” Among other things, then, following the Messiah means becoming a student of the Scriptures He loved and fulfilled (Matt. 5:17-18; Luke 24:44-45). Only after learning from Yeshua as your Teacher will you be equipped to “go to all the nations and teach” others (Matt. 28:19).

You are no longer an “outsider” to the covenants and blessings of Israel, friend (see Eph. 2:19; Gal. 3:26). Being a Jew (i.e., יְהוּדִי, from יְהוּדָה “one who praises”) is really not an ethnic distinction but a matter of genuine faith in the Lord God of Israel. A true Jew is one whose heart has been transformed by the Spirit of the Living God (Rom. 2:28-19). “For in Yeshua the Messiah neither being circumcised nor being uncircumcised matters; what matters is being briah chadashah (בְּרִיאָה חֲדָשָׁה), a new creation (Gal. 6:15). “Therefore, if anyone is in Messiah, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Cor. 5:17). But understand that Yeshua clearly upheld the truth of Torah (Matt. 5:17-21), and therefore Torah is clearly part of your heritage as a follower of Yeshua, the “Christ,” that is, the anointed King (i.e., Messiah) of the Jews… Indeed, the first thing Yeshua did after his resurrection was to teach his followers how the Torah, the writings, and the psalms all bore prophetic witness of Him (Luke 24:27, 44). Moreover Yeshua told his followers that the true prophets of Israel all bore witness of Him (see Matt. 5:11-12). If you love God’s salvation — his Yeshua — then may you proclaim yigdal Elohim – “Let God be magnified” (Psalm 70:4).

A Prophetic Rejoicing…

Regarding the holiday of Sukkot (“Tabernacles”) the Torah states, ve’samchta be’chagekha – “you shall rejoice in your holiday” and ve’hayita akh same’ach – “you shall have nothing but joy” (Deut. 16:14-15).  But how can Torah command us to rejoice? “How shall we sing the LORD’S song in a strange land?” (Psalm 137:4). Can we be forced to dance, sing, and make merry? Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel wrote, “Ve’samchta be’chagekha (וְשָׂמַחְתָּ בְּחַגֶּךָ) is said to be the most difficult commandment of the Torah, but I could never understand why. Only during the war did I understand. Those Jews who, in the course their journey to the end of hope, managed to dance on Simchat Torah… taught us how Jews should behave in the face of adversity. For them, ve’samchta be’chagekha was one commandment impossible to observe — yet they observed it” (Joseph Lookstein: “On Man’s Prayer,” 1980). In this connection, let me add that these words are ultimately prophetic: “you shall rejoice; you shall have nothing but joy….” That day is coming, when our tears are wiped away and our wounds are forever healed. Chag Sukkot Same’ach, friends.

Wholeness and Faith…

The Book of Ecclesiastes (i.e., megillat Kohelet) is read during the holiday of Sukkot, though you might be surprised to learn that many of the early sages did not want it included as part of the Jewish Scriptures. After all, the philosophy of Kohelet – that we are incapable of fully understanding the purposes of the world, and therefore much of what we think is important is really havel havalim (הֲבֵל הֲבָלִים), “vanity of vanities” – is contrary to a theology of reward and punishment found in the writings of Moses. This question is not unlike the Book of Job and the mysterious question as to why the righteous suffer… It is to their credit that the sages finally decided to include the scroll as part of the accepted canon, however, since it takes great humility to admit that we must continue to seek God, despite uncertainty and transience of this world. Indeed, we read this book to remind us that lasting meaning and purpose is not found in life lived “under the sun” but rather in knowing and serving God. Solomon therefore concludes his existential reflection as follows: “Fear God and keep his commandments: ki zeh kol-ha’adam (כִּי־זֶה כָּל־הָאָדָם), “for this is the whole man” (Eccl. 12:13), which suggests that those who revere the LORD and obey His Word will be healed of despair and inner vanity…

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Strangers in this world…

Among other things, the holiday of Sukkot reminds us that God’s people are “strangers” in this world; they are literally estranged and live as “resident aliens” — here, yet not here…. We wander; we are lonely; we yearn for our heavenly home. Life in this world is “olam ha’sheker,” the false world — full of deception, troubles, and struggle. Thus Abraham said to the sons of Chet: “I am a ‘stranger and sojourner’ (גֵּר־וְתוֹשָׁב) among you; sell me a burial site…” (Gen. 23:4), and likewise David confessed: “For we are strangers with You, mere transients like our fathers; our days on earth are like a shadow without abiding (1 Chron. 29:15). Faith affirms that underlying the surface appearance of life is a deeper reality that is ultimately real and abiding. It “sees what is invisible” (2 Cor. 4:18) and understands (i.e., accepts) that the “present form of this world is passing away” (1 Cor. 7:31). The life of faith therefore calls us to live as toshavim – sojourners – who are at an infinite “distance” from the world of appearances and who seek the Eternal. Sukkot means we ache with a divine “homesickness” as we look forward to our real home in heaven (Heb. 11:9-10). “O You who are at home deep within my heart, enable me to join you deep in my heart.”

1 Chron. 29:15 Hebrew reading lesson (click):

Chag Sukkot Sameach and Shabbat Shalom, my fellow sojourners in Messiah’s hope…