What we fear says a lot about us, since fear is closely linked to what we value and ultimately worship… All the world is lit up with the radiance of God our Savior. Fearing lesser things blinds us to the truth of Reality and glorifies the realm of darkness. The world system is based on slavery to such lesser gods and fears, but we are to walk in the awe of the LORD God Almighty alone, and the light of his reverence overcomes the fear of this world. As the Gerer Rebbe said: “If a man has fear of anything except the Creator, he is in some degree an idolater. For to fear is to offer worship to the thing feared, and this form of worship may be offered only to the LORD.”
The Heart of Heaven…
In our Torah for this week (i.e., 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: “And you came near and stood at the foot of the mountain, while the mountain burned with fire unto the heart of heaven, wrapped in darkness, cloud, and gloom. Then the LORD spoke to you out of the midst of the fire. You heard the sound of words, but saw no form; there was only a voice. And he declared to you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, that is, the Ten Commandments, and he wrote them on two tablets of stone” (Deut. 4:11-13).
Vaetchanan Shavuah Tov Podcast
Parashat Vaetchanan (Deut 3:23-7:11) 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), and the commandments of tefillin and mezuzot. In addition, in this Torah portion Moses predicts the worldwide exile and the eventual redemption of the Jewish people in acharit hayamim (the prophesied “End of Days”).
Blessing of Holy Desperation…
Shalom friends. In this “Daily Dvar” broadcast 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...
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For more information visit:
https://hebrew4christians.com
Return to the Lord…
Give thanks to the Lord…
Finding Inner Peace
Turn us back, O Lord…
The Scroll of Lamentations (מגילת איכה) is traditionally recited during the solemn holiday of Tishah B’Av to remember the destruction of the Holy Temple and other tragedies that have befallen the Jewish people. During the Tishah B’Av service at the synagogue, when the cantor reaches the second to last verse of the book, he says “Hashivenu,” pauses, and then the congregation recites the verse in unison: Hashivenu Adonai, eleykha ve’nashuvah; chadesh yamenu ke’kedem: “Turn us back to Yourself, O LORD, and we shall be turned; renew our days as of old” (Lam. 5:21). Often this verse is repeated and sung to a haunting melody as the scroll is returned to the Ark.
Learn Lamentations 5:21 in Hebrew:
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For more on Tishah B’Av see
https://hebrew4christians.com
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