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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 ). 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, 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 Spring Holidays:
The spring holidays (חגי האביב) portray the death, burial, and resurrection of the Messiah: Yeshua was crucified on erev Pesach (during the time of the sacrifice of the Passover lambs), buried during Chag Hamotzi (the festival of Unleavened Bread), and was resurrected from the dead on Yom Habikkurim (the Day of Firstfruits). Fifty days after Passover, on the climactic holiday of Shavuot (i.e., the feast of Pentecost), the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) fell on the believers in fulfillment of the promise given by our Lord. Note that the giving of the Holy Spirit occurred precisely according to the calendar countdown given in the Torah (Lev. 23:15-16), and that it occurred after the resurrection of Yeshua -- just as our Messiah foretold (John 16:7; Acts 1:6-8, 2:1-4). This proves that the feasts of the LORD (מוֹעדי יהוה) were not abolished after the crucifixion. The meaning of the gospel is prefigured in the holidays given in Torah. See Luke 24:27, 24:44; John 5:46; Acts 26:22, etc.
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Kindly note that in accordance with both Torah and Jewish tradition, the following holiday dates begin at sundown before the date they are listed (ויהי־ערב ויהי־בקר; Gen. 1:5):
- Month of Adar (Mon. Feb. 19th [eve]) - Wed. March 18th [day])
Dates for Passover Week 2026:
Free Seder Guide
- Month of Nisan (Wed. March 18th [eve]) - Thurs. April 16th [day])
- Month of Iyyar (Thurs. April 16th [eve] - Sat. May 16th [day])
- Month of Sivan (Sat. May 16th [eve] - Sun. June 14th [day])
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Note: For more about the dates of these holidays see the Calendar pages....
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May 2026 Site Updates
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The Lord is Near...
05.11.26 (Iyyar 24, 5786) The Name of God, YHVH (יהוה), means "Presence" (Exod. 3:13-14), "Breath" (Gen. 2:7; Num. 16:22), "Life" (Deut. 30:20), and "Love" (Exod. 34:6-7), but it also means "I-AM-WITH-YOU-ALWAYS" (אני תמיד איתך), teaching us that God is an ever-present help for us (Psalm 46:1).
The Name YHVH means that "God was (i.e., hayah: היה), God is (i.e., hoveh: הוֶה), and God always will be (i.e., veyihyeh: וְיִהְיֶה)," which implies that He is ever present and not restricted by time or space. Moreover, God is called havayah (הֲוָיָה), which means He is continually sustaining creation by the Word of His power: "In Him we live, move, and have our being" (Acts 17:28; Heb. 1:3). As it is poetically expressed in the Psalms, "Behind and before you cover me; You lay your hand upon me" (Psalm 139:5).
Note that in this wonderful verse the word "behind" translates the adjective achor (אָחוֹר), a word related to the word acharon (אַחֲרוֹן), "west," though it also refers to something later (אַחֲרֵי), such as a later place or time (אַחֲרִית). In Hebrew, the word generally means "backward" (לאחור) or "behind" (מאחור). God's got your back, friend... Note further that the word translated "before" is kedem (קֶדֶם), a preposition that means "east" but also refers to the primordial beginning, or the dawn. The root verb kadam (קָדַם) means to "meet" in initial contact. God is always present for you, friend, and that includes times and days that lie ahead, in the distant future... "As far as the east is from the west," so far does God's compassion and love cover you, surround you, and sustain you (Psalm 103:12).
Hebrew Lesson:
Psalm 139:5 Hebrew reading (click):
"You cover me." The verb tzartani (צַרְתָּנִי) comes from the root tzur (צור) that means to encircle, to press upon, to "pressurize," as by relentlessly attacking a stronghold. The image is that God "hems us in," that is, He surrounds us and shelters us with His Presence – so that we cannot escape: You are under God's supervision and protection, friend... And while the root tzur can imply tzuris (trouble, affliction), in this context it is used to picture the Lord securing our station, preserving, protecting, and defending our way. "You lay your hand upon me." God's personal and providential hand is at work in your life – He is HaMashgiach hagadol (הַמָּשְׁגִיחַ הַגָּדוֹל) - the Great Overseer of the universe, and that means your way is as sure and secure as the very power that God's own will affords. Amen.
Delieverance from Fear...
05.11.26 (Iyyar 24, 5786) "He said unto me, 'My grace is sufficient for thee (דַּי לְ חַסְדִּי), for my strength is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Messiah may rest upon me... for when I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Cor. 12:9-10).
The Spirit of the LORD speaks to the heart of faith: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, and you are mine" (Isa. 43:1). God has personally redeemed you, friend; he calls you by name, and you belong to Him. The Lord loves you with an everlasting love (אהבת עולם) and draws you close (Jer. 31:3). He will never leave nor forsake you, even if you might face waters that seem to overwhelm or fires that seem to devour (Isa. 43:2). The will of your Heavenly Father will never lead you to a place where his love will not there sustain you. Faith finds its place in God's heart.
Worry is a place of exile and pain. We are commanded, al tira, "fear not," because fear was behind the original sin in the garden, just as mistrust lies behind our own hiding and self-imposed exile from God... Since sin expresses a heart of fear (Rom. 14:23), the way of healing is to courageously turn back to God, despite our uncertainties. We can trust God's love for us because of the cross of Yeshua our Lord. If we haven't received God's love and acceptance, we are still enslaved to fear and abide in a state of exile. The love of God casts out our fear because it casts out all our sins (1 John 4:18).
It is written, "God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love, and of a "sound mind" (2 Tim. 1:7). Memorize that verse. The Greek word for "sound mind" means "safe" because of the power and grace of the Living God... If you sense fearful oppression within your heart, turn to the Lord and offer him focused praise. Lift up your soul to him and thank him for your trouble. This has the double benefit of confessing your trust in God's care, as well as vexing the enemy of your soul. Come boldly to the throne of grace to find your help (Heb. 4:16); cast all your anxiety on him, for he cares for you (1 Pet. 5:7).
The Name of the LORD (יהוה) means "Presence" and "Love" (Exod. 3:14; 34:6-7). Yeshua said, "I go to prepare a place for you," which means that his presence and love are waiting for you in whatever lies ahead (John 14:1-3; Rom. 8:35-39). To worry is to "practice the absence" of God instead of to practice His Presence... Trust the word of the Holy Spirit: "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for healing peace and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope (Jer. 29:11).
Take comfort that your Heavenly Father sees when the sparrow falls; he arrays the flower in its hidden valley; and he calls each star by name. More importantly, the Lord sees you and understands your struggle with fear... Come to him with your needy heart and trust him to deliver you from the burdens of your soul (Matt. 11:28).
Hebrew Lesson
Isa. 43:1b reading (click):
The Shepherd's Word...
05.11.26 (Iyyar 24, 5786) The sages named the fourth book of the Torah "Bamidbar," meaning "in the desert," because the word occurs in its opening verse, and also because it aptly describes the Israelites' forty years of wanderings in the desert of Sinai after the great Exodus. Because God commanded a census of people to be taken several times in the book, however, the midrash calls it "Sefer Ha'pikudim" (ספר הפקדים), or the "Book of Countings," from which the English translation "the Book of Numbers" is derived.
Interestingly, the Hebrew word for desert (i.e., midbar: מִדְבַּר), originally meant "from where the cattle are driven," that is, an area of pasturage that was uninhabited and fit for animal grazing. The Hebrew root "davar" (דבר) means "word" but also means "shepherd," evoking the call and direction of one who would guide his flock.
The book begins: "The Lord spoke (דבר) to Moses in the desert of Sinai, in the Tent of Meeting" (Num. 1:1). Now recall that during their wandering in the desert God's presence was symbolized by the Mishkan, or "Tabernacle," a central tent-like structure that had a secret inner chamber called the Holy of Holies, and within that hidden chamber was a sacred chest called the Ark of the Covenant (ארון הברית) that held the tablets of the Ten Commandments (עשרת הדברים). Upon the cover of the Ark, called the kapporet, were two cherubim (angelic figures), and it was there that God's voice was heard (see Exod. 25:22).
In light of this, among other things we can understand the book of Bamidbar to recount God's shepherding words given to his people as they wandered through desert places in search of the fulfillment of the promise for their lives. The excursion into the desert is part of the journey of faith. God leads us by way of the desert - through struggle and waste places - to discipline our hearts to look for the greater hope of Zion.
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 23:1-3a reading (click):
Blessings of the Desert...
05.10.26 (Iyyar 23, 5786) Our Torah portion this week (i.e., parashat Bamidbar) begins: "The LORD spoke to Moses in the desert of Sinai, in the tent of meeting (ohel mo'ed), on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt" (Num. 1:1). Note again that the LORD spoke "in the desert" (ba-midbar) of Sinai, and that the Hebrew word for "desert" (i.e., midbar: מדבר) shares the same root as "word" (i.e., davar: דבר), which suggests that we hear the Word of God in a place of emptiness, brokenness and ongoing need.
But note further that the LORD spoke in the "tent of meeting" (אהל מועד), which may be read as the tent of "mo'ed" (מוֹעֵד), or "holiday." This suggests that we celebrate our need for God's healing and turn to him in a state of gratitude, even despite our sinful condition (Psalm 119:71). We take courage and draw near, renewed in trust. That is also why the verse says it was "the first day of the second month" (חדש השני בשנה) -- the Hebrew word "month" (chodesh) can be read as "new" (chadash), suggesting it was a time of renewal, a time to celebrate a new beginning (Acts 2:1-4).
When David prayed in his need: "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me" (Psalm 51:10), the Hebrew may be read: "Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew within me ruach nachon (רוח נכון) - a spirit of "Yes" (כן). As Paul said of Messiah our Healer: "All the promises of God find their 'Yes' in him" (2 Cor. 1:20).
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 51:10 Hebrew reading:
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Getting Ready for Shavuot...
05.10.26 (Iyyar 23, 5786) Shalom friends. We have a busy couple of weeks of Torah study ahead of us. First we honor Yom Yerushalayim ("Jerusalem Day)" that commemorates the prophetic reunification of Jerusalem and the establishment of Israeli control over the Old City in June 7, 1967 (i.e., Iyyar 28, falling on Thurs. May 14th this year). Second, we start reading the fourth book of the Torah, namely Sefer Bamidbar (ספר במדבר), or the "Book of Numbers." Finally, the month of Sivan begins Sat. May 16th at sundown, which heralds the conclusion of the 49 day countdown from the day following Passover (see Lev. 23:15-16). The first five days of the month of Sivan anticipate the day the Torah was given to Israel at Sinai, namely, the sixth of Sivan (i.e., Shavuot), which comes exactly seven weeks (49 days) after the Exodus from Egypt.
In light of this, I hope to share some things related to both the Torah portion for this week, the significance of Jerusalem to us as followers of Yeshua, as well as the holiday of Shavuot (i.e., "Pentecost"), which occurs the following week (i.e., Thurs. May 21st after sundown). May the LORD show us grace as we study his Torah and review its significance as written upon our hearts in the Messiah (Jer. 31:31, Heb. 10:16, Jer. 32:40). Amen.
Upcoming Holiday Dates:
- Yom Yerushalayim - Thurs. May 14th at sundown (and the following day)
- Shabbat Bamidbar - Fri. May 15th at sundown and the following Saturday)
- Chodesh Sivan - Sat. May 16th at sundown (and the following Sunday)
- Shavuot ("Weeks, Pentecost") - Thurs. May 21st at sundown - Sat. May 23rd
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 119:15 reading (click):
Journey through the desert:
Parashat Bamidbar...
05.10.26 (Iyyar 23, 5786) Shalom chaverim! Our Torah portion for this week, parashat Bamidbar (פרשת במדבר), begins the Book of Numbers (ספר במדבר) where the narrative begins where the Book of Exodus left off, that is, with the glory of the LORD hovering over the Mishkan (Tabernacle) as the Israelites were stationed at Sinai (Exod. 40:38, Num. 1:1).
On the first day of the thirteenth month following the Exodus from Egypt – exactly thirty days after the Tabernacle was first consecrated – God commanded Moses to take a census of all Israelite males over 20 years of age who would bear arms. Moses and the heads of each tribe recorded the results, with 603,550 men in all. This number did not include the Levites, however, since they were designated to take care of the Tabernacle during the journeys.
The LORD then gave instructions about how the Israelite camp was to be arranged. The Tabernacle would occupy the central location, with three clans of the Levites surrounding it on the north, south, and west (Moses and Aaron's tents were placed before the entrance on the east). The twelve other tribes were divided into four groups of three. All of the tents of the Israelites were to face the Tabernacle on every side. This camp formation was to be strictly maintained while traveling throughout the desert.
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Each tribe had its own prince (i.e., nassi: נשׂיא), its own flag (i.e., degel: דגל) whose color corresponded with the color of its respective stone in Aaron's breastplate (Exod. 28:15-21). For example, Judah's stone was a sky-blue carbuncle and therefore the color of his flag was like the color of the sky with a "fiery lion" embroidered upon it (see Gen. 49:9).
The portion ends with a census of the three sons of Levi (בני לוי), namely Gershon (גרשׁון), Kohath (קהת), and Merari (מררי). The Gershonites were to maintain the inner tent of the Mishkan and were to be located on the west side of the courtyard; the Kohathites were to maintain the furnishings of the Mishkan such (as the Ark of the Covenant, the Menorah, etc.) and were to be located on the south side of the courtyard; and the Merarites maintained the frames and pillars of the Mishkan and were located to the north of the courtyard. Finally, though the sons of Aaron were descendants of Kohath, they were set apart to serve as priests (i.e., kohanim: כהנים) and were located before gate into the Mishkan to the east.
Why the Ascension Matters...
Yeshua ascended to heaven on 40th day of the omer count, which this year is on May 11th.
05.10.26 (Iyyar 23, 5786) We understand the vital importance of the resurrection of Yeshua for our sins, since that vindicates the righteousness of God given on our behalf through the sacrifice of God the Son upon the cross, but some may wonder how it is different than the "ascension" of Messiah and what that means. Here are six points to consider:
- The ascension of Yeshua (i.e., aliyat Yeshua: עליית ישוע) demonstrates that he is now glorified at "the right hand of God" (יושב לימינו של אלוהים), the place of supreme honor, ever making intercession for his people based on his resurrection victory over the power of sin and death (Mark 16:19; Eph. 1:20; Rom. 8:34; Heb. 1:1-3; Heb. 7:25; Heb. 9:24; Col. 3:1). Yeshua is the Ascended LORD, El Elyon (אֵל עֶלְיוֹן) and the great High Priest (הכהן הגדול הגדול) of the New Covenant of God. His ascension to heaven indicates his exclusive role as the sole Mediator between mankind and God (מֵתוֹוֵךְ בֵּין אלהים אֱנוֹשׁוּת). ῾Ο ἔχων τὸν υἱὸν ἔχει τὴν ζωήν· ὁ μὴ ἔχων τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ θεοῦ τὴν ζωὴν οὐκ ἔχει (1 John 5:12). "Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him" (John 5:23). Some people wonder where Yeshua is today. The ascension answers that question: He is presently in heaven making intercession for those who are trusting in Him, and he is also giving humanity further time to turn to him for life before he returns to earth to judge the world in fulfillment of his promise.
- The ascension moreover reveals the success of Yeshua's earthly ministry as the only true Redeemer of humanity (Acts 4:12, 1 Tim. 2:5). He alone is the way, the truth, and the life of God (John 14:6). ישוע הוא הדרך היחידה לחיים Everything that Yeshua had come to do he had accomplished, and the ascension signifies the perfection of his victorious redemption. He finished the work that the Father send him to do. Upon His ascension, Yeshua commisioned the Holy Spirit (רוּחַ הַקּדֶשׁ), the "Comforter" or "Advocate" (παράκλητος), who would give his followers divine counsel and guidance until He returns for his people at the end of the age (John 16:7).
- The ascension of Yeshua establishes his everlasting enthronement as the one and only King of Glory (מֶלֶךְ הַכָּבוֹד). His dominion is forever established as "an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed" (Dan. 7:13-14; Rev. 5:6-13). God's moral authority is eternally sure.
- The ascension of our Lord Yeshua foreshadows the final event in salvation history: Yeshua's personal, physical, glorious return (Acts 1:11). This is what we ask for when we pray, "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven" (Matt. 6:10). El Elyon (אֵל עֶלְיוֹן), the Ascended God, will return as the true Judge and King over all the earth. He will establish universal justice, end suffering, and destroy the power of death as he sets up the promised Kingdom of Zion (מַמְלֶכֶת צִיּוֹן) in fulfillment of the words of the Hebrew prophets. Yeshua is coming to vindicate Israel and to heal the nations by establishing truth, righteousness and love in the world. Amen.
- Theology is about the issues of life. The resurrection and ascension make us "alive together" with the Messiah. Because of Yeshua, we are able to live on a different level of reality, free from the "law of sin and death" (Rom. 7:4, 8:2). We now have a new and living relationship with God - based on the freedom and intimate revelation given by the Holy Spirit - all because of our ascended Lord Yeshua, blessed be He.
- Yeshua told His followers that it was good that he would leave them, so that the Holy Spirit (רוּחַ הַקּדֶשׁ), the "Comforter" or "Advocate," would be given to them. "But I tell you the truth, it is for your advantage that I am going away. For if I do not go away, the Advocate (ὁ παράκλητος) will not come to you, but if I go, I will send him to you" (John 16:7). Notice that the word translated as "advantage" here is the Greek word συμφέρω (from σύν, "with" and φέρω, "to carry"), which suggests that we would be given power that "carries us" with the Lord during the trials of this life...
The ascension of Yeshua (עליית ישוע) was foreshadowed by Moses and the receiving of the Torah at Sinai: Just as Moses had waited 40 days before the Torah was given to Israel, so the disciples waited 40 days before the promise of the Holy Spirit was given (Exod. 24:18; John 16:7, Acts 2:1-4). In both cases, at the appointed time revelation was given -- first in the form of "the Voice of the Living God speaking from the midst of the fire" at Sinai (Deut. 5:26), and later in the form of "tongues of fire" given in glory and power. Yeshua's Voice is now heard from the midst of the fire given at Zion...
O friends, how we need the Spirit of God to strengthen us! During this season, may our hearts cry out: בו רוח אלהים - bo, Ruach Elohim: "Come, Holy Spirit." Help us, O God, be your witnesses in this end-times generation. Amen.
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 110:1 reading (click):
Happy Mother's Day!
05.10.26 (Iyyar 23, 5786) It is Mother's Day today, which reminds me of how grateful I am my mom, her mother, my father's mother, and so on through the long family line. What would we without our moms?
Hebrew Lesson
Proverbs 30:31 reading (click):
Our Lives in His Hand...
05.08.26 (Iyyar 21, 5786) Do you understand that in God's sovereign design and plan for creation, He breathed out a part of his very heart, soul, and strength to create you in his own "image and likeness," a reflection of his own self-existence and reality? This is the essential blessing that each of us has been given; this is the basis for awe.
Rene Descartes' awareness of the inner witness of the soul: "I think therefore I am," echoes the אֶהְיֶה אֲשֶׁר אֶהְיֶה, "I am that I am," within our hearts. The LORD is the "God of the spirits of all flesh" (Num. 16:22) for "in Him we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28).
The moments of our lives, the ups and downs of our goings, the length of our days - and especially the purpose and end of our existence - are all in the hands of God, as it says: "In you I put my trust, O LORD; I said, 'You are my God; my times are in your hands" (Psalm 31:14-15). A person may "devise his own way," but it is the LORD that directs his steps.
If we consider our lives apart from God, however, all we see is wretchedness, limitations, shortness of days, and the absurd specter of death at the end of it all. Life always seems too short; the days fly past us like a dream, soon we are "cut off" and gone. When the moment of death occurs, many are lost to its eternal significance...
On the other hand, when we trust that our lives are under God's providential direction, and we realize that our Heavenly Father "numbers the hairs on our head," then we can quiet our hearts and abandon ourselves to his care (Isa. 46:8-10; Psalm 103:19). As it is written: "Those who trust in you know your Name; for you do not forsake those who seek you, O LORD" (Psalm 9:10). And as the Apostle Paul preached to the Athenians, "God, who alone is Creator, the Lord of heaven and earth, has given life and breath to all people, and from one man has made every nation of people to live on the earth, having determined prescribed times and the boundaries of their habitations" (Acts 17:24-26).
For the believer there is no greater comfort than to completely trust that the LORD will work "all things together" for our ultimate good (Rom. 8:28). "Whoever lives and believes in me shall never die" (John 11:26). Yet there is a veil. "God has made every thing beautiful in his time, and he has set eternity in people's hearts, so that no one can find out what he has ordained from the beginning to the end" (Eccl. 3:11). So while we know only "in part," as through "a glass darkly," we believe that the LORD goes before us and will always be with us (Deut. 31:8). And one day we shall see him "panim el-panim," face to face (1 Cor. 13:12). "Beloved, now are we the children of God, and it does not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as He is; and everyone that has this hope in Him is purified, even as he is pure" (1 John 3:2-3).
Χάριτι δὲ θεοῦ εἰμι ὅ εἰμι - "by the grace of God I am what I am" (1 Cor. 15:10). This is a radical axiom that should be foundational to our faith, namely that nothing occurs in our lives apart from God's will for our ultimate blessing. From small matters to big, from the seemingly insignificant to the momentous, from what seems hopelessly undone to the sheer miracle and glory of existence itself -- categorically everything, in every conceivable world, is under the sovereign hand of the One who works all things together for his glory and for our good. Amen. Yeshua "upholds all things" (φέρων τε τὰ πάντα) by the word of his power. "All things were created by him, and for him, and in him all things hold together" (ἐν αὐτῷ συνέστηκεν). Our Lord is the "Magnetic Center" of all reality, its beginning and its end.
How could it be otherwise? For who can overrule the will of God our Creator and the LORD over all? "From eternity to eternity I am God. No one can snatch anyone out of my hand. No one can undo what I have done" (Isa. 41:13). "For the Lord of hosts has planned, and who can frustrate it? And as for His stretched-out hand, who can turn it back?" (Isa. 14:27).
Therefore do not be afraid. "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope" (Jer. 29:11). As Yeshua said: "Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom" (Luke 12:32). Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns! Shabbat Shalom chaverim.
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 9:10 reading with commentary (click):
What We Really Need...
"But if God knows all that we need, and better far than we do ourselves, why should it be necessary to ask Him for anything?" I answer, "What if He knows prayer to be the thing we need first and most? What if the main object in God's idea of prayer be the supplying of our great, our endless need - the need of Himself?" - George MacDonald
05.08.26 (Iyyar 21, 5786) We don't pray to attempt to change God's mind, but rather to change our own: "Your Father knows what you need before you ask him" (Matt. 6:8). Prayer is not a means of getting your Father's attention, but rather of getting your attention fixed on reality. It is a confession of your great need for Him to tell you who you really are. And while it is indeed true that "God knows everything," He does not know anything apart from his love. God does not "know" you in some "abstract" sense, like a computer that stores data and information, but rather as a parent who loves and cares for you (Psalm 103:13).
Your heavenly Father knows the number of hairs on your head; he knows the word on your tongue before you utter it, and he perfectly sees your beginning and end. He has intimate understanding of who you are and what you really need... Let us turn to Him in trust today.
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 103:13 reading (click):
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Bound to Love's Promise...
"Faith is the assurance that the best and holiest dream is true after all." - Frederick Buechner
05.08.26 (Iyyar 21, 5786) From our Torah reading for this week (i.e., Bechukotai) it is written: "Then [after all the various judgments have befallen the people] I will remember my covenant with Jacob, and I will remember my covenant with Isaac and my covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land" (Lev. 26:42).
Here we note the "deeper Torah" of God's unconditional promise to the children of Israel that "contextualizes" the various tribulations they would suffer because of their disobedience to the terms of the covenant given at Sinai (Gen. 15). Therefore the Apostle Paul appealed to God's promises given to Abraham as the foundation for Torah, not to Israel's righteousness procured by means of the law (Rom. 9:31; Gal. 4:24-27). "For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law (οὐ γὰρ διὰ νόμου) but through the righteousness of faith" (Rom. 4:13).
The better covenant of Zion was prefigured at Mount Moriah - and hearkens back to Abraham and Isaac - and not to the later covenant made at Sinai (Gen. 22:16-18; Heb. 6:13-15; John 3:16). As for Israel in the galut (exile), God has promised: "But I will for their sake remember the covenant with their forefathers, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations, that I might be their God: I am the LORD" (Lev. 26:45). Note again that this covenant relationship was established when we were without anything – we had no Torah, no mitzvot, nor any good deeds to commend ourselves before heaven. Nevertheless, God chose us and called us his people, and all this comes from his great love.
Amen. Bound by love's promise... Now that's Torah!!!
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 31:3b reading (click):
The Fear of the LORD...
"I saw him and sought him. I had him and lacked him. And this is, and should be, our ordinary undertaking in this life." - Julian of Norwich
05.08.26 (Iyyar 21, 5786) Our Torah portion this week (i.e., parashat Bechukotai) includes a litany of woes assured to befall those who spurn God's truth and break covenant with Him (Lev. 26:14-46). The deeper intent of this admonition (tochechah) is to warn us of the grave danger of forfeiting our relationship with God – that is, of refusing to be healed of our illusions... Chastisement is a blessing from heaven, the "troubles of love" (יִסּוּרֵי אַהֲבָה) since its goal is to bring us back to God and to deliver us from eternal loss. This is why Yeshua warned us about the dangers of hell: if we do not heed the Voice of divine love, we risk literally everything, and that loss is irremediable and eternal... God's warning about hell expresses the great passion of his heart for us; his love calls us to receive eternal life and blessing, but if we refuse to come, we will suffer the loss of the only thing that ultimately matters. As it is written: "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God" (אֱלהִים חַיִּים).
The fear of losing love evokes a healthy zeal to protect it from loss... The same may be said of God's relationship with us. The gospel represents God's passion for us, the call of his heart, his desire to elevate us to the role of the beloved, and we respond by accepting Him as the Lover of our souls, the Ultimate Concern of our life. Sin threatens to seduce us away from God's love, to interfere with our relationship, which evokes God's "jealousy" to protect love from loss. This is what the "fear of the LORD" (יִרְאַת יְהוָה) most radically means: God's own fear that we would lose sight of our great need for his healing love...
It is written that "perfect love casts out fear" (1 John 4:18), but perfect love (τελεία ἀγάπη) must be "perfect," that is, reciprocal, complete, consummated, and alive with passion. In Hebrew, perfect love is "shalem" - that is, whole, healed, and unified (אַהֲבָה שְׁלֵמָה). Perfect love is both given and received... It is not "perfect love" to intellectually accept that God loves you in Yeshua our Savior. No, you must receive this as an inward passion, you must live within it, must embrace it, take possession of it, and let it fill your heart to abundance. This love, this "perfect love," then will cast away your fear of being unwanted, rejected, and abandoned. But to know this love, you have to open your heart and accept it as your own, the essential reality of who you are.
Hebrew Lesson
Song 7:10 Hebrew reading:
We are told to "work out our salvation with fear and trembling" (μετὰ φόβου καὶ τρόμου) since the love of God appeals to all of our heart, soul, mind and strength. Therefore may you fully accept that you are accepted; may you receive the blessing of God's passion for your soul; may you walk (i.e., live, move, and have your being) in the abundance of God's unfailing and everlasting love, and may the Lord be your all-in-all. Amen.
Troubles of Love...
"We must allow the Word of God to correct us the same way we allow it to encourage us." - Tozer
05.08.26 (Iyyar 21, 5786) Our Torah reading this week, parashat Bechukotai, is the concluding portion of the Book of Leviticus (וַיִּקְרָא), which is the central book of the Torah. Considering all that God had done for the people - from their great deliverance in Egypt to the ordination of the priesthood in the Tabernacle - God expected them to live up to their high calling as His chosen people: "You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy" (Lev. 19:2).
In light of this great responsibility to live and to serve as God's ambassadors to the nations, many of the sages have said that the central point of this concluding portion is "tochechah" (i.e., the warning of punishment) rather than "nechamah." The focus is not, "If you walk in my laws" (Lev. 26:3), but rather, "if you do not listen (shema) to me" (Lev. 26:14).
It has been said that the opposite of love is not hate, but rather indifference, and that explains why the punishments would come if the people "left their first love." Indeed, the "rebuke" portion of the tochechah begins with the phrase: ve'im loh tishme'u li (וְאִם־לא תִשְׁמְעוּ לִי), "if you do not listen to me" (Lev. 26:14), which recalls the great Shema and the duty to love the Lord bekhol levavkha, "with all your heart." However, if the people begin to walk carelessly (i.e., keri: קְרִי) with God, then the LORD would afflict them with "the troubles of love" (i.e., yissurim shel ahavah: יִסּוּרִים שֶׁל אַהֲבָה) as a corrective measure.
In this connection the story is told of a student who once asked his rebbe: "Do we get punished for our sins in this world?" And his succinct response was, "Only if we are made fortunate..." The worst possible fate is for God to be indifferent to someone! Can anything be more tragic than to be forgotten or to go unnoticed by God? It is far better that He afflict you with yissurim shel ahavah - the "troubles of love!"
Jewish tradition generally regards the entire chapter of Leviticus 26 as "the" tochachah (הַתּוֹכָחָה), or "rebuke," even though the chapter itself begins with promises of blessing for obedience to God's law (Lev. 26:3-13). The sages of the Talmud regard the "rebuke section" of this chapter (Lev. 26:14-46) as even more severe than the rebuke section found in the Book of Deuteronomy (see Deut. 28:15-68), because it was spoken directly by the LORD to the Jewish nation as a whole, whereas the latter warning was spoken by Moses himself and addressed in singular form (Megillah 31b).
The reubuke of Bechukotai begins with 11 verses that promise blessings for obedience to God's laws, but three times as many (i.e., 33 verses) that promise punishment for disobedience. To help "offset" this discrepancy, the midrash notes that blessing section begins with the letter Aleph (in the word אִם) and ends with the letter Tav (in the word קוֹמְמִיּוּת), which suggests that the blessings encompass all other possible blessings (from Aleph to Tav).
On the other hand, the punishment section begins with the letter the Vav (in the word וְאִם) and ends with the letter Hey (in the word משֶׁה), the last two letters found in the Sacred Name (יהוה), which suggests that God's compassion would be present even in the suffering to come in the latter days.
Another way to look at this is to regard the letter Vav as the symbol of man, and the letter Hey as the symbol of the Spirit: in the end - after the punishments were complete - God's compassion would prevail over His judgment for sin, and the Spirit of God would rest upon Israel. The midrash further states during the days of the Messiah, Israel will keep the Torah, "from Aleph to Tav" (i.e., from beginning to end), and at that time all the blessings God promised to them would finally be fulfilled.
The idea of God's correction is not simply something for ethnic Israel, of course, since the New Testament likewise warns us that God will punish those who likewise walk carelessly (i.e., keri: קְרִי) with Him. "Have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as God's children? 'My son, do not regard lightly (ὀλιγώρει) the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary by his reproof (תּוֹכֵחָה). For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and reproves (יוֹכִיחַ) every child whom he receives'" (Heb. 12:5-6; Prov. 3:11-12).
Recall that the Lord faulted the assembly at Ephesus because they had let go of their "first love." Yeshua therefore urged them: "Remember from what high state you have fallen and repent! Do the deeds (ἔργα) you did at the first; if not, I will come to you and remove your menorah from its place – unless you repent" (Rev. 2:4-5).
Because God is never indifferent toward those who are trusting in His salvation, he will discipline and correct us to keep close to Him. He will afflict us with the "troubles of love." As it is written, "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God" (Heb. 10:30).
Regarding the "curses" of this section, I'd like to relate a beautiful story I once read. The child of a famous Torah sage was used to hearing his father read the weekly Torah portion at synagogue, but on the Shabbat of Bechukotai his father happened to be out of town, and the boy listened intently as a substitute Torah reader recited the various punishments listed in the parashah. Afterwards, the boy was so emotionally distraught that he fell into a deep depression that lasted for over a month. The child was later asked, "Why were you not disturbed this way when the admonition was read in past years?" The boy replied, "When father reads it, no curses are heard." Yes, when "father reads," namely, the Father that sees our hearts in the darkest of places, we will hear His voice of blessing....
The Hebrew phrase gam zu l'tovah (גַּם זוּ לְטוֹבָה), translated as "this too is for good," expresses the idea that all things – including (and perhaps especially) the various struggles and tribulations we have in our lives – ultimately will help us return to the Lord for healing and life (Rom. 8:28). The "tochechah," or the dreadful litany of curses, ends with the message of hope and ultimate redemption:
"But if they confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their fathers in their treachery that they committed against me, and also in walking contrary to me, so that I walked contrary to them and brought them into the land of their enemies -- if then their uncircumcised heart is humbled and they make amends for their iniquity, then I will remember my covenant with Jacob, and I will remember my covenant with Isaac and my covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land. But the land shall be abandoned by them and enjoy its Sabbaths while it lies desolate without them, and they shall make amends for their iniquity, because they spurned my rules and their soul abhorred my statutes. Yet for all that, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not spurn them, neither will I abhor them so as to destroy them utterly and break my covenant with them, for I am the LORD their God (כִּי אֲנִי יְהוָה אֱלהֵיהֶם). But I will for their sake remember the covenant with their forefathers, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations, that I might be their God: I am the LORD." (Lev. 26:40-46)
At the end of this Torah portion, as with every other portion that concludes a book of the Torah, we say three times: Chazak, chazak, v'nitchazek - "Be strong, be strong, and may we be strengthened!" Despite the "heaviness" associated with the idea of God's judgment and punishment, we must press on in faith.... The great commandment is always "Choose Life!" (Deut. 30:19), and that life comes from being in a loving relationship with our Heavenly Father through our Yeshua our Savior, blessed be He (1 John 5:12). May God help us return to our "first love" for Him b'khol levavkha - with all our hearts. "I love those who love me; and those who seek me will find me" (Prov. 8:17). "The LORD is good to those who hope (קוה) for him, to the soul who seeks him" (Lam. 3:25).
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 119:67 reading (click):
Torah of Manna...
"To trust God in the light is nothing, but trust him in the dark — that is faith." - Spurgeon
05.07.26 (Iyyar 20, 5786) It is remarkable that the commandment of "shemittah" (שמיטה) – that is, the responsibility to let the land lie fallow for an entire year every seven years – was introduced with the statement that God gave this law "behar Sinai" (בּהר סיני) – on the mountain of Sinai (see Lev. 25:1-7). This is remarkable for a variety of reasons, first because the people had no idea of the farming conditions of the promised land as they wandered in the desert, but also because the commandment to leave the land fallow every seventh year was given with the stern warning that the failure to do so would result in judgment and exile from the land (Lev. 26:24-35; Jer. 29:10; 2 Chron. 36:21).
In this connection the sages taught that the Torah could only have been given to the generation that partook of the manna – only to those who understood that their survival depended entirely on God's gracious provision (Deut. 8:3). Likewise, every seven years the shemittah would reinforce the lesson of the manna, namely, that man's efforts do not give sustenance, but God alone gives and sustains life. As Yeshua attested: "Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God" (Matt. 4:4).
The shemittah teaches us to let go of our devices, to forsake our "need" to control, and to therefore to completely trust in God's care for our lives... That is its personal application. Indeed the word "shemittah" (שמיטה) means "release" (i.e., שָׁמַט, to "let drop") which suggests letting go of the past, forgiving, restoring, and allowing ourselves to be carried, sustained, and brought forward by faith. The LORD promises us an "extra portion" of manna to sustain us when we honor his request that we get out of the way, when we let go of our devices and let things be, trusting our heavenly Father to take care of things...
Hebrew Lesson
Proverbs 3:5 reading (click for audio):
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Beholding God's Wonders...
"Faith in God is less apt to proceed from miracles than miracles from faith in God..." - Buechner
05.07.26 (Iyyar 20, 5786) There is a distinction between appearance and reality, between what seems to be real and what really is real. Indeed people are often mistaken in their perceptions, believing something to be true when it is later discovered to be false. In the realm of everyday physical objects, for example, we regularly make assumptions about things that, upon closer inspection, are shown to be less certain. For example, we might describe a billiard ball as having a certain color or a smooth texture, but if we look through a microscope at the ball, we would see irregularities in the surface and variations in color. The ball, as we initially perceived it, does not match the new information we gained after we took a closer look. Similarly, a crime might be "explained away" by appealing to socioeconomic causes or psychological categories, though upon closer inspection we begin to discern other motives, such as selfishness, malice, vindictiveness, and indeed ontological (i.e., demonic) evil...
Yesh derekh yashar lifnei ish, ve'acharitah darkhei mavet: "There is a way that seems right to a person, but in the end it is a way of death (Prov. 14:12). Wisdom bears in mind the distinction between seeming and reality, and thereby avoids quick judgments.
How we choose to see and how we interpret what we see often says more about us than it does the thing we're looking at. To those without faith in its words, the Scriptures appear as the product of a human hand, devoid of any special sanctity, and fully explainable using a set of "natural" assumptions. But to those whose eyes are "uncovered," the words of Scripture are full of glorious (and sometimes dreadful) wonders about the unseen world. The veil is pulled back and we are given a glimpse of reality and truth.
In every case, however, each person is fully responsible before Eternity for what he or she chooses to believe about what is of ultimate concern and significance. No one can opt out of their answer before the bar of heaven; no one is free to disown what they choose to believe. "According to your faith, be it done unto you...."
The Scriptures teach that the "natural world of appearance," that is subject to constant change and decay, is ultimately unreal: "For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal" (2 Cor. 4:18). There is a spiritual world that overrules this world and to which this world will one day give account. This is the vision of the great "City of God," heavenly Jerusalem, and the final reckoning of human history. The reality of God will ultimately overmaster all other interpretations of life.
In light of this, King David asked God: "Uncover (or open) my eyes, that I may behold wonders from your Torah" (Psalm 119:18). We might expect this verse to read, "Open my eyes and I will behold wonders in your Torah," but the text actually says "from your Torah" (מִתּוֹרָתֶךָ). We read the Scriptures in order to discern God's wonders in the world around us. This is sometimes called da'at Torah (דאת תורה) – the "knowledge of Torah" that gives the correct "hashkafah" (הַשׁקָפָה) or outlook on life.
Emunah (faith) reveals the hidden hand of God in all things and discloses the deceptive nature of the world of appearances. Indeed, the Hebrew verb "open" or "uncover" (galah) is related to the word "captivity" (galut), suggesting that the uncovering of our eyes reveals our state of exile from our true home in heaven. "For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come" (Heb. 13:14).
Today's "religious atheists" are a militant bunch (a dangerous combination), going so far as to imply that if you believe in Living God, it's a form of delusion or even mental illness. "You're out of your mind! You're crazy!" The Apostle Paul answers: "If we are insane, it's for God's sake; and if we are sane, it's for yours" (2 Cor. 5:13). The irony here is that those who believe in the Scriptures – whose eyes are "uncovered" – sometimes feel (and often appear) "crazy" before an insane world. After all, the world traffics in images, sound bites, fleeting sensations, and various illusions, but we testify that all such appearances ultimately answer to a higher reality. This collision is part of the "normal" life of the person who "walks by faith, not by sight" (2 Cor. 5:7).
May it please God to impart to us a "divine discontent" of this world so that we may behold ever greater wonders from His Torah. Amen.
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 119:18 reading (click for audio):
Mem B'Omer:
The Ascension of Yeshua...
Monday, May 11th after sundown marks the 40th day of the Omer Count....
05.07.26 (Iyyar 20, 5786) We are in the midst of the 49 day "countdown" that runs from the day following the Passover until the day before the holiday of Shavuot (i.e., "Weeks" or "Pentecost"). This seven week period is called "Counting the Omer" (ספירת העומר) in the Torah (Lev. 23:15-16). During the Temple period, on each of these days an appointed priest would wave a sheaf (omer) of barley before the LORD as a symbolic gesture of dedicating the coming harvest to Him. This ceremony was called tenufat ha-omer ("waving of the sheaf"). On the 50th day, however, a sample of the first crop of the wheat harvest was baked into two loaves of leavened bread (called "Shtei Ha-Lechem," שׁתי הלחם) and waved before the altar as the climactic rite of the season (Lev. 23:15-20). Notice that this was the only time that otherwise forbidden leaven was used by the priests for the avodah (see Lev. 2:11).
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The 49 days between Passover and Shavuot form a "chain" that links the two festivals together, and indeed Shavuot is regarded as the culmination of the experience of redemption, sometimes called Atzaret Pesach (עצרת פסח), or the "Conclusion of Passover." Just as the redemption by the blood of the lamb led to Israel's deliverance and the giving of the Torah at Sinai, so the redemption by the blood of Yeshua led to the world's deliverance and the giving of the Holy Spirit at Zion... And just as the covenant at Sinai created the nation of Israel, so the covenant at Zion created the worldwide people of God, redeemed from "every tribe and tongue" (Rev. 5:9). The waving of the "two loaves" of leavened bread therefore prophesied the creation of the "one new man," both Jew and Gentile, that would "firstfruits" of the Kingdom of God. In the Sovereign plan of God Almighty, ultimately there would be one flock, and one Shepherd for all God's children (John 10:16).
Since the resurrection of Yeshua occurred during the first day of the omer (i.e., on Firstfruits, or Yom HaBikkurm), and the Holy Spirit was given to the disciples exactly 50 days later on Shavuot (Pentecost), all of Yeshua's post-resurrection appearances occurred during the days of the Omer count. Some of these appearances were as follows: On the first day of the Omer, Yeshua appeared to Mary Magdalene (Mark 16:9; John 20:16-18), some other women (Matt. 28:5-10), and then to Simon Peter (Luke 24:34; 1 Cor. 15:5). On the second day, He appeared to the two on the Road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-32) and later that evening to the twelve disciples (Mark 16:14; Luke 24:33-39; John 20:19). A week later, He appeared to the Twelve again (John 20:26) and eight days later appeared to Thomas (John 20:24-29). Some time later, He appeared the third time to the disciples as they went back to their fishing jobs (John 21:1-14). Sometime later Yeshua appeared to 500 (1 Cor. 15:6) and then to James, the half-brother of our Lord Yeshua (1 Cor. 15:7).
Exactly forty days after his resurrection, on "Mem B'Omer" (see Acts 1:3), Yeshua met with his disciples at the Mount of Olives near Jerusalem, where he told them they would receive the promised Holy Spirit at the appointed jubilee of Shavuot (i.e., "Pentecost"). Upon his departure he blessed them, and Yeshua began to "ascend" bodily into heaven, thus signifying the close of his ministry on earth ("God with us") in anticipation of the advent of the Holy Spirit ("God in us"). [Note that in the New Testament, the account of the ascension of Yeshua is found in Luke 24:50-51 and Acts 1:3-11)].
The ascension of the Messiah fulfills prophecy as the glory of Yeshua enthroned at the right hand of the Father (Psalm 110:1; Matt. 22:41-46; 26:64), and therefore it marks the transition from his earthy ministry back to his heavenly one, and this is important because it annulled any further claim that Yeshua would physically visit people on earth until the parousia, or the second coming (note that Apostle Paul had encountered Yeshua after the ascension via visions, and not true physical contact in the earthly realm (see Acts 9:1-19; Gal. 1:11-2:1; 1 Cor. 15:8). The ascension signified the triumph of Yeshua as the "Son of Man" when he physically entered into the heavenly realm. It was not merely the spirit of Messiah that ascended to glory, but redeemed humanity that he represented in his resurrected body. The ascension eternally vindicates the salvation of God in Yeshua.
But why 40 days? And what was Yeshua doing during this time? Frankly we don't know the details, though "40 days and nights" represents a period of completeness in the Scriptures. For instance, the cataclysmic judgment during the time of the great flood (Gen. 7:1), the embalming of Jacob (i.e., Israel) in Egypt (Gen. 50:3), the two occasions Moses ascended Sinai to receive the Torah (Exod. 24:18; Exod. 34:28), the intercession Moses made on behalf of Israel (Deut. 9:25); the mission of the spies who searched out the land (Num. 14:34), and Yeshua's temptation before he began his public ministry (Matt. 4:2; Mark 1:13) as well as his post-resurrection appearances (Acts 1:3) - all were 40 days in duration.
Moreover, Just as Moses had waited forty days before the Torah was given to Israel, so the disciples waited forty days before the promise of the Holy Spirit was given (Exod. 24:18; John 16:7, Acts 2:1-4). In both cases, at the appointed time revelation was given -- first in the form of "the Voice of the Living God speaking from the midst of the fire" at Sinai (Deut. 5:26), and later in the form of "tongues of fire" given in glory and power. Yeshua's Voice is now heard from the midst of the fire given at Zion...
What is spiritually vital about all this, however, is that our Lord, the "Final Adam" (῾Ο ἔσχατος ᾽Αδὰμ, 1 Cor. 15:45) is now seated at the right hand of God (Psalm 110:1), forever enthroned as the Savior and LORD over all, the King of Glory (מֶלֶךְ הַכָּבוֹד) who has successfully completed his great mission to save humanity from the curse of death because of the original transgression in the garden (Rom. 5:12-21; 1 Cor. 15:21-22).
It was prophesied of our Lord Yeshua in Psalm 68:19 - "You have ascended to the highest (עָלִיתָ לַמָּרוֹם); You have taken captives out of captivity (שָׁבִיתָ שֶּׁבִי); You have acquired gifts for men (לָקַחְתָּ מַתָּנוֹת בָּאָדָם), yea, even for the rebellious (וְאַף סוֹרְרִים), that the LORD God may dwell among them (לִשְׁכֹּן יָהּ אֱלֹהִים). The apostle Paul later quoted this verse and applied it to the victory of Yeshua at the cross, explaining that He had first descended at his death and burial but later ascended far above all (Eph. 4:8-10; Col. 2:15). By delivering captive sinners from their captivity to Satan, the LORD bestowed gifts of the Spirit and eternal life to all who believe. Praise his name forever!
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 47:5 reading (click):
Created for God's Love...
"The man who is not afraid to admit everything that he sees to be wrong with himself, and yet recognizes that he may be the object of God's love precisely because of his shortcomings, can begin to be sincere. His sincerity is based on confidence, not in his own illusions about himself, but in the endless, unfailing mercy of God." - Thomas Merton
05.06.26 (Iyyar 19, 5786) One of the most important questions of life is: "What does it mean to be human?" or to put it another way, "Who or what am I?" This question is important because how we think of ourselves will determine how we choose to live our lives.
The Torah teaches that human beings are directly created by God; each of us is unique and has been imparted nishmat chayim (נשׁמת חיים), the sacred "breath of life." Every human being therefore owes his or her existence to the creative (and sustaining) power of God (Gen. 1:27, 2:4; Col. 1:16-17; John 1:3; Heb. 1:2).
God made you in the "secret places" of the depths -- yesh me'ayin (ישׁ מאין), "out of nothing" -- for His own sovereign will and eternal purposes (Psalm 139:15, Rev. 4:11). This is implied in the name YHVH (יהוה) itself, the One who is the Source and Ground of all that exists. Unlike concepts derived from classical Greek philosophy, however, God is not an abstract and indifferent power behind the phenomenal realm, but is revealed as אלהי אברהם אלהי יצחק ואלהי יעקב - "the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob," the One who calls people to be in a relationship of trust with Him (Exod. 3:15). Ultimately you can only know yourself and why you exist as you embrace the truth of God and his love for you.
We are created for relationship with God, to know God and to love Him forever, but until our lives find their substance in that relationship, we remain existentially anxious and in secret dread... This relationship is more than that of knowing God as the Creator, but further as the source of your own heart, the center of your dreams, and the vision of your purpose for existence. The language of love goes beyond that of imperative: it seeks to "upbuild" the person and to elevate them to be the beloved...
Therefore people are free to accept the love God, or free to reject it, because love does not coerce but honors the individual's choice. Nevertheless - and paradoxically enough - a choice must be made, and there is no way to opt out of the call to freedom. Not choosing to receive the love of God is tantamount to rejecting that love. This is the side of the relationship that God reserves as your Creator: you are free to choose, but choose you must....
Of course the "choice" to trust is a dynamic process, an "education for eternity," wherein we learn to be healed of our divided hearts and to focus wholeheartedly on the blessing of God's personal love for us. The process is a humbling one, requiring a lifetime of teshuvah... God "demands" that you choose the good so that you can freely choose his love. We are being disciplined by heaven to learn how to order our affections and to freely exercise our will. Therefore "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure" (Phil. 2:12-13).
As our Lord said: "Unless you turn (shuv) and become like children, you will never (οὐ μὴ) enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 18:3). Such is the importance of simple trust in God... Indeed Yeshua repeatedly taught us to trust God as "Abba," our Father (אבא אבינו). He taught that we are warmly accepted as part of his family; that we are under his constant care; and that we live within his household as beloved children...
Though God is utterly transcendent, the Infinite One (אין סוף) and Creator of all worlds, he humbles to behold the smallest things that in heaven and earth (Psalm 113:6). He is as close as your next breath; he is present with you at the table; he anticipates what you need before you ask him...
The “fear of the Lord†is that you will fail to receive his great love for you -- that you will never know who you are and lose yourself in lesser things. Therefore affirm the truth that you are loved with an unending and everlasting love, that you are safe, that you are accepted, and that nothing can ever separate you from the power of love. God your Father hears you, he knows you, and he loves you bekhol levavo (בכל־לבבוֹ) - "with all his heart."
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 139:15 reading:
Let God, Let God...
"To worry is a sin. Only one sort of worry is permissible; to worry because one worries." - Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav
05.06.26 (Iyyar 19, 5786) In our Torah for this week (i.e., parashat Behar), the LORD gave his people instructions about how they were to manage the promised land once they finally entered it. Instead of commanding the people to work hard to sustain themselves, however, God gave them laws of rest – of releasing their hold on the land (see Lev. 25:1-7). During the "Sabbatical years" (shemittah) the land was to lie fallow, and the people could eat only what was produced naturally, without any farming or organized harvesting.
Letting go of the land required the people to trust that God was in control of nature's creative processes, and to acknowledge that the process of growth is mysterious and divine. As Yeshua said: "The Kingdom of God (מַלְכוּת הָאֱלהִים) is like someone who spreads seed on the ground. He goes to sleep and gets up, night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. By itself (αὐτομάτη, i.e., "automatically") the soil produces a crop, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. And when the grain is ripe, he comes in with his sickle because the harvest has come" (Mark 4:26-29). In other words, the "ordinary" process of the growth of a seed is miraculous and is a gift from above.
The "Torah of the Sabbatical Year" teaches us that creativity and fruitfulness requires that we let go and leave the outcome to God.
Hebrew Lesson
Isaiah 26:3 reading (click):
Remembering our Roots...
05.05.26 (Iyyar 18, 5786) How important are the Jewish roots of our faith? How important is our heritage in relation to our understanding of God's ways? Our Torah portion this week is called "Behar" from the phrase behar Sinai (בְּהַר סִינַי) found its opening verse (Lev. 25:1). But why does the word Sinai appear in a portion of Torah that discusses social and agricultural laws that were to be observed only later, in the promised land? What does the subject of the Sabbatical Year (shemittah) have to do with the revelation given at Sinai?
The sages say that the Sabbatical year was mentioned in connection with Sinai in order to teach that Moses received not only the Ten Commandments and the revelation of the Tabernacle there, but also specific laws regulating future social and economic practices of the people as well. The law of the Sabbatical year is a case in point, since it would have been absurd for a law that required farmers to abandon their farming practices once every seven years to have been proclaimed while the people were dwelling in the desert...
How important is tradition in our lives? So important that we could not understand even the first word of the Scriptures without it... There is a story that illustrates this point. A pagan came to Hillel seeking to convert to the faith in the LORD but was troubled with the idea of tradition, though he accepted the idea of the written Scriptures. Since the man did not know how to read Hebrew, however, Hillel began pointing to the letters in the written Torah to teach him the alphabet: "This is Aleph... this is Bet... this is Gimmel," and so on, until the man began to understand the letters of the Aleph-Bet. "Now come tomorrow, and I will teach you more." The next day, Hillel pointed to the exact same letters but reversed their names, "This is Gimmel... this is Aleph... this is Bet," and so on. The convert was confused: "But yesterday you said just the opposite!" Hillel replied, "Now you have had your very first lesson. You see that the written word alone is insufficient, and we need the tradition to explain God's Word." Another way to make this point is to say that the Torah was not revealed along with a dictionary that defines the meaning of its words...
I mention this to remind us that the transmission of Torah "from generation to generation" demands that we trust. Indeed the very concept of "Torah" (or Scripture) is bound up with trust and community... This is true of the written word (i.e., trusting in scribal traditions that preserved the Scriptures for us), as well as the oral word (i.e., the customs, interpretations, translations, and wisdom that explain the meaning of the words themselves). Knowledge has been defined as "justified true belief," which implies that there can never be knowledge without trust. It is ludicrous to think that we can translate the Scriptures in a vacuum - all by ourselves without any help from others... We must humble ourselves and become "like little children" to learn from those who have gone before us, and this is why the Jewish value of Talmud Torah - teaching children the words and values of Torah - is regarded as so important. As the Talmud puts it, "The world exists because of the breath of the schoolchildren who study Torah" (Shabbat 119b).
But what about the words of the Holy Scriptures? Don't they transcend cultural factors? Are they not timelessly true and exempt from culturally conditioned ways of reading them? Not at all! Both Christianity and Judaism (as opposed to some other religions) do not worship a "book" that "floated down" from heaven complete with chapters and verses. Nor do we believe in a "divine dictation" theory that claims the Scriptures are "Xerox" duplicates of the words spoken by an angel or other divine being. No, the Scriptures are regarded as the products of history -- sacred history, of course -- but history nonetheless. Therefore we have the same problems trying to discern the meaning of the Scriptures as we do for any other type of literature: Who was the original author and the intended audience? What were the cultural circumstances? Why was this written? What kind of writing is it? Is it a poem (like a psalm), or perhaps an instructional maxim (like a proverb)? Am I reading an historical account, a description of a religious ritual, or something else? First we must know what we are reading - and to understand its historical context. Ignoring this simple rule leads to all sorts of errors in our reasoning and makes us unwitting victims of our own cultural biases. We will find ourselves "reading into" the Scriptures things that just aren't there, chaverim!
Pictogram, Ktav Ivri and Ktav Ashurit alphabets
Regarding the literal words of the Scriptures, it's important to remember that the decisions made regarding which scrolls were "canonical" (and therefore to be included in our modern Bibles) came from the decisions made by earlier faith communities -- just as such decisions likewise preserved the sanctity of the sacred texts themselves. For instance, without the Jewish scribal transmission known as the masorah (מָסוֹרָה), it's unlikely we would know how to read and interpret many passages of Scripture today (Christianity also has its own scribal traditions that preserved the transmission of the Greek New Testament). Original Hebrew did not include vowel markings or other punctuation. Neither did the Greek of the New Testament, for that matter. Indeed, we can only understand the message of our faith through the medium of historical continuity, tradition, and ongoing dialog.... This was true even in the days of Yeshua, who endorsed the traditional tri-fold division of the Jewish Scriptures (the Law, Writings, and Prophets - Luke 22:44) and relied on Jewish tradition to teach great truths about his message (e.g., he associated the Passover seder with the "Last Supper" rituals of the New Covenant; he called himself Living Water and the Light of the world during Sukkot, and so on.) Yeshua placed high value on the "jots and tittles" of the texts of Scripture that were part of the spiritual heritage of his day (Matt. 5:18).
But didn't Yeshua condemn the "traditions of men" in His day? Didn't he reject the traditions of the elders of Israel (Mark 7:5-13)? Didn't he rhetorically ask the religionists of his day, "Why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition" (Matt. 15:2-10)? Yes he assuredly did, though it is important to understand the historical context of these sorts of statements. First, he was certainly not condemning "true traditions" that are commanded in the Scriptures themselves. Yeshua's entire ministry was predicated on the "appointed times" of the LORD and their fulfillment in him. "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them" (Matt. 5:17). Indeed, when he was asked what was the greatest commandment of God, Yeshua quoted the Shema: "Hear O Israel, the LORD is our God, the LORD alone; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength" (Mark 12:29-30), something Jewish tradition had affirmed since the time of Moses (Deut. 6:4-5). So no, Yeshua did not object to all traditions, but rather took issue with dogmatic interpretation of various aspects of ritual law and with the rabbinical interpositions that "built fences" around the simple meaning of the Scriptures. These man-made "fences" (i.e., gezerot) created unwarranted restrictions that obfuscated the teaching of Scripture and effectively relocated the source of interpretative authority to the religious leaders of the day... This was the crux of the disagreement between Yeshua and the Pharisees. (For more about this, see "The Heart of the Law; the Law of the Gospel".)
We all live by hours of the day, days of the week, seasons of the year, and God has revealed cycles and patterns of community life for Israel. Indeed, the mo'edim (festivals and appointed times) of the LORD are rooted in history and have prophetic implication for our lives. The "traditions of the elders" which Yeshua condemned had more to do with hidebound interpretations of the Scriptures (later embodied in the "Oral Law") than with the idea of tradition itself. The Greek word for "tradition" (παράδοσις) is a neutral term, simply meaning "handing down" (from παρά (down, from) + δίδωμι (to give)) what was given before. Both Judaism and Christianity hold to an "oral tradition" following the ministries of Moses and Yeshua, respectively. Because of the imminent expectancy of the return of Yeshua after His resurrection, the gospels were not committed to formal writing until the prospect of the death of the eyewitnesses loomed large. Moreover, there were numerous Gospel accounts which were eventually compiled into a standardized retelling of the story (Luke 1:1-4). In Jewish tradition, Moses received the written law at Sinai, but this cannot be understood in a vacuum. For instance, the details about how to construct the furnishings of the Tabernacle are not given, and the written law even endorsed the establishment of "judges" to interpret case law and establish precedent. Likewise the Apostle Paul admonished, "Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions (παράδοσις) which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle" (2 Thess. 2:15, 1 Cor. 11:2). Indeed, in a New Testament sense, "tradition" refers to the Apostolic teaching in general, as well as the valid inferences from the Tanakh that are thereby implied (2 Tim. 3:16, Matt. 13:52).
There is legalism -- i.e., the idea that we are duty bound to perform certain rituals, behave a certain way, follow a set of rules, etc., and there is the liberty we enjoy as the heirs of God. There is a higher way of understanding the same thing -- namely understanding as an adult rather than as a child. Apprehending your identity as a son (or daughter) of the LORD God of Israel makes you no longer an outsider, a "child," an "outcast," etc., to the covenantal obligations and promises given to the Jewish people. As a co-heir and fellow member through adoption into the household of God, you are a new creation. Being a Jew is a matter of having a new heart, chaverim (Rom. 2:28-29).
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 19:8 reading (click):
In Hebrew the word chinukh (חִנּוּךְ) means "education," a word that shares the same root as the word "chanukah" (חֲנֻכָּה, "dedication"). Unlike the Greek ideal that regards education as "enlightenment" (i.e., being "led out" of the cave of ignorance), the Jewish ideal implies dedication to God and His concrete purposes on the earth. This ideal goes beyond the process of merely transmitting information, since dedication must be modeled (lived) as well as intellectually taught. Maimonides noted that the Hebrew word chinukh comes from the Torah's description of dedicating a tool for use at the Holy Altar, "habituating the tool for its work." In other words, godly education is a process of modeling how to be made into a "fit vessel" for the service of God in this world. All other ends of knowledge ultimately exist for this purpose, and rightly understood, then, education may be regarded as a form of worship.
Disciples of Yeshua are called talmidim (תַּלְמִידִים) - a word that comes from lamad (לָמַד) meaning "to learn" (the Hebrew word for teacher is melamad (מְלַמֵּד) from the same root). Education is therefore foundational to being a disciple of the Messiah, and the great commission is for each of us to share His teaching with others (Matt. 28:19-20). May God help each of us to be students who are dedicated to living for the truth of Yeshua's Name.
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 119:111 reading (click):
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The Vine of Life...
05.05.26 (Iyyar 18, 5786) "I am the true vine, and my Father is the Gardener. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit He purges (καθαιρει), that it may bear more fruit" (John 15:1-2).
Note something important that Yeshua is saying to his disciples: If you bear fruit you will experience a "purging process," and that means suffering affliction...
This might seem to you backward: Why does the fruitful branch need to be cut back? Indeed, the promise of suffering is not meant for an evil person, but for the righteous soul who trusts in God. Purging is painful but it is also purifying, yielding new growth within our hearts. Yeshua taught, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God" (Matt. 5:8). The Greek word translated "pure" is katharos (καθαρoς), sometimes used describe the cleansing of a wound (catharsis), or to describe the unalloyed quality of a substance revealed through refining fire.
We "rejoice" in testing because that is the way of real growth, sustained hope, and the revelation of God's deep love (Rom. 5:3-4). In our afflictions we are given heavenly consolation that helps us to persevere (2 Cor. 1:3-5). Remember that we are being weaned from this present age to be made ready for heavenly glory, for things unimaginably wonderful, soon to be revealed to you. Stay tuned, friends: the best is yet to come!
Yeshua warned us, however, that "if anyone does not live in Me, he is cast off as a branch, and withers..." (John 15:6). We find life only as we remain connected to the Source and Conduit of life, who is the Messiah, the Savior and LORD. True life grows out a heart connection with Yeshua, and without that connection our lives become vain and will yield no eternal significance (John 15:5). Indeed, if you reject the Vine you will be destroyed, since life is found in no other Source (John 14:6; Luke 3:9).
But be encouraged, trusting friend: we cannot create new life by our own efforts or effect regeneration by means of our own "good works." No, the work of salvation is God's alone, and we partake of that work as we abandon our self-efforts and religious conceits (see Isa. 32:17; Mark 4:26-29).
There remains, therefore, a Sabbath for the people of God, "for whoever has entered God's rest has also rested from his works as God did from his" (Heb. 4:9-10). This "deep Sabbath" is a matter of trusting that the work of salvation has been accomplished on your behalf. Therefore "strive to enter into that rest," for the LORD always effects what is best for you. The path of peace is to surrender to God's care for your life and let the evils and drama of the world flow past you. This is "the work of faith."
Look to heavenly reality and not to the vanity and deceits of this world (Col. 3:1-4); live in Yeshua's Presence, drawing strength and vitality from your relationship with Him. The fruit of the Spirit is produced as we yield ourselves to the love and presence of God.
Hebrew Lesson
John 15:1 reading (click):
Feeding on His Faithfulness..
05.05.26 (Iyyar 18, 5786) In our Torah reading for this week (i.e., Behar) we learn that God commanded the people not to work the fields during the Sabbatical year. Once every seven years the land was to lie fallow and not be seeded or harvested (Lev. 25:4). This "Sabbath for the land" was called Shenat Ha-Shemittah (שְׁנַת הַשְּׁמִטָּה), or the "Shemittah year."
The Shemittah year is further called the "Sabbath for the LORD" (שַׁבָּת לַיהוה). Any produce of the field or trees that grow during the Shemittah year could not be sold and were simply free for the taking, and any private loans were canceled as well.
As you might imagine, in an agricultural economy the observance of the Shemittah year presented a real test of faith, since it required complete trust (emunah shelemah) that the LORD would provide despite "letting go" of the usual means of doing business...
In response to the very natural question, "What will we eat in the seventh year?" (Lev. 25:20), the LORD promised to regularly bless the preceding harvest to last for three years - the sixth, the seventh (shemittah), and the first part of the eighth - because planting was not permitted in the Shemittah year (see Lev. 25:21).
The sages comment that the underlying blessing from heaven is actually the gift of contentment (שְׂבִיעוּת רָצוֹן), or being completely satisfied with little. Rashi stated that the preceding promise, "you will eat to be satisfied" (Lev. 25:19) meant that "in your intestines there will be a blessing." This idea is repeated parashat Bechukotai when the blessings of obedience are described (Lev. 26:5).
The blessing to be satisfied - to be free of inner craving, to be unconstrained by lust, hunger, fear, etc. - is considered a greater miracle than even the threefold provision of harvest promised for observing shemittah. Indeed, it is often the sign of a curse to be well-off, since the rich tend to forget God and vainly believe that their own efforts bring them blessing (see Deut. 8:17). As David wrote, "Let their table be a snare for them..." (Psalm 69:22; Rom. 11:9).
When we seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, "all these things" will be added to us (Matt. 6:25-33). Those who have faith and do not question whether God will provide for them are thereby enabled to receive miraculous provision and great peace from God. Moses lived 40 days and nights on Sinai without food because he trusted that God would meet his needs (Exod. 24:18). Likewise, the wilderness generation never worried about shoes and clothing, and therefore these things never wore out (Deut. 8:4; 29:4).
On the other hand, the manna that fell from heaven might have been given as a concession to human frailty, since Israel would have miraculously survived without food just as Moses had on the mountain as they made the journey from Sinai to Zion. According to midrash, the manna itself tasted either satisfying or repulsive based on the attitude and faith of each person. For those who believed in the goodness of God and appreciated God's generosity, the manna tasted delectable; for those who mistrusted God, it tasted like gravel in the mouth.
Ultimately it may be said that God gives to us based on our desire or will. As Yeshua said, "According to your faith be it done for you" (Matt. 8:13, 9:29). "Let it be as you have trusted." This idea is also expressed by King David in the Psalms:
פותח את־ידך
ומשׂביע לכל־חי רצון
"You open your hand and satisfy
the desire of every living thing." (Psalm 145:16)
The LORD gives to us according our heart's secret desires, and therefore the sages have said that he rewards the wicked in this world but the righteous He will reward in the world to come (Matt. 6:19-21). In this connection, Kierkegaard tells the story of a poor old couple that possessed nothing but poverty. As they grew older, their anxiety about the future increased:
They did not assail heaven with their prayers, for they were too pious for that; but nevertheless they continually cried to heaven for help. Then it happened one morning that the wife, going out to the oven, found a precious stone of great size upon the hearth. She immediately showed the stone to her husband, who saw at once that they were well supplied for the rest of their life. A bright future for this old couple – what joy! Yet, God-fearing as they were, and content with little, they resolved that since they had enough to live upon for another day, they would sell the jewel not that day, but the following. And then a new life would begin.
That night the woman dreamed that she was transported to paradise. An angel took her around and showed her all the glories an oriental imagination could invent. Then the angel led her into a hall where there were long rows of armchairs adorned with pearls and precious stones, which, the angel explained, were for the devout. Finally the angel showed her the chair that was intended for her. Looking more closely, the woman saw a large jewel was missing from the back of the seat. She asked the angel how that had come about.
Now be alert, here comes the story! The angel answered, "That was the precious stone you found on the hearth. You received it in advance, and so it cannot be inserted again." In the morning the woman related the dream to her husband. She felt they should hold on to the stone for a few years longer rather than let the precious stone be absent throughout eternity. And her devout husband agreed. So, that evening they laid the stone back on the hearth and prayed to God that he would take it back. In the morning, sure enough, it was gone. Where it had gone the old couple knew: it was now in its right place. (Attack upon Christendom, 246)
In the end, you can only "keep" what you give away (John 12:25). This old couple's treasure was stored in the "right place," free from the vanity and illusions of this world and its comforts, and free from the concessions made to human frailty that would result in an eternal loss...
Feed on Faithfulness
The blessing we regularly recite over bread (hamotzi lechem) is really a prophecy of sorts. "Blessed are You, Lord our God, who will bring bread up from the earth." This applies first of all to the resurrection of Yeshua from the dead, but it also applies to Yeshua as lechem ha-chayim (לֶחֶם הַחַיִּים), the Bread of Life (John 6:35). We may not be tested to see whether the LORD will provide for us in obedience to His commandment to observe the Shemittah year, but the principle of being fed by faith still applies to us:
בטח ביהוה ועשׂה־טוב
שׁכן־ארץ ורעה אמונה
Trust in the LORD and do good;
dwell in the land and feed on faithfulness.
(Psalm 37:3)
Are you trusting in the Lord's care for your life, despite the shock waves of a world that is beginning to face judgment? Are you "feeding on the faithfulness" of God? Or are you more anxious about the present economy than about your future life in heaven? God has promised to never leave nor forsake you (Josh. 1:5, Heb. 13:5).
Where is your treasure being stored, chaverim? The trials and testings of this life are meant to prepare us for eternity. They are God-given opportunities to exercise faith! We have one chance to walk this life and then we face judgment. "Let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not" (Gal. 6:9). I pray we do not miss the reward that comes from living in genuine faith in God's Presence and provision.
אהיה עמך
לא ארפך ולא אעזבך
"I will be with you;
I will not let go of you nor forsake you." (Josh. 1:5c)
Strangers and Sojourners...
05.04.26 (Iyyar 17, 5786) Our Torah reading this week (i.e. Behar) includes two special laws that were intended to radically affect the social, economic, and spiritual well-being of Jews in ancient Israel. The first law was to "release the land" every seventh year, called ha-shemittah (הַשְּׁמִטָּה), which meant that the land would lie fallow by not being seeded or harvested (see Lev. 25:1-6).
The shemittah law involved far more than simply refraining from agricultural labor, however, since it implied that everyone was required to forgive all their debtors as well (Deut. 15:1-4). This recurring cycle of "rest and forgiveness" was to be commemorated as an appointed time (מוֹעֵד) when everyone would gather together during the festival of Sukkot to listen to the Torah read aloud (Deut. 31:10-12).
God's word was proclaimed from Zion; the land would breath and rest; people's burdens were lifted; and everyone would dwell in booths (sukkot) to recall their temporary status on the way to obtaining an eternal inheritance... No wonder Sukkot was regarded as the most joyous of the Torah's holidays!
The second special law was even more joyous. After seven of these seven-year sabbatical cycles (shemittot) had elapsed, the 50th year (called the "Jubilee" year [i.e., shenat ha-Yovel: שְׁנַת הַיּוֹבֵל]) was proclaimed, and all servants would be set free (i.e., "released"), all debts would be forgiven, and the land would be "reset" to its original condition (Lev. 25:8-17).
This joyful occasion is called the "Jubilee Release" and signifies the life of redemption (גְּאֻלָּה) for the community of God. It is also called Shemittah LaAdonai: "the LORD's Release" (Deut. 15:2). Just as Shavuot comes after seven cycles of seven days (i.e., the 50th day of Sefirat HaOmer) and therefore represents the perfection of freedom, so the Jubilee Year (Yovel) signals a time of freedom, dignity and equality for all people.
On Yom Kippur of the Year of Jubilee, a great shofar blast (i.e., teruah: תְּרוּעָה) would be sounded throughout all the land to proclaim liberty: "You shall sound the shofar on the tenth day of the seventh month, on the Day of Atonement (וֹם הַכִּפֻּרִים) shall you sound the shofar throughout all your land. And you shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty (דְּרוֹר) throughout all the land to all its inhabitants thereof: it shall be a Jubilee (יוֹבֵל) for you. And you shall return every man to his estate, and you shall return every man to his family" (Lev. 25:8-10). Despite the fact that part of this verse appears on the "Liberty Bell" in Philadelphia, this verse ultimately refers to the coronation of the Mashiach Yeshua as the true liberator of the Jewish people.... Indeed, the word yovel is another word for a ram's horn, or shofar, signifying the coronation of the King...
The observance of shemittah (שְׁמִטָּה) was a real test of faith, since it meant that the Jews had to completely trust that the LORD would provide for them, despite abandoning their usual farming and banking practices. God repeatedly warned the Jews not to oppress one another (Lev. 25:14,17) and explicitly promised His protection and care despite these counterintuitive practices (Lev. 25:18-22). Sadly, the people did not observe the laws of shemittah, and this eventually lead to the 70 year captivity in Babylon, one year in captivity for each year that shemittah was disregarded (2 Chron. 36:20-21).
Regarding the laws of Shemittah and Yovel, the LORD states: "The land shall not be sold in perpetuity, for the land is mine, for you are strangers (גֵּרִים) and settlers (תּוֹשָׁבִים) with me" (Lev. 25:23). This is a paradoxical phrase, since a ger is one who is just passing through, like a visitor or tourist, whereas a toshav is one who is a resident, like a settler or citizen. How can someone be both a visitor and a resident of a place, or a stranger and a citizen at the same time? How can one "pass through" a place he is said to dwell?
Concerning this paradox the Maggid of Dubna comments: "If you see yourselves in this world as strangers and remember that you are here only for a short visit, passing through the hallway of this world, then I will settle among you. However, should you see yourselves as settlers on this world, "owners" who are here to stay, then I am but a stranger among you. Either you are the settlers and I the stranger, or you the stranger and I the settler."
Torah describes the people of faith as "gerim ve'toshavim imadi" (גֵרִים וְתוֹשָׁבִים עִמָּדִי), "stranger-settlers" with God in this world (Lev. 25:23). We are "in" but not "of" this realm; we live in the temporal yet are looking for the heavenly city to come (Heb. 11-9-10).
The Eternal dwells among those who are exiles in this world, but to those who lay claim to life in this world God makes himself a stranger. .. As James warned, "Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God" (James 4:4). Likewise the Apostle John admonished: "Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him... For the world is passing away along with its lusts, but whoever does the will of God shall abide forever" (1 John 2:15,17). Those who walk in faith find themselves gerim v'toshavim (גֵּרִים וְתוֹשָׁבִים) - "strange settlers" upon the earth (Heb. 11:13).
Abraham "sojourned" in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with his children because he looked for a city whose builder and maker was God (Heb. 11:9-11). Likewise we are strangers and exiles here, 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). When we take up the cross and follow Yeshua, we die to this world and its dreams. We die to ourselves in order to find life (Mark 8:35-36). We give up houses, lands, all our possessions, family relationships, and even our own lives in order to find residence with God (Matt. 19:29; Luke 14:26). We reckon ourselves "dead" to this world as our home and "look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen; for the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal" (2 Cor. 4:18).
We walk by faith, not by sight. Faith is the conviction (ἔλεγχος) of things unseen (Heb. 11:1) - and that includes the conviction that God will visibly care for our needs even if we let our gardens go fallow and release our claim on all our debtors...
We must venture out to take hold of the miraculous Presence of God. "According to your faith be it done unto you" (Matt. 9:29). I pray that we do not miss this awesome opportunity to truly share the present exile with God, chaverim, for one day those who are "strangers" with Him shall share His glory.... Meanwhile, we are not without comfort, though we still groan for the great homecoming to come.
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 39:12 reading (click for audio):
When we are strangers to this world we are called residents of heaven. To be a stranger to this world is a great blessing, since it means we identify our home in the heart of God. By extension, reality is measured by proximity to the Eternal, and the material world - when regarded as an end in itself - is nothing but an illusion, since it cannot exist apart from the sustaining power of God (Heb. 1:3; Col. 1:16-17; Rev. 4:11). The sages note that in Hebrew there is no language of categorical ownership, since all things are conditioned by time. We say yesh li (יש לי) - "there is to me" (for this time) rather than "I have" or own. Ownership is related to the "bone" (עצם) of something, its inner structure and essence. God alone is koneh shamayim va'aretz (קנה שׁמים וארץ), the Owner of Reality (Gen. 14:19). "For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen" (Rom. 11:36).
Parashat Bechukotai:
The Question of Obedience...
05.03.26 (Iyyar 16, 5786) Our second Torah reading for this week, called parashat Bechukotai (פרשׁת בחקתי), is the final portion of the central book of the Torah (i.e, Leviticus), and it begins with the promise that if the Israelites would walk in the LORD's statutes (chukkot) and commandments (mitzvot) and perform them, then they would enjoy material blessings and dwell securely in the promised land. Moreover the LORD Himself would make His dwelling with them and would walk among them as their God. The people of Israel would then truly be am segulah (עַם סְגֻלָּה) - a treasured people among all the nations of the earth.
On the other hand, if the people disobeyed God and disregarded His commandments, then they would be considered covenant-breakers, and they would experience all manner of distress and tribulation in their lives. They would experience panic attacks, diseases, heartache, and all manner of tsuris (vexation, trouble); their enemies would eat their increase, and those who hate them would rule over them; they would flee at the rustle of a leaf, and their lives would be full of terror and misery – all because they refused to put the LORD God first in their lives. And if after all this trouble the people would still refuse to return to the LORD, the worst punishment of all would befall them: exile from the promised land and banishment from the Presence of the LORD Himself.
Nonetheless, despite their disobedience, God's love and mercy for Israel would never fully depart, for "if they confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their fathers in their treachery that they committed against me, and also in walking contrary to me, so that I walked contrary to them and brought them into the land of their enemies – if then their uncircumcised heart is humbled and they make amends for their iniquity, then I will remember my covenant with Jacob, and I will remember my covenant with Isaac and my covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land" (Lev. 26:40-42). Moreover, even while they are in exile, in the land of their enemies, God vowed: "I will not cast them away; nor will I ever abhor them to destroy them and to break My covenant with them; for I am the LORD their God" (Lev. 26:44).
The portion (and the Book of Leviticus) ends with a discussion of various laws pertaining to vows and tithes that a person may make to contribute towards the upkeep of the Sanctuary. These include dedications of persons, animals, houses, and lands. The scroll of Leviticus ends with the emphatic statement: "These are the commandments that the LORD commanded Moses for the people of Israel on Mount Sinai" (Lev. 27:34).
Parashat Behar:
Shemittah and "Jubilee" Years...
05.03.26 (Iyyar 16, 5786) Because this isn't a Jewish leap year, this week we have another double portion" of Torah, friends. Our first Torah portion is called parashat Behar (פרשׁת בהר) which begins with the commandment that an Israelite farmer must let his land rest by remaining fallow every seventh year. This is called the "Sabbatical year" (i.e., shemittah: שְׁמִטָּה, "release") and the inhabitants of the land were permitted to glean whatever the farmland produced naturally.
In addition, the people were told to count seven cycles of seven years – a total of 49 years – and to mark the arrival of the fiftieth year with blasts of the shofar on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). This fiftieth year would be a time of "Jubilee" (i.e., yovel: יוֹבֵל) – a year of "release" for the land and all its inhabitants. All slaves would be set free, debts would be canceled, and the stewardship of the land would revert to its original titleholders.
In this connection, you might wonder how to determine whether a given year is a Sabbatical year (i.e., shemittah). The procedure is simple: Take the current Jewish year and divide by seven; if there is no remainder, it is a shemittah year; otherwise it is not. For example year 5784 is not a Sabbatical Year, whereas year 5789 is a Sabbatical Year (note that the Jewish year begins on Rosh Hashanah, on Tishri 1, in the fall). The Jubilee year (yovel) of course follows the seventh of the seven year cycles (i.e., 7 x 7 + 1), though there are some questions about which iteration (1st, 2nd, 3rd... 99th) is currently active. According to some authorities, the last Jubilee year was on Yom Kippur 5776, that is, Tues. Oct. 11th, 2016, so the next would be 50 years later (i.e., in the year 5826).
The Miracle of it All...
"I would rather be what God chose to make me than the most glorious creature that I could think of; for to have been thought about, born in God's thought, and then made by God, is the dearest, grandest and most precious thing in all thinking." - George MacDonald
05.01.26 (Iyyar 14, 5786) Most of us deal with inner conflicts, self-reproach, and meagerness of faith, at least at certain critical points in our journey through this world... It is reported that on his deathbed Reb Zusya said, "I am not afraid that the Holy One will ask me, 'Zusya, why were you not more like Moses?' Rather, I fear the Holy One will say, 'Zusya, why were you not more like Zusya?'" This Hasidic story is interesting because, on the one hand, how could Zusya be anyone other than he is? and on the other, why is Zusya afraid that he is not who he should be? Zusya's parable reveals that there is an inner conflict in his soul. He senses that has not lived as he ought, that he has failed himself (and God), and that he is lost in the rift between the ideal and the real... His struggle, then, is with himself. Who he is and who he thinks he should be are at odds within his heart.
The question of who we are supposed to be haunts us, and consciousness of the failure to practice our ideals leads to a sense of guilt, anxiety, and shame. For those who believe in Yeshua the question is essential to the question of what it means to be an authentic disciple. How are we to live before God and be accountable for what we do? For instance, we read Yeshua's message in the Sermon on the Mount and we eventually realize - if we are honest with ourselves - that it is not within our nature to be able to do as he teaches, and this leads us to a despair not unlike that which Zusya experienced. A divided house cannot stand....
Reb Zusya's despair can be remedied only by overcoming the inner divide through a personal relationship with Yeshua, for salvation is not simply deliverance from the accusations of conscience (i.e., the verdict of the law) but constitutes the healing grace that delivers us from ourselves. Yeshua did not die on the cross to simply take away our sins, but to create within us indestructible new nature that it no longer enslaved to the power of sin. The message of the gospel is that your heart can be - and ultimately will be - transformed by the miracle of God given in Yeshua.
Salvation is not a matter of "religion" or of man's attempt to justify himself by some kind of reformation of character. Yeshua is not the "second coming of Moses," after all. Try as you might to live a "good life," keep the commandments, and aspire to elevate yourself spiritually, you will eventually come to realize that it is impossible to change yourself. You will then be faced with a decision: either to deceive yourself about who you are, or to be honest and confess your wretched and hopeless condition. This is the "lawful use of the law," that reveals the "ought-to-be" self, so that the gap between the ideal and the real becomes unsurpassable, and we know ourselves as lost sinners who are in peril over ourselves...
In our natural estate we are "fallen," shattered of heart, full of trouble "as the sparks fly upward." As Simone de Beauvoir once wrote: "In the very condition of man there enters the possibility of not fulfilling who he is" (Ethics of Ambiguity, 1947). The breach between who we are and what we ought to be creates a sense of alienation from ourselves, a "shadow self" that we deny, suppress, or try to control. In a moment of rare lucidity, the "natural man" cries out to God: "What do you want from me?" This is the moment when truth has its opportunity, when the heart is stirred to confess its need for deliverance and to accept God's love, despite the brokenness and incoherence of life.
When by miracle we escape from the "hard yoke" of our laws, our vain attempts at self-justification, we do not encounter another set of laws, or another heavy yoke, but we take hold of the love of God, a personal love, and we engage in relationship with God as the central (and unifying) reality of our lives. Deliverance from ourselves is not found in religious (or "spiritual") recipes of any kind but in our connection with the truth of who God really is, trusting in his love and healing for all that we are, have been, and ever shall be, amen.
"Salvation is of the LORD," which means that God does the work of righteousness within you. It is God who saves you; it is God who sanctifies you, and ultimately it is God alone who heals you. Whenever you say "I can't," you are either looking at yourself or at God. If you are looking at yourself, "I can't" is better understood as "I won't," and the problem then is a lack of faith. On the other hand, if you are looking at God, "I can't" is followed by "but You can, O Lord" and faith trusts that God will complete the good work that he has begun in you.
God sends each soul into the world with a special message to deliver, a revelation that only he or she can disclose... As George MacDonald once said, "I would rather be what God chose to make me than the most glorious creature that I could think of; for to have been thought about, born in God's thought, and then made by God, is the dearest, grandest and most precious thing in all thinking." That's the good news of the gospel, friends: God not only saves us from ourselves, he remakes us to be true bearers of his image and likeness. He works all things together for his glory and our good. Amen, let it be so, O Lord!
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 119:73 reading (click for audio):
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A Life that Matters...
"Listen to the cry of a woman in labor at the hour of giving birth — look at the dying man's struggle at his last extremity, and then tell me whether something that begins and ends thus could be intended for enjoyment." - Soren Kierkegaard
05.01.26 (Iyyar 14, 5786) Ancient Greek philosophers sought for "salvation" (Σωτηρία), which they generally understood as freedom from the fear of death. For instance Socrates taught 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. Socrates' thinking later gave rise to the Stoics who taught that we should resign ourselves to "rational fate" (which they called "logos") and to develop courage and equanimity of heart (ataraxia) because they optimistically believed that the underlying rational intelligence of the universe would make everything "turn out right" in the end.
Jewish theology was present a long time before the rise of ancient Greek philosophy, of course, since Israel was given the revelation at Sinai on Sivan 6, 2448, which corresponds to May 2nd, 1313 BC on our secular calendars, and that is nearly a thousand years before the rise of the Plato and the later schools of Stoicism, Epicureanism, and so on.
In general it may be said that ancient Jewish theology regarded God as the personal Creator of all that exists and death to be the result of the primordial sin of Adam and Eve. The present age (olam hazeh) is regarded as a transitional period (or trial) to return to God (olam haba). Therefore the sages likened the life of faith to be one of preparation: "This world is like a corridor before the World to Come; therefore prepare yourself in the corridor, that you may enter into the banquet hall" (Avot 4:21). We prepare ourselves by learning to be in relationship with the LORD, practicing moral and ethical truth as revealed in the Torah, and above all having faith in God's covenant. The great commandment is דִּרְשׁוּנִי וִחְיוּ - "Seek Me and live" (Amos 5:4), and as the prophet Isaiah cried out, "Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near" (Isa. 55:6).
Our allotted time in this world is relatively short and therefore wisdom behooves us to prepare for our ultimate destiny while we still have the chance. To borrow a cliche, "today is the first day of the rest of your life," and consequently whatever you do or don't do today will effect all of your tomorrows -- and even carry over into the world to come.
What isn't a cliche, however, is the profound truth that even the seemingly smallest of decisions matter and that nothing is trivial. There is a "butterfly effect," and a small change in your life will produce big effects. Therefore, since by necessity "one thing leads to another," we must soberly realize the importance of our decisions and choose wisely. What we do today, the choices we make, will yield future blessing in our lives if we seek the good.
So what to do? How, then, shall we live today? Well for starters make some time to pray to the Lord. Make an effort to read and study the holy Scriptures. Memorize verses that speak to your heart. Meditate on God's Presence and love. Be filled with the Holy Spirit and turn away from dark thoughts and fears. Call or visit a friend. Listen to your friend and share their burdens. These are just a few suggestions, but the point is that the time we have today is our opportunity to live a life that really matters. Therefore choose life!
We can't turn back the clock but we can ask God to help us "redeem the time." He can restore the years that the locust has eaten, so it's never too late to begin! Let us seek lasting wisdom. Prepare your heart today so that when your hour comes to "enter the banquet hall," you will not be ashamed but overjoyed and ready to meet the Lord!
Above all do not let your heart be troubled; have faith in God, for he "prepares a place for you" on the other side of the veil of this temporal world (John 14:1-3). "Whoever is born of God conquers the world (νικᾷ τὸν κόσμον), and the overcoming power that conquers the world is our faith" (1 John 5:4). God will help you live a life that truly matters, if you ask him. Therefore while you still have breath, choose life....
Hebrew Lesson
Jeremiah 29:13 reading (click for audio):
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April 2026 Site Updates
Expelling the Darkness...
"For our struggle is against spiritual forces of evil..." Eph. 6:12
04.30.26 (Iyyar 13, 5786) Human life is a battleground of forces, and each person is engaged in a spiritual war for the deliverance of their soul. Often we are not willing to enter the battle until we have been sufficiently wounded by our own sins: many of us have to become "sick of being sick" until we are ready to seriously engage the underlying issues...
The battle is not optional and there is no place of neutrality or indifference. We must learn to deal with our own inner struggle against evil. Before we can help others to be free, however, we must be free ourselves, and that means learning how to expel the darkness hidden within our own hearts and to walk in God's light.
Deliverance means being set free from that which "possesses" us, and that includes the demonic strongholds of fear, anger, envy, lust, and so on. Unchecked impulses can lead the soul to dark thoughts, self-alienation, shame -- a tenuous existence of subjugation and pain.
The way of deliverance is to "name the demon," that is, to challenge the ground it claims and to exercise divine authority over our hearts. Above all this means being honest about our struggle and taking a decisive stand against our own oppression... Fighting the "good fight of faith" means caring enough to be healed...
We can only face the demonic if we are willing to be honest with ourselves, for without genuine honesty we cannot see our condition. "A little leaven leavens the whole lump" (Gal. 5:9). We must be willing to confess that there is much within us that remains unhealed, and that we are often unmindful of what really motivates our behavior. Even those things we might suppose as good - our religion or our self-control, for example - can possess us in ways that bring harm to ourselves and others....
When Yeshua expelled the demonic, the afflicted soul was given inner peace and put into their "right mind" (Mark 5:15). In other words, deliverance from madness is linked to God's healing influence in our lives: "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound (safe) mind" (2 Tim. 1:7).
Note that the word translated "sound" (or "safe") comes from the verb sodzo (σῴζω), meaning to be healed from destructive inner conflict. A delivered person has "inner balance" and is not easily overthrown by his conscious (or unconscious) passions. Such a person is grounded in reality: he knows who he is, what he needs, and is realistic about what he can and can't do. His soul is not divided but rather unified, centered, and focused. He is consciously present and accepts life without resistance.
Yeshua gives us "authority" over the demonic to heal (Luke 9:1). The Greek word translated authority is "eksousia" (ἐξουσία), a compound formed from the preposition ek- (ἐκ), meaning "out of," and the noun ousia (ουσία), meaning "being" or substance, thereby suggesting power over physical and spiritual reality.
Another way to understand eksousia, however, is to see it as the ability to see beyond the realm of the transient to abide within the realm of the Eternal. The Father represents the unseen, the infinite, the supreme providential and transcendental aspects of the One true God, just as the Son represents the seen, the finite, the suffering and immanent aspects of God... They are One (similarly the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, and therefore is One with God). Yeshua was entirely submitted to the will of the Father, which means he was able to let go and trust in the all-encompassing Divine Presence. His life was grounded in his relationship with the Eternal: "He that has seen me has seen the Father" (John 14:9). Since Yeshua lived in complete unity or "oneness" with God, he was completely centered and fully conscious of his identity as God's Son. His authority (eksousia) came from being properly aligned or related to God the Father, that is, ultimate reality, which enabled him to be a vessel or conduit for the expression of God in the world.
The Scriptures state: "Yield yourselves to God; take a stand against the devil and he will flee from you" (James 4:7). We first ground ourselves in what is real - surrendering and accepting the given moment - and then we decisively refuse to be taken captive by our imagination, fear, lust, etc. When we turn to the light the darkness will be expelled (John 1:5).
Let's choose life and therefore live (Deut. 30:19); let's take our stand against the powers of hell; let's repudiate our fears and "spiritually slay" whatever seeks to drive and control us. May we call upon the name of the LORD and abide in the peace and power of his salvation. Amen.
Hebrew Lesson
Joel 2:32a Hebrew reading (click):
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Seek the LORD and His Strength...
"There was an exhausted woodcutter who kept wasting time and energy chopping wood with a blunt ax because he did not have the time, he said, to stop and sharpen the blade." - de Mello
04.30.26 (Iyyar 13, 5786) "Faith is the foundation (i.e., ὑπόστασις: the "substance," reality, underlying essence, etc.) of hope, the conviction of the unseen... Without faith it is impossible to please God, for whoever would draw near must believe that God exists and rewards (μισθαποδότης) those who seek him" (Heb. 11:1,6).
Note that God is pleased when we seek his presence, that is, when we when we look past the ephemera and ambiguity of the phenomenal world for the truth about spiritual reality (2 Cor. 4:18). For our part, faith resolves to confession (ὁμολογέω), that is, aligning our perspective and focus to agree with the revelation and message of divine truth and verbally declaring our conviction. We must say that we believe, and affirm it with all our heart (Rom. 10:9). As it says, "I will make Your faithfulness known with my mouth" (Psalm 89:1).
When you encounter tribulation, or experience some crisis of your faith, reaffirm aloud: "I believe in God's promise..." Physically expressing your faith is itself an act of faith, and this encourages your soul to trust in God's healing reward even in the present struggle or darkness. God is faithful and meets you more than halfway... "Seek the LORD and His strength; ask for His Presence at all times" (Psalm 105:4).
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 105:4 reading with comments (click):
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Kiddush HaShem:
Sanctifying God's Name...
"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose." - Jim Elliot
04.29.26 (Iyyar 12, 5786) From our Torah this week (Emor) we read: "You shall not profane my holy Name, that I may be made sacred among the people of Israel" (Lev. 22:32), which the early sages said provides the basis for "kiddush HaShem" (קידוש השם), or the duty to always honor God, even if that might mean enduring martyrdom for your faith.
Jewish halakhah (law) furthermore says we are to think of kiddush haShem whenever we recite the Shema, that our inmost intent should be self-sacrifice (mesirat nefesh), or the willingness to give up our lives to God in complete surrender. After all, if we are not willing to give up our lives for God, how can we be willing to genuinely live for him? The purpose or goal of our very existence is to know and love God, to be sanctified in truth, but if we value our carnal lives on earth as more important, we exist in a state of contradiction. Therefore people obsessed with their own physical safety, health, pleasure, happiness, well-being, etc., do not know the true meaning of life...
Our lives on this earth were not meant to be an end in themselves, but rather a means to the greater end of knowing and loving the Eternal God. Indeed, God's love is better than any sort of life this present world can afford. As Jim Elliot once said, "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose."
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Sanctifying God's Name means that we regard our relationship to God to be an end in itself - our ultimate concern - and there is nothing higher that may challenge our duty before heaven. "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness" (Matt. 6:33). Our mortal life in this fleeting world is a means to the end of reaching our eternal destiny (Psalm 16:11), and esteeming the means above the end is therefore idolatry (Rom. 1:25). This is called chillul HaShem (חילול השם), or profaning the Name of God...
Our faith in the LORD may lead us into collision with the world and its spurious power structures, however "we ought to obey God rather than men" (Acts 5:29). Taking a stand for Torah truth will make you an outsider to the "crowd" and its endless idols and vanities. Indeed a person of genuine moral conviction may be labeled an "enemy of the state," may be persecuted as a "terrorist," and may even suffer martyrdom.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego rightfully defied the king's decree to bow down before the "golden image," and they confessed that they were willing to die rather than betray the truth of the LORD of Israel (see Dan 3). This is a prime example of kiddush HaShem, honoring the truth of God even at the risk of losing our lives. For many Jews, reciting the Shema is a solemn declaration that we esteem the truth of God above all things, that God alone is our ultimate good, and that we must be willing to surrender our lives rather than to deny the greatness and glory of His Name. Many tzaddikim have died with the Shema on their lips...
Kiddush HaShem may be understand both literally and metaphorically. Literally understood, kiddush HaShem (i.e., martyrdom) is a possibility, one of the severest tests that may be given to the soul, and the temptation is to shrink back from the threat of death by denying the faith... Metaphorically understood, kiddush HaShem is a necessity, an essential act of the will that decides to "take up the cross" and follow Yeshua, and the temptation is to minimize the truth, to compromise the faith, and thereby to slowly fade away...
In this connection Yeshua asks, "What will it profit a person if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?" (Mark 8:36). Indeed, finding your life, value, and "place" here is to exile yourself from the promise of heaven. As Yeshua said, "Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it" (Matt. 10:39). What is required, in other words, is categorically everything, with nothing left over. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer reminds us: "Salvation is free, but discipleship will cost you your life."
We see an example of both chillul HaShem and kiddush HaShem in the life of the Apostle Peter. On the one hand, though he had boldly professed that he would be willing to die for Yeshua, he later denied that he even knew his Savior and friend (Luke 22:33-34). After doing teshuvah (i.e., repentance) however, Peter became wholehearted and fearless, and Christian tradition says he eventually died as a martyr under the tyranny of wicked Emperor Nero...
Likewise, in our effort to relate to people of different faith, we may be tempted to soften the demands of the gospel or to minimize the deity of Messiah. Sadly I've seen this happen a lot among Gentiles who get so enamored with the Jewish roots of the Christian faith that they begin to question, then outright deny the central Torah of our Messiah (the deeper law of mercy). Indeed we must not confuse the covenants of God, for this leads to double-mindedness and is regarded as "spiritual adultery" (see Rom. 7:1-4). It is chillul HaShem - the desecration of the Name of God - to turn away from the meaning and message of the cross of Messiah (Gal. 6:14; 1 Cor. 2:2). The price of being loyal to Messiah is mesirut nefesh (מְסִירוּת נֶפֶשׁ) -- surrendering your life by "taking up the cross." The cross is a scandal to religion and all other attempts to whitewash the truth about the human condition (Gal. 5:11).
In the Kaddish we read: "yitgadal ve'yitkadash shemei rabba," meaning "may God's great Name be magnified and sanctified." Amen, and may we honor and sanctify the presence of the LORD by turning to Him with all our heart, soul, and strength, knowing Him in all our ways. He is faithful and will help us sanctify His Name...
Hebrew Lesson
Deut. 6:4 reading with comments (5 min audio):
The Appointed Times of God...
"The catechism of the Jew is his calendar." - Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch (1808-1888)
04.29.26 (Iyyar 12, 5786) Our Torah portion this week (Emor) lists the eight main mo'edim (מוֹעֲדִים) -- the "appointed times" and "holy days" of the LORD given in the Jewish Scriptures. These special times are also referred to as mikra'ei kodesh (מִקְרָאֵי קדֶשׁ), "times in which holiness is proclaimed" (Lev. 23:2). Note that this is the first time that the Torah reveals a comprehensive description of the festivals of the year, including the following special times:
- The Sabbath (יום השבת) - The weekly observance of Shabbat that commemorates God as the Creator and Redeemer of the world (Exod. 20:11; Deut 5:15). According to the sages, Shabbat is the most important of the appointed times, even more important than Yom Kippur and the Ten Days of Awe (see Exod. 31:13). There are 54 weekly Sabbaths in a "leap year" and 50 for regular years... In addition to the Sabbath are monthly Sabbaths (שבתות חודשיות) called Rosh Chodeshim.
- Pesach (חג פסח), also called Passover. This appointed time commemorates the redemption from death that comes from the sacrificial blood of the Lamb of God...
- Unleavened Bread (חג המצות) - This holiday denotes the sanctification of the people of God, the "crossing over" into the realm of Promise (Exod. 14:22). Note that the Counting of the Omer (ספירת העומר) is also first mentioned in this section of Torah (Lev. 23:9-16).
- Firstfruits (ום בכורים), also called "Reishit Katzir". This marked the first wave offering (תנופת העומר) of the new harvest which symbolized the time of the resurrection of Messiah and the victory of Life over the powers of hell and death (Lev. 23:9-12).
- Shavuot (חג השבועות), also called "Pentecost." This marks the climax of the Passover Season, the giving of Torah at Sinai, and the giving of the Holy Spirit at Zion (Exod. 34:22). It marks the advent of the New Covenant for all nations, tribes, and tongues.
- Yom Teru'ah (יום תרועה), also called "Rosh Hashanah" (Num. 29:1). This marks the start of the final "week of years" of the End of Days and time of worldwide judgment, otherwise called the "Great Tribulation."
- Yom Kippur (יום כיפור) also called the Day of Atonement (Lev. 16:29). This holiday prophetically denotes the national repentance, cleansing, and restoration of the Jewish people at the end of the Tribulation Period.
- Sukkot (חג סוכות) also called "Tabernacles" (Lev. 23:39-43). Note that this is the first time the commandments to dwell in a Sukkah and to wave the arba minim (four species) are mentioned in the Torah). This denotes the Millennial Kingdom and Sukkah of God established as Zion. (The two more recent holidays of Chanukah and Purim are alluded to in this portion as well: see the parashah summary for more information.)
Notice that there is a restatement of the commandment to leave food for the poor and the stranger (pe'ah, leket, etc.) that appears in the midst of the list of the various holidays (see Lev. 23:22), which the sages said was intended to remind us to help those in need, especially during these times (i.e., giving tzedakah). Hence we see that giving of tzedakah is a regular part of the Jewish holidays (e.g., giving ma'ot chittim [מַעוֹת חִטִּים] "money for wheat" during Passover, matanot la'evyonim [מַתָּנוֹת לָאֶבְיוֹנִים] for Purim, and so on). The sages ask, "Why did the Torah place the mitzvah of helping the poor while speaking about the holidays and their particular sacrifices? To teach us the greatness of charity: 'God credits whoever gives charity to the poor as if they built the Holy Temple and presented offerings therein to God.' Giving a gift to the poor is giving a gift to God Himself!"
Since there are at least 50 weekly Sabbaths in a Jewish year in addition to the seven prescribed holidays (not to mention Rosh Chodesh and the other holidays such as Purim, Chanukah, Israel Independence Day, etc.), it is no wonder that the Scriptures declare: "A person with a cheerful heart has a continual celebration" (Prov. 15:15). The moedim are times to give thanks to the LORD for all He has done.... Rejoice in the Lord always!
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Notice further that the calendar is divided into two equal parts of exactly six lunar months each, both of which center on redemptive rituals and end with harvests. The first half of the divine calendar begins on Rosh Chodashim (i.e., Nisan 1; Exod. 12:2), which is followed by the instructions to select the Passover lamb on Nisan 10 (Exod. 12:3), slaughter it in the late afternoon of 14th (Exod. 12:6-7) and eat it on the 15th (Exod. 12:8). The Passover itself initiated the seven day period of unleavened bread (from Nisan 15-22), wherein no leaven was to be consumed (Exod. 12:15-20). On an agricultural level, Passover represents spring, the season of the firstfruit harvests (i.e., chag ha-katzir: חַג הַקָּצִיר), and so on.
On the "other side of the calendar," Yom Teruah (or Rosh Hashanah) marks the start of the second half of the year (Exod. 23:16, Lev. 23:24), which is followed by the Yom Kippur sacrifice ten days later, on Tishri 10 (Lev. 23:27), followed by the weeklong festival of Sukkot ("Tabernacles") that occurs from Tishri 15-22 (Lev. 23:34-36). On an agricultural level, Sukkot represents the reaping of the fall harvest (i.e., chag ha'asif: חַג הָאָסִף) at the "end of the year" (Exod. 23:16). In other words, in some respects the fall holidays "mirror" the spring holidays on the divine calendar, and indeed, both sides of the calendar represent different aspects of God's redemptive plan for the world. As I've written about elsewhere, the spring holidays represent the first advent of Yeshua (i.e., Yeshua as Suffering Servant, Lamb of God, Messiah ben Yosef), whereas the fall holidays represent His second advent (Yeshua as Conquering Lord, Messiah ben David).
In an attempt to include Chanukah and Purim as apart of the divine calendar revealed in the Torah, the Jewish sages note that immediately after the LORD revealed these holidays, he instructed Moses to keep the menorah in the Holy Place of the Mishkan burning continually (ner tamid) and to provide weekly "showbread," or twelve loaves of bread on the shulchan inside the Holy Place. The sages say that the instructions regarding the oil of the menorah alludes to Chanukah, whereas the lechem ha-panim ("showbread") alludes to hester panim - or "hiding of face" and the nes nistar (hidden miracle) of the Esther story.
Hebrew Lesson
Lev. 23:4 reading (click):
The Cycles of Time...
Instead of thinking of time as a linear sequence of events (i.e., the measurement of linear, progressive motion), Jewish thinking tends to regard it in terms of a spiral or "helix," with a forward progression delimited by an overarching (and divine) pattern that recurs cyclically throughout the weeks, months, and years of life.
This can be seen in the Hebrew language itself. Some of the sages note that the Hebrew word for "year" - shanah (שָׁנָה) - shares the same root as both the word "repeat" (שָׁנָה) and the word "change" (שִׁנָּה). In other words, the idea of the "Jewish year" implies ongoing "repetition" - mishnah (מִשְׁנָה) - or an enduring "review" of the key prophetic events of redemptive history as they relived in our present experiences...
The idea that the events of the fathers were "parables" for us is expressed in the maxim: מַעֲשֵׂה אֲבוֹת סִימָן לַבָּנִים / ma'aseh avot siman labanim: "The deeds of the fathers are signs for the children." The Jewish year repeats itself thematically, but it also changes from year to year as we progress closer to the coming Day of Redemption...
We see this very tension (i.e., constancy-change), for example, in the "dual aspect" of the ministry of Yeshua our Messiah. In His first advent Yeshua came as our "Suffering Servant" and thereby fulfilled the latent meaning of the spring holidays, and in His second advent He will fulfill the latent meaning of the fall holidays and elevation of Zion. Nonetheless, we still commemorate both the "type and its fulfillment" every year during Passover by extending the ritual of the Seder to express the reality of Yeshua as the world's "Lamb of God," just as we commemorate the fall holidays in expectation of His rule and reign as our King....
None of this is meant to suggest, by the way, that there isn't an "end point" in the process - a glorious Day in which we will be with God and enjoy His Presence forever... The idea of the "cycles" of time, or "timeless patterns in time," suggests, however, that the "seed" for our eternal life with God has already been sown - and was foreknown even from the Garden of Eden, despite the fact that we presently groan while awaiting the glory of heaven.
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 25:10 reading (click):
Vision of Jewish Destiny...
The Haftarah portion for this week (Ezek. 44:15-31) comes from the last section of the book of Ezekiel (chapters 40-48) that foretells the glory of the future Temple that will be built after the Final Redemption, during the 1,000 year Kingdom of Zion.
04.29.26 (Iyyar 12, 5786) Ezekiel (i.e., Yechezkel: יְחֶזְקֵאל) was a Jewish priest and Hebrew prophet who lived through the devastating time of the destruction of the First Temple (586 BC) and the subsequent exile of the Jewish people to Babylon. The prophet was actually exiled some eleven years before the Temple was destroyed and joined the other exiles who were taken when King Jehoiachin of Judah was removed by Nebuchadnezzar. While he was in exile at the River Kebar, Ezekiel had the astounding vision of the "Chariot of the LORD" (merkavah YHVH: מרכבה יהוה) with four wheels guided by the cherubim, upon which the LORD sat upon a sapphire throne (see Ezek. 1). This vision marked the beginning of Ezekiel's prophetic ministry to the exiles, which consisted primarily of a series of visions regarding the imminent destruction of the Temple, along with prophecies regarding the downfall of surrounding nations, the vision of the "dry bones" coming back to life (i.e., the resurrection of future Israel), the great prophecy of the war of Gog and Magog, and the climactic vision of the future Temple during the Messianic era...
Jewish tradition has tended to regard the Book of Ezekiel (סֵפֶר יְחֶזְקֵאל) as difficult to understand (and even objectionable) for a variety of reasons. First, the sages were troubled by apparent contradictions between Ezekiel's vision of the Temple Service and the laws given in the Torah. For example, various Temple rituals and rules described in the book appear to have been changed from the laws given earlier in the Book of Leviticus. Second, the sages thought Ezekiel took a "backward step" by reemphasizing the role of the Temple. Didn't Micah the prophet write: "With what should I come before the Lord? With burnt offerings and year-old calves? He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" (Micah 6:6, 8). Third, other sages objected to mystical visions found in the book (especially the vision of the Chariot), and warned that encouraging mysticism would lead the people astray. Despite these objections, however, the Book of Ezekiel was eventually accepted into the canon of the Jewish Scriptures, and today portions are publicly read (for the weekly Haftarah) no less than ten times a year. Part of the credit for the inclusion of the book is said to go to a first-century sage named Hananiah ben Hezekiah (c. 70 AD), who was reputed to have used "three hundred measures of oil" (to keep his lamps lit) as he tirelessly studied the prophecy and harmonized it with the laws Torah: "Were it not for him, the Book of Ezekiel would have been hidden" (Sabbath 13b). Today Jewish tradition makes "peace" with Ezekiel by understanding that the need for ritual is a part of Jewish life, just as is the study of the Torah, the practice of tzedakah, and so on. Among Orthodox Jews, however, the Book of Ezekiel foretells the time when the Messiah will come to the Jewish people and establish the Kingdom of Zion as the center of the earth.
Most modern commentators divide the Book of Ezekiel into four main divisions: (1) chapters 1-24 provide prophetic warnings before the destruction of the Temple; (2) chapters 25-32, provide prophecies during Jerusalem's fall, including prophecies of judgment upon the surrounding nations; (3) chapters 33-39, prophecies after Jerusalem's destruction, including promises of future restoration and blessing for Israel; and (4) chapters 40-48, the great vision of the coming Temple and its glory in the world to come (i.e., the Millennial Kingdom).
The Haftarah portion for this week (Ezek. 44:15-31) comes from the last section of the book (chapters 40-48) that foretells the glory of the future Temple that will be built after the Final Redemption, during the 1,000 year Kingdom of Zion. This Temple, it should be noted, will be built by the Messiah Yeshua after His second coming and is better understood as the "Fourth Temple," since the "Third Temple" will be destroyed at the end of the Great Tribulation period... The Book of Ezekiel refers to the Fourth Temple as "Adonai Shammah" (יְהוָה שָׁמָּה) meaning "the LORD is there" (Ezek. 48:35).
The connection between our Torah portion (Emor) and the haftarah clearly centers on the role of the priests and the continuation of the Jewish holy days in the world to come. The opening phrase of the parashah (Lev. 21:1), "Say to the priests" is therefore linked with the service described by the priests in the coming Millennial Temple. Like the instructions given in the Torah portion, Ezekiel declares that the priests "shall teach my people the difference between the holy and the profane, and show them how to distinguish between the unclean and the clean." In a dispute, they shall act as judges, and they shall judge it according to my judgments. They shall keep my laws and my statutes in all my appointed feasts, and they shall keep my Sabbaths holy" (Ezek. 44:23-24, cp. Lev. 10:10-11). Note that besides teaching the people the difference between the holy and the profane, the priests will judge the people and teach them about Shabbat, Rosh Chodesh, and the other festivals (especially Passover and Sukkot: Ezek. 45:17-25).
Interestingly, the priests of the Millennial Temple will only be those who are direct descendants of Zadok (צָדוֹק), who was the first High Priest in the Temple of Solomon (1 Kings 2:35). Zadok demonstrated loyalty to King David during the insurrection of Absalom (2 Sam. 15) and later anointed King Solomon to be the king of Israel after the failed attempt of Adonijah to seize the throne (1 Kings 1:32-ff). Zadok was also said to be a direct descendant of Pinchas (Phinehas), the grandson of Aaron, who had been promised a "covenant of priesthood for all time" (see Num. 25:13). Therefore the LORD says, "The Levitical priests, the sons of Zadok (בְּנֵי צָדוֹק), who kept the charge of my sanctuary when the people of Israel went astray from me, shall come near to me to minister to me. And they shall stand before me to offer me the fat and the blood, declares the Lord GOD" (Ezek. 44:15). In other words, other descendants of the Levites would be forbidden from the sacred service in the Holy Place of the future Temple. Spiritually speaking the "sons of Zadok" may refer to Christians who are called "sons of righteousness" (i.e., bnei tzedek: בני צדק) because they were faithful followers of Yeshua and by Him are made righteous by the blood of the Lamb of God.
The Jewish commentators, notably Radak, wrote that the spiritual level of the Zadokite priests will rise to be equal to that of the High Priest as described in the Torah portion of Emor. For instance, all the priests would wear the linen garments the High Priest wore during Yom Kippur (Ezek. 44:17-19), and the more stringent rules for holiness demanded of the High Priest are now applied to all the Zadokite priests. In other words, all the priests would be held to the higher standards of holiness formerly required for the High Priest alone. The priests will eat the meal offerings, sin offerings, guilt offerings, first fruits, and terumah (special contributions) brought by the people to the new Temple.
Some people are troubled by the idea of a Jewish priesthood operating in the world to come, and especially with the idea that the various sacrifices described in Ezekiel will be offered after the cross of Yeshua. Indeed, Ezekiel describes sacrificial offerings (given by the regent of King David) for the Sabbath day (46:1-5), the New Moon (46:6-8), the appointed feasts (46:9-12), as well as the daily (tamid) sacrifices (46:13-15). Because all this seems inconsistent with the message of the gospel, many Christian interpreters attempt to "allegorize" the Book of Ezekiel and apply its message as a vision of the triumphant church in heaven (this is characteristic of many who hold to some for of "ammillennialism," as well as to most "covenant" theologians). It should be noted, however, that what is being described in Ezekiel pertains to a coming "dispensation" or age that follows the "church age." The language of Ezekiel's description of the Temple is too precise to warrant such allegorization, nor do the detailed descriptions of the sacrifices, the appointed times, the description of the "city of the LORD" and the inheritance of the tribes hint at any kind of metaphor. It is better, then, to understand the future Temple to be the way a redeemed Israel will commemorate (or memorialize) the sacrifice of Yeshua as Israel's true High Priest and King. After all, if the sacrifices offered in the Levitical system before the cross looked forward to the sacrifice of Yeshua, it is logical that the sacrifices in the Kingdom of Zion will commemorate His sacrifice as Israel's Lamb of God...
When we consistently read the Scriptures using the "historical-grammatical" method, the Book of Ezekiel strongly contradicts the viewpoint of "replacement theology," and indeed the Jewish sages understand the book to be the ritual expression of the words of the other Hebrew prophets such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, Zechariah, and so on. So you see why the study of the Hebrew language (i.e., the "language of the Kingdom") and the study of the Jewish holidays is so important to us, chaverim. God's purposes remain the same, and the Torah is part of our heritage as followers of Yeshua, the Jewish Messiah and our Savior.... Those who ignore (or "interpret away") the literal reading of the Book of Ezekiel will likely be scandalized with the clear message of the Book of Esther as well.
The name Ezekiel means "God [אֵל] will strengthen [יֶחֱזַק]" and his message is one of hope and strength (chazak) for the Jewish people... As the apostle Paul foresaw, one day all Israel will be saved and the promises of the Hebrew prophets will be completely fulfilled (Rom. 11:26). God is faithful, chaverim, and He will do as He promised for the Jewish people.... May that day come soon!
Hebrew Lesson
Isaiah 66:23 reading (with comments):
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Perfection and Holiness...
"Consider that fact that, being nothing in ourselves, we cannot, without divine assistance, accomplish the smallest good or advance the smallest step toward Heaven." - Lorenzo Scupoli
04.28.26 (Iyyar 11, 5786) Our Torah portion this week (i.e., parashat Emor) begins by listing special requirements for Israel's priests to be eligible to serve, and then goes on to list the yearly cycle of Sabbaths and the seasonal festivals.
First of all the priests (kohanim) were required to be "perfect," without any physical defect or uncleanness that might render them unfit for service. Everything about the priests – their clothing, their hair style, their skin condition, and especially their adherence to the meticulous steps required to offer the daily sacrifice (לֶחֶם אֱלהָיו) - was to be "defect free," and any deviation might even incur the penalty of death itself (see Lev. 10:2; Num. 4:15, 2 Sam. 6:6-7). On the other hand, what sometimes disqualified a priest for service were things beyond his control, for instance, a variety of physical disabilities such as blindness, having a limp or disfigured limb, and so on (see Lev. 21:16-21).
Thinking about these various requirements raises some provocative questions concerning the meaning of "perfection" in our lives, and particularly how we, as a deeply flawed people, can possibly be "perfect." The question is radical and affects how we are to understand practical holiness or the idea of "sanctification": Are we to seek to be perfect people, and if so, how do we understand what this means? Is our spirituality bound up with perfectionism, with flawless performance, and with always being and doing what is right?
In the Sermon on the Mount Yeshua warned that our righteousness should exceed that of the religious leaders of his day (Matt. 5:20), and he went on to say: "be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Matt. 5:48). Here we note that the Greek word translated "perfect" (τέλειος) may mean "mature" or "fully developed" more than morally flawless, though regarding moral and spiritual practice this distinction is not clear cut, especially if by "mature" we mean godly in character, as the context of Yeshua's statement clearly implies (see Matt. 5:1-48). The Hebrew word translated as "perfect" (תָּמִים) can also mean "complete," but it can connote being "wholehearted," "sound," or even healed (שָׁלֵם). So the question arises, does the word "perfect" mean "flawless" or "healed" -- or perhaps both?
Of course we affirm that God alone is truly perfect (Deut. 32:4; Psalm 18:30), completely good (Matt. 19:17), flawlessly righteous (Psalm 145:17), entirely holy (Isa. 6:3; Rev. 15:4), and peerlessly unique (Exod. 15:11; Jer. 10:6-7), but how can we relate to God's overmastering perfection in the midst of our daily flaws and chronic imperfections? How dare we approach "to offer the bread of God" (Lev. 21:17)?
Followers of the LORD are called to be a nation of priests, a "select people," set apart to serve God in holiness (Exod. 19:5-6; 1 Pet. 2:9; Lev. 11:45), but it is clear we are blemished, imperfect, blind, halt, needy, and unclean... This is common to the human condition: all of us, Jew or non-Jew alike, are broken, flawed, and in the midst of the inevitable flow of life that leads to death and decay (Rom. 3:23). We are sick with sin and unable to heal ourselves, and therefore we need a radical transformation - "deliverance from ourselves" – that must come through divine intervention and the miracle of spiritual rebirth (John 3:3,7).
Nevertheless in this world the paradox still remains: we are finite yet long for the undying, the infinite; we are in flux yet anchored in hope; we are a "new creation" yet still saddled with the old nature; we are made holy yet we live in the midst of the profane; we are purified yet still need cleansing; we are healed yet are still wounded; we are redeemed of God yet still need to turn to God in teshuvah; we die daily yet have eternal life. Our hearts are to be a divine sanctuary, yet we are powerless to make God appear in our midst...
Perfection haunts us; we often confuse the ideal and the real. Our romantic visions fail us; our poetic utterances are as an unknown tongue; all of us are strangers, wanderers, in lonely exile. And the question then becomes – how do we embrace the "already-not-yet," the process, the fleeting days with their poignant and achingly mundane moments – within the context of real hope, a vision that heals and brings us real comfort? How do we make peace with our imperfections, our present darkness, and our hunger for deliverance? How do we envision healing in the midst of our brokenness?
Ironically those defects that disqualify us as priests can be transformed into compassion for others, and this enables us to reach out to God in the midst of our flawed existence... After all, the deepest role of the priest is to draw others near to God, but this requires empathy and awareness of the needs of others. Therefore God clothed himself with our frailty, our infirmities, and the brokenness of our sin in order to redeem us in Yeshua. As it is written, we have a high priest who is able to sympathize (συμπαθέω) with our weaknesses (Heb. 4:15).
The priest of the New Covenant is a mediator through poverty of spirit and mourning (Matt. 5:3-8). Just as Joshua the high priest was graciously given robes of righteousness in exchange for his filthy garments (Zech 3), so we are given an imputed righteousness that comes through trusting in "the One who justifies the ungodly" (Rom. 4:5). "For our sake God made Him (i.e., Yeshua) to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Cor. 5:21). This is a righteousness that is "apart from the law, though the law and prophets testified of it; namely, the righteousness of God given through the faithfulness of Yeshua the Messiah" (Rom. 3:21-22). Our groaning for the complete deliverance is a gift given by the Spirit of God crying out within our hearts (Rom. 8:22-23).
"In honesty you have to admit to a wise man that prayer is not for the wise, not for the prudent, not for the sophisticated. Instead it is for those who recognize that in face of their deepest needs, all their wisdom is quite helpless. It is for those who are willing to persist in doing something that is both childish and crucial" (Frederick Beuchner).
C.S. Lewis once remarked, "God doesn't love you because you are good, but He will make you good because He loves you." This goodness is the miraculous inner working of an imparted godliness, the divine gift of a new heart and spirit (Ezek. 36:26). Awaken to your eternal perfection in the world to come: "You shall be perfect even as your heavenly Father is perfect" can be read as a prophecy rather than as a command.
Therefore do not give up, friends; do not succumb to despair. Stop torturing yourself and focus on God's kindness and mercy for your life. We must endure ourselves and believe in the promised healing to come. As the Apostle Paul said to us: "Do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal" (2 Cor. 4:16-18). And may God help us walk in perfect faith in His unfailing love (Phil. 3:14). Amen and amen.
Hebrew Lesson
Ezekiel 36:26a reading (click):
Healed in God's Love...
04.27.26 (Iyyar 10, 5786) How do you think God regards you? Does he see your sin first? If you think he disapproves of you, it's likely you will attempt to earn his approval by doing certain things (and not doing others), which puts you "under the law," that is, the never-ending cycle of self-justification. But you will never feel safe as long as you regard God's acceptance of you as conditional, since you will only be as secure as your own best efforts, a project that will exhaust you in the end.
We must know ourself as someone truly loved by God, just as the "prodigal son" came to know his father's unconditional love and acceptance despite his many misdeeds (Luke 15:11-32). The incarnation of Yeshua means that God "runs to meet and embrace you," regardless of whatever happened in your life that made you run away from home. And whatever else it may be, sin is the separation from God's love, but Yeshua made the decision to die for your sins before you were born. Your sin cannot overrule God's surpassing and personal love for your soul, since God gave up his very life for you to find life.
The Hebrew word for "life" is chayim (חַיִּים), a plural noun that contains two consecutive letter yods (יי) that picture two "hands held together" (the Hebrew word yad [יָד] means "hand"), or the union of our spirit with God's Spirit. The word itself reveals that there is no life apart from union with God, who extends his hand to you and says, "Live in me" (John 15:4).
We live in God's love by faith, receiving our daily bread as his flesh and our drink as his blood (John 6:53). Yeshua is the Source of all life, and we find nourishment, strength, and fullness of joy in his life. The Lord is our light and our salvation, the Mediator of divine life (Psalm 27:1; John 1:4). As it is written, "Whoever has the Son has the life; but whoever does not have the Son of God does not have the life" (1 John 5:12).
The Lord is also called "the God of breath" (Gen. 2:7; Num. 16:22). The Hebrew word for breath is ruach (רוּחַ), a word that means both "spirit" and "wind." God is as close as your breath and surrounds you like the unseen yet encompassing air. Since God's name YHVH (יהוה) means "Presence" (Exod. 3:13-14), "Life" (Deut. 30:20), and "Love" (Exod. 34:6-7), he is the Beloved, the "I-am-with-you-always" lover of your soul. So fear not; you are never really alone. Yeshua breathes out to you and says, "Receive the Holy Spirit" (John 20:22).
Hebrew Lesson
Isaiah 41:10a reading (click for audio):
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Ways of Holiness:
Parashat Emor - פּרשׁת אמר
04.26.26 (Iyyar 9, 5786) Our Torah portion for this week (parashat Emor) lists the eight main holidays revealed in the Jewish Scriptures. In the Torah, these "holidays" are called "appointed times" (i.e., mo'edim: מוֹעֲדִים), a word which comes from the Hebrew root meaning witness (עֵד). Other words formed from this root include edah (עֵדָה), a congregation, edut (עֵדוּת), a testimony, and so on. The related verb ya'ad (יָעַד) means to meet, assemble, or even to betroth. The significance of the holy days, then, is for the covenant people of the LORD to bear witness to God's love and faithfulness.
"Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, 'These are the appointed times of the LORD (מוֹעֲדֵי יְהוָה) that you shall proclaim as holy convocations (מִקְרָאֵי קדֶשׁ); they are My appointed times'" (Lev. 23:2). Note that these hallowed times - the very first of which is the weekly Sabbath - are "of the LORD," and that means they should be regarded as appointments given by God Himself to help draw us closer to Him, to reveal His prophetic truth, and to remind ourselves of His great plan for our lives. God did not give us the Torah in vain, friends, neither does He speak out of two sides of his his mouth... Yeshua was the Voice of the LORD speaking the words of Torah to Israel at Sinai, and therefore every "jot and tittle" (קוֹצוֹ שֶׁל יוֹד) is indeed relevant to our lives as his followers (Matt. 5:18-19).
Hebrew Lesson
Leviticus 23:2 reading (click for audio):
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Metaphorically the "paths of the Lord" (i.e., orechot Adonai: ארחות יהוה) are likened to "ruts" or grooves created by the wheels of a caravan (i.e., orechah: ארְחָה) passing repeatedly over the same ground. These paths signify the Divine Presence journeying with God's children in this world. In temporal terms, we are able to discern the path by means of the divine calendar. God's love and faithfulness attend to His covenant (brit) and to the commemorations of the yearly "appointed times" that testify of God's faithful love. Keeping God's testimonies, then, means that we will be careful to observe the holidays in order to witness to God's truth...
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 25:10 reading (click):
Hebrew Lesson
Opening words of parashat Emor:
Root of the Righteous...
04.24.26 (Iyyar 7, 5786) It is written, "No one is established by wickedness, but the root of the righteous will never be moved" (Prov. 12:3). A person's heart is revealed by his core convictions and desires. Wealth and the pleasures of this world do no good for the eternal soul. Although the wicked of this world may appear to prosper, it is only temporary and will not last (Psalm 37:1-2); on the other hand, though the righteous may appear to fall, it is only temporary, and they will rise again, since the Root of the Righteous (שׁרֶשׁ צַדִּיקִים) is God's own power: "The steps of a man are established by the LORD, when he delights in his way; though he fall, he shall not be cast down, for the Lord holds his hand" (Psalm 37:23-24).
Hebrew Lesson
Proverbs 12:3 reading (click for audio):
The sages note that the word translated "established" (in Prov. 12:3) comes from a word (כֵּן) meaning a "base" or a "stand" – that is, something external that supports something, but the word "root" (שׁרֶשׁ) refers to the inner essence of the plant. The Malbim said that man is like an inverted tree with its roots on top, drawing life from heaven that provides him with spiritual sustenance. The wicked cut themselves off from the root and base their lives on the material and transitory foundation of this world. Yeshua likened the immovability of the righteous as those who build their house on the rock: when the tempest comes, the house will not fall, because it is founded upon the rock. Those who build their house on the sands of this world are foolish: when the tempest comes, the house will collapse and its fall will be great (Matt. 7:24-27). In the midst of life's storms and trials, the righteous (הצדיקים) have an inner support that keeps them from being destroyed, and that is the Rock of our Salvation (צוּר יִשְׁעֵנוּ), Yeshua our Lord!
The Scriptures state twice: שׁרֶשׁ לְמָטָּה וְעָשָׂה פְרִי לְמָעְלָה / "Take root downward and bear fruit upward" (2 Kings 19:30; Isa. 37:31). As Yeshua said, "unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it abides alone; but if it dies, it produces a harvest (John 12:24). The inner life goes into the earth - it dies and then is re-opened to yield fruit. We pray we might surrender ourselves to the Lord fully, being immersed in His passion, "bearing fruit in every good work (ἐν παντὶ ἔργῳ ἀγαθῷ καρποφοροῦντες) and growing in da'at HaShem (דַעַת אֱלהִים) - the knowledge of God" (Col. 1:10). The "fruit of the righteous is a Tree of Life" lit., etz chayim (עֵץ חַיִּים), "the Tree of lives" (Prov. 11:30). It is the fruit of Yeshua, the Righteous One, who bears fruits of healing for the lives of those who turn to Him in trust...
"I can do all things through the Messiah who strengthens me," not "some things," or a "few things," but ALL things (Phil. 4:13). Yeshua is the Tree of Life, the Source of all our strength. "May you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being" (Eph. 3:16). Let's remember to pray for one another and ask the LORD to help make each of us fruitful to the glory of our Heavenly Father (John 15:8). Amen...
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Temptation of Despair...
04.24.26 (Iyyar 7, 5786) There is a cunning temptation to become offended over yourself, to allow disappointment and self-contempt to whisper within your heart: "If anyone really knew me, they wouldn't love me at all." Entertaining such a thought leads the soul to darkness, isolation, and to accept the "bad faith" that you are defective, irredeemable and ultimately destined to rejection.
In light of the truth of the gospel, however, being offended over yourself is really a form of unbelief, since it impugns the love of God that saves you from despair. To escape from the curse of self-rejection we must renounce our bad faith and find courage to believe that we are beloved God, accepted and received into his heart because of his goodness and mercy.
Despite our many failures and sins, despite our frailties and habitual stumbling, we must hear again words of God's love that declare that we are his beloved. God knows all about you. He knows all of your secret sins; he understands your struggles and your fears, yet he steadfastly loves you anyway (Rom. 5:8). His love and acceptance are a pure gift given to you, and all that he asks is that you believe - and emotionally receive - that he is for you, now, in this hour. This is the "good faith" that trusts that you are redeemed, healed, and welcomed by your Father in heaven.
The Word of the Lord says that you are precious and honored in God's sight, and that in all your affliction he himself is afflicted (Isa. 43:4; 63:9). May it please God to deliver us from self-loathing and know ourselves as his precious children.
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 143:8 reading (click):
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Forsake me not, O LORD...
04.24.26 (Iyyar 7, 5786) Though it is true that God will never leave nor forsake us, he nevertheless allows trouble in our lives so that we will learn to call upon him and know his heart in our struggles (1 Pet. 1:5-9; Hos. 6:1-3; Job 5:18; Jer. 3:22). For how else will we understand the truth of our great need for him, and how else his great provision? "Blessed are the poor in spirit," describes the poignant awareness of our inner poverty, our bankruptcy of heart, the destitution of our condition (Matt. 5:3).
We cry inwardly, "Forsake me not, O LORD: O my God, be not far from me" (Psalm 38:21) because we realize our need for deliverance from ourselves; we understand that we cannot take even a step in his way apart from his upholding. As Kierkegaard said: "We know that if God should put to the test our faithfulness to him, we know well that at the moment of testing, he himself must hold on to us, that is, we know that at bottom we are unfaithful, and that every instant it is he who at bottom holds us." Amen, as the Spirit intercedes: סְעָדֵנִי וְאִוָּשֵׁעָה - "Hold me up, and I shall be made safe, and I will have respect unto thy statutes continually" (Psalm 119:117).
"Do not forsake me, O LORD," is the mantra in our darkness, the antiphon of God's promised Presence, despite the devouring gloom; it is the cry of the heart that knows that only God can get us through the next moment and its temptation to despair. "Do not forsake me, O LORD, lest I be swallowed up by my pain, my fear, my sadness, my anguish of heart; do not forsake me, for I am nothing but the anguish of the moment, the sorrow of loneliness, the fear of my own heart as I tremble before you in my desperation; O do not forsake me...."
O LORD, You came to heal the sick; you spoke life to those who are without strength or remedy; you came to seek the lost, to find those who are without a place or sense of belonging in this world. O Lord, you know that without you I can do nothing; you know that I am weak, poor, and needy; my path is perilous and I have no hope apart from you. Be not far from me; do not leave me to my own devices nor the counsel of my own soul. Save me, O God, for the glory of your Name; be magnified in your heart of love and faithfulness. Amen.
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 38:21 reading (click):
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The Way of Truth...
04.23.26 (Iyyar 6, 5786) It is written in Torah portion Kedoshim: "You shall not put a stumbling block before the blind (לִפְנֵי עִוֵּר לא תִתֵּן מִכְשׁל); you shall fear God; I am the LORD" (Lev. 19:14). Just as no one can deny the validity of logic by means of argument, so no one can intelligibly deny that truth is necessary... Indeed, every person intuitively believes that truth exists, since otherwise he or she would not ask any questions or make any statements.
We intuitively presuppose the value and reality of truth whenever we communicate, and we understand that there is an implied social contract to be honest and not to deceive others. Deceitful language puts a "stumbling block before the blind" when it is used to withhold important information from others. For example, politicians who make evasive statements or who offer mutually exclusive promises to different groups of people are being dishonest and are cloaking their true intentions. The same may be said about people who sell products or services using various misleading claims.
The lie is a type of violence. Martin Buber once said, "What is accomplished through lies can assume the mask of truth; what is accomplished through violence can go in the guise of justice, and for a while the hoax may be successful. But soon people realize that lies are lies at bottom, that violence is violence - and that both lies and violence will suffer the destiny history has in store for all that is false."
Those who willfully misdirect others violate the ninth commandment not to bear false witness (Exod. 20:16; 23:1). Such deception is called "genevat da'at" (גְּנֵבַת דַעַת), or "stealing of the mind," since it defrauds another person's thinking. Misleading people is a violation, then, of both the commandment not to steal and the commandment not to bear false witness.
The Torah warns us never to exploit other people's vulnerability or to take advantage of their good will and trust. Those who use false words and deceitful language to blind the eyes of the gullible will assuredly face judgment, as it is written: "No creature is hidden from God, but everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must render an account" (Heb. 4:13). Lying to others is desecration, profanity, and ultimately a form of violence. Those who cause others to stumble will tragically discover that truth will be a stumbling block to them. May God help us to fear Him and to be yashar – upright in our communication with others. Therefore may each of us proclaim: "I have chosen the way of truth; I have set your judgments before me" (Psalm 119:30; also 2 Tim. 2:19).
דֶּרֶךְ־אֱמוּנָה בָחָרְתִּי
מִשְׁפָּטֶיךָ שִׁוִּיתִי
"I have chosen the way of truth;
I have set your judgments before me." (Psalm 119:30)
The First Step of Faith...
"He [God] lets me weep before him in silent solitude, pour forth again and again my pain, with the blessed consolation of knowing that he is concerned for me — and in the meanwhile he gives that life of pain a significance which almost overwhelms me." - Kierkegaard
04.22.26 (Iyyar 5, 5786) There is an indispensable element of our spiritual life that is all-determinative, that affects everything else, and that is the decision of whether we will choose to "show up," whether we will engage it's hope; and whether we will open our eyes and yield ourselves to the light... And this is an ongoing decision.
Therefore we read: "If you walk in my statutes (אִם־בְּחֻקּתַי תֵּלֵכוּ) and observe my commandments and do them..." (Lev. 26:3). The sages note that unlike the holy angels, we must "walk out" the faith of our days, and therefore we are always moving either forward or backward. In this world, God's sun shines on the just and unjust alike (Matt. 5:45). Every human being lives by faith of some kind, and it is therefore impossible to opt out of the decision to "choose this day whom we shall serve" (Josh. 24:15). Indifference or apathy is as much a spiritual decision as is outright rebellion, and if we do nothing today to draw us near to the Lord, we will eventually regress and slip backward.
This is all very sobering. "No one knows the day or hour," and that's why it is so vital to turn to God and be healed while there is still time. So turn today and bacharta ba'chayim (בָּחַרְתָּ בַּחַיִּים) - "choose life!" "For this commandment (of turning to God) is not hidden from you, and it is not far away... No, the matter is "very near you" (כִּי־קָרוֹב אֵלֶיךָ הַדָּבָר מְאד) - in your mouth and your heart - to do it" (Deut. 30:11-14; Rom. 10:8-13).
Hebrew Lesson
Deut. 30:19b reading (click):
Renew your mind:
Escape from the Matrix...
"Be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect." (Matt. 22:44)
04.22.26 (Iyyar 5, 5786) "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness" (Matt. 6:33). This is the right approach to life: Open your heart to heaven and seek God's presence before you do anything else (Prov. 3:5-6). This is particularly important at this time, friends. Do you want your mind to be confused, excited, depressed or angry? Do you want others to decide what is important and "real" for you? Then turn your attention to this world and its rumors and its tendentious news. The mass media thrives on trouble - whether real or imagined - and serves to manipulate people by making them afraid. The newsmakers of this world understand that fearful people make their most loyal consumers...
Consider the godless assumptions that underlie the news of the this world. Purported and alleged experts are lined up; the dialog is scripted; sound bites are repeated on a relentless schedule, images and videos are crafted, yet you will hear nary a word to call upon God for healing and deliverance. God is simply "not there"; he is not part of the narrative of the present crisis or trouble. And yet nothing could be further than the truth!
The LORD God must be the first principle of our thinking or else we will become deceived, regardless of the formal validity of our reasoning. There is a difference between "soundness" and "validity," and if we do not begin with truth, our thinking will be impaired, even if we accidentally make inferences that turn out to be empirically true. Therefore we must be vigilant and vigorously challenge ideas that attempt to seduce us away from the truth and divide our affections. We must learn to identify the false assumptions that deny the knowledge of God and take "every thought captive" to Messiah. We must be on guard for subtle, unspoken, and calculated appeals to compromise our faith (2 Cor. 10:5).
If we find ourselves in a state of recurring temptation, we must examine the underlying assumptions that are at work in our thinking. If we dig deeper, we are likely to discover that we are doubting that God cares for us, or we are fearful that God will not meet our needs. We must therefore counter such faithless assumptions with God's revealed truth, and that means regularly studying and reviewing the Scriptures to remind ourselves about what is real rather than what is illusory. We then can learn to look at life as it really is - a spiritual world, a "valley of decision," the corridor that irresistibly leads to the world to come. Each soul is on a journey to meet with God for judgment... Yet God does not leave us comfortless. He has promised to never leave nor forsake those trusting in Him. The Lord is your Good Shepherd who walks with you during your sojourn through this temporal world (Psalm 23).
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 23:4 reading (click for audio):
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A voice says, "Cry!" And I said, "What shall I cry?" All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field" (Isa. 40:6). "All flesh is grass" (כָּל־הַבָּשָׂר חָצִיר) - we are here today but gone tomorrow. We have only so many chances to turn to the LORD and make up our minds that we will serve Him. ALl our days are numbered. The Torah uses a metaphor: "man is a tree of the field," i.e., הָאָדָם עֵץ הַשָּׂדֶה, Deut. 20:19). The righteous man is described as a "tree planted by the rivers of water that brings forth fruit in his season" (Psalm 1:3). If you stand in front of a tree to watch it grow, however, you will see nothing. But if you care for the tree, nurture it over time, and provide for its needs, eventually you will see its fruit appear. God gives us each a season to repent, but if that proves fruitless in our spiritual lives, eventually we will be "cut down" (Luke 13:6-9).
The Scriptures warn that a "double-minded man is unstable in all his ways" (James 1:8). The word translated "double-minded" is dipsuchos (δίψυχος), a word formed from δίς, "twice" and ψυχή, "soul." The word describes the spiritual condition of having "two souls" that both want different things at once. It is therefore a state of inner contradiction, of having two separate minds holding contradictory thoughts. "How long will you go limping between two opinions?" Notice that the word translated "limping" is posechim (פּסְחִים), from the same root as Passover (i.e., pasach: פָּסַח): How long will you pass from one thing to another? How long will you play "hot potato" with your commitments?
Being doubleminded makes us "unstable in all our ways." Such a "cross-eyed" approach leads to disorientation and confusion. The Greek word used to describe being "unstable" (ἀκατάστατος) is the same word used to translate being "storm-tossed and not comforted" in last week's Haftarah portion (LXX: Isa. 54:11). The image of a ship being tossed in the sea pictures a state of distress and peril. Interestingly, the description of being "not comforted" is lo nuchamah (לא נֻחָמָה), which comes from the very word translated as "repent" or "regret" (nacham). When we are double-minded, we are "storm tossed" and unable to experience the comfort that comes from genuine repentance. We are like "a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind" (James 1:6).
On the other hand, singleness of vision concentrates the will and produces wholeheartedness, conviction, stability, inner peace (shalom) and genuine character. As Soren Kierkegaard said, "purity of the heart is to will one thing." "I have set the LORD always before me; because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved" (Psalm 16:8).
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 16:8 reading (click for audio):
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The Apostle Paul taught that we are not to be "conformed" (συσχηματίζω) to the pattern of this fallen world but rather be "transformed" (μεταμορφόω) by renewing our minds, so that by testing we may discern what is the will of God (Rom. 12:2). Note that the word translated "conformed" in this verse means to accept the world's scheme (σχῆμα) of understanding things, that is, to passively go along with the world's "matrix" of lies, wishful thinking, propaganda, etc. The word translated as "transformed," on the other hand, means to be metamorphosed or radically changed into a different kind of nature with a different source of being itself. Such transformation comes from having our minds "renewed" -- the word used in this verse (i.e., ἀνακαινόω) means being "made new on the inside," and therefore renewal is the gift of teshuvah (turning to God).
"Our view of the world is truly shaped by what we decide to hear" (William ames). Understand, then, that the foundation of all transformation of inner character and outward conduct comes from the miracle of having a renewed mind. I use the word "miracle" quite intentionally, since by itself "right thinking" is powerless to help the sinner truly change his ways, and therefore something more - radically new life and healing power from heaven, is what is necessary.The gospel is the power of God for salvation (Rom. 1:16). Indeed "the beginning of transformation of character is the renovation in the very centre of the being, and the communication of a new impulse and power to the inward self" (Alexander Maclaren). Amen, may the LORD God work out our salvation and give us the grace to walk our days in the light of his countenance.
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Loving the Stranger...
"No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear." - C.S. Lewis
04.22.26 (Iyyar 5, 5786) From our Torah portion this week (Acharei-Kedoshim) we read: "The stranger who dwells among you shall be to you as one born among you, and you shall love him as yourself; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God" (Lev. 19:34). But how is it possible to love someone who is a "stranger" apart from empathy for someone who is lost? The unspoken assumption here is that since we know how it feels to be an outcast, oppressed and without a sense of belonging or home, so we ought sympathize with others who feel that way too.
When we acknowledge the suffering of others we also acknowledge our own. We let go of the weapons of blame and retribution when we give voice to the "stranger" within ourselves, when we realize that others share in our suffering: "Do not oppress a sojourner, for you know the soul of a stranger (וְאַתֶּם יְדַעְתֶּם אֶת־נֶפֶשׁ הַגֵּר), for you were strangers..." (Exod. 23:9). The Hebrew verb used here (i.e., yada, to know), implies intimacy, personal and direct understanding. You "know the soul" of the stranger by reliving their place, and by using the "good eye" to see how they share common our pain, joy, hope, and so on.
Being sensitive to the heartache of others helps us find our own healing: We are brought out of our "inner Egypt" into freedom and wholeness. Remembering what it was like to be a stranger helps us extend compassion to ourselves, and that brings healing to our hearts.
The mitzvah to love the stranger applies not only to someone whom we regard as an "outsider," but even more radically to the "stranger within ourselves," that is, to those aspects of ourselves we censor, deny, or reject...
Like the prodigal son, we have to "come to ourselves" to return home (Luke 15:17), believing that we are somehow redeemable, though we will be unable to know how much we are loved until we venture complete disclosure. That is the great risk of trusting in God's love for your soul: You must accept that you are accepted despite your own unacceptability... Those parts of ourselves that we "hide" need to be brought to the light, atoned for, healed, and reconciled. If we don't love and accept ourselves, then how can we hope to love and accept others?
Hebrew Lesson
Lev. 19:34 reading (click):
God's "Super Sign" of Israel...
"The very existence of Israel is as near to a miracle as we will find in the sober pages of empirical history." - Rabbi Jonathan Sacks
04.21.26 (Iyyar 4, 5786) Israel's Independence Day is called Yom Ha'atzma'ut (יום העצמאות), the "day of independence." In Hebrew, the word independence (atzma'ut) comes from atzmi - "my bones" (i.e., etzem: עֶצֶם), so the name itself alludes to God's glorious promise to revive the "dry bones" (עֲצָמוֹת) of Israel by bringing the Jewish people back from their long exile during the End of Days (Ezek. 37:1-6). "Son of man, can these bones live?"
Hebrew Lesson
Ezekiel 37:3a Hebrew reading (click):
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But why should Christians care about ethnic Israel? After all, many Christian denominations advocate some version of "Replacement Theology" and regard the promises God made to the Jewish people as belonging exclusively to their church... The existence of the modern State of Israel therefore evokes little thanks to God from these groups, and some of their ranks even regard Israel's revived presence on the world stage as an embarrassment to their typically "liberal" theology. Hence we see the (remarkably bad) phenomena of so-called "Christian" church denominations that express anti-Israel sentiment, even asking their followers to divest investments in Israel on behalf of the "Palestinians," etc.
The title "Christ" refers to the anointed King of Israel, the Mashiach (מָשִׁיחַ)... To say "Jesus Christ" is therefore to affirm that Yeshua is none other than the Messiah, the rightful King of Israel (מֶלֶךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל). Followers of Jesus, the One born "King of the Jews" (Matt. 2:2), should therefore care deeply about Israel because the existence of Jewish people - and of the nation of Israel in particular - demonstrates that the LORD (יהוה) is completely faithful to the covenant promises He made to our patriarchs (e.g., Gen. 15:9-21). Indeed, the Scriptures teach that the Name of God is forever designated as אלהי אברהם אלהי יצחק ואלהי יעקב - "the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob" (Exod. 3:15), just as it is also the "LORD God of Israel" (יְהוָה אֱלהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל). The perpetuity of the Jewish people - despite so much satanic hatred over the millennia - is an awesome testimony of God's loyal love (Jer. 31:35-37). עַם יִשְׂרָאֵל חַי / am Yisrael chai: "The people of Israel live!" Israel is a sign of the "sure mercies of David" (חַסְדֵי דָוִד הַנֶּאֱמָנִים) that are revealed in Yeshua, the Jewish Messiah (Isa. 55:1-6). Moreover, the New Covenant itself, as foretold by the prophet Jeremiah, explicitly promises the perpetuity of the Jewish people throughout the ages:
Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD (יהוה), when I will make a new covenant (בְּרִית חֲדָשָׁה) with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the LORD. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my Torah (תּוֹרָה) within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more."
Thus says the LORD, who gives the sun for light by day and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar - the LORD of hosts is his Name: "If this fixed order departs from before me, declares the LORD, then shall the offspring of Israel (זֶרַע יִשְׂרָאֵל) cease from being a nation before me forever." Thus says the LORD: "If the heavens above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth below can be explored, then I will cast off all the offspring of Israel for all that they have done, declares the LORD. (Jer. 31:31-37)
According to this theologically critical passage, if you saw the sun shine today or the stars in the night sky, you can be assured that God's promise to preserve the "offspring of Israel" -- (i.e., zera Yisrael: זֶרַע יִשְׂרָאֵל) -- is in effect. Indeed, in the world to come, heavenly Jerusalem will have the names of the twelve tribes of Israel engraved upon its gates (Rev. 21:12). Note well that this is the only occurrence in the entire Tanakh (i.e., "Old Testament") that the New Covenant (בְּרִית חֲדָשָׁה) is explicitly mentioned... It is a foundational passage of Scripture for those who claim to be followers of the Jewish Messiah.
The spiritual blessings Christians enjoy come from the root of God's covenants with Israel... Yeshua our Savior was born the King of the Jews, and he plainly said הַיְשׁוּעָה מֵאֵת הַיְּהוּדִים הִיא- "salvation is from the Jews" (Matt. 2:2; 27:11; John 4:22). The Apostle Paul clearly warned those who think the church has "replaced" Israel: "Remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you" (Rom. 11:18). This doctrine is so foundational that it may be rightly said that how you think about Israel will affect every other area of your theology. Indeed, the nation of Israel is God's "super sign" that He is faithful to His covenant promises (Jer. 31:35-37). Celebrating Israel's existence acknowledges God's loyal love for us all! For more on this subject, see the article, "Is Christianity Anti-Jewish?"
In the holy Torah we read how God said to Moses, "Say this to the people of Israel, 'The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob (אלהי אברהם אלהי יצחק ואלהי יעקב), has sent me to you.' This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations'" (Exod. 3:15).
Hebrew Lesson
Exod. 3:15b Hebrew reading (click):
"Your Name, O LORD, endures forever, your renown, O LORD, throughout all ages" (Psalm 135:13). Therefore the prophet cries: "in the east give glory to the LORD; in the coastlands of the sea, give glory to the Name of the LORD, the God of Israel" (Isa. 24:15).
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 135:15 Hebrew reading (click):
Extraordinary Encounters...
"The fullness of joy is to behold God in everything." - Julia of Norwich
04.21.26 (Iyyar 4, 5786) We "sanctify" our hearts whenever we consciously focus on what is sacred, awesome, wonderful, and glorious about Reality, and in particular, on the Living God, oseh shamayim va'aretz (עשֵׂה שָׁמַיִם וָאָרֶץ), the Maker of Heaven and Earth, and the great salvation we have in Yeshua. In our Torah portion this week (i.e., Acharei Mot) we read: "You shall not do as they do (לא תַעֲשׂוּ) in the land of Egypt, where you lived, and you shall not do as they do in the land of Canaan, to which I am bringing you. You shall not walk in their statutes" (Lev. 18:3). In other words, we are not to follow the crowd, to appeal to the status quo, or to mimic the customs of the world because we are a visionary people who walk by faith in the Torah of the LORD (Psalm 119:1-3).
Being in a vital relationship with God means separating from the ordinary and mundane, leaving our "original homeland" behind us and crossing over to the realm of blessing. Abraham had to leave the land of his father before he could receive the promise; the Israelites had to trek far into the desert before they received the vision at Sinai, and we have to leave our old lives behind to partake of newness of life. There is a radical break from the past -- we are transformed, reborn, and made into new creations by the miracle of God (2 Cor. 5:17). "Being holy" therefore means coming alive and looking away from that which deadens our hearts (Col. 3:1-4). Behold, the LORD God of Israel makes all things new!
The call to be holy is radical and completely contrary to the world and its messages of conditional approval. Worldly culture flatters itself by making a pretense of true originality and genuine love. It imagines itself to be "cool," unconventional, creative, sophisticated, artistic, and so on, but in truth it is trite, uninspired, and cloyingly tragic. To be truly original means encountering God in your daily experience, struggling through the day in faith, disregarding the clamor and demands of popular culture and its idolatry (i.e., fads, fashions, trends, etc.). God calls his people to come alive, to be new, and to experience abundant life; we are to treasure the unseen, the possible, and to keep faith in the healing good that will overwhelm all darkness. Now that's radical; that's original; that's powerful.
Note the connection between worldliness and idolatry, since idolatry essentially involves trying to find your identity, your worth, your satisfaction, and your ultimate fulfillment in the realm of the transitory and the finite (i.e., the world) rather than in God.... We are (rightly) warned against the vices of "worldliness" and are admonished to abstain from popular culture and its spurious values, but note well that worldliness extends well beyond all this, since it concerns understanding the identity and nature of the person as a whole. The fruit of worldliness is the result of being rooted in this world rather than in God's kingdom. The various desires of the human heart - even the desire for "normal things" like personal happiness in this world - may be regarded as "worldly" if they are devoid of submission to God and His rule. Conversely, even Christian workers may be "worldly" if they base their identity in what they do rather than who they are in the Messiah...
We are "in" but not "of" the world; we are embedded within our culture to be salt and light, and that means we stay true to our vision and relationship with the LORD our God... We don't have to reinvent the wheel, however, since we learn from one another and especially from the testimony of our holy Scriptures, but nevertheless we must personally venture out and encounter God within our own hearts, trusting in his love for our everlasting healing. B'chol dor va'dor: in each generation an individual should look upon himself or herself as having been personally delivered from Egypt. To be efficacious, the message of the Passover Lamb must be personally received by the heart of faith.
Renew the affirmation of faith and know who you are: "If then you have been raised with Messiah, seek the things that are above (τὰ ἄνω ζητεῖτε), where the Messiah is seated at the right hand of God; focus your thoughts on the things above - not on things here on earth - for you have died, and your life has been hidden with Messiah in God. Then when the Messiah, who is your life, appears, you too will appear with him in glory" (Col. 3:1-4). Amen.
Hebrew Lesson
Leviticus 20:7 reading (click for 2 min audio):
Loving our Neighbor...
"If we are to love our neighbors, before doing anything else we must see our neighbors. With our imagination as well as our eyes, that is to say like artists, we must see not just their faces but the life behind and within their faces." - Frederick Buechner
04.21.26 (Iyyar 4, 5786) Our Torah portion this week (Acharei Mot) contains the infamous verse, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the LORD" (Lev. 19:18), which is generally given lip-service as the most important ethical law of the Torah. The Talmud recounts that when challenged by a pagan to impart the meaning of the Scriptures "while standing on one foot," Hillel said, "What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor: that is the whole Torah and the rest is commentary; go and learn it." Hillel summed up the Torah as "doing no harm" toward others (i.e., the "Silver Rule"), which agrees with the Apostle Paul's statement, "Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment (πλήρωμα) of the law" (Rom. 13:10). Of course Yeshua earlier taught His followers, "whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets" (Matt. 7:12; 22:36-40).
Some of the mystics have said that when two people love one another, the Holy One reigns between them, as alluded to by the Hebrew word for "love" (i.e., ahavah: אהבה), the gematria of which is thirteen (1+5+2+5=13), but when shared with another it is multiplied: 13 x 2 = 26, which is the same value for the Sacred Name (יהוה), i.e., (10+5+6+5=26). In other words, when we love, esteem, and respect one another, the LORD's presence is multiplied and revealed among us (1 John 4:7-8). "Where two or three gather in my Name..."
Hebrew Lesson
Leviticus 19:18b reading (click):
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In this connection, it is interesting to note that the gematria for the Hebrew commandment, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (i.e., וְאָהַבְתָּ לְרֵעֲךָ כָּמוֹך) equals 820, which is the same value as the word yekidash'ti (וְקִדַּשְׁתִּי), "And I [the LORD] will sanctify" (Exod. 29:44). When God commands us to "love your neighbor as yourself," he graciously includes the addendum: "I am the LORD," which the sages say recalls the revelation of the Name YHVH (יהוה), and that therefore is understood to mean, "I will help you to do this," or (in this case) "I will sanctify you through your acts of lovingkindness."
Followers of Yeshua have the ongoing obligation to love and care for one another (see John 13:34, 15:12,17, Rom. 13:8; 1 Thess. 4:9; 1 Pet. 1:22, 1 John 3:11, etc.). After all, in this world the only tangible way we can express our love for God is by extending gemilut chasadim (loving acts) to others (James 2:15-17, 1 John 3:17, 4:20). Indeed, Yeshua taught that our obligation to love and care for others may sometimes even preempt our outward duty to love God Himself. For example, what good is it to "tithe mint and cumin" for God's sake and yet neglect the needs of those who are suffering? (see Matt. 23:23).
Tragically, the idea of "loving" or "serving" God can even be used as a pretext for rejecting those with whom we might disagree... What else explains religious hatred, hidebound denominational prejudices, and other forms of "sanctimonious malice" at work in the various world religions of today? Even in so-called Christian churches we see this sort of bigotry at work. As Yeshua forewarned: "the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God" (John 16:2). Sadly this sometimes applies even to those who claim to love and worship the very Prince of Peace (שַׂר־שָׁלוֹם). The world's religious zealots are routinely trying to "do God a favor" by hating and even killing others... This is "Jihad-version" of religiosity is unquestionably a terrible sickness of spirit. In light of the sacrificial love and grace of God, is it not the utmost sacrilege to scorn and despise others made in God's image?
Love is the central idea of all true Torah. Though there are some slight language differences between the Exodus and Deuteronomy versions of the Ten Commandments, both begin with "I AM" (אָנכִי) and both end with "[for] your neighbor" (לְרֵעֶךָ). Joining these together says "I am your neighbor," indicating that the LORD Himself is your neighbor (see diagram below). When we love our neighbor as ourselves (אָהַבְתָּ לְרֵעֲךָ כָּמוֹךָ), we are in effect demonstrating our love for the LORD, while on the other hand, every social transgression is a transgression against God. As our Scriptures teach, "If anyone says, "I love God," but hates his brother is a liar," since "love fulfills the law" (1 John 4:20; Rom. 13:8). When we love our neighbor as ourselves we walk in the Torah of the LORD, which is perfect (Psalm 19:7).
A Living Faith...
04.20.26 (Iyyar 3, 5786) Shalom chaverim yikirim. We read in our Torah this week (Kedoshim): "You shall keep my decrees and my judgments, the pursuit of which man shall live: I am the LORD" (Lev. 18:5). The Kotzker Rebbe advised reading this verse as "You shall keep my decrees and judgments to bring life into them," meaning that we should bring all our heart, soul, and strength into the teaching of Torah. The commandments nourish the soul as food does the body. Just as we seek to season our food to make it flavorful, so we seek to observe the truth with conviction and joy.
"All things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. Therefore He says: "Awake, you who sleep, arise from the dead, and Messiah will give you light. Therefore be very careful how you live – not as unwise but as wise, but redeem the time, because the days are evil." (Eph. 5:13-16)
Amen. "May the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us: and establish the work of our hands upon us; yea, establish the work of our hands" (Psalm 90:17).
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 90:17 reading (click):
Prophetic Significance of Israel...
"Therefore say: 'This is what the LORD God (אדני יהוה) says: I will regather you from the peoples and I will gather you from the lands where you have been dispersed, and I will give you back the land of Israel.'" - Ezekiel 11:17
04.20.26 (Iyyar 3, 5786) Shalom ohavei Yisrael. Can a case be made that we among the "terminal generation" before the return of Yeshua? The Torah predicted that the "End of Days" would occur sometime after the return of the Jewish people from their worldwide dispersion back to the land of Israel (see Deut. 30:1-3), and indeed the theme of exile and return is repeated in the prophets (see Jer. 23:3; 32:37-38; Ezek. 37:21, etc.). Therefore it is surely extraordinary that Israel was reborn as a nation in their ancient homeland on May 14, 1948 (Iyyar 5, 5708), after nearly 2,000 years of exile...
Moreover, the existence of the modern State of Israel is entirely consistent with New Testament prophecies regarding the advent of the Messiah, since Yeshua taught that the Jewish people would indeed be in the land of Israel at the time of his second coming, and that the city of Jerusalem would be surrounded by enemies of the Jewish state (see Matt. 24-25; Mark 13, Luke 21). Furthermore, if we understand a "generation" to mean 70-80 years in duration (as stated in Psalm 90:10), then when Yeshua said, "this generation (ἡ γενεὰ αὕτη) shall not pass until all these things take place" (Matt. 24:34), he was perhaps referring to the generation that would originate with the restoration of the modern State of Israel, which further implies that Daniel's 70th Week (i.e., the Great Tribulation) could begin very soon. And while it is true that "no one knows the day or hour" of the "great day of the LORD" (יוֹם־יְהוָה הַגָּדוֹל), Yeshua faulted the scribes and the Pharisees for failing to discern "the signs of the times" (Matt. 16:3) and for missing the "time of their visitation" (Luke 19:44), and therefore we are to actively look in anticipation his second coming...
Hebrew Lesson
Isa. 66:8 reading (click):
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Am Yisrael Chai! - the people of Israel live! Like many other prophetic statements found in the Jewish Scriptures, this verse from the prophet Isaiah is "dual aspect," since it was both partially fulfilled when the Jewish people reestablished the State of Israel, but it will be entirely fulfilled at the outset of the Millennial Kingdom after the return of Messiah (see Isa. 66:7-16; Rom. 11:26). Meanwhile we behold the restoration of the "Fig Tree," and understand that the great harvest draws near, friends... May God help each one of us be awake, ready, with hearts full of steadfast faith (1 John 3:2-3; Titus 2:11-14; Matt. 24:32).
Regardless of how you may regard the prophetic events that herald the "end of the age," however, know this: Today might be your last in this world - your very own "Rosh Hashanah" when you will appear before the Judge and Creator of your life... Therefore should we live each day as if it were our last and pray that God will help us to serve Him in the truth.
Finally let me (preemptively) add that while we may discern that the time is indeed "short" and that the hour "draws near," I do not believe in "date setting" or predicting the return of the LORD, since that is "chokhmah nisteret" (חכמה נסתרת), "sealed wisdom," known only to the Father (see Matt. 24:36, Acts 1:7; 1 Thess. 5:2, etc.). Nevertheless we can foresee by faith the great and promised day to come!
Tues. April 21st - Wed. April 22nd
Happy Birthday Israel!
Death and Atonement:
Parashat Acharei Mot...
The Atonement of the Savior is the foundation and essence of our eternal salvation...
04.19.26 (Iyyar 2, 5786) This week we have another "double portion" of Torah. Our first Torah portion for this week is called Acharei Mot (אחרי מות). This portion transitions from the preceding readings regarding ritual purity (tahora) to recall the tragic incident of Nadab and Abihu, the two sons of Aaron who were killed when they offered "strange fire" upon the Altar of Incense during the dedication of the Tabernacle (see Lev. 10:1-2). Because these priests came close to the Holy of Holies and offered incense in a forbidden manner, the LORD commanded Moses to instruct Aaron that he should enter the innermost chamber only in a carefully prescribed manner once a year - on the tenth day of the seventh month - during the sacred time called Yom Kippur (i.e., the "Day of Atonement"). Incidentally, this is the anniversary of the date when Moses descended from Sinai with the restored tablets of the covenant after Israel was forgiven of the sin of the golden calf...
On this most solemn day, Aaron was commanded to immerse himself in a mikveh (pool of fresh water) and to dress in all-white linen. He then was instructed to slaughter a bull as a personal sin offering. Aaron then brought some ketoret (incense) to burn within the Holy of Holies before returning to sprinkle the blood of the sin offering seven times before the Ark of the Covenant (i.e., the kapporet or "Mercy Seat"). Aaron repeated this procedure using the blood of one of two goats that was selected (by lot) to be slaughtered as a sin offering on behalf of the people. After this, Aaron took more of the sacrificial blood and purified the Altar of Incense and the other furnishings of the Tabernacle. Later, the fat of these sacrifices was burned on the Copper Altar in the courtyard, though the hide and the flesh were to be entirely burned outside the camp.
After purifying the Tabernacle, Aaron went to the gate of the courtyard and laid both hands upon the head of the other goat (designated "for Azazel," a name for the accusing angel) while confessing all of the sins and transgressions of the people. This "scapegoat" was not slaughtered, however, but was driven away into the wilderness, carrying "all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited." Finally, Aaron returned to the Tent, washed and changed his clothes, and offered two more burnt offerings – one for himself and one for the people – to complete the purification process.
This elaborate ritual was ordained to be a decree for Israel, and the day of Yom Kippur was to be observed every year as a time of "affliction and mourning" for all the people. The portion ends with further instructions about making sacrifices, including the prohibition against offering sacrifices apart from the rites of the Tabernacle. The consumption of blood is explicitly forbidden, since blood was reserved for sacrificial purposes upon the altar.
The Call to be Holy:
Parashat Kedoshim...
We are sanctified by faith in the mercy and grace of God given in the Atonement of Messiah...
04.19.26 (Iyyar 2, 5786) Our second Torah portion for this week, called Kedoshim (קדשׁים), provides a series of social and ethical commandments concerning the practical expression of holiness in daily life: "Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them, You shall be holy (קדשׁים תהיו), for I the LORD your God am holy" (Lev. 19:2). Indeed this portion lists more mitzvot (commandments) regarding practical ethics (musar) than any other of the Torah, thereby directly connecting the holiness of the community with obedience to God's moral truth.
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After stating the requirement to be holy, the LORD begins to explain, "Each of you must respect (i.e., yirah: יִרְאָה) his mother and his father, and you must keep my Sabbaths. I am the LORD your God" (Lev. 19:3). The duty to revere (or honor) one's parents recalls the Fifth Commandment (Exod. 20:12), which is the starting point of learning to respect other people in our lives. Notice that the word for "my Sabbaths" (שַׁבְּתתַי) implies both the keeping of the weekly Sabbath as well as the "appointed times" of the LORD. As we will see, sanctifying time is a way we can express practical holiness in our lives...
Various practical commandments are given in this Torah portion through which a Jew is sanctified, or set apart to be kadosh - holy - and therefore fit for relationship with God. God is not only "wholly Other" (i.e., transcendent) but also pervades all of creation (i.e., "immanent"), and those who are called into His Presence must therefore be holy themselves. Such practical holiness results in sanctification obtained through the observance of commandments (mitzvot). These commandments include both mitzvot aseh (commandments to do something) and mitzvot lo ta'aseh (commandments to refrain from doing something). In addition, chukkim, or "statutes" are given that further separate the Jew from the customs and profanity of the surrounding nations.
Israel's Independence Day...
"The State of Israel is not just a place, but an idea, a dream, and a reality." - David Ben-Gurion, first Prime Minister of Israel
04.17.26 (Nisan 30, 5786) After the Jewish people had suffered for nearly 2,000 years of exile as clearly foretold by Moses (Lev. 26:38, 44; Deut. 28:64-64) and the Hebrew prophets (Isa. 43:5-6; Jer. 30:11; Joel 3:2; Ezek. 36:8-10; Hos. 9:1-10, etc.), Israel was miraculously reborn as a nation in their ancient homeland on May 14, 1948 (Iyyar 5, 5708). In honor of this historical event, Jews across the world traditionally celebrate Iyyar 5 as Israel's Independence Day, or Yom HaAtzma'ut shel Yisrael (ום העצמאות של ישראל).
The date for Yom Ha'atzmaut can vary from year to year. For instance, it may be moved a day earlier (i.e., to Iyyar 4th) so that it will not conflict with the weekly Sabbath. On our secular calendar this year Israel's (78th) Independence Day will be observed Tuesday, April 21st at sundown until the following sundown on Wednesday, April 22nd.
Note that the word atzma'i (עַצְמָאִי) means "independent" in Hebrew. The word atzma'ut (עַצְמָאוּת) means the state of independence, which comes from atzmi - "my bones" (עֶצֶם). Hence the "Day of Independence" is called Yom Ha'atzmaut in Hebrew. The name reminds us of God's promise to revive the "dry bones" (עֲצָמוֹת) of Israel by bringing the Jewish people back from their long exile (see Ezek. 37:4-5).
עַם יִשְׂרָאֵל חַי / am Yisrael chai: "The people of Israel live!" The nation of Israel is God's "super sign" that He is faithful to His covenant promises (Jer. 31:35-37). Celebrating Israel's independence acknowledges God's loyal love for us all.
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Tues. April 21st - Wed. April 22nd
Happy Birthday Israel!
Acceptance and Trust...
The following reflects on Yom HaShoah and our need for endurance...
04.17.26 (Nisan 30, 5786) What do we do with anguish of heart? The ancient Jewish custom of keriah (קְרִיעָה), the tearing of clothes (or cutting a black ribbon worn on one's clothes) to express grief, is to be performed while standing up. The sages say this is to teach that even in time of grave testing, when we protest over loss and recoil from what God brings our way - we are to be upright, we are to meet all sorrow while standing upright. We forswear all blame and accept life on God's terms, continuing to trust in times of darkness. Even in moments of inner heartache we affirm faith in God's promises for good.
We had nothing when we were born into this world, and all that we now have was given to us by hashgachah pratit - the providential plan of God. As the LORD graciously gave, so He has the prerogative to take away. Pain, suffering, and even death itself surely do not come by accident but are rather part of the inscrutable will of God, who works all things together for the good of creation. Gam zu l'tova – this too is "for the good," even if the good is not revealed in the moment.
Job refused to blame God for his troubles for he understood that whatever God does (or allows) must itself good, and there is no reason to doubt this, even if in the present there is tribulation – indeed, even unto the throes of death. "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change" (James 1:17). As it is written, lo yimna-tov laholekhim be'tamim (לא יִמְנַע־טוֹב לַהלְכִים בְּתָמִים), "no good thing does he withhold from those who walk in completeness" (Psalm 84:11), and you are made complete (תָּמִים) because of the finished work of Messiah on your behalf. Do not be afraid of His providence: no good thing will the LORD withhold from you...
We cannot escape suffering in this life, but God gives us heart to face the struggle. Each day contains the opportunity to serve God even in the midst of trouble (Matt. 6:34). We cannot control much of what happens to us in this life, so our task is to sanctify time and trust that God will see to our true needs. Taking refuge in God means personally trusting in His goodness for your soul, despite circumstances that might tempt you to lose heart. al evosh, ki chasiti vakh - "Let me not be ashamed, for I put my trust in You" (Psalm 25:20).
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 25:20 reading (click):
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The Light of Faith...
"In faith there is enough light for those who want to believe and enough shadows to blind those who don't." - Blaise Pascal
04.17.26 (Nisan 30, 5786) Instead of regarding the Bible as a "Book of Answers" for our questions, it is worthwhile to think of it as a "Book of Questions" for our answers. As we listen, God questions us so that we can know him by means of the dialog within our hearts.
As any good teacher knows, when a student earnestly wrestles with a question he learns more than if he were given a straightforward answer. As Soren Kierkegaard once said there are many who arrive at conclusions in much the way schoolboys do: "they cheat their teachers by copying the answer book without having worked the problem out themselves." We may be able to parrot creedal formulas or recite catechisms, yet in the end it is our own responsibility to make an authentic faith commitment.
The Lord allows to be without answers so that we will be free to seek, to struggle, and to "own" what we come to understand through our relationship with him... That way our learning will be real, substantive, and born from the urgency our own inner need.
Indeed, God's very first question to man is always, ayekah: "Where are you?" (Gen. 3:9), which appeals for us to acknowledge how we hide from the truth. "Where are you?" is the poignant call of the Seeking Father for his lost child, and the question only becomes "our own" when we are willing to look at how we've come to be at this place in our lives. God's question to our heart is meant to lead us out of hiding to respond to his loving call...
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 119:130 reading (click for audio):
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Thomas Aquinas' most significant work was his Summa theologiae or 'Summary of Theology,' a massive book that attempted to systematize all of Christian theology. He worked on it from 1266 through 1273, but when he was nearly finished, he underwent an experience so intense that, as he himself explained, everything he had written "seemed like straw." He thereafter gave up writing about theology after he encountered the Reality itself.
Everything is inherently mysterious, since everything ultimately expresses the inscrutable will and decrees of God.... Ask yourself with earnestness of heart: Where do I come from? Who am I? Where am I going? For what reason was I created? The first step is to wonder, to ask the searching questions, and to seek God's wisdom... The LORD is faithful and will reveal truth to the heart that seeks..
It is too easy to be preoccupied with everyday concerns and to miss the marvel and sheer wonder of existence itself. If you will approach these questions with humility and reverence, you will be filled with wonder, your heart will be filled with greater fervor, and you will hunger more than ever for God's Presence.
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Foreseeing Heaven...
"The sense that in this universe we are treated as strangers, the longing to be acknowledged, to meet with some response, to bridge some chasm that yawns between us and reality, is part of our inconsolable secret. For glory means acceptance by God, response, acknowledgment, and welcome into the heart of things. The door on which we have been knocking all our lives will open at last." (C.S. Lewis: Weight of Glory, 1942).
04.16.26 (Nisan 29, 5786) When Abraham sought a place to bury his wife Sarah, he said to the Hittites chieftains: "I am a stranger and sojourner among you..." (Gen. 23:4). The righteous invariably feel like strangers to this world, since they are only passing through, and their focus is on the invisible "city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God" (Heb. 11:10). Likewise they are as sojourners, not at home in this world, because their faith sees through the vanity and deceit of the present world, and therefore they regard themselves as on a journey to the place of truth and holiness where God abides.
The profane person, on the other hand, regards their natural life in this world to be of utmost importance, and therefore they ensconce themselves in this world, "absolutizing" the moment and forfeiting the blessing of the eternal (Matt. 16:26). Abraham regarded himself as a "stranger and sojourner" (גֵּר־וְתוֹשָׁב) because the people of his world considered themselves as "owners" and "permanent residents" who sought their inheritance in the here and now. Abraham was a "resident" of someplace higher, however, and understood this world to be a corridor to the next. The sages comment on this paradox: God says to man, 'If you see yourself as a permanent resident in this world, then I will be a stranger to you; if, however, you see yourself as a stranger to this world, then I will be a Dwelling Place for you."
Hebrew Lesson
1 Chronicles 29:15 Hebrew reading:
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Like father Abraham we must learn to see beyond the temporal to behold the eternal; we must look past the shadows to see the substance. Faith calls us to see the unseen, to believe in the promised good that will come, and to keep hope alive... We have to turn our attention away from the rumors and visions of the present hour to see the supernal light which transcends the atmosphere of this world (2 Cor. 5:7). Faith separates us from the visible and temporal realm (i.e., chayei sha'ah: חיי שעה) before the invisible and eternal realm (i.e., chayei olam: חַיֵּי עוֹלָם); it hears (shema) the "yes" of the LORD in the midst of worldly dissipation and despair. Faith is the heartache, the groaning, and the yearning for undying love. "Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may be consumed, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever" (Psalm 73:25-26). This world appears to the eye of faith a strange place, and here we are no more than sojourners as we look for our heavenly habitation whose builder and maker is God (Heb. 11:10; John 14:1-3). Our hearts yearn for the unseen good, healing beyond death to life, the realm of promise and blessing and unending grace.
So for what do you hope? What are your dreams? Your deepest desires? Where is your treasure? Yeshua cautioned those who sought their happiness in this world: "Do not store up for yourselves treasures upon earth... be rich toward God" (Matt. 6:19-20; Luke 12:21). When we treasure God, our focus is directed toward the eternal reality, and our interest in this world is minimal. We trust God to meet our daily needs and surrender our future to His care. The only worry we face concerns our own deficiencies in our obligations to the Savior. Our duty is to love God in the truth - bekhol levavkha - with all our heart, having no thought of ourselves. Indeed, self-denial means to quit thinking about yourself (from α-, "not," + ῥέω, "to speak") by accepting what God has done for you. "It is not my business to think about myself. My business is to think about God. It is for God to think about me" (Simone Weil).
"Now, if we are made for heaven, the desire for our proper place will be already in us, but not yet attached to the true object, and will even appear as the rival of that object. If a transtemporal, transfinite good is our real destiny, then any other good on which our desire fixes must be in some degree fallacious, must bear at best only a symbolical relation to what will truly satisfy" (C.S. Lewis: Weight of Glory, 1942).
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 73:25 Hebrew reading:
Endurance and Hope...
"Those who hope in Christ can no longer put up with reality as it is, but begin to suffer under it, to contradict it. Peace with God means conflict with the world, for the goads of the promised future stab inexorably into the flesh of every unfulfilled present. If we had before our eyes only what we see, then we should cheerfully or reluctantly reconcile ourselves with things as they happen to be. That we do not reconcile ourselves, that there is no unpleasant harmony between us and reality, is due to our unquenchable hope." – Jurgen Moltmann
04.15.26 (Nisan 28, 5786) Though we are optimistic about the purpose and end of reality, and though we believe that God "works all things together for good" (Rom. 8:28), we are not therefore "monistic idealists," that is, those who say that "God is One" really means that evil is not real or that it is actually a "part of God." Reductionistic answers are always too simplistic, whether they come from science, theology, or cracker-barrel philosophy...
The Spirit of God says: "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 prudent in their own sight!" (Isa. 5:20-21).
It is woeful to confound the moral truth of God with sophistical categories of human arrogance: "language games" intended to subvert and pervert all the great principles of truth, wisdom, and of righteousness... And it is woeful to "sanctify crimes with the names of virtues," to pillage the truth of language for illicit or perverse gain. And yet again it is woeful to abuse the mind by confounding the role of conscience, to disparage intuitions of moral reality, to impugn logical reasoning, and therefore to make a "pretend form" of knowledge.
The Holy Spirit states that the difference between good and evil, and of sin and righteousness, is as evident as the difference between the most obvious of contrary qualities discovered by the senses, such as the benefit of light over darkness and of seeing over being blind.... Throughout the Scriptures, "darkness" symbolizes ignorance, error, deception, and crime, whereas "light" connotes truth, knowledge, and heartfelt piety. Likewise bitterness is associated with evil and sin: "Your own wickedness will correct you, and your backslidings will rebuke you. Know therefore and see that it is evil and bitter (רַע וָמָר) that you have forsaken the LORD your God, and that the fear of Me is not in you (וְלֹא פַחְדָּתִי אֵלַיִךְ)," declares the Lord GOD of hosts" (Jer. 2:19; see also Jer. 4:18), just as sweetness is associated with goodness and righteousness: "How sweet are Your words to my taste! Sweeter than honey to my mouth" (Psalm 119:103); "Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the person who trusts in Him" (Psalm 34:8). The commandments of God are more to be desired than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb; moreover by them is thy servant warned, and in keeping of them there is great reward" (Psalm 19:10-11).
Alas, the majority of people in every generation love darkness more than light, as our Lord attested: "This is the condemnation, that light has come into the world, but people love darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil. For every one that does evil hates the light and does not come to the light, so that his deeds would be exposed. But the person who does truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest that they done by God's power" (John 3:19-21). In this connection Charles Elliot wrote: "Deliberate perversion is in all ages the ultimate outcome of the spirit that knows not God, and therefore neither fears nor loves Him, whether it shows itself in the license of profligacy, or the diplomacy of Machiavellian statesmen, or the speculations of the worshipers of mammon."
We are given "exceedingly great and precious promises," yet in this world we suffer and experience real pain, heartache, and troubles. Yeshua said "in this world you will have tribulation," though that is not the end of the story, of course, for there is the cheer of God's' victory, even if we must repeatedly ask God for grace to endure our troubles without murmuring or kvetching (John 16:33; Heb. 4:16). I realize that is often difficult, and some of you might be within the fiery furnace even now. You might be asking, "Where are you, Lord, in all of this? Why don't you bring me out of these troubles?" In such testing you need endurance (ὑπομονή) to hold on to hope, believing that God uses affliction to refine you for good. As Paul said, "We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces refined character, and refined character produces hope" (Rom. 5:3-4). Each of us is still upon the "Potter's wheel," and God's hand continues to shape us into vessels that one day will reveal his glory and honor. "The LORD will give strength to his people; the LORD will bless his people with peace" (Psalm 29:11).
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 29:11 reading (click):
Let's keep holding on, friends, and never give up. Though these are indeed perilous times, the Lord our God is faithful and true. He will never leave nor forsake us, whatever may come. The Lord gives us acharit ve'tikvah (אַחֲרִית וְתִקְוָה), "a future and a hope" (Jer. 29:11).
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