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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.
In the summer there occurs a three week period of mourning that begins with the Fast of Tammuz and ends with Tishah B'Av. The last nine days of this three week period (i.e., from Av 1 until Av 9th) are days of increased mourning. However, after this somber time, the romantic holiday of Tu B'Av, the 15th of Av occurs. Summer ends with the 30 days of the month of Elul, a yearly season of teshuvah (repentance) that anticipates Rosh Hashanah and the fall holidays. The 30 days of Elul are combined with the first 10 days of the month of Tishri to create the "Forty Days of Teshuvah" that culminate with Yom Kippur.
Because they occur between the spring and fall holidays, the summer holidays help us prepare for the second coming of the Messiah:
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The Summer Holidays:
Note that in accordance with tradition, holiday dates begin at sundown. Moreover, some holidays may be postponed one day if they happen to fall on the weekly Sabbath:
- Month of Tammuz (Sun. June 14th [eve] - Tues. July 14th [day])
- Month of Av (Tues. July 14th [eve] - Wed. Aug. 12th [day])
- Month of Elul (Wed. Aug. 12th [eve] - Fri. Sept. 11th [day])
- Month of Tishri (Fri. Sept. 11th [eve] - Sat. Oct. 10th [day])
Note: For more about the dates of these holidays see the Calendar pages....
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July 2026 Site Updates
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Return to your heart...
07.20.26 (Av 6, 5786) Although we pray for Israel and anticipate the coming of the Lord for us, the present state of this evil world has absolutely nothing to say regarding the life of faith in the LORD (יהוה)... Our duty is to live before the Divine Presence at all times -- regardless of whatever our circumstances. "In relationship to God one can not involve himself 'to a certain degree.' God is precisely the contradiction to all that is 'to a certain degree'" (Kierkegaard). A believer must be contemporary with Christ's presence on earth, since the Eternal entered historical time to offer a timeless relationship with all who would believe. Our Lord touches us because He connects with our hearts in the present hour...
So what do you truly believe? What do you love? How do you "relate" to life? For those who trust in the Presence of God in Yeshua, nothing "happens" randomly or at a distance from our Heavenly Father's care... We do not know Yeshua as some hoary figure of the past, nor as a remote hope of the heart, but in the "blood and guts" of our daily struggle -- in the midst of our connection with him as we journey in faith. God's love is not a secondhand gift... Yeshua asks each of us: 'Who do you say that I am?' (Mark 8:29) and awaits for us to "show up" in our faith to reach out to Him.
From our Torah portion this week (i.e., Vaetchanan) we read, "Know therefore today and return to your heart (והשׁבת אל־לבבך), for the LORD is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other" (Deut. 4:39). Here again we see the centrality of the heart as the mode to encounter God (Luke 17:21). Savor the phrase, "Know therefore today and return to your heart..." It the heart that is the place of connection with God... As Yeshua said, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me" (Rev. 3:20). Today is the day to "return to your heart" and receive again God's love for your soul...
Hebrew Lesson
Deut 4:39 Hebrew reading (click):
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Holding Fast to God...
07.20.26 (Av 6, 5786) Our Torah portion this week, which is customarily read on the Sabbath following Tishah B'Av, says: "But you who have cleaved to the LORD your God are all alive today" (Deut. 4:4). The Hebrew word translated "cleave" is davak (דָּבַק), first used in the Torah to describe how a man would leave his father and mother to cleave to his wife so they would become "besar echad" (בָשָׂר אֶחָד), or "one flesh" (Gen. 2:24). The word is also used to describe how Ruth clung to Naomi (Ruth 1:14), how David pursued enemy armies (2 Sam. 23:10), how Solomon was attached to his foreign wives (1 Kings 11:2), how Job's bones stuck to his flesh (Job 19:20), how leviathan's scales were glued together (Job 41:17), how metal was welded together (Isa. 41:7), how the LORD cleaves to Israel (Jer. 13:11), and so on. It also is the word used to describe how Yeshua's tongue was so dried out that it stuck to his jaws as he agonized upon the cross (Psalm 22:15). Incidentally, in Modern Hebrew word for "glue" is devek (דֶבֶק), which also comes from the same root...
Another word that derives from davak is the noun form devakut (דְּבָקוּת), which means "cleaving" in devotion or attachment to God. Such cleaving to the LORD can be thought of as "stick-to-itiveness" or pertinacity, though it might better be understood as a form of clinging in dependency, surrender, and heart-desperation. So understood, devakut is a form of communion with and a reliance upon God for the blessing of life...
Cleaving to God is a day-to-day, moment-by-moment trusting of the heart. As Yeshua said: "Take therefore no thought for tomorrow: for tomorrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient for the day its own trouble" (Matt. 6:34). Live one day at a time. The LORD gives us daily bread (לֶחֶם חֻקֵּנוּ) so that we may persevere for this day. "For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand today -- if you hear his voice" (Psalm 95:7). Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your heart (Heb. 3:15). "Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God, but encourage one another every day, as long as it is called "today," so that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin" (Heb. 3:12-13).
Hebrew Lesson
Deut. 4:4 reading (click for audio):
Shavuah Tov Podcast:
Parashat Vaetchanan...
07.19.26 (Av 5, 5786) As I mentioned below, the Torah reading for this week is always read on the Sabbath that immediately follows the somber holiday of Tishah B'Av (תשעה באב). In Jewish tradition, this special Sabbath is called "Shabbat Nachamu" (שַׁבַּת נַחֲמו), "the Sabbath of Comfort" and assigned the prophetic portion from the Book of Isaiah that begins with the famous phrase: נַחֲמוּ נַחֲמוּ עַמִּי - Nachamu, Nachamu ami - "Comfort, O comfort ye, my people..." (Isa. 40:1). With the advent of this special Sabbath, we have just seven weeks to prepare for the new year (i.e, Yom Teruah or "Rosh Hashanah") and the High Holidays - a "jubilee" season that heralds the return of Yeshua.
Hebrew Lesson
Isaiah 40:1 reading (click for audio):
Va'etchanan: Moses' Plea...
Our Torah reading for this week, parashat Vaetchanan, is always read on the Sabbath immediately following Tishah B'Av, called Shabbat "Nachamu", or "the Sabbath of Comfort."
07.19.26 (Av 5, 5786) This week we will study parashat Vaetchanan (פרשת ואתחנן), a rich Torah portion that includes some of the most foundational texts of the Jewish Scriptures, including the Ten Commandments, the Shema (the duty to love God and study His Torah), as well as the commandments of tefillin and mezuzot. In addition, in this portion Moses predicted the worldwide exile and the eventual redemption of the Jewish people in acharit hayamim (the prophesied "End of Days").
The Torah portion begins with Moses' plea to the LORD to be allowed entry into the Promised Land, despite God's earlier decree to the contrary (see Num. 20:8-12; 27:12-14). The Hebrew word va'etchanan (וָאֶתְחַנַּן) comes from the verb chanan (חָנַן), which means to beseech or implore. It derives from the noun chen (חֵן), grace, implying that the supplication appeals to God's favor, not to any idea of personal merit (in Jewish tradition, tachanun (תַּחֲנוּן) are prayers recited after the Amidah for God's grace and mercy). Moses was asking God to show him grace by reversing the decree that forbade him to enter the Promised Land.
Hebrew Lesson
Deut:3:23 reading (click for audio):
In addition to the weekly Torah reading, this week we will remember Tishah B'Av, a solemn holiday that recalls the many tragedies that have befallen the Jewish people over the millennia, including the destruction of the Holy Temple and the diaspora, among other things. Tishah B'Av occurs on Wednesday, July 22nd at sunset this year.
Following Tishah B'Av, on the 15th day of the month of Av, we will also observe chag ha-ahavah (חַג הָאַהֲבָה), or "the holiday of love." Since it marks the "last" festival of the Jewish year, prophetically the 15th of Av (called Tu B'Av) pictures our marriage to the Lamb of God (Seh Elohim), the LORD Yeshua our beloved Messiah. On a soon-coming day those who belong to the LORD and are faithful to follow His ways will be blessed with the unspeakable joy of an eternally intimate relationship with Him. This is heaven itself - to be in the Presence of the LORD and to be regarded as His beloved (Rev. 19:6-9). Maranatha.
His Righteous Judgment...
As I've mentioned earlier this week, the Book of Deuteronomy is read during the season of Tishah B'Av to emphasize our need to be vigilant and to repent... Shabbat Shalom chaverim! - John
07.17.26 (Av 3, 5786) The Torah teaches that because of the Sin of the Spies, the entire generation of Israelites rescued from Egypt was sentenced to die in the desert. According to the Midrash Eichah Rabbah, every year until the fortieth year (after the Exodus), on the eve of the Ninth of Av, Moses would command the people, "Go out and dig," and the people would leave the camp, dig graves, and sleep in them overnight. The following morning a messenger would proclaim, "Let the living separate from the dead!" Fifteen thousand would die that very night, but the survivors would return to the camp for another year.
This occurred year after year, but in the fortieth year no one died. Since they thought they might have miscalculated the days, they slept in their graves an additional night. This went on for five nights until the fifteenth of Av, when they saw the full moon, realized that there calculations were correct, and rejoiced that no more of the first generation would die. They subsequently declared Tu B'Av a day of celebration. The "desert generation" had finally died off and the new generation was finally ready to enter the land!
Moses knew that he could not go with the Jews into the Promised Land because of his sin at Meribah-Kadesh (see Num. 20:10-13, Deut. 3:23-28). He therefore was aware that he had little time left to exhort the next generation before he died. The book of Deuteronomy therefore records Moses' final messages to the Jewish people with the tone of a farewell discourse. Indeed, unlike the previous books of Torah, the speaker in Deuteronomy is Moses himself, and even the recounting of various laws and ordinances are incidentally recorded as part of the addresses he gave.
The book of Deuteronomy opens with the Israelites in the land of Moab, just east of the Jordan river, shortly before they would enter the Promised Land. It begins, "These are the words that Moses spoke to all of Israel" / אֵלֶּה הַדְּבָרִים אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר משֶׁה אֶל־כָּל־יִשְׂרָאֵל (Deut. 1:1). Two things are important to note at the outset. First, the book begins with the statement that these are the words of Moses rather than the continuation of the historical narrative of the Torah (which essentially ended with the Book of Numbers). Grammatically, it begins with the word eleh (אֵלֶּה, "these") rather than v'eleh (וְאֵלֶּה, "and these"), and this indicates that the book should be regarded as its own entity. In a sense, Deuteronomy functions as Moses' commentary on the Torah, giving voice to his 40 years of experience as the leader of Israel. Second, Moses' words were addressed the children of the original Exodus generation. As already mentioned, the original generation was decreed to die out in the desert because of their unbelief. And since Moses knew he likewise would soon die, he sought to inspire the new generation of Israel to go forward and take possession of the promise of Zion. Since the first generation was disqualified because of their lack of faith, Moses' summary of the Torah's message focused on the importance of trusting and obeying the LORD. Moses emphasized the importance of cheshbon ha-nefesh (חֶשְׁבּוֹן הַנֶּפֶשׁ, "soul searching") in order to help the Jews to take possession of the promises of God.
Various commentators regard the Book of Deuteronomy as Moses' final warning to Israel in light of their repeated failures and setbacks. Some (primarily Christian) commentators even go so far as to say that the book represents an indictment against the Jewish people that warrants regarding them as a cursed people. (This is essentially the odious doctrine of "replacement theology" that denies ethnic Israel has a future and a hope in God's plan of salvation.) Even many Jewish commentators, among them Rashi, seem to focus on Moses' rebuke (i.e., tochachah: תּוֹכָחָה) of Israel and regard the book in a negative light. Because of this, it should be stressed at the outset that Moses' correction of Israel - including his review of the unseemly history of the desert generation - was primarily intended to remind the Jews of their high calling, their new identity, and their preciousness as God's people. As will be seen, Moses wanted Israel to remember its identity as am segulah (עַם סְגֻלָּה), God's "treasured possession among all peoples" (Exod. 19:5). Moses' admonition (מוּסָר) functions more like the plea of a father to his children to walk in a manner that is worthy of his name than a stinging rebuke of the sins of his children. "My son, despise not the discipline (musar) of the Lord; neither be weary of his correction (tochachah). For whom the Lord loves he corrects; even as a father the son in whom he delights" (Prov. 3:11; cp. Heb. 12:5-6). Therefore we read, "Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son (כַּאֲשֶׁר יְיַסֵּר אִישׁ אֶת־בְּנוֹ), the LORD your God disciplines you (הוה אֱלהֶיךָ מְיַסְּרֶךָּ)" (Deut. 8:5).
The Talmud (Kiddushin 70a) says, "Whoever declares others unfit (פּוֹסֵל, "posel") declares them unfit with his own blemish." This is similar to Yeshua's warning about hypocrisy: "Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own?" (Matt. 7:3). In order to judge well, we must first "remove the log from our own eye" in order to see clearly (Matt. 7:5).
If you look for flaws or defects in others, you will find them (Prov. 11:27). "A bitter person makes himself miserable." In this connection, recall that when the Jews came to Marah, they "could not drink the water because it was bitter" (Exod. 15:23). The Hebrew, however, could be read, "they could not drink the water because they (i.e., the people) were bitter (כִּי מָרִים הֵם). The problem is often not "out there" but within the heart (Matt. 15:19-20). How we choose to see, in other words, says more about us than it does the external world. If you read the daily news and see only ugliness, you run the risk of becoming hardhearted. Your despair can eclipse the Presence of God....
As I have written about elsewhere, it is psychologically necessary to make various judgments in our lives. Some of these judgments concern matters of fact, some are preconscious assumptions we make, and some regard value judgments about the actions of other people. Kol Yisrael arevim zeh bazeh (כָּלּ יְִשְׂרָאֵל עֲרֵבִים זֶה בָּזֶה): "All Israel is responsible for one another" (Talmud Shavuot 39a). The Torah commands us to "reprove our neighbor" (תּוֹכֵחָה) because we love him as ourselves (Lev. 19:17-18). It's not a question, then, of whether we are to judge others (since we must), but rather how we will do so. Yeshua's statement, "Judge not that you be not judged" therefore cannot mean "seeing no evil" or refusing to correct our brothers and sisters. Indeed, showing indifference to other people's sin is itself a transgression. It is unloving to disregard the spiritual state of your neighbor. Whether we like it or not, we are our brother's keeper!
Instead of refusing to judge others (in the name of supposed tolerance), we are commanded judge people favorably by using a "good eye" (עַיִן טוֹבָה). As it is written in the Torah, "in righteousness judge your neighbor (בְּצֶדֶק תִּשְׁפּט עֲמִיתֶךָ)" (Lev. 19:15). Notice that the word translated "righteousness" is tzedek (צֶדֶק), a word that includes the heart motive of "charity" and love. We are commanded to give tzedakah (צְדָקָה, "charity") not just because it is "right," but it is right because it is based on God's love and care for others. Something is righteous, in other words, because it expresses the truth about God's love. We could read this commandment as "in love judge your neighbor." Our judgments should be based on compassion, empathy, and care for others - never as a verdict about someone's worth and status before God. We see with a redemptive eye, and that means seeing the potential of others and their inherent worth as God's children.
Similarly, Yeshua warned us not to judge by appearances, but to "judge with righteous (צֶדֶק) judgment" (John 7:24). In the context in which he spoke (i.e., teaching the crowd during the festival of Sukkot in Jerusalem), Yeshua justified healing someone on the Sabbath day as an example of understanding the "weightier matters" of the Torah. He appealed to the crowd to use their sense of charity (צְדָקָה) before coming to a decision. He was grieved that people often "turned off their hearts" by disregarding the pain of others (Mark 3:5). Yeshua warned us not to "judge by appearances," which was the very mistake Job's friends made when they regarded Job's suffering as deserved because of some hidden sin... Certainly such indifference to personal suffering is an implication of a merit-based religious system that was endorsed by some of the religious authorities of Yeshua's day. Even some of Yeshua's disciples mistakenly correlated suffering with sin (John 9:1-3).
Tractate Pirke Avot 1:6 says, dan kol ha-adam l'kaf zechut (דָּן כָּל הָאָדָם לְכַּף זְכוּת), literally, "judge every man with the hand of merit." In other words, judge other people favorably and always give them the benefit of the doubt. Extend kaf zechut - "the hand of merit" - to every person you meet. Use a "good eye" to see them in their best light. Do not focus on defects of character, but rather look for the good in the person. This will encourage them to live up to their real identity and give hope to them that change is possible.
We should look for the good of the other, even if the person is notoriously evil. Rabbi Nachman of Breslov taught that it is impossible that an evil person has not done some good, and this represents his or her spiritual potential. Love draws out the good in others, not judgment. Focus on the good of others so that they might turn from despair and seek God.
This point is illustrated out by a story retold about a famous eastern European Jewish sage called the Chofetz Chaim (1838-1933). One day the saintly rabbi is said to have encountered a hardened ruffian at an inn. The man shouted roughly, drank whiskey, and approached the waitress inappropriately. Shocked at this man's behavior, the Chofetz Chaim prepared to correct the errant Jew. The innkeeper, fearing that harm would come to the rebbe, tried to dissuade him from intervening, explaining that the man's poor upbringing and the terrible suffering had made him incorrigible. Upon hearing this, the Chofetz Chaim approached the ruffian's table and greeted him warmly. He began to praise the man's service in the army and lamented his troubles and his lost opportunity to study Torah. "You've had a difficult life, but I see that you have never renounced your heritage. I envy the portion you will merit in the world to come!" Upon hearing this, the man began to shed burning tears of remorse and later became a sincere penitent.
We are to "master the art of seeing good in others." Soren Kierkegaard tells the story of two young portrait artists who both sought to capture the essence of beauty in their paintings. One artist looked high and low for the "perfect face of beauty" but never found it. Tragically, he later gave up painting and lived in despair. The other artist, however, simply painted every face he saw and found beauty in each one. Now which of the two mastered the art of seeing the good in others? Which of the two had a good eye?
If you find fault with others, you are a hypocrite; if you extend love to others, you will experience love in return. As you judge, so you will be judged; as you see others, so God you will be seen by God. "For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you" (Luke 6:38). This reciprocal principle of Kingdom life appears throughout Jesus' teaching. According to your faith, be it done unto you (Matt. 9:29). As you forgive, so you shall be forgiven (Matt. 6:14); as you judge, so you shall be judged (Matt. 7:2); as you show mercy, so you shall be shown mercy (Matt. 5:7); as you give unto others, so it shall be given unto you (Luke 6:38). This "as principle" works the other way around, too: "Whoever diligently seeks good seeks favor, but evil comes to him who searches for it" (Prov. 11:27).
Just before Moses began his reproof of Israel, he declared his love and faith in the people. "The LORD your God has multiplied you until you are today as numerous as the stars in the sky (כְּכוֹכְבֵי הַשָּׁמַיִם). May the LORD, the God of your fathers, make you a thousand times more as you are (כָּכֶם), and bless you, as He promised you" (Deut. 1:10-11). Moses first brought up God's love for the Jews before he began his admonition. Notice he used the word kachem (כָּכֶם, "as you are") in this blessing. May the LORD multiply you - as you are - a thousand times! You are beloved; you are worthy: may the LORD bless you a thousand times over! (How different is this picture of Moses than the typical cartoon made of him by many in Christianity, who envision him smashing the tablets as if that were his "last word" on the subject of the Torah to Israel!)
Were the people perfect then? Obviously not, as would be clear through Moses' later admonition to them. Nonetheless, Moses used a "good eye" to see their potential as God's chosen people. Here was this ragtag group of of desert wanderers, descendants of slaves from the "house of slavery," whom the LORD God Almighty personally redeemed to be His own treasured possession. Despite their failures in the past and all that went before, Moses reminded them that they were esteemed as mamlechet kohanim v'goy kadosh (מַמְלֶכֶת כּהֲנִים וְגוֹי קָדוֹש), a "kingdom of priests and a holy people" (Exod. 19:6).
Moses' approach gives us insight about how we might correct the people we truly love. Often people become defensive when they are criticized and stop listening. Adding sincere praise and encouragement helps them open up to our message, since it is grounded in a sense of respect and value for their well-being. God thinks highly of the Jewish people, and that is the very first thing to be heard. God greatly esteems us, too. Despite the fact that we are sinners, God truly loves us. He considers us worthy to be saved. Again, why else did Yeshua suffer and die on the cross if God did not value our lives so much?
Shame is never the goal of the Torah. As King David prayed: Elohai bekha vatachti; al-avoshah (אֱלהַי בְּךָ בָטַחְתִּי אַל־אֵבוֹשָׁה): "My God, I trust in you; let me not be ashamed" (Psalm 25:2). Some people use the idea of God's "law" as a sort of club to hammer a sense of guilt upon the soul. They insist that man is "totally depraved" and under God's death sentence. Such people then hope to explain the good news of the gospel to escape God's righteous wrath for sin. These people, perhaps well-meaning, forget that the LORD is "near" - karov- to the brokenhearted. This adverb means "close enough to touch." The same root is used for the word korban (קָרְבָּן), an offering that draws us near to God, as well as karov (קָרוֹב), a near kinsman. In other words, God's desire has always been for people to draw near to Him, and He has always provided a way for people to do so -- even those who lived under the terms of the Sinai Covenant.
Guilt (אַשְׁמָה) is an objective state of being sinful that may or may not be accompanied by feelings of remorse, but shame (בּוּשָׁה), at least in its toxic sense, is a state of soul that regards itself as fundamentally flawed, inadequate, and essentially unlovable. God does not want us to grovel in self-disgust or live in constant fear of His judgment. He does not want us to hate ourselves or to regard ourselves as unlovable. As His creation, He loves us and finds us of value and worth. Why else would he have given His Son up to ransom us from sin and death? Like a parent who loves his child but wants to correct him by saying, "this doesn't become you," so God wants us to remember who we really are. He wants us to "walk in love" as His "dear children of light" (Eph. 5:8). God's correction is meant to form His character within us, and this first must begin with our assurance of our value, dignity, and worth in His eyes.
We are commanded to judge with tzedakah, with love as our underlying assumption. If God so commands us, surely we can trust that He likewise judges us this way. God's love is his essence - "God is love" (ὁ θεὸς ἀγάπη ἐστίν) - and He regards you as worthy to receive His love and blessing. He loves you b'ahavat olam - with "an everlasting love" (אַהֲבַת עוֹלָם), and therefore in chesed he draws you to Himself (Jer. 31:3). Why else would Yeshua die on the cross unless He expressed God's desire to judge others favorably?
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Be encouraged, chaverim. You are "fearfully and wonderfully made" and you have a future and a hope in the world to come (Jer. 29:11). "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love" (1 John 4:18). Keep hope. God's love never fails (1 Cor. 13:8).
Harden not your heart...
07.17.26 (Av 3, 5786) Our Torah portion this week describes how God hardened the heart of Sihon, king of Chesbon, in order to bring about his destruction (Deut. 2:30). Like the Pharaoh who stubbornly refused to heed the message of God's salvation, the LORD "hardened Sihon's spirit" (כִּי־הִקְשָׁה יהוה אֱלהֶיךָ אֶת־רוּחוֹ) so that he would not yield to the purposes and plans of God. Notice that the Hebrew word translated "hardened" (i.e., hikshah) here is the same word used to describe how Pharaoh's hardness of heart caused the death of the firstborn in Egypt (Exod. 13:15). For more on this subject, see Parashat Bo: "Hardening of the Heart."
People who do not know God are described as those who "walk in the futility (ματαιότης) of their minds" (Eph. 4:17). "They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance (ἄγνοια) that is in them, due to their hardness of heart" (Eph. 4:18). This hardness of heart leads to a state of callousness or apathy (ἀπαλγέω, lit. the "inability to feel"), which is the very opposite of empathy or compassion (Eph. 4:19). Notice the progression of this process. People are darkened in their understanding and alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that comes from having a hardened heart. Put the other way around, having a hardened heart leads to ignorance, alienation from the life of God, darkened understanding, and a "futile" mind... But notice that the heart of man is central (Prov. 4:23) because it determines the "issues of life." It is the heart (לֵבָב), or the "inner man," that determines what to acknowledge and what to ignore (i.e., ignore+ance). Indeed, salvation itself is a matter of believing the truth of the gospel message from the heart (Rom. 10:9).
A heart that is insensitive, indifferent, unfeeling, and callous toward the needs of others is regarded as "hard." Both Pharaoh and Sihon refused to empathize with the suffering of the Jewish people and thereby they became enshrouded in darkness. The darkness within them led to cruelty which further alienated them from the life of God due to their willful ignorance.
Sometimes hardness of heart comes as a result of living in a fallen world. Many people live with abiding "scar tissue" that surrounds their heart, making them feel numb and unwilling to open up and trust others. Their affections have become disordered and their ego rationalizes blaming others or seeking various forms of entitlement. "Turning off your heart" can mean suppressing any positive regard for others (empathy) while nurturing anger and self-righteousness, or it may mean withdrawing from others as a lifeless shell (both approaches vainly attempt to defend the heart from hurt). Although Yeshua always showed great compassion, especially to the wounded and broken in spirit (Isa. 42:3), He regularly condemned the "hardness of heart" ("sclero-cardia," σκληροκαρδία) of the self-righteous and religious types who were opposed his work of healing and love. Such indifference toward the suffering of others caused Yeshua to feel grief (Mark 3:5). Did not the Torah explicitly state: לא תְאַמֵּץ אֶת־לְבָבְךָ / "you shall not harden your heart" against your poor brother (Deut. 15:7)? How much more should a man not "put away" his wife? Moses was forced to "change" the original intent of the Torah regarding the question of divorce as a concession to the hardheartedness of sinful men (Matt. 19:3-9).
Perhaps the telltale sign of having a hard heart is the refusal to listen (i.e., obey) God's word. The LORD said to the prophet Ezekiel: "But the house of Israel will not be willing to listen to you, for they are not willing to listen to me: because all the house of Israel have a "strong forehead" (חִזְקֵי־מֵצַח) and a "hard heart" (קְשֵׁי־לֵב) (Ezek. 3:7, Cp. Jer. 5:23; 7:24). A hard heart has a form of "sclerosis" that makes it closed off and impermeable to love from others, and especially from God. Scripture uses various images to picture this condition, including a "heart of stone" (Ezek. 36:26, Zech. 7:12), an "uncircumcised heart" (Jer. 9:26), a "stiff neck" (Deut. 31:27), and so on. Stubbornness is really a form of idolatry, an exaltation of self-will that refuses to surrender to God.
For example, in the aftermath of the grievous Sin of the Golden Calf, the LORD threatened to wipe out the Jews because they were am k'she oref (עַם־קְשֵׁה־ערֶף), a "stiff-necked people" (Exod. 32:9). Various explanations for this term have been given, including the medieval commentator Sforno's description that a "stiff necked person" is someone who mulishly refuses to "move his head" and listen to those attempting to guide and help him. The neck, after all, is the "corridor" between the head and the heart, and having a "stiff neck" suggests an inflexible way of thinking and feeling... The rebels who enticed Aaron to create the golden calf were certainly "stiff necked" and obstinate. Despite witnessing the great miracles of the Exodus and experiencing the awesome revelation at Sinai, they obstinately insisted that Aaron make them "gods" that would return them to the "fleshpots of Egypt." Now that's some kind of chutzpah!
Later, Moses appealed to the people to "circumcise the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiff-necked'" (Deut. 10:16). This metaphor pictures removing a hard, outer covering so that the heart is "opened up" to feel once again. God wants us to experience compassion (com+passion: "feeling-with") and sympathy for other people's suffering... Heart circumcision represents a radical turning away from the insular realm of the self toward the emotional realm of others and God. The LORD wants us to open our hearts to the needs of other people in our lives. Indeed, the "law of the Messiah" (תּוֹרַת הַמָּשִׁיחַ) is to bear one another's burdens (Gal. 6:2).
Can believers in Yeshua have hard hearts? Yes, unfortunately, they can... When the disciples saw miracles, for example, they often did not understand because "their hearts were hardened" (Mark 6:52, 8:17). They had somehow "missed" the sense of awe, surprise, and wonder over the miraculous Presence of the LORD in their midst. They did not expect the miracles because their minds were made dull and unable to comprehend reality (John 12:40, Rom. 11:7, 2 Cor. 3:14, using the same Greek word, πωρόω). Yeshua linked this hardness to blindness, both physical and spiritual (John 12:40). Even after the resurrection, Yeshua rebuked his closest followers for their unbelief and hardness of heart (σκληροκαρδία), because they did not believe the testimony of Mary Magdalene and the other witnesses of His resurrection (Mark 16:11-14). The disciples somehow "forgot" Yeshua's repeated teaching that He must suffer, die, and be raised on the third day (Matt. 16:21; Luke 9:22).
Believers are furthermore warned not to become hardened (σκληρύνω) through the deceitfulness of sin (Heb. 3:13). Tolerance for sin causes the heart to become dull and deadened. Just as one mitzvah leads to another, so one sin leads to another... Allowing sin to go unchecked in your life (i.e., by "forgetting" to confess your sins) is to be under the influence of the "deceitfulness of sin" (ἀπάτῃ τῆς ἁμαρτίας). As Bonhoeffer wrote: "Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act."
In this sense, the deceitfulness of sin is really a form of self-deception (i.e., "fooling yourself"), since (by definition) sin requires the consent of the will to do its dirty work within the heart. When it comes to moral decisions, there really are no "accidental" sins. Can you imagine a man committing adultery and claiming that it was an "accident"? The deceitfulness of sin is also called the "lusts of deceit" (Eph. 4:22), from a Greek word (ἀπατάω) that means to be "cheated out" of something. Just as a hard heart refuses to see the miraculous Presence of God, so it refuses to see the danger of sin. Whether it disbelieves the miraculous in Yeshua or "winks at" the presence of sin, such hardness of heart inevitably leads to a sort of stupor or denial of reality. Such self-deception cheats you from living the life God calls you to live...
If we refuse to confess the truth about our inner condition to God in genuine humility, our correction may be prolonged through the process of further "hardening." Often we are not conscious of this process within ourselves, and then -- when we are made conscious -- we may find ourselves helpless to change our direction. This state of helplessness provides another opportunity for the heart to cry out to God for deliverance. If, however, we yet harden our hearts further, God may "give us over to a depraved mind" (ἀδόκιμος. lit. "tested to be found useless") that is no longer able to discern or resist the presence of evil (Rom. 1:28). This is a state of having an entirely dead heart and is the worst possible judgment from heaven. In this sense, the hardened heart is simply God's ratification of the will of the sinner. The sages wrote, "God leads men along a path which they themselves choose. If a man wants to be good, God leads him toward goodness; if he wants to travel an evil road, God helps him do that, too." According to their desires God rewards the wicked in this world and the righteous in the world to come. As C.S. Lewis once said, "There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, 'Thy will be done,' and those to whom God says, in the end, 'Thy will be done.'" "The heart of a man plans his way, and the LORD establishes his steps" / לֵב אָדָם יְחַשֵּׁב דַּרְכּוֹ וַיהוה יָכִין צַעֲדו (Prov. 16:9).
If we cry out to the LORD for salvation, He has promised to hear us (Rom. 10:13, Joel 2:32). The awareness that we are hardhearted and self-deceived can lead to a (blessed) sense of brokenness and despair -- i.e., to the realization that own self-sufficiency is futile and ultimately self-destructive. Turning to the LORD in despair of ourselves is a mark of humility. When we are emptied of ourselves, we are delivered from pride and self-deception and thereby enabled to truly ask for God's help... This is a miracle, since most of us have "a little Pharaoh inside," clamoring that we be the center of our universe and refusing to submit to the Presence of the LORD...
God wants us to have "soft" hearts that are malleable and subject to His touch and influence. Consider the Biblical analogy of a potter who works with clay (Isa. 64:8, Jer. 18:6). Hard clay is brittle and hard to work with, though soft clay can be molded and adapted for a variety of uses. Applied to our heart attitudes, soft clay represents being open and moveable, whereas hard clay represents being inflexible, intolerant, and so on. A "hard hearted" person is closed-minded, assured of his own righteousness, and unwilling to admit the possibility of being wrong. He is really a "fragile" soul who is often hidebound by traditions, unwilling to be corrected, and usually so driven by fear and suspicion that he is unable to look at other possibilities. When we find ourselves becoming rigid, inflexible, and intolerant, we may be demonstrating hardness of heart.
Hardness of heart is something all of us deal with, even those who are in an authentic relationship with Yeshua. After all, believers are commanded to "put off the old self with its practices" (Col. 3:9) and are repeatedly urged not to harden their hearts (μὴ σκληρύνητε τὰς καρδίας) through unbelief (Heb. 3:8,15, 4:7). May God's love help us keep our hearts soft and open toward others... May He give us a new heart, and put a new spirit within us. May He remove the heart of stone (לֵב הָאֶבֶן) from us and give us a heart of flesh (לֵב בָּשָׂר). May we be lev echad (לֵב אֶחָד) - "one heart" - with one another and with the Father (Ezek. 11:19). May we be so sensitized to the Presence of God that we detect the slightest touch from His hand upon us. Amen.
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The Will to Believe...
07.17.26 (Av 3, 5786) From our Torah portion this week (i.e., Devarim) we read: "But you were not willing to ascend (וְלא אֲבִיתֶם לַעֲלת), but became bitter (מָרָה) against the Word of the LORD your God" (Deut. 1:26). Moses' rebuke was not that the people had been afraid to conquer the land as much as that they had lost heart and no longer desired to take hold of God's promise. The people gave up their dream; they forsook their hope; and they had lost the "devotion of their youth, their love as a bride, how they followed the LORD in the desert, into a land not sown" (Jer. 2:2). The people's failure was on two levels: First they lapsed in faith by abdicating trust in God's word, and second, they had lost the passion of their first love. In light of this, the sages say that the greater problem was that of losing heart, since the heart directs the will to believe in the miracle of God, or not...
Moses' rebuke of the people's heart condition recalls the sober warning Yeshua gave to the Ephesian believers: "I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name's sake, and you have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your menorah from its place, unless you repent" (Rev. 2:2-5).
Likewise the author of the Book of Hebrews commented: "And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the desert? So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief" (Heb. 3:17-19). The question of faith is essential: "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God" (Heb. 10:31).
Hebrew Lesson
Deut. 4:24 Hebrew reading (click):
God's Love and Reproof...
The following entry is related to our Torah portion this week, parashat Devarim...
07.17.26 (Av 3, 5786) Just before Moses began his reproof of Israel, he declared his love and faith in the people: "The LORD your God has multiplied you until you are today as numerous as the stars in the sky (כְּכוֹכְבֵי הַשָּׁמַיִם). May the LORD, the God of your fathers, make you a thousand times more as you are (כָּכֶם), and bless you, as He promised you" (Deut. 1:10-11). Moses first brought up God's great love for the Jewish people before he began his admonition. Notice he used the word kachem (כָּכֶם, "as you are") in this blessing. May the LORD multiply you - as you are - a thousand times! You are beloved; you are worthy: may the LORD bless you a thousand times over!
Were these people perfect then? Obviously not, as would be clear through Moses' later admonition to them. Nonetheless, Moses used a "good eye" to see their potential as God's chosen people. Here was this ragtag group of of desert wanderers, descendants of slaves from the "house of slavery," whom the LORD God Almighty personally redeemed to be His own treasured possession. Despite their failures in the past and all that went before, Moses reminded them that they were esteemed as mamlechet kohanim v'goy kadosh (מַמְלֶכֶת כּהֲנִים וְגוֹי קָדוֹש), a "kingdom of priests and a holy people" (Exod. 19:6).
Moses' approach gives insight about how we might attempt to correct the people we truly love. Often people become defensive when they are criticized and stop listening. Adding sincere praise and encouragement helps them open up to our message, since it is grounded in a sense of respect and value for their well-being. God thinks highly of the Jewish people, and that is the very first thing to be heard. God greatly esteems us, too. Despite the fact that we are sinners, God truly loves us. He considers us worthy to be saved. Again, why else did Yeshua suffer and die on the cross if God did not value our lives so much?
The essence of the law is mercy, and shame is never the goal of the Torah. As King David prayed: Elohai bekha vatachti; al-avoshah (אֱלהַי בְּךָ בָטַחְתִּי אַל־אֵבוֹשָׁה): "My God, I trust in you; let me not be ashamed" (Psalm 25:2). Some people use the idea of God's "law" as a sort of club to hammer a sense of guilt upon the soul. They insist that man is "totally depraved" and under God's death sentence. Such people then hope to explain the good news of the gospel to escape God's righteous wrath for sin. These people, perhaps well-meaning, forget that the LORD is "near" - karov- to the brokenhearted. This adverb means "close enough to touch." The same root is used for the word korban (קָרְבָּן), an offering that draws us near to God, as well as karov (קָרוֹב), a near kinsman. In other words, God's desire has always been for people to draw near to Him, and He has always provided a way for people to do so -- even those who lived under the terms of the Sinai Covenant.
Guilt (אַשְׁמָה) is an objective state of being sinful that may or may not be accompanied by feelings of remorse, but shame (בּוּשָׁה), at least in its toxic sense, is a state of soul that regards itself as fundamentally flawed, inadequate, and essentially unlovable. God does not want us to grovel in self-disgust or live in constant fear of His judgment. He does not want us to hate ourselves or to regard ourselves as unlovable. On the contrary, as His creation, He loves us and finds us of value and worth. Why else would he have given His Son up to ransom us from sin and death? Like a parent who loves his child but wants to correct him by saying, "this doesn't become you," so God wants us to remember who we really are. He wants us to "walk in love" as His "dear children of light" (Eph. 5:8). God's correction is meant to form His character within us, and this first must begin with our assurance of our value, dignity, and worth in His eyes.
We are commanded to judge with tzedakah, with love as our underlying assumption. If God so commands us, surely we can trust that He likewise judges us this way. God's love is his essence - "God is love" (ὁ θεὸς ἀγάπη ἐστίν) - and He regards you as worthy to receive His love and blessing. He loves you b'ahavat olam - with "an everlasting love" (אַהֲבַת עוֹלָם), and therefore in chesed he draws you to Himself (Jer. 31:3). Why else would Yeshua die on the cross unless He expressed God's desire to judge others favorably?
Be encouraged, chaverim. As God's personal creation, you are "fearfully and wonderfully made" and you have a future and a hope in the world to come (Jer. 29:11). "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love" (1 John 4:18). Keep hope. God's love never fails (1 Cor. 13:8).
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 25:2 reading (click for audio):
Anticipating Tishah B'Av...
The solemn holiday of Tishah B'Av begins July 22nd at sundown...
07.17.26 (Av 3, 5786) The sages of the Mishnah (Ta'anit 26) taught that five tragedies befell the Jewish people on Tishah B'Av (תשעה באב, or the "ninth [day] of [the month of] Av"). First, God's decree was issued that the generation that left Egypt during the Exodus would not enter the promised land (Num. 14:1-2; 14:23). Second, the First Temple was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar II (נְבוּכַדְנֶאצַּר) in 586 BC according to prophecy (Jer. 27:6-8). Third, the second Temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD, according to the prophecy of Yeshua (Matt. 24:1-2). Fourth, the last stronghold of the "Bar Kokhba" revolt was destroyed by Roman Emperor Hadrian in 135 AD, and fifth, the City of Jerusalem and the Temple Mount was "plowed under" exactly one year later (Jer. 26:18). Emperor Hadrian then sold all Jewish prisoners into slavery, forbade the teaching of the Torah, renamed the middle east "Palaestina," and dedicated the City of Jerusalem to the idol Jupiter as "Aelia Capitolina." Besides all this, other tragedies are also coincidental with Tishah B'Av, such as the expulsion of the Jews from England in 1290 and their expulsion from Spain in 1492. Some of the sages even date the beginning of WWI, when Germany declared war on Russia, to the Ninth of Av, and since WWI inevitably led to WWII, they also connect Tishah B'Av with the horrors of the Holocaust as well...
Because of all this Tishah B'Av is generally regarded as the saddest day of the Jewish year (even sadder than Yom Kippur), and the sages designated it as an annual day of mourning that recalls these many tragedies that have befallen the Jewish people over the centuries. It is a time for teshuvah, fasting, and special prayers. This year Tishah B'Av begins Wednesday, July 22nd at sundown and runs 25 hours until Thursday, July 23rd, one hour after sundown. The customs for observing the fast are similar to those of Yom Kippur.
It is customary to read Megillah Eicha (מגילה איכה), or the Book of Lamentations, during the Tishah B'Av evening service, since the scroll is an (acrostic) poem of lament prophetically written before the destruction of the First Temple. The scroll is chanted in a plaintive nusach (נוסח), as if lashon ha'kodesh, the holy tongue, weeps for the destruction of God's home.
Hebrew Lesson
Lamentations 2:13 reading (click for audio):
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Tishah B'Av allows us to express heartfelt grief over the loss of Zion and therefore over the frailty of our human condition. During this time it is appropriate to grieve over our sins and to shed tears that attest to having lev nishbar ve'nidkeh (לֵב־נִשְׁבָּר וְנִדְכֶּה), a "broken and crushed heart" (Psalm 51:17). Indeed, during the entire "Three Weeks of Sorrow" we read selections from the prophets that forewarn of the coming destruction of the Temple (churban) and the subsequent exile of the Jewish people (galut). During this time of the year, we listen to the lamentations of the prophet Jeremiah crying out for our repentance...
During Tishah B'Av synagogue services, the lights are dimmed and the Aron Hakodesh (Holy Ark) is draped in black (in some synagogues the parochet (curtain) is removed as a sign of mourning). The decorations are removed from Torah scrolls. Congregants remove their leather shoes and do not greet each other. The cantor leads the prayers readings in a low, mournful voice, and the cantillation (chanting style) for the Scripture readings are set to elegiac, sorrowful melodies.
"Let everyone cry out to God and lift his heart up to him, as if he were hanging by a hair, and a tempest were raging to the very heart of heaven, and he were at a loss for what to do, and there were hardly time to cry out. It is a time when no counsel, indeed, can help a man and he has no refuge save to remain in his loneliness and lift his eyes and his heart up to God, and cry out to him. And this should be done at all times, for in the world a man is in great danger." - Martin Buber (Ten Rungs)
Whispers of the Heart...
07.17.26 (Av 3, 5786) From our Torah portion this week (i.e., Devarim) we read: "You were not willing to go up but rebelled (i.e., מָרָה, grew bitter) at the word of the LORD your God, and you whispered (תּרגנוּ) in your tents and said, 'Because the LORD hates us he has brought us out of the land of Egypt...'" (Deut. 1:26-27). We may decry the childish insolence of the people, we lament their lack of faith, and yet God was still speaking his heart to Israel...
The sages ask whether we can ever be justifiably angry at God, and answer that we can, because otherwise we could never love Him "bekhol levavkha," with all our heart (Deut. 6:5). Indeed, how can we claim to love God if we withhold the truth, lie to ourselves, and attempt to hide who we really are from Him? If you are angry at God, he already knows, so why the pretense? Being angry with God is part of being a real person in a real relationship with Him, and allowing yourself to express the truth of your heart to him is a sign of trust...
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 139:4 reading (click):
Miracle of New Life...
The greatest need of our generation is to find authentic hope that life is worth living and to enter into a personal relationship with the Living God in Yeshua. This is the answer to all our suffering.
07.16.26 (Av 2, 5786) Only God can help us let go of the "self life" and to be set free from the painful tyranny of what we naturally are; only the LORD can truly save us from ourselves. The old nature is never "reformed" by religion but is put to death by a supernatural act of God, as it says: "I have been crucified (συνεσταύρωμαι) with Messiah; it is no longer "I" who live, but Messiah who lives in me. And the life "I" now live in the flesh "I" live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me" (Gal. 2:20).
By faith we trust that we already have been crucified with him, just as by faith we trust that we already have newness of life, though all this is only "theoretical" unless and until the Spirit of God makes it real in our lives: "The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit" (John 3:8). Only the LORD can put a new heart within us; only God can make the new "I" walk in the flesh; only the Spirit can breathe upon dry bones raised from the dust to make them live (Ezek. 37:5).
We believe not only that Yeshua died as our substitute for sin - personally saving us from its penalty - but also that our old nature has died with him - delivering us from its power: "We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin" (Rom. 6:6). "For as many of you as were baptized into Messiah have put on the Messiah" (Gal. 3:27) [by "baptism" think identification, not some ritual act]. May the LORD our God make the truth of what He has done for us alive and breathing freely within us -- by the power of his salvation in Yeshua!
Hebrew Lesson
Ezek. 36:26a Hebrew reading:
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The Entreaty of Moses...
07.16.26 (Av 2, 5786) Various commentators regard "Sefer Devarim," or the Book of Deuteronomy, as Moses' final warning to Israel in light of their repeated failures and setbacks. Some (primarily Christian) commentators even go so far as to say that the book represents an indictment against the Jewish people that warrants regarding them as a God-forsaken people. (This is essentially the unsound doctrine of "replacement theology" that denies ethnic Israel has a future and a hope in God's plan of salvation.)
Many Jewish commentators, however, and among them the notable sage Rashi, seem to focus on Moses' rebuke (i.e., tochachah: תּוֹכָחָה) of Israel and tend to regard the book in a negative light. Because of this, it should be stressed at the outset that Moses' correction of Israel - including his review of the unseemly history of the desert generation - was primarily intended to remind the Jews of their high calling, their new identity, and their preciousness as God's people. Moses wanted the people of Israel to remember their identity as am segulah (עַם סְגֻלָּה), God's "treasured possession among all peoples" (Exod. 19:5).
Moses' admonition (i.e., musar: מוּסָר) functions more like the plea of a father to his children to walk in a manner that is worthy of his name than a stinging rebuke of the sins of his children. "My son, despise not the discipline (musar) of the Lord; neither be weary of his correction (tochachah). For whom the Lord loves he corrects; even as a father the son in whom he delights" (Prov. 3:11; cp. Heb. 12:5-6). Therefore we read, "Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son (כַּאֲשֶׁר יְיַסֵּר אִישׁ אֶת־בְּנוֹ), the LORD your God disciplines you (הוה אֱלהֶיךָ מְיַסְּרֶךָּ)" (Deut. 8:5).
To underscore this point, notice that just before Moses began his reproof of Israel, he declared his love and faith in the people. "The LORD your God has multiplied you until you are today as numerous as the stars in the sky (כְּכוֹכְבֵי הַשָּׁמַיִם). May the LORD, the God of your fathers, make you a thousand times more as you are (כָּכֶם), and bless you, as He promised you" (Deut. 1:10-11).
Moses first brought up God's love for the Jews before he began his admonition. Notice he used the word kachem (כָּכֶם, "as you are") in this blessing. May the LORD multiply you - as you are - a thousand times! You are beloved; you are worthy: may the LORD bless you a thousand times over! (How different is this picture of Moses than the typical cartoon made of him by many who envision him smashing the tablets as if that were his "last word" on the subject of the Torah to Israel!)
Were the people perfect then? Obviously not, as would be clear through Moses' later admonition to them. Nonetheless, Moses used a "good eye" to see their potential as God's chosen people. Here was this ragtag group of desert wanderers, descendants of slaves from the "house of slavery," whom the LORD God Almighty personally redeemed to be His own treasured possession. Despite their failures in the past and all that went before, Moses reminded them that they were esteemed as mamlechet kohanim ve'goy kadosh (מַמְלֶכֶת כּהֲנִים וְגוֹי קָדוֹש), a "kingdom of priests and a holy people" (Exod. 19:6).
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 94:12 Hebrew reading (click):
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The Voice of our Words...
07.15.26 (Av 1, 5786) According to Jewish tradition, it was on Tishah B'Av (the Ninth of Av) when the people wept over the report of the spies, a lapse of faith so serious that it provoked God to decree that the very generation He redeemed from Egypt would die in the exile of the desert (see Num. 13-14). As Moses later recounted this tragic event, he said something peculiar: "The LORD heard the 'voice of your words' (קוֹל דְבַרִים) and was angry..." (Deut. 1:34). The grammar here is unusual, for the text could have simply said, "the LORD heard your words," but the Torah adds something else, the idea of "emotional tone," or the manner, the words were spoken... Sometimes it is not so much what you say that matters, but how you say it. Words of the heart are expressed more by tone, the "voice of the words," than by the words themselves...
The midrash says that when the spies returned after scouting the land, they testified that "the land is good" in a qualified or even an insincere manner. "Just look at this gigantic fruit we picked -- for gigantic people of that land who are invincible!" The words spoken by the spies were "true" in a sense, but their expression mediated a fearful attitude that rendered them untrue. Instead of saying "the land is good" - and affirming God's promise - their words were nuanced with doubt, and the "sound of their words" belied their testimony.
In themselves words are not "static" things but they live and move within a context to inform a common or shared sense of meaning. The grammar of "truth" assumes good will and correspondence between what is said and what is adjudged as real, "actual" or credible. When words are used deceptively, ambiguously, ironically, disingenuously, or without straightforward intent, however, then common sense does not obtain and the meaning shifts to "meta-linguistic" interpretation. With regard to God, however, the constellation of beliefs, assumptions, intent, and the emotional context is fully known whenever we communicate, as it is written: "There is not a word on my tongue but You, O LORD, know it altogether" (Psalm 139:4), and therefore He entirely understands our true intent -- or the "voice of our words."
In our Torah portion this week (i.e., Devarim) we read: "May he (i.e., the LORD) bless you as He said to you" - וִיבָרֵךְ אֶתְכֶם כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר לָכֶם (Deut. 1:11), which the sages read as: "May he bless you as your speech is to you," suggesting that our language will mirror spiritual reality (Psalm 18:25-26; Prov. 23:7). And when we recite Shema, we do so bekhol levavkha (בְּכָל־לְבָבְךָ) - with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our might (Deut. 6:5). This is a cry from the heart that affirms God's truth. Our feelings are important and are meaningful, whether they are feelings of joy, gratitude, and so on, or feelings of doubt, despair, or fear. As Yeshua said: "Would that you were either cold or hot, but because you are lukewarm - neither hot nor cold - I will spew you out of my mouth" (Rev. 3:15-16).
It has been said that if you don't know how to say something, say it loudly... The heart has its own voice regardless of the words we are able to articulate. For instance, if you love someone, then really love them and abhor being halfhearted. Being hot or being cold is better then being tepid, because then you are being honest, you are speaking from the kishkas, and honesty will always evoke a genuine response from heaven...
Hebrew Lesson
Deuteronomy 1:34 reading (click):
Alive to His Presence...
To become sober is: to come to oneself in self-knowledge and before God as nothing before him, yet infinitely, unconditionally engaged." - Soren Kierkegaard
07.15.26 (Av 1, 5786) The essence of temptation is distraction. Sometimes it's not the obvious lusts and allurements of the world that tempt us, but something more sinister, namely the subtle process of being seduced away from what is most essential to our lives. God's truth should weigh upon our every thought and deed, but through various forms of distraction we lose sight of this until he is no longer a primary factor in our daily thinking.
The Hebrew word for "glory" (i.e., kavod: כָּבוֹד) implies "heaviness" and significance. It is of "grave" concern, and regarding the LORD implies fear, awe, respect, honor, and even dread. In some cases it can imply "excessiveness" or "immeasurability." This is what is meant by the "weight of glory": God has infinite worth and value, and we do not know Him as we might know various things in the universe, but as the Holy One (הקדוש), the most important being in our lives (and in any possible world). God is of no significance if he is not of utmost significance, or as C.S. Lewis said: "Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important."
How does the truth of God "weigh in" on your life? Is it a source of special awareness that guides your way, or is divine truth incidental to your thinking? Is God an "afterthought" or a starting point for your decisions? Do you "seek first" the kingdom of God? (Matt. 6:33). How much do you allow God to affect your daily thought life and speech? Is relationship with God the priority of your existence? (Deut. 6:5). Is God the "ultimate concern" of your life, or is God essentially "weightless" or insignificant regarding the course of your life?
The Commandment not to take the Name of the LORD "in vain" (see Exod. 20:7) implies that we must affirm the sanctity, meaning, significance, and worth of life itself. We must never live as though God does not exist, or, to state this positively, we must "set the LORD" always before us (Psalm 16:8). We must not waste our lives. It is therefore forbidden to ignore the miracle of existence, to scoff at the value of life, or to debase ourselves by refusing to receive the truth. We are to take every thought "captive" to the reality of the Messiah (2 Cor. 10:5). Everything belongs to God, and every moment that we have is beholden to Him...
Finding deliverance from profane thinking requires concentrated focus or "kavanah" (כַּוָנָּה). As it is written: "We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Messiah" (2 Cor. 5:10). We are instructed to "bring down reasonings" (λογισμοὺς καθαιροῦντες) and every high thing that is lifted up against the knowledge of God (κατὰ τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ θεου) and to bring every thought "as a captive" to the obedience (ὑπακοὴν, from ὑπό: by, under, + ἀκούω: hear, obey) of Messiah. We can do this negatively by fighting against evil thoughts and censoring the inner evil of our hearts, or we can do this positively by being "captivated" by the words and love of Yeshua, and often we have to do both. This is the deeper meaning of "profanity" - to deny reality, to live in willful ignorance, and to miss the wonder of God's presence. If we sanctify God in our hearts, we will be far less likely to use God's name in vain, of course.
God invites you to come to Him for relationship... Since the LORD is a Person, He wants to know you as a person. He is not interested in formulaic prayers, religious rituals, or your membership at a particular religious organization. God wants to renew your inmost thoughts and heart. Drawing near to God is God's way of drawing near to you... In other words, as you draw near to God, He will draw near and touch you (James 4:8; Psalm 145:18; Isa. 55:6). This is the way of transformation and healing for the depths of our lives.
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 16:8 Hebrew reading:
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The Mind of Messiah...
07.14.26 (Tammuz 29, 5786) Recall that the Hebrew word "mitzvah" (מִצְוָה), often translated as "commandment," derives its basic idea regarding connection to God (i.e., the root צוה means to "bind" or "unite"). Therefore when Yeshua said to his followers, "If you love me, keep my commandments" (John 14:15; 1 John 5:3), he meant they should do those things that connect them with him (John 15:1-5). This appeal to "love the Lord your God" (וְאָהַבְתָּ אֵת יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ) with all your heart by keeping his commandments was also the message the Lord gave to Israel at Sinai (Exod. 20:6; Deut. 6:5). What is essential to Torah, then, is a love connection, that is, walking in the light of the Lord and knowing the blessing of his heart...
We told to have the "mind of Messiah" (תּוֹדָעָת הַמָּשִׁיחַ) within us -- that is, we are to embrace his "hashkafah" (הַשׁקָפָה), or his outlook, and his "chashivah" (חֲשִׁיבָה), or thinking, regarding the truth and reason for our lives (1 Cor. 2:16). This means knowing the heart of the Father as lived and expressed in the life of his beloved Son (בן יחיד). "This is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Yeshua the Messiah whom you have sent" (John 17:3). Yeshua is the interpreter and teacher of Torah (המורה הגדול ביותר), and all the great truths of Scripture point to him: "I the Lord, have called you in righteousness, and will hold your hand; I will keep you and give you as a covenant to the people, as a light to the Gentiles, to open blind eyes, to rescue prisoners from prison, and those who sit in darkness" (Isa. 42:6-7).
The Holy Scriptures (כִּתְבֵי הַקּוֹדֵשׁ) - both the "Tanakh" (i.e., תנ"ך, an acronym for Torah (תּוּרה), Prophets (נביאים), and Writings (כּתּוּבים)) as well as New Testament (i.e., הַבְּרִית הַחֲדָשָׁה, including the Gospels, the Writings (epistles), and the book of Revelation) provide witness as informed by the Holy Spirit (Tim. 3:16-17). When we read the Scriptures with a heart of faith, the Holy Spirit (רוּחַ הַקּוֹדֵשׁ), whom Yeshua called "the Spirit of Truth" (רוּחַ הָאֱמֶת), provides the "seal" of attestation and the inner witness between our minds and the mind of our Lord (John 15:26, 1 Cor. 2:16; Phil. 2:5). The "yoke" of Yeshua's discipleship leads us to know his ways and to shepherd our understanding of God (Matt. 11:29).
Discipleship to Messiah is more than simply "book learning," of course, since the Word of God is "living and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit (הַנֶפֶשׁ וְהָרוּחַ), and of joints and marrow (הַמִפְרָקִים וְהַמֹחַ), and is the judge (הבּוֹחֵן) of the thoughts and intentions of the heart (Heb. 4:12). In other words, "study" is a means to the greater end of living the truth in your daily life. Followers of Yeshua are to be "doers of the word" (עוֹשֵׂי הַדָּבָר) and not merely "hearers" who fool themselves (James 1:22). As Yeshua said, "Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest (i.e., "shine within," from ἐν, "in" + φαίνω, "shine") myself to him" (John 14:21). The end or goal of Torah is personal love for God revealed by the inner light of our Redeemer and Savior.
As we study the Scriptures, then, let us obey from the heart its "Torah," its living message of grace and love spoken to us. The "mind of Christ" (i.e., toda'at ha'Mashiach: תּוֹדָעָת הַמָּשִׁיחַ), that is, Yeshua's beliefs, values, concerns, and vision then become our own. When we identify and and yield ourselves to him, we become instruments of his will, practicing peace, love, and good will toward others in his name. As we "follow" him, we share the same way, truth, and life that revealed the heart of the Father: "Let this attitude be in you" that was also in Yeshua the Messiah... who humbled himself and became obedient unto death - even the death upon the cross (Phil. 2:5-8; John 15:13).
Yeshua promised that the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) would be "called alongside" (παράκλητος) to comfort us on the journey. The English verb "comfort" literally means "to give strength" (from com- ["with"] and fortis ["strong"]), an idea similarly expressed by the verb "encourage," that is, to "put heart [i.e., 'core'] within the soul." In Hebrew, the word courage is expressed by the phrase ometz lev (אמֶץ לֵב), meaning "strong of heart," denoting an inner quality of the will rather than of the intellect. Ometz lev means having an inner resolve, a passion, and a direction. The sages say "the mind is the eye, whereas the heart is the feet." May the LORD our God be our Light and Salvation as we walk through the surrounding darkness...
So then let us always focus our attention on Yeshua, "the Light of Torah" (האור של תורה) and "the true Wisdom of God" (חָכְמַת אֱלהִים אֲמִתִי). He is the Source of the Light we need that overcomes all darkness; He is the Power that is upholds our way. Yeshua is the Beginning, the Center, and the End of all true meaning from God. Blessed is His Name forever. Amen.
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 36:10 reading (click):
Receiving His Sight...
"We can't see light itself. We can see only what light lights up, like the little circle of night where the candle flickers - a sheen of mahogany, a wineglass, a face leaning toward us out of the shadows." - Frederick Buechner
07.14.26 (Tammuz 29, 5786) Human beings are seemingly "thrown" into existence, subject to historical forces and pressures over which they have no control, bound to their DNA and biochemistry, hemmed in on all sides, powerless, full of ignorance and dark impulses. Yet the more people attempt to disentangle themselves from what cannot be changed, the more enmeshed they become. The natural order of life seems to be that we come forth out of the darkness of birth and return to the darkness of death - a pilgrimage of the unknown.
We need light to conquer our darkness, but we are blind. We cannot forgive ourselves or make ourselves feel loved. We can't find our way. By ourselves we cannot be delivered from fear, anger, or despair. Aristotle's logic is tragically sound: "All people are mortals; all mortals fear death; therefore all people fear death." We cannot escape ourselves; we cannot heal ourselves; we cannot save ourselves. Therefore all that hope believes can only be graciously given by God, for we are lost and must be found. We cannot find our way to eternal life: we must be brought home by the Good Shepherd who seeks for us.
We are saved by the miracle of divine intervention in our lives, and that alone truly changes us. This is called "regeneration" or spiritual rebirth. Just as we were powerless when we were physically brought into this world, so we are powerless when we are spiritually brought into the realm of the divine. We cannot change ourselves, that is, by our own strength or resources. Salvation is "of the LORD," which means it is God's power and love that sets us free. We become a "new creation" that finds its life in the blessing of the Living God. Before we see this, however, we have to become "sick of our sickness," tired, exhausted, and utterly conscious of our need for deliverance from ourselves. We can only come to know God as our Savior when we turn to Him as our only hope.
"Unless you are born again, you cannot see the kingdom of God." We are blind until God opens our eyes. When Yeshua gave sight to a man born blind, the Pharisees concluded that he could not be a true prophet of God because he healed someone on the Sabbath day (John 9). In response Yeshua said, "For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who 'see' may become blind." When the Pharisees heard this they asked, "Are we blind then?" and Yeshua replied: "If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin, but now because you claim that you can see, your guilt remains." Likewise the Apostle Paul was made blind in order to see; he had to lose the blindness of his seeing in order to behold the truth of God's kingdom (Acts 9). As long as Paul thought he could see he remained blind, but as soon as he realized he was blind, he began to be able to see...
The difference between believers and unbelievers does not turn on the problem of sin and the condition of spiritual death - for all are in the same helpless state before God - but rather with the different responses they have toward "the light," that is, the revelation of God manifest in Yeshua. Those who love evil hate the light and turn away from its disclosure, whereas those who "do truth" love the light so that their deeds are revealed as God's power at work within their hearts (John 3:19-21; Eph. 5:13). There is an "exclusive disjunction" in the realm of the spirit: either you will love what is evil and hate the light, or you will love the light and hate what is evil. As Yeshua said: "No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other" (Matt. 6:24).
Followers of Yeshua are told to "walk as children of light" / ὡς τέκνα φωτὸς περιπατεῖτε (Eph. 5:8). The children of light are called to be "am kadosh" - a holy people - separate from the evil engendered by the fallen world and its forces, just as the very first creative expression of God was the separation of light from darkness (Gen. 1:3-4). The children of light "hate evil and love the good," and conversely, the children of darkness "hate the good and love evil" (Psalm 34:21, Prov. 8:13, Amos 5:15, John 3:20-21). Regarding the heavenly Zion to come, it is written: "nothing ritually unclean will ever enter into it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or practices falsehood (lit. "makes a lie"), but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life" (Rev. 21:27).
This is the question of the gospel, after all: Are you willing to believe in the light of God's love, or not? What is your destiny? Yeshua is the light of the world, and those who follow him will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life (John 8:12). So, do you have "ohr ha-chayim" (אוֹר הַחַיִּים), "the light of Life," shining within your heart? The light beckons: "wake up, open your eyes, and believe" the good news: darkness and despair will not prevail; your mourning will find comfort, your grief its solace. Your heart's deepest longing shines brightly, even now, if you will but believe... Now may you find courage and remember what is written: "The LORD is my light and my salvation (i.e., my Yeshua); whom shall I fear? The LORD is the refuge of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?" Amen.
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 36:9 reading (click):
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He carries us through...
The following entry is related to our Torah portion this week, parashat Devarim...
07.13.26 (Tammuz 28, 5786) From our Torah this week (Devarim) we read: "The LORD your God carried you, as a man carries his son, all the way that you went until you came to this place" (Deut. 1:31). Part of the miracle of faith is coming to believe that you matter to God – that you are his child, and that your thoughts, words, and deeds all are of his concern.
You may be tempted to regard yourself as unseen and powerless before the Creator of the universe. How is it possible for anyone to serve the Infinite One, since "even the heavens, and the heaven of heavens, cannot sustain You" (1 Kings 8:27)? Are we not made of clay, whose foundation is but dust? (Job 4:19).
Here the miracle of faith believes that God, the LORD and Source of all life, seeks relationship with you, and that He makes place within Himself to hear you, to engage your life, and to walk with you... Indeed, "the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us:" God emptied himself (κενόω) and clothed himself with human dust so that we could be touched by His love. The LORD carries us through our exile so that we might know and trust him...
Hebrew Lesson
Isaiah 46:4b reading (click):
"And just as we have borne the image of the man of dust,
so we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven" (1 Cor. 15:49).
About Shabbat Chazon...
07.13.26 (Tammuz 28, 5786) The Sabbath that precedes the fast of Tishah B'Av is called Shabbat Chazon (the "Sabbath of the Vision") since the Haftarah that is read (i.e., Isa. 1:1-25) describes the vision of the prophet Isaiah regarding the imminent destruction of the Temple:
"Hear, O heavens and give ear, O earth,
For the LORD has spoken;
Though I brought up and raised My children,
They have rebelled against me." (Isa. 1:2)
When it was first recorded, Isaiah's vision of the destruction to come was still future, and the Jewish people still had a chance to repent before the great tragedy would befall them. However, since they refused to do teshuvah (turn back to God), calamity overtook them. Today the Haftarah is traditionally chanted to the same haunting melody as Megilat Eichah (Lamentations), written by the prophet Jeremiah, who was an eyewitness to the destruction and fall of Judah and Jerusalem.
During the last nine days of the Three Weeks of Sorrow (from Av 1 - Av 9) it is common to confess the sins in our lives that likewise contribute to the lack of God's Presence in our midst. Hashivenu Adonai, elekha ve'nashuvah; chadesh yamenu kekedem: "Turn us back to You, O LORD, and we shall be turned; renew our days as of old" (Lam. 5:21).
Though Shabbat Chazon is a time of mourning, it is also a time for hope. The Torah reading for Shabbat Chazon is always parashat Devarim, the first portion of the Book of Deuteronomy. In this reading, Moses details the victorious battles with Sihon the king of Amorites and Og the king of Bashan. Because it speaks of God's victory, the sages recommended envisioning the future Temple that will be built by the Messiah at this time. According to Jewish tradition, after the Messiah comes and restores Israel, Tishah B'Av will become one of the happiest days of the year (and may He arrive soon and in our days).
The Month of Av...
07.12.26 (Tammuz 27, 5786) The fifth month of the Hebrew calendar (counting from the month of Nisan) is called the month of Av (i.e., Chodesh Av, "the month of the Father"), which begins at sundown on Tuesday, July 14th this year (this is also the anniversary of the death of Aaron, the first High Priest of Israel, see Num. 33:38).
The month of Av is regarded as most solemn among the Orthodox. The ninth day of this month (Tishah B'Av) marks the date when the people believed the evil report of the spies and were sent into exile by the LORD (see Num. 14:28-35). Later, the destruction of both the First Temple (in 586 B.C.) and the Second Temple (in 70 AD) occurred on this same date, resulting in the worldwide exile (diaspora) of the Jewish people. In somber recognition of this we observe Tishah B'Av (תִּשְׁעָה בְּאָב), or the "ninth of Av," as a fast day for mourning the lost vision of Zion. This year Tishah B'Av begins Wednesday, July 22nd at sundown.
The month of Av (חודש אב) literally means 'father' (אָב). It is customary to add the word 'menachem' (מנחם), which means "comforter," because while the month is associated with various tragedies in Jewish history, our Heavenly Father also brings comfort, and hence it is customary to refer to the month of Av as 'Menachem Av' (מנחם אב).
Menachem Av may also mean the "comfort of Aleph-Bet" (א-ב). The Prophet Jeremiah, who witnessed the destruction of the Temple, later wrote the scroll of Lamentations to commemorate this tragic time. The form of Lamentations is an acrostic based on the letters of the Hebrew Aleph-Bet (like Psalm 25, 34, 37, 119, Prov. 31, etc.). The scroll has five sections (perekim). The verses of the first two chapters and the last two chapters all are written in alphabetical order (א,ב,ג). The middle chapter, however, writes its verses using a triple Aleph Bet ordering, i.e., "Aleph, Aleph, Aleph," "Bet, Bet, Bet," "Gimmel, Gimmel, Gimmel," and so on. Since Yeshua is called the "Aleph and Tav" of God (האלף והתו) in Rev. 23:13, the comfort of the Father is revealed in Him! Yeshua is "et" (את), the direct sign and wonder of God!
Since Rosh Chodesh Av marks the time of mourning for Zion, we humbly ask the LORD to help us prepare for the coming time of teshuvah:
יְהִי רָצוֹן מִלְּפָנֵיךָ יהוה אֱלהֵינוּ
וֵאלהֵי אֲבוֹתֵינוּ שֶׁתְּחַדֵּשׁ עָלֵינוּ חדֶשׁ טוֹב
בַּאֲדנֵינוּ יֵשׁוּעַ הַמָּשִׁיחַ אָמֵן
ye·hi · ra·tzon · mil·fa·ne'·kha · Adonai · e·lo·hei'·nu
vei·lo·hei · a·vo·tei'·nu · she·te·kha·desh · a·lei'·nu · cho'·desh· tov
ba'a·do·nei'·nu · Ye·shu'·a · ha·ma·shi'·ach · A·men
"May it be Your will, LORD our God and God of our fathers,
that you renew for us a good month in our Lord Yeshua the Messiah. Amen."
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Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 104:19 reading (click):
Parashat Devarim:
The Summary Book of Torah...
"Reviewing a lesson a hundred times cannot be compared with reviewing it a hundred and one times." - Hillel the Elder
07.12.26 (Tammuz 27, 5786) Shavuah tov b'Yeshua Moshienu, chaverim! The concluding book of the Torah of Moses is called "Devarim" (i.e., דברים, "words" or "things"), from the phrase eleh ha'devarim ("these are the words...") found in its opening verse. In our English Bibles, Sefer Devarim (ספר דברים) is known as the "Book of Deuteronomy," from a Greek word meaning "second (or repeated) law" (δευτερονόμιον), a term used to translate the phrase mishneh ha-Torah ("copy of the Torah," Deut. 17:18).
Generally speaking, the Book of Devarim represents Moses' "farewell address" to Israel, where he reviews and summarizes the history and the laws given to the people and repeatedly warns that obedience will bring blessing while disobedience will bring disaster. The series of personal discourses (or sermons) in the book all have the pleading tone of rebuke and admonition, and indeed some sages say it resembles a sort of "deathbed blessing" not unlike Jacob's blessing given to his sons.
Our Torah portion (i.e., parashah: פרשה) for this week is the very first section of the Book of Deuteronomy, which begins with Moses recounting the journey from Mount Sinai to the edge of the promised land. Moses mentioned the difficulty of personally governing the people and recalled how he set up a system of judges to help him administer justice among the various tribes. Moses then reminded the people of the tragic sin of the spies and the rebellion of the people at Kadesh Barnea, which led to God's decree that no one of that generation would live to enter the land of Canaan (except for Caleb and Joshua). Moses then provided an outline of the 38 year exile of the Israelites back toward the Sea of Reeds, into the desert regions, and then back again until the subsequent generation was ready to enter the promised land. For more information, see the links listed below.
Shavuah Tov Podcast:
Parashat Devarim...
07.12.26 (Tammuz 27, 5786) Our Torah reading this week (Devarim) is the very first portion from the Book of Deuteronomy (ספר דברים), which is always read on the Sabbath that precedes the solemn and somber holiday of Tishah B'Av (תשעה באב). In Jewish tradition, this Sabbath is called "Shabbat Chazon" (שַׁבַּת חַזוֹן), "the Sabbath of Vision," since the Haftarah that is read (i.e., Isa. 1:1-25) comes from the vision of the prophet Isaiah regarding the destruction of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. In both Jewish tradition and liturgy, teshuvah (repentance) and confession of sin are the themes of this prepatory Sabbath.
Hebrew Lesson
Isaiah 1:9 reading (click):
Deliver us from anxiety...
"To look away from the world, or to stare at it, does not help a man to reach God; but he who sees the world in Him stands in His presence." - Martin Buber
07.10.26 (Tammuz 25, 5786) Why do we often feel anxious? Why are we filled with unease and worry about what might happen to us? Is it not because everything seems out of our control? The world around us seems threatening and unstable; our interpersonal relationships are fragile and vulnerable; our bodies can get sick and falter; we grow despondent, lonely, and grieved. Time relentlessly passes and dissolution seems omnipresent; we feel distressed, swallowed up, overwhelmed, and powerless...
Now while it is true that everything is out of our control, it is not true we are utterly alone, the victims of unhappy chance and sorrowful fortune, for we find life in relationship with a loving God who has repeatedly told us that he is with us always, through all the byways and valleys, and that he will never leave nor forsake us. The Lord has promised to shepherd us through the present darkness; he is the ground of our being, the place of our refuge.
We do not deny reality or pretend that we are not in struggle between hope and despair. But while it is true that we are in a world that is frightening and uncertain, we are given strength by God to walk in shalom here, to bear witness of his radiant light. We are "in" but not "of" the world -- a realm that God has subjected to vanity in order to redeem it to a heavenly and eternal hope (Rom. 8:20). You are not alone, friend; you are part of God's blessing. The Lord is with you and he provides you sure refuge and abiding comfort in the midst of the storm. God is always between you and your wounds...
Just as humanity was plunged into darkness through unbelief, so we are brought to the light through faith in God's deliverance. Therefore hold fast to hope, and keep the fire of your heart burning, friend... Rabbi Nachman once told a person who was struggling with his faith: "It is written that all creation was brought into being because of people like you. God saw there would be people who would cling to our holy faith, suffering greatly because confusion and doubt would plague them. God perceived that such would overcome these doubts and troubles of heart and remain strong in their belief. It was because of this that God brought forth all creation." Amen. Repudiate anxiety and never yield to despair, since that leads to further darkness and fear. "Do not be anxious (i.e., inwardly divided, two-hearted) over anything, but in every thing by prayer bring your needs before God with gratitude, and the peace of God that surpasses all understanding (שלום אלוהים העולה על ההבנה) will guard your hearts and minds in Yeshua the Messiah (Phil. 4:6-7).
Press on and keep fighting the "good fight" of faith (1 Tim. 6:12). When the apostle Peter lost courage at the sight of the swelling waves, Yeshua reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt (lit., think twice)?" Remember that you infinitely matter to heaven; your life has great value; you are significant and you are truly loved by our Heavenly Father. "The LORD your God goes with you to fight on your behalf against your enemies to give you victory" (Deut. 20:4).
We are not alone; God will help us get through... "I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion (ἐπιτελέω) at the Day of Yeshua the Messiah" (Phil 1:6). The LORD is able to guard you (φυλάξαι) from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of His glory with great joy (Jude 1:24). "The LORD upholds all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down" (Psalm 145:14). "He will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the Day of our Yeshua the Messiah" (1 Cor. 1:8). He who calls you is forever faithful; He will surely do it (1 Thess. 5:24). Yea, "the Lord is faithful (נֶאֱמָן הוּא): He will establish you and guard you against the evil one" (2 Thess. 3:3). The Spirit of the Lord says, "Fear not, for I AM with you always." Amen and amen.
Hebrew Lesson
Isaiah 41:13 reading (click):
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Heaven's Last Laugh...
07.10.26 (Tammuz 25, 5786) "Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh" (Luke 6:21). Despite the heartache of our present life and the grief we now bear, sorrow will not be given the last word, but rather laughter and joy... And even now, in the midst of our afflictions, we can laugh in joy at the prospect of the coming great Day when all things shall be completely healed, the untrue will be made true, the crooked made straight, and our hearts deepest dream for love will be fulfilled...
Nonetheless we still weep because we see the world as painful, tragic, and filled with so much sadness; we cry out for deliverance; we mourn over our lives and for the lives of others we love... If you have a heart that still can feel, you know the crushing weight of sin, you share the agony of others who struggle with their sufferings; and you may feel nearly suffocated by the darkness, pain, and inconsolable despair. Indeed only those who are heartless can laugh at the troubles of this world, unmoved and untouched by the sorrows of others, perhaps because they are insulated in their moneyed indifference or else because they scorn life as "hard" and unforgiving, yet in either case we hear Yeshua add, "Woe to you who laugh now" (either in levity or in bitterness), "for you shall mourn and weep" (Luke 6:25). So you see how it is: God's people will always be "out of step" with this world and its godless idolatry. Genuine faith is a form of protest against any interpretation of reality that denies or minimizes the truth of the Divine Presence and therefore it suffers as the world exchanges truth for the lie.
Indeed God's people are "strangers" in this world; they are estranged and live as "resident aliens" -- here, yet not here.... Those who 'settle' here, who lay claim to life in this world, therefore make God their stranger. Thus King David said to the LORD: "We are strangers with You (כִּי־גֵרִים אֲנַחְנוּ לְפָנֶיךָ) and sojourners like our fathers; our days on earth are like a shadow (כַּצֵּל יָמֵינוּ) without abiding (1 Chron. 29:15). Faith in Yeshua affirms that underlying the surface appearance of life is a deeper reality that is ultimately real and abiding. It "sees what is invisible" (2 Cor. 4:18) and understands (i.e., accepts) that the "present form of this world is passing away" (1 Cor. 7:31). The mode of faith therefore calls us to live as toshavim - sojourners - who are at an infinite "distance" from the world of appearances and who seek the Eternal. We are "just passing through" this world, as we look forward to our promised home in heaven (Heb. 11:9-10). Then the days of our mourning shall be turned to dancing and God himself shall wipe away all tears from our eyes (Rev. 7:17; Isa. 55:11). Amen.
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 30:5 reading (click for audio):
The Mystery of Spirit...
07.09.26 (Tammuz 24, 5786) The word "spirit" points to wonder, to something extraordinary and beyond our expectation, that is, to the mysterious Divine Presence that pervades all things yet rises above all things. Yeshua likened the Ruach (רוּחַ) with the inscrutable motions of the wind: "The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit" (John 3:8). We see the effect of the wind, but not the wind itself, which illustrates that the wind is ultimately beyond our grasp and control. To be "born of the Spirit" is therefore a mysterious intervention from heaven (John 1:13), just as being "led by the Spirit" implies seeing differently, that is, apprehending the Divine Presence in the mysterious motions of life.
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 139:7 reading (click):
Soren Kierkegaard connects the movement of the Spirit with a deep sense of longing: "The wind blows where it will; you are aware of its soughing, but no one knows whence it comes or whither it goes. So also with longing, the longing for God and the eternal, the longing for our Savior and Redeemer. Comprehend it you cannot, nor should you; indeed, you dare not even want to attempt - but you are to use the longing. Would the merchant be responsible if he does not use the opportune moment; would the sailor be responsible if he does not use the favorable winds - how much more, then, is the one who does not use the occasion of longing when it is offered?" (Kierkegaard: Discourses)
Meaning and Life...
07.09.26 (Tammuz 24, 5786) 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). Live in God, who is your life, your love, your light, your truth, your healing, your beauty, your breath, and your salvation. Yeshua is the Source of all life, and we find nourishment, strength, and fullness of joy as we connect with his life. The Lord is our light and our salvation, the Mediator of divine life (Psalm 27:1; John 1:4). The Voice of the LORD still speaks: "Take heart. It is I; be not afraid."
The word chayim can also be read as chai (חי), "alive," combined with the particle im (אם), "if," suggesting that being alive is conditional on our connection with God in the truth. "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life (חַיֵּי עוֹלָם); whoever refuses the Son shall not see life, but the separation of God remains" (John 3:36). Life and peace are therefore inextricably connected, and those who refuse Yeshua, the Prince of Peace (שַׂר־שָׁלוֹם), therefore separate themselves from unity with God. Yeshua alone is the means of receiving the divine life: "Whoever has the Son has the life (הַחַיִּים); but whoever does not have the Son of God does not have the life" (1 John 5:12).
The Divine Life is such that it is never diminished as it shared but instead grows and multiplies in miraculous ways. This is 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 - the same value for the Sacred Name (יהוה), i.e., (10+5+6+5=26). Love is inherently relational, and the love of God is the very life of the universe...
The word chayim is also written in the plural both to indicate that we are in relationship with ourselves as well as with others, and moreover that our souls, despite the various changes we may go through in life, remain a unique identity. When Cain murdered his brother Abel, the Torah says, "the voice of your brother's bloods (plural) cries out from the ground" (Gen. 4:10), indicating that Abel's soul, (and the souls of his descendants) also cried out (Heb. 12:24). "Whoever destroys a soul, it is considered as if he destroyed an entire world; and whoever saves a life, it is as if he saved an entire world" (Sanhedrin 37a).
A broken relationship is a kind of death, as anyone who has experienced divorce or the loss of a friend can attest. Death is separation from life. The message of the "gospel" is that our relationship with God is dead and in need of reconcilliation, and that he reaches out to us in our alienation and heartache to restore our lost hope. It is the life blood of Messiah shed in the passion of God's outstretched arms that heals our separation and accepts us into the Divine Presence... The voice of Yeshua's blood cries out on our behalf (Heb. 12:24) as his life was given in exchange for ours: "For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Cor. 5:12).
We make "spiritual contact" with the sacrificial blood of Yeshua through faith -- by being "baptized into His death" and identifying with Him as our Sin-Bearer before God. We "lean into" Yeshua, confessing our rage, and are cleansed from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). In the New Testament Yeshua is called the "atonement" (ἱλασμός) for our sins (1 John 2:2), a Greek word that was used in the Septuagint (i.e., LXX) to translate the Hebrew word kippurim in the Torah (Lev. 25:9). The Septuagint uses the same word (ἱλασμός) to translate the Hebrew word for selichah (forgiveness), for example: "But with you there is forgiveness (הַסְּלִיחָה), that you may be held in awe" (Psalm 130:4). Just as the blood was sprinkled upon the kapporet (cover of the Ark of the Covenant) in the Holy of Holies during the Yom Kippur ritual, so the blood of Messiah was sprinkled the heavenly kapporet, the very altar of Almighty God, to secure for us everlasting redemption and healing... The breach has been healed by our Savior Yeshua, who alone mediates the life of God within us. By faith we are delivered from condemnation and are accepted as God's beloved children.
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 6:4 reading (click for audio):
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The Journey of Journeys...
07.08.26 (Tammuz 23, 5786) From our Torah portion for this week (i.e., parashat Masei) we read: "These are the journeys of the people of Israel (מַסְעֵי בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל) who went out of the land of Egypt..." (Num. 33:1). The sages ask why the word "journeys" (plural) was used here, since only the first journey – from Rameses to Sukkot – literally marked "yetziat mitzrayim," the going out of Egypt – and all the other journeys were outside of Egypt, in desert regions. They answer that the journey out of Egypt goes beyond the physical land into the spiritual - an exodus from captivity to the world into the realm of the spirit. As has been said, it took the LORD 40 days to get Israel out of Egypt, but it took 40 years to get Egypt out of Israel... The "journey out of Egypt" is therefore a journey of smaller journeys that leads to the full consciousness of deliverance.
Along the way we are repeatedly tested. The "desert experience" reveals what is hidden in our hearts... The murmuring and rebellion of the Israelites in the desert is our own, and our challenge is to find healing from our fears. Anger, doubt, boredom, cravings, and outright rebellion are symptoms of a deeper problem, and to change we must first confess our inner poverty, neediness, and emptiness (James 5:16). When we stop making excuses we can learn to trust in God's provision for our lives; we will taste of the heavenly manna and be satisfied; we will be delivered from our fears by be filled with God's love. The impulses that sought to lead us away from God will no longer be able to pretend to be the truth, since God's peace and love will direct the heart. We will begin to take hold of the promise...
Be encouraged my fellow sojourners walking by faith through the desert of this present world. The Torah uses a repetitious expression, "Sanctify yourselves and you shall be holy" (הִתְקַדִּשְׁתֶּם וִהְיִיתֶם קְדשִׁים) (Lev. 11:44) because when we make a sincere effort -- no matter how feeble at times -- to draw near to the LORD, He will draw near to us (Zech. 1:3; James 4:8; Psalm 145:18). Indeed the walk of faith is one of ascent and descent and ascent again: It's often "two steps forward, one step back..." It is a long road, a process, as we learn to obey and seek to grow closer to God. Authentic repentance doesn't imply that we will never sin or make any mistakes, of course, but rather means that the oscillating pattern of "up, then down, then up" is the basic way we walk. Our direction has changed for good; we have turned to God for life and hope. We now understand our sins in light of a greater love that bears them for us even as we draw ever closer to the One who calls us home...
Hebrew Lesson
Zechariah 1:3 reading (click):
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The Prayer of God...
"And this is eternal life: that they know you the only true God, and Yeshua the Messiah whom you have sent." - Yeshua (John 17:3)
07.07.26 (Tammuz 22, 5786) Man prays to God, but to whom does God pray? And for what does He pray? Or do you think that the Almighty has no desires of His own, no yearning of heart? The sages of the Talmud believed that God indeed addresses himself: Yehi ratzon milfanai, "May it be acceptable before me, may it be My will, that my compassion overcome my anger, and that it may prevail over my justice when my children appeal to me, so that I may deal with them in mercy and in love" (Berachot 6a). This is the deeper unity of the Name YHVH (יהוה), the Savior and LORD, revealed to Moses after the sin of the Golden Calf (Exod. 34:6-7), and this is the essential meaning of the cross of Yeshua, where the LORD passionately "prayed within Himself" so that His compassion would overcome His judgment for our sins.
Only the cross allows God's righteousness and mercy to "kiss" (Psalm 85:10; 89:14); only the cross reveals the true Holy of Holies where the blood was placed over the Ark of the Law; only the cross intimates the Inner Sanctum of God's heart. Because of the cross, a holy God is able to truly love and help the trusting sinner (Rom. 3:26). It is written: "Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne (צֶדֶק וּמִשְׁפָּט מְכוֹן כִּסְאֶךָ); steadfast love and faithfulness go before you" (Psalm 89:14). Because of Yeshua, God is vindicated as entirely just - and the Justifier of those who trust in His redemptive love (Rom. 3:24-26). Yeshua is the prayer of God the Father's on behalf of His children...
The will of God - His heart's yearning and desire - is for his children to receive his love (2 Pet. 3:9; 1 Tim. 2:4; John 3:16; Ezek. 18:23). As Yeshua prayed, "Holy Father, keep them in your Name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one... I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me" (John 17:11,23).
Yeshua died on the cross to bear the shame for your sins, to be sure, but he did this so that you could be accepted and securely loved forever.... It is the love of God that is the goal of all things, after all. When Yeshua cried out, "It is finished" and breathed his last breath as He died for our sins upon the cross, the greatest exhalation of the Spirit occurred, the greatest sigh, the greatest utterance was ever declared. The sacrificial death of Yeshua for our deliverance was God's final word of love breathed out to those who are trusting in Him.
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 85:10 reading (click for audio):
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His Abiding Presence...
07.07.26 (Tammuz 22, 5786) The Spirit of the Lord comforts and reassures those who come to trust in Him: "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. And I give them eternal life (חַיֵּי עוֹלָם), and they will never perish - no, never! - and no one will snatch them out of my hand" (John 10:27-28).
Note that the Greek grammar in this verse uses a "double negation," which is the strongest way to deny something. In other words, if the question were asked, "Will one of these sheep perish?" the answer is emphatic: "No, no, it will never happen! It is unthinkable!" Indeed all those who belong to Messiah "shall never, ever perish - not into eternity (εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα)." It is an eternal certainty that you who are trusting in Yeshua will never perish, and no power in heaven or earth will be able to take you out of God's hand... "Surely goodness and mercy shall pursue you all the days of your life, and you shall dwell in the Presence of the Lord forever (Psalm 23:6).
Regarding the certainty of salvation Yeshua said: "I tell you the solemn truth, the one who hears my message and believes in the One who sent me has (i.e., ἔχει, present active indicative) eternal life and will not be condemned, but has passed over (i.e., μετά + βαίνω, lit., "crossed over" [עָבַר]) from death to life" (John 5:24).
The verb translated "has passed over" (μεταβέβηκεν) is a perfect active that expresses completed action: "this one has already passed over from death to life." In other words, it is an accomplished reality though it is only experienced as we surrender to the love and grace of God. As the apostle Paul later summarized: "For it is by grace you have been saved (i.e., σεσῳσμένοι, a perfect passive participle that denotes completed action done on your behalf with effects that continue to the present) through faith, and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast" (Eph. 2:9-10). Ultimately, salvation is a question about who you really are, not about what you do.
God does not want us uncertain or unsure of His great love for us. A fearful believer explained that he was anxious about his acceptance before heaven. When he was asked to define "salvation," he answered, "freedom, deliverance, rest, peace." So you think fear will help you do away with your fear? You are fearful of the idea of freedom from fear?
"Be strong and of good courage" - chazak ve'ematz (חֲזַק וֶאֱמָץ). The LORD God promises "never to leave you nor forsake you," and to be with you wherever you go (Josh. 1:5,9; Heb. 13:15, Psalm 139; Matt. 28:20). In the Greek New Testament the wording of Hebrews 13:15 is highly emphatic: "Not ever will I give up on you (οὐ μή σε ἀνῶ); no, not ever will I leave you behind (οὐδ᾽ οὐ μή σε ἐγκαταλίπω)." May you hear the voice of the Good Shepherd calling you, and may He forever keep you under His watchful care. Amen.
Hebrew Lesson
Joshua 1:9 reading (click for audio):
Sanctity of Heart...
07.07.26 (Tammuz 22, 5786) From our Torah portion this week we read: "Speak to the children of Israel, and say unto them, 'When ye are passed over into the land of promise ... drive away all the inhabitants of the land before you; destroy all their carved images, all their molten images, and demolish their high places'" (Num. 33:51-52). The Hebrew term for idolatry is "avodah zarah" (עֲבוֹדָה זַרָה), which literally means strange or "foreign" worship... The worship of anything other than the true God, whether it is pleasure, money, fame, control, security, self-improvement, health, religion, etc., is regarded as foreign, since it alienates us from the truth of reality. We were created to be in relationship with God but we lose sight of this truth whenever elevate what is finite to the status of the infinite. Indeed idolatry is the substitution of what is not-god (לא־אֵל) for the sacred, absolutizing the present and worshiping the temporal. Since our greatest good is found in the eternal verities of the divine communion, the Lord cannot give us an absolute good apart from Him, since there literally is no such thing. "No one can serve two masters," Yeshua said, and "a divided house cannot stand." For our own good, then, God necessarily is the Ultimate Concern of our life, and he wants to spare us the pain, disappointment, and trauma of being double-minded, disintegrated, and full of inner conflict. Spiritual warfare therefore means taking every thought captive before the bar of God's truth, rooting out and destroying all our inner idols so that we can be delivered from the anguish of uncertainty and ambivalence.
What is at stake here is your inner life, or rather the threat of the disintegration of your deepest essence into a fragmented multiplicity without center... The soul must be grounded in Reality or it is lost, dissipated in existential dread and despair. Yeshua said that when your eye is "single" (ἁπλοῦς), your whole being will be full of light (Matt. 6:22), which means that being single-minded and wholehearted unifies and heals the soul.... Being pulled in opposite directions is both painful and debilitating, for there is no overarching reason to direct the will in its decisions. Hating and loving the good is the ambivalence of despair. Being both willing and unwilling weakens the soul, but seeking the good and making God your ultimate concern binds up the broken heart and centers the will. "Your faith has made you whole..."
"Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life" (Prov. 4:23). The heart, that is, the willing and desiring center of the self, is to be proactively guarded, and for this sacred task God offers us heavenly comfort and resolve. Courage does not chase away or deny fear and despair, but instead gives us determination to persevere despite these feelings. "Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope thou in God" (Psalm 42:11). Courage expresses hope in the midst of the struggle; it finds strength to confront pain, danger, or grief with God's help. Courage is grounded in the decision to trust that God is with us, despite our circumstances or feelings of abandonment. How you choose to guard your heart from the corruption and hardness of the world will determine the "road" of your life. If you do not care to keep your heart open and soft, you will become cynical, weary, and more and more selfish. Your way will be lonely, suspicious, and dangerous. If, however, you keep yourself from the hardness of unbelief, you will experience compassion, encouragement, and the joy of loving others.
Hebrew Lesson:
Proverbs 4:23 Hebrew reading (click)
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Sufficient unto the Day...
07.07.26 (Tammuz 22, 5786) In the Gospel of Matthew we read these words of our Lord: "Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble" (Matt. 6:34). Soren Kierkegaard comments: "If there is no next day for you, then all earthly care is annihilated. When the next day comes, it loses its enchantment and its disquieting insecurity. If there is no next day for you, then either you are dying or you are one who by dying to temporality has grasped the Eternal, either one who is actually dying or one who is really living... The one who rows a boat turns his back to the goal toward which he is working. So it is with the next day. When, with the help of the Eternal, a person lives absorbed in today, he turns his back to the next day. The more he is eternally absorbed in today, the more decisively he turns his back to the next day." Amen. Today is the day of salvation; today may we hear His voice...
"If there is no next day for you, then either you are dying or you are one who by dying to temporality has grasped the Eternal, either one who is actually dying or one who is really living..." - Soren Kierkegaard
"For he that loses his life will find it..." (Luke 17:33). But how are we to understand this? An old story from the Desert Fathers comes to mind. A visitor came to the Master and was struck by his radiance. Later he spoke to a disciple and asked him for an explanation. The disciple quoted the Master's words, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit" (John 12:24). Life is a sacred mystery, but death provides the key to unlock its meaning. We can "turn the key" by surrendering ourselves in silent expectation before God. Once we die to life in this world we are set free and empowered to live in joy and gratitude for everything. We experience serenity as we let go in surrender to God's care.
A person must be content to be as he is; a dependent being, as little capable of sustaining himself as of creating himself. If we choose to forget God and look after our own sustenance, then we are overcome with anxiety. It is certainly praiseworthy and pleasing to God when a person works for his food. But if he forgets God, and thinks that he himself is supporting himself, then he becomes burdened with the necessities of life... Worry about making a living, or not making a living, is a snare. In actuality, it is the snare. No external power, no actual circumstance, can trap a person. If a person chooses to be his own providence, then he will go quite ingenuously into his own trap, the wealthy as well as the poor. If he wants to entrench himself in his own plot of ground that is not under God's care, then he is living, though he does not acknowledge it, in a prison. When the farmer shut the door on the wood dove, the wood dove believed himself to be safe, when in fact he was caught. Or to put it another way, he was shut out from the care of Providence and trapped in a life of anxiety. In a spiritual sense he made himself a captive and "trapped himself unto death." (Kierkegaard UPD)
It is the saddest thing of all if a human being goes through life without discovering his need for God. Therefore blessed indeed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 5:3). It is a "blessed fault" to understand our inner poverty, to know anguish of heart, and to be able to abide in God's salvation one day at a time....
The Spirit cries out: "Fear not, for I am with you..." אַל־תִּירָא כִּי עִמְּךָ־אָנִי. What we need most of all is right here, present in this hour, whether we're conscious of it or not. God is with you, even if you feel alone, lost in darkness, unclean, afraid... "Dear Lord Jesus, I don't know who I am, I don't know where I am, and I don't know what I am, but please love me" (prayer of a sufferer from Alzheimer's disease). That's what we need most, to trust that we are safe in God's love, and that's the ultimate message of our atonement in Messiah.
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 73:23 reading (click for audio):
Safe in God's Arms...
"God be praised that it is not because of my worthiness that God loves me; otherwise, I might at any moment die of fear lest the next moment I cease to be worthy." - Kierkegaard, Journals
07.06.26 (Tammuz 21, 5786) "Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep..." After praying with my youngest son Emanuel before he goes to bed, and just after we have said our closing "amens," a moment of silence sets in and he often asks me to pray again so that he won't have be afraid. I get it. The lingering thoughts, the liminal awareness that something went undone today, the fear of the unknown. So we pray some more, asking God to deliver us from our fears and to put his "shields of his protection" all around us as we sleep. And I think to myself, and isn't this what we are praying much of the time anyway -- not to be afraid? And not to be angry, which really is the other side of our fear?
We may sometimes feel uneasy over our lives; we may wrestle with "inner demons" that lurk in the shadows of consciousness and seek refuge from them; we may feel fragile, powerless, stupefied, sad, guilty, remorseful, fearful, insecure, lonely... We call out to the Lord for his protection and deliverance. We need reassurance that He is there for us, that he's on the other end of our heart's cry, that he cares. But surely our deepest fear is that of ourselves - our own inner darkness - and whether we will be able to hold it together and not destroy ourselves. As Yeshua said, "If the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!" (Matt. 6:23).
Our faith in God's love must be greater than the fear of our inner darkness -- those parts of ourselves that seemingly lurk in the shadows. It is not simply trusting God to protect you from external evil but trusting God to deliver you from yourself - trusting him to heal you in the unconscious depths of your soul - the wound that evokes the raw cry of the heart. And more than that, our prayers are a cry for our Abba to be there for us, to take us up in his "everlasting arms," to have him shush away our fears and to quietly say to us: "I love you; I am here with you..." Be at peace my beloved child.
Hebrew Lesson
Isaiah 41:13 reading (click for audio):
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Guarding your Tongue...
07.06.26 (Tammuz 21, 5786) Our Torah portion this week (i.e., Mattot) begins with Moses instructing the leaders of the tribes, saying: "If a person makes a vow (נֶדֶר) ... he shall not break his word; but he shall do according to all he has said" (Num. 30:2). Notice that the phrase "break his word" literally means to profane (חָלַל) his word, which implies that breaking a promise is a type of profanity or spiritual defilement...
If we do not honor and respect our words, we lose a sense of meaning, and the substance of what we say and think becomes unstable. Such double-mindedness leads to shame, since without inner conviction we become inwardly divided and fragmented, so that we no longer trust ourselves... Being honest (i.e., yashar: יָשָׁר) implies that what we say and what we mean are unified. An honest person doesn't play games with words but understands that communication is a sacred trust...
We have a moral obligation to speak truth to others. This is called dibbur emet (דברי אמת) in Hebrew. Dibbur emet, or "speaking truth," is the duty to use words and language with integrity, compassion, and justice. We abuse language when we gossip, slander, or express contempt to others, and therefore the Torah urges us to practice "shemirat lashon" (שמירת לשון), or "guarding of the tongue" (Psalm 34:11-18).
Yeshua warned us not make oaths but rather we should be trustworthy with our words: let your "yes" mean yes, and your "no" mean no (Matt. 5:37). The talmud agrees by saying that 'no' is an oath and 'yes' is an oath." Our words are to be regarded as sacred, a confession of truth. God has made us inviolable promises, and we are never to play games with that. Just as His word is sacred, so we should strive to be sacred in our speech, too: "I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned" (Matt. 12:37).
The Torah states, "You shall not put a stumbling block (מִכְשׁוֹל) before the blind" (Lev. 19:14). In addition to its literal meaning, the word "blind" figuratively refers to a person unaware of all the facts and who is therefore made vulnerable. Someone who misdirects the blind deceives them, and this violates the 9th commandment not to bear false witness (Exod. 20:16; 23:1). Such deception is called genevat da'at (גְּנֵבַת דַעַת), or "stealing the mind," since it defrauds the other person's trust. For example, it is common practice for politicians to disclose only what they think others need to know, and therefore they offer incomplete versions of truth for the sake of their own self-serving interests. Lying to others is a violation, then, of both the commandment not to steal and the commandment not to bear false witness. "The righteous person hates lies" - דְּבַר־שֶׁקֶר יִשְׂנָא צַדִּיק (Prov. 13:5).
Hebrew Lesson
Proverbs 13:5 reading (click):
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"Deliver me, O LORD, from lying lips, from a deceitful tongue" (Psalm 120:2). The sages say that the virtue of eminut (אֲמִינוּת), or trustworthiness, begins with learning to trust others... Parents are therefore responsible to fulfill their commitments to their children. Rabbi Zera said, "One should not say to a child, 'I will give you something' and then not do so, since that teaches the child to lie" (Sukka 46b). People learn to lie from a sense of betrayal, from the mismatch between professed words and reality. The breakdown of trust leads to the evasive use of words to protect ourselves. We tell others what we think they want to hear or we mislead them to keep ourselves safe. Breaking promises wounds others, and children can learn to become hardhearted, untrusting, and fearful of intimacy as a result.
Power to the Faint...
07.06.26 (Tammuz 21, 5786) "Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Eternal One, the LORD, is the Creator of the ends of the earth (בּוֹרֵא קְצוֹת הָאָרֶץ). He does not faint nor grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength" (Isa. 40:28-29).
Human pride has no objection that God can impart strength, but it objects that strength is found in those who are broken and weary – that is, to those mortally wounded in the battle against evil. The principle of the self-life, the ego, religious observance, "doing the law," etc., is a spiritual dead-end. The word is this: God gives strength to the weary, to the faint, to those who are without potency or power. But this means that they must first be emptied, broken, and stripped of self-sufficiency before the strength of God is manifest in them: "My power is made perfect (τελειοῦται) in weakness" (2 Cor. 12:9). God's way is first to break us, to make us weaker and weaker, so that he can then fill us with the miraculous divine nature.
Like all sacrifices brought to the altar, we must pass through death to life by means of our union with the Messiah at the cross... It is only after the cross that it may be truly said, "It is no longer 'I' who lives; now it is Messiah who lives His life in me" (Gal. 2:20). There is indeed strength, power, and victory – but such comes after the cross, after we reckon carnal energy as useless. "Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, says Adonai Tzeva'ot" (Zech. 4:6).
Hebrew Lesson:
Isaiah 40:29 reading (click):
Where we read, "Messiah who loved me and gave himself for me" (Gal. 2:20), we emphasize the object of God's redeeming love; we stress that this word is being spoken to "me," and that Messiah's love is poured out "for me." But how can we justify doing so, in light of the innumerable souls that have been brought forth in the world? The Mishnah asks, "Why was man created alone?" and answers so that each person must say the world was created for me. "Whoever destroys a soul, it is considered as if he destroyed an entire world; and whoever saves a soul, it is considered as if he saved an entire world..." Amen.
This Week's Torah:
Parashat Mattot-Masei...
07.05.26 (Tammuz 20, 5786) Shavuah tov, chaverim! This week we will read a "double portion" of Torah that concludes Sefer Bamidbar, or "the Book of Numbers." Our first Torah portion, called parashat Mattot (מַטּוֹת, "tribes"), begins with the LORD giving laws and prohibitions regarding the making of vows (nedarim). After this, the Israelites were commanded to wage war against the Midianites for seducing the people to sin at the incident of "Baal Peor." During the ensuing battle, the wicked sorcerer Balaam was killed, as well as five tribal kings of the land of Midian.
The tribes of Reuben and Gad (and half of the tribe of Manasseh) asked permission to settle in the pasture land of Gilead (on the east of the Jordan), since they had large herds of cattle. At first Moses disapproved their request, since he feared that the other tribes would lose heart if these tribes stayed behind during the conquest of Canaan. However, when the tribal leaders made a vow to join the fight while their families remained in Gilead, Moses finally agreed.
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In our second Torah portion, called parashat Masei (מַסְעֵי, "journeys"), Moses recounted the various "stations" of the journey from Egypt to the edge of the promised land, and instructed that when the people would finally cross the Jordan River into the land of Canaan, they were to drive out all the inhabitants and to utterly destroy all traces of their culture and religion. After this, the land would be divided by lot according to tribes of Israel, based on the size of each tribe. God then warned Moses that if the Israelites would not drive out the inhabitants of the land, they would become a "snare" to them, and God would then judge and exile the Israelites as he intended to do to the Canaanites.
The Israelites were then instructed to assign towns with surrounding pasture lands to the Levites. There were to be a total of 42 towns, chosen by lot and distributed throughout the land according to the size of each tribe. In addition, six more cities were to be given to the Levites and designated as "cities of refuge" to which a person who unintentionally killed another may flee to take refuge from an "avenger of blood" (i.e., next of kin). The death penalty required testimony from at least two witnesses and admitted of no "ransom" (plea bargain) to be offered in place of the murderer's execution. On the other hand, a person responsible for involuntary manslaughter of another was required to dwell within the confines of a city of refuge until the death of the High Priest, after which time he was free to return to his home without fear of retribution from an avenger of blood.
The Book of Numbers – and the historical narrative of the Torah itself – concludes with the resolution of the question of legal inheritance in the land just before Joshua would lead the people into the land of Canaan. The book ends with this statement: "These are the commandments and the rules that the LORD commanded through Moses to the people of Israel in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho."
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The Way of Perfect Peace...
07.03.26 (Tammuz 18, 5786) When we lose sight of the truth that God is in complete control of all things, we tend to grow anxious... Feeling worried comes from focusing on ourselves, a perspective that can make us feel alone, forgotten, and even victimized in this world. Worry moves us to defend ourselves, to seek refuge in our own devices, and to forfeit the will of God according to the dictates of lesser fears...
The sages say it is not permitted to worry: "To worry is a sin; only one sort of worry is permissible; to worry because one worries." We should worry that we worry because this indicates our hardness of heart and our unbelief. God's name YHVH (יהוה) means "Presence," "Breath," "Life," and "Love." So why should we be anxious for "tomorrow"? We really only have this moment, but this moment is entirely sufficient when we walk in the light of God and seek to know him in all our ways (Prov. 3:5-6).
The first part of the Shema (i.e., Deut. 6:4-9) admonishes us to remember the truth of God "when you sit in your house, when you walk in your ways, when you lie down, and when you rise up." "In all your ways know Him," that is, in all that you put your hand to do look for the God's Presence and guidance (Prov. 3:6; 1 Cor. 10:31). This is something you must do: As King David stated, "I have set the Lord always before me, because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved" (Psalm 16:8). Make up your mind: "Let the peace of God rule in you" (Col. 3:15).
The Name of the LORD is "I-AM-WITH-YOU-ALWAYS," which implies that we always live within His Presence and care, even if we are sometimes unconscious of this truth (Matt. 28:20). As it is written in the prophets, hen al kapayim hachotikh: "Behold I have engraved you on the palms of my hands" (הֵן עַל־כַּפַּיִם חַקּתִיךְ; Isa. 49:16). Remember the One who stretched out his hands and died for your healing; remember that he said, "Do not be anxious about tomorrow... sufficient for the day is its own trouble" (Matt. 6:34). A
Again it is written in our Scriptures: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God" (Phil. 4:6). When we worry we heed voices of fear and begin to feel 'double-minded,' (i.e., δίψυχος), unstable, and unable to think clearly; we get restless and find it difficult to deeply breathe. We start to feel out of control, fearful that something bad will happen despite all our efforts or wishes to the contrary; we sense doom; we lose heart; we go dark...
The Scripture here admonishes us to pray when we are tempted to be anxious by focusing on something for which we are grateful. Doing so will instill the "peace of God" (שלום יהוה) that quells all our fears (Phil. 4:7). We gain the "light of life," that is, inner illumination from God, so that we can remain steadfast and unmovable in faith. We will experience complete peace, shalom shaleim (שלום שלם) when we make up our minds to trust in Him (Isa. 26:3).
If you leave everything in God's hands, eventually you will see God's hand in everything....
Hebrew Lesson
Isaiah 26:3 reading (click):
Gift of Holy Desperation...
"The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. What is called resignation is confirmed desperation." -- Henry David Thoreau
07.03.26 (Tammuz 18, 5786) Many of us have been given the "gift of holy desperation." That's the special blessing of needing God so viscerally that you will fall apart or even self-destruct apart from His daily intervention in your life... "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 5:3). We groan in hope...
Our Torah portion this week (Pinchas) says that the fire on the altar was to be kept burning at all times (Lev. 6:12-13), which symbolizes esh tamid (אֵשׁ תָּמִיד), or the inner fire of the heart... How blessed it is to be full of the fire of this inner need, this relentless groaning, this constant hunger to be set free. Even more wonderful is how the korban tamid (קָרְבָּן תָּמִיד) - the daily whole burnt sacrifice of the lamb - represents Yeshua's ongoing and wholehearted passion for you to come alive to God's love... The heart of the Lord is offered to you in brokenness and compassion.
Hebrew Lesson:
Psalm 143:6 Hebrew reading:
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Awakening to Wonder...
"Every sparrow is unlike every other sparrow despite the similarities." - De Mello
07.03.26 (Tammuz 18, 5786) Every day we are alive is a miracle, though because of the "evil spell of habit" we desensitize the wonder of existence right out of consciousness itself. Kierkegaard once quipped that many people sleep away the days of their lives only to awaken one day to find that they had died! "The greatest hazard of all, losing one's self, can occur very quietly in the world, as if it were nothing at all. No other loss can occur so quietly; any other loss—an arm, a leg, five dollars, a wife, etc.—is sure to be noticed."
The "sleepwalking" person mindlessly follows the social programming of the crowd and unreflectively conforms to worldly culture and its distractions. They live on the "surface" of life, conditioned by the bells and whistles of social programming. Being unconscious is likened to being asleep and oblivious to the truth of reality, which is a pleasant sort of nightmare...
When we are told to "reduce" ourselves (and the universe itself) to be "merely" or "really" the product of impersonal forces, "mechanistic" laws, overarching fate, and so on, we lose sight of the "magic" of creation and miss the wonder of why there is something rather than nothing at all. We explain away divine mysteries and pretend that we already know what is real, failing to see the great poetry and beauty of life...
Habit steals the heart and soul out of life, inducing feelings of indifference and meaninglessness. Once we open our eyes in childlike wonder, we will discover amazing grace and gratuitous blessings all around us. Our breath, the beating of our hearts, and our thoughts will declare the wonder and glory of God....
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 119:1-2 reading (click for audio):
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True and False Zeal...
The following entry concerns our Torah reading for this week, parashat Pinchas...
07.03.26 (Tammuz 18, 5786) You may be entirely sincere in your convictions, but you may be sincerely wrong... In the time of the Second Temple, for instance, the Jewish "Zealots" despised the rule of Rome, and their political hatred caused them to blindly regard anyone who didn't share their passion as a personal enemy. In one of the great tragedies of Jewish history, these zealots actually killed more Jews than did the Romans themselves! And how many Christians these days "kill" relationships with other believers because of their particular zeal regarding some doctrinal question? I am not suggesting that doctrine is unimportant, of course, but before you pick up that sword to do the business of Pinchas, you might do well to consider your heart's attitude...
"In this respect fundamentalism has demonic traits. It destroys the humble honesty of the search for truth, it splits the conscience of its thoughtful adherents, and it makes them fanatical because they are forced to suppress elements of truth of which they are dimly aware." - Paul Tillich
We need to be careful with our passions. There is a "false zeal" that leads to estrangement and confusion. Withholding love from others is ultimately grounded in an appeal to God as the administrator of Justice. It is an appeal to God as Elohim (אֱלהִים), not as YHVH (יהוה), the Compassionate Source of Life. If we insist on our rights, we are appealing to principles of justice, i.e., to God as the Lawgiver. But if we intend to have God be the Judge of others, we will know Him as our own Judge as well. This is a serious matter, friends: If we have an unforgiving spirit toward others, we will not receive our own forgiveness (Matt. 6:15); if we are judgmental toward them, we ourselves will be put on trial;but if we are cruel and ungiving toward them, we will experience life as hellish, miserable and mean. This reciprocal principle of Kingdom life appears throughout Yeshua's teaching. "According to your faith, be it done unto you" (Matt. 9:29).
Hebrew Lesson:
Psalm 18:26 reading (click):
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Olam Katan: A Small World...
Being made in God's likeness means that how we regard ourselves and others will be the measure that we regard God Himself...
07.02.26 (Tammuz 17, 5786) It is written in our Torah portion for this week (i.e., Pinchas), "My offering, my food for my food offerings, my pleasing aroma, you shall be careful to offer to me at its appointed time" (Num. 28:2). Food for God? What need has the LORD for food? But by this is meant "as you have done it to least of these my brethren, you have done it unto Me" (Matt. 25:40). The offerings you make to tzedakah (giving charity, your time, your kindness, etc.) constitute food presented before the secret place of God's altar...
God created Adam alone, as a solitary being, made in the divine image, to teach us that to destroy a single life is to destroy an entire world, and to sustain a single life is to sustain an entire world. Therefore everyone should say: 'For my sake the world was created' (Talmud). Each of us is olam katan (עולם קטן), a small world that represents the large world. Indeed, one righteous human being can sustain the entire world, as it is written (Prov. 10:25), "the righteous is the foundation of the world" (וְצַדִּיק יְסוֹד עוֹלָם).
On the other hand, balance is of course required here. Each of us is olam katan, a small world, though, as Rabbi Noah of Lekhivitz once wisely said, "if we are small in our own eyes, we are indeed 'a world,' but if we are a 'world' in our own eyes, we are thereby made small." This thought obviously echoes Yeshua's teaching: "Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted" (Matt. 23:12).
There are assumptions we bring to the reading of Torah that affect how we read and what we will hear... The sages generally agreed that the greatest principle of Torah is to love your neighbor as yourself (Lev. 19:18), though Ben Azzai further said that even greater is the principle that God created man in His likeness (i.e., bid'mut Elohim, בִּדְמוּת אֱלֹהִים, in "outline" or "silhouette," the word demut [דְּמוּת] a synonym of tzelem [צֶלֶם], a "shadow" or semblance) because then one cannot say, 'Since I despise myself I can despise another as well; since I curse myself, let the other be accursed as well.' Being made in God's likeness means how we regard ourselves and others will be the measure we regard God Himself (1 John 4:20). Therefore the first commandment is always, "I am the LORD thy God..." (Exod. 20:2), since apart from faith, there is no Torah of any kind.
Eleazar ha-Kappar used to say: "They who have been born are destined to die. They that are dead are destined to be made alive. They who live are destined to be judged, that men may know and make known and understand that He is God, He is the maker, He is the creator, He is the discerner, He is the judge, He is the witness, He is the complainant, and it is He who will in the future judge, blessed be He, in whose presence is neither guile nor forgetfulness nor respect of persons nor taking of bribes; for all is His. And know that everything is according to the reckoning. And let not your evil nature assure you that the grave will be your refuge: for despite yourself you were fashioned, and despite yourself you were born, and despite yourself you live, and despite yourself you die, and despite yourself shall you are destined to give account and reckoning before the supreme King of kings, the Holy One, blessed be He." (Pirkei Avot 4:29)
Hebrew Lesson
Eccl. 12:13 Hebrew reading:
The Fast of Tammuz...
07.02.26 (Tammuz 17, 5786) In Jewish tradition, Moses smashed the tablets on the seventeenth day of the fourth month (later called Tammuz) after he came down from Sinai and found the people worshiping the Golden Calf. This tragedy was seen as prophetic, since it was on this same date that the walls of Jerusalem were crushed by the invading armies of Nebuchadnezzar (see 2 Kings 25:2-7), an event which led to the destruction of the Temple and the exile of the people three weeks later, that is, on the ninth of Av. Today, the seventeenth of Tammuz is commemorated as a fast day (i.e., the "Fast of 4th month") that marks the beginning of the three week period of mourning for the lost vision of Zion...
Since the three week period from the 17th day of Tammuz through the 9th day of Av recalls the season when the Temple was destroyed and the people were exiled from the promised land, it is called yemei bein ha-metzarim (יְמֵי בֵּין הַמְּצָרִים), "the days in the midst of distress," a phrase taken from the Book of Lamentations: "Judah has gone into exile, her pursuers have all overtaken her in the midst of her distresses" (i.e., bein ha-metzarim: בֵּין הַמְּצָרִים).
The tears of the prophet Jeremiah represent God's compassionate love for the Jewish people; the Book of Lamentations is really God's cry... God cares about the suffering of His people: b'khol tzaratam lo tzar (בְּכָל־צָרָתָם לוֹ צָר) - "In all their affliction he was afflicted" (Isa. 63:9). Even after all the horrors that befell the people of Judah due to God's disciplinary judgment, the LORD still encouraged them to seek Him again. "The faithful love of the LORD (חַסְדֵי יהוה) never ceases, and his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness" (Lam. 3:22-23). Our response to the faithful love of the LORD is teshuvah (i.e., תְּשׁוּבָה, "turning [shuv] to God"). In Modern Hebrew teshuvah means an "answer" to a shelah (שְׁאֵלָה), or a question. God's love for us is the question, and our teshuvah – our turning of the heart toward Him – is the answer. We return to the LORD when we truly acknowledge that He is our Father and our King.
הֲשִׁיבֵנוּ יְהוָה אֵלֶיךָ וְנָשׁוּבָה
חַדֵּשׁ יָמֵינוּ כְּקֶדֶם
ha·shi·vei'·nu · Adonai · ei·lei'·kha · ve·na·shu'·va
cha·desh · ya·mei'·noo · ke·ke'·dem
"Turn us back to yourself, O LORD, so that we may return to you;
renew our days as of old" (Lam. 5:21)
Hebrew Study Card
Note that the word "distress" (i.e., metzar: מֵצַר) comes from a root word (i.e., tzarah: צָרָה) that means to "make narrow or restricted" (the Yiddish word "tsuris" comes from this root), whereas the word for "deliverance" or "salvation" (i.e., yeshuah: יְשׁוּעָה) means to "make wide" or "make sufficient." These two ideas can be seen in a verse from the Psalms: "Out of my distress (מִן־הַמֵּצַר) I called on the LORD; the LORD answered me and set me in a wide open place" (Psalm 118:5). Among other things, deliverance (salvation) is always a transition from bondage to freedom...
Note: For more information about the Fast of Tammuz, click here.
The Torah of Mercies...
07.01.26 (Tammuz 16, 5786) Shalom chaverim. It has been said that grace is getting what you don't deserve, whereas mercy is not getting what you do... Yeshua said, "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy" (Matt. 5:7). This is not a reciprocal law like karma, i.e., you get in return what you first give, since we cannot obtain God's mercy as reward for our own supposed merit (Rom. 4:4). No, we are able to extend mercy to others only when we are made merciful ("full of mercy"), that is, when we first receive mercy as the gift of God (Eph. 2:8; Rom. 5:15). After all, you can't give away what you don't have, and if you have no mercy for others, it is likely that you have not received it for yourself, as the parable of the "Good Samaritan" reveals (Luke 10:25-8).
Your forgiveness is your forgiveness, that is, as you forgive, so you reveal your heart. What you do comes from what you are, not the other way around. We are first transformed by God's grace and then come works of love. We are able to judge others mercifully, with the "good eye," because we come to believe that we are beloved by God.
When Yeshua rebuked the "holier-than-thou" attitude of some people, he said: "Go and learn what this means, 'I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.' For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners" (Matt. 9:13). The pattern therefore abides: First you realize you are broken, impoverished of heart, and you mourn over your sinful condition (Matt. 5:3-4); then you hunger and thirst for God's righteousness, that is, for his healing and deliverance, and finally you learn to trust the mercy of God, that is, you come to accept that you are accepted despite your unacceptability (Matt. 5:5-6). As you begin "suffer yourself" and forgive your own evil, you are enabled to extend this mercy to others (Matt. 5:7). In this way you begin to see God in your relationships and obey the heart of truth (Matt. 5:8; 1 Sam. 15:22).
Though we love and honor truth, we must be careful never to use it as a weapon to judge or wound others. The failure to extend mercy, to demand your "rights" or hold on to grudges, implies that you are relating to God as Judge rather than as Savior (James 2:13). If we condemn what we see in others, we have yet to truly see what is within our own hearts; we have yet to see our desperate need for God's mercy for our lives. If you don't own your own sin, your sin will own you. Being merciful is a response to God's love and therefore is essential to genuine teshuvah (repentance).
Walking in love is the deepest expression of truth, since love heals untruth and embraces hope for what is presently broken (1 Cor. 13:7). In light of this, take a moment to ask the LORD to help you relinquish the pain of your past by being full of mercy toward yourself and others. Honor God's love for you by forgiving yourself and showing compassion and mercy to others in your life...
Hebrew Lesson
Hosea 6:6 Hebrew reading (click):
Truth and God's Salvation...
07.01.26 (Tammuz 16, 5786) The Scriptures teach us that it is forbidden to be afraid of the future because we are to live in the presence of God today and trust him to take care of us. "Sing to the LORD! Bless His Name! Proclaim His salvation from day to day" (Psalm 96:2).
"There is no fear in love," and therefore over and over the Spirit of God says, al tira' - "don't be afraid..." When we are afraid, we are believing the lie there is something beyond God's control or reach, and therefore God is "not enough"...
In times of testing you must remind yourself of what is true and real. When you know the truth, you will be set free from the power of the lie (John 8:32). God formed you in your mother's womb, breathed into you nishmat chayim, the breath of life, and numbers all your days... Every breath you take, every heartbeat in your chest is ordained from heaven, and indeed, there is not a moment of your life apart from God's sovereign and sustaining grace.
So what, then, are you afraid of? Dying? Judgment in the world to come? Being left unloved, bereft of home, abandoned, consigned to outer darkness? King David said, "If I make my bed in Hell, behold, you are there" (Psalm 139:8). Understand that the LORD God is not only present in your "happy moments," when you feel "put together" and respectable, but he is present in your desperate moments, in your hunger, your thirst, and in your secrets. May we never lose sight of God's love, especially in times of distress and trouble, since we trust that he is always working all things together for our ultimate good (Rom. 8:28).
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 (Rom. 8:35-39). To worry is "practicing the absence" of God instead of practicing 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). The Word always speaks hope.
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 knows 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). Shalom means being free from fear.
This is a word for the exiles of every age: Be not afraid - al-tira' – not of man, nor of war, nor of tribulation, nor even of death itself (Rom. 8:35-39). If God be for us, who can be against us? Indeed, Yeshua came to die to destroy the power of death "and to release all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery" (Heb. 2:14-15). The resurrection of the Messiah is the focal point of history - not the "dust of death." Death does not have the final word. Indeed, because Yeshua is alive, we also shall live (John 14:19). May your chesed, O LORD, be upon us, as we wait for You (Psalm 33:22).
Nachman of Breslov once is reported to have said that "The whole earth is a very narrow bridge (כָּל־הָעוֹלָם כֻּלּוֹ גֶּשֶׁר צַר מְאד), and the point of life is never to be afraid." Likewise we understand Yeshua to be the Bridge to the Father, the narrow way of passage that leads to life. He calls out to us in the storm of this world, "Take heart. It is I; be not afraid" (Matt. 14:27). When Peter answered the call and attempted to walk across the stormy waters, he lost courage and began to sink, but Yeshua immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt (lit., think twice)?"
We must be careful not to let the light in us become darkness (Luke 11:35). The love and acceptance of God is the answer to our fear, not the thought of being judged by Him or attempting to merit his favor through religion. God's love is our hope, and this hope gives us courage to persevere the storms of the day... As it is written: "Be not afraid of sudden terror, nor of the destruction of the wicked when it comes. For the LORD shall be your confidence, and he shall keep your foot from being caught" (Prov. 3:25-26). Amen, may your chesed, O LORD, be upon us, as we wait for You.
"Greater is He that is in you than the one that is in the world" (1 John 4:4). Let us therefore walk in the Spirit of Truth, friends, and thereby overcome the devil and his noisome lies....
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 96:2 reading (click for audio):
June 2026 Site Updates
Joy at the End of it all...
"Joy is at the end of it, after all. Astonishment and joy are what our faith finally points to, and even Paul ... after he had come through his years of suffering, and at the end, licking his wounds in a Roman lock-up wrote: "Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice" (Phil. 4:4). But it is at the end that he wrote it. Rejoice is the last word and can be spoken only after the first word." - Frederick Buechner
06.30.26 (Tammuz 16, 5786) The Torah teaches that a personal, all-powerful, and all-loving God exists and solely created the universe "yesh me'ayin" (יֵשׁ מְאַיִן), or out of nothing. As his crowning creative achievement, God created free moral agents - both angels and man - who could choose to do what is good or what is evil. For reasons that are not entirely clear, however, some of the angels chose to rebel against God (chief among them Lucifer, later renamed Satan), and these angels, in turn, conspired to seduce human beings to do likewise. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God's moral law, they effectively joined the angelic rebellion. The consequence of this was catastrophic, and the mankind "fell" away from God as their King into a state of alienation and exile called "spiritual death."
Since God had created man to exercise lawful dominion over the earth (שׁגח), however, as the steward and "federal head" of creation, the effect of his apostasy affected not only his life, but also that of the entire created order itself, as Satan then usurped the authority given to man and began his reign of terror upon the earth. With the spiritual and moral order usurped, mankind was under the hegemony of Satan, and anarchy resulted. The natural order likewise broke down and dissipated. The original transgression of man therefore affected not only his relationship with God but also that of the entire created order itself. Natural evils and chaos erupted as the earth became a rebel outpost from the original Kingdom of God. Satan enthroned himself as the "god of this world" (ὁ θεὸς τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου) and humanity has subsequently suffered under his tyranny of deception and malice ever since.
Now this general account of the origin of evil can be considered philosophically, and indeed it inevitably is discussed that way, since the main objection to the idea that an all-powerful and all-loving Creator exists is the concurrent existence of evil, and in particular, pain and suffering that seems to be omnipresent in the world. How could such a God allow evil in his creation? And doesn't the prevalence of such evil impugn faith in God?
The contrary challenge being made here is that the following four propositions: 1) God exists; 2) God is all-powerful, 3) God is all-loving, and 4) evil exists are together logically incompatible and therefore one (or more) of them must be false. So the first order of business regarding this critical challenge is to consider each proposition (and its negation) to determine its credibility (or lack thereof), and then, after better understanding the meaning of the propositions, to decide if they are really inconsistent or not.
As for the first proposition, namely, that God "exists," we need to consider various rational arguments for the existence of God, for instance, the cosmological argument (argument from cause), the teleological argument (argument from design), the ontological argument (the a priori argument), the argument from intuitions of beauty, morality, and logic, the argument from mystical experiences, arguments from fulfilled prophecies, evidences for the historical reliability of the Scriptures, and so on. Working through these arguments is beyond the scope of this short article, since my goal here is to briefly explore how "evil" and the existence of God are not only compatible, but are in indeed complementary to sound theology.
Regarding the second premise that God is all-powerful, we must consider the definition of "God" and then the definition of "omnipotence." First we can define God as "that being than which no greater can be conceived," which implies that God is maximal in all perfections, and that includes the idea that God is unlimited in his power and capabilities. God's omnipotence means that no other being can thwart or surpass his will or desire. Moreover, whereas other forms of being are "contingent," that is, they can pass out of existence, God is a "necessary" being that cannot not exist, since existence itself is an inherent good.
The truth that God is almighty or all-powerful is further attested by the witness of the Jewish Scriptures which collectively affirm that the LORD alone is the Sovereign Creator over all that exists (Gen. 1:1). God is regarded as the "potentate" or owner of reality (1 Chron. 29:11; 1 Tim. 6:15) and that nothing is beyond his power to accomplish (Psalm 115:3; Jer. 32:17; Luke 1:37). God is also omniscient, or all-knowing (Psalm 139; 147:5; 1 John 3:20) and omnipresent, or everywhere present and fully conscious (Psalm 139:7; Jer. 23:24; Isa. 6:3; Matt. 28:20). These attributes imply that God is one, and that there is no other god or power apart from the LORD (אֵין עוֹד מִלְבַדּו), who alone is the Master of the universe (ריבונו של עולם), the peerless and supreme authority over all (Deut. 4:35; 4:39; 32:39; Isa. 43:10; 44:6; 45:18, etc.).
Furthermore, God is rationally understood (or defined) to be "that being than which no greater can be conceived," that is, the Supreme Being, the Source of all that exists, and the consummate power that originated the universe. By definition this implies that God is "maximal" in his perfections, unlimited in his capabilities and designs, and utterly sacred, that is, entirely unique and without rival. Therefore God's omnipotence, omniscience, omnipresence, and other attributes, are intrinsic to his essence (מַהוּת אֱלהִים) and cannot be separated or diminished. God is therefore YHVH (יהוה), the LORD who is ehyeh (אהיה), the great "I am" whose consciousness transcends all of space-time and sustains it by the word of his power.
The third premise is that God is all-loving or "omnibenevolent." This again follows from the axiom that the Supreme Being is maximal in his perfections, and that includes all the moral perfections intuited by the human heart. Affirming that God is all-loving implies his agency as the source and meaning of goodness and love. As we will consider later, it is possible for the universe to exist without evil, but it is impossible for evil to exist without goodness, since goodness is intrinsic to being in itself. A perfect being includes the attribute of being good.
The Torah describes the LORD as morally perfect and upright in all his ways: The LORD is "the Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he" (Deut. 32:4). Moreover, again rationally understood, if God is not all-good, then there must be some limitation of his being, something that constrains his will, some defect or deficiency in his character, which violates the condition that God is than which no greater can be conceived.
Some atheistic philosophers, such as Friedrich Nietzsche, have made the claim that God is "beyond good and evil," a sort of "pantheistic" promiscuity that transcends limiting categories of consciousness. God is likened to a cosmic force that cannot be defined using any analogy to human experience. This implies that moral truths are relative and, in an absolute sense, illusory. The Scriptures attest, to the contrary, that God is good, and that we can know what is good (and what is evil) because we have intuitions of conscience and the logic of transcendental values as part of being created in God's "image" and likeness.
The last premise is that evil exists, which is considered self-evident to common sense. Pain, suffering, and loss cannot be rationalized as some sort of an illusion or theologically justified as part of the "will of God." To say that evil is only "apparently" so, or that what we call "evil" is a misinterpretation of a "deeper" reality, is an affront to human pathos, suppressing the voice of suffering and pain and relegating it to meaninglessness. On the contrary, with common sense we affirm that evil exists, and indeed its reality is the essential objection that God is all-powerful and all-loving. After all, if God is all-powerful, then he can do anything, and if he is all-good, then he will do what is best. Why, then, does evil exist?
The problem for the skeptic or unbeliever is nevertheless defining what evil is, and perhaps more tellingly, defining what "good" means. If God is "beyond good and evil," or an impersonal cosmic force that is indifferent to moral values, then on what grounds can the objection be made that God is not good? The skeptic might just as well take up the argument with brute nature and its "evolutionary carnage" than with God... No, the unbeliever wants to blame God for creating (or allowing) evil by appealing to some sort of "super-transcendental" value of cosmic justice, yet this is another appeal to a standard that is esteemed as "good." C.S. Lewis addressed this problem for the skeptic this way: "My argument against God was that the universe seemed so cruel and unjust. But how had I got this idea of just and unjust? A man does not call a line crooked unless he has some idea of a straight line. What was I comparing this universe with when I called it unjust?"
I might add here that those theologies that emphasize God's power over his other attributes of goodness, justice, and so on, regard him as an "impassive" and unstoppable power or mind that foreordains and predestines all things -- both good and bad -- without compassionate regard to the will and welfare of his creatures. This Stoic idea ultimately makes God into a form of "Fate," an irresistible force that decrees all things. A theology that stresses divine sovereignty over his other attributes (such as empathetic awareness) violates the unity of God's perfections. While it is true that God is sovereign and omnipotent, he "empties himself" to allow human choice and responsibility to have a real influence in his providential designs.
So, in light of the forgoing considerations it seems evident that we can rationally affirm that: 1) God exists; 2) God is all-powerful, 3) God is all-loving, and 4) evil exists, and that there is no logical inconsistency in affirming all four propositions together.
That said, the existence of evil is still problematic, though not in a way that impugns or questions God's existence, power, or goodness, and it is this problematic tension that evokes the mystery or "riddle" of life, since it rejects both a fatuous optimism that regards this to be the "best of all possible worlds" as it also rejects a dejected pessimism that regards life as a senseless nightmare. To paraphrase Chesterton, neither extreme aligns well with reality, since it is evident that "not everything is right; not everything is wrong, and not everything is both right and wrong, but what is wrong has no right to be so" (Everlasting Man).
If we know what ought to be, if we have some intuition of goodness, beauty, justice, truth, and so on, yet we live to the contrary, then the more fundamental problem comes from our disregard of the moral order of reality, and not from the consequences of such disobedience. If "what ought to be" should constrain "what is," and "what is" does not conform to the ideal, the inner contradiction is a problem of the will.
Evil, then, is not intrinsic to reality, but is an "invasion" and a perversion of what is real. The world is "fallen" and infected with evil because of the sin of Adam and Eve, and before that, the sin of Satan who turned away from God to become the "prince of darkness." Satan seeks to "devour" the souls of people by blinding their eyes through deception "so they will not receive the love of the truth in order that they might be saved" (2 Thess. 2:10). Apparently it is Satan's great desire to enslave people and consign them to partake of his own dreadful fate. As it is written: "If the gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Messiah, who is the image of God, should shine on them (2 Cor. 4:3-4).
In this connection we note that there is another category of person who both willfully does what is evil and disregards the existence of God as his Creator and moral Lawgiver. This is a person who does not care about morality and who has abandoned himself to pursuing selfish pleasure as his "highest good." For such a pragmatically debased soul, evil becomes a "lifestyle choice" (or a demand, as it is usually expressed), and defiance of God is its "religion" and existential posture. The evil person calls good evil and evil good; he is so lost to moral truth that he no longer cares to know the difference between what is right and what is wrong. Everything is "excused" as he casts himself away from the light of the divine Presence...
The subject of what is evil is complex, of course. It should be noted that those who most often complain against evil in the world are often oblivious of their own moral failures and evil actions. People tend to overlook their own evil because they want to deny their sinful condition and ignore their responsibility to do what is good. This "oversight" is the work of the devil who lures people into passivity and blaming others. The devil seeks to instill a sense of hopelessness over the evil and injustice that he incites, hardening people's hearts so that they feel powerless to protest. The devil also provides ready-made excuses for suppressing the voice of conscience by offering historical, impersonal, and "scientific" explanations for their bad behavior, often using a medical model that is decidedly naturalistic in its biases.
As people listen to the devil's lies, they grow numb inside, slowly drifting away from what is real. Perversions are tolerated as "normal"; values are vitiated and disregarded. Everything is "relative" and any truth claim is cynically regarded with suspicion. Anarchy and nihilism fill the void of God's direction and love. The devil "loves" people and has a plan for their lives... And this is why we must fight against evil - resisting it with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Passivity in the face of evil makes us accomplices of it presence.
We overcome evil by loving the truth and doing good (Rom. 12:21). The truth here refers to knowledge of moral and spiritual reality, not merely empirical descriptions. The truth includes the language of "oughtness" and the pursuit of ideals, not just a report of the supposed "facts." "When evil things have become evil, good things really become good. There are some men who are dreary because they do not believe in God but there are many others who are dreary because they do not believe in the devil" (Chesterton).
Ironically enough, the real danger is not just unbelief in God, but unbelief in the devil as well. The two go together, for without consciousness of evil and its existential threat, most people will never look for the truth of goodness and the realm of the divine. Indeed evil jolts us awake to the reality of the devil and turns our hearts to God for deliverance. As Yeshua taught us to pray: "Our Father in Heaven ... deliver us from the evil one" (Matt. 6:13).
The blind spot of the devil is that his wickedness indirectly testifies to the goodness, glory, and salvation of God. And undoubtedly this is by God's own design as he takes hold of the tongue of the "dumb donkey" to make him confess God's truth (Num. 22:28-ff). Like the evil fool Haman the Agagite, the devil will be hung on the gallows of his own making (Esther 7:10). "The LORD has made everything for a purpose; even the wicked for the day of evil" (Prov. 16:4). As the LORD said to Pharaoh: "For this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth" (Exod. 9:16). The judgment of God upon evil vindicates his righteousness and truth. As Louis Berkoff once wrote: "God is holy in everything that reveals Him, in His goodness and grace as well as in His justice and wrath."
But again, evil is not necessary but accidental (and parasitical) to reality. The world can happily exist without evil, though it cannot exist at all without the good. A divided house shall not stand, and therefore God allows the envy and malice of Satan to bring about his own destruction. And indeed, the day is coming when evil will finally be separated and removed from God's creation like chaff that is threshed from the wheat.
This world is not our home, and God's salvation is vast in its scope. Not only does Yeshua save us from our blindness of heart and our slavery to sin, not only does he free us from the verdict of the law, from the "legal" argument of the devil, he liberates us so that we belong to God and he promises us a joyful future that will be eternally free from the very presence of evil itself. In this life we may still sometimes sin as we learn to "put on the new nature" that comes from above (Eph. 4:21-24), but our essential spiritual identity has radically changed, and we made partakers of eternal life. The day draws near when our redemption will be complete and the lost paradise of Eden will be forever restored: "For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind" (Isa. 65:17). Amen, therefore "according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells" (2 Pet. 3:13). Halevai. May that come speedily, and in our days.
Hebrew Lesson
Isaiah 65:17 reading (click for audio):
Feeding God's Heart...
The following entry concerns this week's Torah reading, parashat Pinchas...
06.30.26 (Tammuz 16, 5786) As I've discussed elsewhere on the H4C over the years, the climax of the revelation at Sinai was not the giving of the Ten Commandments (עשרת הדיברות) to Israel but was instead the vision of the Altar of the sanctuary (מזבח המשכן). However -- as our Torah portion this week makes clear -- the "central sacrifice" upon this altar was the daily sacrifice (i.e., korban tamid: קרבן תמיד) of a defect-free male lamb with unleavened bread and wine. The LORD calls this "my offering" (קרבני) and "my bread" (לחמי) [Num. 28:1-8]. In other words, the service and ministry of the Temple constantly foretold the coming of the great Lamb of God (שה האלהים) who would be offered upon the altar of the cross to secure our eternal redemption (John 1:29; Heb. 9:11-12).
The sacrifice of the lamb represents "God's food," a pleasing aroma (ריח ניחחי), for it most satisfied the hunger of God's heart (Eph. 5:2). Indeed, Yeshua's offering upon the cross represents God's hunger for our atonement, our healing from the sickness of death, since it restored what was lost to Him through sin, namely, communion with his children. God could never be satisfied until He was able to let truth and love meet (Psalm 85:10).
Sometimes we say that we "hunger for God," but it is vital to remember that it is God who first hungers for us. God desires our love and fellowship. He comes to seek fruit among the trees - but does He find any? He walks in the cool of the day, calling out to us, but are we attuned to hear His voice? Do we accept the invitation to be in His Presence? When God "knocks on the door of your heart" to commune with you, what "food" will you be serving? (Rev. 3:20). Every day we are given an opportunity to "feed God" through expressing faith, hope, and love. Ultimately it is our obedience to the truth is what "feeds" Him: "Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams" (1 Sam. 15:22).
Hebrew Lesson
1 Sam. 15:22b reading (click for audio):
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We "feed God" by offering heartfelt prayer, by walking in faith, by yearning for Him, by studying Scripture, by participating in corporate worship, by giving tzedakah, by performing acts of kindness (gemilut chasadim) for others, and so on (Heb. 13:15-16). Expressing our love for God is the deepest meaning of teshuvah, which is an "answer" or response to His great love for us (1 John 4:19). Just as God feeds and sustains us through His love, so we "feed Him" by our yearning, our prayers, our praise, and our worship...
For more on this subject, see "The Hunger of God's Heart."
Outshine my Darkness...
06.29.26 (Tammuz 15, 5786) "If I say, surely the darkness shall cover me, even the night shall be light about me, for the darkness cannot hide from You, but the night shines as the day: nothing escapes your radiance" (Psalm 139:11-12).
The heart of faith confesses that the light of God overcomes all the darkness, even the darkness of our own hearts, and furthermore it furthermore affirms that we can trust that God is in our darkness, in the silence, in the unknown... Yeshua was covered by the dark cloud as He suffered on the cross and there interceded on your behalf. You come out of the shadows when you admit the truth that you need God. You need help. You need a miracle to help you to truly love. You may find excuses for many things, but you cannot escape the "wretched man that I am" reality that is grounded in your fears.
God sees in the darkness and is present there, too. When you feel alone, like an unbridgeable gulf lay between you and all that is good; when you feel like you want to scream but are afraid that even then no one would hear, may the LORD shine His light upon you... Amen, may His light shine upon you.
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 139:11 reading (click):
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Revelation and Decision...
06.29.26 (Tammuz 15, 5786) Every one of us is a teacher of sorts, proclaiming through our personal choices what we believe to be true. False teachers are those whose choices "teach" that there is no God, no eternal life, no meaning to life, and ultimately, no real hope... It cannot be any other way, for we all teach by our choices; we communicate by our assumptions of what we regard is of "ultimate concern."
Speculative philosophy never successfully answered any of the haunting existential questions of life, such as: What is reality? Why is there something rather than nothing? What is the purpose of life? What happens when we die? Who am I? Do moral choices matter? and so on, but instead merely reinterpreted the hunger for meaning to be about power and control... Nonsense! People may evade the great questions of life by pretending they are unknowable, but Scripture attests that all people are created in God's image and are intuitively aware of God's reality and power: "For His invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made; so they are without excuse" (Rom. 1:20).
The Scriptures insist that we are responsible to walk in truth and to reject what is false (1 John 4:6). This implies that we have a moral and spiritual duty to think clearly and not to abuse our minds (Phil. 4:8; Rom. 12:2). The LORD our God will help us to do this, as Yeshua promised: "I will ask the Father, and he will give you a Helper (παράκλητος, someone "called to one's side"), to be with you forever, even the Spirit of Truth (רוּחַ הָאֱמֶת), whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him" (John 14:16-17).
The Spirit of Truth helps us "discern what is the will of God, what is good, acceptable, and perfect" (Rom. 12:2) and empowers us to take "every thought captive" to the reality of the Divine Presence (2 Cor. 10:4-5). Truth is bound and connected to memory - both in our personal histories as well as the history of God's redemptive actions performed on our behalf. Hence the great Shema commands us to remember what God has done for us and to "diligently repeat" the truth of reality to our children (Deut. 6:4-9). Similarly, the Spirit of Truth brings to remembrance the words of Yeshua to our hearts (John 14:26).
The "ministry of reconciliation" is defined as "the word of truth, by the power of God, through weapons of righteousness" (see 2 Cor. 6:7). Indeed, the word of truth (τὸν λόγον τῆς ἀληθείας) is a synonym for the "gospel of salvation" itself (Eph. 1:13; Col. 1:5; James 1:18). We are saved by Yeshua, who is the "way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6). God commands all people to believe this truth (Acts 17:30-31; 1 Tim. 2:4). People perish because "they refuse to love the truth and so be saved" (2 Thess. 2:10-12; Hos. 4:6). Therefore we see that the issue of truth is central to salvation itself....
Genuine teshuvah (repentance) implies that we will change our thinking in order to be transformed by God's truth. The follower of Messiah "cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth" (2 Cor. 13:8). Amen, and may God help us all to think clearly and to turn our thoughts to Him. May He protect us from the vanity of a darkened mind and from all distractions that attempt to seduce us away from Him. May the LORD give us the purity of heart to know and do His will in the truth.
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 46:10 reading with audio:
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This week's Torah:
Parashat Pinchas - פינחס
06.28.26 (Tammuz 13, 5786) Shavuah tov chaverim! If you recall, last week's Torah portion (i.e., parashat Chukat-Balak) introduced us to a man named Phinehas (i.e., "Pinchas"), the son of Eleazar the priest and grandson of Aaron, who, during the tragic rebellion at Baal Peor, zealously removed evil from Israel by driving a spear through a tribal prince who was brazenly cavorting with a Midianite princess in defiance of God's law. On account of Pinchas' zeal for the truth of Torah, God stopped the plague and Israel was delivered from great destruction... This week's Torah portion (i.e., parashat Pinchas) begins with the LORD rewarding Pinchas by granting him a "covenant of peace" (ברית שׁלום) and an everlasting priestly line in Israel (ברית כהנת עולם). As I hope you will see, Pinchas pictures the Messiah Yeshua, and the covenant of priesthood given to him is a picture of the greater priesthood after the order of Malki-Tzedek.
Jewish tradition says that when Aaron and his sons were commissioned as the exclusive priests of Israel (Exod. 40:12-15), the office applied only to themselves and to their future descendants. Since Aaron's grandson Pinchas had already been born at the time the promise was given, however, he did not automatically receive this honor, especially since his father Eleazar (the son of Aaron) was married to an "outsider" -- namely, the daughter of Yitro (also called Putiel, Exod. 6:25). This explains Rashi's statement about why the other tribes mocked Pinchas. How dare this "son of an outsider" kill a nassi (prince) of Israel (i.e., Zimri), especially since Pinchas' mother was regarded as an idol worshipper! The LORD honored Pinchas' zeal, however, and overruled the uncharitable tribalism of the Israelites, and he was therefore elevated to be a priest with special honor before the LORD.
God looks at the heart, chaverim, and is able to make those who have zeal for Him true priests of the LORD! You don't have to be born Jewish to be chosen by the LORD God of Israel, since He's "no respecter of persons" (Rom. 2:11). Not only can He create spiritual children of Abraham "from the stones of the ground" (Matt. 3:9; Luke 3:8), but He can turn someone considered a non-Jew (by the rabbis, anyway) into a highly honored priest of Israel (1 Pet. 2:9-10). Indeed, according to tradition, many descendants of Pinchas later became the most faithful of the High Priests of Israel during the First Temple period.
Note that according to one midrash, when Zimri and Cozbi (the Midianite princess) were cavorting, they actually ran inside the Tabernacle compound itself, directly past Moses and the people who were there weeping at its entrance (Num. 25:6)! Pinchas then took a spear from the Tabernacle guards and courageously followed after them. When he caught up with them within the Tent of Meeting itself, he pierced them through with the spear (Num. 25:7-8). After this, thousands of men from the tribe of Simeon ran in after him, seeking to kill him. Pinchas was in such a state of terror that "his soul left him" and he was reborn as a Kohen.
Parashat Pinchas (like parashat Emor in Leviticus) also mentions of all of the (sacrifices of the) mo'edim (holidays) given to the people Israel (Num. 28). These include the daily (tamid), weekly (Shabbat), monthly (Rosh Chodesh) sacrifices, as well as the sacrifices assigned to the special holidays: Passover, Shavuot, Rosh Hoshannah (Terumah), Yom Kippur, Sukkot and Shemini Atzeret. The sages said that remembering the joys of the Temple and the special celebrations of the Jewish people promote the call to do teshuvah during the otherwise somber time of the Three Weeks of Sorrow.
Look to the LORD...
06.26.26 (Tammuz 11, 5786) Yeshua told us: "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed" (John 20:29). Despite the struggle of this life - our sorrows, pains, and even death itself - we believe in God's love and promise for us, even if we do not presently see the fulfillment of our hope, just as Abraham believed the promise that he would be the father of an innumerable multitude long before he saw any sign of its fulfillment.
Abraham "believed the impossible" and "hoped against hope" (παρ᾽ ἐλπίδα ἐπ᾽ ἐλπίδι), meaning that hope kindled within him even though there was nothing to see in the realm of the natural -- he believed in an unseen good; he trusted in the One who gives life to the dead and who "calls into existence the things that do not exist" (Rom. 4:17).
The Scripture comments: "He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the deadness of Sarah's womb. He did not stumble over the promise of God through unbelief but was strong in faith, and gave glory to God, fully persuaded that God was able to do what he had promised, and that is why his faith was counted to him as righteousness" (Rom. 4:19-22).
Likewise we are called to believe in an unseen good, an unimaginably wonderful destiny for our lives, as it says, "Things no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor mind imagined, are the things God has prepared for those who love him" (1 Cor. 2:9). Faith does not use natural reason or the evidence of the senses to see the unseen, but it "believes to see" through "eyes of the heart" to know the hope of God's calling and to attain the blessing (Eph. 1:18).
Faith in God's love comes from a different source and has a different means of apprehension than human wisdom, so that no matter how things might appear in this fallen world, the LORD God may be known and trusted to work all things for our ultimate good. "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." Amen.
Hebrew Lesson:
Psalm 27:14 reading (click):
Uncovering of Eyes...
06.26.26 (Tammuz 11, 5786) From our Torah portion this week (i.e., parashat Balak) we read: "Then the LORD uncovered Balaam's eyes and he saw..." (Num. 22:31). This implies that the great "seer" had been walking "sightlessly" – blind to reality, closed off, unable to get past his own narrow perspective... Indeed the Hebrew verb for "uncovered" (i.e., galah: גָּלָה) implies captivity and exile (i.e., galut: גָּלוּת), being enslaved to the superficial. Like the man born blind who needed a miracle to see the world around him, so we are delivered from our blindness only when God reaches down and touches us so we can see (John 9). True seeing is receiving revelation from God... "Amazing grace... I once was lost, but now am found; was blind, but now I see."
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 69:17 reading (click):
This is such an important appeal – to be enabled by the miracle to see God's presence in all things, in every person we encounter, and in every experience we have... Amen.
Note that the Hebrew word for "reality" is metziut (מְצִיאוּת), from the root matza' (מָצָא) meaning to find or discover. Reality is not simply something we encounter, it is something disclosed to us as a form of revelation. Therefore in Hebrew we do not say "I have x" but rather "there is to me x." In other words, reality is something we obtain from God. This idea is summarized by Abraham Heschel: "To the Western man, reality is a 'thing in itself,' but to the biblical man, it is a 'thing through God.' Looking at a thing his eyes see not so much form, color, force and motion, as an act of God. The world is a gate, not a wall" (Heschel: 1955).
Curses turned to Blessings...
The following entry is related to this week's Torah reading, parashat Balak...
06.26.26 (Tammuz 11, 5786) Our Torah portion for this week (Balak) tells the comical story of how a Moabite king named Balak hired a "prophet" named Balaam to curse the Jewish people. After summoning Balaam to do his sorcery, Balak quickly realized that something was wrong, and that the renowned "seer" was an impostor. His scheme to curse Israel was doomed from the start. In one comical mishap after another, Balak finally realized that "there is no evil incantation against Jacob, and no sorcery against Israel" (Num. 23:23).
In this connection note that the antics of Balak and Balaam took place "out of view" of the Israelites, which teaches us the "moral of the story," namely that the LORD will always protect his people - even when they are unaware of the danger - for their blessing and ultimate good... No weapon formed against God's children shall prosper, and every tongue that speaks in judgment shall be made to "stammer out" praise (Isa. 54:17). "He who vindicates us is near; who will contend with us?" Indeed, "who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Yeshua the Messiah is the one who died -- more than that, who was raised -- who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us" (Rom. 8:33-34). Those of faith understand history - including the End of Days - as the expression of God's sovereign and providential hand. The gracious Savior always works "all things together for the good" of those who are trusting in Him.
God can and does turn curses into blessings... For example, Joseph was blessed despite the ill-will of his brothers: "You devised evil against me, but God devised it for good" (Gen. 50:20). Note that the same verb for "devised" (i.e., chashav: חשׁב) is used to describe both the evil intent of the brothers and the good intent of the Lord. This teaches us that God overrules the malice of men to effect his own good purposes, and therefore we can rightfully affirm gam zu l'tovah (גַּם זוּ לְטוֹבָה), "this too is for good" (Rom. 8:28). Like the story of Haman and the ironic holiday of Purim, we celebrate how God confounds the schemes of the wicked and protects his people...
Underlying the surface appearance of life (chayei sha'ah) is a deeper reality (chayei olam) that is ultimately real, abiding, and designed for God's redemptive love to be fully expressed. Resist the temptation, therefore, to judge by mere appearances. Forbid your troubles to darken the eye of faith. Do not unjustly judge God's purposes or try to understand His ways. As the story of Balaam shows, God makes even the wrath of man praise Him (Psalm 76:10). "Then God opened Balaam's eyes, and he saw the Angel of the LORD (מַלְאַךְ יְהוָה) standing in the way, with his drawn sword in his hand. And he bowed down..." (Num. 22:31). Indeed, every knee will bow to the LORD our God and Savior (Isa. 45:22-23; Phil. 2:10-11).
The schemes of the wicked are subject to the sovereign purposes of the LORD. Ein od milvado (אֵין עוֹד מִלְבַדּו) - there is no power that can be exercised apart from God's consent and overarching will... Indeed all authority on heaven and earth belongs to Yeshua, the "the Ruler of the Kings of the earth" (עֶלְיוֹן לְמַלְכֵי־אָרֶץ). As it is written, "All the nations you have made shall come and worship before you, O Lord, and shall glorify your name" (Psalm 86:9).
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 47:2 reading (click):
The Breaking of Moses...
06.26.26 (Tammuz 11, 5786) In our Torah for this week (i.e., parashat Chukat), we read that after Miriam had died, the people yet again complained about the lack of water, though this time God instructed Moses to "speak to the rock" to satisfy their thirst. Moses, however, perhaps still grieving the death of his sister, then rebuked the people, saying: "Hear now, you rebels: shall we bring water for you out of this rock? And he lifted up his hand and struck the rock with his staff twice, and water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their livestock" (Num. 20:10-11). The LORD, however, was not pleased by this representation and rebuked Moses and Aaron saying: "Because you did not believe in me (יַעַן לא־הֶאֱמַנְתֶּם בִּי), to reveal me as sacred in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them" (Num. 20:12).
Jewish commentators have long struggled to understand this tragic episode, wondering whether it was because Moses had lost his temper with the people, or whether he had arrogantly claimed to be able to bring forth water by himself, or whether he had simply failed to obey God's explicit instruction to speak to (rather than to strike) the rock... We desire a straightforward explanation, a clear reason why God punished Moses and Aaron, but we are left wondering, questioning, struggling... Yet perhaps this is the point of the narrative – that there are reasons known only to God, and we must surrender our need to resolve the ambiguity of the outcome by means of trust.
We might resist or object to this solution, this great "cloud of unknowing," and we may continue searching, asking questions, and wondering; but often enough we will discover there are no definitive answers, and even if we should accept a tentative one, our solution will inevitably lead to even further questions. As it is written: "One thing God has spoken, two things I have heard" (Psalm 62:11), which means that the Torah leads us to think, to enter into dialog, to search for truth. With one word, we often hear two things, which suggests the process of understanding in light of trust. Indeed we often hear and only later are able to listen to what was heard.
The Scriptures do not command us to believe "on cue," but rather reveal a world of questions for our hearts to ponder. Indeed, 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.
The Lord allows us 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...
Our God is "rachum ve'chanun" (רַחוּם וְחַנּוּן), merciful and gracious, and there is a happy ending to the story. Moses did eventually enter into the Promised Land, as revealed in the account of the "transfiguration" of Messiah given in the Gospels (Matt. 17:3-4; Mark 9:4-5), and therefore the prophetic reason that he was unable to enter the land after the Exodus from Egypt may have been to foretell the need for Yeshua to arise for Israel.
Hebrew Lesson
Mark 9:4 reading (click for audio):
Our Daily Deliverance...
"How does God save His people from the pleasure of sin? The answer is, by imparting to them a nature which hates evil and loves holiness. This takes place when they are born again, so that actual salvation begins with regeneration. Of course it does; where else could it commence? Fallen man can neither perceive his desperate need of salvation, nor come to Christ for it, till he has been renewed by the Holy Spirit" - Arthur W. Pink
06.26.26 (Tammuz 11, 5786) "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil" (Matt 6:13). Just as we ask God for our daily bread (לֶחֶם חֻקֵּנוּ), so we ask him for our daily deliverance. Note that the term translated "evil" in many translations ("deliver us from evil") is a substantive rather than an adjective: τοῦ πονηροῦ, the evil one... "Give us this day our daily deliverance from the evil one...."
Our daily bread and our daily deliverance are connected with our decision to "choose life" (בַּחַרְתָּ בַּחַיִּים) -- and to always choose life -- even in moments we find difficult, distressing, and even when we might wish that we were no longer living... Choosing life means refusing to escape reality by evading the significance of our choices; it means finding the will to regard life as worthy; it implies that we will eat our bread in trust that the Lord is at work even in the darkest of hours (Passover occurred at midnight)...
"The descent to hell is easy and those who begin by worshiping power, soon worship evil." Choosing life means refusing to eat the fruit of death and to seek Yeshua, the Tree of Life. We live one day at a time; we only have today: We are given daily bread for this hour of our need. Today is the day of your deliverance - if you are willing to walk in it. Therefore, the Spirit of the Living God cries out, "Choose life and live!"
"Do not be grieved [even over yourself], for the joy of the LORD (חֶדְוַת יְהוָה) is your strength" (Neh. 8:10). Affirming the love, faithfulness, compassion, and salvation of God is a powerful way to defeat the enemy of our souls, who regularly entices us to despair. King David constantly asked God to help him in his spiritual struggles. "Though I walk in the midst of trouble (בְּקֶרֶב צָרָה), you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and your right hand delivers me" (Psalm 138:7). "For the enemy has pursued my soul; he has crushed my life to the ground; he has made me sit in darkness like those long dead. Therefore my spirit faints within me; my heart within me is appalled" (Psalm 143:2-3).
Despite whatever struggle we may face, "the LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit (Psalm 34:18). Indeed, the Lord God is far greater than your heart's sin and will one day entirely deliver you of sin's effect and influence. Amen.
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 34:19 reading (click):
Finding Inner Peace...
"Victory over fear is the first spiritual duty of man." - Nikolai Berdyaev
06.26.26 (Tammuz 11, 5786) It is written in our Scriptures (2 Tim. 1:7) that "God has not given us the spirit of fear (πνεῦμα δειλίας), but of power, and love, and a sound mind" (the term "sound mind" comes from the word saos (σάος) "safe," or under the restraining influence of the Spirit of God). Understand the connection between fear and confusion, then, and note further the connection between having a sound mind and a heart of peace (Isa. 32:17).
A fearful or shameful attitude, then, weakens your resolve, quenches your love, and introduces pain to your thinking. It is the old ruse of the enemy of our souls to lead us to despair, the exile of shame, and cruel bondage to untruth.
As always the answer is the same, namely doing teshuvah, that is, turning to God and embracing the grace and love given in Yeshua as our deepest reality, our power, our heart, and our mind. May we be set free from all our fears by the wonder of his unfailing love!
Hebrew Lesson
Isa. 32:17 reading (click for audio):
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Trust in Difficult Days...
06.25.26 (Tammuz 10, 5786) When theologian Andrew Murray (1828-1917) was bedridden and sick, he consoled another sufferer using these words: "In time of trouble say: "First, He brought me here. It is by His will I am in this straight place; in that I will rest. Next, He will keep me here in His love, and give me grace to behave as His child. Then, He will make the trial a blessing, teaching me the lessons He intends me to learn, and working in me the grace He means to bestow. Last, In His good time He can bring me out again – how and when He knows. [Therefore] let me say I am here, (1) by God's appointment; (2) in his keeping; (3) under His training; and (4) for His time." Of course this applies not only to physical sicknesses but to emotional pain and afflictions of the soul.
Deep within I discover that I can bless the Lord, losing sight of myself and my fears as I affirm my deepest purpose and heritage: "My lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; indeed, my inheritance is beautiful to me" (Psalm 16:6). Though I might have felt bereft and even tempted to lament my estate, by God's grace I am made able to give thanks and to bless, even in the midst of my troubles and pain: "I will bless the LORD who has counseled me; my conscience disciplines me in the night" (Psalm 16:7). Therefore שִׁוִּיתִי יְהוָה לְנֶגְדִּי תָמִיד - "I have set the Lord always before me" – especially in desperate moments when I feel overwhelmed – since I have learned that "because he is at my right hand, I shall not come undone" (Psalm 16:8). God gives me strength to renew my hope: therefore "my heart is made glad, my whole being rejoices, and my body rests in trust" (Psalm 16:9).
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When I feel hopeless, I seek hope; when in pain, I seek strength; when in despair over besetting sins, I yearn again for a place I can call home... In the midst of these things, my heart wonders whether my suffering has come because I deserve it or somehow "need" it. I reason that it may make sense that God extends special care for his favored ones, for those who are righteous and who seem free from the vexation of despair, but does it make sense for me, one who is undone, broken, alone, and unworthy? My heart protests that this is not the whole story of my life, and that more is to be said. I need God and I know that he cares for me. I recall his promises to heal, to bind up the broken of heart, and extend his comfort for our afflictions. Might pain herald the advent of something new to come? Might there be a deeper beauty and surpassing grace going "through the wound" instead of objecting to it?
Saved from Death's Sting...
06.25.26 (Tammuz 10, 5786) Shalom chaverim. Where it says, "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness" (2 Tim. 3:16), we note that the "Scriptures" referred to are the words of Torah, since the New Testament had not yet been compiled when Paul had written these words. Paul further said: "These things (i.e., the stories recounted in the Torah) happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us, who are living at the end of the age" (1 Cor. 10:11). "The deeds of the fathers are signs for the children," meaning that the narratives of the Bible serve as allegories for us.
From our Torah portion this week (i.e., Chukat) we read how the people became discouraged along the way and complained against God and Moses, saying: "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the desert? For there is no food and no water, and our soul loathes this worthless bread (i.e., לֶּחֶם הַקְּלֹקֵל, lit. "cursed bread," referring to the heavenly manna). So the LORD sent venomous serpents (i.e., ha'nechashim ha'seraphim: הַנְּחָשִׁים הַשְּׂרָפִים, i.e., bronze colored snakes that gave a burning bite) among the people, and they bit the people and many of the people of Israel died. Then the people came to Moses and said, "We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD and against you. Pray to the LORD that He take away the serpent (ha'nachash: הַנָּחָשׁ) from us." So Moses prayed for the people and the LORD then said to him, "Make a fiery serpent (i.e., saraf: שָׂרָף), and set it on a pole (i.e., nes: נֵס); and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, and who looks upon it shall live" (Num. 21:4-8).
The "fiery serpent" – the venomous sting of which brings death – is what must be looked upon, confronted, and confessed. We must look at that which kills us, and by seeing it, we can then see God's miracle (i.e., nes: נֵּס) that delivers us... Therefore we are to look to the cross – to the place where Yeshua clothed himself with our sickness and sin – and behold God's remedy for our eternal healing. As Yeshua explained to Nicodemus, "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life" (John 3:14-15). Humanity as a whole has been "bitten by the snake" and needs to be delivered from its lethal venom. And just as the image made in the likeness of the destroying snake was lifted up for Israel's healing, so the One made in the likeness of sinful flesh (Rom. 8:3) was to be lifted up as the Healer of the entire world. In Yeshua the miraculous exchange takes place: "For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Cor. 5:21). This is the essence of the gospel message itself...
Hebrew Lesson
Numbers 21:8b reading (click):
The sickness of sin is lethal, and there is no remedy apart from turning to behold Yeshua, the "fiery serpent" lifted upon a stake, the One crucified for our deliverance (Num. 21:8; John 3:14; Gal. 3:13). The teshuvah of God is to turn away from yourself to behold the miracle of God's righteousness given for your sake, and therefore it is a matter of radical faith. Today is the day to choose life; may you turn to behold Him now...
Beauty for Ashes....
"Should pain and suffering, sorrow, and grief, rise up like clouds and overshadow for a time the Sun of Righteousness and hide Him from your view, do not be dismayed, for in the end this cloud of woe will descend in showers of blessing on your head, and the Sun of Righteousness shall rise upon you to set no more forever." - Sadhu Sundar Singh
06.24.26 (Tammuz 9, 5786) The ashes of the red heifer represented the death and sacrifice of something extremely rare, valuable, and precious. The ashes were mixed with "living water" (מַיִם חַיִּים) to reveal the truth that though the end of all flesh is but "dust and ashes," the Spirit of God gives cleansing and life.
Indeed the word ashes (אֵפֶר) may be rearranged to spell both cure (רַפֵא) and beauty (פְאֵר). The author of the book of Hebrews argues from the lesser to the greater: If the sprinkling of water mixed with the ashes of a red heifer purify the flesh from contamination with physical death, then how much more does the blood of Messiah purify the soul from the deeds that cause spiritual death? (Heb. 9:13-14).
Amen, because of Yeshua's sacrifice we are given "beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness," that we may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified (Isa. 61:3).
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 30:11 reading (click):
Healing from Secret faults...
"Above all, don't lie to yourself. The man who lies to himself and listens to his own lie comes to a point that he cannot distinguish the truth within him, or around him, and so loses all respect for himself and for others." - Fyodor Dostoevsky
06.24.26 (Tammuz 9, 5786) We all have unhealed parts, "hidden faults" (נסתרות) of which we are not fully aware. "Blind spots." Therefore king David prayed, "Who can discern his errors? cleanse me from secret faults" (Psalm 19:12). We are cleansed by confession (וִדוּי), that is, by looking within our hearts to uncover deeper motivations... If we are honest with ourselves we may discover, for example, that we are fearful or angry, despite how we otherwise wish to regard ourselves. If you find yourself unable to let something go, for instance, some pain or failure of the past, remind yourself that you must do so if you want to move on with your life. Focusing on how things could have been different is to be enslaved to the past. The goal of teshuvah (repentance) is to turn us back to God for life, but to do this, we must be be willing to let go of what makes us sick.
Note that the Hebrew word translated "errors" (i.e., שְׁגִיאוֹת) comes from a root word (שָׁגָה) that means to wander, stray, or transgress. The question raised by David is rhetorical: "Who can discern his errors?" No one – apart from divine intervention... David asked to be cleansed from his "secret faults," which are not those that were performed by him "in secret," but rather those that were unknown, unseen, and unconscious to his own sense of awareness. These are "mindless" sins, unthinking offenses, hidden dispositions, character defects and actions that a person unwittingly performs, perhaps because of deep forces of which he was oblivious. These are the "secret sins" set in the light of God's face (Psalm 90:8); the "sluggish darkness" of the human heart that leads to death and ruin: "The heart is deceitful above all things, and incurably sick; who can understand it?" (Jer. 17:9).
How many of us, after all, are fully aware of what we are doing when we are doing something? How many of us are completely transparent both to ourselves and before God, with no unclear motives, etc.? We must always be vigilant... "You are the man!" (2 Sam. 12:7). There is always the force of habit, or the subconscious desires or conflicts of the inner life, that work on us, not to mention the trauma of our past and the present devices from the enemy of our souls. May the LORD give us the willingness to be healed, even if there are parts of ourselves that seem to resist that healing. Amen.
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 19:12 reading (click):
The Secret Kingdom...
"I have come," said a deep voice behind them. They turned and saw the Lion himself, so bright and real and strong that everything else began at once to look pale and shadowy compared with him. - C.S. Lewis (The Silver Chair)
06.23.26 (Tammuz 8, 5786) When the disciples asked Yeshua how they should pray, he began with the words: "Our Heavenly Father, sacred is your Name; may your kingdom come, may your will be done..." (Matt. 6:9-10). These words imply that God's kingdom is not naturally within us, and indeed, as Yeshua taught elsewhere, what is "naturally" within the heart is just the opposite: "For from within, out of the heart of a person, come "evil reasonings" (οἱ διαλογισμοὶ οἱ κακοι), adultery, fornication, violence, thievery, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile a person" (Mark 7:21-23). So when Yeshua told the Pharisees that the kingdom of God is "within you," he meant that the kingdom is a matter of a heart that has been reborn by the Spirit - not that people are naturally endowed with a divine "spark" (i.e., nitzot: נִצוֹץ) within them or that through "wisdom" a man may find God. No, the default condition of the heart is one of selfish autonomy that refuses to submit to God's right to reign (Rom. 8:7). Its creed is: "I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul" (Henley). The natural man is a rebel against God; a usurper of the prerogatives of God, and therefore he "eats from the apple" to define "good" and "evil" in his own self-serving terms (Isa. 5:20-21).
This "default" condition of the soul is called "spiritual death," a semblance of life that is "cut off" or alienated from the truth of God, and is therefore devoid of eternal life. As Yeshua told Nicodemus, "unless a person is born again (i.e., γεννηθῇ ἄνωθεν, "born from above"), they cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:3). The spiritual seed of the kingdom must be planted within the heart by the Spirit of God. "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.' The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit" (John 3:6-8).
The miracle of new life comes through a supernatural conception, "from above" (ἄνωθεν), which means that we are entirely powerless in our natural state to impart life to ourselves. And that, of course, is the essential problem of human nature -- that despite our natural desire to be "godlike," we are monstrous in our estate, and therefore what we most need is "deliverance from ourselves," that is, salvation from the horrors of selfish existence.
The Scriptures declare that all our supposed acts of righteousness are "as filthy rags" before the LORD God (Isa. 64:6), so again, we need divine intervention, an "external healing" that comes from Yeshua alone, an entirely new existence that does not derive from "blood, nor the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man" (John 1:13). Only those who are reborn by God's Spirit are given "power to become the children of God" (John 1:12). Interestingly the Greek word translated "power" is eksousia (ἐξουσία), a compound word formed from the preposition ek- (ἐκ), meaning "out of," and the noun ousia (ουσία), meaning "being," thereby suggesting something ontologically different than "natural" reality. Indeed, the word points to the indestructible life of the resurrection of the Lord himself.
From our point of view, the agency of experiencing newness of life is a matter of the "mustard seed" of faith, a humble image that from something seemingly insignificant will come forth blessing and abundant life. This is how the kingdom of God grows - from the "bottom up," or from our brokenness and humility. Recall that when David prayed, "Create in me a clean heart O God," he did not use the word "yatzar" (יָצַר), meaning to "form" or "shape" something into being, but he instead used the word "bara" (בָּרָא), the same word used to describe God's sovereign creation of the universe (Gen. 1:1; Psalm 51:10).
We may say: "I can do all things through God who strengthens me," but we must understand what "all things" means... We can love the unlovely; we can bless those who curse us; we can suffer more than we know; we can endure in our desperation; we can thank God despite our afflictions, and we can do all these things because we have been crucified with Messiah, and that the life we now live is grounded in our relationship with the indwelling Spirit of God. Paradoxically, the Christian life is a dying life, and our union with the death of Yeshua is also the gateway to the power of the resurrection life. We gain ourselves when we lose ourselves: "Not I, but Christ lives in me." By faith we are "incorporated" into Messiah: the 'old man' (i.e., unregenrated nature) has been crucified with him, and the 'new man' (i.e., regenerated nature) is created to know him as the central reason of life.
The kingdom of God reigns "within you" only when the true King lives within your heart, though this is hidden from the "eyes of the flesh" of the natural man (1 Cor. 2:14). Consider the focus of our Lord. Yeshua did not esteem the things man regards as important; he was detached from the dramas and affairs of the political world. He pointed to flowers, birds, seeds, yeast in dough, fish, and other simple matters to illustrate the principles of the kingdom of God. Moreover his disciples were "nobodies" in the world; the people he healed were outcasts, strangers, unknown... And even our Lord himself was disguised in poverty and insignificance: "He sprouted up like a twig before God, like a root out of parched soil; he had no stately form or majesty that might catch our attention, no special appearance that we should desire him" (Isa. 53:2). God Almighty emptied himself of heavenly glory to become "baby Jesus" for us; he was born in a manger, in poverty and obscurity.
The "mustard seed" of faith... the hidden miracle of life that grows by God's power into a place of refuge and grace. It may seem like a slow or even tedious process, but the fruit of the Spirit is produced according to his will: "like a tree planted by the rivers of water that brings forth its fruit in its season" (Psalm 1:3). The process of spiritual growth is ultimately mysterious and divine: "The Kingdom of God 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, "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 light of all of this, be patient and continue to trust that the Lord to do the impossible within your heart (Matt. 19:26). "For I am sure of this very thing, that the one who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Yeshua the Messiah" (Phil. 1:6). "He will strengthen you to the end, so that you will be blameless on that day" (1 Cor. 1:8). "Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to God our Savior, Who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, Dominion and power, Both now and forever" (Jude 1:24-25). Amen.
Hebrew Lesson
Jeremiah 24:7 reading (click):
Keeping your Focus...
"It is funny how mortals always picture us as putting things into their minds: in reality our best work is done by keeping things out." - C.S. Lewis (The Screwtape Letters)
06.23.26 (Tammuz 8, 5786) One of the primary strategies of the devil is to induce a sense hopelessness within your soul... The devil seeks to distract you so that you will lose sight of what is ultimately real and who you really are. The truth of God is your weapon against the cascade of lies that pours forth from the world system and its various princes (Eph. 6:11-18). The entire venture of teshuvah (repentance) presupposes that you are created "in the image of God," that you are related to him, and therefore your life has infinite value and inherent dignity. This is all the more evident in light of the awesome ransom that Yeshua gave to reconcile your soul with God (2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Pet. 2:24). Therefore hold fast to the truth, friends; da lifnei mi attah omed - "know before Whom you stand!" Turn to what is real, refuse the lies and despair of this fallen world, and review what will abide the test of Eternity...
Amen, where it is written: "For your lovingkindness is before my eyes and I have walked in your truth" (Psalm 26:3), we note that the verb translated "I have walked" (i.e., הִתְהַלַּכְתִּי) is "hithpael," a verb pattern used to express reflexive, intensive action done to oneself. Therefore we could translate this as "I earnestly choose to walk" in the truth, indicating decisiveness of intent, focus, purpose... As King Shlomo said: בְּכָל־דְּרָכֶיךָ דָעֵהוּ - "Choose to know Him in all your ways!" (Prov. 3:6).
If you forget the essence of your soul you begin to lose sight of your reason for being, the "why" that underlies all other whys... This essence, however, is not discovered by means of reason, but by revelation -- it is a divine disclosure that awakens you to newness of life. Teshuvah is a return to the arms of your Heavenly Father...
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 26:3 Hebrew reading:
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The Foundation of Torah...
The following concerns the foundation of the Torah (yesod ha'Torah) and parashat Chukat...
06.22.26 (Tammuz 7, 5786) The commandments of God are usually divided between the rational laws (i.e., mishpatim) and the divine decrees (i.e., chukkim), though this distinction is somewhat artificial, since all of the commandments of Torah (and that includes the Torah of the New Covenant) are grounded in the mystery of God's will, which is to say that they are to be obeyed them simply because they derive from the Divine Authority itself...
When the people gathered before Moses to receive the covenant at Mount Sinai, they said: "All the LORD has spoken we will do and we will hear" (na'aseh ve'nishmah: נַעֲשֶׂה וְנִשְׁמָע). Note the order: first comes faith in God expressed in the decision to act (na'aseh), and then comes understanding (ve'nishmah). As Yeshua said, "If anyone's will is to do God's will, he will understand" (John 7:17). The heart of faith is willing to do what God asks before hearing (or understanding) what is required. Many people operate the other way round, sitting in judgment of God's word, demanding to understand why they should obey.
You cannot understand apart from faith, however, and that is categorically true of all forms of knowledge, which is usually defined as "justified true belief." We are to be "doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving ourselves" (James 1:22). The Greek verb used in this verse is emphatic: "Be doers!" (γίνεσθε) means "be born!" "Come alive!" "Do, live, and exist before God!" This is a call to creative action, to newness of life...
Hebrew Lesson
Exodus 24:7 reading (click):
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The Scriptures state that "if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like" (James 1:23-24). If we just hear the truth but do not act upon it, we are comically likened to someone who looks his face over in a mirror but then promptly forgets what he looks like after he steps away... Likewise those who only hear the word but do not "bring it to life" in their deeds forget who they are and why they were created (Eph. 2:10; Titus 2:14; Col. 1:10). When we look into the mirror of truth we see our need for teshuvah and turn to God for the healing miracle he provides (Heb. 4:12).
It's not about doing but being, though being is revealed in doing... If your actions do not align with your values, then back up and recover who you really are in Messiah, understand what your new nature truly is. That is what it means to "take up the yoke" of Messiah, for his yoke is easy (kal) and burden is light, and the task is to repeatedly practice allowing Him to carry your pain, shame, and sin far, far away from your heart.
There is a deeper law, however, a "mirror" that reveals something beyond our passing image. When we look intently into the "perfect law of liberty" (תּוֹרַת הַחֵרוּת וּמַחֲזִיק) - the law of faith, hope, and love for our Savior - we find blessing in our deeds (James 1:25). Note that the verb translated "look into" the law of liberty is the same used when John stooped down to "look inside" the empty tomb of Yeshua (John 20:5). The deeper law reveals the resurrection power of God's invincible love. The Torah of the New Covenant also has many mitzvot, though these are based on the love God gives to us in Yeshua: "This is my Torah: that you love one another as I have loved you" (John 13:34).
Related Content:
Overruling the Wicked...
06.22.26 (Tammuz 7, 5786) As mentioned below, this week we have a "double portion" of Torah, and our second reading for this week, called Balak, is named after a fretful Moabite king (בָּלָק) who sought to curse the Jewish people by hiring the services of a wicked Midianite "prophet" named Balaam (i.e., bil'am: בִּלְעָם). King Balak's plan was to employ Balaam's sorcery (כַּשָׁפוּת) against the Israelites to prevent them from entering the Promised Land. Similar to the delicious irony that befell the villain Haman in the Book of Esther, however, King Balak's scheme was upended, and the curse he sought to put on the Jewish people was repeatedly pronounced as a blessing by Balaam instead. After several foiled attempts to curse the Israelites, Balak finally dismissed the prophet from his service, but before departing from the dejected king, Balaam ironically prophesied the destruction of the Moabites and the establishment of Israel. The shameful story of Balaam reveals that "there is no enchantment against Jacob, no divination against Israel" (Num. 23:23). Ein od milvado (אֵין עוֹד מִלְבַדּו) - no weapon or scheme devised against God will ever prosper (Isa. 54:15-17). Amen.
But who was this mysterious prophet named Balaam? According to Jewish tradition, Jacob's wicked uncle Laban had a son named Be'or (בְּעוֹר), who became the father of Balaam. In other words, the "cursing prophet" Balaam was none other than the grandson of Laban:
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Note that the name "Beor" first appears in connection with a king of Edom (Gen. 36:32), which suggests that Balaam might have once been a king of the Edomites (i.e., the descendants of Esau). Further note the phonetic similarity to Peor. If Beor and Peor are the same, then Balaam was actually a prophet of Baal Peor, a local Semitic god.
Balaam was regarded as a great seer, magician and an adept in the occult. He had an "evil eye" and drew the spirit of demons to anything he gazed upon (Avot 5:22). His notoriety made him famous, and powerful people asked him to invoke curses on their enemies. The Talmud (Sanhedrin 106a) states that Balaam became so famous as a magician that he later became a chief advisor to Pharaoh. It was Balaam who advised the new Pharaoh to enslave the Israelites and to afflict them with brutal taskmasters (Exod. 1:8-11). For more information about the identity of Balaam, see the entry entitled, "The Curses of Balaam."
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