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PAR'SHAT EKEV: LET US BE KNOWN FOR THE KINDNESS WE BESTOW!

8/24/2016

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FROM THE EDITOR 

   Three attributes distinguish the Jewish people: mercy; a sense of shame; bestowing kindness. 
Mercy should be a natural virtue for us as we have been shown much from our Father. 
A sense of shame: There is something wrong with us of we cannot blush and hang our heads low because of our sins. Ezra mentions 'blushing' for the sins the sin of the nation. Jeremiah on the other hand is appalled that the people of Jerusalem cannot do not even blush because of their sins (Ezra 9:6; Jer 6:15, 8:12). Modern psychology teaches us that shaming a child for wrong-doing, or even an adult for that matter is a form of psychological abuse, like 'guilt-tripping' someone, but there is such a thing as wrong-doing and blushing/feeling ashamed of ourselves is the natural reaction of Hashem's spirit within us. If we can't be ashamed of ourselves for our sins/mistakes, maybe we lack of the Spirit of Hashem within us. 
Kindness/mercy The Hebrew uses the word: Chesed חסד): Rabbi Boruch Epstein explains: Hashem deals with a person as that person deals with others (sotah 9b). Therefore, if the Torah mentions that Hashem will bestow kindness/mercy on the Jewish people, it is implied that they themselves bestow mercy/kindness upon others. 

   Discipleship is the idea of imitating the lifestyle of a teacher. If therefore Hashem shows kindness to His people and never forgets His covenant with them, so should we do if we call ourselves disciples. Paul, the faithful shaliach who imitates his Master and Lord, Yeshua exhorts us to imitate Hashem as we walk in love and kindness.

So imitate God, as his dear children; and live a life of love, just as also the Messiah loved us, indeed, on our behalf gave himself up as an offering, as a slaughtered sacrifice to God with a pleasing fragrance. 
(Eph 5:1-2 CJB)


... try to imitate me, even as I myself try to imitate the Messiah. 
(1Co 11:1 CJB)


How do we show kindness? Consideration is part of kindness. Thinking of others' need maybe even ahead of time. Being considerate of people's time, resources, and as the apostle says, regarding others better than ourselves. 

Therefore, if you have any encouragement for me from your being in union with the Messiah, any comfort flowing from love, any fellowship with me in the Spirit, or any compassion and sympathy, then complete my joy by having a common purpose and a common love, by being one in heart and mind. Do nothing out of rivalry or vanity; but, in humility,regard each other as better than yourselves --look out for each other's interests and not just for your own. 
(Php 2:1-4 CJB)



   A woman made it in the Brit for the world to read about her kindness in all generations, her name was Tavitha.

 Now in Yafo there was a talmidah named Tavita (which means "gazelle"); she was always doing tzedakah and other good deeds. It happened that just at that time, she took sick and died. After washing her, they laid her in a room upstairs. Lud is near Yafo, and the talmidim had heard that Kefa was there, so they sent two men to him and urged him, "Please come to us without delay." Kefa got up and went with them. When he arrived, they led him into the upstairs room. All the widows stood by him, sobbing and showing all the dresses and coats Tavita had made them while she was still with them. But Kefa put them all outside, kneeled down and prayed. Then, turning to the body, he said, "Tavita! Get up!" She opened her eyes; and on seeing Kefa, she sat up. He offered her his hand and helped her to her feet; then, calling the believers and the widows, he presented her to them alive.

(Act 9:35-41 CJB)


   I know I have written a lot about this subject and I want to explain why. I have been studying the lifestyle of the early Israeli messianic Jews, the life of our 1st century brothers and sisters. For many year, from the time of the miraculous Shavuot 50 days after the resurrection, though the disciples were persecuted by the Sadducee priests, they overall enjoyed the favor of the people. They were known for their unswerving dedication to their rabbi, Yeshua as well as for their beautiful 'easy yoke' Torah observance which caused them to be known for their compassion, their charity, their love, their personal abnegation and altruism. I'd like to share an example of how I feel it might have looked like, and of course this is my humble opinion.
   For  1995 to 2005 my wife and I have been involved in a work to help the many street kids of the Portland area. We used to bring them in to our house, feed them, talk to them, counsel them, pray for them, and even teach them. Every year we also setup camp at the Rainbow Gathering,which is a yearly hippy/street kids gathering somewhere far away in a national forest. There we would do the same thing as well as have a singing evening by the campfire and my wife would host a first aid station. There were many other camps of believers there, even a camp called 'Jerusalem Camp'. I'd like to tell you about two times (and there were many others) when I felt very honored.
   It was during the night, a young girl had arrived at the camp. She had struggled through mud,rain, and cold in her wheelchair in order to come to the camp. It was early July high on a mountain and it had just snowed. This poor hippy girl needed help and care. The organizers (as if there was any organization) decided that the best place she will be taken care of was ours. They felt that we would take care of her unselfishly without judgment, just showing her love, respect, and consideration. Then, a couple of days later in the middle of a snowy cold and muddy night, a sick young man desperately needed to go down the mountain and go to the hospital. This required to take him on a stretcher to the parking lot  3 miles away on a muddy mountain trail on a near freezing night. Again, the organizers came to get us (it was not just my wife and I, we had a whole team of young people we had trained for this event). I personally consider it the greatest of all honors that these people came to us for these things knowing for sure that we would do it.
   I am not writing this in order to brag,but in order to give an example of what we, Hashem's people and congregation should be known for in this world. According to the teachings Yeshua's disciples left us, compassion and kindness are more important than letting people know what we eat or don't eat, how we dress, on what day we rest, how we worship ... It is the sign of our discipleship (John 13:35). Yeshua Himself tried to tell the Pharisees that compassion, forgiveness, and altruism was more important than sacrifice. The one of course does not cancel the other,but without the other, the one is null.


For what I desire is mercy, not sacrifices, 
knowledge of God more than burnt offerings. 
(Hos 6:6 CJB)
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OUR TORAH TO THE WORLD: AN EXEMPLARY BEHAVIOR.

8/19/2016

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FROM THE EDITOR:
. Everybody likes to receive love, and some of us apply ourselves to be loving persons. What we may need to remember sometimes is that love is a multi-faceted diamond. Playing on a famous saying, it seems that some things that some people call 'love' may make us feel like, 'With this kind of love, who needs hatred!' 
   Here are some questions to ask ourselves. Can love be defined within certain parameters of conduct? If no, is it therefore a free-for-all expression? If yes, how is it defined? How do we love Hashem? Does Hashem need our gooey-shmooey-marshmallow-sugar-and-whipped-cream types of emotional expression? Or does He need to be constantly reminded about it like an unsecured lover or as if He had memory loss issues?  Or does He need to see spiritual manifestations of our faith in Him in order to prove it? As usual, I'd like to start this midrash by looking at what the sages have gleaned from this reading.

   In reference to this passage in Deuteronomy, one talmudic reference teaches that we must behave in a manner that will cause the Name of Heaven to be beloved. As I read this passage I was pleased with what it considered our 'witness' to the world. Here is what it says. 
   'One should study Torah, serve Torah scholars, be honest in his business dealings, and speak pleasantly to others. Then people will say about him, "Fortunate is his father who taught him Torah. Fortunate is his teacher who taught him Torah. Woe to those who have not learned Torah. See how pleasant are the ways and how pleasant are the actions of one who has learned Torah."
   If however, someone studies Torah and serves Torah scholars, but is not honest in his business dealings and does not speak pleasantly to others, what do people say about him? "Woe to that person who learned Torah. Woe to hos father who taught him Torah. Woe to his teacher who taught him Torah. See how corrupt are the actions and how ugly are the ways of this person who learned Torah." (Yomah 86a)

FROM THE EDITOR:
   And what do we learn from this? We all have ur own ideas of how to express our love obedience to Hashem and how to make it manifest to others. The problem is that most of us rely on outward external signs of obedience such as displaying tzitzits, head coverings, a certain type of clothing, diet restrictions, holiday schedules, and even an 'hebraicised' lingo. I noticed that the less one is secure in his messianic identity, the more outward signs he feels they has to manifest. Having been raised in Judaism,  know that while not denying, and even while being proud of who we are, we always kept a certain discreet profile. This attitude comes from our history which tells us that being Jewish is like having a target on our chest. 
   On the overall, outsiders do not really care about what we eat or don't eat; how, why and when we take a day of rest, and how we dress. Everybody has diet, schedules, and clothing preferences for all sorts of reasons that to them are as valid to them as any others. So, we should ask ourselves, 'Are these today the things that are important as far as our witness to the word concerning the greatness of Hashem?' This talmudic passage gives us other ideas to consider. It tells us that in order to show an exemplary behavior one should 'be honest in his business dealings, and speak pleasantly to others.'.

   I'd like to bring another passage to light as the typical reactions people who do not know Torah should have

Therefore, observe them [the commandments]; and follow them; for thenall peoples will see you as having wisdom and understanding. When they hear of all these laws, they will say, 'This great nation is surely a wise and understanding people.' For what great nation is there that has God as close to them as Adonai our God is, whenever we call on him? What great nation is there that has laws and rulings as just as this entire Torah which I am setting before you today? 
(Deu 4:6-8 CJB)


...If instead of this, our Torah lifestyle comes out as is abrasive, argumentative, arrogant, harsh, inconsiderate and provokes division, awkwardness, hatred,  and anger, maybe we should consider re-calibrating our M.O. Of course, I can already hear some telling me about Jeremiah, and even about Yeshua who sometimes did otherwise, but the prophets had a special mandate from Hashem, as well as Yeshua. Theirs is not our mandate. Our mandate concerning the fruits of our witness in the world has been given to us by Moshe in Deut 4:6-8 as well as by our Rabbi and Master Yeshua in,

"You are light for the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Likewise, when people light a lamp, they don't cover it with a bowl but put it on a lampstand, so that it shines for everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before people, so that they may see the good things you do and praise your Father in heaven. 
(Mat 5:14-16 CJB) 
 

He also told mandated us with,  

   Everyone will know that you are my talmidim 
by the fact that you have love for each other." 
(Joh 13:35 CJB)



   I started this midrash by trying to define the proper expression of love. Our love for each other is defined in the Torah. A synopsis of it can be found in Ex 20:1-14 commandments which are further elaborated upon in the rest of the Torah. I'd like to suggest that the proper expression of our love for Hashem is to live in a way that impresses other people to love Him. Paul had much to say about this. Here are some of his teachings about love to the Corinthians' congregation, and to us:

I may speak in the tongues of men, even angels; but if I lack love, I have become merely blaring brass or a cymbal clanging. I may have the gift of prophecy, I may fathom all mysteries, know all things, have all faith -- enough to move mountains; but if I lack love, I am nothing. I may give away everything that I own, I may even hand over my body to be burned; but if I lack love, I gain nothing. 
Love is patient 
and kind, 
not jealous, 
not boastful, 
not proud, 
rude or selfish, 
not easily angered,
 and it keeps no record of wrongs. 
Love does not gloat over other people's sins 
but takes its delight in the truth. 
Love always bears up, 
always trusts, 
always hopes,
 always endures. 
Love never ends; 
...
 for now, three things last -- trust, hope, love; and the greatest of these is love. 
(1Co 13:1-13 CJB)


To Timothy, a congregational leader he admonishes,

... and a slave of the Lord shouldn't fight. On the contrary, he should be kind to everyone, a good teacher, and not resentful when mistreated. Also he should be gentle as he corrects his opponents. For God may perhaps grant them the opportunity to turn from their sins, acquire full knowledge of the truth, come to their senses and escape the trap of the Adversary, after having been captured alive by him to do his will. 
(2Ti 2:24-26 CJB)


There are many other passages like these that you can probably find yourself. I'd like to conclude this midrash with the idea that if our Torah observance in the world does not produce the 'fruits of the spirit in our lives and in that of others, we need to 're-calibrate our perspective. 

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility, self control. Nothing in the Torah stands against such things. Moreover, those who belong to the Messiah Yeshua have put their old nature to death on the stake, along with its passions and desires. Since it is through the Spirit that we have Life, let it also be through the Spirit that we order our lives day by day. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other. 
(Gal 5:22-26 CJB)


For you used to be darkness; but now, united with the Lord, you are light. Live like children of light, for the fruit of the light is in every kind of goodness, rightness and truth --
(Eph 5:8-9 CJB)

​
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DEVARIM: The Rebuke Apropriately Spoken (Prov 25:11)

8/11/2016

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The Rebuke Appropriately Spoken (Prov 25:11)

FROM THE EDITOR:
The Book of Devarim was to be placed by the side of the Holy Ark. It was to serve as a rebuke and reminder of Israel's covenant with Hashem to later generations. A good examples of its effect is told us in 2nd Kings 22 when King Josiah and all Israel was pushed to repentance through it seven hundred years later. 

The Book of Devarim given as the second generation of the Children of Israel in the desert were readying to enter the Promised Land, was also to serve as a warning for these children of the Children of Israel to not do as their fathers did in fearing entering the Land. 

Let us see some of what the sages say about this rebuke,

(Sifre, cited by Rashi)
   The Torah emphasizes that Moshe rebuked the Jewish people after he had smitten Sichon and Og. Moshe reasoned, "If I rebuke them before they enter at least part of the Land, they will say, 'What does this man have against us?' What good did he do for us? He has come only to vex us and to find pretext since he doesn't have the power to bring us into the Land.'" Therefore Moshe waited until he had conquered Sichon and Og, and then he rebuked the people.

(From Rabbi Zelig Pliskin)
   Had the people felt the Moshe's rebuke was insincere and that he had ulterior motives, his words would have been ineffective. A PERSON WILL ONLY ACCEPT REBUKE IF HE FEELS THAT THE REBUKER HAS HIS BEST INTEREST IN MIND.
   We also see from here that timing is a major factor in rebuke. In Many instances by waiting for an opportune time to deliver admonition a person will be more successful than he would have been had he admonished earlier.

FROM THE EDITOR:
As a good leader, Moshe understood the importance of rebuke in the rihgt time, place, tone of voice, form , format etc ... 

Let us go over some tips about good , less good, and bad timing for rebuke. These can be used for congregation, work relationships, as well domestic situations.

When is a bad time to approach someone for a rebuke:
  • On the heat of the moment; when either the rebuker or rebukee is emotionally upset.
  • When it makes us happy or we draw pleasure in doing it. 
  • Before having fully investigated and understood the issue.
  • When we have a personal advantage in the person doing the right thing our rebuke can seem insincere and motivated  
  • Examples: do we you teach our children to be clean and tidy because you want them to develop good healthy habits that will help them in their lives as adults, or is it just because you don't want to have to clean after them? 
  • Do we chide our spouses, partners or colleagues about an expense because we want to teach financial responsibility, or just because we don't agree with it and would have spent the money for something that WE want instead?) 
  • Often our rebukes are made out of frustration because the actions of the other person affect us in an undesirable way, but is being annoyed a good reason to rebuke?

When is it a good time to 
approach someone for a rebuke?
  • After emotions calm down and we see investigate and understand things more clearly.
  • When it hurts us to do it.
  • When we don't draw any personal advantage in doing it.

Sometime also, the best way is to let it go; to let Hashem take care of it. Sometimes we are the only person who benefits from our tongue lashes, when it is actually supposed to be a benefit for others.
 
Here is another important point concerning rebuke:
(Deu 1:5) There, beyond the Yarden, in the land of Mo'av, Moshe took it upon himself to expound (ba'ar/באר: to explain, elucidate, interpret) this Torah and said:
  • The Midrash says that Moshe interpreted this Torah in the 70 languages of the world.
  • We don't know for sure, but the Torah also talked about the 10 Commandments being given through flames of fire in the 70 languages of the world
  • The Brit also tells us that as soon as the Torah was written in their hearts, It expressed itself through the disciples in many languages. Acts 2.
  • All this actually came as a reversal of the Tower of Babel curse.

​This teaches us a
n important principle: if we speak Torah in order to teach people, we should speak it in a language that helps the recipient to receive the message.
    • In their own language: If our audience is not familiar with Hebrew terminology, we should not try to impress or patronize them by using Hebrew words. 
    • In the right manner: Our Master was good at that. He used examples that were familiar to his hearers: fishermen, farmers, inheritances, servant/master relationships... Yeshua  spoke parabolic imagery in order to help his less educated hearers understand. All too often our inferiority complex gets the better of us and we try to impress others and/or patronize them, to give ourselves some importance by flaunting some sort of knowledge. But he who really knows never feels the need to boast or brag, because the more we know, the more we should know that we don't know.
    • Gently: "... and a slave of the Lord shouldn't fight. On the contrary, he should be kind to everyone, a good teacher, and not resentful when mistreated. Also he should be gentle as he corrects his opponents. For God may perhaps grant them the opportunity to turn from their sins, acquire full knowledge of the truth, come to their senses and escape the trap of the Adversary, after having been captured alive by him to do his will." (2Ti 2:24-26 CJB)  "... but we urge you, brothers, to confront those who are lazy, your aim being to help them change, to encourage the timid, to assist the weak, and to be patient with everyone. See that no one repays evil for evil; on the contrary, always try to do good to each other, indeed, to everyone."(1Th 5:14-15 CJB) 

As Moshe was patient with Israel, as our Master is patient with us, may we be patient with one another. and remember His precious words:

... the measure with which you measure out will be used to measure to you. 
Why do you see the splinter in your brother's eye but not notice the log in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the splinter out of your eye,' when you have the log in your own eye? 
You hypocrite! 
First, take the log out of your own eye; then you will see clearly, so that you can remove the splinter from your brother's eye!

(Mat 7:2-5 CJB)
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MA'ASSEY: The Death of the Righteous Atones for the Sinner.

8/5/2016

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Our text quotes Moshe as saying (from the mouth of Hashem of course) that one guilty of involuntary manslaughter is to live in the city of refuge' until the cohen hagadol, who was anointed with the holy oil, dies. .'(Num 35:25 CJB)

Many who are dubious of the Jewish nature of the Brit contend the so-called 'Christian idea' that one can die for the sins of another. Our text today offers us a beautiful example of 'vicarious atonement' taken straight from the Torah.

The high-priest wore a turban on which was written: 'Kadosh l'Adonai'. קדשׁ ליהוה׃' meaning, 'set-apart for Adonai' (Ex 28:36). The High-priest was set-apart (erroneously translated today as Holy /sinless) from common Israel and even from the priests in order to fulfill the very particular function of being the Holiest man in earth. He also represented one of the three function that could be called: משיח Mashiach/Messiah: anointed one, the three functions that require an oil anointing being those of king, priest, and prophet (Yeshua embodied the three). The high-priest was to be chosen from among the priests. He is the one who performed the atoning rituals such as choosing, sacrificing, and blessing the Passover Lamb and going in the Holy of Holy to atone for Israel as a nation on Yom Kippur. In this sense, being a an atoning anointed set apart person, the high-priest of Israel represented a fore runner of Messiah Himself. 

(NOTE:This 'set-apartedness' has nothing to do with personal righteousness but rather with a Divine appointment having to do with biological descent. It would be better if the high-priest were a good representative of his function, but how can we blame him when he doesn't? None of us do come up to the 'plate' that Hashem has set up for us either. What we respect in the high-priest  is the uniform and the divinely ordained function, not the man.There would be less anarchy in our present civic institutions if we remembered this principle more!)

Chassidim used the idea that the accidental murderer was freed from the city of refuge at the time of the death of the high-priest in order to explain from the Torah Itself the atoning nature of Messiah. Here is how they do it. 

The Chassidim who adhered to the idea that death and sometimes suffering were mostly the result of sin asked why then is it that a holy man would suffer and die? From there, they concluded that he who does not suffer and die for his own sin suffers and dies atones for the sins of others. Until this day the practice of Orthodox Jews going to the tomb of the patriarchs in order to extricate virtue from them persists. The Midrash Rabah mentions, 'Rabbi Chia Bar Abba said, 'The sons of Aaron died on the first of Nissan. Why is their death mentioned in connection with the day of atonement? This is to teach you that just as the day of atonement brings atonement, so to, the death of the righteous brings atonement. And how do we know that the death of the righteous brings atonement, from the fact that it is written, Then they buried the bones of Sha'ul and Y'honatan his son in the territory of Binyamin in Tzela, in the tomb of Kish his father; they did everything the king ordered. Only after that was God prevailed on to show mercy to the land. (2Sa 21:14 CJB)
Whether we agree with the argument and hermeneutic style of it all, it is from these ideas that Torah scholars understood the atoning nature of Messiah, principle which the disciples also understood. The great Chabad teacher Rabbi Emmanuel Schochet said that, 'Messiah, as a faithful shepherd, he already cares so much about his people, that he volunteered to suffer all kinds of agonies to assure that not a single Jew of all times would be lost.'  On the consequences of sin, citing Isaiah 53 Reb Rov teaches from this this beautiful and challenging statement, 'One sinful blemish causes anguish to our righteous Messiah who suffers from our sins'. In essence, any and each of our disobedience represents a lash with the 'cat of nine tails' on Yeshua's back. Each voluntary discarding of the commandments represents a cut from the metal blades of the Roman whip; a broken piece of skin from the nails in His hands and feet or from the spear that entered His side; a spitting at His face; an injury; a thorn in the crown on His head. Quite a thought.

Something else about the cities of refuge. It written:
"If Adonai your God expands your territory, as he swore to your ancestors that he would, and gives you all the land he promised to give to your ancestors - provided you keep and observe all these mitzvot I am giving you today, loving Adonai your God and always following his ways - then you are to add three more cities for yourselves, besides these three; 

(Deu 19:8-9 CJB)


 It is from this verse that early Jews have declared a belief in the Messianic era, a time when we will all know Hashem and follow Torah. This time of nine cities of refuge has not happened yet, but it will happen at the time when Star out of Jacob, the Scepter out of Israel (Numb 24:17) will be revealed and manifested to all (as of today,the Star has been seen by some, and the Scepter,  is not a reality yet) as ...

At that point, Adonai your God will reverse your exile and show you mercy; he will return and gather you from all the peoples to which Adonai your God scattered you. If one of yours was scattered to the far end of the sky, Adonai your God will gather you even from there; he will go there and get you. Adonai your God will bring you back into the land your ancestors possessed, and you will possess it; he will make you prosper there, and you will become even more numerous than your ancestors. 

(Deu 30:3-5 CJB)


MAY IT BE SOON HASHEM, EVEN IN OUR DAYS!
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