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PAR'SHAT KI TAVOH: "If then, ... why not now!"

8/30/2018

יקימך יהוה לו לעם קדושׁ כאשׁר נשׁבע־לך כי תשׁמר את־מצות יהוה אלהיך והלכת בדרכיו׃

Adonai will establish you as a people separated for himself, as he has sworn to you, "if you will observe the mitzvot of Adonai your God and follow his ways," Deut 28:9

HEBREW NOTE:
Whereas most English texts translate the title of this parasha: 'When you enter...', the literal Hebrew says: 'When you come...'. It may not make much difference as far as the general sense except for this:

In a previous parasha called 'Bo', HaShem tells Moses to "come" to Egypt.
The word "Bo," meaning "Come" (Ex 10:1) also translates as "Go."
The difference is about geography. When we tell someone, "go," they go away from us as we are staying put. But when we tell someone to "come," we are telling them to come to us to the place where we are already waiting for them.

LISTENING TO THE VOICE
The parasha this week tells us that:

When He commands, "Bo..." (Ex 10:1), HaShem gives an order. He actually says, "Follow Me!" or "Walk in my Ways!"

We are to follow Him. In Ex 10:1 HaShem tells Moshe, "Come to Egypt" because He is already there (Ex 3:8). In the same manner, in Deuteronomy 26:1, He says, 'When you come to the Land...", because He is already there waiting for them. This wording in Deuteronomy 26:1 projects the idea that the Children of the Children of Israel can take HaShem's promises all the way "to the bank" or to the Promised Land. They can enter in; He is already there eagerly waiting for them.

Even so today, the fulfillment of the messianic promises is coming to a close. As we approach the great second Exodus, the voice of Messiah is heard from the Land echoing Deuteronomy 26:1, "When you come to the Land ..." to His people in Diaspora. The "Voice" pleads for His people in Diaspora to look towards the Land for their future and that of their children. This “Voice" also reminds His people in the land to look towards Him in the Torah.

NOT LISTENING TO THE VOICE
As Jews, we are commanded to come in the Land, but this command lies under the same conditions as that given to the Children of Israel who came from the desert. It is disobedience to the Torah that evicted the Children of Israel from the land 2,000 years ago. Part of Yeshua's messianic role was to be the last prophet before the Great Roman Exile, exile which could have been averted had they listened to His message as He came to Jerusalem for this fateful last Passover saying as He wept,

"If you only knew today what is needed for shalom! But for now it is hidden from your sight. For the days are coming upon you when your enemies will set up a barricade around you, encircle you, hem you in on every side, and dash you to the ground, you and your children within your walls, leaving not one stone standing on another -- and all because you did not recognize your opportunity when God offered it!" (Luk 19:41-44 CJB)

THE CURSE OF THE TORAH?
In his teaching to the Galatians, Paul speaks of 'The curse of the Torah'. Christian interpretation has understood this as the Torah being cursed but how could that be when,

The Torah of Adonai is perfect, restoring the inner person. The instruction of Adonai is sure, making wise the thoughtless. The precepts of Adonai are right, rejoicing the heart. The mitzvah of Adonai is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of Adonai is clean, enduring forever. The rulings of Adonai are true, they are righteous altogether, more desirable than gold, than much fine gold, also sweeter than honey or drippings from the honeycomb. Through them your servant is warned; in obeying them there is great reward. (Psalm 19:7-11 CJB)

What Paul refers to in Gal 3:10, 13, is not to the details of Torah commandments themselves, but to the terms of the curse pronounced upon anyone that disobeys the commandment. It is like a father saying, "If you do such and such, you'll be grounded" It is the same with civic laws. If we do such and such, we go to jail. It is not the rule that is the "curse". The rule itself is for our benefit. The curse Paul refers to in Galatians 3:10,13 is the punishment for disobedience to the rule.
Very often, disobedience carries its own self-evident curse. "If you eat too much candy, you will have cavities." The Torah teaches us to be kind, loving, forgiving, and to treat others as we would be treated. Disobedience carries its own self-fulfilling punishment.
Sadly, some seem to teach a religion void of retribution for sin. We can see where that leads! (Ecc 8:11) If sin is not punished, HaShem is not just, but we know that He is just, so there must be retribution for disobedience. Our reconciliation with HaShem did not come for free by Him "deleting" our iniquities. Somebody did come up and paid our "debt" to HaShem. Anyone who proclaims that redemption is free, should ask Yeshua about it!

DISOBEDIENCES INCURRING CURSES
Deuteronomy 27 gives us a list of disobediences which incur a "curse". I will comment in between each of them. Let's go through some of them together. My comments will be in bold capital letters.

'A curse on anyone who makes a carved or metal image, something Adonai detests, the handiwork of a craftsman, and sets it up in secret!'
--- IDOLATRY: GIVING THE WORKS OF OUR OWN HANDS A HIGHER PRIORITY THAN OUR DUTY TO HASHEM.
--- 'IN SECRET': WHILE HYPOCRITICALLY MAKING EXCUSES AND PRETENDING TO LOVE HaShem FIRST.

'A curse on anyone who dishonors his father or mother.'
--- EXAMPLE: SPEAKING NEGATIVELY OF OUR PARENTS OR IN-LAWS, ESPECIALLY IN FRONT OF OTHERS, SUCH AS BEFORE OUR CHILDREN.

'A curse on anyone who moves his neighbor's boundary marker.'
--- APPROPRIATING GROUND THAT IS NOT OURS;
---ALTERING THE ESTABLISHED DIVINE LAW
--- EXPECTING PEOPLE TO DO ABOVE AND BEYOND WHAT THEY ARE ABLE TO.

'A curse on anyone who causes a blind person to lose his way on the road.'
--- BEING IRRESPONSIBLE IN TEACHING TORAH, THUS LEADING PEOPLE ASTRAY.
--- TEACHING THE TRUTH OF TORAH IN A WRONG SPIRIT SUCH AS IN PRIDE, ARROGANCE, CONDESCENDANCE, SARCASM, THUS TEARING DOWN OTHERS INSTEAD OF BUILDING THEM UP.

'A curse on anyone who interferes with justice for the foreigner, orphan or widow.'
--- HAVING THE SAME AVAILABILITY OF TRUE EQUANIMITY IN JUSTICE FOR THE RICH, THE POOR, AND THE FOREIGNER WHO TAKES REFUGE IN THE LAND.

'A curse on anyone who has sexual relations with his father's wife, because he has violated his father's rights.'
'A curse on anyone who has sexual relations with any kind of animal.'
'A curse on anyone who has sexual relations with his sister, no matter whether she is the daughter of his father or of his mother.'
'A curse on anyone who has sexual relations with his mother-in-law.'
NO COMMENT/OBVIOUS

'A curse on anyone who secretly attacks a fellow member of the community.'
--- WE ARE NOT TO SPEAK EVIL OF PEOPLE. NOT THROUGH CASUAL (so-called) GOSSIP, SOCIAL MEDIA NOR BEHIND THEIR BACK.

'A curse on anyone who accepts a bribe to kill an innocent person.'
--- RECEIVING A BRIBE/PAYMENT/BENEFIT TO PHYSICALLY KILL OR DO IT BY PROXY LIKE KING DAVID WITH URIAH THE HITTITE.
--- RECEIVING SOME SORT OF BENEFITS FOR ALLOWING THE CHARACTER ASSASSINATION OF SOMEONE. (Character assassination is very prevalent in both the political and religious world!)

NOW COMES THE CURSE MENTIONED IN GALATIANS 3.
What the curse entails is: Deuteronomy 28:15-68.

'A curse on anyone who does not confirm the words of this Torah by putting them into practice.'

THE SOLUTION TO ALL THE WORLD’S PROBLEMS
One day at school I was trying to challenge my school Bible students. I told them,
"I have the solution for all the world's social and economic problems. It is simple, it doesn't cost any money, and anybody can do it!"

"All you have to do is live by the 10 commandments. Can you imagine a world where no-one lies, cheats, steals, or covets your stuff? A world where everyone obeys their parents and loves God? It would be Heaven right?

SO WHY DON'T WE DO IT? WHY DON'T WE DO IT NOW INSTEAD OF WAITING FOR THE WORLD TO COME?

IT IS IN OUR POWER TO DO IT NOW, BUT WE DON'T!"

WHY WAIT?
Our Master Yeshua said that the Kingdom is within us. Why are we therefore waiting for the Kingdom of Heaven to be geographically and politically established on earth in order to follow its social, interpersonal, and spiritual lifestyle? Remember, He waits for us there; He says, "כי תבא When you come ...'

Let us try to answer this question as we introspect in preparation for the Fall Festivals.

שבת שלום

As we prepare for the Fall Festivals, it is good to search our hearts, to do what is called in Judaism חשבון נפש the auditing of the soul.

One of the most heart-searching prayer in the Siddur is the Al-Chet.

As an aid to the auditing of the soul, along with the above midrash, Aish.com provides a very good exploration of the Al Chet prayer that we use as a group in our little fellowship in Oregon.

Apply it to your own situation.

You can find it at:
http://www.aish.com/h/hh/yom-kippur/guide/Exploring_the_Al-Chet_Prayer.html

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PARSHAT KI TETSEI: The Burden of Burdens.

8/23/2018

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לא־תראה את־חמור אחיך או שׁורו נפלים בדרך
והתעלמת מהם הקם תקים עמו

"If you see your brother's donkey or ox collapsed on the road,
you may not behave as if you hadn't seen it;
you must help him get it up on its feet again.
(Deu 22:4 CJB)

A UNIVERSAL COMMANDMENT
This commandment seems to go along with this other one ...

If you see the donkey which belongs to someone who hates you, lying down helpless under its load, you are not to pass him by but to go and help him free it. (Exo 23:5)

... which is about extending help even to our enemy, not just to our countryman or brother.

The Hebrew for it is ...
כִּי-תִרְאֶה חֲמוֹר שֹׂנַאֲךָ, רֹבֵץ תַּחַת מַשָּׂאוֹ, וְחָדַלְתָּ, מֵעֲזֹב לוֹ--עָזֹב תַּעֲזֹב, עִמּוֹ

The KJV puts it this way,
If thou see the ass of him that hateth thee lying under his burden, and wouldest forbear to help him, thou shalt surely help with him.

This implies that though our first reaction is to not help that person because it is our enemy, it is wrong in the sight of HaShem.

TORAH GODLINESS IN TIME OF WAR
Here are some examples of how the State of Israel applies this commandment today:
In '47, though it was a big issue that some did not agree with, Israeli nurses included caring for wounded Palestinians.
Today, while Gaza sends deadly rockets on Israel, Israel takes Palestinian children with heart problems into its hospitals.
Here is an article that came out in the July 2017 edition of the Israeli right-wing leaning Messianic Magazine: Israel Today.  http://www.israeltoday.co.il/

(SEE ARTICLE AND VIDEO LINK AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST

This is a very good example of the universal application of Deuteronomy 22:4, an application even towards those who hate us, to those who have unjust grievances against us. As our beloved Master and Rabbi said,

"You have heard that our fathers were told, 'Eye for eye and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you not to stand up against someone who does you wrong. On the contrary, if someone hits you on the right cheek, let him hit you on the left cheek too! If someone wants to sue you for your shirt, let him have your coat as well! And if a soldier forces you to carry his pack for one mile, carry it for two! When someone asks you for something, give it to him; when someone wants to borrow something from you, lend it to him. "You have heard that our fathers were told, 'Love your neighbor -- and hate your enemy.' But I tell you, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! Then you will become children of your Father in heaven. For he makes his sun shine on good and bad people alike, and he sends rain to the righteous and the unrighteous alike. What reward do you get if you love only those who love you? Why, even tax-collectors do that! And if you are friendly only to your friends, are you doing anything out of the ordinary? Even the Goyim do that! Therefore, be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect. (Mat 5:38-48 CJB)

YESHUA’S APPROACH TO DEUTERONOMY 22:4
Our Master used Deuteronomy 22:4 to expose hypocrisy. He accuses certain overzealous religious leaders of doing the exact opposite of the commandment. He said,

They tie heavy loads onto people's shoulders but won't lift a finger to help carry them. (Mat 23:4)

Not only do they not help others carry their loads, but they heap heavy burdens on others. The Master here does not just refer to actual loads that people have to carry, but midrashically speaking about the fact that they legislated difficult, hard, and complicated halacha which had the effect of discouraging people, especially the hard working common folks with children, from following Torah. The religious leaders of the day failed to make keeping the Torah something enjoyable, as Moshe observed, "... not too hard! (Deut 30:11) It is amazing how, even when HaShem gives us something beautiful to enjoy and help, we have to make it something hard and complicated.

PRIDE … AGAIN!
CHECK ALL THAT APPLIES:
Why do some religious leaders have a tendency to do that?
[] Does it maybe feed their pride?
[] Does it make them appear more religious or intelligent in the sight of others?
[] Does making big issues of small things give them a sense of control over others?
[] All of the above?

The Master qualified these people as,

... Blind guides! -- straining out a gnat, meanwhile, swallowing a camel!  (Mat 23:24)

A LESSON FROM THE CAMEL AND THE GNAT
Both gnats and camels are not kosher. Yeshua compares this sort of people to the hypocrisy of those who ate so carefully so as not to accidentally swallow a gnat (which would not be kosher), but who at the same carelessly swallow a camel, (which is not kosher either!) The message is that they, through pride, make big difficulties of small commandments with small consequences, while all the while breaking the big commandments that carry big consequences. What the Master is saying here is that to accidentally swallow something not kosher has negligible retribution, but to put burdens on your neighbor that are so heavy that he gets discouraged from keeping the Torah is a big sin!

WHAT DO WE TAKE FROM THIS
Taking the same principle on a domestic level, let's ask ourselves if we do the same thing to, (check all that applies)
[] Our spouses?
[] Our children?
[] Our friends?
[] Our students?
[] Our co-workers?
[] Our employees?
[] All of the above?
If we do, we must also ask ourselves what is the reason for our acting that way.
The Master and His disciples teach us that internal attributes of compassion, unselfishness, and care have to accompany our external show of Torah obedience. Indeed, without these internal attributes, our external show of obedience is worthless.
It is what Rabbi Hillel taught while both he and the Master used Hosea 6:6 as proof text for this claim.
"For what I desire is mercy, not sacrifices, knowledge of God more than burnt offerings." (Hos 6:6; Mat 9:13 CJB)
Yeshua also told it to the rich young ruler in Matthew 10:17-21, and  Paul taught it in 1 Corinthians 13 1-3.

THE YOKE FROM YESHUA
The core of Yeshua’s Modus Operandi was,

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." (Mat 11:29-30 CJB)

The yoke the Master makes reference to here is an expression found in the Talmud that refers to the Torah. We are likened to an ox under the yoke of the Torah. Some people would put heavy wooden uncomfortable yokes on their ox, while others would pad them so it would be comfortable for the animal. What Yeshua implies is that instead of doing like some religious leaders of His day who make the Torah an object of difficulty and uncomfortable complication, He made it something easy and even helpful.

THE DISCIPLES FOLLOWED SUIT. SHOULD WE ALSO?
The disciples followed suit when they were faced with establishing the format of Torah obedience for the many Gentiles who were joining the movement. To those who wanted to put on the shoulders of the new disciples a burden of complicated, difficult and unnecessary style of obedience, Peter said,

... Why are you putting God to the test now by placing a yoke on the neck of the talmidim which neither our fathers nor we have had the strength to bear? No, it is through the love and kindness of the Lord Yeshua that we trust and are delivered -- and it's the same with them." (Act 15:10-11 CJB)

Paul also followed in the footsteps of Messiah in these things. As he traveled to the different congregations to teach and exhort, though people would willingly host him, he made sure not to be a financial burden on the people visited. He accepted gifts and donations, but never a payment or salary as some others did. Here is our he explained it,

Am I not a free man? Am I not an emissary of the Messiah? Haven't I seen Yeshua our Lord? And aren't you yourselves the result of my work for the Lord? Even if to others I am not an emissary, at least I am to you; for you are living proof that I am the Lord's emissary. That is my defense when people put me under examination. Don't we have the right to be given food and drink? Don't we have the right to take along with us a believing wife, as do the other emissaries, also the Lord's brothers and Kefa? Or are Bar-Nabba and I the only ones required to go on working for our living? Did you ever hear of a soldier paying his own expenses? Or of a farmer planting a vineyard without eating its grapes? Who shepherds a flock without drinking some of the milk? What I am saying is not based merely on human authority, because the Torah says the same thing --for in the Torah of Moshe it is written, "You are not to put a muzzle on an ox when it is treading out the grain." If God is concerned about cattle, all the more does he say this for our sakes. Yes, it was written for us, meaning that he who plows and he who threshes should work expecting to get a share of the crop. If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you? If others are sharing in this right to be supported by you, don't we have a greater claim to it? But we don't make use of this right. Rather, we put up with all kinds of things so as not to impede in any way the Good News about the Messiah. Don't you know that those who work in the Temple get their food from the Temple, and those who serve at the altar get a share of the sacrifices offered there? In the same way, the Lord directed that those who proclaim the Good News should get their living from the Good News. But I have not made use of any of these rights. (1Co 9:1-14 CJB)

THE TAKE-AWAY
The lesson here is

Make sure that we help those who carry heavy burdens, friends or foes.
To not be a financial burden on others
To keep our own attitudes in check

ADDENDUM
I would like to add a small section to this. Here is a question.
What are the ways that we can sometimes make ourselves a heavy burden on others?
Here are some ideas. (check all that applies?)

Through an overbearing personality, talking too much, or too loud while in company?
Monopolizing attention, or bringing too much attention to ourselves?
Sharing too much about our own problems, sickness, and heavy workload? Maybe by doing so, we are discharging ourselves on someone who is already overloaded, but because they practice not overburdening others, we don't know it.

If we need help, and we all do at times, let us be prayerful who we ask, and how we ask. Sometimes the only person we should unload onto is HaShem! His shoulders are wide enough. Believe me!

AS WE APPROACH THE FALL FEASTS,
MAY WE TAKE TIME FOR SERIOUS INTROSPECTION,
INTROSPECTION THAT TAKES US OUT OF OUR COMFORT ZONE.

YESHUA SAID,

So if you are offering your gift at the Temple altar and you remember there that your brother has something against you, leave your gift where it is by the altar, and go, make peace with your brother. Then come back and offer your gift. If someone sues you, come to terms with him quickly, while you and he are on the way to court; or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer of the court, and you may be thrown in jail! Yes indeed! I tell you, you will certainly not get out until you have paid the last penny. (Mat 5:23-26 CJB)

THOSE PEOPLE WHO HAVE 'SOMETHING' AGAINST US ARE OFTEN PEOPLE FROM THE 'OTHER' CONGREGATION; 'OTHER' RELIGIOUS GROUP; 'OTHER' POLITICAL PARTY.
THEY ARE ALSO OFTEN THOSE CLOSEST TO US SUCH AS EX'S, IN-LAWS, AND KINDRED.

R' Gabriel Lumbroso

HERE IS THE VIDEO

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PAR'SHAT SHOFTIM: Prophets and Prophecies.

8/13/2018

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אשׁר ידבר הנביא בשׁם יהוה ולא־יהיה הדבר ולא יבא הוא הדבר אשׁר לא־דברו יהוה
בזדון דברו הנביא לא תגור ממנו׃

When a prophet speaks in the name of Adonai, and the prediction does not come true -- that is, the word is not fulfilled -- then Adonai did not speak that word. The prophet who said it spoke presumptuously; you have nothing to fear from him.  (Deu 18:22 CJB)

PROPHETS AND PROPHECIES.
A 14 year old girl from a school where I used to teach in Oregon came to me one day. She told me that her Mom wanted to take her on a trip to the other side of the country to listen to this self-proclaimed prophet. The daughter was a bit confused and upset about it and as her Bible teacher, she wanted my advice. I looked online for this self-proclaimed prophet and saw a man covered with tattoos performing healing miracles, and freely using foul language while uttering prophetic and theological proclamations. He was able to gather quite an audience from the four corners of the United States and even abroad.

While looking and listening, I developed my personal opinion concerning this person. This was a bit of a complicated situation for me because whereas I feel a certain sense of responsibility for people's spiritual balance and safety, especially easily manipulated teenagers, I am also dealing in sensitive waters as this concerns a daughter and her Mom at a school where I work.

The best way I thought of dealing with the situation and answering the desperate teenager's question was to use my Bible class time at the school to teach a generic study about prophets and prophecy in the Bible and let her make her own decisions.  Here is a synopsis of the study I prepared.

WHAT IS A BIBLICAL PROPHET AND WHAT IS HIS ROLE:
--- The first person ever declared a prophet in the Bible was Abraham. (Gen 20:7)
--- While speaking to Moshe about his brother Aaron's role, HaShem defined the basic role of prophet as a simple mouthpiece for someone else, (Ex 7:1)
--- At its most elementary level, a prophet of God is one who speaks the Words of God to His people for his time. If the Word happens to relate to future events or even involves miracles, signs and wonders, these are mere bi-products of our communication with the Eternal, not necessarily the main goal nor validation of our claims to speak for HaShem.

FALSE PROPHETS IN THE BIBLE.
Korach:
--- Because he was a Levite priest, Korach declared to be a prophet at the same level as Moshe. This caused a contradiction because in the parasha preceding the Korach episode, HaShem tells Miriam and Aaron that He communicates with Moshe "face to face," which He does not do with any other prophets.

Moshe did not argue with Korach but brought the case before Adonai who consumed Korach along with those who followed his arrogant, proud rebellion. (Numb 16)

HANANIAH:
---Jeremiah prophesied impending doom for Jerusalem and told the people to submit to the punishing Babylonian invasion and live.

Hananiah, a prophet from within the congregation of Israel, challenged Jeremiah's message and gave a prophecy of victory and vindication for Jerusalem.  It is a very interesting story to read. It is a story where many prophets at the court of the king thought that HaShem was on their side and that they were right. HaShem fully vindicated Jeremiah. (Jer 28)

THE LITMUS TEST:
--- Last week, the Torah portion gave us the litmus test for the authenticity of the prophet of HaShem.

(13:2) "If a prophet or someone who gets messages while dreaming arises among you and he gives you a sign or wonder, (13:3) and the sign or wonder comes about as he predicted when he said, 'Let's follow other gods, which you have not known; and let us serve them,' (13:4) you are not to listen to what that prophet or dreamer says. For Adonai your God is testing you, in order to find out whether you really do love Adonai your God with all your heart and being. (13:5) You are to follow Adonai your God, fear him, obey his mitzvot, listen to what he says, serve him and cling to him; (13:61) and that prophet or dreamer is to be put to death; because he urged rebellion against Adonai your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from a life of slavery; in order to seduce you away from the path Adonai your God ordered you to follow. This is how you are to rid your community of this wickedness. (Deu 13:1-5 CJB)

--- In other words, the litmus test of the authenticity of a true prophet IS NOT PREDICTIONS OF THE FUTURE (even if they are fulfilled) NOR MIRACLES, but whether THE PROPHECIES PROMOTE ADHERENCE TO HASHEM THROUGH OBEDIENCE TO THE TORAH or not.
NOTE: In every generation, HaShem brings particularities as well as certain specificities to His Torah, certain elements more pertinent to their times. There were particular elements pertaining to the Flood that were different than those given to Abraham, Moshe, King David or the prophets. In these last days, the application of the Torah has its own specificities given to us through the words of Yeshua, as well as the application of these words through those of His disciples. “In days gone by, God spoke in many and varied ways to the Fathers through the prophets. But now, in the acharit-hayamim, he has spoken to us through his Son, to whom he has given ownership of everything and through whom he created the universe.” (Heb 1:1-2 CJB) A true prophet or teacher today will therefore teach, live, and act in the way of the Torah of Yeshua.

The Didache also teaches that the proof of a true prophet or teacher is their lifestyle of truth and integrity towards HaShem and His people.

(NOTE: This is why restoring the Jewishness and the Torah obedience of Yeshua is so critical. As long as the Jewish people see Yeshua as someone who went against the Torah, they consider Him a false prophet and the Torah decrees to kill such people.)

--- This week's parasha teaches us some more about prophets:

" 'But if a prophet presumptuously speaks a word in my name which I didn't order him to say, or if he speaks in the name of other gods, then that prophet must die.' You may be wondering, 'How are we to know if a word has not been spoken by Adonai?' When a prophet speaks in the name of Adonai, and the prediction does not come true -- that is, the word is not fulfilled -- then Adonai did not speak that word. The prophet who said it spoke presumptuously; you have nothing to fear from him.
(Deu 18:20-22 CJB)

SIGNS TO CONFIRM PROPHECIES
QUESTION: Many prophecies of the prophets of old have been fulfilled but at a later time. How then, under these conditions, can people define if their prophets are authentic prophets of God or not?

ANSWER: When the prophecy is to be fulfilled at a later time, there may be a partial fulfillment at the time of the prophet, or he is supposed to give a supernatural sign in order to vindicate his prophecy.

EXAMPLE: "Just then, as Yarov`am was standing by the altar to burn incense, a man of God came out of Y'hudah, directed to Beit-El by a word from Adonai. And by the word from Adonai he cried out against the altar: "Altar, altar, here is what Adonai says: 'A son will be born to the house of David; his name will be Yoshiyahu; and on you he will sacrifice the cohanim of the high places who burn incense on you! They will burn human bones on you!' " (1Ki 13:1-2 CJB)

The prophecy in question was not to be fulfilled for about 250 years by King Josiah. (2 Kings 22), so the prophet gave a sign of authentication in:

That same day he also gave a sign: "Here is the sign which Adonai has decreed: " 'The altar will be split apart; the ashes on it will be scattered about.' " When the king heard what the man of God said, how he denounced the altar in Beit-El, Yarov`am took his hand away from the altar and said, "Seize him!" But his hand, the one he had stretched out against him, shriveled up; so that he could not draw it back to himself. Also the altar was split apart, and the ashes scattered from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given by the word of Adonai. (1Ki 13:3-5 CJB)

Yeshua also prophesied and when He was asked for a sign to vindicate His prophecy He replied,

"A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign? No! None will be given to it but the sign of the prophet Yonah.   (Mat 12:39 CJB)

NOTE: It was not asking for the sign that made them wicked. That was normal. The “wicked” attribute is not connected to the asking for a sign. It is a right thing to test would-be prophets; even Paul says to do it (1 Thes 5:19-22; 1 Co 14:29-33) and it is good practice. The generation was wicked just because it was wicked. As a vindication of His prophecies, Yeshua then gave the people of Israel the sign of His resurrection which did happen. After the resurrection, the Jewish Messianic movement in Israel boasted of a surge unparalleled till this day. We discover the beginning of it in the Book of Acts.

Both Yeshua, His disciples and all the apostles told us that in the time of the end we will see many would-be prophets. We should test them with the litmus test the Word gives us.

Each year, as the Fall feasts approach, many would-be prophets prophecy impending doom. If they were wrong last year, why do we listen to them again this year? Ancient Jewish prophets do suggest that the last battle of the world, the battle of God and Magog and the return of Yeshua will happen with the backdrop of the Fall Feasts, so if they say it every year one day they will eventually be right, but just like hitting a target after shooting a thousand rounds at random doesn't make one a sharp-shooter, that's no proof of a prophetic gift.

The early communities of believers also had many problems with would-be prophets, that's why Paul helped establish rules on the use of prophecy.

He was all for people using the gift, but he said,

Don't quench the Spirit, don't despise inspired messages. But do test everything -- hold onto what is good, but keep away from every form of evil. (1Th 5:19-22 CJB)

--- He also advised set rules for would-be congregational prophets in:

Let two or three prophets speak, while the others weigh what is said. And if something is revealed to a prophet who is sitting down, let the first one be silent. For you can all prophesy one by one, with the result that all will learn something and all will be encouraged. Also, the prophets' spirits are under the prophets' control; for God is not a God of unruliness but of shalom. As in all the congregations of God's people, (1Co 14:29-33 CJB)

In other words, while Paul promoted the use of prophecy, he did not promote it as a free-for-all "freedom of speech" type of thing. A would-be prophet would need to have his prophecy weighed or vetted by the leadership of the congregation before being given approval. “Also, the prophets' spirits are under the prophets' control.” (1Co 14:32 CJB)

FALSE PROPHETS AT THE END OF TIMES
False prophets within the congregation of Messiah are a sign of the approaching end. Yeshua warned that,

At that time many will be trapped into betraying and hating each other, many false prophets will appear and fool many people; and many people's love will grow cold because of increased distance from Torah. (Mat 24:10-12 CJB)

Thanks to HaShem, Yeshua is the true Prophet like unto Moshe whose Word we can trust and must obey. The parasha this week gives us a direct command to obey Yeshua. It says,

I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their kinsmen. I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I order him. Whoever doesn't listen to my words, which he will speak in my name, will have to account for himself to me. (Deu 18:18-19 CJB)

--- Though today there are rabbis who deny it, in the Second Temple era, this prophecy was understood as being about Messiah. The Sadducees who came to Yochanan the Immerser knew it (John 1:21); the Samaritan woman knew it (John 4:19, 25), Peter knew it (Acts 3:22), and Steven also did (Acts 7:37). If people do not believe it is about Messiah, who do they say it is about? They say it is about Joshua and all the other prophets, but how can it be when the Torah itself says,
Since that time there has not arisen in Isra'el a prophet like Moshe, whom Adonai knew face to face. (Deu 34:10 CJB)

MAY WE USE THE EARNEST OF THE GIFT PROPHECY THAT HE GIVES U AT THIS TIME IN SUBJECTION TO HIS SPIRIT THROUGH THE WISE COUNSEL OF THOSE OTHER PROPHETS AROUND US.
SHABBAT SHALOM
שבת שלום

Rabbi Gabriel Lumbroso

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PAR'SHAT RE'EH: The Many Ways To Deface God's Name!

8/7/2018

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אבד תאבדון את־כל־המקמות אשׁר עבדו־שׁם הגוים אשׁר אתם ירשׁים אתם את־אלהיהם על־ההרים הרמים ועל־הגבעות ותחת כל־עץ רענן׃

ונתצתם את־מזבחתם ושׁברתם את־מצבתם ואשׁריהם תשׂרפון באשׁ ופסילי אלהיהם תגדעון ואבדתם את־שׁמם מן־המקום ההוא׃
לא־תעשׂון כן ליהוה אלהיכם׃

You must destroy all the places where the nations you are dispossessing served their gods, whether on high mountains, on hills, or under some leafy tree. Break down their altars, smash their standing-stones to pieces, burn up their sacred poles completely and cut down the carved images of their gods. Exterminate their name from that place. "But you are not to treat Adonai your God this way."
(Deu 12:2-4 CJB)

THE MANY WAYS TO DEFACE GOD'S NAME.

"But you are not to treat Adonai your God this way." says Moshe by the mouth of Adonai. All these things that we are told to do to pagan shrines and names in HaShem's Land, we are not to do to Him nor to His Name.

*We must take note here that this commandment is specific to the shrines and names of pagan deities in the Land of Cana'an, not the pagans themselves not their temples and shrines anywhere else in the world!

On a literal level, within the Jewish community, this commandment has taken the form of not writing the Sacred Ineffable Name in any place where it could be soiled or defaced, such as:

Clothing that ends up in the laundry basket alongside undergarments and soiled clothing.
Bumper stickers that gets soiled with mud
Anywhere where it can be discarded in a common fashion.

Another application of this commandment is to treat sacred books with respect, as in not taking them to a bathroom, or laying them on the floor using them as a footstool. It is traditional in Judaism that due to the possibility of prayer books being mishandled, HaShem’s name is inferred to with a double yod.

COMMON CIRCUMLOCUTIONS
In ancient times, HaShem's Name was to never be mentioned except within the precincts of the Temple or for sacred ritual/ceremonial purposes. That is why the Tanach and the Brit mostly use circumlocution when referring to HaShem. Yeshua Himself used some of these circumlocutions. He referred to His own Father as:

'Father' אבא,
'Heaven' שמים,
'God' אלהים,

PAPA OR ...
As far we know through written records, Yeshua never referred to Him by any particular name. This practice is very much in line with the principle that we do not call our earthly fathers by their first name, but by their title: Papa, or Daddy. Even Paul was never recorded as referring HaShem by anything else but the accepted circumlocutions except perhaps in the Temple. Paul also tells us that the Spirit of HaShem within us calls out, "Abba אבא Father" (Rom 8:15; Gal 4:6).

RESPECT THROUGH TITLES
I fear that our modern society has lost some sort of respect for things such as sacred buildings, places, books, or even people. This is a great irony as in truth, even in our society we are taught to not address earthly important personalities by their first or family names either. We say, Mr President, Mr Speaker, your Honor, your Majesty, etc…

AN INTERESTING EXPERIMENT
I am aware that some may disagree with me about these rules concerning the Sacred Name, and even would tell me that since the Brit seems to infer that now WE are the "Temple of HaShem", we can use the Name. To this I would say that if we really believe that WE are the Temple of HaShem, we should never set foot in palaces of worldly materialism such as Malls and department stores. We should never watch TV or listen to worldly music, as through our eyes and ears, we would bring ungodliness into the Temple which is forbidden. And even if we were to completely go out of this world and live somewhere by ourselves in a cave, we would at this point discover that iniquity mostly comes from our hearts, not our environment. Thus the depth of the truth of the Words of the Master, "For out of the heart come forth wicked thoughts, murder, adultery and other kinds of sexual immorality, theft, lies, slanders. . . . "(Mat 15:19 CJB) would very much come true. I have actually done the experiment!

MORE WAYS TO DEFACE HIS NAME
On a midrashic level, there are some other ways in which we regularly deface HaShem's Name. The Tanach teaches us that we are made in the similitude and image of HaShem, therefore, whatever wrong we do to those made in His Image, we do to Him.

Here are some examples.

Whenever we lie to someone made in His image, we lie to Him
Whenever we kill one made in His image we kill Him.
Whenever we defame someone made in His image, we defame Him.
Whenever we steal from someone made in His image, we steal from Him.
Whenever we publicly shame someone made in His image, we publicly shame Him. (Deut 20:8)
Whenever we refuse help or charity to someone made in His image, we refuse help or charity to Him. (Deut 15:8)
Whenever we disobey the rulings of the judges of Israel who judge by His image, we disobey Him (Deut 8-13).

In light of this, we need to remember that Yeshua our Rabbi and Master established for us a Sanhedrin composed of His disciples (Mat 19:28), appointment which started right at the first Shavuot after the resurrection as we read in Acts 2, and that was vindicated by the death of Ananias and Sephirah as recorded in Acts 5:1-14)

The examples are endless and this time when we enter the season of introspection that precedes the Fall Festivals should cause us to review some of the standards of our lives. We should ask ourselves:

"How may I be guilty of defacing HaShem's Name in my selfish-proud-argumentative-abrasive-condescending-overall wrong attitude towards my parents, my spouse, my children, my friends, and all those that are in contact with me?"

IMPORTANT NOTE CONCERNING THIS EXERCISE
Make sure not to do the opposite and search how others deface HaShem's Name by treating you wrongly. Remember...

The King will say to them,

'Yes! I tell you that whenever you did these things for one of the least important of these brothers of mine, you did them for me!'
(Mat 25:40 CJB)

and not

... as they did it to you ..., they did it to me.'

MAY WE LEARN TO LOVE AND RESPECT HIM BY LOVING AND RESPECTING THOSE MADE IN HIS IMAGE.

R' Gabriel Lumbroso

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PAR'SHAT EKEV: May We Be Known For The Kindness We Bestow!

8/2/2018

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והיה עקב תשׁמעון את המשׁפטים האלה ושׁמרתם ועשׂיתם אתם ושׁמר יהוה אלהיך לך את־הברית ואת־החסד אשׁר נשׁבע לאבתיך׃

"Because you are listening to these rulings, keeping and obeying them, Adonai your God will keep with you the covenant and mercy that he swore to your ancestors. (Deu 7:12 CJB)

There are three attributes that should distinguish Israel from the nations.

Mercy
A sense of shame
Bestowing kindness.

Mercy: Mercy towards fellow humans should be a natural virtue for us. We have been shown much from our heavenly Father. Yeshua reminded his disciples that,
“If you do not forgive others their offenses, your heavenly Father will not forgive yours.” (Mat 6:15)

A sense of shame: There is something wrong with us if we cannot blush and hang our heads low at the mention of our sins. Ezra mentions "blushing" for the sins of the nation. Jeremiah, on the other hand, is appalled that the people of Jerusalem do not even blush because of their sins (Ezra 9:6; Jer 6:15, 8:12). We stop blushing for our sins when we rationalise our wrong-doing. Modern psychology even teaches that shaming a child for wrong-doing, or even an adult for that matter, is a form of psychological abuse, like putting a guilt-trip on someone. But there is such a thing as wrong-doing and blushing/feeling ashamed of ourselves, which is the natural reaction of HaShem's spirit within us. As citizens of the Kingdom of God, if we naturally rationalise our actions and cannot be ashamed of ourselves for our sins/mistakes, the problem may be that we lack the Spirit of HaShem within us. Even the great King David felt shame for his actions. We can read his repentant prayers in the Psalms.
For I know my crimes, my sin confronts me all the time. (51:6) Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil from your perspective; so that you are right in accusing me and justified in passing sentence. (Psa 51:3-4)

Bestowing Kindness: The Hebrew word for kindness is. ”Chesed/ חסד.” Rabbi Boruch Epstein explains that 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 Israel, it is implied that Israel must bestow mercy/kindness upon others.

DISCIPLESHIP
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 if we call ourselves disciples. Paul, the faithful shaliach (emissary/apostle)who imitated his Master Yeshua also exhorted us to imitate HaShem by walking in love and kindness. He said,

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
Here are some ideas.

Consideration.
Thinking of others' needs - 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)

KIND TAVITHA
There is a woman whom Luke, the disciple of Paul, mentions in his accounts of the Acts of the Emissaries. The whole world today can read about her kindness throughout 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)

REDUNDANT?
I know that at the risk of sounding redundant 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 the first heroes of our confession, of the trail blazers of our movement, the brothers and sisters of the first-century CE. For many years, from the time of the miraculous Shavuot 50 days after the resurrection, though the disciples were persecuted by the Sadducee priesthood, they overall enjoyed the favor of the people, even in Israel. They were known for their unswerving dedication to the Torah, to prayer, and to Rabbi Yeshua. They were also known for their beautiful "easy yoke" Torah-observance style and their compassion, their charity, their love, their abnegation, and over all altruism. Using a personal experience, I'd like to share an example of how I feel it might have looked like. This is of course my humble opinion.

From 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 to our house, feed them, talk to them, counsel them, pray for them, and even teach them. Every year we also set up 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 along with nightly singing by the campfire. My wife would organise and man a first aid station. There were many other camps of believers there. There was even a camp called “Jerusalem Camp.” I'd like to tell you about a couple of times (and there were many others) when I felt very honored.
One of those times 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 in Utah 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 would 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. Here we had these young and less young people who were dabbling in all sorts of drugs and what I would call deviant spirituality, but when it came to love care and kindness, they knew that we were the ones to go to. It was an honor!
A couple of days later in the middle of a snowy cold and muddy night, a diabetic young man desperately needed to go down the mountain and go to the hospital. This required us to take him on a stretcher to the parking lot 3 miles away walking on a muddy-near-freezing mountain trail. Again, when the organizers needed someone, they came to get us. We had a whole camp of young people working with us. I personally consider it the greatest of all honors that these people came to us for these difficult assignments knowing for sure that we would come through.

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. Also, civil disobedience is not part of what Yeshua asked us to do. Our testimony to the world consists of love and kindness of the type Paul wrote about,

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.(1Co 13:4-8)
James also tells us that,
Where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. (Jas 3:16-17 KJV)

A PERTINENT MESSAGE FOR TODAY
That kind of love is really the most potent sign of our discipleship (John 13:35). Just as it was desperately needed in the days of Yeshua as the message that could have prevented the destruction of the Temple and the shutting down of the country by the Romans, it is what the world desperately needs today to counteract the current dynamics that absurdly pit us against each other in a spirit of political and religious zealotry, and threaten to tear us apart. In His own days, Yeshua Himself tried to tell the Pharisees, the Sadducees and the zealots that compassion, forgiveness, and altruism in the Torah were what would bring the Kingdom of God on earth, not the religious ritualistic sacrifices of the priests, nor the political activism and civil combativeness of the zealots.

LOVE, OR ANIMAL SACRIFICES?
One day, Yeshua’s loving and compassionate ways towards people were challenged by hypocritical Sadducees, so He answered,

"The ones who need a doctor aren't the healthy but the sick. As for you, go and learn what this means: 'I want compassion rather than animal-sacrifices.' For I didn't come to call the 'righteous,' but sinners!" (Mat 9:12-13 CJB)

In that instance,Yeshua in fact used the words of Hoseah the prophet as he reminded the people the people of his days that if their religious observance is not performed out of a spirit of love of HaShem and His people, rst does not cancel the second, but even the prophet Hoseah was reminding his audience that if the second is not done in the spirit of the first, it is invalid.

For what I desire is mercy, not sacrifices; knowledge of God more than burnt offerings. (Hos 6:6 CJB)

MAY WE GO AND LEARN THE SAME!

R' Gabriel Lumbroso

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PAR'SHAT KI TAVOH: "If then, ... why not now!"

PARSHAT KI TETSEI: The Burden of Burdens.

PAR'SHAT SHOFTIM: Prophets and Prophecies.

PAR'SHAT RE'EH: The Many Ways To Deface God's Name!

PAR'SHAT EKEV: May We Be Known For The Kindness We Bestow!

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