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PAR'SHAT LECH LECHA: The Ten Trials of Abraham. Pt 1

10/26/2017

ויעתק משׁם ההרה מקדם לבית־אל ויט אהלה

He left that place, went to the hill East of Beit-El and pitched his tent.
(Gen 12:8 CJB)

The English in this text reads 'his tents', because it refers to Abraham's tents. But when looking at the Hebrew text we notice that, though the text seems to refer to Abraham, the possessive suffix at the end of the word 'tent אהל', is feminine written as 'o'elah אהלה thus saying: 'her tent' in the feminine singular. The Midrash (a Jewish book of biblical commentaries) comments that this teaches us that Abraham first pitched the tent of his wife, and then his own. From there we we see that when a husband needs to do something for himself and for his wife, he should take care of his wife's needs first.

The sages have encapsulated Abraham's life in what is called 'THE TEN TRIALS OF ABRAHAM.' These trials were not herculean types of trials having to do with physical strength or endurance in suffering; neither were they about personal wit, religious practice, correct doctrine, or spirituality. These trials were much more down to earth. These trials had more to do with the same type of tests each and everyone of us goes though each day. They were tests of ethical integrity and virtue.

Our Rabbi, Teacher, Master, and Redeemer Yeshua also taught his disciples in these word, "If you are children of Avraham, then do the things Avraham did! Joh 8:39. In other words, 'The proof is in the pudding!' Those of us who claim descendance from Abraham, be it biological or grafted in, need to honor that descendance by doing what Yeshua coined as 'the things Avraham did.', or in Hebrew, 'כמעשי אברהם עשיתם 'do after the deeds/actions/works of Avraham.'

Let us then take the time to study these things that Avraham did.
How did he handle the intense trials that HaShem allowed to go through?
First, let us go through the enumeration of the ten trials of our Father Avraham:

The call from his homeland
The famine in Cana'an
The abduction of Sarah in Egypt
The war with the four kings
The long wait for a son and his marriage to Hagar
The commandment of circumcision
The abduction of Sarah by Abimelech
The exile of Hagar after she gave birth
The exile of Ishmael
The sacrifice of Isaac

According to this writer, what made Avraham so great in not necessarily his connection with HaShem nor his loyalty and obedience. Many believers are, and have been tested with as great if not greater demands from HaShem, but we and they all had Avraham to look back upon for inspiration. Abraham on the other hand was the first. Unlike us, he did not have a reference point.That is why he is often called 'The Father of Faith. Like a pioneer in uncharted territory, He blazed the trail for us. Let's take a look at some of the things he went through.

1. The call from his land
We learn a lot about Avraham from he Letter to the Hebrews. It says,

By trusting, Avraham obeyed, after being called to go out to a place which God would give him as a possession; indeed, he went out without knowing where he was going. By trusting, he lived as a temporary resident in the Land of the promise, as if it were not his, staying in tents with Yitz'chak and Ya`akov, who were to receive what was promised along with him. For he was looking forward to the city with permanent foundations, of which the architect and builder is God. By trusting, he received potency to father a child, even when he was past the age for it, as was Sarah herself; because he regarded the One who had made the promise as trustworthy. Therefore this one man, who was virtually dead, fathered descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky, and as countless as the grains of the sand on the seashore. All these people kept on trusting until they died, without receiving what had been promised. They had only seen it and welcomed it from a distance, while acknowledging that they were aliens and temporary residents on the earth. For people who speak this way make it clear that they are looking for a fatherland. Now if they were to keep recalling the one they left, they would have an opportunity to return; but as it is, they aspire to a better fatherland, a heavenly one. This is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city. By trusting, Avraham, when he was put to the test, offered up Yitz'chak as a sacrifice. Yes, he offered up his only son, he who had received the promises, to whom it had been said, "What is called your 'seed' will be in Yitz'chak." For he had concluded that God could even raise people from the dead! And, figuratively speaking, he did so receive him.
(Heb 11:8-19 CJB)

On the same concept, Yeshua said,

Everyone who has left houses, brothers, sisters, father, mother, children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times more, and he will obtain eternal life. (Mat 19:29 CJB)

Another version of Mat 10:29 says,
"If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father, his mother, his wife, his children, his brothers and his sisters, yes, and his own life besides, he cannot be my talmid." Luk 14:26
These verses have often caused people to think that it is OK to prioritize religious activities over family responsibilities. I have seen, and still see today families broken due to this erroneous understanding of Yeshua's statement and of Avraham's actions. It is not about one replacing the other, but about stating that our for HaShem is so great that by comparison the love we have for our families pales. In truth, taking proper responsibility for our families is one of the greatest and proof testimony of our love for HaShem .

Leaving home and family may seem to many today as a freedom statement, but in the days of Avraham people lived in a tribal society, several generations under the same roof. People just didn't get up and leave home. Let's look at what Avraham's motivations may have or not have been

Avraham leaving was not the result of an attempts to independence nor of acrimonious relations with his family. Even with his new belief and discovery of HaShem as the sole Creator of heaven and earth, Avraham stayed many years subject to his family and fulfilling his family obligations.
Abraham remained subject to HaShem's will and did not try to do things on his own.
In the same manner, our new-found faith should not cause family break-ups. Yeshua did say that family divisions would be caused due to our discipling to him, but this division does not have to end up in break ups; and if it ever does, we should be able to come to the Father and said that we have gone to the 'nth degree of humility and submission in ordered to ensure that it would not happen.
As an example, we as humanity have a broken relationship with the Father, but He took upon Himself the blame and payment of our transgressions in the figure of Mashiach in order to preserve the relationship. Yeshua taught that if we do the the same with those with whom we have problems, we will be: ... perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect. Mat 5:48

2. THE FAMINE IN CANA'AN
When Abraham arrived in Cana'an, the land was occupied.

He did not force his stay thinking, "I got a revelation straight from God that me and my children should inhabitant this land." He believed the Word, but he waited on his God to fulfill it. Paul agreed with that M.O. he said, for God is the one working among you both the willing and the working for what pleases him. Php 2:13
It's like Murphy's law. Everything that could go wrong went wrong: the land was occupied, and a famine struck. Abraham didn't doubt his message because, the message he received was real, not a emotional premonition based on wishful thinking.
Only something real like that can provoke this kind of faith.
Avraham did not blame God but was entirely subjected to the doings of the Almighty.

3. THE ABDUCTION OF SARAH IN EGYPT

In Egypt, his plan to conceal the true nature of his relationship with Sarah in order to protect his life went awry. We may be quick to blame Abraham for a big mistake and a sort of lie
As a side note, I think that we should be careful before condemning the fathers. The Torah forbids speaking evil of the leaders of our people. Also they are not there to defend themselves so the judgment is made in absentia. We are not in their shoes so we cannot exactly judge. What would WE have done in the same situation? Probably worse. We must remember that it is by Abraham's virtue and ways that we inherit Messiah, so somehow, what HasShem has called clean, may we not be found to call unclean. Sometimes we just don't fully understand a situation, and most of the time, it is none of our business to judge anyways.
Avraham wisely weighed the situation: HaShem had given him no other resources but Egypt -- He would be killed for his wife because for Pharaoh, adultery was very big sin, so he got around it by killing a husband in order to steal his wife, because murder was not a big deal for Pharaoh.
Abraham estimated that murder is worse than lying, and that the weight of his death and of the covenant God made with him was more serious of a sin than the lie to protect it. (Even Yeshua spoke of lesser and weightier commandments.)
Abraham had more respect for the covenant than for his own righteousness or reputation, which is just like Yeshua who having not sinned made Himself sin so He could fulfill the covenant.

4. THE QUARREL WITH LOT

Lot acted selfishly toward his uncle who had helped him make something of himself but Abraham didn't retaliate. He let Lot have first choice, even though again, the Land was his by divine right.
Both the Master and Paul taught the same thing: "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. "(Mat 5:39-42 CJB)

How dare one of you with a complaint against another go to court before pagan judges and not before God's people? Don't you know that God's people are going to judge the universe? If you are going to judge the universe, are you incompetent to judge these minor matters? Don't you know that we will judge angels, not to mention affairs of everyday life? So if you require judgments about matters of everyday life, why do you put them in front of men who have no standing in the Messianic Community? I say, shame on you! Can it be that there isn't one person among you wise enough to be able to settle a dispute between brothers? Instead, a brother brings a lawsuit against another brother, and that before unbelievers! Actually, if you are bringing lawsuits against each other, it is already a defeat for you. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated? (1Co 6:1-7 CJB)

Talmud: "The disciples of Abraham our father are generous, poor in spirit, and humble." m.Avot 5:19

5. COURAGEOUS LOYALTY/THE WAR WITH THE FOUR KINGS

After being cheated and wronged by Lot, Abraham still went to rescue him
Abraham not only freed his nephew but also all the peopler from Sodom and Gomorrah.
He refused to take anything from the loot. It was an act of total random selflessness.
Because of these acts, HaShem continued blessing Abraham and confirmed His covenant with him.

5. BUILDING A FAMILY

Polygamy was acceptable in the world in the days of Abraham, but seeing his wife barren and as an obstacle to the great divine covenant, Abraham passed the test in choosing to remain with Sarah
The 'Hagar' idea was Sarah's. It may seem a strange idea to us, but it is very close to today's idea of surrogate mothers artificially inseminated
Sarah wanted a baby; she had no choice in her barrenness; unlike many women who today chose to not have children or wait till their 30's, thus not giving the best of their strength and years to their children, but keeping it for themselves.
They both were willing to sacrifice to great length in order to see the covenant fulfilled. It is commendable for Sarah, Hagar, and Abraham who loved Sarah.

6. CIRCUMCISION

I may not need to emphasize how a man circumcising himself at over one hundred years old may be a test. Try it using the same tools Abraham did, and without anesthetics. It is then that Adonai, accompanied with two angels, came came to visit him.

Adonai appeared to Avraham by the oaks of Mamre as he sat at the entrance to the tent during the heat of the day. (Gen 18:1 CJB) The expression ,'... during the heat of the day' is usually understood as ' at the height of the post-circumcision fever.'

IS THERE SOMETHING WE CAN LEARN FROM THE ACTS OF FATHER AVRAHAM?

R' Gavriel

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PAR'SHAT NOACH: Judging Righteous Judgments!

10/19/2017

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וירד יהוה לראת את־העיר ואת־המגדל אשׁר בנו בני האדם׃
וירד יהוה לרא וירד יהוה לראת את־העיר ואת־המגדל אשׁר בנו בני האדם׃

Adonai came down to see the city and the tower the people were building.
(Gen 11:5 CJB)

WE SHOULD NOT JUDGE PEOPLE OR SITUATIONS WITHOUT PROPER INVESTIGATION

Did HaShem really need to come down to check the situation?

Didn't He already know what was happening?

In Midrash Tanchuma Rashi suggests that HaShem did not actually need to come down to view the tower built by the people. Rashi then suggests that the Almighty did so in order to teach us all a very valuable lesson: not to condemn people or give a definitive assessment of a situation until we investigate and understand the entire situation.

All of us judge. We all feel that it is our business to judge others, even when in most cases we assign to ourselves involvement, it is really none of our business. We especially do it in the matters of religion, theology, and politics. Though the Tanach warns us of the evil practice of taking a reproach against someone (Ps 15:3), we are quick to judge people on the basis of hearsay or circumstantial evidence. In a court of law, there is no room for hearsay nor even for circumstantial evidence. Therefore according to what we talked about last week, 'viewing people as Hashem's Image', we should view a person favorably unless we have carefully investigated the matter and have established beyond the shadow of a doubt that he is guilty of the charges against him. Also, we must be sure that our judgment is not corrupted by personal bias, personal interests also called 'bribes', opinions, etc...

The famous Jewish book on ethics Pirkey Avot advises us,

'Do not judge not your fellow until you've reached his place (walked in his shoes). Pirkey Avot 2:5

'Judge everyone favorably'
Pirkey Avot 1:6

In many ways, we assign to ourselves the business of drawing judgement on people and situations even when we lack the elements that allow us to do so. We go by hearsay, gossip, Internet posts, someone else's bias opinion, or even our own so called 'gut-feeling'. As such, we often render judgments about others based on partial, incomplete, or bias data.

If we make it our business to judge, (and it is most of the time really none of our business), like HaShem did in the days of Nimrod, we must take the time to approach the situation and see it close-up. Here is a little anecdote to illustrate the point.

'When Rabbi Zechariah, the son-in-law of Rabbi Levi was alive, people grumbled against him. They claimed that he begged money although he didn't really need to. After he died however, it was discovered that he had always distributed the money to the poor.' (Yerushalmi Paiah 8:8)

This Rabbi seemed to in fact practice the saying of our Master concerning discretion when practicing charity:

But you, when you do tzedakah, don't even let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. (Mat 6:3)

In this day and age, social media has rendered it easy to make harsh accusations against others anonymously or from afar without coming closer to the situation as HaShem did in the case of checking the what was going on in Babel. The conversation seems most toxic when it concerns politics, and sad to say, religion. It is generally with those subjects that we seem to be ignoring our Master's injunction concerning disputes and disagreements,

"Moreover, if your brother commits a sin against you, go and show him his fault -- but privately, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won back your brother.(Mat 18:15 CJB)

More often than not, based on faulty, biased, and incomplete information, we draw the quick conclusions that our brother trespassed against us, when we are the one trespassing against him by not applying this wise Torah-based advice from our Master. It would behoove us to always properly check the situation or the validation of other's accusations before we agree with them.
We in fact need to remember the Master's injunction that we will be judged with the same measure that we use to judge others. Whether we judge other others using bias, incomplete, invalid, gossipy information; solely by their own merits or lack of them; by the merits of Yeshua and the way He sees them; so we will be judged.

"For the way you judge others is how you will be judged -- the measure with which you measure out will be used to measure to you. (Mat 7:2).

A congregation leader I know was swamped with people accusing each other of 'non-kosher' behavior, actions, and attitudes. He himself was close to his flock and as a result was privy to the particulars of each family. He was familiar with each of their situations. This wise congregation leader therefore decided to implement a rule that whoever had an accusation to bring against another had to first take the time to get to know them personally for 90 to 120 days. As people got to know each other better, the accusations dramatically decreased.

On the issues of publicly 'shaming others' and acting/judging on the basis of incomplete, bias, and in this case wrong ignorant data, we have a very good object lesson about it in this week's parasha. Here is our text,

Noach, a farmer, was the first to plant a vineyard. He drank so much of the wine that he got drunk and lay uncovered in his tent. Ham, the father of Kena`an, saw his father shamefully exposed, went out and told his two brothers. Shem and Yefet took a cloak, put it over both their shoulders, and, walking backward, went in and covered their naked father. Their faces were turned away, so that they did not see their father lying there shamefully exposed. When Noach awoke from his wine, he knew what his youngest son had done to him. He said, "Cursed be Kena`an; he will be a servant of servants to his brothers." Then he said, "Blessed be Adonai, the God of Shem; Kena`an will be their servant. May God enlarge Yefet; he will live in the tents of Shem, but Kena`an will be their servant."
(Gen 9:20-27 CJB)

People often use this text to accuse Ham of homosexuality, but the text makes absolutely no mention of it. This accusation is actually anachronistic, based upon reading the text with the lens of today's culture and not according to its own.
As a result, I remember hearing preachers teach that the descendance of Ham that mostly ended up in Africa (Genesis 10: 6-7), has a particular propensity towards homosexuality. This reasoning can be easily countered by looking at the mores and history of the great empires of the West (Japheth's descendants) who greatly indulged in that sin.
Not so long ago, and sad to say even till today, people justified enslaving the blacks because of a so-called curse put upon Ham by Noah. The truth again is that the curse was not put on Ham, but on Cana'an, one of the sons of Ham. This curse found its fulfillment when the Children of Israel who were former slaves of Egypt, the descendants of Mizrayim who was Cana'an's brother (Gen 10), subjugated the Cana'anites who then became the 'servant of servants.'
This shows us how people again have drawn very serious conclusion about other people using faulty, incomplete, and in this case, erroneous data. Why did they do it? Because it was already in them to do it. It is the belief of this writer that, 'Lie' has no power on he who is hungry to stay anchored on 'truth'.

"How blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness! for they will be filled. Mat 5:6
"Keep asking, and it will be given to you; keep seeking, and you will find; keep knocking, and the door will be opened to you. Mat 7:7

Jewish teachers teach that the sin of Ham was that his first reaction when he saw his father's compromising and vulnerable situation. was to publicize it to his brothers. Why did he do it? Your guess is as good as mine, but the text tells us of the diametrically opposite reaction of Shem and Japhet who not wanting to even see their father, walked backward and covered his indiscretion. King Solomon teaches us about that in,

Hate stirs up disputes, but love covers all kinds of transgressions. (Pro 10:12 CJB)
He who conceals an offense promotes love, but he who harps on it can separate even close friends. (Pro 17:9 CJB)

MAY WE LEARN TO ACT THE SAME AS SHEM AND JEPATH TOWARD EACH OTHER.

WHEN WE FIND FAULT IN OUR BROTHER, MAY WE BE QUICKER TO COVER IT THAN TO PUBLICIZE IT.

MAY WE LIKE HASHEM COME CLOSE TO A SITUATION IN ORDER TO ASSESS IT ACCORDING TO ITS OWN MERIT.

R' GAVRIEL

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PAR'SHAT B'RESHIT: To Be Made in HaShem's Image!

10/12/2017

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ויאמר אלהים
נעשׂה אדם בצלמנו כדמותנו וירדו בדגת הים ובעוף השׁמים ובבהמה ובכל־הארץ ובכל־הרמשׂ הרמשׂ על־הארץ׃
ויברא אלהים את־האדם בצלמו בצלם אלהים ברא אתו זכר ונקבה ברא אתם׃

Then God said,
"Let us make humankind in our image, in the likeness of ourselves; and let them rule over the fish in the sea, the birds in the air, the animals, and over all the earth, and over every crawling creature that crawls on the earth." So God created humankind in his own image; in the image of God he created him: male and female he created them.
(Gen 1:26-27 CJB)

The sages often wondered about that passage. "What is the 'Image' of HaShem ..." they ask, seeing as He is incorporeal?. This led to the idea of the Adam Kadmon, the original 'blue print' that Hashem created for man. The sages referred to this blue print as the 'First Adam' which is alluded to in:
... On it, above it, was what appeared to be a person. (Eze 1:26 CJB)
as well as in,

But he exclaimed, "Look! I see four men, not tied up, walking around there in the flames, unhurt; and the fourth looks like one of the gods!"
(Dan 3:25 CJB)

Paul the emissary also referred to this idea in,

...Adam, the first man, became a living human being; but the last "Adam" has become a life-giving Spirit.
(1Co 15:45 CJB)

Paul was familiar with the Biblical idea of, 'As it is below, so it is above", that the reality below is a representation of the heavenly reality. It is in those terms that Moshe was required to build the Tabernacle. As such, we see the same basic representation of the Temple model when we read what prophets such as Ezekiel, and John saw when 'invited' to the Throne Room It goes therefore to say that when HaShem created man, He must have used the model of a 'Heavenly Blue-Print', a created Blue-print who is His perfect 'Image'. In those terms, Paul says of created man,

For a man indeed should not have his head veiled, because he is the
image and glory of God

and of woman taken from within man,

, and the woman is the glory of man.
1Co: 11:7 CJB

But this 'man' Adam has become corrupt through sin and disobedience. As such, he lost the glory that he was created with and all of humanity has borne the consequences of it,

... and just as we have borne the image of the man of dust,...
1Co: 15:49 CJB

But because He was victorious against all tests and temptations, Yeshua ...

... himself suffered death when he was put to the test,
he is able to help those who are being tested now.
Heb: 2:18 CJB
Even though he was the Son, he learned obedience through his sufferings.
(Heb 5:8 CJB)
So that He became

... the visible image of the invisible God. Col_1:15

... the radiance of the Sh'khinah, the very expression of God's essence, upholding all that exists by his powerful word; and after he had, through himself, made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of HaG'dulah BaM'romim. (Heb 1:3 CJB)

Paul, Yeshua's emmissary challenges us who have inherited the infection of Adam's sin to now also take the nature of the Heavenly Adam ...

... and just as we have borne the image of the man of dust so also we will bear the image of the man from heaven.
1Co: 15:49 CJB

... albeit, like Yeshua Himself, we also learn through the agency of suffering. So Paul teaches not to chaff against our present suffering, but whether the suffering is legitimate or not, to accept it as the means by which HaShem transforms us into His Image. We always must look at ourselves with the eyes of the thief on His side at Mount Golgotha, the one who said,

Ours (suffering) is only fair; we're getting what we deserve for what we did. But this man did nothing wrong."

(Luk 23:41 CJB)

We must also remember Paul who unjustly suffered at the hand of both the Romans authorities and that of his Jewish brethren when he says,

I don't think the sufferings we are going through now are even worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed to us in the future.......
we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called in accordance with his purpose; because those whom he knew in advance, he also determined in advance would be conformed to the pattern of his Son, so that he might be the firstborn among many brothers; and those whom he thus determined in advance, he also called; and those whom he called, he also caused to be considered righteous; and those whom he caused to be considered righteous he also glorified!
(Rom 8:18-30 CJB)

Ya'akov the earthly brother of the Master concurs with Paul saying,

Regard it all as joy, my brothers, when you face various kinds of temptations; for you know that the testing of your trust produces perseverance. But let perseverance do its complete work; so that you may be complete and whole, lacking in nothing.
(Jas 1:2-4 CJB)

Judaism actually teaches that HaShem, having foreseen the eventual rebellion and downfall of mankind, created Messiah as the antidote for sin, as the way to repentance, even before creation....

"Adonai made me as the beginning of his way, the first of his ancient works. I was appointed before the world, before the start, before the earth's beginnings. When I was brought forth, there were no ocean depths, no springs brimming with water. I was brought forth before the hills, before the mountains had settled in place; he had not yet made the earth, the fields, or even the earth's first grains of dust. When he established the heavens, I was there. When he drew the horizon's circle on the deep, when he set the skies above in place, when the fountains of the deep poured forth, when he prescribed boundaries for the sea, so that its water would not transgress his command, when he marked out the foundations of the earth, I was with him as someone he could trust. For me, every day was pure delight, as I played in his presence all the time, playing everywhere on his earth, and delighting to be with humankind.
(Pro 8:22-31 CJB)

Something which John agreed with,

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. All things came to be through him, and without him nothing made had being.
(Joh 1:1-3 CJB)

John even taught the Jewish idea that the 'lamb' was slained before the foundation of the world,

Everyone living on earth will worship it except those whose names are written in the Book of Life belonging to the Lamb slaughtered before the world was founded.
(Rev 13:8 CJB)

* * * * * * *
This Image of HaShem that we are meant to recapture is not a physical appearance nor something only having to do with clothing, culture, and lifestyles. Humanity (or 'adam-ity') obviously comprises many different races, and cultures, and even physical differences such as morphology and gender. But in spite of all these differences, all of us are made in the Image of HaShem, and we, like Yeshua does, should learn to see the Image of HaShem in each and every individual that we meet no matter what He looks like. It is easy to imagine the 'Image of HaShem' in someone that looks and lives like us, but less natural in someone who belongs to another race, social group, religion, culture, and even sometime the other political party.

The way we apply this idea of seeing everyone as made in the Image of Hashem is to do acts of chesed חסד kindness. The Chofetz Chayim says that, "The very survival of humanity is dependent on chesed/kindness. Every person, without exception [at some time or another] needs the help of his fellow man." How do we show chesed? By, without respect to social, religious, ethnic, or political groups being willing to:

lend money,
provide a way to get an income,
rejoice with those who rejoice,
mourn with those who mourn,
comfort also those who mourn,
help those who carry a heavy load,
practice hospitality,
care for the sick,
bury the dead.

These are some of the things which help us practice respecting man as the Image of HaShem. Teaching along the same lines Yeshua says,

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)

Yeshua says that to love HaShem and our neighbor, which is done by showing chesed, was the greatest commandment of the Torah, even those upon which the whole rest of the Torah balances. When defining the concept of these commandments, He gave a story. It was the parable of the Good Samaritan, a man who at his own risks and expenses stopped to rescue another man, a man who actually hated him and considered him the scum of the earth because he was a Samaritan. Yeshua used that concept to teach us about HaShem's love for us. Why? Because we ourselves were at one time in enmity with HaShem because of our sinful nature, but He ...

... demonstrates his own love for us in that the Messiah died on our behalf while we were still sinners [enemies].
(Rom 5:8 CJB)

Yeshua also teaches about that perfect heavenly 'Image of HaShem' we all long to return to; our perfect heavenly nature; and one day we will. But what does returning to that perfect nature looks like? yehsua teaches about it. He says,

"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.' [ACTUALLY NOWHERE IN THE TORAH DOES IT SAY TO HATE YOUR ENEMY. IT ONLY SAYS TO HATE EVIL]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)

The Chofetz Chayim taught that the survival of humanity depended on us being able to act towards people remembering that they are created in HaShem's image. I personally believe that the survival of HaShem's congregation depends on it. If we don't learn this, we are not special at all; we are exactly like the rest of the world. This idea is what makes us fifferent; holy and set apart. It represents the difference between being 'common', or 'holy'. Common is being like the rest of the world; holy/kadosh/קדוש is to be separated by being different in our lifestyles.

Yeshua teaches,

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!

Mat 5:46-48 CJB

MAY WE LEARN TO BE HOLY BY BEING DIFFERENT,
BY LIVING BY HASHEM'S STANDARD OF PERFECTNESS,
BY SEEING EACH AND EVERYONE AS CREATED IN HIS IMAGE ...

AND ACT LIKE IT!

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