ROSH HASHANA, ABRAHAM AND ISAAC.
Rosh Hashana is the beginning of the Jewish civil, fiscal, and agricultural year. Our fathers view it as the crowning of King Messiah. Synagogue readings for this Levitical festival revolve around the stories of Abraham and Isaac, especially the 'Binding of Isaac' on the altar on the mountain. With the crowning of King Messiah, we also view Rosh Hashana as the onset of the Fall Festivals which also speaks of the final establishment of Messiah's Kingdom on earth.
ROSH HASHANA AND REPENTANCE
Yochanan the Immerser, Yeshua, the disciples of the Master and their disciples all preached the same Gospel: "Repent, for the kingdom is at hand." The idea was to clean our hearts, 'get our act together'; in view of the impending arrival of the Kingdom Of heaven on earth, let’s start leaning our inclination towards obedience to HaShem through living by His toratic instructions, and that, all in preparation for the Kingdom to come.
THE CIRCUMCISION OF THE HEART
In the previous parashas, Moshe sees Israel's punishment and exile because of its disobedience, but one cannot believe some parts of the prophecies and omit the others. If you believe in Israel's exile because of its disobedience, you must also believe in its return because of repentance, repentance brought by the circumcision of the heart.
Since its early beginning, for the most part Israel has been faithful in the practice of physical circumcision. In Deuteronomy 30, HaShem speaks of the circumcision of the heart, something that the prophets mentioned was lacking. In the world of the Bible, the heart doesn't represent the seat of the emotions, but rather the front lobe of the will. The term 'circumcise your heart ' (Deut 10:16; 30:6; Jer 4:4) means to yield ourselves to HaShem's leading, will, and way in our lives. It is the opposite of arrogance and stubbornness.
The circumcision of the heart is not an event that waits for the revelation of the Messiah as is often taught. Already in Deut 10:16, Moshe was encouraging the second generation of Israelites to "Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer stubborn.", and in Jeremiah 9:25-26 HaShem punishes Israel for its uncircumcised heart, which infers they were already supposed to display the life of a circumcised heart.
The circumcision of the flesh is actually an outward sign of the already accomplished circumcision of the heart. One doesn't go without the other. Of course, it is easy to make claims of integrity by virtue of an outward sign, but whereas one can boast of a flesh circumcision, his personal life will be an unfailing witness as to whether he can boast of a circumcised heart or not. It is always easier to demonstrate “religion” through outward elements such as eating kosher, wearing tsitsits, not working on Shabbat, but HaShem is the One who knows if our hearts are truly circumcised or not. We may be able to fool some of the people all the time, or all of the people some time, but never all of the people all the time. HaShem who created us makes sure of that!
Physical circumcision is done at eight days old. No-one asks for our permission when they do it. But the circumcision of the heart is a personal decision and commitment to HaShem, and the final redemption depends on it,
... But if their uncircumcised hearts will grow humble, and they are paid the punishment for their misdeeds; then I will remember my covenant with Ya`akov, also my covenant with Yitz'chak and my covenant with Avraham; and I will remember the land. (Lev 26:41-42)
Jeremiah speaks of Moshe's promise that HaShem will circumcise Israel's heart…
"For this is the covenant I will make with the house of Isra'el after those days," says Adonai: "I will put my Torah within them and write it on their hearts; I will be their God, and they will be my people.
(Jer 31:33)
Jeremiah deplored the people with circumcised flesh and uncircumcised hearts,
"The days are coming," says Adonai, "when I will punish all those who have been circumcised in their uncircumcision --(9:25) Egypt,
Y'hudah, Edom, the people of `Amon and Mo'av, and all those living in the desert who cut the edges [of their beard]: "For although all the Goyim are uncircumcised, all the house of Isra'el have uncircumcised hearts." (Jer 9:25-26)
GENTILES AND CIRCUMCISION
In the days of Paul, there were some non-Jewish proselytes who wanted to seal their adoption into the covenant of Israel through their own 'works'. They felt that they needed to go through all the rituals and demands, including circumcision, of the traditional Judaism of the day. Paul's contention was that all that was needed for adoption into Israel was the baptism of repentance in the immersion waters, and the spiritual covering of confession that Yeshua is the Messiah through whom they have access to HaShem. In his contention, Paul borrows from Moshe and Jeremiah's theme of the superior virtue of the circumcision of the heart vs the circumcision of the flesh,
For the real Jew is not merely Jewish outwardly: true circumcision is not only external and physical. On the contrary, the real Jew is one inwardly; and true circumcision is of the heart, spiritual not literal; so that his praise comes not from other people but from God. (Rom 2:28-29)
Whether Jew or grafted-in Gentile, Rosh Hashana is the time when we can imagine ourselves standing before HaShem and hear Him say to us,
"Look! I am presenting you today with, on the one hand, life and good; and on the other, death and evil - in that I am ordering you today to love Adonai your God, to follow his ways, and to obey his mitzvot, regulations and rulings ; for if you do, you will live and increase your numbers; and Adonai your God will bless you in the land you are entering in order to take possession of it. But if your heart turns away, if you refuse to listen, if you are drawn away to prostrate yourselves before other gods and serve them; I am announcing to you today that you will certainly perish; you will not live long in the land you are crossing the Yarden to enter and possess. "I call on heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have presented you with life and death, the blessing and the curse. Therefore, choose life, so that you will live, you and your descendants, loving Adonai your God, paying attention to what he says and clinging to him - for that is the purpose of your life! On this depends the length of time you will live in the land Adonai swore he would give to your ancestors Avraham, Yitz'chak and Ya`akov."
(Deu 30:15-20)
ON THIS ROSH HASHANA
L'Shana Tova
לשנה טובה
Rosh Hashana is the beginning of the Jewish civil, fiscal, and agricultural year. Our fathers view it as the crowning of King Messiah. Synagogue readings for this Levitical festival revolve around the stories of Abraham and Isaac, especially the 'Binding of Isaac' on the altar on the mountain. With the crowning of King Messiah, we also view Rosh Hashana as the onset of the Fall Festivals which also speaks of the final establishment of Messiah's Kingdom on earth.
ROSH HASHANA AND REPENTANCE
Yochanan the Immerser, Yeshua, the disciples of the Master and their disciples all preached the same Gospel: "Repent, for the kingdom is at hand." The idea was to clean our hearts, 'get our act together'; in view of the impending arrival of the Kingdom Of heaven on earth, let’s start leaning our inclination towards obedience to HaShem through living by His toratic instructions, and that, all in preparation for the Kingdom to come.
THE CIRCUMCISION OF THE HEART
In the previous parashas, Moshe sees Israel's punishment and exile because of its disobedience, but one cannot believe some parts of the prophecies and omit the others. If you believe in Israel's exile because of its disobedience, you must also believe in its return because of repentance, repentance brought by the circumcision of the heart.
Since its early beginning, for the most part Israel has been faithful in the practice of physical circumcision. In Deuteronomy 30, HaShem speaks of the circumcision of the heart, something that the prophets mentioned was lacking. In the world of the Bible, the heart doesn't represent the seat of the emotions, but rather the front lobe of the will. The term 'circumcise your heart ' (Deut 10:16; 30:6; Jer 4:4) means to yield ourselves to HaShem's leading, will, and way in our lives. It is the opposite of arrogance and stubbornness.
The circumcision of the heart is not an event that waits for the revelation of the Messiah as is often taught. Already in Deut 10:16, Moshe was encouraging the second generation of Israelites to "Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer stubborn.", and in Jeremiah 9:25-26 HaShem punishes Israel for its uncircumcised heart, which infers they were already supposed to display the life of a circumcised heart.
The circumcision of the flesh is actually an outward sign of the already accomplished circumcision of the heart. One doesn't go without the other. Of course, it is easy to make claims of integrity by virtue of an outward sign, but whereas one can boast of a flesh circumcision, his personal life will be an unfailing witness as to whether he can boast of a circumcised heart or not. It is always easier to demonstrate “religion” through outward elements such as eating kosher, wearing tsitsits, not working on Shabbat, but HaShem is the One who knows if our hearts are truly circumcised or not. We may be able to fool some of the people all the time, or all of the people some time, but never all of the people all the time. HaShem who created us makes sure of that!
Physical circumcision is done at eight days old. No-one asks for our permission when they do it. But the circumcision of the heart is a personal decision and commitment to HaShem, and the final redemption depends on it,
... But if their uncircumcised hearts will grow humble, and they are paid the punishment for their misdeeds; then I will remember my covenant with Ya`akov, also my covenant with Yitz'chak and my covenant with Avraham; and I will remember the land. (Lev 26:41-42)
Jeremiah speaks of Moshe's promise that HaShem will circumcise Israel's heart…
"For this is the covenant I will make with the house of Isra'el after those days," says Adonai: "I will put my Torah within them and write it on their hearts; I will be their God, and they will be my people.
(Jer 31:33)
Jeremiah deplored the people with circumcised flesh and uncircumcised hearts,
"The days are coming," says Adonai, "when I will punish all those who have been circumcised in their uncircumcision --(9:25) Egypt,
Y'hudah, Edom, the people of `Amon and Mo'av, and all those living in the desert who cut the edges [of their beard]: "For although all the Goyim are uncircumcised, all the house of Isra'el have uncircumcised hearts." (Jer 9:25-26)
GENTILES AND CIRCUMCISION
In the days of Paul, there were some non-Jewish proselytes who wanted to seal their adoption into the covenant of Israel through their own 'works'. They felt that they needed to go through all the rituals and demands, including circumcision, of the traditional Judaism of the day. Paul's contention was that all that was needed for adoption into Israel was the baptism of repentance in the immersion waters, and the spiritual covering of confession that Yeshua is the Messiah through whom they have access to HaShem. In his contention, Paul borrows from Moshe and Jeremiah's theme of the superior virtue of the circumcision of the heart vs the circumcision of the flesh,
For the real Jew is not merely Jewish outwardly: true circumcision is not only external and physical. On the contrary, the real Jew is one inwardly; and true circumcision is of the heart, spiritual not literal; so that his praise comes not from other people but from God. (Rom 2:28-29)
Whether Jew or grafted-in Gentile, Rosh Hashana is the time when we can imagine ourselves standing before HaShem and hear Him say to us,
"Look! I am presenting you today with, on the one hand, life and good; and on the other, death and evil - in that I am ordering you today to love Adonai your God, to follow his ways, and to obey his mitzvot, regulations and rulings ; for if you do, you will live and increase your numbers; and Adonai your God will bless you in the land you are entering in order to take possession of it. But if your heart turns away, if you refuse to listen, if you are drawn away to prostrate yourselves before other gods and serve them; I am announcing to you today that you will certainly perish; you will not live long in the land you are crossing the Yarden to enter and possess. "I call on heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have presented you with life and death, the blessing and the curse. Therefore, choose life, so that you will live, you and your descendants, loving Adonai your God, paying attention to what he says and clinging to him - for that is the purpose of your life! On this depends the length of time you will live in the land Adonai swore he would give to your ancestors Avraham, Yitz'chak and Ya`akov."
(Deu 30:15-20)
ON THIS ROSH HASHANA
- MAY WE YIELD TO HIM, TO HIS WILL, AND TO HIS TORAH.
- MAY WE ADOPT LIFESTYLES THAT REFLECTS THE TORAH AS TAUGHT BY OUR MASTER YESHUA.
- MAY WE LET HIM CIRCUMCISE OUR HEARTS.
- MAY WE CHOOSE LIFE!
L'Shana Tova
לשנה טובה
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