[First posted in 2012, at the beginning of this website. At the time, we had no original articles of our own and were scrambling for something to post, so we resorted to a lot of “Ask the Rabbi” fillers — this is one of them. Fast forward to 2019, we have come to understand TORAH from a fresh reader’s point of view, devoid of Christian/Jewish influence. But, it’s always good to look back to our ‘ignorant’ beginnings.—Admin1}.

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Ask the Rabbi

S6K: Why is Seth the one “in the likeness of Adam” instead of Adam’s firstborn, Cain?

Clarification: Rabbi Eliahu Levenson: Please give me the Verse you are looking at please.

S6K: Sorry, Rabbi, for not giving the exact verse about Seth.

Genesis 5 opens with the book of the generations of Adam.
In verse 1, it repeated that man was created in the likeness of G-d.
In verse 3, when Adam lived to be 130 years, it says he “fathered a son in his own likeness, after his image, and called his name Seth.”

If there were 2 previous sons born to Adam and Eve, Cain being the firstborn from the first parents should have been the son after Adam’s likeness and his image. But Scripture chooses to say it was Seth.

Why is this so? Some say that it is because it’s from Seth that humanity comes, but Scripture also gives a genealogy for Cain . . . so humanity comes from Cain as well. Unless the line being traced is to start over with Noah and his sons.

1. Answer: Eliahu Levenson/JewishAnswers.org]

[Wed, Jan 4th 2012 at 10:34 AM]

Shalom,

That is not necessarily a listing of firstborn sons.

It is a listing of the generational progression to Noah, and also a year count to the Flood.

Regards.

2. Answer: Rabbi M. Younger/Aish.com

Shalom –

Thank you for your question.

Rabbi S.R. Hirsch in his commentary to 5:3 points out that the phrase there, “in his form. like his image” is the opposite of 1:26. This possibly teaches us that Sheis was born in an inferior state but nonetheless endowed with the spiritual elements needed (i.e. free will) to fulfill Adam’s
task in the world.

Whereas, we may speculate, Cain had committed his sin and was no longer going to be in that chain of legacy to perform Adam’s original mission. Only the descendents through Sheis were to be the ones to carry on Adam’s mission….

Seforno notes on the words that Sheis was a greater tzaddik than his either of his older brothers (and hence the one to be Adam’s successor). The Ramban says that the phrase just teaches us his great degree of strength and beauty.

I hope that this has been a bit helpful.

With blessings from Jerusalem.

3. Answer: Rabbi Menachem Posner/Chabad.org

About Seth, there are a number of views regarding why the Torah specifically mentions that he was born in Adam’s image. The Targum writes that, as Abel did not survive, there was no point in recounting that he carried on the image of Adam, and Cain was indeed not in the image of Adam. Following this vein, Nachmanides points out that this verse comes almost immediately after we read that Adam was created in the image of G-d. As Seth was the one who became the ancestor of Noah and all subsequent people, telling us that he was in the image of Adam and Adam was in the image of G-d tells us that we too are in the image of G-d.

Please let me know if this helps.

Yours truly.

S6K Commentary:

Three different answers from three rabbis. Are we satisfied? Not quite. It appears that to rabbis, this is not an issue. It is to us who are familiar with Christian teaching on original sin being passed on from the first parents to everyone born thereafter.

To us, it is strange that scripture would make a specific remark about the ‘image’ of the fallen first father (Christianity calls him “Adam”) passing on NOT to his firstborn son Cain, nor to second-born Abel, but to Seth who is presumably third in line (though we’re not sure).

If there was indeed such an evil taintedness as “original sin” on all humanity after the first man and woman disobeyed and failed the test in Eden, then it makes sense that ‘Adam’s’ fallen image would have been inherited by Cain and Abel. Well, Cain did become a murderer of his brother; but Abel was described as anything but fallen or evil-inclined, in fact his offering was acceptable to the Creator.

If this is not an issue with the rabbis (Judaism does not believe in nor teach inherited ‘original sin’), it should be an issue with Christianity. And that is why we asked this question in the first place.

The rabbis teach that each person has an ‘evil inclination’ . . . only an inclination, get it? Not an evil nature, as in fallen, damned, unable to choose nor do any good. Everyone ever born on this earth is free to follow either his good inclination or his evil inclination. The evil inclination is there only because man is endowed with free will and freedom of choice. This requires that man has a minimum of two options: to do good, or not good. What does ‘good’ mean in scripture?

The Creator was pleased with His creation and declared it “good” and “very good” — meaning, everything created fulfills the purpose for which it was created. Everything, except the creature that was made in the Creator’s image who has the ability and capability to choose not to fulfill his/her purpose, and that is humanity.

For now, we will leave the discussion at that and pick up this topic in later articles. Please read this post for further clarification:

Revisited: The Tree of – ‘the Knowledge of’/’the Knowing of’ – Good and Evil

NSB@S6K

SINAI 6000, Leviticus/Waiqrah

How now do we observe “My” feasts?

October 1, 2019 s1n4i600o-adm1n-d3v Leave a Comment

Image from billyhollandministries.wordpress.com

[This was originally posted in 2013 and revisited during the autumn feasts commanded to Israel in Leviticus 23. In the first two years of our pilgrimage, we were not sure how non-Israelites or Gentiles like ourselves were to observe these divinely-commanded feasts. At that time, we decided to ‘play it safe’; in other words, ‘just do it!’ As we continued to study the Torah, and discussed where do we, Gentiles, fit into the plan of YHWH for all humanity, we started shifting into a different conclusion. This is one of the posts where we explain our position.

TRANSLATIONS: Unless otherwise stated, we are using [AST] or ArtScroll Tanach for the Hebrew Scriptures; and for Christian OT, the [ESV] English Standard Version.—Admin 1]

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The springboard for revisiting this topic is twofold:

It is timely, i.e. the ‘fall festivals’ of Leviticus 23 were scheduled during the shifting from the month of Elul to Tishrei, when three festivals are celebrated;

—starting with Yom Teruah (feast of trumpets) which is also Rosh Hashanah (new year),

—followed in 10 days by Yom Kippur (day of atonement),

—and in 5 days by Sukkot (feast of booths or tabernacles).

It is timely in terms of group retrospection:

—at about this time of the year,

—Sinai 6000 emerged informally as a core group of ‘Truth-seekers’

—who, two years ago, had dropped all previous religious affiliation

—to backtrack to the original pathway long trodden by Israel

—that led to the Sinai revelation.

Having riveted our focus on Sinai as the site and source of divine revelation, from the start we had chosen to call our Truth-quest a ‘pilgrimage’ of sorts, learning step by step how to react to that revelation we recognize and accept as YHWH’s gift to all humanity— the Torah,

—alternatively known to Jews in the Hebrew as Chumash,

—and to Christians in Greek as the Pentateuch.

Here’s a timely reminder from an article in aish.com, by Dovid Rosenfeld/Simchat Torah: Just You and Me:

“Every one of us has his personal story, how he came to be who he is today and what the Torah means to him. For the Torah is the possession of all of us. No one has the monopoly on God’s wisdom. It is wisdom we can all study and grow from – and recognize its personal message to us.”

Amen! Agree! “The Torah is the possession of all of us” —- the Israelite and non-Israelite, for the Jew and for the Gentile. We settled that issue from the start.

So what’s the problem?

Well, the continuing nagging question is this:

How does a non-Israelite,

a non-Jew,

a Gentile,

“react” to that revelation

in this day and age

and in the non-Torah cultures

where we belong?

From our experience— initially upon learning that Gentiles were among the Israelite population of the “mixed multitude” that left Egypt, we were elated upon learning that non-Israelites were represented at Sinai even if the covenant was specifically with Israel. So without thinking, we claimed not only our ‘place’ but our ‘obligation’ to observe Torah. Simple? Well, not quite, not so fast.

As any Gentile soon discovers upon embarking on a serious study of Torah, it is not as easy as reading ‘dos’ and ‘don’ts’, no questions asked, just obey.

Why not?

For one, the whole Torah is addressed, understandably, to guess who? Israel of course. So from the time Torah is given on Sinai, you feel like an outsider looking in. You could relate to “In the beginning” with Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Noah, Abraham, even Isaac and Jacob before he becomes Israel. (Jewish writers refer to them all as “Jews” but we don’t agree but that requires another article.)

For another, the context in which the instructions are given is specific:

—during their wilderness wanderings,

—with projections to the Israelites’ future

—when they enter and conquer the Land,

—and settle themselves there according to tribal assignments.

If there were references to gentiles, they were not at all complimentary,

—particularly when referring to the idolatrous nations

—who ignorantly worshipped the creation rather than the Creator

—and who were notorious for abominable practices

—that Israel was constantly warned against following.

The gentler references were towards—

—‘foreigners’ or ‘strangers’ in their midst

—who were to be treated kindly

—just like ‘widows’ and ‘orphans’ and the ‘poor’

—but were excluded from certain observances that were strictly for the ‘circumcised’.

As such, much of Torah leaves a gentile perplexed, so that the question we often ask:

“How does this apply to me in my context —

—today in my culture,

—my nationality,

—my personal identity?”

—or more specifically,

“How could I possibly apply what I read and learn in the context of

—the times I live in,

—the culture of these times,

—the world system that operates not only differently,

—but is not Torah-friendly”?

Jews who live the Torah way are ‘set apart’ from the larger community, not necessarily in terms of separating themselves physically, but in terms of showing a distinct cultural, if not, religious identity,

—from the food they eat,

—to the day they congregate,

—to the place identified specifically with them — the synagogue,

—to the symbols and trappings characteristically theirs or associated with them,

—as well as the festivals they celebrate, and much more.

The Gentile communities among whom Jews live are aware of them and their ‘distinctiveness’. In the Land where areas are under Israeli control, Jews are free to practice their religion, customs and traditions; the laws of the Land so to speak, are ‘Torah-friendly’.

But what about the Gentile who embraces the Torah and the God Who prescribed it as a way of life?

Where does a gentile go?
What does a gentile do?
Is the natural consequence isolation?
Separation from former religious affiliations which is what we do experience?
Or eventually join Judaism?

Could a Gentile live Torah without resorting to copying Jewish traditional ways? How much of Torah could and should a Gentile apply to his/her life?

Surely, there are many more questions that come up as one reads through the Chumash. But let’s keep it simple for now.

This much we have understood and decided upon as individuals as well as a small start-up community:

Of the 613 do’s and don’ts in the Torah, you will notice—

—some are specific to Israel,

—to Israel in the Land,

—to a specific tribe such as Levi,

—to women, or men,

—to masters or slaves, etc.

Understand the intention: to regulate Israel’s life while in the wilderness and eventually in the Land.

Therefore, which ones are applicable to us, gentiles living in this day and age? A few easy answers that universally apply:

Health laws such as Leviticus 11 – the diet prescribed for human consumption are relevant; unclean animals were created “good” and “very good” and still fulfill their scavenger assignment to clean up the earth, but don’t eat them if you want to remain healthy from birth to old age.
Sanitation laws: modern medicine caught up with Torah’s quarantine of infectious diseases; hygienic practices of burying human waste under the soil; drinking water from running water, etc.
Kind treatment of the underprivileged: widows, orphans, the poor, strangers and foreigners.
Laws generally adopted in democratic societies (individual freedom, rights and responsibilities; equal justice for all, and so on.)

There are many more, but we have to move on to the topic of this post.

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What about Leviticus 23, which YHWH calls “My” feasts? If it were “your” feasts, we could interpret them to mean they’re intended only for Israel.

[ESV] Leviticus 23:1-2

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, These are the appointed feasts of the Lord that you shall proclaim as holy convocations; they are my appointed feasts.”

[AST] Leviticus 23:1-2

HASHEM spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to the Children of Israel and say to them: HASHEM’s [YHWH] appointed festivals that you are to designate as holy convocations—-these are My appointed festivals.

If these feasts are the YHWH’s “appointed times” should not all humanity observe them? At first glance, it would appear so . . . but ponder this:

As former Christians/Messianics, some of us had not only celebrated Passover, Shavuot and Sukkot, but observed these festivals according to the Jewish tradition, following the Haggadah for Passover but incorporating Messianic theology which connects Jesus to all of them.

As Sinaites, we continued to celebrate these feasts with the Jews, dropping the superimposed Christian connection with Jesus and reverting to the Jewish traditional ways of celebrating them. Knowing no other way, we figured just obey until we know more, better safe in ignorance than sorry in violation.

Every year, we revisit the festivals and this year, we came to a different conclusion. We noticed that there were three agricultural festivals when Israelite men were required to be present at the temple in Jerusalem; these were:

Passover (Pesach, including Unleavened Bread and First Fruits), 3 in 1;
and Shavuot (Pentecost) for the spring festivals;
and Sukkot (Feast of Booths/ Tabernacles) in the fall festivals.

Wondering why only three and not all seven (not included is the weekly Sabbath and Yom Kippur or Day of Atonement), we figured that the three festivals look back to significant happenings in the national history of Israel:

Pesach/Unleavened Bread/First Fruits — exodus or liberation from bondage;
Shavuot — Covenant on Sinai, giving of the Torah;
Sukkot — lived in tents in the wilderness wanderings, as the God of Israel lived among them.

Through the celebration of these particular feasts, Israelites would remember their roots, their identity, how their God provided for them in the wilderness, their chosen-ness, and their commitment to obey their God and live His Torah. These festivals are specific to Israel’s national experience. They should celebrate these five festivals, as well as the other two listed in Leviticus 23: the weekly sabbath, and Yom Kippur, the day of atonement. All seven feasts apply to them.

What about us, gentiles? We propose that while it is educational and informative for us to celebrate the five festivals that are specific to Israel, we are not obligated to do so. They are not in our national experience, they are not in our history, whatever country or nationality we belong to. They are peculiarly and identifiably Israel’s.

However . . . the weekly Sabbath was instituted as a feast for all created humanity to remember Who is the Creator, as early as Bereshiyth/Genesis 2:1-3:

[AST] Thus the heaven and the earth were finished, and all their array. By the seventh day God completed His work that He had done, and He abstained on the seventh day from all His work that He had done. God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it because on it, He abstained from all His work that God created to make.

Before there was Israel, there was the Sabbath.

Before the giving of the Torah on Sinai, there was the Sabbath.

On the way to Sinai, Israel’s God trained the mixed multitude to observe the seventh day by teaching them to take two day’s portion of manna on the 6th day, so that they could rest on the 7th:

[AST] Exodus 16: 4-5 HASHEM [YHWH] said to Moses, “Behold!—I shall rain down for you food from heaven; let the people go out and pick each day’s portion on its day, so that I can test them, whether they will follow My teaching or not. And it shall be that on the sixth day when they prepare what they bring, it will be double what they pick everyday.

25-30 Moses said, “Eat it today, for today is a Sabbath for HASHEM [YHWH] ; today you shall not find it in the field. Six days shall you gather it, but the seventh day is a Sabbath, on it there will be none. It happened on the seventh day that some of the people went out to gather, and they did not find. HASHEM [YHWH] said to Moses, “How long will you refuse to observe My commandments and My teachings? See that HASHEM [YHWH] has given you the Sabbath; that is why He gives you on the sixth day a two-day portion of bread. Let every man remain in his place; let no man leave his place on the seventh day.” The people rested on the seventh day.

The Sabbath is experientially taught to the mixed multitude; they did not have to “leave” their place on the seventh day, only because they were supposed to have already gathered their double portion of manna the day before. Some observant Jews (because they ARE of Israel) take this to mean they do not leave their homes on the Sabbath; well, this is in their national experience and they are probably playing safe by applying it to themselves even today.

Finally on Sinai, the 10 “Words” were inscribed on tablets of stone and the 4th was the Sabbath . . . it officially became Law:

[AST] Shemoth/Exodus 20:8-11

Remember the Sabbath day to sanctify it. Six days shall you work and accomplish all your work; but the seventh day is Sabbath to HASHEM [YHWH], your God; you shall not do any work—you, your son, your daughter, your slave, your maidservant your animal, and your convert within your gates—-for in six days HASHEM [YHWH] made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and He rested on the seventh day. Therefore, HASHEM [YHWH] blessed the Sabbath day and sanctified it.

Later as Israel fails to live up to the Torah and is warned by prophet after prophet to mend its ways and return to YHWH, Isaiah adds this:

[58:13-14]

If you restrain your foot because it is the Sabbath; refrain from accomplishing your own needs on My holy day; if you proclaim the Sabbath a delight, and the holy [day] of HASHEM [YHWH] ‘honored,’ and you honor it by not engaging in your own affairs, from seeking your own needs or discussing the forbidden—then you will delight in HASHEM [YHWH], and I will mount you astride the heights of the world; I will provide you the heritage of your forefather Jacob, for the mouth of HASHEM [YHWH] has spoken.

And still speaking to Israel, the universal scope of Sabbath observance is emphasized:

[56:1-8]

Thus said HASHEM [YHWH]: Observe justice and perform righteousness, for My salvation is soon to come and My righteousness to be revealed. Praiseworthy is the man who does this and the person who grasps it tightly: who guards the Sabbath against desecrating it and guards his hand against doing any evil.

Note vs. 3:

Let not the foreigner, who has joined himself to HASHEM [YHWH], speak, saying, ‘HASHEM [YHWH] will utterly separate me from His people’; and let not the barren one say, ‘Behold I am a shriveled tree.’ For thus said HASHEM [YHWH] to the barren ones who observe My Sabbaths and choose what I desire, and grasp My covenant tightly: In My house and within My walls I will give them a place of honor and renown, which is better than sons and daughters; eternal renown will I give them, which will never be terminated.

And vs.6:

And the foreigners who join themselves to HASHEM [YHWH] to serve Him and to love the Name of HASHEM [YHWH] to become servants unto Him, all who guard the Sabbath against desecration, and grasp My covenant tightly—I will bring them to My holy mountain, and I will gladden them in My house of prayer; their elevation-offerings and their feast-offerings will find favor on My Altar, for My house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples.

That clear, how now does a gentile observe the Sabbath?

If you check out the Jewish observance, they have their traditional ways— from the welcoming of the “queen of days” on “erev shabbat” or Friday sundown, to saying goodbye at “havdalah” or Saturday sundown. Some go to extremes, observant Jews are meticulous as they feel they should be. The Jewish websites on our link are full of instructions but remember, Jews write for Jews, not for gentiles.

What about us . . . non-Jews?

For now, our Sinaite core group have decided on the following:

The essence of the Sabbath is to spend the day fully concentrating on YHWH and His Torah.
We obey the command to “cease” from doing what we normally do six days a week,
- that is, as much as it is possible for us to do so in a Sunday-world-system when some of us have jobs that require us to work on the Sabbath.
We welcome the sabbath on ‘erev’ like the Jews do, either individually, with family, or with community.
We take our 6-8 hours sleep the rest of that evening.
Those of us who don’t work spend Saturday AM hours in study, prayer, devotional time.
Those of us who work take our noon lunch-hour off to worship together and read Torah; we figure we’ve already observed 16 hours of the Sabbath as best as we could within the Sunday system we are caught in; we dedicate our work-hours ever-conscious of our Creator God and grateful for all He has done for us the past week, if not for all of our lifetime.
Those of us who are free all day come together (Saturday PM hours) to a fellowship meal and study Torah together; regarding this —- we’ve been made conscious by a Jewish friend that all we’ve done is move our Sunday activities to Saturday, but we find nothing wrong with coming together because our God is the God of the Sabbath, and because we do not see each other all week so what better day to enjoy one another than His appointed day?
When we break up at ‘havdalah’ like the Jews, we say goodbye to the Sabbath and look forward to the next.

We ‘delight’ in the Sabbath because He declares it as an “appointment” with Him. So instead of finding it as a restrictive day where we can’t do anything “as usual”, it is a day to enjoy the blessings of a ‘date’ with YHWH, and do whatever we can to honor Him and HIs day. It is “My” appointed time when He commits Himself to meeting with Sabbath-keepers . . . and so we meet with Him individually, with family, with community.

That settles the Sabbath.

What about the other “My” feast that all people — Jew and Gentile are obligated to observe?

Does everybody sin? Yes. . .

Does everybody need to observe the Day of Atonement? Yes!

So what about Yom Kippur? Please read the sequel to be written later.

On behalf of Sinai 6000 Core Community,

NSB@S6K

A Sinaite's Sabbath Liturgy

A Sinaite’s Liturgy – 1st Sabbath in October

October 1, 2019 s1n4i600o-adm1n-d3v Leave a Comment

Image from storehouse.sonsofzadok.com

“Blessed is the Eternal Power

Who inspires our people to kindle the lights of Shabbat.

Blessed is the Source of Life and Light.”

Lord YHWH,

we join observant Israel

in welcoming Your Queen of Days

with the traditional kindling of the Sabbath lights

which begins the celebration of Your weekly Sabbath,

truly a memorial to You as Creator.

We honor You, Lord YHWH,

as the Source of all Existence,

Whose omnipresence inhabits sacred places,

‘sanctuaries’ set apart for the worship of You,

Who ordained a ‘sanctuary in time’

such as the Sabbath which You Yourself observed

on day seven of week one of earth-time.

Before there was Israel,

before nations were formed,

before the Revelation on Sinai,

before Commandment IV of the decalogue,

there was the Sabbath instituted by You,

to stress its universality,

that it is for all humanity to remember to honor You,

As the One who has no beginning and no end,

Who spoke “let there be” and it was so,

As Creator of all that exist, visible and invisible.

How could we fail to celebrate

this weekly appointed time

with our God and King,

when You have commanded Your people

to remember the ‘first’ in your Creation

that we should set apart,

that ‘first’ you blessed, sanctified and designated

for the most precious gift of rest,

for the benefit of humankind and beasts of burden,

for all who toil non-stop to take a refreshing break

from six days of striving and labor and routine,

Thank You, O Lord of the Sabbath,

for Your holy Sabbath.

Image from michellederusha.com

You have likewise blessed all Sabbath-keepers

by simply granting us not only with a day of rest

but also by adding blessings of joy in heart and peace of mind, with insight, increased understanding

and divine wisdom derived from our Sabbath study

and discussion of Your instructions for living,

Your Torah.

Truly, how blessed are those who follow Your lead

in celebrating this holiest of days!

SCRIPTURE READING on the SABBATH:

[JPS — we have substituted the Tetragrammaton Name YHWH for “the LORD”.]

Isaiah 56

1 Thus saith YHWH:

Keep ye justice, and do righteousness;

For My salvation is near to come,

And My favour to be revealed.

2 Happy is the man that doeth this,

And the son of man that holdeth fast by it:

That keepeth the sabbath from profaning it,

And keepeth his hand from doing any evil.

3 Neither let the alien,

That hath joined himself to YHWH, speak, saying:

‘YHWH will surely separate me from His people’;

Neither let the eunuch say:

‘Behold, I am a dry tree.’

4 For thus saith YHWH

Concerning the eunuchs that keep My sabbaths,

And choose the things that please Me,

And hold fast by My covenant:

5 Even unto them will I give in My house

And within My walls a monument and a memorial

Better than sons and daughters;

I will give them an everlasting memorial,

That shall not be cut off.

6 Also the aliens, that join themselves to YHWH, to minister unto Him,

And to love the name of YHWH,

To be His servants,

Every one that keepeth the sabbath from profaning it,

And holdeth fast by My covenant:

7 Even them will I bring to My holy mountain, And make them joyful in My house of prayer;

Their burnt-offerings and their sacrifices

Shall be acceptable upon Mine altar;

For My house shall be called

A house of prayer for all peoples.

8 Saith the Lord GOD who gathereth the dispersed of Israel:

Yet I will gather others to him, beside those of him that are gathered.

Isaiah 58

13 If thou turn away thy foot because of the sabbath,

From pursuing thy business on My holy day;

And call the sabbath a delight,

And the holy of YHWH honourable;

And shalt honour it, not doing thy wonted ways,

Nor pursuing thy business, nor speaking thereof;

14 Then shalt thou delight thyself in YHWH,

And I will make thee to ride upon the high places of the earth,

And I will feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father;

For the mouth of YHWH hath spoken it.

Isaiah 59

21 And as for Me, this is My covenant with them, saith YHWH;

My spirit that is upon thee,

and My words which I have put in thy mouth,

shall not depart out of thy mouth,

nor out of the mouth of thy seed,

nor out of the mouth of thy seed’s seed,

saith YHWH, from henceforth and for ever.

Image from ourdailyblessinglife-amyb.blogspot.com

In the course of our daily living, may we never miss seeing Your Hand in our lives and those of our loved ones:

homes that shelter us;
provisions for each day;
nourishment for our body;
opportunities where we are able to use our gifts and talents;
learned and natural skills that enable us to earn a living and to sustain our lifestyle;
special privileges we enjoy that have not been accessible to others;
health which is true wealth;
loving relationships that are blessings and even those that are placed before us as a test of our character;
extended existence on earth with quality of life;
living in a country that enables us to to enjoy freedom and rights and privileges;
and many more . . .

Image from www.mysarshalom.com

Finally, we thank You for daily provisions for each one of us,

symbolized by the bread we share together;

We thank You for the joy we derive from people in our lives—family and friends, neighbors and co-workers, those in our faith community.

As we raise this glass of wine which symbolizes our joy,

we celebrate Your Life in us, to Life, L’chaim, Mabuhay!

Image from www.torahstudies.com

HAVDALAH

Blessed are You, YHWH, our God and our King,

for the joy in every Sabbath celebration,

for the fellowship of like-minded believers,

for the knowledge You have made known to us through Your Torah,

and for the time we have left before next sundown

to rest in the peace that You grant us

on this blessed and holy seventh day.

Image from elohists.blogspot.com

Shabbat shalom!

On behalf of Sinai 6000 Core Community,

NSB@S6K

Genesis/Bereshith

Journey of Faith – Abraham’s déjà vu

October 1, 2019 s1n4i600o-adm1n-d3v Leave a Comment

[First posted August 6, 2012, has it been that long? So here’s a revisit; thanks to the webvisitor who clicked it and brought it back to our attention.

Readers must be wondering why we have a running series under the title “Journey of Faith.” We separate Sinai commentary from the three commentaries we feature here so, rule of thumb — whenever you see “Journey of Faith” expect our two-cents-worth insights. Then, go ahead and check out what all other commentaries have to say in the regular chapter-by-chapter posts.

Image from georgesjournal.net

One of the helpful clues to reading the TORAH is this: The Torah isn’t a history book.

“A fundamental principle regarding the Five Books of Moses is expressed in this well-known saying among Torah scholars. ‘There is no earlier or later in the Torah.’ It means that the Torah isn’t a historical narration and isn’t in chronological order. This expression doesn’t mean, of course, that it’s impossible to find facts of history within the Torah. After all, the story of the exodus of the Children of Israel, for example, is a major part of the Torah and is basically the history of the birth of the Jewish people as a growing family. The Torah contains the earliest recorded history of the family history of the Jews. But the Torah is not primarily a source for history; rather, it’s a spiritual document with the purpose of communicating divine eternal wisdom.” — Arthur Kurzweil in TORAH for DUMMIES; see Sinaite’s Notes – What the Torah is NOT – 7.

Our translation of choice in this website is Everett Fox’s The Five Books of Moses, free download courtesy of publisher Schocken Bible, just google “Shocken Bible” and you’ll get there in a click!–Admin1.]

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It helps to remember this when there are seeming repetitions in biblical narratives which give skeptics the occasion to cast suspicion on the divine source of the Hebrew Scriptures.

Sample two similar episodes in Abraham’s travels that makes the 2nd appear like déjà vu.

Earlier in Genesis/Bereshith 12:10-26:

10 Now there was a famine in the land,

and Avram went down to Egypt, to sojourn there,

for the famine was heavy in the land.

11 It was then he came near to Egypt that he said to Sarai his wife:

Now here, I know well that you are a woman fair to look at.

12 It will be, when the Egyptians see you and say: She is his wife,

that they will kill me, abut you they will allow to live.

13 Pray say taht you are my sister

so that it may go well with me on your account that I myself may live thanks to you.

14 It was when Avram came to Egypt, that the Egyptians saw how exceedingly fair the woman was;

15 when Pharaoh’s courtiers saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh,

and the woman was taken away into Pharaoh’s house.

16 It went well with Avram on her account,

sheep and oxen, donkeys, servants and maids, she-asses and camels, became his.

17 But YHWH plagued Pharaoh with great plagues, and also his household, because of Sarai, Avram’s wife.

18 Pharaoh had Avram called, and said:

What is this that you have done to me!

Why did you not tell me that she is your wife?

19 Why did you say: She is my sister?

—So I took her for myself as a wife.

but now, here is your wife, take her and go!

20 So Pharaoh put men in charge of him, who escorted him and his wife and all that was his.

Later in 20:1-18:

1 Avraham traveled from there to the Negev, and settled between Kadesh and Shur, sojourning
in Gerar.
2 Avraham said of Sara his wife: She is my sister.

So Avimelekh king of Gerar sent and had Sara taken.

3 But God came to Avimelekh in a dream of the night and said to him:

Here, you must die
because of the woman whom you have taken,

for she is a wedded wife!
4 Avimelekh had not come near her. He said:

My Lord,

Would you kill a nation, though it be
innocent?
5 Did he not say to me: She is my sister,

and also she, she said: He is my brother!

With a whole
heart and with clean hands have I done this.
6 God said to him in the dream:

I also know that it was with a whole heart that you did this,

and so I also held you back from being at fault against me,

therefore I did not let you touch her.
7 But now, return the man’s wife—

indeed, he is a prophet, he can intercede for you—

and live!

But if you do not return her:

know that you must die, yes, die, you and all that is yours!
8 Early in the morning Avimelekh called all his servants,

he spoke all these words in their ears,
and the men became exceedingly afraid.
9 Then Avimelekh had Avraham called and said to him:

What have you done to us?

In what did I fail you,

that you have brought me and my kingdom into such great fault?

Deeds which are not to be done, you have done to me!
10 And Avimelekh said to Avraham:

What did you foresee, that you did this thing?
11 Avraham said:

Indeed, I said to myself:

Surely there is no awe of God in this place,

they will kill me on account of my wife!
2 Then, too, she is truly my sister, my father’s daughter,

however not my mother’s daughter-so
she became my wife.
13 Now it was, when the Power-of-god caused me to roam from my father’s house,

that I said to her:

Let this be the faithfulness that you do me:

in every place that we come, say of me: He is my
brother.
14 Avimelekh took sheep and oxen, servants and maids, and gave them to Avraham,

and returned Sara his wife to him.
15 Avimelekh said:

Here, my land is before you,

settle wherever seems good in your eyes.
16 And to Sara he said:

Here, I have given a thousand pieces of silver to your brother,

here, it shall serve you as a covering for the eyes for all who are with you

and with everyone, that you have
been decided for.
17 Avraham interceded with God

and God healed Avimelekh: his wife and his slave-women, so that they gave birth.
18 For YHVH had obstructed, obstructed every womb in Avimelekh’s household

on account of
Sara, the wife of Avraham

Clearly, while Abraham repeats an earlier trick that worked for his self-preservation, these two occasions are different: the first occurs in Egypt, with Pharaoh; the second with the king of Gerar, Abimelech.

Image from divineseasons.blogspot.com

Insights we gain from these two similar episodes in Abraham’s journey of faith:

First, Abram/Abraham:

He is aware that the beauty of Saray/Sarah could cause him problems, early on according to vs. 20:13, he already prompts Saray what to say, out of “kindness” to him.
Self-preservation at the expense of wife Saray/Sarah is the rule of thumb in their relationship.
Pretense in the cause of self-preservation appears to be tolerated by YHWH, at least in these 2 contexts; this patriarch has yet to learn to trust Him.
Presumption on Abraham’s part that Pharaoh and Abimelech were not God-fearing rulers.
As many commentators have pointed out, he has told only a half-lie, for Saray/Sarah is truly his half sister;
Had Abraham chosen the “I cannot tell a lie” route, it would be interesting to know if it would have had the same ending, since YHWH had promised him unconditional blessings;
- in the sin category of Catholics, a “venial” sin, not as serious as mortal sin;
- in secular language, a little “white” lie, permissible so as not to hurt another, or for self-serving purposes.
So Abram/Abraham should have known better both times, trust YHWH to do His part, just do what is right under any circumstance.
It should have been easy for Abram/Abraham to have thought that way since he was given a glimpse into his future as well as those of his decendants;
We are not entitled to the same specific promises to Abraham, but we know the same God of Abraham Whose faithfulness is recorded throughout the Hebrew Scriptures.

Second,Saray/Sarah:

Her beauty must truly have been irresistible (even in her senior years) for these two rulers to invite her to be part of their court.
She accedes to her husband’s request on both occasions; if it worked the first time, why not the second.
But how does she really feel in Pharaoh’s presence and Abimelech’s, is not noted.
Wives, women in those days readily accepted their status without much complaint, credit must be due them in a patriarchal culture where their role is barely mentioned.
Image from chestofbooks.com
We also never know how Mrs. Pharaoh and Mrs. Abimelech must have felt, but watching on current TV programs some specials featuring polygamous families, wife number 2-3-4 are all smiles as they share what a relief it is for them to take on common husband on schedule. It’s all a matter of attitude and let’s not forget, religious or cultural brainwashing.

Third, Pharaoh and Abimelech:

Surprise, surprise, they do have fear of God, but which god?
They do act honorably toward Saray/Sarah.
They learn fast, have wisdom enough to connect judgment on their household with taking on another man’s wife, although it helped that YHWH Himself personally dealt with each.
They end up rewarding Abraham with more wealth despite his tricking them.
They recognize the God of Abraham is to be obeyed; both occasions should have given these 2 rulers the realization that they met the TRUE GOD and possibly worshipped Him from then on, but that’s speculation.

Finally and most importantly, YHWH:

Sometimes He allows His chosen to make their own mistakes from their own free will, particularly at the beginning of their getting-to-know-Him stage;
Other times He steps in and interferes;
He does communicate with all people, gentile rulers, gentile prophets, not just with Abraham and his descendants but then everyone was gentile at this point. Read the six last words again!
In Pharaoh’s case, he was quick enough to make the connection between the plague upon his household with his taking on another man’s wife, so YHWH’s dealing with him was indirect;
In Abimelech’s case, Elohim spoke to him in a dream, in fact they converse, he defends himself, and he does emerge from this experience with reverence and awe of Abraham’s God.
In YHWH’s wisdom and gracious dealing with mankind, Abraham’s trickery leads to knowledge of his God by the 2 gentile rulers so now we know that God can turn around even our bad choices into good results if it leads to knowledge of Him.

Praise be the God of Abraham, His Name is YHWH.

logo art by BBB@S6K

NSB@S6K

for Sinai 6000

Core Community

SINAI 6000, Leviticus/Waiqrah

“And He Called” . . . And We Heard!

September 30, 2019 s1n4i600o-adm1n-d3v Leave a Comment

[First posted in 2012; a recollection of the beginnings of Sinai 6000 at about this time of the year; we recall it as the season of our final awakening to the One True God. “Final” because we feel we have arrived after a lifetime journey of seeking Him through world religions, only to find Him in His Original Revelation –the TORAH. It’s not about “religion”, it’s all about REVELATION!–Admin1]

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Christians are familiar with the Latin title “Leviticus” applied to the 3rd of Moses’ five books called the PENTATEUCH (ecclesiastical Latin/Greek). In the original Hebrew Scriptures the TNK, Leviticus is called by its Hebrew title: Wa’iyqrah/Vayiqra (meaning, “And He called…”).

“And He called…” and He called . . . and He called . . . we don’t know how many more times in our lifetime when He called but finally, we heard . . . and responded with a drastic turnabout in our faith direction.

As we had written at the beginning of Sinai6000, year 2012 in the Gregorian calendar:

At about this time last year 5772, individuals who felt “called” out of Christ-centered religion banded together to discuss “what now, where to.” It led us to retrace the journey of the Patriarchs who were called to place their faith in the God who spoke to each of them and who revealed His Name on Sinai, along with a whole revelation called TORAH.

It had taken us a year to research on and review the foundations of our Christian faith before we each reached individual decisions. We understood that alone we would most likely get nowhere because for each of us, there was no turning back and we could each wallow in isolation, for who is going to listen to us?

And so because “He called” us individually, but we knew each other and started sharing our common grounds, we responded together with Sinai 6000.

The name SINAI 6000 immediately defines our direction as well as our time frame. We laid out a pathway for us and for others to tread: a step by step journey leading toward the Creator, whose Name He revealed to Moses on Sinai as YHWH.

We discussed the details of our belief, came to an agreement and wrote down our self-declaration in the form of a Creed (Home Page: Statement of Faith).

At that time, this website was not even on our horizon; this was conceived, then instituted in February 2012 when we realized we would never convince anyone else in our spheres of influence, but—

that it is possible there are seekers all over the world just like ourselves,
who are moving toward the same direction,
and are similarly isolated,
and are needing a connection.

We conceived ourselves as ‘resource persons’ and this website as a ‘resource center’. But we were also wanting more . . . to become a community of like-minded believers in YHWH.

The timing was perfect. The fall festivals were upon us —

ushered in by Rosh Hashanah (The Feast of Trumpets)
followed by Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement)
culminating in Sukkot (the Feast of Tabernacles).

Former Messianics among us had been exposed to and were already familiar with– and in fact–celebrating these festivals though still with Jesus infused all over them; that was the justification given by Messianics to observe ‘OT” or “Jewish” festivals.

But, we debated:

we are Gentiles,
why are we celebrating “Jewish” festivals?
Did Judaism invent these,
or did YHWH, our rediscovered LORD, ordain them?

The feasts are Biblical first, and Jewish too, since Torah-observant Jews are the only people observing them.

YHWH calls them “MY” feasts, not “your” feasts to the newly born nation on Sinai.

They are in the Written Torah and of course, explained in minutiae in the Oral Torah and Rabbinical commentaries.

We figured if these are YHWH’s feasts, whether Israelite or Gentile, we obey! Our only problem was we didn’t know how, but it was a start.

Leviticus 23 is a significant chapter where the Feasts of YHWH are commanded; there are seven of them, but for now, we will focus only on the fall festivals because this year marks our first anniversary as a community which consciously and seriously took these commandments to heart, in spirit, and for life application.

Leviticus/Vayikra 23:1- 4 [Translations: EF/Everett Fox, The Five Books of Moses; AST/ArtScroll.]

EF: 1 YHVH spoke to Moshe, saying:
2 Speak to the Children of Israel and say to them:

The appointed-times of YHVH, which you
are to proclaim to them (as) proclamations of holiness—

these are they, my appointed-times:
3 For six days may work be done,

but on the seventh day (is) Sabbath, Sabbath-ceasing, a proclamation of holiness,

any-kind of work you are not to do.

It is Sabbath to YHVH, throughout all your settlements.
4 These are the appointed-times of YHVH, proclamations of holiness, which you are to
proclaim at their appointed-times:

AST: HaShem spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to the children of Israel and say to them: HaShem’s appointed festivals that you are to designate as holy convocations—these are My appointed festivals. . . . These are the appointed festivals of HaShem, the holy convocations, which you shall designate in their appointed time.

(Please read the whole chapter and other relevant scripture elaborating on these fall feasts; all the Jewish websites on our LINK explain them at length.)

On the Feast of Trumpets, we prepared for the Day of Atonement. We had to get right with the True God. Not that there are big sins and small sins, but we felt that our greatest sin against YHWH was IDOLATRY!

Individually and as a community, we repented —

of our ignorance of Him,
of our worship of the Christian Trinitarian Godhead,
of our recognition of Jesus as the God of the Old Testament, and
of neglecting the study of TORAH as YHWH’s revelation . . . among others.

Then, feeling liberated from bondage to the “Egypt” (modern religions ) of our days, we felt part of the “ingathering” or the “harvest” among people devoted to YHWH. We had already separated from all previous religious ties but we had not expected it would affect our personal ties with Christian/Messianic friends. Our celebration continued to the Feast of Tabernacles, the festival of booths, Sukkot.

It was on the last day of Sukkot that the oldest among us, the most wonderful, most generous, most kind, most visually expressive of his worship of YHWH, danced all night, straight into the arms of the God he had loved all his life but had not known as fully as he did in his last days. His name is Ciso. His story is posted on the anniversary of his life in YHWH:

Revisit: “And He Called” 2 – Ciso’s Season of Joy

In behalf of Sinai 6000 Core Community,

NSB@S6K

ISRAEL, TORAH STUDY

The Names of God – A Jewish Perspective

September 30, 2019 s1n4i600o-adm1n-d3v Leave a Comment

https://www.pinterest.ph/pin/149533650103827895/?nic=1

[First posted in 2012, here’s the original Introduction:

This article was sent in by VAN@S6K; source: mordochai.tripod.com/biblical. It presents a different view from what we have so far understood about saying and writing the Tetragrammaton; our stand has been — how can God’s Name ever be known if people don’t ever hear it or ever see it on print. Some among us have reservations about this S6K stand; nevertheless, we feel strongly that the TRUE NAME must be declared so people can distinguish the God of Israel from the God they know and worship. Name is identity and character and attributes—it distinguishes one from all others. The terms “god” and “Lord” are generic titles, applicable to all other gods such as Ba’al, Molech, Ishtar, Vishnu, etc. We are posting this Jewish perspective in the interest of balance because we believe in presenting all sides of any issue, even if it counters our own.

Our position is similar to that by a “Hebrew” website; please check out:

http://hearoyisrael.net/hisname/hidden-name.htm.

Image on the left is from: https://www.pinterest.ph/pin/149533650103827895/?nic=1 —-Admin1]

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THE NAMES OF GOD

by Prof. Mordochai ben-Tziyyon,

Universitah Ha’ivrit, Y’rushalayim

The two principal “Names”:

Elohim
and Adonai

God is called by many “names” in the Scriptures. For example, throughout the “Creation” chapter of B’réshit, the Creator is called Elohim, usually translated as simply “God”.

Elohim is by far the most common “Name” used for God in the twenty-four Books of the Scriptures

and occurs more than four times as frequently as the Four-Lettered “Name”,
often prefixed by the definite article: ha‘elohim (“the God”).

The word elohim is grammatically the plural form of elo’ah, a “god”.

It is also used in the sense of “gods”,
frequently with the adjective ahérim (“other”), i.e.elohim ahérim, “other gods”—that is to say, other false gods, or idols (and note that an “idol” does not have to be a sculpture or a statue—the English word idol is derived from the Latin idolum, itself borrowed from the Greek eidolon, a “phantom”).
It is almost always immediately obvious from the context whether a specific instance of the word elohim is being used as a “Name” for God (treated grammatically as a singular “proper noun”), or as denoting “idols” (an ordinary plural “common noun”).

The word elohim is also used in the Scriptures in a third sense: there are many examples of this, but I shall present just one here.

Sh’mot 22:6-7 deals with the situation that arises if “A” gives money, or goods, to “B” for safe-keeping, and they are stolen while still in B’s possession. The Torah prescribes that, if the thief is not caught, B must appear before the judges in a Court of Law, and must swear on oath that he has not misappropriated B’s money or goods, as the case may be—
- כִּי יִתֵּן אִישׁ אֶל רֵעֵהוּ כֶּסֶף אוֹ כֵלִים לִשְׁמֹר, וְגֻנַּב מִבֵּית הָאִישׁ… אִם לֹא יִמָּצֵא הַגַּנָּב, וְנִקְרַב בַּעַל הַבַּיִת אֶל הָאֱלֹהִים אִם לֹא שָׁלַח יָדוֹ בִּמְלֶאכֶת רֵעֵהוּ.
- ki yittén ish el ré’éhu kesef o kélim lish’mor, v’gunnav mibeit ha’ish… im lo yimmatzé haganav, v’nikrav ba’al habayit el ha’elohim, im lo shalah yado bim’le’chet ré’éhu..
- “If A gives money or goods to B for safe-keeping, and they are stolen from B’s house… if the thief is not caught, then B shall appear before the judges [and swear an oath] that he has not laid his hand on A’s property…”
- In this connection, it is appropriate to mention one particular passage in B’réshit that has probably given rise to more misunderstandings than any other passage in that entire book, namely verses 1-4 of chapter 6—
  - וַיְהִי כִּי הֵחֵל הָאָדָם לָרֹב עַל פְּנֵי הָאֲדָמָה וּבָנוֹת יֻלְּדוּ לָהֶם, וַיִּרְאוּ בְנֵי הָאֱלֹהִים אֶת בְּנוֹת הָאָדָם כִּי טֹבֹת הֵנָּה, וַיִּקְחוּ לָהֶם נָשִׁים מִכֹּל אֲשֶׁר בָּחָרוּ. וַיֹּאמֶר ה’, “לֹא יָדוֹן רוּחִי בָאָדָם לְעֹלָם, בְּשַׁגַּם הוּא בָשָׂר; וְהָיוּ יָמָיו מֵאָה וְעֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה”… (הַנְּפִלִים הָיוּ בָאָרֶץ בַּיָּמִים הָהֵם, וְגַם אַחֲרֵי כֵן)… אֲשֶׁר יָבֹאוּ בְּנֵי הָאֱלֹהִים אֶל בְּנוֹת הָאָדָם וְיָלְדוּ לָהֶם: הֵמָּה הַגִּבֹּרִים אֲשֶׁר מֵעוֹלָם, אַנְשֵׁי הַשֵּׁם.
  - vay’hi ki héhél ha’adam larov al p’nei ha’adamah uvanot yull’du lahem, vayir’u b’nei ha’elohim et b’not ha’adam ki tovot hénah, vayik’hu lahem nashim mikol asher baharu. vayo’mer adonai, “lo yadon ruhi ba’adam l’olam, b’shaggam hu basar—v’hayu yamav mé’ah v’esrim shanah”. (han’filim hayu ba’aretz bayamim hahém, v’gam aharei-chen)… asher yavo’u b’nei ha’elohim el b’not ha’adam v’yal’du lahem, hémah hagiborim asher hayu mé’olam, anshei hashém.
  - The word elohim is being used here in a very similar way to the way it was used in the passage I mentioned previously, although here the intended meaning is probably somewhat wider, i.e. “princes” or “rulers” rather than merely “judges”. But in any event the general sense is connected with rulership, authority and justice. The Divine “Name” Elohim also has the same connotation, because it is only used in contexts where God is exercising His “Attribute” of strict Justice.

When Mankind began to increase in numbers and spread throughout the World, daughters were born to them; and when the sons of the “elohim” saw that the daughters of the common people were real cute, they took [by force] whichever of them they wanted as their wives.

So Adonai said “I will not allow My Nature to struggle within Me indefinitely because of Mankind—after all, he is mortal—I will allow him another 120 years”.
(There were n’filim in the world at that time, and also afterwards.)
So the sons of the “elohim” slept with with the daughters of the common people and they gave birth to their children—these were the famous mighty men of old.
It is worthy of note that in verse 3 of this passage, where God speaks, He is called by the Four-Lettered “Name” (usually read aloud as Adonai, or “my LORD”—see below for the question of whether it is permitted to actually use this “Name”), which is associated with God’s Quality of “Attribute”—and in that verse, He decrees that Mankind is to be allowed a period of 120 years to renounce their wickedness and mend their ways. Similar usages of the two principal “Names” are found in the opening chapters of B’réshit, where it will be seen that the whole of Creation was performed by Elohim (strict Justice), whereas in chapter 2, where the Creator begins His dealings with human beings, He starts to be called by the Four-Lettered “Name” (Adonai) because His “Attribute” of Mercy now has to come into play (since Man, being by his nature imperfect, cannot exist under strict Justice alone)

Does God actually have a “Name”?

The answer to this question may surprise you—No, He doesn’t!

Think about it: we human beings need names to distinguish us from each other: a mother with several children needs to have a different name for each of them so if she calls one, the one being called knows he/she is wanted.

But God is unique, the Only One of His “Kind”, so He does not need a “Name” to distinguish Him from any “other”—there simply aren’t any others.

Many christians will point to the conversation God had with Mosheh at the “Burning Bush”, claiming that He stated His “Name” was “I AM”—and some even refer to Him as “THE I AM”. This is totally absurd and shows a complete ignorance of Hebrew language and grammar, because Hebrew does not even have a word for “am”.

The passage (Sh’mot 3:13-14) reads as follows—

וַיֹּאמֶר מֹשֶׁה אֶל הָאֱלֹהִים, “הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי בָא אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְאָמַרְתִּי לָהֶם אֱלֹהֵי אֲבוֹתֵיכֶם שְׁלָחַנִי אֲלֵיכֶם, וְאָמְרוּ לִי מַה שְּׁמוֹ–מָה אֹמַר אֲלֵהֶם?” וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים אֶל מֹשֶׁה, “אֶהְיֶה אֲשֶׁר אֶהְיֶה”… וַיֹּאמֶר: “כֹּה תֹאמַר לִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, אֶהְיֶה שְׁלָחַנִי אֲלֵיכֶם”.
ayo’mer mosheh el ha’elohim: “hinneh anochi ba el b’nei yisra’el v’amarti lahem elohei avoteichem sh’lahani aleichem v’am’ru li mah sh’mo—mah omar aléhem?” vayo’mer elohim el mosheh: “eh’yeh asher eh’yeh”… vayo’mer: “koh to’mar el b’nei yisra’el, eh’yeh sh’lahani aleichem”.
…then Mosheh said to the Elohim, “When I come to the Yisraelites and I tell them ‘Your ancestors’ Elohim has sent me to you’—what should I tell them if they ask me ‘What is His Name’?”
Elohim answered, “[Tell them I am the One who says] I shall be [with them when they need Me now,] just as I shall be [with them whenever they need Me in the future]”;
and then He said: “Tell the Yisraelites ‘[the One who says] I shall be [with them when they need Me now] has sent me to you’.”

In this passage, Mosheh does not ask the Elohim directly “What is Your Name?”, and the Elohim does not say “My Name is… “; Mosheh seems to have known that the Elohim does not have a “Name”, and merely asks what he is to say if he is asked what the Elohim‘s “Name” is—and the reply he receives is rather evasive: “Tell them I am the One who says ‘I will be with them…’.”

Nonetheless, the limitations of human language make it necessary for some kind of “designation” or “title” to be used in the written text of the Scriptures to refer to God where He features in the narrative, and it is for this purpose alone that the two principal “Names” I have been discussing here (and also several others that occur much less frequently) appear in the text.

Are we allowed to use the Four-Lettered “Name”?

This is a vexed and very contentious question: it is widely known that Hebrews never pronounce the Four-Lettered “Name”, but many Christians sneer at the Hebrew attitude and some (especially the members of one particular crackpot Christian sect) make a point of insisting on using their own made-up versions of how they claim it “should” be pronounced.

One absurd assertion that is continually thrown at me is that “the ancient Hebrews used the ‘Name’ ALL THE TIME”.

To those who make this claim, I say: HOW DO YOU KNOW?

Those who say this can never adduce one shred of evidence to support it, and yet they are so insistent about the matter; but it is not enough simply to repeat the claim ever more loudly: if they are so sure, let them demonstrate where they get this “knowledge” from, and what makes them so sure about it. I am constantly amazed by the arrogance of Christians who think they know more about our culture and history than we do!

So, first of all, why don’t Hebrews ever pronounce this most sacred of Divine “Names”? Contrary to popular belief, this is not connected in any way with the so-called “third commandment”, which forbids “taking Adonai‘s ‘Name’ vainly”. That commandment is actually a prohibition against swearing oaths falsely using Adonai‘s “Name”, or swearing unnecessary or pointless oaths (such as swearing an oath to do something that you must do anyway, even without swearing an oath).

There are several reasons why Hebrews never attempt to pronounce the Four-Lettered “Name”.

The most obvious is that it is impossible to pronounce it, because it consists of four consonants only, without any vowels, and so any attempt at pronouncing it must of necessity be an incorrect pronunciation, and there is nothing more insulting than mispronouncing anyone’s name—do you really want to insult God?
Another very good reason for not addressing God by His “Name” is the matter of simple respect: do you call your parents by their given names? Regardless of your political views, if you got to meet the President of the United States, would you walk up to him and say, “Hi there, George!”—or if you happened to be presented to the Queen of England, would you call her “Lizzie”? No, you would not, that would be most impolite and disrespectful—the President of the U.S.A. is correctly addressed as “Mr President”, and the Queen of England (or indeed any other King or Queen) should be addessed as “Your Majesty”. So doesn’t the Creator of the Universe deserve at least as much respect as you would show to your parents, a human president, a human king or a human queen?

There is more to this issue than just that, though. A most unfortunate incident is recorded in Vayikra 24:10-12—

וַיֵּצֵא בֶּן אִשָּׁה יִשְׂרְאֵלִית, וְהוּא בֶּן אִישׁ מִצְרִי, בְּתוֹךְ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל; וַיִּנָּצוּ בַּמַּחֲנֶה בֶּן הַיִּשְׂרְאֵלִית וְאִישׁ הַיִּשְׂרְאֵלִי. וַיִּקֹּב בֶּן הָאִשָּׁה הַיִּשְׂרְאֵלִית אֶת הַשֵּׁם וַיְקַלֵּל; וַיָּבִיאוּ אֹתוֹ אֶל מֹשֶׁה… וַיַּנִּיחֻהוּ בַּמִּשְׁמָר, לִפְרֹשׁ לָהֶם עַל פִּי ה’.

vayétzé ben ishah yis’r’élit—v’hu ben ish mitz’ri—b’toch b’nei yisra’el; vayinnatzu bamahaneh ben hayis’r’élit v’ish ayis’r’éli. vayikkov ben ishah hayis’r’élit et hashem vay’kallel, vayavi’u oto el mosheh… vayannihuhu bamish’mar, lif’rosh lahem al pi adonai.

The son of a certain Yisraelite woman (who was the son of an Egyptian man) went out among the Yisraelites; and this son of a Yisraelite woman got into a fight in the camp with a Yisraelite man. Then the son of the Yisraelite woman spoke “The Name”, and cursed It—so they brought him to Mosheh… and he was confined in detention, until the matter could be clarified for them from Adonai’s Mouth.

The sentence passed on the “son of the Yisraelite woman” was severe (Vayikra 24:13-16)—

וַיְדַבֵּר ה’ אֶל מֹשֶׁה לֵּאמֹר: הוֹצֵא אֶת הַמְקַלֵּל אֶל מִחוּץ לַמַּחֲנֶה, וְסָמְכוּ כָל הַשֹּׁמְעִים אֶת יְדֵיהֶם עַל רֹאשׁוֹ; וְרָגְמוּ אֹתוֹ כָּל הָעֵדָה. וְאֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל תְּדַבֵּר לֵאמֹר: אִישׁ אִישׁ כִּי יְקַלֵּל אֱלֹהָיו, וְנָשָׂא חֶטְאוֹ, וְנֹקֵב שֵׁם ה’ מוֹת יוּמָת, רָגוֹם יִרְגְּמוּ בוֹ כָּל הָעֵדָה, כַּגֵּר כָּאֶזְרָח, בְּנָקְבוֹ שֵׁם יוּמָת.

vay’dabber adonai el mosheh lémor, “hotzé et ham’kallel el mihutz lamahaneh
v’sam’chu kol hashom’im et y’deihem al rosho, v’tagmu oto kol ha’édah; v’el b’nei yisra’el t’dabber lémor: ish ish ki y’kallel elohav v’nasahet’o, v’nokev shem XXXX mot yumat—ragom yirg’mu bo kol ha’édah—kagér ka’ezrah—b’nok’vo shém yumat.”

Adonai spoke to Mosheh and said, “Take the one who cursed outside the camp and have every one who heard him press their hands onto his head; then the entire community is to execute him. And tell the Yisraelites this: Any man who curses his Elohim commits an unforgivable sin, and anyone who speaks the Four-Lettered Name must be put to death—the entire community is to execute him—the same applies to a foreigner as to a citizen—he must die for speaking the Name.”

The “son of the Yisraelite woman”—whose name is not recorded, although his mother’s name (Sh’lomit daughter of Div’ri, from the tribe Dan) is—actually committed two offenses:

(1) he spoke the Four-Lettered “Name”, and

(2) he cursed it. He was executed for the first of these.

The sin of “cursing God” (verse 15) is so serious that no “atonement” is possible for it: the person committing a sin of such seriousness must “bear his guilt”, i.e. it remains with him for the remainder of his life, and is dealt with by God Himself after the person’s death.

I should mention that those Christians I referred to earlier, who think it is smart to be so disrespectful as to address or refer to God using His Four-Lettered “Name”, argue about the meaning of the verb nakav that is used in verses 11 and 16 and claim it means to “blaspheme”—even though not one of them actually speaks any Hebrew. And their “bibles” translate it as “blaspheme”, too—but only in this chapter.

It’s a very strange thing that they do not translate this verb as “blaspheme” in any of the other places where it is used in Scripture: for example, they do not have —

“And he said, Blaspheme to me thy wages, and I will give it” in B’réshit 30:28, or
“And Moses and Aaron took these men which are blasphemed by their names” in B’midbar 1:17, or
“And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory: and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the LORD shall blaspheme“ in Y’shayahu 62:2,

—even though all three of those verses use exactly the SAME verb.

In the final analysis, when so much is at stake, is it really worth taking a chance of being wrong? Wouldn’t it be the smarter course of action to err on the side of caution?

Ah, those Christians say, but God repeatedly talks about wanting His “Name” publicized and made known throughout the World! Well yes, He does say things like that—but what they are forgetting is that the word name has more than one meaning.

When one speaks of a person “making a name for himself”, name means fame, or a reputation, and the Hebrew word shém can also have this meaning too.

Doesn’t it make a lot more sense for God to want all people in the World to know about Him and all the amazing things He has done, rather than wanting them to know the group of four letters that is used as a “Name” for Him in the Hebrew Scriptures? I think it does.

The bottom line is this: is it really worth the risk of being wrong about this?

There is no direct command anywhere that the “Name” must be used, so one loses nothing by not doing it. On the other hand, just suppose that we Hebrews have been right all along, and God really does not want any human being to ever speak His “Name”—why take the chance of committing such a grievous sin?

The sensible man will always err on the side of caution, especially when infringement may lead to the Death Penalty.

There are many examples of Hebrew Law erring on the side of caution, the most obvious being the times that Shabbat and the holy days begin and end: the Torah says only that they are to be celebrated mé’erev ad erev,

“from evening until evening” (Vayikra 23:32)

—but does “evening” mean sunset (when twilight begins) or full darkness (when twilight ends)? The answer is that we just don’t know, so we err on the side of caution and shabbat and the holy days begin at sunset, but do not end until full darkness arrives the following night.

One final word: it is only speaking the Four-Lettered “Name” that is forbidden by the Torah, but there are very good reasons for not writing it either.

For one thing, a person who makes a habit of writing it freely will become so accustomed to using it that he may very well speak it without thinking, even if he doesn’t mean to—and remember how serious a matter it is. But perhaps even more serious are the possible consequences of writing it… what will become the eventual fate of the piece of paper it is written on? Most likely, it will end up in the garbage—and what greater insult to God could there be than for His Sacred “Name” to be lying among all the refuse and the filth?

If we truly honour and respect Him, we should want to take great care to make sure such a terrible thing does not ever happen, and cannot ever happen.

We can make sure of this by never writing the Four-Lettered Name on any paper, for any reason.

WORSHIP AIDS

Let us learn from the Jewish Prayer Tradition – 3

September 30, 2019 s1n4i600o-adm1n-d3v Leave a Comment

Image from amazon.com

[First posted 2017: Part of a new series; please read the introduction in —

Let us learn from the Jewish Prayer Tradition – 1.

Followed by:

Let us learn from the Jewish Prayer Tradition – 2

The source book is:

GATES OF REPENTANCE

The New Union Prayer Book for the Days of Awe

CENTRAL CONFERENCE OF AMERICAN RABBIS,

7538 New York 1978, Revised 1996

The Sinaite’s Sabbath Liturgy is patterned after the Jewish prayer traditions. We are grateful to observant Israel, the Rabbis, for the prayer books they have shared with the world in print. There will be Sabbath liturgies on this website that will borrow directly from these books, if only to expose our readers/visitors of their beautiful awe-inspiring prayers. Reformatted and color added to biblical text.—Admin1]

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Evening Service II

With the setting of this evening’s sun, united with Jews of every place and time, we proclaim a new year of hope. May the light of the divine shine forth to lead us, to show us the good we must do, the harmony we must create. Let the fire we kindle be for us a warming flame, whose brightness shows us the path of life.

Blessed is the eternal Power that inspires us to kindle the light of (Shabbat and ) Yom Tov. Blessed is the Source of life and light.

Blessed is the eternal Power of the universe, for giving us life, for sustaining us, and for enabling us to reach this season.

God, I cry out to You,

and from Your holy mountain’s summit

Your answer comes.

I lie down and sleep,

And then I am awake,

safe in Your hand,

and unafraid. . .

God, rise up;

help me, O my God,

for You, O Eternal, are the One

from whom help comes,

and Your blessing rests upon Your people.

As for me, in Your abundant loving-kindness

let me enter Your house,

reverently to worship in Your holy temple.

For all who trust in You

there is joy and everlasting song;

You will give them shelter;

and all who love Your name

shall exult in You.

For You give your benediction to the just;

God, You throw Your favor about them like a shield.

I lift up my eyes to the mountains; what is the source of my help? My help will come from the Eternal, Maker of heaven and earth.

God will not allow you foot to slip; your Guardian will not slumber. Behold, the Guardian of Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps. The Eternal is your Keeper, the Eternal is your shade at your right hand. The sun shall not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The eternal will guard you from all evil, and protect your being. The Eternal will guard you, coming and going, from this time forth, and forever.

IN THE TWILIGHT

In the twilight of the vanishing year, we lift up our hearts in thanksgiving.

Our souls are stirred by the memory of joy, as the new year begins.

We were sustained by love and kindness; comforted in times of sorrow; found happiness in our homes, and gladness with our friends. We lift up our hearts in thanksgiving, as the new year begins.

As the new year begins, our spirits rise in grateful song.

But there were dreams that came to naught. . . and times when we refused to dream. These, with much regret, we now remember, as the new year begins.

As the new year begins, contrition fills out thoughts.

Some of our days were dark with grief. Many a tear furrowed our cheeks: alas for the tender ties that were broken! We look back with sorrow, as the new year begins.

As the new year begins, tears well up within us.

Yet we look ahead with hope, giving thanks for the daily miracle of renewal, for the promise of good to come. May this Rosh Hashanah, birthday of the world, be our day of rebirth into life and peace, serenity and safety, as the new year begins.

As the new year begins, so is hope reborn with us!

SACRED ASSEMBLY

In the seventh month,

on the first day of the month,

there shall be a sacred assembly,

a cessation from work,

a day of commemoration

proclaimed by the sound

of the Shofar.

Sound the Shofar when the new moon appears,

at the turning of the year,

at the returning of our solemn celebration.

For this is a statute binding on Israel,

an ordinance of the God of Jacob.

The Ark is opened

THE YEAR

May this year, called five thousand seven hundred and . . ., bring to us and the whole House of Israel life and peace, joy and exaltation, redemption and comfort.

May this new year bring us life and peace, joy and exaltation, redemption and comfort. Amen.

Praise the Eternal, to whom our praise is due!

Praised be the Eternal, to whom our praise is due, now and for ever!

The Ark is closed

Remain standing

CREATION

Praised be the Eternal God, Ruler of the universe, whose word brings on the evening.

With wisdom You open heaven’s gates; with understanding

You make the ages pass and the seasons alternate.

Your will controls the stars as they travel through the sky.

Creator of day and night, You roll light away from darkness and darkness from light; you cause day to pass and bring on the night; the God of all being is Your name. O living and eternal God, rule us always, to the end of time! Blessed is the God, whose word makes evening fall.

REVELATION

Unending is Your love for Your people, the House of Israel:Torah and Mitzvot, laws and precepts have You taught us. Therefore, O God, when we lie down and when we rise up, we will meditate on Your laws and rejoice in Your Torah and Mitzvot for ever.

Day and night we will reflect on them, for they are our life and the length of our day. O may Your love never depart from our hearts! Blessed are You, O God: You love Your people Israel.

Hear; I Israel: the Eternal is our God, the Eternal is One!

Blessed is God’s glorious majesty for ever and ever!

All are seated

You shall love your Eternal God with all your mind, with all your strength, with all your being. Set these words, which I command you this day, upon your heart. Teach them faithfully to your children; speak of them in your home and on your way, when you lie down and when you rise up. bind them as a sign upon your hand; let them be symbols before your eyes; inscribe them on the doorposts of your house, and on your gates.

Be mindful of all My Mitzvot, and do them: so shall you consecrate yourselves to your God. I am your Eternal God who led you out of Egypt to be your God; I am your Eternal God.

REDEMPTION

All this we hold to be true and sure: You alone are our God; there is none else, and we are Israel Your people.

You are our Sovereign; delivering us from the hand of oppressors, saving us from the fist of tyrants, doing wonders without number, marvels that pass our understanding. You give us our life; with Your help our people has survived all our oppressors.

You did wonders for us in the land of Egypt, miracles and marvels in the land of Pharaoh.

You led Your people Israel out, for ever to serve You in freedom.

When Your children witnessed Your power, they extolled You and gave You thanks: freely they acclaimed You Sovereign; and, full of joy, Moses, and Miriam, and all Israel sang this song:

Who is like You, Eternal One, among

the gods that are worshipped?

who is like You, majestic in holiness,

awesome in splendor, doing wonders?

In their escape from the sea, Your children saw Your sovereign might displayed. “This is my God!” they cried. “The Eternal will reign for ever and ever!”

Now let all come to say: The Eternal has redeemed Israel and all the oppressed. Blessed is the Eternal God.

RISE UP TO LIFE RENEWED

Cause us, O Eternal God, to lie down in peace, and raise us up, O Sovereign, to life renewed. Spread over us the shelter of Your peace; guide us with Your good counsel; and for Your name’s sake, be our Help.

Shield us from hatred and plague; keep us from war and famine and anguish; subdue our inclination to evil. O God, our Guardian and Helper, our gracious and merciful Ruler, give us refuge in the shadow of Your wings. Guard our coming and our going, that now and always we have life and peace.

Blessed are You, O God, whose shelter of peace is spread over us, over all Israel, and over Jerusalem.

ON SHABBAT

THE COVENANT OF SHABBAT

The people of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, observing the Sabbath in every generation as a covenant for all time.

It is a sign for ever between Me and the people of Israel, for in six days the Eternal One made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day God rested and was refreshed.

Let the glory of God be extolled, and God’s great name be hallowed in the world whose creation God willed. May God rule in our own day, in our own lives, and the life of all Israel, and let us say: Amen.

Let God’s great name be blessed for ever and ever.

Let the name of the Holy One, the Blessed One, be glorified, exalted, and honored, though God is beyond all the praises, songs, and adoration that we can utter, and let us say: Amen.

All rise

WE ARE THEIR FUTURE

You are our God, even as You were the God of Abraham and Sarah, the God of our fathers and mothers, the God of all the ages of Israel.

They are our past as we are their future.

We recall their vision and pray for the strength to keep it alive: Help us, O God and Shield, to keep their faith.

O God, shield of Abraham, Sarah’s Help, in all generations be our Help, our Shield, our God!

Remember us unto life, O Sovereign who delights in life, and inscribe us in the Book of Life, O God of life.

IMMORTAL YEARNINGS, UNDYING HOPES

Love is the thread that binds our lives in a lasting fabric which time shall fray,

Which time shall fray, but only to be rewoven by each generation.

Each generation will lift fallen to their feet and hold them as they learn to walk.

And as they learn to walk, the sickness of our time will be healed by those who drink deep from ancient wells of truth.

From ancient wells of truth they will draw strength to keep faith with those who sleep in the dust.

We praise the Source of life and power, who has implanted within us immortal yearning, undying hopes.

IN PRAISE OF THE HOLY

Now in awe we behold the wonder of being: an awesome pageant of shapes and forms—yet all akin, one family of life!

We pray for wisdom to treasure all creation; we ask for insight to see its glory; we hope for courage to trust its goodness; we yearn for grace to fill the world with gladness; we seek the strength to help redeem it.

A world released from sorrow to joy! The bowed head shall be raised, the bent back made straight. Those who dragged their chains shall dance and sing. O may violence give way to goodness, the land be cleansed of tyrants, and the prophets word redeemed: Peace shall rule the earth!

The Eternal One shall reign for ever; your God, O Zion, from generation to generation. Halleluyah!

Holy is life, awesome its Source. One Mind unites all being; one Law rules all creation. As it is written:

The God of all being is exalted by justice; the holy God is sanctified by righteousness.

Blessed is creation, and blessed the love that sustains it.

THE HOLINESS OF THIS DAY

The House of Israel is called to holiness, to a covenant with the Eternal for all time.

We are called to serve the Most High; may we rejoice in this heritage for ever.

May this day add meaning to our lives. Let the Shofar’s sound awaken the voice of conscience, our common worship unit us in love, our memories of bondage impel us to help the oppressed.

On this day of Remembrance we pray for awareness. Let love and compassion grow among us, and goodness be our daily care. This day may we find well being. This day may we discover the eternal strength that abides among us. This day may we be helped to a life that is whole. Amen.

“You transcend our deepest thought and elude the keenest eye, yet all who dwell on earth may find You. Every creature’s form proclaims Your glory, for all that breathes is one creation, children of a single kingdom. Thus was it written of old: “The Sovereign God of Israel is the One whose dominion extends to all creation”.

The realm of law is the domain of freedom. Blessed is the law that sets us free to find gladness and joy. (May this day’s rest renew all who observe it; and let the holiness of Shabbat remain our heritage, that all Israel, hallowing its life, may find rest and peace.) Praised be the Power that makes for freedom, that blessed (the Sabbath,) the House of Israel and the Day of Remembrance.

SILENT PRAYER

THE SPIRIT THAT SINGS WITHIN US

Let our thoughts be gentle, gracious our deeds, and kindness rule our lips and hearts! Blessed is the spirit, a hymn of love within us, that calls us to prayer.

SING OF WONDERS

O world, where miracles spring up to meet us along the way, we hold you close and give thanks for morning light, for evening calm.

Sun and moon, sea and sky, snow and mist, city streets and country lanes: what joy to know you, how excellent to touch you!

To live, and nothing more, would be enough to make us glad. Yet morning, noon, and night, a task awaits us:

The lost and hungry to be found and fed, the sick and sad to be healed and cheered, a peaceful world to be built and kept.

Blessed is the gift of life, blessed the source of life and its tasks!

SEEK PEACE AND PURSUE IT

Words there are and prayers, but justice there is not, nor yet peace.

The prophet said:

In the end of days God shall judge between the nations; they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks.

Although we must wait for judgment, we may not wait for peace to fall like rain upon us.

The teacher said: Those who have made peace in their house, it is as though they have brought peace to all Israel, indeed, to all the world.

Peace will remain a distant vision until we do the work of peace ourselves. If peace is to be brought into the world, we must bring it first to our families and communities.

Be not content to make peace only in your own household; go forth and work for peace wherever men and women are struggling in its cause.

MEDITATION

Rabbi Eliezer said:

Repent one day before your death. His disciples asked: How can one know which day that will be?

He replied:

Precisely! Repent today, therefore, in case you should die tomorrow. Thus will you spend all your days wisely.

All rise

The Ark is opened

Avinu Malkeinu, hear our voice.

Avinu Malkeinu, we have sinned against You.

Avinu Malkeinu, have compassion on us and on our children.

Avinu Malkeinu, make an end to sickness, war, and famine.

Avinu Malkeinu, make an end to all oppression.

Avinu Malkeinu, inscribe us for blessing in the Book of Life.

Avinu Malkeinu, let the new year be a good year for us.

Avinu Malkeinu, give strength to Your people Israel.

Avinu Malkeinu, be gracious and answer us, for we have little merit. Treat us generously and with kindness, and be our help.

Blessed is the Eternal God, Ruler of the universe, Creator of the fruit of the vine.

Blessed is the Eternal God, Ruler of the universe, who has chosen us from all the peoples, hallowing us with the Mitzvot. In Your love, Eternal God, You have given us this (Shabbat and this) Day of Remembrance, to hear the sound of the Shofar, to unite in worship, and to recall the Exodus from Egypt. For You have chosen us from all peoples, consecrating us to Your service, and Your word is truth eternal.

Blessed is the Sovereign God, Ruler of all the world, who hallows (the Sabbath,) the House of Israel and the Day of Remembrance.

Blessed is the Eternal God, Ruler of the universe, for giving us life, for sustaining us, and for enabling us to reach this season.

Let us adore

the ever living God!

We render praise

unto You,

who spread out the heavens

and established the earth,

whose glory \is revealed in the heavens above,

and whose greatness

is manifest throughout the world.

You are our God;

There is none else.

We therefore bow in awe and thanksgiving before the One who is Sovereign over all, the Holy and Blessed One.

May the time not be distant, O God, when Your name shall be worshipped in all the earth, when unbelief shall disappear and error be no more. Fervently we pray that the day may come when all shall turn to You in love, when corruption and evil shall give way to integrity and goodness, when superstition shall no longer enslave the mind, nor idolatry bind the eye, when all who dwell on earth shall know that You alone are God. O may all, created in Your image, become one in spirit and one in friendship, for ever united in Your service. Then shall Your kingdom be established on earth, and the word of Your prophet fulfilled:

“The Eternal God will reign for ever and ever.”

On that day, O God,

“You shall be One and Your name shall be One.”

The light of life is a finite flame. Like a candle, life is kindled: it burns, it glows, it is radiant with warmth and beauty. But soon it fades; its substance is consumed, and it is no more.

In light we see; in light we are see. The flames dance and our lives are full. But as night follows day, the candle of our life burns down and gutters. There is an end to the flames. We see no more and are no more seen. Yet we do not despair, for we are more than a memory slowly fading into the darkness. With our lives we give life. Something of us can never die: we move in the eternal cycle of darkness and death, of light and life.

Let the glory of God be extolled, let God’s great name be hallowed in the world whose creation God willed. May God’s rule soon prevail, in our own day, our own lives, and in the life of all Israel, and let us say: Amen.

Let God’s great name be blessed for ever and ever.

Let the name of the Holy One, the Blessed One, be glorified, exalted, and honored, though God is beyond all praises, songs, and adorations that we can utter, and let us say: Amen.

For us and for all Israel, may the blessing of peace and the promise of life come true, and let us say: Amen.

May the Source of peace send peace to all who mourn, and comfort to all who are bereaved. Amen.

WORSHIP AIDS

Let us learn from the Jewish Prayer Tradition – 2

September 30, 2019 s1n4i600o-adm1n-d3v Leave a Comment

Image from amazon.com

[First posted 2017; Part of a series that starts with —Let us learn from the Jewish Prayer Tradition – 1—please read the Introduction there; the source book is:

GATES OF REPENTANCE

The New Union Prayer Book for the Days of Awe

CENTRAL CONFERENCE OF AMERICAN RABBIS,

7538 New York 1978, Revised 1996

We praise the God we embrace and worship, YHWH, and are deeply grateful to the Rabbis for sharing their prayer tradition in book publications, to benefit those who are limited in their prayer expressions, not knowing how to approach an awesome and mighty but very approachable God Who does not require mediators; simply that we know Him through His Sinai Revelation and invoke His Name and His Name alone!–Admin1]

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EVENING SERVICE

Evening Service I

Creator of beginnings, as You created the world on this day, uniting fragments into a universe, so help unite our hearts and the hearts of all Jews to serve You. Illuminate our lives with the light of Your Torah, for by Your light do we see light. Grant us this year a glimpse of the light of redemption, the light of healing and of peace. Amen.

Blessed is the Eternal God, Ruler of the universe, who hallows us with mitzvoth, and commands us to kindle the lights of (Shabbat and) Yom Tov.

Blessed is the Eternal God, Ruler of the universe, for giving us life, for sustaining us, and for enabling us to reach this season.

Behold me, of little merit, trembling and afraid, as I stand before You to plead for Your people. O gracious God, the One enthroned by Israel’s praises, compassionate and loving, accept my petition and that of my people. Let them not be put to shame because of me, nor I because of them. Sinners though we are, let our prayers come before You innocent and sweet and pleasing, as though from hearts more worthy than ours. Let love be the banner we raise in Your sight, and let that love conceal all our sins and make them as though they had not been. Change our afflictions to joy and gladness, our misdeeds to acts of life. May our love of truth and peace remove all that hinders us from sincere and fruitful prayer.

O God supreme, God every age, God eternal, let my prayer find favor, for the sake of the righteous, the loyal, the honest and upright, and for the sake of Your own glorious purpose on earth. For you are the One who in mercy hears our prayer. Blessed are You, who hearkens to prayer.

HOPE FOR A NEW DAY

Hear Me, Jacob,

Israel, whom I have called:

I am the One,

the Beginning and the End.

My own hand founded the earth

and spread out the skies.

Thus says the Eternal One,

who created the heavens and stretched them out,

who made the earth and all that grows in it,

who gives breath to its people

and spirit to those who walk on it.

I, the Eternal, have called you to righteousness,

and taken you by the hand, and kept you;

I have made you a covenant people,

a light to the nations:

to open blind eyes,

to bring the captives out of prison,

and those who sit in darkness from their dungeons.

Thus says the Eternal One,

Creator of heavens,

the One Who is:

I am, I will be, there is none else.

Justice is My speech,

right, My declaration.

The troubled past is forgotten,

hidden from My sight.

For behold,

I create a new heaven and a new earth,

the past forgotten, never called to mind.

Be glad, then,

and rejoice for ever in My creation.

Before us lies a new day,

and in the distance a new world.

ours to create,

by the strength of our faith.

I lift up my eyes to the mountain; what is the source of my help?

My help will come from the Eternal, Maker of heaven and earth.

God will not allow your foot to slip; your Guardian will not slumber. Behold, the Guardian of Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps. The Eternal is your Keeper, the Eternal is your shade at your right hand. The sun shall not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The Eternal will guard you from all evil, and protect your being. The Eternal will guard you, coming and going, from this time forth, and for ever.

WE WILL NOT FORGET YOU

God of our people, hear our prayer:

We who speak are Jews.

Remember

The bush You kindled once in the desert air,

Years ago, on Horeb’s lonely sand,

That fire You lit to set the centuries aflame

And say to us Your endless, perfect Name,

‘I am what I will be’—

It burns eternally now, that light

Upon our altars now, against the night.

And there are deserts still. We are the Jews;

We do not forget.

Remember

The words You spoke in stone

And thunder.

The mountain smoked

And the dismayed multitude

Stood off, hearing the first time

The words they could not refuse,

Fearing the burden and the God that set

Them into history.

And there are mountains still. We are the Jews.

We cannot forget.

We come here them. But something far more deep

Compels: the ancient desert dream we keep,

A people touched by God, a certain grace

That tells of You. We are

Locked with You in old identity,

Remembering the lightning of that place;

Something in us of Your awesome will,

Something of that mountain’s thunder, still.

Love us, as much as we will let You.

We are Your Jews,

We will not forget You.

SACRED ASSEMBLY

In the seventh month,

on the first day of the month,

there shall be a sacred assembly,

a cessation from work,

a day of commemoration

proclaimed by the sound

of the Shofar.

[All rise]

Sound the Shofar when the new moon appears,

at the turning of the year,

at the turning of our solemn celebration.

For this is a stature binding on Israel,

an ordinance of the God of Jacob.

The Ark is opened.

THE YEAR

May it be Your will, Eternal our God, God of all generations, that the year five thousand seven hundred and . . . bring to us and the whole House of Israel life and peace, joy and exaltation, redemption and comfort; and let us say: Amen.

Praise the Eternal, to whom our praise is due!

Praised be the Eternal, to whom our praise is due, now and for ever!

[The Ark is closed

Remain standing]

THE WILL THAT ORDERS THE STARS

There was silence; there was chaos; there was a voice. A mind went forth to form worlds: now order reigns where chaos once held sway.

The law makes evening fall; the law brings on the dawn.

The moon follows accustomed paths, constellations their patterned ways.

Sovereign is the will that orders the stars in their courses in the endless skies: Sovereign is that will!

HEART STILL TURNED TO LOVE

And how unyielding is the will of our people Israel! After the long nights, after the days and the years when our ashes blackened the sky, Israel endures, heart still turned to love, soul turning still to life.

So day and night, early and late, we will rejoice in the study of Torah, we will walk by the light of Mitzvot: they are our life and the length of our days. Praised be the Source of life and love, and Israel our people!

Hear, O Israel: the Eternal is our God, the Eternal is One!

Blessed is God’s glorious majesty for ever and ever!

[All are seated]

You shall love your Eternal God with all your mind, with all your strength, with all your being. Set these words, which I command you this day, upon your heart. Teach them faithfully to your children; speak of them in your home and on your way, when you lie down and when you rise up. Bind them as a sign upon your hand; let them be symbols before your eyes, inscribe them on the doorposts of your house, and on your gates.

Be mindful of all My Mitzvot, and do them: so shall you consecrate yourselves to your God. I am your Eternal God who led you out of Egypt to be your God; I am your Eternal God.

OUR FAITH IN TOMORROW

What does it mean to be a Jew? “You shall be holy.”

In the face of the many, to stand for the one; in the presence of fragments, to make them whole.

What does it mean to be a Jew? “You shall be a holy people.”

To hold fast to our vision of truth, to retain our faith in tomorrow.

Holy in our past is the memory of redemption from Egyptian bondage.

Holy in our day is the hope of a redemption we still await.

Twice holy in our past are those who gave their lives to hallow this world.

Holy is the Jew, today and tomorrow, who bears witness to the goodness of life.

And holy are those whose lives are songs in freedom’s cause:

Who is like You, Eternal One, among the gods that are worshipped?

Who is like You, majestic in holiness,

awesome in splendor, doing wonders?

In their escape from the sea, Your children saw Your sovereign might displayed. “This is my God!” they cried. “The Eternal will reign for ever and ever!”

Now let all come to say: The Eternal has redeemed Israel and all the oppressed. Blessed is the Eternal God.

RISE UP TO LIFE RENEWED

May we lie down this night in peace, and rise up to life renewed. May night spread over us a shelter of peace, of quiet and calm, the blessing of rest.

There will come a time when morning will bring no word of war or famine or anguish; there will come a day of happiness, of contentment and peace.

Praise be the source of joy within us, for the night and its rest, for the promise of peace.

ON SHABBAT

[All rise]

Eternal God, open my lips, that my mouth may declare Your glory.

GOD OF ALL GENERATIONS

Praised be our God, the God of our fathers and our mothers:

God of Abraham, God of Isaac, God of Jacob; God of Sarah,

God of Rebekah, God of Leah and God of Rachel; great, mighty, and awesome God, God supreme.

Ruler of all the living, Your ways are ways of love. You remember the faithfulness of our ancestors, and in love bring redemption to their children’s children for the sake of Your name.

Remember us unto life, Sovereign who delights in life, and inscribe us in the Book of Life, for Your sake, O God of life.

You are our Sovereign and our Help, our Savior and our Shield. Blessed is the Eternal One, shield of Abraham, Protector of Sarah.

GOD’S POWER

Great is Your might, Eternal One, in this world; great is Your power in the worlds beyond.

Your love sustains the living, Your great compassion is the source of life. Your power is in the help that comes to the falling, in the healing that comes to the sick, in the freedom You bring to the captive, in the faith You keep with those who sleep in the dust.

Who is like You, Mighty One? Who is Your equal, Author of life and death, Source of salvation?

Who is like You, Source of mercy? In compassion You sustain the life of your children.

We trust in You to restore our life. Blessed is the Eternal One, Source of all life.

GOD’S HOLINESS

You are holy, Your name is holy and those who strive to be holy declare Your glory day by day.

[All are seated]

Eternal God, cause all Your works to stand in awe before You, and all that You have made to tremble at Your presence. Let all that lives revere You, and all creation turn to You in worship. Let them all become a single family, doing Your will with a perfect heart. For well we know, Eternal God, that Yours is the majesty, Yours the might; and awesome is Your name in all creation.

Grant honor to Your people, glory to those who revere You, hope to those who seek You, and courage to those who trust You: bless Your land with gladness and Your city with joy, and cause the light of redemption to dawn for all who dwell on earth.

Then the just shall see and exult, the upright be glad, and the faithful sing for joy. Violence shall rage no more, and evil shall vanish like smoke; the rule of tyranny shall pass away from the earth, and You alone shall reign over all Your works, as it is written:

The Eternal One shall reign for ever; your God O Zion, from generation to generation. Halleluyah!

You are holy; awesome is Your name; there is no God but You, as it is written:

The God of all being is exalted by justice, the holy God is sanctified by righteousness.

Blessed is our God, the holy Sovereign.

THE HOLINESS OF THIS DAY

In love and favor, O God, You have chosen us from all the peoples, hallowing us with Your Mitzvot. Our Sovereign, You have summoned us to Your service, that through us Your great and holy name may become known in all the earth.

In your love, O God, You have given us this (Shabbat and this) Day of Remembrance, to hear the sound of the Shofar, to unite in worship, and to recall the Exodus from Egypt.

Our God and God of all ages, be mindful of Your people Israel on this Day of Remembrance, and renew in us love and compassion, goodness, life, and peace.

This day remember us for well-being. Amen.

This day bless us with Your nearness. Amen.

This day help us to live. Amen.

Our God and God of our ancestors, may You rule in glory over all the earth, and let Your grandeur be acclaimed throughout the world. Reveal the splendor of Your majesty to all who dwell on earth, that all Your works may know You as their Maker, and all the living acknowledge You as their Creator. Then all who breathe shall say: “The Sovereign God of Israel is the One whose dominion extends to all creation.’

Our God and God of our ancestors, sanctify us with Your Mitzvot, and let Your Torah be our way of life. (May our rest on this day be pleasing in Your sight.) Satisfy us with Your goodness, gladden us with Your salvation, and purify our hearts to serve You in truth; for You, O God, are Truth, and Your word is true for ever. (In Your gracious love, Eternal God, let Your holy Sabbath remain our heritage, that all Israel, hallowing Your name, may find rest and peace.) Blessed is the Eternal, who hallows (the Sabbath,) the House of Israel and Day of Remembrance.

WORSHIP

Be gracious, Eternal God, to You people Israel, and received our prayers with love. O may our worship always be acceptable to You.

Fill us with the knowledge that You are near to all who seek You in truth. Pour out Your spirit upon us; let our eyes behold Your presence in our midst and it the midst of our people in Zion.

Blessed is the Eternal, whose presence gives life to Zion and all Israel.

THANKSGIVING

We gratefully acknowledge that You are our Eternal God and God of our people, the God of all generations. You are the Rock of our life, the Power that shields us in every age. We thank You and sing Your praises: for our lives, which are in Your hand; for our souls, which are in Your keeping; for the miracles which are daily with us; and for Your wondrous gifts at all times, morning, noon, and night. You are Goodness: Your mercies never end; You are Compassion: Your love never fails. You have always been our hope.

For all these things, O Sovereign God, let Your name be forever exalted and blessed, and let life abundant be the heritage of all the children of Your covenant. O God our Redeemer and Helper, let all who live affirm You and praise Your name in truth. Eternal God, whose nature is Goodness, we give You thanks and praise.

PEACE

Grant us peace, Your most precious gift, O Eternal Source of peace, and give us the will to proclaim its message to all the peoples of the earth. Bless our country, that it may always be a stronghold of peace, and its advocate among the nations. May contentment reign within its borders, health and happiness within its homes. Strengthen the bonds of friendship among the inhabitants of all lands, and may the love of Your name hallow every home and every heart. Teach us, O God, to labor for righteousness, and inscribe us in the Book of life, blessing and peace. Blessed is the Eternal God, the Source of peace.

SILENT PRAYER

O God, keep my tongue from evil and my lips from deceit. Help me to be silent in the face of derision, humble in the presence of all. Open my heart to Your Torah, that I may hasten to do Your Mitzvot. Save me with Your power; in time of trouble be my answer, that those who love You may be delivered.

May the words of my mouth, and the meditations of my heart, be acceptable to You, O God, my Rock and my Redeemer.

May the One who causes peace to reign in the high heavens let peace descend on us, on all Israel, and all the world.

[All rise

The Ark is opened]

Avinu Malkeinu, hear our voice.

Avinu Malkeinu, we have sinned against You.

Avinu Malkeinu, have compassion on us and on our children.

Avinu Malkeinu, make an end to sickness, war, and famine.

Avinu Malkeinu, make an end to all oppression.

Avinu Malkeinu, inscribe us for blessing in the Book of Life.

Avinu Malkeinu, let the new year be a good year for us.

Avinu Malkeinu, give strength to Your people Israel.

Avinu Malkeinu, be gracious and answer us, for we have little merit. Treat us generously and with kindness, and be our help.

[The Ark is closed]

Blessed is the Eternal God, Ruler of the universe, Creator of the fruit of the vine.

Blessed is the Eternal God, Ruler of the universe, who has chosen us from all the peoples, hallowing us with the Mitzvot. In Your love, Eternal God, You have given us this (Shabbat and this) Day of Remembrance, to hear the sound of the Shofar, to unite in worship, and to recall the Exodus from Egypt. For you have chosen us from all peoples, consecrating us to Your service, and Your word is truth eternal.

Blessed is the Sovereign God, Ruler of all the world, who hallows (the Sabbath,) the House of Israel and the Day of Remembrance.

Blessed is the Eternal God, Ruler of the universe, for giving us life, for sustaining us, and for enabling us to reach this season.

[All rise]

We must praise the God of all, the Maker of heaven and earth, who has set us apart from the other families of earth, giving us a destiny unique among the nations.

We therefore bow in awe and thanksgiving before the One who is Sovereign over all, the Holy and Blessed One.

[All are seated]

You spread out the heavens and established the earth; You are our God; there is none else. In truth you alone are our ruler, as it is written: “Know then this day and take it to heart: the Eternal One is God in the heavens above and on the earth below; there is none else.”

We therefore hope, Eternal God, soon to behold the glory of Your might. Then will false gods vanish from our hearts, and the world will be perfected under Your unchallenged rule. And then will all acclaim You as their God, and, forsaking evil, turn to You alone.

Let all who dwell on earth acknowledge that unto You every knee must bend and every tongue swear loyalty. Before You, Eternal God, let them humble themselves. To your glorious name let them give honor. Let all accept the yoke of Your sovereignty, that You may rule over them soon and for ever.

For you are sovereign and to all eternity You will reign in glory, as it is written: “The Eternal God will reign for ever and ever.”

And it has been said: “The Eternal One shall reign over all the earth; on that day, O God, you shall be One and Your name shall be one”

At this sacred moment we turn our thoughts to those who have gone from life. We recall the joy of their companionship. We feel a pang, the echo of that intenser grief when first their death lay before our stricken eyes. Now we know that they will never vanish, so long as heart and thought remain within us. By love are they remembered, and in memory they live.

O God, grant that their memory may bring strength and blessing. May the nobility in their lives and the high ideals they cherished endure in our thoughts and live on in our deeds. May we, carrying on their work, help to redeem Your promise that life shall yet prevail.

Let the glory of God be extolled, let God’s great name be hallowed in the world whose creation God willed. May God’s rule soon prevail, in our own day, our own lives, and the life of all Israel, and let us say: Amen.

Let God’s great name be blessed for ever and ever. Let the name of the Holy one, the Blessed one, be glorified, exalted, and honored, though god is beyond all praises, songs, and adorations, that we can utter, and let us say Amen.

For us and for all Israel, may the blessing of peace and the promise of life come true, and let us pray: Amen.

May the one who causes peace to reign in the high heavens, let peace descend on us, on all Israel, and all the world, and let us say: Amen.

May the Source of peace send peace to all who mourn, and comfort to all who are bereaved. Amen.

You are the Eternal God, who reigned before any being had been created; when all was done according to Your will, already then You were Sovereign.

And after all has ceased to be, still will You reign in solitary majesty; You were, You are, You will be in glory.

And You are one; none other can compare to You, or consort with You; You are without beginning, without end; Yours alone are power and dominion.

And You are my God, my living Redeemer, my Rock in time of trouble and distress; You are my banner and my refuge, my benefactor when I call on You.

Into your hands I entrust my spirit, my body also: You are with me, I will not fear.

THE LORD OF ALL

The God of all, who reigned supreme,

Ere first creation form was framed;

When all was finished by Your will,

Your name Almighty was proclaimed.

When this, our world, shall be no more.

In majesty You still shall reign,

Who was, who is, who will remain,

Your endless glory we proclaim.

Alone are You, beyond compare,

Without division or ally,

Without initial date or end,

Omnipotent You rule on high.

You are my God, my Savior You,

To whom I turn in sorrow’s hour—

My banner proud, my refuge sure,

Who hears and answers with You power.

Then in Your hand myself I lay,

And trusting sleep, and wake with cheer;

My soul and body are Your care;

You are my guard, I have no fear.

WORSHIP AIDS

Let us learn from the Jewish Prayer Tradition – 1

September 30, 2019 s1n4i600o-adm1n-d3v Leave a Comment

Image from amazon.com

[Reposted from 2017, original Introduction:

Revelation — God talks to humanity; Prayer — humans talk to God. One of the best deals we lucked in to at the “used books for sale” movable bookcase at the Burlingame Public Library (CA) is titled —

GATES OF REPENTANCE

The New Union Prayer Book for the Days of Awe

CENTRAL CONFERENCE OF AMERICAN RABBIS,

7538 New York 1978, Revised 1996

The price? $2! Talk about a ‘treasure find’ for a pittance, how lucky can we be! (Later checked at amazon.com, the book costs $6.85).

At our weekly Torah class, a student selects a prayer from this book and reads it as our closing prayer. We are amazed at how the selection exactly fits our day’s lesson. As it is our desire to share the blessings that come our way, so shall we start a series on prayers from this awe-inspiring resource, grateful to the American Rabbis for sharing their prayers in this publication. Exposure to prayers of all faiths develops our own prayer tradition; after all, the One True God hears all prayers from all sincere God-seekers who are on the way to knowing Him. That would include us, Sinaites, and those who frequent this website to avail of the resources we do share.

For starters, in the front cover’s inside flap are the following scriptural quotations:

The gates of repentance are always open. Deuteronomy Rabbah 2.12

“No stranger need lodge in the street” –Job: 31.32

The Holy One does not reject a single creature. Rather, all are acceptable to God The Gates are open at all times, and all who wish may enter.—Exodus Rabbah 19:4

We have reformatted, color-coded the original according to our usual visual cues: this blue for scripture, and this blue for rabbinic quotes.

Thank you, observant Israel, for being the ‘light to the nations!’ for indeed, you have been that through the 6-millennia of your existence, whether in the Land or in diaspora, surely and in hindsight, by Divine design and intention.

Have a great prayer-full life, dear web-visitors, zealous seekers of the One True God from the Nations, the Gentiles! We are co-travellers on the same pathway to seek the God who once spoke on historic Sinai, whose words still reverberate through the ages, reaching us who have ears to hear and who listen and believe the message and the messenger, and who live our lives in obedience to the guidelines and instructions from the Self-revealing God Who revealed His Name as YHWH! —Admin1]

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MEDITATIONS

Just as the hand, held before the eye, can hide the tallest mountain, so the routine of everyday life can keep us from seeing the vast radiance and the secret wonders that fill the world.

Rabbi Elazar would always give a coin to a poor person before praying. In explanation, he would quote:

“As for me, I shall behold Your face betzedek, in righteousness (Psalm 17.15).”

(Tzedek and tzedakah were always synonyms for righteousness and later tzedakah acquired the meaning of charity.)

Out Rabbis taught:

Do not stand up to pray in a morose spirit,

nor in a mood of ribaldry, frivolity, levity, or idle chatter,

but only in the joy of the Mitzvah.

Rabbi Chiyah and Rabbi Shimon bar Abba were engaged in study. One said: When we pray we must direct our eyes downward, for it is written:

” Let us lift up our hearts

and hands to God in heaven”

(Lamentations 3.41).

Meanwhile, Rabbi Yishmael ben Rabbi Yosei happened along. He said: What are you discussing? They told him. Then he said: This was the view of Abba:

When we pray we must direct our eyes downward and our hearts upward, thus fulfilling both verses.

The Baal shem Tov said:

The first time an event occurs in nature it is called a miracle; later it comes to seem natural and is taken for granted. Let your worship and your service be your miracle each day. Only such worship, performed from the heart with the enthusiasm of fresh wonder, is acceptable.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. . . And God said:

‘Let there be light!; and there was light. . .

And God saw that it was that it was good.’

And God said: ‘Let there be light!’’’This first light God made before making the sun and stars. God showed it to David, who burst into song. This was the light Moses saw on Sinai! At the creation, the universe from end to end radiated light—but it was withdrawn. . . and now it is stored away for the righteous, until all the worlds will be in harmony again and all will be united and whole. But until this future world is established, this light, coming out of darkness and formed by the Most Secret, is hidden:

“Light is sown for the righteous

(Psalm 97.11).”

Rabbi Akiva said:

How greatly God must have loved us to create us in the image of God; yet even greater love did God show us in making us conscious that we are created in the divine image.

Rabbi Berechya said:

The Holy One, just before the creation of Adam, saw that both saints and sinners would be numbered among his descendants. The Holy One considered: If I create Adam, I create sinners as well; but if I do not create Adam, how will the righteous come into existence? Therefore the Holy One ignored the sinners who were destined to be born, took hold of mercy, and created Adam!

Why did creation begin with a single human being? For the sake of the righteous and the wicked, that none might ascribe their differing characters to hereditary differences. And lest families boast of their high lineage. This they do nonetheless—how much worse it would be if all were not descended from a single source!

Therefore was a single human being created: to teach you that to destroy a single human soul is equivalent to destroying an entire world; and that to sustain a single human soul is equivalent to sustaining an entire world. And a single human being was created to keep peace among human beings, that no one might say to another: My lineage is greater than yours!

We experience our belonging to an infinity.

It presses upon us,

Whether we go into ourselves

Or go beyond ourselves.

We live in space without end

and are a part of it,

in time without stop as a segment of it.

Space and time are fundamentally one here,

they come from the one, omnipresent, eternal God.

World and eternity are here one word

both signify the same unendingness.

We live in this unendingness and from it.

Our domain is the opposite of mere location,

of that which has its boundary and written description.

Our day is the opposite of finality, of fate.

Our domain is a going outward that points to the faraway,

our day is the direction that leads into the distance.

All that has come into existence and has been given

becomes a path to the beyond,

and to that which is in the process of becoming,

to the world beyond and to the coming day.

All creation wants to be revelation,

all of the past becomes the future.

An ancient Jewish word says:

God creates, in order to continue to create . . .

All creation has its force, its constant birth.

Creation and revelation,

becoming and designation belong together;

they determined one another

The world is not mere fate. . .

It is the world of God:

a world; and nevertheless, God’s domain.

Space; and nevertheless, unendingness;

Time; and nevertheless, eternity.

Just so an ancient Jewish word again says:

God is the space of the world,

but the world is not the space of God. . .

It is the creation and revelation of God

and therefore a world filled with tension.

It is an interweaving of opposites,

an immanence of the transcendent,

a being at one with the other,

the covenanting of the finite and temporal

with the infinite eternal.

Both become one within religious feeling,

the current moves between the poles. . .

Free will is given to every human being. If we wish to incline ourselves toward goodness and righteousness, we are free to do so; and if we wish to incline ourselves toward evil, we are also free to do that. From Scripture (Genesis 3.22) we learn that the human species, with its knowledge of good and evil, is unique among all earth’s creatures. Of our own accord, by our own faculty of intelligence and understanding, we can distinguish between good and evil, doing as we choose. Nothing holds us back from making this choice between good and evil—the power is in our hands.

All is foreseen—and free will is given.

Everything is in the hands of God except reverence for God.

If you choose to pollute yourself with sin, you will find all the gates open before you; and if you desire to attain the highest purity, you will find all the forces of goodness ready to help you.

Do not imagine that character is determined at birth. We have been given free will. Any person can become as righteous as Moses or as wicked as Jeroboam. We ourselves decide whether to make ourselves learned or ignorant, compassionate or cruel, generous or miserly. No one forces us, no one decides for us, no one drags us long one path or the other; we ourselves by our own volition, choose our own way.

In connection with the Mitzvah of following the right path, it has been taught: As God is called gracious, so must you be gracious; as God is compassionate, so must you be; as God is holy, so must you follow the path of holiness. Therefore the prophets described God as possessing these attributes: endlessly patient and loving, just and upright, wholehearted, and the like. Their intention was to teach us that these are the good and praiseworthy paths for us to follow as we attempt, according to our capacities, to imitate God.

With regard to all human traits, the middle of the road is the right path. For example: Do not be hot-tempered, easily angered. Nor, on the other hand should you be unfeeling like a corpse. Rather, take the middle of the road: keep an even disposition, reserving your anger for occasions when it is truly warranted. Similarly, do not cultivate a desire for luxuries; keep your eye fixed only on genuine necessities. In giving to others, do not hold back what you can afford, but do not give so lavishly that you yourself will be impoverished. Avoid both hysterical gaiety and somber dejection, and instead be calmly joyful always, showing a cheerful countenance. Act similarly with regard to all the dispositions. This is the path followed by the wise.

How do we fix these traits into our character? By repeatedly doing them, returning to them until they become second nature. And because these attributes are divine, this path, the one that avoids extremes, is called the path of God, and Abraham taught his descendants to follow it. Whoever follows it grains goodness and blessing, as it is said:

“For I have known him, that he might command his children and those who follow him to keep the LORD path, doing justice and right, that the Lord may fulfill for Abraham the divine purpose (Genesis 18.19).”

Smooth speech and deception are forbidden us. Our words must not differ from our thoughts; the inner and outer person must be the same; what is in the heart should be on the lips. We are forbidden to deceive anyone, Jew or Gentile, even in seemingly small matters. For example, one must not urge food on another, knowing that the other cannot eat it; one must not offer gifts that cannot be accepted; a storekeeper opening a bottle in order to sell its contents must not pretend to be opening it in honor of a particular person, and the like. Honest speech, integrity, and a pure heart—that is what is required of us.

If you see a friend sinning or pursuing an unworthy life, it is a Mitzvah to try to restore that person to the right path. Let your friend know that wrong actions are self-inflicted hurts, but speak softly and gently, making it clear that you speak only because of your concern for your friend’s well-being.

Our sages taught: One who shames another in public has no share in the world-to-come. Therefore one must take great care not to shame another in public, whether young or old, either by shameful name-calling or by tale-bearing.

This fragile life between birth and death can nevertheless be a fulfillment—if it is a dialogue. In our life and experience we are addressed; by thought and speech and action, by producing and by influencing we are able to answer. For the most part we do not listen to the address, or we break into it with chatter. But if the word comes to us and the answer proceeds from us, then human life exists, though brokenly, in the world. The kindling of the response in that spark of the soul, the blazing up of the response, which occurs time and again, to the unexpectedly approaching speech, we term responsibility. . .

Ethical life has entered into religious life, and cannot be extracted from it. There is no responsibility unless there is one to whom one is responsible, for there is no response where there is no address. . .

We shall accomplish nothing at all if we divide our world and our life into two domains: one in which God’s command is paramount, the other governed by the laws of economics, politics, and the simple self-assertion of the group. . . Stopping one’s ears so as not to hear the voice from above is breaking the connection between existence and the meaning of existence.

It was the favorite saying of the sages of Yavneh: I am a creature of God and you are a creature of God. My work may be in the city, yours is perhaps in the field. As you rise early to work, so I rise early to my work. As you do not claim that your work is superior to mine, so I do not claim that mine is superior to yours. And should one say, I do more important work and the other less important work, we have already learned: more or less, it does not matter, so long as the heart is turned toward heaven.

“The Lord loves the righteous (Psalm 146.8).”

The Holy one loves the righteous because their righteousness is not a matter of birth. The priests and Levites are members of ancestral houses; one cannot choose to join them. But anyone, Jew or Gentile, can choose to be righteous. Of their own accord the righteous give themselves to God in love. Therefore, the Holy one loves them.

“And an angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said: Abraham, Abraham! (Genesis 22.11)”

Rabbi Eliezer ben Jacob said: The repetition of ‘Abraham’ signifies that he was calling not only to Abraham, but to all subsequent generation. For there is no generation without its Abraham, none without its counterpart of Jacob, its Moses, and its Samuel.

Every human being has merits and faults. The righteous person has more merits than faults, the wicked one more faults than merits. The average person is (more or less) evenly balanced between the two. A community, too, is judged in this manner: if the merits of its citizens outweigh their faults, it is called righteous; if their faults outweigh their merits, it is called wicked.

Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar said:

The will-to-evil is like iron in a forge: While it is there, one can shape it, make untensils of it, anything you like. So with the will-to-evil: There is only one way to shape it aright, through the words of the Torah, which is like fire.

Rabbi Bunam said to his followers:

Our great transgression is not that we commit sins—temptation is strong and our strength is slight! No, our transgression is that at every instant we can turn to God—and we do not turn!

Though the Torah warns the wicked of punishment, God is merciful. “Therefore God instructs sinners in the way (Psalm 25.8)”—this is the way of repentance. When we ask: What is the fate of sinner? The Books of Wisdom reply: “Misfortune pursues sinners (Proverbs 13.21)” The Books of Prophecy reply: “The soul that sins shall die (Ezekiel 18.4)”. The Books of the Torah reply: “Let them bring an offering and be forgiven (Leviticus 1.4; 5.6, 16). But the Holy One replies: Let them repent and be forgiven. As it is written: “God instructs sinners in the way”—the way of repentance.

Who is truly repentant? The one who , when the temptation to sin is repeated, refrains from sinning.

Do not drink you are obliged to repent only for transgressions involving acts, such as stealing, robbing, and sexual immorality. Just as we must repent such acts, so must we examine our evil feelings and repent out anger, our jealousy, our mocking thoughts, our excessive ambition and greed. We must repent all these. Therefore it is written:

“Let the wicked forsake their ways, the unrighteous their thoughts (Isaiah 55.7).

There are many reasons for the sounding of the Shofar. Among them are these:

Rosh Hashanah marks the beginning of Creation,
and we, on Rosh Hashanah, accept the Creator as our Sovereign, as it is said: “With trumpets and the sound of the Shofar is sounded to herald their beginning as though to say: Let all who desire to repent, turn now.
Thirdly, the Shofar reminds us of our stand at Sinai, as it is said: “The blast of the Shofar grew louder and louder (Exodus 19.19),”in order that we may take upon ourselves what our ancestors took upon themselves when they said: “We will do and we will hear (Exodus 24.7)”
Fourthly, it reminds us of the Binding of Isaac, who offered himself to Heaven and was replaced by the ram caught by its horns is a thicket. So ought we to be ready at all times to offer our lives for the sanctification of God’s name.
Finally, it reminds us of redemption, that we may long passionately for it, as it is said:

“It shall come to pass on that day, that a great Shofar will be sounded; and all the lost shall return (Isaiah 27.13).

From year to year the need becomes more urgent for a religion that teaches reverence for life as its highest principle. Judaism is such a religion. The God it worships does not desire the death of sinners, but that they may turn and live. That God’s word is ‘Seek Me and live, and ‘Choose life.’ It is a religion which teaches that to destroy a single life is to destroy an entire world, and to sustain a single life is to sustain an entire world. It is a religion that yearns, above all things, for the day when swords will be beaten into ploughshares and spears into pruning hooks; whose aim, in the words of a modern Jewish writer, is ‘the creation of a human being unable to shed blood; whose toast is Lechayim, ‘To life! It is the religion of the Akedah, which is a symbol of life, not death, because Abraham is forbidden to sacrifice his son. It is a religion whose New Year is a celebration of life and a plea for its continuance:

‘Remember us unto life, O king who delights in life,, and inscribe us in the Book of Life, for your sake, O God of life.’

Glory to those who hope!

For the future is theirs;

Those who stand unflinching against the mountain

Shall gain its summit.

So hopes the river, running to the sea,

To fulfill its dreams in the crash of waters.

So longs the tree, branching skyward

At last to touch the palm of sun.

Therefore we love dawn as a promise of day,

The nightingale’s love-song as a longing for birth,

The flowing of streams as the beat of dreams made real,

Streams cutting channels for rivers of the future

And never growing weary.

And all who join hands, trusting creation—

These are the companions of hope.

Forge, then, the vision of days to come:

As the waves shape the rocky shore,

As the smith moulds white-hot steel at will,

Form dreams of faithfulness.

Desolation will not leave the desert,

Until it leaves the heart.

There is a grace that every dawn renews,

A loveliness making every morning fresh.

We will endure, we will prevail—

We, the children of Hope,

Children of the One

Who crowds the heavens with stars,

Endows the earth with glory,

And fills the mind with wonder!

SINAI 6000, Leviticus/Waiqrah

How now do we observe "My" feasts?

September 30, 2019 s1n4i600o-adm1n-d3v Leave a Comment

Image from billyhollandministries.wordpress.com

[This was originally posted in 2013 and revisited during the autumn feasts commanded to Israel in Leviticus 23. In the first two years of our pilgrimage, we were not sure how non-Israelites or Gentiles like ourselves were to observe these divinely-commanded feasts. At that time, we decided to ‘play it safe’; in other words, ‘just do it!’ As we continued to study the Torah, and discussed where do Gentiles fit into the plan of YHWH for all humanity, we started shifting into a different conclusion. This is one of the posts where we explain our position.

TRANSLATIONS: Unless otherwise stated, we are using [AST] or ArtScroll Tanach for the Hebrew Scriptures; and for Christian OT, the [ESV] English Standard Version.—Admin 1]

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The springboard for revisiting this topic is twofold:

It is timely, i.e. the ‘fall festivals’ of Leviticus 23 were scheduled during the shifting from the month of Elul to Tishrei, when three festivals are celebrated;

—starting with Yom Teruah (feast of trumpets) which is also Rosh Hashanah (new year),

—followed in 10 days by Yom Kippur (day of atonement),

—and in 5 days by Sukkot (feast of booths or tabernacles).

It is timely in terms of group retrospection:

—at about this time of the year,

—Sinai 6000 emerged informally as a core group of ‘Truth-seekers’

—who, two years ago, had dropped all previous religious affiliation

—to backtrack to the original pathway long trodden by Israel

—that led to the Sinai revelation.

—alternatively known to Jews in the Hebrew as Chumash,

—and to Christians in Greek as the Pentateuch.

Here’s a timely reminder from an article in aish.com, by Dovid Rosenfeld/Simchat Torah: Just You and Me:

Amen! Agree! “The Torah is the possession of all of us” —- the Israelite and non-Israelite, for the Jew and for the Gentile. We settled that issue from the start.

So what’s the problem?

Well, the continuing nagging question is this:

How does a non-Israelite, a non-Jew, a gentile,

“react” to that revelation in this day and age

and in the non-Torah cultures where we belong?

From our experience— initially upon learning that gentiles were among the Israelite population of the “mixed multitude” that left Egypt, we were elated to learn that non-Israelites were represented at Sinai even if the covenant was specifically with Israel. So without thinking, we claimed not only our ‘place’ but our ‘obligation’ to observe Torah. Simple? Well, not quite, not so fast.

As any gentile soon discovers upon embarking on a serious study of Torah, it is not as easy as reading ‘dos’ and ‘don’ts’, no questions asked, just obey.

Why not?

For one, the whole Torah is addressed, understandably, to guess who? Israel of course. So from the time Torah is given on Sinai, you feel like an outsider looking in. You could relate to “In the beginning” with Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Noah, Abraham, even Isaac and Jacob before he becomes Israel. (Jewish writers refer to them all as “Jews” but we don’t agree but that requires another article.)
For another, the context in which the instructions are given is specific:

—during their wilderness wanderings,

—with projections to the Israelites’ future

—when they enter and conquer the Land,

—and settle themselves there according to tribal assignments.

If there were references to gentiles, they were not at all complimentary,

—particularly when referring to the idolatrous nations

—who ignorantly worshipped the creation rather than the Creator

—and who were notorious for abominable practices

—that Israel was constantly warned against following.

The gentler references were towards—

—‘foreigners’ or ‘strangers’ in their midst

—who were to be treated kindly

—just like ‘widows’ and ‘orphans’ and the ‘poor’

—but were excluded from certain observances that were strictly for the ‘circumcised’.

As such, much of Torah leaves a gentile perplexed, so that the question we often ask:

“how does this apply to me in my context — today in my culture, my nationality, my personal identity?”
or more specifically, “how could I possibly apply what I read and learn —

—in the context of the times I live in,

—the culture,

—the world system that operates not only differently

—but is not evenTorah-friendly”?

Jews who live the Torah way are ‘set apart’ from the larger community not necessarily in terms of separating themselves physically but in terms of showing a distinct cultural if not religious identity, from the food they eat, to the day they congregate, to the place identified specifically with them — the synagogue, to the symbols and trappings characteristically theirs or associated with them, as well as the festivals they celebrate, and much more.

The gentile communities among whom Jews live are aware of them and their ‘distinctiveness’. In the Land where areas are under Israeli control, Jews are free to practice their religion, customs and traditions; the laws of the Land so to speak, are ‘Torah-friendly’.

But what about the gentile who embraces the Torah and the God Who prescribed it as a way of life? Where does a gentile go? What does a gentile do? Is the natural consequence isolation? Separation from former religious affiliations which is what we do experience? Or eventually join Judaism? Could a gentile live Torah without resorting to copying Jewish traditional ways? How much of Torah could and should a gentile apply to his/her life? Surely, there are many more questions that come up as one reads through the Chumash. But let’s keep it simple for now.

This much we have understood and decided upon as individuals as well as a small start-up community:

Of the 613 do’s and don’ts in the Torah, you will notice—

—some are specific to Israel,

—to Israel in the Land,

—to a specific tribe such as Levi,

—to women, or men,

—to masters or slaves, etc.

Understand the intention: to regulate Israel’s life while in the wilderness and eventually in the Land.

Therefore, which ones are applicable to us, gentiles living in this day and age? A few easy answers that universally apply:

Health laws such as Leviticus 11 – the diet prescribed for human consumption are relevant; unclean animals were created “good” and “very good” and still fulfill their scavenger assignment to clean up the earth, but don’t eat them if you want to remain healthy from birth to old age.
Sanitation laws: modern medicine caught up with Torah’s quarantine of infectious diseases; hygienic practices of burying human waste under the soil; drinking water from running water, etc.
Kind treatment of the underprivileged: widows, orphans, the poor, strangers and foreigners.
Laws generally adopted in democratic societies (individual freedom, rights and responsibilities; equal justice for all, and so on.)

There are many more, but we have to move on to the topic of this post.

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What about Leviticus 23, which YHWH calls “My” feasts? If it were “your” feasts, we could interpret them to mean they’re intended only for Israel.

[ESV] Leviticus 23:1-2

[AST] Leviticus 23:1-2

If these feasts are the YHWH’s “appointed times” should not all humanity observe them? At first glance, it would appear so . . . but ponder this:

Passover (Pesach, including Unleavened Bread and First Fruits), 3 in 1;
and Shavuot (Pentecost) for the spring festivals;
and Sukkot (Feast of Booths/ Tabernacles) in the fall festivals.

Pesach/Unleavened Bread/First Fruits — exodus or liberation from bondage;
Shavuot — Covenant on Sinai, giving of the Torah;
Sukkot — lived in tents in the wilderness wanderings, as the God of Israel lived among them.

However . . . the weekly Sabbath was instituted as a feast for all created humanity to remember Who is the Creator, as early as Bereshiyth/Genesis 2:1-3:

Before there was Israel, there was the Sabbath.

Before the giving of the Torah on Sinai, there was the Sabbath.

On the way to Sinai, Israel’s God trained the mixed multitude to observe the seventh day by teaching them to take two day’s portion of manna on the 6th day, so that they could rest on the 7th:

Finally on Sinai, the 10 “Words” were inscribed on tablets of stone and the 4th was the Sabbath . . . it officially became Law:

[AST] Shemoth/Exodus 20:8-11

Later as Israel fails to live up to the Torah and is warned by prophet after prophet to mend its ways and return to YHWH, Isaiah adds this:

[58:13-14]

And still speaking to Israel, the universal scope of Sabbath observance is emphasized:

[56:1-8]

Note vs. 3:

And vs.6:

That clear, how now does a gentile observe the Sabbath?

What about us . . . non-Jews?

For now, our Sinaite core group have decided on the following:

The essence of the Sabbath is to spend the day fully concentrating on YHWH and His Torah.
We obey the command to “cease” from doing what we normally do six days a week,
- that is, as much as it is possible for us to do so in a Sunday-world-system when some of us have jobs that require us to work on the Sabbath.
We welcome the sabbath on ‘erev’ like the Jews do, either individually, with family, or with community.
We take our 6-8 hours sleep the rest of that evening.
Those of us who don’t work spend Saturday AM hours in study, prayer, devotional time.
Those of us who work take our noon lunch-hour off to worship together and read Torah; we figure we’ve already observed 16 hours of the Sabbath as best as we could within the Sunday system we are caught in; we dedicate our work-hours ever-conscious of our Creator God and grateful for all He has done for us the past week, if not for all of our lifetime.
Those of us who are free all day come together (Saturday PM hours) to a fellowship meal and study Torah together; regarding this —- we’ve been made conscious by a Jewish friend that all we’ve done is move our Sunday activities to Saturday, but we find nothing wrong with coming together because our God is the God of the Sabbath, and because we do not see each other all week so what better day to enjoy one another than His appointed day?
When we break up at ‘havdalah’ like the Jews, we say goodbye to the Sabbath and look forward to the next.

That settles the Sabbath.

What about the other “My” feast that all people — Jew and Gentile are obligated to observe?

Does everybody sin? Yes. . .

Does everybody need to observe the Day of Atonement? Yes!

So what about Yom Kippur? Please read the sequel to be written later.

On behalf of Sinai 6000 Core Community,

NSB@S6K