Friday, September 28, 2012
THEY FORGOT THEIR SUSTAINER
How could a person ever forget God who gave you everything?
To illustrate, here's a parable:
Tom: "I can't take it. All day long my creditors bug me for their money. What should I do?"
Jack: "Make believe you are insane, and yell and scream at them until they leave you alone."
Tom (one week later): "Your trick worked beautifully! They all steer clear of me now."
Jack: "That's great. By the way, Tom, what about the $100 you owe me?"
Tom begins to yell and scream.
Jack: "Come on, Tom! I was the one who gave you that idea. You can't use it on me!"
God gives us the power to forget, so that we don't remain depressed and embarrassed for the rest of our lives. How can we then go and forget God?!
AISH
Sunday, September 23, 2012
EAGERLY CHASE RIGHTEOUSNESS
(Pro 21:21): "Followeth after" [raw-daf] is to chase eagerly after that which is as eagerly keeping itself from you. The same as Jesus statement, "Seek ye First the Kingdom of God and His righteousness" (Mat 6:33). (7-29-10)
In fact it is very likely that this verse is what Jesus had in mind when He admonished His disciples in the Sermon on the Mount to not be anxious about the cares of this world but "eagerly chase" or "Seek first" His kingdom and all these things would be added. Put Him first in everything and all needs will fall into place. "Acknowledge Him in all your ways and He will direct your path," (Pro_3:6). Hunger and thirst after righteousness and you shall be filled (Mat_5:6).
The Righteousness [tsed-aw-kaw] we eagerly chase includes virtue and prosperity and he that asks receives, he that seeks finds and he that knocks the door is opened (Mat 7:7). The becoming absorbed in the chase for righteousness and mercy to the forgetfulness of self is to find life!
Following after the things of the world is never satisfying because you do not find all you were looking for; but following after righteousness and mercy you find more than you bargained for in the satisfying (or more abundant) life (Joh_10:10).
Kelsey Griffin
In fact it is very likely that this verse is what Jesus had in mind when He admonished His disciples in the Sermon on the Mount to not be anxious about the cares of this world but "eagerly chase" or "Seek first" His kingdom and all these things would be added. Put Him first in everything and all needs will fall into place. "Acknowledge Him in all your ways and He will direct your path," (Pro_3:6). Hunger and thirst after righteousness and you shall be filled (Mat_5:6).
The Righteousness [tsed-aw-kaw] we eagerly chase includes virtue and prosperity and he that asks receives, he that seeks finds and he that knocks the door is opened (Mat 7:7). The becoming absorbed in the chase for righteousness and mercy to the forgetfulness of self is to find life!
Following after the things of the world is never satisfying because you do not find all you were looking for; but following after righteousness and mercy you find more than you bargained for in the satisfying (or more abundant) life (Joh_10:10).
Kelsey Griffin
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Moses, the Penultimate Tzaddik
Chevra kadisha
Main article: Bereavement in Judaism
A chevra kadisha (Khevra kadishah) (Aramaic: חברא קדישא, Ḥebh'ra Qaddisha "holy society") is an organization of Jewish men and women who see to it that the bodies of Jews are prepared for burial according to Jewish tradition and are protected from desecration, willful or not, until burial. Two of the main requirements are the showing of proper respect for a corpse, and the ritual cleansing of the body and subsequent dressing for burial. It is usually referred to as a burial society in English.
The task of the chevra kadisha is considered a laudable one, as tending to the dead is a favour that the recipient cannot return, making it devoid of ulterior motives. Its work is therefore referred to as a chesed shel emet (a good deed of truth), paraphrased from Genesis 47:29 (where Jacob asks his son Joseph, "do me a 'true' favor" and Joseph promises his father to bury him in the Land of Israel).
At the heart of the society's function is the ritual of tahara, or purification. The body is first thoroughly cleansed of dirt, body fluids and solids, and anything else that may be on the skin, and then it is ritually purified by immersion in, or a continuous flow of, water from the head over the entire body. Tahara may refer to either the entire process, or to the ritual purification. Once the body is purified, the body is dressed in tachrichim, or shrouds, of white pure cotton garments made up of ten pieces for a male and twelve for a female, which are identical for each Jew and which symbolically recalls the garments worn by the Kohen Gadol (High Priest). Once the body is dressed, the casket is closed. When being buried in Israel, however, a casket is not used.
The society may also provide shomrim, or watchers, to guard the body from theft, rodents, or desecration until burial. In some communities this is done by people close to the departed or by paid shomrim hired by the funeral home. At one time, the danger of theft of the body was very real; in modern times it has become a way of honoring the deceased.
A specific task for the burial society is tending to the dead who have no immediate next-of-kin. These are termed a meit mitzvah (a mitzvah corpse), as tending to a meit mitzvah overrides virtually any other positive commandment (mitzvat aseh) of Torah law.
Many burial societies hold one or two annual fast days and organise regular study sessions to remain up-to-date with the relevant articles of Jewish law. In addition, most burial societies also support families during the shiv'ah (traditional week of mourning) by arranging prayer services, meals and other facilities.
While burial societies were, in Europe, generally a community function, in America it has become far more common for societies to be organized by each synagogue. However, not every synagogue has such a society.[citation needed]
In the late 19th and early 20th century, chevra kadisha societies were formed as landsmanshaft fraternal societies in the United States. Some landsmanshaft were burial societies while others were "independent" groups split off from the chevras. There were 20,000 such landsmanshaft in the U.S. at one time.[1][2] Wiki
Main article: Bereavement in Judaism
A chevra kadisha (Khevra kadishah) (Aramaic: חברא קדישא, Ḥebh'ra Qaddisha "holy society") is an organization of Jewish men and women who see to it that the bodies of Jews are prepared for burial according to Jewish tradition and are protected from desecration, willful or not, until burial. Two of the main requirements are the showing of proper respect for a corpse, and the ritual cleansing of the body and subsequent dressing for burial. It is usually referred to as a burial society in English.
The task of the chevra kadisha is considered a laudable one, as tending to the dead is a favour that the recipient cannot return, making it devoid of ulterior motives. Its work is therefore referred to as a chesed shel emet (a good deed of truth), paraphrased from Genesis 47:29 (where Jacob asks his son Joseph, "do me a 'true' favor" and Joseph promises his father to bury him in the Land of Israel).
At the heart of the society's function is the ritual of tahara, or purification. The body is first thoroughly cleansed of dirt, body fluids and solids, and anything else that may be on the skin, and then it is ritually purified by immersion in, or a continuous flow of, water from the head over the entire body. Tahara may refer to either the entire process, or to the ritual purification. Once the body is purified, the body is dressed in tachrichim, or shrouds, of white pure cotton garments made up of ten pieces for a male and twelve for a female, which are identical for each Jew and which symbolically recalls the garments worn by the Kohen Gadol (High Priest). Once the body is dressed, the casket is closed. When being buried in Israel, however, a casket is not used.
The society may also provide shomrim, or watchers, to guard the body from theft, rodents, or desecration until burial. In some communities this is done by people close to the departed or by paid shomrim hired by the funeral home. At one time, the danger of theft of the body was very real; in modern times it has become a way of honoring the deceased.
A specific task for the burial society is tending to the dead who have no immediate next-of-kin. These are termed a meit mitzvah (a mitzvah corpse), as tending to a meit mitzvah overrides virtually any other positive commandment (mitzvat aseh) of Torah law.
Many burial societies hold one or two annual fast days and organise regular study sessions to remain up-to-date with the relevant articles of Jewish law. In addition, most burial societies also support families during the shiv'ah (traditional week of mourning) by arranging prayer services, meals and other facilities.
While burial societies were, in Europe, generally a community function, in America it has become far more common for societies to be organized by each synagogue. However, not every synagogue has such a society.[citation needed]
In the late 19th and early 20th century, chevra kadisha societies were formed as landsmanshaft fraternal societies in the United States. Some landsmanshaft were burial societies while others were "independent" groups split off from the chevras. There were 20,000 such landsmanshaft in the U.S. at one time.[1][2] Wiki
Thursday, September 20, 2012
SAY SO
(Luke 24:28; Psa 107:2): "He made as though He would go further" "Let the redeemed of the Lord say so."
He wished to elicit a voluntary expression of their hospitality. They had goodness in their hearts. It only needed to be exercised.
The hidden goodness sought expression. Sentiment of hospitality found a voice.
But they constrained Him, saying, Abide with us; because it is toward evening, and the day is now far spent.
He did not do this for His own sake, but for theirs.
It was not to obtain a night's lodging.
But to let them have a larger heart!
Goodness expressed is goodness confirmed.
Hospitality uttered is hospitality enriched.
Feelings that find no utterance die from suffocation.
To confess sentiment is to strengthen it.
To hide sentiment is to lose it.
If you wish to strengthen a feeling, express it. If you wish to destroy a feeling, deprive it a tongue.
"O give thanks unto the Lord."
"Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving."
Man who said, "If I ever quit loving you I will tell you."
Gratitude unexpressed cools into apathy.
"It is a good thing to give thanks."
"Everyone who confesses me before men, him shall the Son of man confess before the angels of God." This is not a threat, it is a principle! It is cause and effect.
"If thou shalt confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and shall believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved."
Confession would stop many an unfair conversation, dry up the applause of a filthy joke and lift up many a downhearted soul.
Kelsey Griffin
He wished to elicit a voluntary expression of their hospitality. They had goodness in their hearts. It only needed to be exercised.
The hidden goodness sought expression. Sentiment of hospitality found a voice.
But they constrained Him, saying, Abide with us; because it is toward evening, and the day is now far spent.
He did not do this for His own sake, but for theirs.
It was not to obtain a night's lodging.
But to let them have a larger heart!
Goodness expressed is goodness confirmed.
Hospitality uttered is hospitality enriched.
Feelings that find no utterance die from suffocation.
To confess sentiment is to strengthen it.
To hide sentiment is to lose it.
If you wish to strengthen a feeling, express it. If you wish to destroy a feeling, deprive it a tongue.
"O give thanks unto the Lord."
"Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving."
Man who said, "If I ever quit loving you I will tell you."
Gratitude unexpressed cools into apathy.
"It is a good thing to give thanks."
"Everyone who confesses me before men, him shall the Son of man confess before the angels of God." This is not a threat, it is a principle! It is cause and effect.
"If thou shalt confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and shall believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved."
Confession would stop many an unfair conversation, dry up the applause of a filthy joke and lift up many a downhearted soul.
Kelsey Griffin
REDEMPTION NEGOTIATED
(Ruth 4:1-12): Boaz negotiated Ruth's redemption just as Jesus negotiated ours; legally and completely.
How completely this proposal illustrates the proposition of Jesus Christ our great Redeemer in our behalf. Thus publicly He agreed, in the presence of witnesses of the seven Spirits of God (Rev 3:1), to make Himself an offering for sin (Heb 10:5-10). Thus legally would He fulfill all righteousness for man, and be made under the law (Gal 4:4), that He might redeem those who were under the law from the bondage of its condemnation (Gal 4:5). Thus perfectly and completely would He buy back all that man had lost in Adam, and unite unto Himself the nature which had sinned and fallen. But angels were a created nature, far nearer in relation to man. Might not the proposition be made to them? Would they not redeem the lost? Ah, willing they might be; we doubt not they were. But able they could never be. The redemption of a soul they must accomplished by the Kinsman Redeemer alone. None other can bring salvation. His own arm must bring salvation. His righteousness must sustain Him. He was content to do the will of God, and His law was in His heart. Here was to be complete redemption. He would take the shoe, like Boaz, and acknowledge the obligation, and perform the duties of which it was the token. He would stand in the sinner's place (Rom 3:26). He would make Himself an offering in his stead (Isa 53:10). All this exercise and work of redeeming love was in the fullness of His own grace, without any connection of yours with it. Yes; just as the proposal of Boaz was without Ruth's presence or knowledge; made in her absence, while she was with her mother at home, and not to be made known to her until it was completed; so was this great proposal of Jesus Christ to be your Kinsman, and to fulfill for you all the kinsman's obligations, made without your counsel and accomplished without your help (Eph 1:11). This is the unsearchable riches of Christ (Eph 3:8). It ruled over every obstacle. It met every difficulty. It is extended to sinful man with no conditions. It invites him, and offers its bounties to him without any qualifications whatever. It announces a redemption all complete, and begs him to receive and to enjoy it. Thus God has chosen to redeem. And thus He has chosen us to be His Bride, the subjects of His redemption.
Kelsey Griffin
How completely this proposal illustrates the proposition of Jesus Christ our great Redeemer in our behalf. Thus publicly He agreed, in the presence of witnesses of the seven Spirits of God (Rev 3:1), to make Himself an offering for sin (Heb 10:5-10). Thus legally would He fulfill all righteousness for man, and be made under the law (Gal 4:4), that He might redeem those who were under the law from the bondage of its condemnation (Gal 4:5). Thus perfectly and completely would He buy back all that man had lost in Adam, and unite unto Himself the nature which had sinned and fallen. But angels were a created nature, far nearer in relation to man. Might not the proposition be made to them? Would they not redeem the lost? Ah, willing they might be; we doubt not they were. But able they could never be. The redemption of a soul they must accomplished by the Kinsman Redeemer alone. None other can bring salvation. His own arm must bring salvation. His righteousness must sustain Him. He was content to do the will of God, and His law was in His heart. Here was to be complete redemption. He would take the shoe, like Boaz, and acknowledge the obligation, and perform the duties of which it was the token. He would stand in the sinner's place (Rom 3:26). He would make Himself an offering in his stead (Isa 53:10). All this exercise and work of redeeming love was in the fullness of His own grace, without any connection of yours with it. Yes; just as the proposal of Boaz was without Ruth's presence or knowledge; made in her absence, while she was with her mother at home, and not to be made known to her until it was completed; so was this great proposal of Jesus Christ to be your Kinsman, and to fulfill for you all the kinsman's obligations, made without your counsel and accomplished without your help (Eph 1:11). This is the unsearchable riches of Christ (Eph 3:8). It ruled over every obstacle. It met every difficulty. It is extended to sinful man with no conditions. It invites him, and offers its bounties to him without any qualifications whatever. It announces a redemption all complete, and begs him to receive and to enjoy it. Thus God has chosen to redeem. And thus He has chosen us to be His Bride, the subjects of His redemption.
Kelsey Griffin
JESUS WILL NOT REST UNTIL HE HAS A BRIDE
(Ruth 3:18): Once Boaz realized the turn of events that had resulted from his kindness to Ruth everything he would do from then until the consummation of this transaction would be in regard to her.
Jesus Christ is the same and will not rest until His bride is at His side.
(2Pe 3:9) "Not slack concerning His promise"
(Isa 62:7) "Give Him no rest" (Isa 62:1)
(Isa 42:4)He will not be discouraged until it be accomplished
When he knew she would be his he immediately went to work on making her his own.
·Went to the one whose right it is.
·Went to prepare her a place.
·Gave her provisions to care for her until he returned.
·Naomi was there to assure and prepare her.
Jesus came first to pay the price and make us His own.
He has gone now to prepare a place (Joh 14:1-3; Rev 21-22)
We have the earnest of our inheritance (Eph 1:14)
He is not resting yet (Heb 4:9) for "there remains a rest to the people of God"
The last minute inspection is being made now.
The Spirit is preparing us (Joh 14:26).
Bride is making herself ready (Rev 19:7; Eph 5:26)
(Heb 9:28) "Unto them that look for Him" (Tit 2:10-14; Phi 3:20)
·He will not be relaxed.
·He will leave nothing undone.
·He has given us provisions.
·We have the language, citizenship, bank, home, Spirit.
·We will have the body for it.
·He is stirred up about it.
·He keeps moving forward.
·He is working within our bodies to prepare us.
· (Joh 19:30) "It is finished"
·Isaac went to meditate.
·Esther would wear whatever the chamberlain chose
·"I have a baptism to be baptized with and how am I straitened until it be accomplished" (or, let me do it now, I am anxious to get it done)
Kelsey Griffin
Jesus Christ is the same and will not rest until His bride is at His side.
(2Pe 3:9) "Not slack concerning His promise"
(Isa 62:7) "Give Him no rest" (Isa 62:1)
(Isa 42:4)He will not be discouraged until it be accomplished
When he knew she would be his he immediately went to work on making her his own.
·Went to the one whose right it is.
·Went to prepare her a place.
·Gave her provisions to care for her until he returned.
·Naomi was there to assure and prepare her.
Jesus came first to pay the price and make us His own.
He has gone now to prepare a place (Joh 14:1-3; Rev 21-22)
We have the earnest of our inheritance (Eph 1:14)
He is not resting yet (Heb 4:9) for "there remains a rest to the people of God"
The last minute inspection is being made now.
The Spirit is preparing us (Joh 14:26).
Bride is making herself ready (Rev 19:7; Eph 5:26)
(Heb 9:28) "Unto them that look for Him" (Tit 2:10-14; Phi 3:20)
·He will not be relaxed.
·He will leave nothing undone.
·He has given us provisions.
·We have the language, citizenship, bank, home, Spirit.
·We will have the body for it.
·He is stirred up about it.
·He keeps moving forward.
·He is working within our bodies to prepare us.
· (Joh 19:30) "It is finished"
·Isaac went to meditate.
·Esther would wear whatever the chamberlain chose
·"I have a baptism to be baptized with and how am I straitened until it be accomplished" (or, let me do it now, I am anxious to get it done)
Kelsey Griffin
Preparing for life after death
"But regarding the fact that the dead rise again, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the burning bush, how God spoke to him, saying, 'I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? He is not the God of the dead, but of the living." (Mark 12:26-27, quoting Exodus 3:6)
Commentary:
Please do not bury me in Egypt, but when I lie down with my fathers, you shall carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burial place. (Genesis 47:29-30)
Jacob made his son Joseph swear that he would not bury him in Egypt, but that he would be carried to the land of Israel and buried with his fathers Abraham and Isaac in the Machpelah cave. Jacob's insistence on being buried in the family tomb back in the land of Canaan indicates that, even in death, he still believed in the Abrahamic promises. He believed the land of Canaan would one day belong to his children, and he wanted to be buried there. Moreover, Jacob believed in life after death. That is what he means when he told his sons, "I am about to be gathered to my people" (Genesis 49:29). Jacob anticipated being reunited with his forefathers.
Some cynics say that religion is a crutch for people who fear death. That may sometimes be the case, but it certainly does not apply to those who study Torah. The Torah does not say much about life after death. It's really not a book about how to go to heaven or what happens after we die. The Torah is more concerned with how we live in this lifetime, not the next. It is possible to read the entire Torah and conclude that there is no afterlife or resurrection from the dead. In the days of the apostles, a sect of Judaism called the Sadducees did exactly that. They read the Torah, did not see anything about an afterlife, and concluded that there is no afterlife, no heaven or hell, no resurrection from the dead.
Another sect of Judaism from the days of the apostles disagreed. They were called the Pharisees. They read the same Torah as the Sadducees, but came to a different conclusion. Though the Torah is not a book about the afterlife or how to receive eternal life, the Pharisees found many hints and clues that pointed toward the afterlife and the resurrection from the dead.
Once, a Pharisee named Rabbi Simai was arguing with the Sadducees. They asked him to prove from the Torah that the dead would be raised.
Rabbi Simai said, "From where in Torah do we learn the resurrection of the dead? From the verse, 'I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan.' It doesn't say '[to give] you'; it says 'to give them.' Therefore [since Abraham, Isaac and Jacob haven't yet received the land] the resurrection of the dead is proved from the Torah." (b.Sanhedrin 90b, Talmud, quoting Exodus 6:4)
Rabbi Simai's point is that God promised to give the land to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—not just to their descendents. Yet, as the writer of the book of Hebrews points out, the patriarchs "died in faith, without receiving the promises" (Hebrews 11:13). God must keep His promise, but in order to do so, He will have to raise the patriarchs from the dead. This explains why Jacob was so adamant about being buried in the tomb of his fathers in the land of Canaan.
Part of life is preparing for death, and part of preparing for death is preparing for life after death. Jacob prepared for death in full confidence because he had a relationship with the living God. FFOZ
Commentary:
Please do not bury me in Egypt, but when I lie down with my fathers, you shall carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burial place. (Genesis 47:29-30)
Jacob made his son Joseph swear that he would not bury him in Egypt, but that he would be carried to the land of Israel and buried with his fathers Abraham and Isaac in the Machpelah cave. Jacob's insistence on being buried in the family tomb back in the land of Canaan indicates that, even in death, he still believed in the Abrahamic promises. He believed the land of Canaan would one day belong to his children, and he wanted to be buried there. Moreover, Jacob believed in life after death. That is what he means when he told his sons, "I am about to be gathered to my people" (Genesis 49:29). Jacob anticipated being reunited with his forefathers.
Some cynics say that religion is a crutch for people who fear death. That may sometimes be the case, but it certainly does not apply to those who study Torah. The Torah does not say much about life after death. It's really not a book about how to go to heaven or what happens after we die. The Torah is more concerned with how we live in this lifetime, not the next. It is possible to read the entire Torah and conclude that there is no afterlife or resurrection from the dead. In the days of the apostles, a sect of Judaism called the Sadducees did exactly that. They read the Torah, did not see anything about an afterlife, and concluded that there is no afterlife, no heaven or hell, no resurrection from the dead.
Another sect of Judaism from the days of the apostles disagreed. They were called the Pharisees. They read the same Torah as the Sadducees, but came to a different conclusion. Though the Torah is not a book about the afterlife or how to receive eternal life, the Pharisees found many hints and clues that pointed toward the afterlife and the resurrection from the dead.
Once, a Pharisee named Rabbi Simai was arguing with the Sadducees. They asked him to prove from the Torah that the dead would be raised.
Rabbi Simai said, "From where in Torah do we learn the resurrection of the dead? From the verse, 'I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan.' It doesn't say '[to give] you'; it says 'to give them.' Therefore [since Abraham, Isaac and Jacob haven't yet received the land] the resurrection of the dead is proved from the Torah." (b.Sanhedrin 90b, Talmud, quoting Exodus 6:4)
Rabbi Simai's point is that God promised to give the land to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—not just to their descendents. Yet, as the writer of the book of Hebrews points out, the patriarchs "died in faith, without receiving the promises" (Hebrews 11:13). God must keep His promise, but in order to do so, He will have to raise the patriarchs from the dead. This explains why Jacob was so adamant about being buried in the tomb of his fathers in the land of Canaan.
Part of life is preparing for death, and part of preparing for death is preparing for life after death. Jacob prepared for death in full confidence because he had a relationship with the living God. FFOZ
Moses and Gethsemane
In the Jewish legends about his death, Moses does not go passively or willingly. Instead, he argues vociferously for life. In anguish of soul, he implores God to spare him the indignity of death. He beseeches God for mercy, and attempts to counter the heavenly decree. It seems strange that the traditional stories would paint Moses--the hero of heroes--as reluctant to accept death. Wouldn't we expect Moses to boldly stride into that dark night? But Moses is an example for all of God's people, and from His example we learn that we are not to accept death passively. Moses tells us, "Choose life in order that you may live." (30:19)
In some religious circles, there is an unhealthy and morbid fascination with death. Since "to be absent from the body is to be home with the Lord," (2 Corinthians 5:8) it might seem natural to look forward to death and embrace it when it comes. But death is the enemy--the last enemy. (1 Corinthians 15:26) Though death is an inevitable certainty, it is never our hope. Our hope is in life, and the only reason we find comfort in death is that we have seen life (which is Messiah) overcome it.
Because we are made for immortality, death is a sacrilege to our inner-being. Therefore, in the traditional stories about Moses, he resists death, even though his hope is certain.
In the same way, the second Moses, goes to death in anguish. His reluctant struggle in Gethsemene and His agonized cry from the cross might give us pause to wonder. He says, "Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me!" (Matthew 26:39) How is it, when so many martyrs have gone bravely to their deaths, that the Master would flinch in the face of His own--especially when He knew that His death would purchase the redemption of Israel? It is incomprehensible until we remember the stories of Moses. Death is abhorrent, and one has an obligation to strive against it. Just as Moses beseeched God for reprieve, so too, Yeshua struggles for life. Yet ultimately, both Moses and the Master surrender to the will of the Father. "Not as I will, but as You will." (Matthew 26:39) For it is in submission to the Father that life is found. They chose life, even in death, and in the death of Messiah, we find life. FFOZ
Saturday, September 15, 2012
#IsraelFacts
@Summit4Israel: Nationhood and Jerusalem: #Israel became a nation in 1312 BC, two thousand (2000) years before the rise of #Islam. #IsraelFacts
@Summit4Israel: Arab refugees in Israel began identifying themselves as Palestinian people in 1967, 2 decades after the establishment of the State of Israel
@Summit4Israel: Since the Jewish conquest in 1272 BC, the Jews have had dominion over the land for one 1000 yrs #IsraelFacts
@Summit4Israel: Jews have had dominion over the land for one 1000 yrs with a continuous presence in the land for the past 3,300 years. #IsraelFacts
@Summit4Israel: The only Arab dominion since the conquest in 635 lasted no more than 22 years. #IsraelFacts
@Summit4Israel: For over 3,300 years, Jerusalem has been the Jewish capital.
#IsraelFacts #Jerusalem #Israel
@Summit4Israel: Jerusalem has never been the capital of any Arab or Muslim entity. #Jerusalem #IsraelFacts #Israel
@Summit4Israel: Even when the Jordanians occupied Jerusalem, they never sought to make it their capital, & Arab leaders did not bother to come visit #Israel
@Summit4Israel: Jerusalem is mentioned over 700 times in Tanach, the Jewish Holy scriptures. Jerusalem is not mentioned even once in the Koran. #IsraelFacts
@Summit4Israel: King David founded the city of #Jerusalem. Mohammed never came to Jerusalem. #IsraelFacts #Israel
@Summit4Israel: Jews pray facing #Jerusalem. Muslims pray with their backs toward Jerusalem. #IsraelFacts #Israel
@Summit4Israel: Arab and #Jewish Refugees: in 1948 the #Arab refugees were encouraged to leave #Israel by Arab leaders promising to purge the land of #Jews.
@Summit4Israel: Arab & Jewish Refugees: 68% left (many in fear of retaliation by their own brethren, the Arabs), without ever seeing an #Israeli soldier.
@Summit4Israel: Arab & Jewish Refugees: Those who stayed were afforded the same peace civility & citizenship rights as everyone else #Israel #IsraelFacts
@Summit4Israel: Arab & Jewish Refugees: The #Jewish refugees were forced to flee from Arab lands due to Arab brutality, persecution & pogroms. #IsraelFacts
@Summit4Israel: The # of Arab refugees who left Israel in 1948 estimated to be 630,000. The # of Jewish refugees from Arab lands is estimated to be the same
@Summit4Israel: Arab refugees were INTENTIONLLY not absorbed or integrated into the Arab lands to which they fled, despite the vast Arab territory.
@Summit4Israel: Of 100 million #refugees since WWII, Arabs are only #refugee group in the world that's never been integrated into their own people's lands.
@Summit4Israel: WWII #Jewish refugees were completely absorbed into #Israel, a country no larger than the state of New Jersey. #Israel #IsraelFacts
@Summit4Israel: The Arab-#Israeli Conflict: the Arabs are represented by 8 separate nations, not including the Palestinians. There is only 1 #Jewish nation.
@Summit4Israel: The Arab nations initiated all 5 wars & lost. #Israel defended itself each time & won. #Israel #IsraelFacts #Jews
@Summit4Israel: The PLO's Charter still calls for the destruction of the State of
#Israel #IsraelFacts #Jerusalem #Jews
@Summit4Israel: #Israel has given the Palestinians most of the West Bank land, autonomy under the Palestinian Authority, & has supplied them. #IsraelFacts
@Summit4Israel: Under Jordanian rule #Jewish holy sites were desecrated & the #Jews were denied access to places of worship. #IsraelFacts #Israel #Jerusalem
@Summit4Israel: Under #Israeli rule, all Muslim & #Christian sites in #Israel have been preserved and made accessible to people of all faiths. #IsraelFacts
@Summit4Israel: The #UN Record on #Israel & the Arabs: of 175 Security Council resolutions passed before 1990, 97 were directed against Israel #IsraelFacts
@Summit4Israel: UN Record on Israel and the Arabs: Of 690 General Assembly resolutions voted on before 1990, 429 were directed against #Israel #IsraelFacts
@Summit4Israel: The #UN was silent while the Jordanians destroyed 58 Jerusalem
synagogues. #Israel #IsraelFacts #Jews #Jerusalem
@Summit4Israel: The #UN was silent while the Jordanians systematically desecrated the ancient #Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives. #IsraelFacts #Israel
@Summit4Israel: #UN was silent while Jordanians enforced an apartheid-like policy of preventing #Jews from visiting the #TempleMount & the #WesternWall
@Summit4Israel: Arab refugees in Israel began identifying themselves as Palestinian people in 1967, 2 decades after the establishment of the State of Israel
@Summit4Israel: Since the Jewish conquest in 1272 BC, the Jews have had dominion over the land for one 1000 yrs #IsraelFacts
@Summit4Israel: Jews have had dominion over the land for one 1000 yrs with a continuous presence in the land for the past 3,300 years. #IsraelFacts
@Summit4Israel: The only Arab dominion since the conquest in 635 lasted no more than 22 years. #IsraelFacts
@Summit4Israel: For over 3,300 years, Jerusalem has been the Jewish capital.
#IsraelFacts #Jerusalem #Israel
@Summit4Israel: Jerusalem has never been the capital of any Arab or Muslim entity. #Jerusalem #IsraelFacts #Israel
@Summit4Israel: Even when the Jordanians occupied Jerusalem, they never sought to make it their capital, & Arab leaders did not bother to come visit #Israel
@Summit4Israel: Jerusalem is mentioned over 700 times in Tanach, the Jewish Holy scriptures. Jerusalem is not mentioned even once in the Koran. #IsraelFacts
@Summit4Israel: King David founded the city of #Jerusalem. Mohammed never came to Jerusalem. #IsraelFacts #Israel
@Summit4Israel: Jews pray facing #Jerusalem. Muslims pray with their backs toward Jerusalem. #IsraelFacts #Israel
@Summit4Israel: Arab and #Jewish Refugees: in 1948 the #Arab refugees were encouraged to leave #Israel by Arab leaders promising to purge the land of #Jews.
@Summit4Israel: Arab & Jewish Refugees: 68% left (many in fear of retaliation by their own brethren, the Arabs), without ever seeing an #Israeli soldier.
@Summit4Israel: Arab & Jewish Refugees: Those who stayed were afforded the same peace civility & citizenship rights as everyone else #Israel #IsraelFacts
@Summit4Israel: Arab & Jewish Refugees: The #Jewish refugees were forced to flee from Arab lands due to Arab brutality, persecution & pogroms. #IsraelFacts
@Summit4Israel: The # of Arab refugees who left Israel in 1948 estimated to be 630,000. The # of Jewish refugees from Arab lands is estimated to be the same
@Summit4Israel: Arab refugees were INTENTIONLLY not absorbed or integrated into the Arab lands to which they fled, despite the vast Arab territory.
@Summit4Israel: Of 100 million #refugees since WWII, Arabs are only #refugee group in the world that's never been integrated into their own people's lands.
@Summit4Israel: WWII #Jewish refugees were completely absorbed into #Israel, a country no larger than the state of New Jersey. #Israel #IsraelFacts
@Summit4Israel: The Arab-#Israeli Conflict: the Arabs are represented by 8 separate nations, not including the Palestinians. There is only 1 #Jewish nation.
@Summit4Israel: The Arab nations initiated all 5 wars & lost. #Israel defended itself each time & won. #Israel #IsraelFacts #Jews
@Summit4Israel: The PLO's Charter still calls for the destruction of the State of
#Israel #IsraelFacts #Jerusalem #Jews
@Summit4Israel: #Israel has given the Palestinians most of the West Bank land, autonomy under the Palestinian Authority, & has supplied them. #IsraelFacts
@Summit4Israel: Under Jordanian rule #Jewish holy sites were desecrated & the #Jews were denied access to places of worship. #IsraelFacts #Israel #Jerusalem
@Summit4Israel: Under #Israeli rule, all Muslim & #Christian sites in #Israel have been preserved and made accessible to people of all faiths. #IsraelFacts
@Summit4Israel: The #UN Record on #Israel & the Arabs: of 175 Security Council resolutions passed before 1990, 97 were directed against Israel #IsraelFacts
@Summit4Israel: UN Record on Israel and the Arabs: Of 690 General Assembly resolutions voted on before 1990, 429 were directed against #Israel #IsraelFacts
@Summit4Israel: The #UN was silent while the Jordanians destroyed 58 Jerusalem
synagogues. #Israel #IsraelFacts #Jews #Jerusalem
@Summit4Israel: The #UN was silent while the Jordanians systematically desecrated the ancient #Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives. #IsraelFacts #Israel
@Summit4Israel: #UN was silent while Jordanians enforced an apartheid-like policy of preventing #Jews from visiting the #TempleMount & the #WesternWall
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
What is Hebrew Perspectives
What
is Hebrew Perspectives?
Hebrew
Perspectives is a class that teaches about the roots of our Christianity.
Jesus
was a Jew.
The
disciples were Jews.
We
delve into the lives of the Jewish people to understand more.
The
importance is to be unified.
To
all be on the same page.
To
all be in one accord.
Moses
established the custom of reading from the Torah on the Sabbath.
The
yearly reading cycle that the Jews do to this day have it’s origins in the
Babylonian era.
The
Torah is divided into 54 sections or parshiyot in the Hebrew.
A
section is read each week.
At
the beginning of each week we post these scriptures for reading and study.
Throughout
the week commentary is made on that section.
Commentary
comes from many sources including Apostolic preachers and teachers and
Rabbinical teachers as well.
We
can learn from the 120 in the upper room.
They
were praying together and studying a section of Torah.
On
Pentecost they would have been reading from the Book of Ruth,
Ezekiel
Chapter 1 and Ezekiel 3, and Exodus chapter 19, the giving of the law on Mt.
Sinai.
At
Sinai they camped (singular , normally plural). They repented and did a 180.
Whatever
God wants us to do we will do. (They didn’t even know what it was).
They
sanctified themselves. Sanctify here is translated as baptism by immersion.
Then
they received the law.
Legend
has it through oral tradition that flames came from God to each Israelites
tongue for them to accept. (Tongues of fire).
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
BEING GOD-LIKE
"...their idols are of silver and gold, the work of men's hands. They have a mouth, but cannot speak. They have eyes, but cannot see. They have ears, but cannot hear... Those who make them will become like them, all that trust in them. Israel trusts in God..." (Psalm 115)
It is a natural consequence that whatever you believe in, like that thing you will become. Whatever you imagine as the highest expression of life is what you will idealize, imitate, seek and desire. If you think movie stars and professional athletes are the epitome of life, then it is they who you will emulate. If you hold them in high esteem because of their ability to toss a ball, then you will define your own life as well by such demeaning definitions. If shallow people are your idols, then shallow will you be.
The path of idol worshipers leads them to become like their idol. The idol has eyes, but sees nothing. The idol worshiper also has eyes, but sees nothing. Such people miss the beauty and meaning of life. How can someone who thinks a piece of wood or stone is the source of all life comprehend how rich and deep life really is? What you "become" results from what you think is at the source of all life. If you think the source of your energy is a dollar, then you'll become a hedonist.
It is no wonder, therefore, that in a world of rampant materialism, many people have no more depth than the money they believe will solve all their problems.
Rabbi Stephen Baars
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