#we were talking about yom kippur since it was monday

[bathroom-sand]

my light hearted toxic trait is that if someone misunderstands something about me, and i take too long to realize it, i’m incapable of fixing it.

i pretended to be british at an airport cause a lady thought i had an accent after i said one word to her, she was so excited i had to fake a british accent the rest of the transaction. and yesterday i accidentally convinced a classmate i was jewish and by the time i realized what was happening i was too deep to go back

[magnetothemagnificent]

A cool Dvar Torah I read:

Parshat HaChodesh, the New Moon, and Eclipses!

This Shabbat we read a special section from the Torah called Parshat Hachodesh. It is the story of the Mitzvah of Rosh Chodesh, that we track, observe and celebrate the new moon each and every month. Since the day that G-d commanded Moshe regarding this Mitzvah, two weeks before the grand Exodus from Egyptian slavery, we have kept a close eye on the moon, looking out for that celestial monthly moment of rebirth that G-d showed Moshe that early evening in Egypt. In the Torah, our holidays - Passover, Sukkot, Yom Kippur etc. - are prescribed to happen on a certain day following the new moon: "the fifteenth day after the new moon", "the tenth day after the new moon" and so on. Meaning, that if we wish to celebrate these festivals, we need to keep track of the lunar cycle, even if no one else on Earth gives it a second thought. Along the way, the Jewish people have come to identify with the moon. We can empathize with the moon's ups and downs, so similar to our own history. One moment we're shining bright, the next moment we're so oppressed and persecuted that casual observers have often written us off, predicting our extinction, G-d forbid. And yet the next moment, to their disbelief, we're back, reborn out of the darkness, and growing stronger every day. It's notable that G-d interrupted the flow of events leading up to the Exodus to tell Moshe about Rosh Chodesh. Not only because it seems to be unrelated to what was happening then, but also because by giving that Mitzvah right then, it meant that it would given in Egypt, the darkest spiritual locale in the world. G-d could have waited a couple of weeks until we were out of that spiritual wasteland and told us about Rosh Chodesh in the desert. Why the rush? * Everyone's talking about the eclipse happening Monday afternoon - The Great North American Eclipse. It's a major event that will have millions of people looking up to the Heavens, an event that will not happen again in the USA until 2044. Now, solar eclipses only happen around the new moon. Monday night and Tuesday, Jews will observe Rosh Chodesh. And not just any Rosh Chodesh, but the annual Rosh Chodesh of all Rosh Chodeshes - the first Rosh Chodesh of the year. This means that Monday is the day before rebirth, the day when the moon is at its very lowest, darkest point, the moment that symbolizes the most difficult, challenging times of the Jewish People. And so it turns out that precisely in its smallest, weakest moment, the moon looms largest: it can even eclipse the mighty light of the sun. Is this not our story exactly? Is this not precisely why G-d told this to Moshe in Egypt, in our place of misery and suffering? During the last new moon of our centuries-long sojourn in Egypt, G-d shows Moshe the truth about the miracle of Jewish rebirth and eternity. In the place of our pain, before the redemption, in the midst of the uncertainty, G-d stops everything and tells us to look up at the moon, see our story in the moon's story, and discover in the moon a solid friend, an eternal gentle reminder that it will be okay, that no matter what, Am Yisrael Chai forever. And better yet, as Monday's eclipse shows, our darkest moments are when we shine brightest and loom largest, as we begin the great turnaround, the journey from darkness to light. This Monday will be the 3,336th anniversary of the day G-d showed Moshe the moon. How perfect. During these painful days of antisemitism, the sun, 400 times bigger than the moon, is eclipsed by it. Far from tottering or faltering, the Jewish People are stronger than ever. Precisely when casual observers report us missing, that's when we shine. L'Chaim, brothers and sisters. Our best days lay just ahead. So in the words of the Lecha Dodi which we'll all be singing in just a few hours: "Wake up, wake up! Your light is coming, rise and shine! Time to wake up and say your song, because G-d's glory is revealed upon you."

by Rabbi Eli Friedman, Chabad Calabasas CA

[lifewithoutmeds]

October 3, 2023

Haven't written in a while. Positive sign? Who knows.

Recap:

Wednesday, September 20: In office, but Dana wasn't able to make it out to lunch. Some combination of an AABS case going long (WFH) as well as a newly scheduled 2pm meeting meant she wouldn't be coming downtown. Salvaged the day by texting GY who was able to meet me at a local cafe for lunch. It was a breakfast sandwich that wasn't very tasty and was in wild need of hot sauce, but it was good to see her. Thursday, September 21: Coworked with Danielle. pet the doggy, went on walks, talked, probably cried a little, then walked over to get happy hours food and drinks and the vibe and service were terrible but then they forgot to add our last order of drinks so we just said nothing and giggled afterward. Friday, September 22: Had a doctor's appointment that i took off an hour for. kinda told him about what was going on. he had me get an impromptu blood test since i was on a new medication now and i wished i hadn't drunk so much the night before. Oops. later on my mom came by. i don't remember what we did. probably what we always do. eat something. she probably cleaned and washed my dishes and then she would make me watch some random korean show on youtube and i'd make her watch The Office on DVD and we'd both humor each other but not have any fun.

Saturday, September 23: Caroline's baby shower, hosted by her sister. Not particularly memorable. there were alcoholic beverages, which were nice, and then afterward gy and i went to eagle rock for some beers and caught up some. i went home for a quick nap then ubered to west hollywood for Hot Flash, where i met up with kim, her friend steph, and a handful of steph's friend. it was different and interesting, being in a group and not just circulating by myself. i wished i had done a bit more circulating, but it also felt nice to belong. got pizza with them then ubered home, close to 2.

Sunday, September 24: met up my mom for a few local open houses, then i think lunch. maybe ... fish king?

Monday, September 25: Yom Kippur, which normally would have no effect on me but Suzy had it off and we met for lunch in downtown, and i took an extra hour off. we caught up and i cried a little and she hugged me and we said we loved each other and my heart felt full and sad but also mixed with gratitude.

Tuesday, September 26: uncharacteristic in-office day, as the next Tuesday would be Halloween, so i guess ... somehow this would fix things? Don't really recall what happened this day.

Wednesday, September 27: ?

Thursday, September 28: Worked from home, then LT very nicely brought me lunch: my request of In N Out plus my favorite ice cream cake from Baskin Robbins: mint chip. it was really nice to see her. after work i sped off to sawtelle where i met 3/5 of my venice group: kendy, matt, and alex, and we ate at Tsujita Noodles, they brought me cards, and then we had some ice cream next door. We had deep/meaningful conversations, and then i headed home.

Friday, September 29: Amy cancelled on me for a morning hike as her kid had some stomach bug, so i think i just laid around all day until 5ish when Lana and Mirna scooped me up to go to sushi gen. gy met us there, and we ate around 7 some of the best sushi i had in a while, and then we drove over to verdugo bar, where we were met by grace k, her husband steve, amy l, and her pal jenny shin. they all bought me drinks and grace brought a beautiful homemade lemon tart thing and they sang for me and my heart felt full. it was only 8 people including me, but they were some of my favorite people. grace hung out a bit longer and we went to another bar across the street before ubering to our respective homes, where i got home around 2 again.

Saturday, September 30: Woke up at 8:58 and pulled on the clothing off the floor i had worn the night before in time to open the door for my mom who arrived at 9:01 a.m. so we could go to geoffrey's in malibu. without brushing my teeth or washing my face, i ran out and drove us to malibu. it was grey and a little drizzly, but we enjoyed a really nice view, ambiance, and service (but mediocre eggs benedict) before heading back home.

Sunday, October 1: my mom wanted to go to church to express her "gratitude" to God, so we went to lake avenue. i had wanted to go to this progressive, LGBTQ-inclusive church in glendale, but in looking at the photos, the demographic looked very young and i didn't want my mom to feel out of place so we went to Lake instead. it was a solid service, and we went to Sierra Madre for some highly recommended chinese food at a place called: Colette, but it was just okay, and there was this soup that was so bland my mom had to ask for salt and pepper. i probably just laid around the rest of the day.

Monday, October 2: what did i do? worked, i guess? did some dishes. threw out trash. chores. oh, i think i walked to the bank and deposited my mom's very generous birthday gift to me. i had a slight miscommunication with my mom regarding when she'd be coming by (she said wednesday, i thought monday), so she came by today anyway, and brought some rice, and we had dinner of kimchi jigae. she just put an offer on a very nearby condo so we talked about what needed to be done (moving, getting rid of things, etc.) and what it would be like for her to live so close by. oh i also went to the market for the first time in a while.

Tuesday, October 3: today was a pretty productive work day, intermixed with more chores. emails, RAS routing slips, commencement notices, dishes, laundry, floor sweeping, a shower, etc. after work i met caroline and patrick at sanamluang and we chatted and ate for about an hour and a half (their treat.)

this is the longest i've gone without crying. we are at: SEVEN DAYS. also i realized this is the first day in maybe the last month that i didn't text amir or danielle. i have been texting them daily, hourly at times, asking how they are, what they're doing, just desperate for human contact, to feel connected, etc. i've been falling asleep to youtube i think just to hear another voice. i'm sleeping later and later as my eyes dry out and glaze over, obsessively looking for an article that interests me, somewhere i might volunteer at, something i might want to buy, somewhere i might want to go, just desperately reaching, searching, for something to settle on, land on. i'm remembering pre-jadai kristal, and that's ... a lot of unsettledness, a lot of boredom, a lot of trying to figure my way out, to find a reason for being. it feels like two steps forward and three steps back.

oh well. at least i'm not crying, not journaling obsessively, not texting desperately. i guess this is progress.

the week ahead: 10/4/2023: in office day (wednesday) plus the postponed dim sum lunch with dana. 10/5/2023: wfh, but need to clear out my balcony for an inspection. 10/6/2023: taking the day off to take my mom to and from an endoscopy appointment. later that day i will go to costco to get my tires rotated. 10/7/2023: facetime therapy with kelda, then tam o'shanter dinner with Tracy and Ash. 10/8/2023: possibly try out that new church, then host kbbq at my place for lorena and reyna.

i've also been cleaning/tidying bit by bit some more. finally moved my icebox to the garage. finally removed my bbq stuff and camp chair from my car (to the garage.) lugged my rug out of the closet so there'll be room for the camp box to go in once i organize/inventory it. the place feels a tiny bit neater, freeer, cleaner. i'm hoping to get the place in tip-top shape in time for sunday's dinner hosting.

feeling ok today. better than i have in some time. hoping it just goes up from here.

[dfroza]

we’re all reaching out for Love

even when people don’t even realize it.

the heart desires the healing of Heaven because this world is so flawed. and so in faith we hold the purest hope within, trusting to make it through whatever this temporal life is.

and we’re here as children of Light conserving spiritual truth in the face of lies.

Today’s reading of the Scriptures from the New Testament is the 1st chapter of the Letter of Titus:

Paul, servant of God and emissary of Jesus, the Anointed One, on behalf of the faith that is accepted by God’s chosen people and the knowledge of the undeniable truth that leads to godliness.

We rest in this hope we’ve been given—the hope that we will live forever with our God—the hope that He proclaimed ages and ages ago (even before time began). And our God is no liar; He is not even capable of uttering lies. So we can be sure that it is in His exact right time that He released His word into the world—through the preaching that God our Savior has commanded into my care.

To you, Titus, my dear son birthed through our shared faith: may grace and peace rest upon you from God the Father and Jesus the Anointed, our Savior.

I left you on Crete so you could sort out the chaos and the unfinished business and appoint elders over communities in each and every city according to my earlier orders. Here’s what you should look for in an elder: he should be above suspicion; if he is married, he should be the husband of one wife, raise children who believe, and be a person who can’t be accused of rough and raucous living. It is necessary that any overseer you appoint be blameless, as he is entrusted with God’s mission. Look for someone who isn’t pompous or quick to anger, who is not a drunkard, violent, or chasing after seedy gain or worldly fame. Find a person who lovingly opens his home to others; who honors goodness; who is thoughtful, fair, devout, self-controlled; and who clings to the faithful word that was taught because he must be able, not only to encourage people with sound teaching, but also to challenge those who are against it.

You see antagonists everywhere; they are rebellious, loose-lipped, and deceitful (especially those who are from the circumcised lot). Their talk must be quashed—their mouths sealed up because impure teaching is flying out of their lips and overturning entire families for the sake of their own squalid gain. I’ll tell you, even their own prophet was heard saying, “Chronic liars, foul beasts, and lazy gluttons—that’s who you’ll meet in Crete.” And he’s right! This is why we have to scold them, sometimes severely, so they will be sound in the faith and be able to ignore Jewish myths as well as any commandments given by those who turn away from the truth.

Listen: to those who are pure, all things are pure. But to those who are tainted, stained, and unbelieving, nothing is pure because their minds and their consciences are polluted. They claim, “I know God,” but their actions are a slap to His face. They are wretched, disobedient, and useless to any worthwhile cause.

The Letter of Titus, Chapter 1 (The Voice)

Today’s paired chapter of the Testaments is the 37th chapter of the book of Jeremiah that documents Jeremiah’s arrest after a false accusation was charged against him:

Zedekiah (son of Josiah) was made king of Judah by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. He reigned instead of his nephew, Coniah (son of Jehoiakim) who had already been deported to Babylon. Neither young Zedekiah nor his inexperienced advisors nor the people of Judah themselves listened to what the Eternal said through His prophet Jeremiah.

Zedekiah one day sent Jehucal (son of Shelemiah), along with the priest Zephaniah (son of Maaseiah) to ask the prophet Jeremiah, “Please pray to the Eternal our God for us.” Now Jeremiah had not yet been put in prison, so he was free to move about the city. This happened when the Chaldeans pulled back from their siege on Jerusalem because they heard Pharaoh’s army was marching out of Egypt toward them. It was then that the word of the Eternal came to Jeremiah the prophet, who faithfully delivered it to the king’s messengers.

Jeremiah: This is what the Eternal God of Israel has to say: “Tell the king of Judah, who sent you to ask for My help: ‘Look! Pharaoh’s army—which you hoped would help you—will turn back to Egypt to protect its own land. Then the Chaldeans will come back to attack Jerusalem. They will capture this city and burn it to the ground.’” The Eternal says this to you: “Do not fool yourselves into thinking the Chaldeans will leave you alone. They will not! Even if somehow you defeated their entire army, their wounded soldiers lying in tents would come out and burn this city to the ground in a fiery blaze.”

Now during this time when the Chaldeans had pulled back from Jerusalem to face Pharaoh’s army, Jeremiah started to leave Jerusalem. He was heading back to the land of Benjamin to settle his affairs regarding a piece of family property there. But as he was leaving through the Benjamin gate on the north side of the city, the captain of the guard, Irijah (son of Shelemiah and grandson of Hananiah), arrested him.

Irijah: You traitor! You are trying to desert to the Chaldeans!

Jeremiah: That’s not true! I’m not deserting to the Chaldeans.

But Irijah would not listen to Jeremiah, so he arrested him and brought him to the city leaders. They were already angry with Jeremiah because of his predictions of destruction and his advice to surrender. So they had Jeremiah beaten and placed him under arrest in the house of Jonathan the secretary (which they had made into a prison). He was placed in a dark, damp cell below ground and left there for a long time.

Eventually, King Zedekiah had him secretly brought to the palace so the king could talk with him.

King Zedekiah: Have you received any more messages from the Eternal?

Jeremiah: Yes, but they haven’t changed: you will still be handed over to the king of Babylon. But while I’m here, let me ask you— what crime have I committed against you, your advisors, or this nation that I should be imprisoned? I told you nothing but the truth about Babylon from the beginning, so why am I in this cell? Meanwhile, your so-called prophets keep telling you, “Don’t worry, the king of Babylon will never attack you or this land,” and they go unpunished? Please, I’m asking you, my lord the king, do not send me back to that cell in the house of Jonathan the secretary, or I will die there.

Though the news he heard was not encouraging, King Zedekiah granted Jeremiah’s request. He gave the order and had the prophet transferred to the court of the guard. He also gave strict orders that each day Jeremiah be given bread from the city’s bakers until the supplies ran out. That is how Jeremiah ended up a prisoner in the court of the guard.

The Book of Jeremiah, Chapter 37 (The Voice)

A link to my personal reading of the Scriptures for Sunday, September 19 of 2021 with a paired chapter from each Testament of the Bible along with Today’s Proverbs and Psalms

A set of posts by John Parsons about the Historical significance of Sukkot:

It’s that time again! On the Torah’s calendar, there is a quick transition from the somber themes of the Jewish High Holidays (Rosh Hashanah through Yom Kippur) to the week-long celebration of Sukkot (called “Tabernacles” in the Christian tradition). If the High Holidays focus on the LORD as our Creator, our Judge, and the One who atones for our sins, then Sukkot is the time when we joyously celebrate all that He has done for us. Prophetically understood, the seven days of Sukkot picture olam haba, the world to come, and the Millennial Kingdom reign of Mashiach ben David. If Yeshua was born during Sukkot (i.e., conceived during Chanukah, the festival of lights), then another meaning of the "word became flesh and 'tabernacled with us" (John 1:14) extends to the coming kingdom age, when He will again “sukkah” with his people during the time of his reign from Zion.

Since it represents the time of ingathering of the harvest, Sukkot prophetically prefigures the joyous redemption and gathering of the Jewish people during the days of the Messiah's reign on earth (Isa. 27:12-13; Jer. 23:7-8). Indeed all of the nations that survived the Great Tribulation will come together to worship the LORD in Jerusalem during the Feast of Sukkot (Zech. 14:16-17). The holiday season therefore provides a vision of the coming Kingdom of God upon the earth, when the Word will again “tabernacle with us.”

This year Sukkot begins just after sundown on Monday, Sept. 20th (i.e., Tishri 15 on the Jewish calendar). The festival is celebrated for seven days (i.e., from Tishri 15-21) during which we "dwell" in a sukkah -- a tent or “booth” of temporary construction, with a roof covering (schach) of raw vegetable matter (i.e., branches, bamboo, etc.). The sukkah represents our dependence upon God’s shelter for our protection and divine providence. We eat our meals in the sukkah and recite a special blessing (leshev Ba-Sukkah) at this time.

In addition to the Sukkah (tent), the most prominent symbol of Sukkot is the Arba'at Ha-minim (אַרְבַּעַת הַמִּינִים) - "the Four Species," or four kinds of plants explicitly mentioned in the Torah regarding the festival of Sukkot: “On the first day you shall take: 1) the product of goodly trees (etrog), 2) branches of palm trees (lulav), 3) boughs of leafy trees (hadas), and 4) willows of the brook (aravot), and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God for seven days” (Lev. 23:40). We wave the “four species” (held together as a bouquet with the etrog) and recite a blessing (netilat lulav) to ask God for a fruitful and blessed year.

Sukkot marks the conclusion of the Jewish Fall Holidays and is the last of the three Shelosh Regalim (שלוש רגלים, i.e., the three annual pilgrimage festivals: Pesach (Passover), Shavuot (Pentecost), and Sukkot (Tabernacles) (Deut. 16:16). It can be argued that Sukkot is the climax of all the festivals in Scripture: Everything leads to it as a culmination in God’s prophetic plan. It is interesting to compare the use of words relating to simchah [joy] in the description of these three festivals. Regarding Pesach, the word simchah does not appear at all (Deut. 17:1-8); regarding Shavuot, it appears only once (Deut. 17:11); but, regarding Sukkot, simchah appears several times. For instance: "You shall keep the Feast of Sukkot seven days, when you have gathered in the produce... You shall rejoice in your feast (וְשָׂמַחְתָּ בְּחַגֶּךָ אַתָּה)... because the LORD your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, so that you will be altogether joyful" (Deut. 16:13-15).

Sukkot is called “z’man simchateinu,” the “season of our joy.” Indeed, in ancient Israel, the joy of Sukkot was so renowned that it came to be called simply "the Feast" (1 Kings 12:32). Sukkot was a time when sacrifices were offered for the healing of the nations (Num. 29:12-40), and it was also a time when (on Sabbatical years) the Torah would be read publicly to all the people (Deut. 31:10-13).

From a spiritual perspective, Sukkot corresponds to the joy of knowing your sins were forgiven (during Yom Kippur) and also recalls God’s miraculous provision and care after the deliverance from bondage in Egypt (Lev. 23:43). Prophetically, Sukkot anticipates the coming kingdom of the Messiah Yeshua wherein all the nations shall come up to Jerusalem to worship the LORD during the festival (see Zech. 14:16). Today Sukkot is a time to remember God’s Sheltering Presence and Provision for us for the start of the New Year. For more information, see the Sukkot pages on the Hebrew for Christians web site. [Hebrew for Christians]

The Torah describes Sukkot (“Tabernacles”) as a holiday of joy and gladness: “You are to rejoice in your festival.... for seven days you shall keep the festival... so that you will be altogether joyful” (Deut. 16:14-15). Nevertheless we may wonder how we can celebrate in a world filled with suffering, tyranny, death, and misery? Since God commands us to be joyful, however, we must therefore understand joy to be something more than temporal elation or fleeting pleasure, but rather as the result of *the decision to believe* in healing and life despite the appearances of this realm. “The world to come, the perfect world, we at least believe in; but this material world, this one here and now, how can anyone believe in it? The only thing to do is to run to the refuge of God” (Nachman). The "deep" joy of Sukkot, then, is the joy of hope, the conviction that “all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.” Darkness will be overcome by the light; evil will become undone; all that is untrue shall be made true; and every tear shall be wiped away... The sukkah symbolizes the “Clouds of Glory” that surround our way in the desert – the “Divine Presence” beheld in faith. We find joy as we choose to believe in the reality of God’s sheltering love...

Torah states: "You shall dwell in sukkot (booths) for seven days. All native Israelites shall dwell in booths, that your generations may know that I made the people of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God" (Lev. 23:42-43). The sages say that the booths commemorate the Clouds of Glory (עַנְנֵי תְּהִילָה), seven clouds that encompassed and protected the people during their sojourn in the desert (Sukka 11b). We recall the Clouds of God's glory as the gift of his sustaining love and care during our journey to freedom. Indeed the clouds represent the holy Shekhinah (שְׁכִינָה), the ruach Hakodesh and indwelling presence of God that protects us and gives us comfort. Just as the ruach fell on the generation of Moses' advent, so with the generation of Messiah: the Spirit brings strength to heart, protection from evil, and guidance for our way (John 14:26).

All of Torah is grounded in emunah (faith), as the very First Commandment of Torah is to trust that the LORD is God for you (אָנכִי יְהוָה אֱלהֶיךָ). Moreover Scripture also says: "All your commandments are emunah" (כָּל־מִצְוֹתֶיךָ אֱמוּנָה); and, "you are near, O LORD, and all your commandments are faithul" (Psalm 119:86; 151). Indeed faith is the "substance" (i.e., ὑπόστασις, reality, essence) of hope, the conviction of the unseen good (Heb. 11:1); without emunah it is impossible to please God (Heb. 11:6). We celebrate Sukkot because God calls us to know our heritage and to believe in the light of His surrounding Presence. Say Amen. [Hebrew for Christians]

9.17.21 • Facebook

Today’s message (Days of Praise) from the Institute for Creation Research

September 19, 2021

The God of Glory

“And he said, Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran.” (Acts 7:2)

This Scripture is the beginning of Stephen’s speech given before his martyrdom. He is reciting Israel’s history as he counters the charges that he had spoken “blasphemous words against Moses, and against God” and “against this holy place” (Acts 6:11, 13). He identifies the Lord as the “God of glory,” and his Jewish audience may have remembered that this title was used in Psalm 29:3—“The voice of the LORD is upon the waters: the God of glory thundereth.”

But most likely they would have connected it with the various instances where God’s glory filled and sanctified the tabernacle in the wilderness (Exodus 29:43; 40:34-35) and later the temple in Jerusalem (1 Kings 8:10-11). Thus, this title for God was rich in meaning to the Israelites.

But Stephen challenged the tradition that God’s glory was only associated with the Jerusalem temple and the earthly land of Israel by starting his speech with the God of glory appearing to Abraham in a pagan land (Mesopotamia). In the New Testament dispensation of God’s global redemptive plan through Christ Jesus, the active place of His glory is no longer restricted to a physical temple but is present in His redeemed people; “know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?” (1 Corinthians 6:19).

And this redeemed life is connected in like manner to Abraham, who, “when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went” (Hebrews 11:8). And because of Abraham’s unwavering faith in the God of glory, “he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God” (Hebrews 11:10). JPT

A tweet by illumiNations:

@IlluminationsBT: With your prayers and gifts, the Cambodian Jarai people in Vietnam will gain access to Scripture in their own language!

Visit http://illuminations.bible and type "Cambodian Jarai" in the search bar to learn more about this project.

9.18.21 • 9:00pm • Twitter

[jewishandmore]

Forgiving the Unforgivable

“Forgiving the Unforgivable” Rosh haShanah Morning 1 Tishrei 5779 Monday, September 10, 2018 Temple Beth Zion, Buffalo, New York

Every year at this season people come to rabbis asking this question: “How can I forgive this person who has done the unforgivable to me?” How can we forgive those who don’t seem to even know how much they’ve hurt us? This turns out to be the same question. In both cases we are dealing with situations when no apology is likely to arrive or ever be good enough. How do we forgive without apologies?

Earlier in this season of repentance, I was reading about John McCain’s life, in the wake of his funeral. Charlie Pierce told this particular story as he reflected on the Senator’s life:

In 1998, when I was traveling with McCain for a profile in Esquire, I asked him if there was anyone involved with the Vietnam War that he couldn’t bring himself to forgive. By then, he had made his peace with the antiwar movement; he delivered the eulogy for an antiwar activist whose speeches from Hanoi had been piped into his cell. He – along with John Kerry – had succeeded in normalizing relations between the United States and Vietnam. He had taken Walter Cronkite on a tour of his old prison. He’d even forgiven the guards who’d beaten and tortured him. A couple of years earlier, former Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, one of the architects of that bloody misadventure, had written a memoir in which he confessed that he'd known the war was un-winnable as early as 1967, but that he had kept his mouth shut while the country slid more swiftly toward disaster. As it happens, October 26, 1967 was the day that John McCain's fighter jet had taken an anti-aircraft missile over Hanoi. So, I asked him if there was someone he couldn't forgive, or at least talk to, about that awful time. He got all quiet and took a long time to answer.

“McNamara,” he finally said. “That's the worst to me—to know you've made a mistake and to do nothing to correct it while, year after year, people are dying and to do nothing to stop it, to know what your public duty is and to ignore it. I don't think any conversation we could have would be helpful now.”

[From “John McCain’s Funeral Was a Council of War – Just as He Meant It to Be”, by Charles P. Pierce, appearing in Esquire, September 1, 2018]

What about McNamara - did he ever try and apologize? In the Fog of War, a 2003 documentary he said: “I'm very sorry that in the process of accomplishing things, I've made errors.” As annual Season of Atonement visitors to the art of apologizing, all of us here do not count this as an apology.

While he never issued any other formal apology for his role in the quagmire, McNamara, who died in July 2009 at age 93, made clear he was haunted by the blunders made under his watch that cost the lives of thousands of U.S. troops. “People don't want to admit they made mistakes,” he explained to the New York Times. “This is true of the Catholic Church, it's true of companies, it's true of nongovernmental organizations and it's certainly true of political bodies.” We can see him continuing to not apologize here by explaining it away instead of owning his part and his responsibility.

Here, on the scale of thousands of lives, is a massive mistake, a transgression that hurt so many people - how is this different from what we’re asked to do on this day, at this season, by our tradition?

Maimonides makes the clearest and most thorough Jewish description of atonement. The process starts with confession, leads to a sincere apology, culminates in an agreed upon course of making amends, that finishes up with atonement, the return to a state of peace between the wronged and the transgressor. The transgressor’s transformation needs to be significant and remarkable so that when faced with the situation a subsequent time the mistake is not repeated. The person who is wronged needs to believe this in order to participate in granting full atonement. Atonement is the arrival at a new state of repair and wholeness after the tearing apart that happens with an injury done by one person to another.

This time of year asks a lot of us. Just look at the to-do list even before we get to the prayerbook and its lists of confessions:

Prepare our nice clothes

Put in the brisket

Get or bake challah

Ask for forgiveness from everyone I wronged.

We really want to fit forgiveness into a list - it would be so convenient if we could check it off.

Since there is an expiration date on this command to seek forgiveness - we’re supposed to get it done before we come back to worship together on Yom Kippur - the calendar itself may help us reinforce the idea that there is a storehouse of forgiveness that we can easily hand out to people offering a steady supply of apologies from their own box.

Our feelings are not commodities. There is no storage cabinet containing trust, forgiveness, friendship, sisterhood, or brotherhood to dispense at will. And since there’s no storehouse, and while we give ourselves these rigorous times and dates to try and make it all work better, there is no neat and comfortable working out of emotional difficulty.

And this is really very difficult.

The transformation that is required of the transgressor is difficult, and so is finding a way for the wronged person to feel forgiveness towards even a sincere seeker of apologies. When the transgressor comes to us, hat in hand, confessing, apologizing, and offering a path of making amends, it is still difficult to forgive. What do we do when no one comes apologizing, and for all we know, they never will?

You can’t go to someone and say “I’m sorry you made me so angry, apologize, and I will forgive you.”

When you can’t do anything about the person who has wronged you, you feel powerless. You feel cut off from any sort of relating. Again, you are not being asked to apologize in this situation - you want to receive an apology.

We are not commanded to go to someone who has wronged us and ask them to apologize because we did nothing wrong. It’s not our responsibility. Still, you suffer the injury as the person who was wronged.

In order to re-establish our sense of self, our sense of control, we want to reach out and confront that person.

Otherwise, you are stuck with unresolved feelings.

And while the High Holy Days ask us to take responsibility as a transgressor - a doer of wrongs - we who feel wronged are left with a passive role. We are non-actors in a drama that seems to keep on picking on us.

We need to retake control of this story. 

We cannot forgive someone who has not apologized.

Forgiveness, like trust, is not a gift. We cannot open up a box a forgiveness and give it away.

What we can do is explore our anger and our hurt.

We may be attached to the idea that we have to give forgiveness because we want to reassert some control over whatever happened. We want to stop feeling resentful, upset, hurt, and offended. We want our minds to rule over our hearts which continue to feel even when we know it is irrational and we should just heed everyone’s good advice and let it go, let bygones be bygones, and admit that we cannot make changes to relationships and interactions by ourselves.

What we’re looking for is some internal relief. We may call it forgiveness but forgiveness is about the progress between two people not the progress inside my soul. I want to feel “not powerless “ in the face of my own sense of being wronged.

On the other hand, forgiveness could actually be the right word. Maybe we have been applying forgiveness in the wrong direction.

I don’t have to forgive the person who never comes and apologizes.

I have to work on forgiving myself in the face of my own powerlessness.

This is the act of forgiveness I need.

If the formula for atonement requires confession plus apology plus making amends and then leads to atonement, to becoming whole, and we are on our own for the whole process - we are stuck at confession - then we have to work this process in a different way because the expected partner, the transgressor, is not participating.

We start here. We confess to being hurt. We own our own sense of injury.

We apologize to ourselves for judging ourselves so harshly. We didn’t deserve the injury. It came from outside of us. And while we may have been victimized, we don’t have to be victims. 

Think of John McCain - may his memory be for a blessing. He made his peace with the anti-war movement, normalized relations between the United States and Vietnam, and then he resolved to not allow this to happen to other people and fought for it. McCain turned his victimization into a campaign against torture in the wake of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, when many people all over the political spectrum were entertaining the idea of “enhanced interrogation” as justifiable. McCain stood up as a former victim on behalf of other victims.

To turn our injury into making amends with the world creates a process of atonement, of forgiveness, that liberates us from the person who did us wrong.

Between Rosh haShanah and Yom Kippur we say that our fates are written and sealed for the New Year. We are in the in between time when we still can make changes before they get sealed, and the gates close at the end of Yom Kippur. I can’t help but feel that we need to give ourselves a little bit more time, and a lot more personal power, to take over this process.

We can be the ones who author our own fates.

Our personal growth and progress is independent of other people’s inability to take responsibility for their actions, and how they impacted us. Let us free ourselves from the people who hurt us.

We can begin this by changing our seasonal greetings a bit.

Instead of “may you be written and sealed” I offer you, “may you find ways to write yourself a better year.”

May we all take control of our stories, find the forgiveness we need for ourselves, and create a narrative that gets us past the people who will never apologize.

May we write ourselves a better book of life, for a better New Year.

L’Shanah Tovah.

[dfroza]

persistence in faith and humility

we need to see life through the baptism eyes of a child.

Today’s reading of the Scriptures from the New Testament is the 18th chapter of the book of Luke that illuminates this:

He told them a parable, urging them to keep praying and never grow discouraged. The parable went like this:

Jesus: There was a judge living in a certain city. He showed no respect for God or humanity. In that same city there was a widow. Again and again she kept coming to him seeking justice: “Clear my name from my adversary’s false accusations!” He paid no attention to her request for a while, but then he said to himself, “I don’t care about what God thinks of me, much less what any mere human thinks. But this widow is driving me crazy. She’s never going to quit coming to see me unless I hear her case and provide her legal protection.”

Did you catch what this self-assured judge said? If he can be moved to act justly, won’t God bring justice for His chosen people when they cry to Him day and night? Will He be slow to bring them justice? Mark My words: God will intervene fast with vindication. But here’s the question: when the Son of Man comes, will He find anyone who still has faith?

He told another parable—this one addressed to people who were confident in their self-righteousness and looked down on other people with disgust.

Jesus: Imagine two men walking up a road, going to the temple to pray. One of them is a Pharisee and the other is a despised tax collector. Once inside the temple, the Pharisee stands up and prays this prayer in honor of himself: “God, how I thank You that I am not on the same level as other people—crooks, cheaters, the sexually immoral—like this tax collector over here. Just look at me! I fast not once but twice a week, and I faithfully pay my tithes on every penny of income.” Over in the corner, the tax collector begins to pray, but he won’t even lift his eyes to heaven. He pounds on his chest in sorrow and says, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!”

Now imagine these two men walking back down the road to their homes. Listen, it’s the tax collector who walks home clean before God, and not the Pharisee, because whoever lifts himself up will be put down and whoever takes a humble place will be lifted up.

Some people brought infants to Jesus, hoping He would touch them in blessing. The disciples rebuked them for doing so, but Jesus called to the people.

Jesus: Let the little children come to Me. Never hinder them! Don’t you realize—the kingdom of God belongs to those who are like children? You can depend on this: if you don’t receive the Kingdom as a child would, you won’t enter it at all.

Public Official: Good Teacher, what do I need to do to inherit the life of the age to come?

Jesus: Why did you just call Me good? No one is good but God—only God. You know what the Hebrew Scriptures command: “Do not commit adultery; do not murder; do not steal; do not bear false witness; honor your father and mother.”

Public Official: I’ve already been doing these things—since I came of age.

Jesus: One thing you still lack—one thing; sell all your possessions and distribute the proceeds to the poor. Then you will have treasure in heaven. Then you can come and follow Me.

The man heard these words and sadness came over his face, for his wealth was considerable.

Jesus: What a hard thing it is for those with much wealth to enter the kingdom of God! In fact, it would be easier for a camel to squeeze through the eye of a needle than it would be for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God!

Listeners: Then who can be liberated?

Jesus: Remember, what is humanly impossible is possible with God.

Peter: We have left our homes and followed You.

Jesus: I’m telling you the truth: there is nobody who leaves his house or wife or siblings or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God who will not receive more than he has given up—much more—in this age and in the age to come. He will receive eternal life.

He took the twelve aside and spoke privately to them.

Jesus: Look, my friends, we are going up to Jerusalem. Everything the prophets have written about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. He will be handed over to the outsiders. They will mock Him, disgrace Him, and spit on Him; they will scourge Him, and they will kill Him. And on the third day, He will rise from death.

But they had no comprehension of what He was talking about. The meaning was hidden from them, and they couldn’t grasp it.

Picture this:

Jesus is nearing the city of Jericho. A blind man is sitting there, begging by the roadside. He can hear the sounds of the crowd accompanying Jesus, and he asks what’s going on.

Crowd: Jesus of Nazareth is passing this way.

Then the man starts shouting.

Blind Man: Jesus, Son of King David, show mercy to me!

The people in the front of the crowd reprimand him and tell him to be quiet, but he just shouts louder.

Blind Man: Son of King David, show mercy to me!

Jesus stops and tells the people to bring the man over to Him. The man stands in front of Jesus.

Jesus: What do you want Me to do for you?

Blind Man: Lord, let me receive my sight.

Jesus: Receive your sight; your faith has made you well.

At that very instant, the man is able to see. He begins following Jesus, shouting praises to God; and everyone in the crowd, when they see what has happened, starts praising God too.

The Book of Luke, Chapter 18 (The Voice)

Today’s paired chapter of the Testaments is the 26th chapter of the book of Job that also sparks reverence (True fear) of our Creator:

Job explained.

Job (sarcastically): What a great help you are to the powerless!

How you have held up the arm that is feeble and weak!

What sage counsel you have given to me, the unwise!

And what immeasurable insight you have put on display for us!

Whom did you say these words to?

Where did you get such profound inspiration?

The departed quiver below,

down deep beneath the seas

and all that is within them,

The land of the dead is exposed before God,

and the place where destruction lies is uncovered in His presence.

He stretches out the northern sky over vast reaches of emptiness;

He hangs the earth itself on nothing.

He binds up the waters into His clouds,

but the cloud does not burst from the strain.

He conceals the sight of His throne

and spreads His clouds over it to hide it from view.

He has encircled the waters with a horizon-boundary:

the line between day and night, light and darkness.

The very pillars that hold up the sky quake

and are astounded by His reprisals.

By His power, He stilled the sea, quelling the chaos;

by His wisdom, He pierced Rahab, evil of the sea;

By His breath, the heavens are made beautifully clear;

by His hand that ancient serpent—even as it attempted escape—is pierced through.

And all of this, all of these are the mere edges of His capabilities.

We are privy to only a whisper of His power.

Who then dares to claim understanding of His thunderous might?

The Book of Job, Chapter 26 (The Voice)

my personal reading of the Scriptures for monday, may 3 of 2021 with a paired chapter from each Testament of the Bible along with Today’s Proverbs and Psalms

A post by John Parsons that looks at this week’s reading of the Torah and the way that obedience and disobedience matters. our conduct on earth matters, just as the discovery of grace that heals the heart by giving us a new True nature within:

Shavuah Tov, chaverim. This week we have another "double portion" of Torah. Our first Torah portion is called parashat Behar (פרשׁת בהר) which begins with the commandment that an Israelite farmer must let his land rest by remaining fallow every seventh year. This is called the “Sabbatical year” (i.e., shemittah: שמיטה), and the inhabitants of the land were permitted to glean whatever the farmland produced naturally. In addition, the people were told to count seven cycles of seven years – a total of 49 years – and to mark the arrival of the fiftieth year with blasts of the shofar on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). This fiftieth year would be a time of “Jubilee” (i.e., yovel: יוֹבֵל) – a year of “release” for the land and all its inhabitants. All slaves would be set free, all debts would be canceled, and the stewardship of the land would revert to its original titleholders.

Our second Torah reading this week, called parashat Bechukotai (פרשׁת בחקתי), is the final portion of the central book of the Torah (i.e, Leviticus), and it begins with the promise that if the Israelites would walk in the LORD’s statutes (chukkot) and commandments (mitzvot) and perform them, then they would enjoy material blessings and dwell securely in the promised land. Moreover the LORD Himself would make His dwelling with them and would walk among them as their God. The people of Israel would then truly be am segulah (עַם סְגֻלָּה) - a treasured people among all the nations of the earth. On the other hand, if the people disobeyed God and disregarded His commandments, then they would be considered covenant-breakers, and they would experience all manner of distress and tribulation in their lives. They would experience panic attacks, diseases, heartache, and all manner of tsuris (vexation, trouble); their enemies would eat their increase, and those who hate them would rule over them; they would flee at the rustle of a leaf, and their lives would be full of terror and misery – all because they refused to put the LORD God first in their lives. And if after all this trouble the people would still refuse to return to the LORD, the worst punishment of all would befall them: exile from the promised land and banishment from the Presence of the LORD Himself.

Nonetheless, despite their disobedience, God’s love and mercy for Israel would never fully depart, for “if they confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their fathers in their treachery that they committed against me, and also in walking contrary to me, so that I walked contrary to them and brought them into the land of their enemies – if then their uncircumcised heart is humbled and they make amends for their iniquity, then I will remember my covenant with Jacob, and I will remember my covenant with Isaac and my covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land” (Lev. 26:40-42). Moreover, even while they are in exile, in the land of their enemies, God vowed: “I will not cast them away; nor will I ever abhor them to destroy them and to break My covenant with them; for I am the LORD their God” (Lev. 26:44).

This Torah portion (and the scroll of Leviticus) ends with a discussion of various laws pertaining to vows and tithes that a person may make to contribute towards the upkeep of the Sanctuary. These include dedications of persons, animals, houses, and lands. The scroll of Leviticus ends with the emphatic statement: “These are the commandments that the LORD commanded Moses for the people of Israel on Mount Sinai” (Lev. 26:46). [Hebrew for Christians]

5.3.21 • Facebook

and another post about the current Omer Count and the significance of its timing:

We are in the midst of Sefirat Ha-Omer (the “Counting of the Omer”), a 49 day countdown that runs from Nisan 16 through Sivan 5. The first day of the omer count began on the day following Passover, and the last day occurs the day before the great jubilee of Shavuot (“Pentecost”). On our Gregorian calendars, these dates run from March 28th until May 16th this year. This is a “countdown period” leading to the giving of the Torah at Sinai and the giving of the Holy Spirit to Yeshua’s disciples...

Thursday, May 6th after sundown (Iyyar 25) marks the 40th day of the Omer Count (i.e., Mem B'Omer), the time associated with the ascension of Yeshua back to the heavenly realm (Luke 24:44-53; Acts 1:9-11; Eph. 4:8). A thousand years before the birth of our Savior (מושׁיענו), King David prophesied of the ascension when he announced the Lord's enthronement at the right hand of God (Psalm 110:1; Matt. 22:41-46; 26:64). Recall that Yeshua told His followers that it was good that he would leave them, so that the Holy Spirit (רוח הקודש), the "Comforter" or "Advocate" (παράκλητος), would be given to them. "But I tell you the truth, it is for your advantage that I am going away. For if I do not go away, the Advocate (ὁ παράκλητος) will not come to you, but if I go, I will send him to you" (John 16:7). Notice that the word translated as "advantage" here is the Greek word συμφέρω (from σύν, "with" and φέρω, "to carry"), which suggests that we would be given power that "carries us" with the Lord during the trials of this life... Bo, Ruach Elohim (בוא רוח אלוהים) "Come, Holy Spirit..." [Hebrew for Christians]

5.3.21 • Facebook

Today’s message from the Institute for Creation Research

May 3, 2021

God Is Love

“And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love.” (1 John 4:16)

It is said that the most quoted verse in all the Bible is the passage in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Surely that is a magnificent testimony to the love God has for us, and without it none of us would know God. “We love him, because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19).

But God “loved righteousness, and hated iniquity” (Hebrews 1:9). How is it that God “commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8)? “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:10).

Human love is usually reciprocal. That is, we love if and when we are loved in return. Yet, those of us who are twice-born are commanded to love each other, and the godly husband is expected to love his wife like the Lord Jesus unilaterally loved the church. But that kind of love is not normal—it is God’s love in us. “Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God” (1 John 4:7).

The English word “love” in its various forms appears over 700 times in the Bible. The vast majority of those references do not attempt to describe God’s love. They focus either on our responsibility to “love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might” (Deuteronomy 6:5) or “to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God” (Micah 6:8).

Evidently, we experience God’s love when we are saved and are under obligation to show it as we “work out [our] own salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12). HMM III

[dfroza]

A new and better hope.

A new and better covenant founded upon grace.

this is pointed out in Today’s reading from the book of Hebrews with chapter 7:

In the Book of Genesis, we read about when Melchizedek, the king of Salem and priest of the Most High God, met Abraham as he returned from defeating King Chedorlaomer and his allies. Melchizedek blessed our ancestor, and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything captured in the battle.

Let’s look more closely at Melchizedek. First, his name means “king of righteousness”; and his title, king of Salem, means “king of peace.” The Scriptures don’t name his mother or father or descendants, and they don’t record his birth or his death. We could say he’s like the Son of God: eternal, a priest forever.

And just imagine how great this man was, that even our great and honorable patriarch Abraham gave him a tenth of the spoils. Compare him to the priests who serve in our temple, the descendants of Levi, who were given a commandment in the law of Moses to collect one-tenth of the income of the tribes of Israel. The priests took that tithe from their own people, even though they were also descended from Abraham. But this man, Melchizedek, who did not belong to that Levite ancestry, collected a tenth part of Abraham’s income; and although Abraham had received the promises, it was Melchizedek who blessed Abraham. Now I don’t have to tell you that it is the lesser one who receives a blessing from the greater. In the case of the priests descended from Levi, they are mortal men who receive a tithe of one-tenth; but the Scriptures record no death of Melchizedek, the one who received Abraham’s tithe. I guess you could even say that Levi, who receives our tithes, originally paid tithes through Abraham because he was still unborn and only a part of his ancestor when Abraham met Melchizedek.

If a perfect method of reconciling with God—a perfect priesthood—had been found in the sons of Levi (a priesthood that communicated God’s law to the people), then why would the Scriptures speak of another priest, a priest according to the order of Melchizedek, instead of, say, from the order of Aaron? What would be the need for it? It would reflect a new way of relating to God because when there is a change in the priesthood there must be a corresponding change in the law as well. We’re talking about someone who comes from another tribe, from which no member has ever served at God’s altar. It’s clear that Jesus, our Lord, descended from the tribe of Judah; but Moses never spoke about priests from that tribe. Doesn’t it seem obvious? Jesus is a priest who resembles Melchizedek in so many ways; He is someone who has become a priest, not because of some requirement about human lineage, but because of the power of a life without end. Remember, the psalmist says,

You are a priest forever—

in the honored order of Melchizedek

Because the earlier commandment was weak and did not reconcile us to God effectively, it was set aside—after all, the law could not make anyone or anything perfect. God has now introduced a new and better hope, through which we may draw near to Him, and confirmed it by swearing to it. The Levite order of priests took office without an oath, but this man Jesus became a priest through God’s oath:

The Eternal One has sworn an oath

and cannot change His mind:

You are a priest forever.

So we can see that Jesus has become the guarantee of a new and better covenant. Further, the prior priesthood of the sons of Levi has included many priests because death cut short their service, but Jesus holds His priesthood permanently because He lives His resurrected life forever. From such a vantage, He is able to save those who approach God through Him for all time because He will forever live to be their advocate in the presence of God.

It is only fitting that we should have a High Priest who is devoted to God, blameless, pure, compassionate toward but separate from sinners, and exalted by God to the highest place of honor. Unlike other high priests, He does not first need to make atonement every day for His own sins, and only then for His people’s, because He already made atonement, reconciling us with God once and forever when He offered Himself as a sacrifice. The law made imperfect men high priests; but after that law was given, God swore an oath that made His perfected Son a high priest for all time.

The Book of Hebrews, Chapter 7 (The Voice)

with the paired reading of the first chapter of Leviticus describing various offerings made of animals which were all done as a substitute for the True sacrifice which was to come of the True Lamb, the Son of God who came to cleanse us all from sin by offering the grace of rebirth, thus making such sacrifice in the Temple now obsolete, ever since “It is finished.”

[Leviticus 1]

The Eternal One called Moses and addressed him from the congregation tent.

Eternal One: Moses, I want you to go talk with the Israelites and tell them how to perform ritual offerings: Any time one of you brings an offering to Me, you must bring the offering from the animals of either the herd or the flock. If you are bringing a burnt offering from your herd, then you are to pick an unblemished bull. No diseased, weak, or injured animals are allowed. Offer it at the entrance to the congregation tent so that I can accept it. The person offering the sacrifice shall place his hand on the head of the living animal, and the offering will be accepted to atone for the person’s sins. You shall slaughter the young bull in My presence. Aaron’s sons, the priests, will offer the blood and splatter it around the altar at the entrance of the congregation tent. You shall then skin the burnt offering and cut the animal up into pieces. The sons of Aaron the priest will place fire on the altar and arrange the pieces of wood. Aaron’s sons, the priests, will place the head, the fat, and individual pieces of the sacrifice on the altar as the wood burns. Wash the animal’s organs and legs with water so that unclean elements are not included in the offering. The priest will offer up the whole burnt offering on the altar, and the smoke of the offering will rise and be a pleasant aroma to Me.

If you give a burnt offering from the flock, either of sheep or goats, you are only to offer an unblemished male. No diseased, weak, or injured animals are allowed. Slaughter it on the north side of the altar before Me. Aaron’s sons, the priests, will splatter the blood all around the altar. Cut the sacrifice up into pieces. The priests will take the head, fat, and rest of the pieces and place them all on the altar as the fire burns. Wash the animal’s organs and legs with water. The priest will offer up the whole burnt offering on the altar, and the smoke of the sacrifice will rise and be a pleasant aroma to Me.

But if you have no flock or herd of your own, then you may offer Me birds; your offering is to be turtledoves or young pigeons. The priest will take it to the altar, pull off its head, and offer up the sacrifice as smoke on the altar. Its blood will be drained onto the side of the altar. The priest will remove the crop and feathers and toss them on the eastern side of the altar in the ash pile. Then the priest will tear the bird open by its wings without separating them completely from its body. The priest will offer up the burnt offering as smoke on the wood-fire of the altar, and the smoke of the sacrifice will rise and be a pleasant aroma to Me.

The Book of Leviticus, Chapter 1 (The Voice)

my personal reading of the Scriptures for monday, April 27 of 2020 with a paired chapter from each Testament along with Today’s Psalms and Proverbs

Today’s reading accompanied by this post shared Today by John Parsons:

Most of our deepest anxieties come from the fear of death, whether we are conscious of this or not... Death represents fear of the unknown, fear of being abandoned, fear of being rejected, fear of being separated from others, and so on. I am so glad Yeshua gives us eternal life, which for me is not so much about immortality of the soul as it is being loved and accepted by God... That is what "at-one-ment" means, after all (John 17:22-23). Because God loves and accepts us, we trust Him to be present for us, even in the darkest of hours, on the other side of the veil, where he there “prepares a place for us” (John 14:2). As Yeshua said, "I tell you the solemn truth, the one who hears my message and believes the One who sent me has eternal life (חַיֵּי עוֹלָם) and will not be condemned, but has passed (i.e., μετά + βαίνω, lit., "crossed over" [עָבַר]) from death to life" (John 5:24). God's love “crosses over” from death to life and now forever sustains me.

Our Torah reading for this week (Acharei Mot) provides details about Yom Kippur, or the "Day of Atonement," a special service that gave ritual expression of God's love by making purification for our sins. As I’ve explained before, the word for love (i.e., ahavah: אהבה) equals the number thirteen (1+5+2+5=13), but when shared it is multiplied: 13 x 2 = 26, which is the same value for the Sacred Name (יהוה), i.e., (10+5+6+5=26). Likewise the Hebrew word for "life" is chayim (חַיִּים), is written in the plural to emphasize that life cannot be lived alone but must be shared. Notice that within the word itself are embedded two consecutive Yods (יי), representing unity in plurality (Yod-Yod is an abbreviation for YHVH, also indicating the “deep Akedah” of Father and Son). God gave up His life so that we can be in relationship with Him, that is, so that we can be "at-one" with His heart for us. Whatever else it may mean, then, the Hebrew word for “atonement” (i.e., kapparah, “covering,” “protection,” “purification,” “forgiveness”) is about accepting God’s heart for you - being unified in his love - and if you miss that, you’ve missed the point of the Torah's teaching.... [Hebrew for Christians]

4.27.20 • Facebook