We pray every week for the leaders of the Jewish Ministry,
• Website: https://jewishadventist-org.gcnetadventist.org
A must website. To subscribe to our newsletter. To download some resources (Hebrew Sabbath School, and other documents). To order the book “Comfort, Comfort my people…” and many other things. •
Professional Urban Development: The WJAFC provides: - Professional Urban training for Jewish Ministry - Teaching for theological students - Help to plant new congregations. - Support for AdventistJewish dialogue with scholars and rabbis
Shalom Adventure Magazine online: www.ShalomAdventure.com
If you would like to read articles, watch videos, learn things about Judaism and Israel, this website is just for you. • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WJAFC: If you would like to share with people, this forum on facebook is a good place for that. • Photos on Google+: http://picasaweb.google.com/jewishadventist: We have posted a lot of pictures on Internet during the last years. Don’t hesitate to look at them.
• WebRadio: www.shema-israel-radio.com
If you would like to listen Jewish or Messianic songs. If you want to be used to ear modern Hebrew of the Apostolic Writings, it is the right radio to listen on the web. • Adventist Mission Website: http://wjafc.adventistmission.org/ This website is the new resource provided by the Office of Adventist Mission of the General Conference of the Seventh-day Adventists. • Russian Website: http://www.boruh.info/ This website is in Russian, many articles and the parasha are posted on it every week.
WJAFC Paris
A weekly Journal of information and training published by the World Jewish Adventist Friendship Center Under the umbrella of the General Conference —Office of Adventist Mission
Journal of Information and Training — Issue 695— 27 August 2 0 1 6 / 2 3 A b 5 7 7 6
Jael Wells Cuellar English Edition: Richard-Amram Elofer
Richard Amram Elofer
Russian Edition: Alexandra Obrevko French Edition: Sabine Baris Spanish Edition: Jael Wells Cuellar Portuguese Edition: Carlos Muniz Dutch Edition: Hubert Paulleta
Hubert Paulleta 8
Shabbat — ‘Ekev
Shabbat Shalom Newsletter
Resources:
Carlos Muniz Emails: English: richard@elofer.com Russian: sashok_l@mail.ru French: sabinebaris@gmail.com Spanish: jael_wells@hotmail.com Portuguese: cdmuniz@gmail.com Dutch: hpauletta@hotmail.com
Credit photos: Richard Elofer, Alexandra Obrevko, Jael Wells Cuellar Hubert Paulleta, Laurent Baris and Advent Digital Media
for more information: contact us at www.jewishadventist.org
Alexandra Obrevko
Sabine Baris
695
b®qEo
27 August / 23 Ab 2016 / 5776
This issue
News P.1 Parasha’s comments P.2-4 Haftara P.4-5 Apostolic Writings P.5 Stories P.6 Inspirational Corner P.6,7 Color Sheet for Kids P.7
Weekly Jewish-Adventist Journal of Information
We pray every week for leaders of the Jewish Ministry, according to our list of prayer for 2016, I suggest that we continue Jewish Adventist leaders, thus I invite our partners to pray from August 14 to 20 for Joseph and Yvette du Mesgnil d’Engente, who are working in France, They are pastors in Limoges and taking care of the Jewish ministry in Paris. Let’s pray for their ministry.
NEWS
Global Mission Centers Director Meeting
v The global mission Director meeting went very well. There were two part of this meeting, the first part (August 15, 16), only the Global Mission Directors Center met under the leadership of Homer Trecartin, he led us to focus on the most important of our mission and build confidence between us. As the second part (August 17, 18) of the meeting, the Mission institute, the department of Mission from Andrews University and some General Conference (GC) Vice presidents and secretaries joined us. It was a meeting to prepare the agenda of the next Global Mission Issues Committee (GMIC) which will be held at the GC on April 4 and 5, 2017. this part of the meeting was led by Gary Krause, Director of the office of Adventist Mission. Each Global Mission Director was asked to present some of his project running somewhere in the world as a case study in order to point out on some challenges the centers meet in the accomplishment of his mission.
Beth Tehilah Vetikvah
v Right after attending the Global Mis-
sion directors meeting in Washington area, Richard Elofer had the privilege to celebrate the Shabbat with David Barzola the new
pastor of the Beth Tehilah Vetikvah congregation in Hollywood, Florida. It was a very interesting visit, because in fact there are three meetings every Shabbat, and it is in fact the meeting of three different congregations. The first meeting was the Kabbalat Shabbat on Friday evening, it is the starting of the Shabbat in Hebrew style, Richard preached on the parasha for the week. Then the second meeting was on Shabbat morning, Shacharit (as it is called by Jews), the morning prayer, Richard preached during that worship on the Aftarah for the week. It was surprising to discover that the people attending the Shacharit service, were different people of those attending the Kabbalat Shabbat service. Finally the third meeting was on Saturday night, for the Havdallah (as called by Jews) the service which closes the shabbat. Again, the people attending this meeting were different of those attending the Friday service or Shabbat morning service. Richard Elofer, during this last service preached on the specific mission of this congregation, which is to share the beautiful message of Yeshua with the Jews surrounding this congregation. He also exhorted the congregations to be united all together, because they have the same purpose, they worship the same G-d and it is always more encouraging to see a full congregation than a half or third congregation in the pews.
“For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, flowing out in the valleys and hills, a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey,” (Deuteronomy 8:7–8)
Parasha for this Week
'Ekev
Parasha Overview
I
b®qEo
‘Ekev
f Bnei Israel carefully observe even those “minor” mitzvot that are usually “trampled” underfoot, Moshe promises them that they will be the most blessed of the nations of earth. Moshe tells Bnei Yisrael that they will conquer Eretz Canaan little by little, so that the land will not be overrun by wild animals in the hiatus before Bnei Yisrael are able to organize and settle the whole land. After again warning Israel to burn all carved idols of Canaanite G-ds, Moshe stresses that the Torah is indivisible and not open to partial observance. Moshe describes the Land of Israel as a land of wheat, barley, grapes, figs, and pomegranates, a land of oil-yielding olives and date honey. Moshe cautions Israel not to become haughty and think that their success in the land of Israel is a result of their own powers or vigor; rather, it was Hashem who gave
Deuteronomy 7:12 -11:25
Each One Matters
I
n this week’s Parsha, ‘Ekev, Moshe tells the Jewish people that they must obey G-d’s mitzvot in order to enter and dwell in the Land of Israel in safety and security. The Parasha begins, “And it shall be because (“‘Ekev”) you will listen to these ordinances and keep them that G-d will keep with you the covenant and mercy which He swore to your fathers. And He will love you and bless you...” (Deuteronomy 7:12). The name of the Parasha ‘Ekev in this context means “because”. The word ‘Ekev also means “heel.” Our sages tell us that this teaches us that a person must be very careful to perform every mitzvah, even those that may seem insignificant (mitzvot that one may step upon with their heel). Our sages in the maxims of our Fathers Pirkei Avot tell us, “A person must be equally careful with a light mitzvah just as with a strict mitzvah”. Another explanation is that “heel” represents the simple person, just as the heel is the lowest level of
2
ones body. In this context, the Torah is telling us that the performance of mitzvot of every believer matters. Each believer, no matter at what spiritual level he may be, contributes to G-d’s blessings for the entire people of G-d.
Keeping the Mitzvot
T
his week’s Parasha, ‘Ekev, as the rest of the fifth book of the Torah, D’varim (Deuteronomy), records Moshe’s words to the people of Israel before his death. Knowing that he will not enter the promised land, Moshe spends his final days preparing the Jewish nation for the future. He cautions them to adhere to all the mitzvot (commandments) of G-d especially when they enter Israel; their physical and spiritual good and welfare depends on their actions. He reminds them of the importance of keeping the mitzvot for which, in return, G-d too, will fulfill His promises to them; “And He will love you and bless you and multiply you; He will bless the fruit of your body [children]
and the fruit of your land...” (Deut. 7:13). Moshe mentions the sin of the Golden Calf and warns Israel not to repeat their past mistakes.
Haughtiness
T
he Torah states, “Guard yourself, lest you forget Hashem your G-d, not to keep his commandments, judgements, and enactments... and you become haughty, and forget Hashem your G-d...” (Deut.. 8:11-12, 14). The Talmud [Tractate Sotah 5a] says that there is a Commandment not to be haughty. Any time the Torah employs the phrase “guard yourself, lest...,” explains Rebbe Ila’a, the Torah is warning us to not violate a Law—in this case, not to forget G-d. And when the Torah continues “... and you become haughty, and forget Hashem your G-d...,” G-d is telling us that the one inevitably leads to the other: if you become haughty, the end result will be that you will forget G-d. Rabbi Shamshon Raphael Hirsch takes this concept a step further, saying that arrogance is, in and of itself,
the beginning of forgetfulness of G-d. The Talmud Sotah also records (in the name of either Rav Chisda or Mar Ukva) that G-d says concerning anyone with the trait of haughtiness, “he and I cannot coexist in this world.” Why? Because the arrogant individual is so full of himself that he loses his recognition of all higher authority—including The Higher Authority.
Are the Promises Concerning the Land Conditional?
M
oshe tells the Jewish people: “And you should know that not because of your righteousness does the Lord your G-d give you this good land to possess it, for you are a stiffnecked people.” (Deut. 9:6) Most of the time we condition the possession of the land by the people of Israel to their righteousness and their obedience, but it is not what is written in this verse. “not because of your righteousness”. The conditional promise for the land of Israel is a myth, it is not
in reality sustained by history. There are at least three times when G-d has given the land to Israel. 1. After the Exodus from Egypt. We cannot say that Israel was faithful and righteous. In Egypt they did not follow the commandments of G-d. They could not, they were slaves and not free to worship G-d as they wanted. Then, they were in the wilderness for a journey of forty years, they were not more righteous, the Torah gives us the stories of all their rebellions. And even after all these troubles, everyone who was over 20 when he left Egypt died in the desert, G-d continues to see Israel as a “Holy people” (Deut 7:6). and gave them the Land with a great blessing and help of all the angels. 2. After the deportation of Babylon. G-d allowed Israel to come back to their country and to rebuild Jerusalem and the Temple. The story given in Ezra and Nehemiah shows us how the Jewish people were not faithful to G-d, very few accepted to leave Babylon and to come back to Israel,
Ezra was very upset about the spiritual situation of the children of Israel who were not faithful and one of their biggest sin was their marriage with non Jewish women. Ezra urges Israel to leave their non Jewish wives. Nehemiah was upset of their selfishness, they were building beautiful houses and the house of the L-rd was in ruin. 3. After almost two thousand years since the destruction of Jerusalem by the Roman Empire, the Jewish people is coming back to his home land. that is a great miracle. Can we say that today the Jewish people is more faithful that in the past? I don’t think so, but G-d is faithful to his covenant with Israel. And G-d continues to love Israel (Rom 11:28) and to provide his gifts and calling to Israel because they are “irrevocable” (Rom 11:29). G-d has a plan for Israel, his plan is to bring back “his people” (Rom 11:1) to him. It is part of the prophecy we have in the Bible “For the Israelites will live many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred stones, with-
3
them wealth and success. Nor did Hashem drive out the Canaanites because of the people of Israel’s righteousness, but rather because of the sins of the Canaanites; for the road from Sinai had been a catalogue of large and small sins and rebellions against Hashem and Moshe. Moshe details the events after Hashem spoke the 10 Commandments at Sinai, culminating in his bringing down the second set of Tablets on Yom Kippur. Aharon’s passing is recorded as is the elevation of the levi’im to Hashem’s ministers. Moshe points out that the 70 people who went down to Egypt have now become like the stars of the heaven in abundance. After specifying the great virtues of the Land of Israel, Moshe speaks the second paragraph of the Shema, conceptualizing the blessings that accompany keeping mitzvot and the curse that results from non-observance
Haftara Overview Isaiah 49:14-51:3
“When I went up the mountain to receive the tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant that the Lord made with you, I remained on the mountain forty days and forty nights. I neither ate bread nor drank water.” (Deuteronomy 9:9)
T
his Shabbat is the second Shabbat after Tisha B’Av. This period is called, Shiva D’nechemta—”Seven weeks of comfort.” The seven Haftarot of the week between Tish’a B’av and Rosh Hashana are prophesies of comfort and hope for Israel and G-d’s people at large. The text of Isaiah continues to comfort Israel. From time to time Israel can contemplate, “The LORD has forsaken me, my Lord has forgotten me” (Is. 49:14). The L-rd answers, “Can a woman forget her nursing child, or show no compassion for the child of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you” (15). We already said that the L-rd loves his people with an everlasting love. He will never forget his people. “See, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me “ (16). Some people think that there is no connection between what happens to Israel today and the prophecies, but it is difficult to believe that. If it is so, how can we understand the prophesies? How can we understand that G-d continues to love Israel, although the prophecies are not about Israel in our days? “Thus says the Lord G-D: I will
out ephod or teraphim. (Hos 3:4) The people of Israel has been living in this condition “ without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred stones, without ephod or teraphim” for almost two thousand years, then the text continues “Afterward the Israelites will return and seek the LORD their G-d and David their king. They will come trembling to the LORD and to his blessings in the last days.” (Hos 3:5) Jews and Adventists agree together to say that we are in the last days, Mashiach is coming soon. That means this prophecy will be fulfilled in our time, the Jewish people will “return and seek the L-rd their G-d” not only their G-d but also “David their king”, David is the symbol of the Messiah, because the Messiah is “Ben David” Son of David. The Jewish people will look for their Messiah, and discovering his goodness for them, his blessings upon them “They will come trembling to the LORD and to his blessings”. They will come to the Messiah, they will recognize the Messiah and then they will “be grafted into their own olive tree” (Rom 11:24) Not to a pagan or pseudoChristian olive tree, but “into their own olive tree”.
4
G-d’s Forgiveness
T
he Torah states, “And now, Israel, what does Hashem your G-d ask of you, but that you fear Hashem your G-d, to go in all His ways and to love Him...?” (Deut. 10:12). In the Talmud, our Sages ask, “is fear of Heaven such a small thing?” And their answer is, yes, to Moshe it was a small matter. They use a parable: if your friend asks to borrow a large amount of money, and you have it, then it seems like a little thing—whereas if someone asks you for even a small amount, but you don’t have it, then to you it seems large. “However,” the Oznaim Letorah asks, “Moshe gave the Torah to us! If it isn’t a small thing to us, then how can Moshe speak to us as if it is?” Rabbi Yaakov Menken says that there is another way to look at this passage. Moshe has just described how the Nation of Israel sinned with the Golden Calf, causing the destruction of the First Tablets and—had Moshe not intervened—their own destruction as well. Rashi, Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki, a French Scholar of the Middle Age, says that this verse is coming to teach us that “even though you have done all this, His mercy and His love are still upon you, and with all of the
sins which you have done before Him, this is all He asks.” According to the Midrash, the language of “and now” is used to denote returning to G-d. The Oznaim LeTorah explains that “What happened, happened. ‘And now’ let us start anew, like a newborn child—and that which you sinned before, let it not be remembered or considered, or even come to mind, if from this day forward you will fear Hashem your G-d, to go in his ways and to love him.” Sometimes we do bad things. Things we really and truly regret—and we feel guilty. Sometimes, we even feel worthless. We wonder, “how can I go to pray? Will He listen to me? Who am I to ask for my needs?” The verse is telling us that this is not what G-d wants! He wants us to admit our errors, “mend our ways,” and go forward. When a person sins against his neighbor, he must return anything he stole, and ask forgiveness from that person. And when a person sins against G-d, he must ask His forgiveness. But then, it is also important to be able to move on, and not to become burdened by one’s own inadequacy to the point where one is unable to continue working on living a G-dly life. It is crucial for our spiritual life to accept G-d’s forgiveness.
I
Apostolic Writings — Matthew 4:4
n the chapter 8 of Deuteronomy Moses reminds Israel’s journey in the wilderness. G-d led them. He humbled them and fed them with the manna (Deuteronomy 8 :2-3). The following sentence affirms that it is impossible for them to live without G-d and His word. Bread is good, but without G-d’s Word, bread will not help them to live a blessed life. “man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.” (Deut 8:3). This sentence is quoted by Yeshua himself when he was in the wilderness, preparing himself for his mission, fasting for 40 days, he was tempted by the devil to transform stones in bread. “But he [Yeshua] answered, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of G-d.’” (Matthew 4:4). Let’s remember the context. Just before this text of Matthew 4 Jesus went to the Jordan river to meet Yochanan HaMatbil (the Baptist), it is the beginning of his ministry, he had to start his ministry by his ordination, Yochanan was the link between the time before the coming of the Mashiach (time of the Hebrew Bible) and the time after the coming of the Mashiach (time of the Apostolic writings) That is why only Yochanan who was a Levite, (a descendant of Aaron), was able to ordain Yeshua and to transmit the priesthood from Aaron’s family to Yeshua forever. After his ordination Yeshua had to start his ministry where Adam failed,
Yeshua is the second Adam (1Cor. 15:45) Adam and Eve failed on the matter of the appetite (Genesis 3:3) and when Yeshua was in the wilderness to prepare himself for his mission, while he was fasting for 40 days, the Devil, Satan came to him to tempt him, “the tempter came and said to him, ‘If you are the Son of G-d, command these stones to become loaves of bread.’” (Matthew 4:3). This temptation was a real temptation, it is not a temptation anyone of us will receive because we don’t have the capacity to change stones in bread, but Yeshua as the Mashiach and the Son of G-d was able to transform stones in bread. Even though he fasted for 40 days, and was hungry he did not follow the advice of the Devil and rebuked him by the Word of G-d, he answered by the verse of our parasha “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of G-d.” Thus it is important for us to know how we consider the Word of G-d, the Bible. Is it a food for us, if yes, then the next important question is how often do we eat of this food. How often do we meditate the Word of G-d in order to be fed by G-d. We have different texts and recommendations in the parasha Eikev about food, one of these recommendations is “For the Lord your G-d is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, flowing
out in the valleys and hills, a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey, a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing, a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills you can dig copper. And you shall eat and be full, and you shall bless the Lord your G-d for the good land he has given you.” (Deuteronomy 8:7–10). The Lord is providing everything for us, clothe, house, health, food etc… and this text says to us that all the fruits and vegetables come from the Lord and we should be satisfied with them, and the verse 10 says that when we will be full and satisfied with these food we will bless the Lord. That is why the Jewish people pronounce a very short prayer before eating which is Baruch Ata Adonai, elohenu melech haolam, hamotse lechem min haaretz, which means “Bless are you Adonai, our G-d, king of the universe who draws bread from the earth.” That is all, and then they eat. However after eating Jews pronounce a long prayer, which is called Birkat Hamazon (blessing for food). it can be found on Internet. Thus if our spiritual food is the Word of G-d (Matthew 4:4), we should follow the example of the Jews, and pray G-d before opening his Word, but also after meditating it, thanking G-d for his inspiration and enlightenment of our heart with his Word.
5
soon lift up my hand to the nations, and raise my signal to the peoples; and they shall bring your sons in their bosom, and your daughters shall be carried on their shoulders” (22). It is clear that this text can be applied to the return of Israel from the Babylonian Exile, but why not a double application with modern times? It is impossible to read part of the text as applying to Israel, “See, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me “ (16), and not applying another part of the text to the same people. “I will make your oppressors eat their own flesh, and they shall be drunk with their own blood as with wine. Then all flesh shall know that I am the LORD your Savior, and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob” (26). Of course, Israel is not without sin, but the L-rd continues to be with them, calling them to repentance. “Why was no one there when I came? Why did no one answer when I called?” (Is. 50:2). There is a beautiful structure of the text “The Lord G-d helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced” (7) in parallel with “It is the Lord G-d who helps me; who will declare me guilty? (9). I would not personally take the risk of declaring Israel guilty when G-d provides forgiveness to her.
Stories and Traditions
Inspirational Corner
v “The deceitfulness of riches.”The love of riches has an infatuating, deceptive power. Too often those who possess worldly treasure forget that it is G-d who gives them power to get wealth. They say, “My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth.” (Deuteronomy 8:17). Their riches, instead of awakening gratitude to G-d, lead to the exaltation of self. They lose the sense of their dependence upon G-d and their obligation to their fellow men. Instead of regarding wealth as a talent to be employed for the glory of G-d and the uplifting of humanity, they look upon it as a means of serving themselves. Instead of developing in man the attributes of G-d, riches thus used are developing in him the attributes of Satan. The seed of the word is choked with thorns. (CSA 22)
I Will be Among You
A
king and his entourage went out hunting in the forest. All day they chased after the animals. The king was so involved in the sport that he didn’t notice that he became separated from the rest of his people. Toward evening he realized that he was alone in the forest and he didn’t know the way out. Just then a farmer came by carrying a pile of wood on his shoulder. The king asked him for the way out of the forest. The farmer said, “I will show you the way out of here, but I want to ask you for a favor. I heard that the king is in the area hunting. I never saw the king and you must be one of his entourage. When I lead you to the main road, could you show me the king.” The king said, “Sure I will show you the king.” “But how will I know he is the king? Will he be wearing different clothes than everyone else?” “No. He won’t be wearing different clothes. But here is how you will know who he is. When we get to the road, you will see that all the king’s people will remove their hats and bow their heads. The person who doesn’t take of his hat and doesn’t bow is the king!” In a little while they reached the edge of the forest. When they saw the king they all took off their hats and bowed their heads. “Now can you identify who is the king?” Asked the king of the farmer. The farmer looked around and finally replied, “I’m not
6
sure. According to the sign you gave me, the two of us are wearing our hats and didn’t bow, so it’s either you or me!” Many times, we too find ourselves in the shoes of the foolish farmer. Often we don’t recognize that it is G-d who is “walking amongst us” and fail to give Him the credit for everything we have. “And I will walk among you, and I will be your G-d and you shall be My people”— Recognizing that G-d is amongst us and that He is our G-d and that we are His people... is indeed a great blessing and security”
When to remember G-d
T
he story is told of a woman late for a business appointment. Caught in traffic, she begins to pray. “G-d, help me get there, and I’ll light candles every Shabbat!” And at that moment the police open a lane around the accident and she gets through. She hits a long line at a toll. “G-d, help me get there, and I’ll be more honest in my business!” A new lane opens, and she slides through. With three minutes to go, there’s no parking space to be found. “Gd, help me get there, and I’ll even stop gossiping!” And at that moment, someone exits a nearby store, and pulls out from the space directly opposite the building entrance. With moments to spare, she gets to the office. “It’s ok, G-d. I worked it out myself.” This is why the Torah calls upon us to remember G-d specifically when His blessings have reached us, so that we not look upon the areas where we have
been most fortunate and claim, “I did it myself.”
Baal Shem Tov and his Disciples
Kids Parasha ‘Ekev
b®qEo
Parents can and should interest their children in the varied knowledge found in the sacred pages. But if they would interest their sons and daughters in the Word of G-d, they must be interested in it themselves. They must be familiar with its teachings and, as G-d commanded Israel, speak of it “when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.” (Deuteronomy 11:19). Those who desire their children to love and reverence G-d must talk of His goodness, His majesty, and His power, as revealed in His Word and in the works of creation. (CG 99) v
T
he Baal Shem Tov used to spend many hours in prayer. His disciples would finish their prayer earlier and then wait for their Rebbe. Only then would they go home and have their Shabbat meal. One Shabbat, the disciples decided to go home, have their meal and return to synagogue before their Rebbe finished his prayers. However, to their amazement, when they returned, the Baal Shem Tov had already finished his prayers and was waiting for them. They asked the Baal Shem Tov, “Why did the Rebbe finish his prayers so much earlier this Shabbat?” The Baal Shem Tov replied, “I will explain this with the following parable. Many people were standing near a tree, on the top of which there was a beautiful bird. In order to catch the bird, they decided that each person will stand on the other’s shoulder, until the one on top will reach the bird and catch it.” “The same is with us,” said the Baal Shem Tov. “The only way I can reach to the higher spiritual spheres is when I place each one of you one on top of the other (in a spiritual sense) and thus, with your help, I could get to where I want to reach. However, when you all left, I lost your support and thus the ability to reach the spiritual heights.”
Deuteronomy 7:12 -11:25
“And because you listen to these rules and keep and do them, the LORD your G-d will keep with you the covenant and the steadfast love that he swore to your fathers. He will love you, bless you, and multiply you. He will also bless the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground, your grain and your wine and your oil, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock, in the land that he swore to your fathers to give you. You shall be blessed above all peoples. There shall not be male or female barren among you or among your livestock. And the LORD will take away from you all sickness, and none of the evil diseases of Egypt, which you knew, will he inflict on you, but he will lay them on all who hate you. And you shall consume all the peoples that the LORD your G-d will give over to you. Your eye shall not pity them, neither shall you serve their G-ds, for that would be a snare to you.” (Deuteronomy 7:12–16 ESV) http://www.bnai-tikkun.org.nz 7
Inspirational Corner