Noach -- Day #4

Noach נֹחַ - Rest  

Torah Portion: Genesis 6:9-11:32        

Genesis 8:15–9:7  

8:15 Elohim spoke to Noah, saying, 16 “Go out of the ship, you, your wife, your sons, and your sons’ wives with you. 17 Bring out with you every living thing that is with you of all flesh, including birds, livestock, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, that they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply on the earth.”

18 Noah went out with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives with him. 19 Every animal, every creeping thing, and every bird, whatever moves on the earth, after their families, went out of the ship.

20 Noah built an altar to Hashem, and took one of every clean animal, and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. 21 Hashem smelled the pleasant aroma. Hashem said in His heart, “I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake, because the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth. I will never again strike every living thing, as I have done. 22 While the earth remains, seed time and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night will not cease.”

9:1 Elohim blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, and replenish the earth. 2 The fear of you and the dread of you will be on every animal of the earth, and on every bird of the sky. Everything that moves along the ground, and all the fish of the sea, are delivered into your hand. 3 Every moving thing that lives will be food for you. As I gave you the green herb, I have given everything to you. 4 But flesh with its life, that is, its blood, you shall not eat. 5 I will surely require accounting for your life’s blood. At the hand of every animal, I will require it. At the hand of man, even at the hand of every man’s brother, I will require the life of man. 6 Whoever sheds man’s blood, his blood will be shed by man, for Elohim made man in His own image. 7 Be fruitful and multiply. Increase abundantly in the earth, and multiply in it.”

Today’s Meditation: 

A common thread through the first nine chapters of Genesis is “be fruitful and multiply” (verse 9:1). It is believed by many that this is actually the first commandment that Hashem gives to man. It is considered the “great Mitzvah”, which means the greatest commandment of all. And what is truly interesting is that in the Talmud, it is believed that when every soul from heaven is delivered to the earth, the Mashiach (Messiah) will come. That is genuinely an interesting thought.

This is an area that each of us really needs to give prayerful consideration. Do we allow Hashem to dictate how many children we have, or do we do things (birth control, abortion, etc.) that inhibit His plans? Think of the souls that Hashem could have placed into His creation that were interrupted by our selfishness and family planning ideas. This is something to pause and pray about for a moment.

Today’s Challenge:

Do some research today on the forms of birth control available. Look at what they actually do. Do they prohibit and destroy a fertilized egg from implanting into the uterus? If so, then is birth control actually destroying conception, a created being? You may be surprised by what you discover.

B'reisheet - Day #4

B'reisheet בְּרֵאשִׁית - In the Beginning  

Torah Portion: Genesis 1:1-6:8

Genesis 3:22–4:18

3:22 Hashem Elohim said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand, and also take of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever—” 23 Therefore Hashem Elohim sent him out from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from which he was taken. 24 So he drove out the man, and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.

4:1 The man knew Eve, his wife. She conceived and gave birth to Cain and said, “I have gotten a man with Hashem’s help.” 2 Again, she gave birth to Cain’s brother Abel. Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. 3 As time passed, Cain brought an offering to Hashem from the fruit of the ground. 4 Abel also brought some of the firstborn of his flock and of its fat. Hashem respected Abel and his offering, 5 but He didn’t respect Cain and his offering. Cain was very angry, and the expression on his face fell. 

6 Hashem said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why has the expression of your face fallen? 7 If you do well, won’t it be lifted up? If you don’t do well, sin crouches at the door. Its desire is for you, but you are to rule over it.” 

8 Cain said to Abel, his brother, “Let’s go into the field.” While they were in the field, Cain rose up against Abel, his brother, and killed him.

9 Hashem said to Cain, “Where is Abel, your brother?”

He said, “I don’t know. Am I my brother’s keeper?”

10 Hashem said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries to me from the ground. 11 Now you are cursed because of the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 12 From now on, when you till the ground, it won’t yield its strength to you. You will be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.”

13 Cain said to Hashem, “My punishment is greater than I can bear. 14 Behold, you have driven me out today from the surface of the ground. I will be hidden from your face, and I will be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth. Whoever finds me will kill me.”

15 Hashem said to him, “Therefore, whoever slays Cain, vengeance will be taken on him sevenfold.” Hashem appointed a sign for Cain, so that anyone finding him would not strike him.

16 Cain left Hashem’s presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden. 17 Cain knew his wife. She conceived and gave birth to Enoch. He built a city and named it after the name of his son, Enoch. 18 Irad was born to Enoch. Irad became the father of Mehujael. Mehujael became the father of Methushael. Methushael became the father of Lamech.

Today’s Meditation: 

What exactly is the sign on Cain? I always thought it was some mark on his forehead so everyone could see it. However, rabbinical literature views the sign as a mark of forgiveness. After Hashem confronts Cain about his evil deed of murdering his brother, Cain remarks, “My punishment is greater than I can bear.” It sounds like he is repenting. And when we repent, Hashem forgives us. 

Perhaps this is the first instance of forgiveness mentioned in the Bible. After all, we are only in chapters 3 and 4. This forgiveness is so great that Hashem places a mark on Cain so that no one will harm him. What a powerful sign that must have been. That is Hashem’s grace for sure. Forgiveness and protection. It also reminds us that sin comes with consequences. Truly, the sadness of this all is that Cain will now be hidden from Elohim’s face.

Today’s Challenge:

Are you wearing a sign of forgiveness on your face? Or is that not possible because there is actually someone in your life you are having a hard time forgiving? I challenge you to take the person Hashem has just put on your mind, go to them, and seek their forgiveness. When you do this, you will see that Hashem has also forgiven you.

V'Zot HaBerachah - Day #4

V'Zot HaBerachah וְזֹאת הַבְּרָכָה -   

And this is the blessing

Torah Portion: 

Deuteronomy 33:1-34:12

Deuteronomy 33:18–21

33:18 About Zebulun, he said,

“Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out;

    and Issachar, in your tents.

19 They will call the peoples to the mountain.

    There they will offer sacrifices of righteousness,

for they will draw out the abundance of the seas,

    the hidden treasures of the sand.”

20 About Gad, he said,

“He who enlarges Gad is blessed.

    He dwells as a lioness,

    and tears the arm and the crown of the head.

21 He provided the first part for himself,

    for the lawgiver’s portion reserved was reserved for him.

He came with the heads of the people.

    He executed the righteousness of Hashem,

    His ordinances with Israel.”

Today’s Meditation:

Blessings on two more tribes. It’s almost like every tribe has a role in the Kingdom of Elohim and here on earth. To each tribe, he ascribes unique blessings that must align with their particular gifts and callings. Zebulun was apparently a seafaring tribe. Doing trading with fish, and all. Hashem was going to bless this about them, for they would “draw out of the abundance of the seas” (verse 19). This makes me think that whatever Hashem calls us to do, if we are obedient to Him and His Torah, He will allow us to draw out of the abundance. This abundance will be in our area of need. We follow, and He blesses us. 

Today’s Challenge:

There are blessings on the tribe of Gad in today’s readings. Remember that Gad is one of the tribes that wanted to settle east of the Jordan, not west. However, they offered to join the other tribes in conquering the land west of the Jordan River. They were apparently known as skilled fighters, efficient in battle. And that’s where Hashem wanted them. From that story, we learn that it’s okay to ask Hashem for special things (like settling east of Jordan), but when He asks us to do extraordinary things, we must return His favor. That’s my challenge today. If Hashem is asking you to do something special, and maybe it’s out of your comfort zone, do it. If He wants you to go to war and fight for Him, do it. He will give you what you want, but we also have to do what He wants. Be ready to settle “East” but be prepared to go “West” for a while to do His will.

Ha'Azinu - Day #4

Ha'Azinu הַאֲזִינוּ - Listen!  

Torah Portion: 

Deuteronomy 32:1-32:52

Deuteronomy 32:19–28

32:19 Hashem saw and abhorred,

    because of the provocation of His sons and his daughters.

20 He said, “I will hide My face from them.

    I will see what their end will be;

for they are a very perverse generation,

    children in whom there is no faithfulness.

21 They have moved Me to jealousy with that which is not Elohim.

    They have provoked Me to anger with their vanities.

I will move them to jealousy with those who are not a people.

    I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation.

22 For a fire is kindled in My anger,

    that burns to the lowest Sheol,

    devours the earth with its increase,

    and sets the foundations of the mountains on fire.

23 “I will heap evils on them.

    I will spend My arrows on them.

24 They shall be wasted with hunger,

    and devoured with burning heat

    and bitter destruction.

I will send the teeth of animals on them,

    with the venom of vipers that glide in the dust.

25 Outside the sword will bereave,

    and in the rooms,

    terror on both the young man and the virgin,

    the nursing infant with the gray-haired man.

26 I said that I would scatter them afar.

    I would make their memory to cease from among men;

27 were it not that I feared the provocation of the enemy,

    lest their adversaries should judge wrongly,

  lest they should say, ‘Our hand is exalted,

    Hashem has not done all this.’”

28 For they are a nation void of counsel.

    There is no understanding in them.

Today’s Meditation:

After Moses explains the trouble they are going to be getting into when they abandon Hashem, he says in verse 28, ”For they are a nation void of counsel. There is no understanding in them.” He predicts that they will have a time in the future when they will no longer consult Hashem. They will be void of His counsel. Therefore, since they are not in a relationship with Hashem, there will be no understanding. That’s what is happening today. People no longer believe or communicate with the one true Elohim. They are going it alone, and the result is that they have no understanding of spiritual matters. People have become totally carnal, devoid of the one true spiritual relationship with Hashem. You and I can be a part of changing this. We can be lights to His truth and existence, bringing His genuine love to others. We can teach people about Him and how to communicate with Him. If they do this, they will gain understanding. 

Today's Challenge:

In verse 20, we read that the result of disobedience among His people is that, “I will hide My face from them.” Having Hashem's face hidden from you means He is no longer visible or tangible in your life. It is like when we sin, the hand of Hashem is lifted from our lives. We can only go it alone. And I can feel this happening every time I deliberately sin against Him. It’s like He really does hide His face from me. It takes true repentance and teshuvah to regain that personal relationship with Him. My challenge for you today is to assess your spiritual life. Do you feel Hashem’s Hand in your life, or do you feel He is “hiding His face” from you? If it is the latter, please take action. Repent and return to Him. Make restitution for what you have done and pray that He will return to you. Scripture says so (Malachi 3:7). Don’t be content with a life absent from Hashem; invite Him back into your life. And show Him that you really mean this.

Nitzavim/Vayelech - Day #4

Nitzavim - Vayelech  

Torah Portion:

Deuteronomy 29:9-31:30

Deuteronomy 30:15-31:6

30:15 Behold, I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and evil. 16 For I command you today to love Hashem your Elohim, to walk in His ways and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His ordinances, that you may live and multiply, and that Hashem your Elohim may bless you in the land where you go in to possess it. 17 But if your heart turns away, and you will not hear, but are drawn away and worship other gods, and serve them, 18 I declare to you today that you will surely perish. You will not prolong your days in the land where you pass over the Jordan to go in to possess it. 19 I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Therefore choose life, that you may live, you and your descendants, 20 to love Hashem your Elohim, to obey His voice, and to cling to Him; for he is your life, and the length of your days, that you may dwell in the land which Hashem swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.

31:1 Moses went and spoke these words to all Israel. 2 He said to them, “I am one hundred twenty years old today. I can no more go out and come in. Hashem has said to me, ‘You shall not go over this Jordan.’ 3 Hashem your Elohim Himself will go over before you. He will destroy these nations from before you, and you shall dispossess them. Joshua will go over before you, as Hashem has spoken. 4 Hashem will do to them as He did to Sihon and to Og, the kings of the Amorites, and to their land, when He destroyed them. 5 Hashem will deliver them up before you, and you shall do to them according to all the commandment which I have commanded you. 6 Be strong and courageous. Don’t be afraid or scared of them; for Hashem your Elohim himself is who goes with you. He will not fail you nor forsake you.”

         

Today’s Meditation:

If your heart turns away, you will perish (verses 16-17). This is a concurrent theme throughout Scripture. We must not turn to other gods (money, relationships, sin). Our life depends on it. We must only follow Hashem and His Torah. This requires us to guard our hearts. And how does that work? That means we stay saturated in His Word. That means we don’t go to places or hang out with people who tempt us to sin. Instead, we surround ourselves with people who love Hashem with all their hearts. It also means we pray and worship Him consistently. Remember, Torah is life. Not to follow Hashem and His Torah is death. I

Today’s Challenge:

When you choose life, it is required (according to today’s reading) that you love Hashem, obey His voice, and cling to Him. We know how to hear His voice (I hope). We know how to obey Him. But how do we cling to Him? Ruth clung to her mother-in-law, Naomi. She told her she would love her, follow her, and her Elohim, her country, everything. That is what clinging is. You hold close. It’s not letting go when you hug someone. I challenge you today to not let go of Hashem. To cling to Him. Give Him everything you have. Do everything for Him and for others. He is your life. Don’t let go.

Ki Tavo - Day #4

Ki Tavo כִּי-תָבוֹא - When You Enter In  

Torah Portion:

Deuteronomy 26:1-29:8

Deuteronomy 27:1–10

27:1 Moses and the elders of Israel commanded the people, saying, “Keep all the commandments which I command you today. 2 It shall be on the day when you shall pass over the Jordan to the land which Hashem your Elohim gives you, that you shall set yourself up great stones, and coat them with plaster. 3 You shall write on them all the words of this law, when you have passed over, that you may go into the land which Hashem your Elohim gives you, a land flowing with milk and honey, as Hashem, the Elohim of your fathers, has promised you. 4 It shall be, when you have crossed over the Jordan, that you shall set up these stones, which I command you today, on Mount Ebal, and you shall coat them with plaster. 5 There you shall build an altar to Hashem your Elohim, an altar of stones. You shall not use any iron tool on them. 6 You shall build Hashem your Elohim’s altar of uncut stones. You shall offer burnt offerings on it to Hashem your Elohim. 7 You shall sacrifice peace offerings, and shall eat there. You shall rejoice before Hashem your Elohim. 8 You shall write on the stones all the words of this law very plainly.”

9 Moses and the Levitical priests spoke to all Israel, saying, “Be silent and listen, Israel! Today you have become the people of Hashem your Elohim. 10 You shall therefore obey Hashem your Elohim’s voice, and do His commandments and His statutes, which I command you today.”

Today’s Meditation:

In verse 7, we read again that after your sacrifice to Hashem, your Elohim, you are to rejoice. Sometimes, when I read about sacrifices, they seem challenging. Bringing in a spotless offering to the Tabernacle/Temple to the priest, having him slaughter it, then cooking and eating it (the ones that you are permitted to eat). But we don’t realize that all of this is done for Hashem. The creator of the universe. It’s not just some chore; it is a total privilege and blessing. So, that’s when we rejoice. When we realize it is Hashem, the Elohim of all. That is who we are giving to. And what an honor that it is. All so much worth giving Him glory and praise. We don’t have that type of offering today, but we can offer other options. And when we do, be sure to rejoice before Him. Giving and then rejoicing- something we are not used to?

Today’s Challenge:

In verse 9, Moses tells the people to be quiet and listen. That they have become the people of Hashem, so obey His commandments. I believe these words are alive today. We are to listen to the voice of Hashem, but we need to be quiet to do so. We can’t hear His voice when we are leading busy and loud lives. Going places, doing things, talking, and texting. We need to find a quiet place so we can hear His voice. Picture a house full of kids playing, shrieking with laughter, and running around. But one of the kids is trying to talk to you. You can’t hear him/her because of all the noise. Same with Hashem. If we have so much going on around us, we won’t be able to hear Him speak. So that’s the challenge today. Get somewhere quiet and peaceful. Try to spend some time with Hashem.