Torah Talks #1 Oct. 13, 2012

RaYBaSH’s Torah Talks

Parashah #1 B’resheet – In the Beginning

Gen. 1:1-6:8

Rabbi Yehudah ben Shomeyr

In this Torah Portion I will pair Scripture with Scripture that compares us to the process of the created order.

THE CREATION WEEK AND MANKIND

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” Gen.1:1-2

Just as the literal heavens and earth were formless and void, so were we until:

“And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth… And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” Gen. 1:26-28; 2:7

“And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.” Gen. 1:3-5

Just as light was created, so too were we enlightened.

“And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.  And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day… And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” Gen. 1:29-31; 2:16-17

“And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.  And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.” Gen. 1:6-8

Just as water was separated from water, so too was blood and water divided.

“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth…And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him. And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” Gen. 1:27-28; 2:18-23

“And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good. And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the third day.” Gen. 1:9-13

Just as sea, land and vegetation came forth so too from man who is soil and the blood of man the water, land and fruit came forth in the guise of offspring.

And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth… And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed… And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the Lord. And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.” Gen. 1:28; 2:25; 4:1-2

 ^“And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.” Gen. 1:14-19

Just as G-d created the cosmos and the heavenly bodies whose job it is to govern the passage of time, so too we rule time and allow it to pass as we live out life in our occupations.

“And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so… And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it… And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.” Gen. 1:26-30; 2:15; 4:2

“And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth. And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.” Gen. 1:20-23

Just as the sky and sea teem with life, so too do our minds teem with ideas and our lungs and loins teem with life and seeds of life.

And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth… And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it… And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him… And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the Lord. And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.” Gen. 1:26-28; 2:15, 20; 4:1-2

Just was we reign in the thoughts of our mind and the desires of our loins, so too do we tame and take dominion over sky and sea.

“And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.  And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so. And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.” Gen. 1:28-30

“And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so. And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.” Gen. 1:24-31

Just as creation comes full circle and the creation becomes the creator, so too for us.

“And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the Lord. And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.” Gen. 4:1-2

“Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.” Gen. 2:1-3

As the Creator rests, so does all His creation, both man and beast (2:21a) We as mankind are a representation of the whole of creation in miniature. We mirror the macrocosm in ourselves as the microcosm.

MAN AND BEAST

“And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.” Gen. 2:19-20

Adam named the animals by their characteristics and traits, for example; an ox in Hebrew is “aluph” spelled, Aleph-Lamed-Vav-Pey; meaning, letter for letter, “strength guided and yoked securely by its mouth.” As we know, an ox is led by its appetite (mouth) for grass and when domesticated can aslo be guided by a bit put in its mouth or by a yoke upon its neck. So too where all the animals named. Adam just didn’t look at a creature and exclaim, “Oh, you look like an ox to me, yeah, thae sound of that name seems to fit you.” No, each name Adam gave the animals had meaning and was based on its characteristics and traits.

“And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.” Gen. 2:20

Adam, meaning “red earth” had no one to call “Chava (Eve)” meaning, “The mother of all the living (Gen.3:20).”

Even the designation man and woman have meaning:

“And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” Gen. 2:22-23

Man in Hebrew is “Iysh” (Alpeh-Yod-Shin) meaning; Strength by the hand of Shaddi (The Almighty).” Woman in Hebrew is “Ishshah” (Aleph-Shin-Hey) which means; “Strength of Shaddi’s (The Almighty’s) Breath.” Women will mimic this by giving birth to children with the breath of life already in them. Chavah or Eve comes from the Hebrew word, “Chiam” meaning, “Life,” and thus Eve became “the mother of all the living.”

“And Adam called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.” Gen. 3:20

“Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.” Gen. 3:16

 

More accurately translated as due to our fallen nature, “You will desire your husband’s position, yet he will rule over you.”

Though man and woman/husband and wife are co-equal partners (2:22-24), HaShem placed the man as the head and with women’s lib and gender equality Genesis 3:16 is true and rears its ugly head before our very eyes in our society.

“And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed…Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.” Gen.2:7-8; 3:23

The place of man’s creation is a different location than the Garden itself.

Rabbi’s believe that the Temple Mount is the spot where man was created and also the cleft of the rock from which the Tablets for the 10 Commandments where hewn as well as the place Moses was hid and Elijah went to retreat from Jezebel and the prophets of Baal.

So the Garden isn’t as special and as sacred as the place from which G-d created man and I find it a blessing in disguise and merciful that we were banished from the Garden but not from the place we were created!

THE FALL OF MANKIND

I find it fascinating how Psalm 1 fits so well with the Torah Portion:

Psalm 1:1-2 = Gen.1:29; 2:9, 16-17; 3:2

Adam and Eve did not delight in the Law of YHWH but loitered in the way of the serpent and fell.

Psalm 1:3-4 = Gen. 3:6-7

Adam and Eve’s sinless glory fell and faded as the fig leaves they plucked to cover themselves.

Psalm 1:5-6 = Gen. 3:23-24

Adam and Eve could no longer stand firm in the Garden by the Tree of Life but was doomed to die outside the Garden.

Desire or lust was the first sin to conquer and mankind failed, this led to disobedience. The second set of sins fallen humanity had to face was motive, jealousy and attitude.

“And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.” Gen. 4:3-7

If Cain had a pure motive of love in which to sacrifice unto G-d his very best out of an attitude of gratitude, he would not have become jealously downcast.

“And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground… And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.” Gen. 4:10; 3:9-13

Before G-d judges, He confronts us with questions that cause us to stop, think, reflect, face up to and admit what we had done that makes us deserving of His fair and yet merciful judgement.

“And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand; When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.” Gen. 4:11-12

According to the Torah, Cain deserved death for murdering his brother Abel, so why did G-d let Cain live and sentence him to a life of exile? For the same reason the military will not draft 2 brothers, the only children of their parents, so as not to have both die sons die in war so that the parents would not be utterly bereaved and have no one to continue the family line. G-d sentenced Cain to exile not for Cain’s sake,  but for Adam and Eve’s sake. Why loose two sons in one day!?

Shabbat Shalom,

-         Rabbi Yehudah ben Shomeyr

Witchcraft Forged Against Me

Shalom Family and Friends,

Greetings in the Name of our Lord and Saviour Yeshua the Messiah.

“We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed…” (II Cor. 4:8-9)

I come to you with a most urgent prayer need of a spiritual warfare nature. I feel I must first give you a little back ground in order for you to fully understand and appreciate the present prayer need.

For close to five years (since moving to Canada), despite the privilege of ministering in mighty ways on a global scale such as I have never done in my entire life, I have been under severe spiritual oppression, in an insulated cocoon of sorts to where it has been extremely difficult to operate and move in the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit). I just feel like now that the cocoon has split open, I can move and breathe a little bit more freely, layer after layer of sticky cocoon is coming off and my dulled, atrophied, spiritual senses are just starting to wake up.

I am moving and warring in the spirit in ways I haven’t done since my Christian Head Banger days when I and my ministerial companions dealt with witchcraft and spiritual warfare on a regular basis. Why the sudden change? Well you see, even since my wife and I were dating and I would come here to this part of Canada to visit, I felt a spiritual, dark blanket, like a dark heavy cloud pressing down on this land and suffocating it, making believers oppressed and spiritually apathetic. There are six churches in this little village and they are either spiritually dead or seriously struggling. With six churches this should be a holy on fire village for the LORD! But it is far from it.

Now that I live here I have been put under that spell of slumber and foggy headedness. And I noticed that every time I would leave this area and go minister abroad, a few days away from this place I would revive spiritually and kind of leave where I left off before I moved here, operating boldly and powerfully in the Spirit. I would return to Plaster Rock, New Brunswick Canada pumped up and refreshed, but like a tire with a slow and unnoticeable leak, the wind would be knocked out of my sails and like a victim of a blood sucking leech I would one day noticed a month or so later that my spiritual ebb and flow had become stagnate and I collapse in on myself like a cake from an oven after a big crash. I had no spiritual vision or energy and if I did become inspired in some way, I had no desire or energy to carry it out. It was then I knew something strange was going on in this land. Out of all the Canadian Provinces New Brunswick had one of the highest rates of depression and suicide on record and here in my neck of the woods, as well as cancer being at near epidemic proportions.

The only place I felt I had spiritual respite was when I was asleep, it was where I felt spiritually alive and where the FATHER could speak unhindered and clearly to me. It was here that ADONAI revealed to me that on two fronts that I was suffering from spiritual attack by witchcraft and these dreams were confirmed by at least three witnesses on separate occasions. Research by a fourth friend revealed to me that this area does have active witch and warlock covens. One friend said as her mother was praying for me she said that due to my recent spiritual re-awakening and me actively warring in the spirit that I had come to the attention of those practicing witchcraft in my area. One friend said that while praying for me she saw a demon standing in Africa, looking my way and breathing heavily as if angered. All of this just confirmed and solidified the dreams the Holy One gave me regarding the witchcraft crafted against me on two separate continents.

Something BIG in the spirit and in the ministry is trying to happen that will severely cripple those who are coming against me in spirit. I am considered a threat to the evil one and am being retaliated against. Since my spiritual re-awaking and related spiritual activity a church in the area was tagged with a swastika and vandalism suddenly spiked and I noticed a person in our village wearing a pentagram. 

And so I am coming to my family and friends and ministerial associates and prayer warriors to please plead the blood of Yeshua and pray a covering and a hedge of protection for me and my family and the ministry HE has called me to and has entrusted to me. Since the beginning of this spiritual revival with in me, the attacks have definitely increased against not only me personally, but the ministry and those whom I ministerially associate with. This is no joking matter. I am not trying to be sensationalistic. I have personally witnessed my family members attacked directly, immediately after the cleansing of a house, so I know what these demons are capable of. Please pray that all the witchcraft fashioned against us will return 100 fold upon the heads of those who sent it and that we would be protected.

“No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue [that] shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This [is] the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness [is] of me, saith the LORD.” (Isa. 54:17)

“He made a pit, and digged it, and is fallen into the ditch [which] he made. His mischief shall return upon his own head, and his violent dealing shall come down upon his own pate.” (Psalm 7:15-16)

“The heathen are sunk down in the pit [that] they made: in the net which they hid is their own foot taken. The LORD is known [by] the judgment [which] he executeth: the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. Higgaion. Selah. The wicked shall be turned into hell, [and] all the nations that forget God.” (Psalm 9:15-17)

Spiritually speaking I feel I am not out of the woods yet. Please pray for the continuation and completion of this spiritual refinement, purification and re-awakening I am presently undergoing in my life. Please pray for the spiritual sharpness and boldness as well as creativity will return.

Thank you and Shalom,

-         Rabbi Yehudah ben Shomeyr (Kris Shoemaker)

A Spiritual Sukkot

A Spiritual Sukkot

Rabbi Yehudah ben Shomeyr

The debate over whether it is best to observe the letter of the Law or the Spirit of the Law, rages on within Messianic and Natsari Judaism. Also in the mix is the Rabbinic concept of Life over Law; which is the ability to temporarily suspend a commandment in a literal life or death situation. This even Yeshua acknowledged and consented to (Matt. 12:11, Luke 14:5) regarding extricating an animal from a pit on the Sabbath day.

 

How is one to take these concepts? How does one apply such to ones life in regards to Sukkot? How much, if any, Rabbinic traditions does one observe when celebrating Sukkot?

 

Let’s look at the traditional passage in the Torah regarding Sukkot before we answer:

 

Lev. 23:33-44 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto the Lord.On the first day shall be an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein. Seven days ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord: on the eighth day shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord: it is a solemn assembly; and ye shall do no servile work therein. These are the feasts of the Lord, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord, a burnt offering, and a meat offering, a sacrifice, and drink offerings, every thing upon his day: Beside the sabbaths of the Lord, and beside your gifts, and beside all your vows, and beside all your freewill offerings, which ye give unto the Lord. Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the Lord seven days: on the first day shall be a sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a sabbath. And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before the Lord your God seven days. And ye shall keep it a feast unto the Lord seven days in the year. It shall be a statute for ever in your generations: ye shall celebrate it in the seventh month. Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths: That your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God. And Moses declared unto the children of Israel the feasts of the Lord.

 

First off let me say that Sukkot is my absolute favorite High Holy Day of them all. I suppose because I like camping so much. Each year, here in the Great White North (Canada) I have spent a lot of time and money to faithfully built my Rabbinically and Biblically Kosher three sided Sukkah with a leafy roof only to become frustrated because I could only spend two good days out of the seven out in the Sukkah due to inclement weather. Either it would be frigid cold, rain to beat the band or gale force winds would wreck the Sukkah and ruin practically everything in it.

 

I may get a lot of flak for writing this, going against conventional Judaism and expressing my opinions based on Torah, but so be it. You are not my judge, but my Elohim is, may He judge me in His righteousness.

How can I truly rejoice and enjoy Sukkot and how does G-d get the glory when I can only use the Sukkah two out of the seven days!? Though the mitzvot are eternal and applicable to everyone, everywhere; it was written to be followed within the context of observing them within the Land of Promise, Israel. Though G-d in His omniscience knew that many of His Children would live and keep the mitzvot in the diaspora; the Torah Itself does not specifically show us how to keep the Torah in the various places of our exile round the globe. I therefore seeing as I am made in the image and likeness of our G-d, I must use my closeness to the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) and coupled with my G-d given common sense and adapt in the land of my dispersion. In Divine foreknowledge HaShem knew some of His Children (like me) would live in areas of the world that have inclement weather when Sukkot rolls around and I know He doesn’t expect His Children to live outside and endure harsh weather to the detriment of their health just in order to fulfill the letter of the Law.

 

This year I will observe Sukkot in the Spirit of the Law and fulfill the Letter of the Law whenever possible. I am pitching a tent in my living room facing my eastern picture window so I can live all seven days in the Sukkah and still be able to see the stars from my tent.

 

Some may say I am compromising or getting soft or to liberal, so be it, I will let HaShem Himself judge between me and my observance of the mitzvot. I prefer to believe I am not compromising or getting soft, but becoming balanced in my observance.

 

The Lulav and Etrog. How many of you live where Etrogs, myrtle, willows and palm trees grow? So because the Torah and Rabbinic literature specify the use of these items does it mean we show pay an arm and a leg to have these items shipped to us so we can wave the before the L-RD during Sukkot? I don’t think so, at least for those of us living in the diaspora. Most of those items are not indigenous to the areas in which many of us live and therefore would hold little meaning. The ridiculous prices for Lulavs and Etrogs; it is a game of moneychangers! I for one in the spirit of Messiah am toppling such tables.

 

This year, I will look for relatives of the four species in my area. We have types of willow and myrtles here and I will use those. But instead of the palm, I will use the corn stalk, for it is actually a relative of the palm. And instead of the etrog I will use an apple. Sukkot is a harvest festival and we should use fruits of the land relevant and meaningful to us. Where I lie that would be corn, apples and potatoes, not dates, figs, barely or what have you.  

 

I pray this will help those Torah Obedient Believers who find themselves in inclement areas in the diaspora and will settle their hearts and minds and give them the knowledge and courage to celebrate Sukkot in joy and freedom without any condemnation.

 

Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Messiah Yeshua, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

 

Don’t know about you, but I plan for this to be the best Sukkot ever!

World Igbo Congress 2012 Orlando Florida: DEBRIEF

World Igbo Congress 2012 Orlando Florida: Debrief

My journey began prior to even registering for the World Igbo Congress or purchasing my plane ticket. I began when Tropical Storm Isaac loomed in the Atlantic and initially threatened to hit Florida head on. I immediately began to pray that the storm would veer off and that my travel plans would be unaffected. As I continued to monitor the weather and tracking Tropical Storm Isaac, I seen that day by day the GOD of Israel began to shove the storm further and further into the Gulf of Mexico until Florida was virtually unaffected by the Storm.

It was not until then did I realize the prophetic nature of this trip:

1. Tropical Storm Isaac: Isaac was the Covenant Child of new birth and new life between GOD and Abraham. GOD was establishing a new beginning with the World Igbo Congress.
2. It was the 18^th annual WIC. 18 in Hebrew is the number of life and double portions. GOD was pouring out a double portion and blessing of new life on Ndi Igbo through the WIC.

The LORD was saying He was birthing something new and giving new life to Ndi Igbo and the WIC and covenanting with the WIC. Representing GOD renewing His Covenant between Himself and Ndi Igbo, being of Gad, son of Jacob (Israel).

Indeed this was true and a clear demarcation between last year and this year’s WIC. WIC 2011 was a lot of pomp and circumstance as a peacock strutting its feathers displaying for dominance and control. This year’s WIC (2012) was markedly different. There was a paradigm shift between WIC 2011 and 2012 for the better. WIC 2012 was all business focusing on leadership and unity of Ndi Igbo at home and abroad.

WIC 2012 in Orlando Florida was very productive and a great success. I was well received by all at the WIC and was humbled by compliments of the Igbo and various leaders and chiefs. All seemed to be impressed and appreciative of my use of the Igbo language and the grasp of its cultural nuances and protocol.

I attended and participated under the banner of Igbo Friends of Israel. Accompanying me this trip was Rabbi (Ikechukwu) Gavriel Ogugua who lives and ministers in West Palm Beach Florida as Rabbi of the Redeemed Israel Tabernacle as well as being a board member of Igbo Friends of Israel. He brought his whole congregation up to the conference to participate in the Messianic Sabbath morning service where even the weeks Torah portion testified to the befiefs and practices still held by Igbos in Igboland today. Testifying to the fact Ndi Igbi are Hebrews and are of Israel through Gad’s sons Eri, Areli and Arodi.

After the Torah Service I spoke and testified regarding my trips to Igboland and the work among the Igbo people as well as citing evidences from my book, “Finding Gad: The Quest for the Lost Tribe of Gad” regarding the Igbo’s connection to Israel through Biblical, Linguistic, Cultural, and Archeological evidences linking the Igbo to Gad.

We were so well received that the WIC told us they would like to make our participation a permanent part of future annual WIC’s.

While there ministering, joining us was Kandi and Craig Moesel who has a ministry in blowing the shofar (ram’s horn) and praying and prophesying over people. While ministering together we witnessed an elderly Igbo man named Boniface who was legally blind due to glaucoma and only being able to see shadows receive his sight to the point he was able to could the strips on Kandi’s tallit and call our correctly their colors! Baruch HaShem, Otito Diri Chukwu Abiama (Praise The GOD of Abraham)!

Shalom,

n  Rabbi Yehudah (Tochukwu)

n  Chief Odum Biara Ana Igbo Nwanne Di Uto

Mouth to Mouth

Mouth to Mouth

Rabbi Yehudah ben Shomeyr

Exd. 33:11a "And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend."

The Phrase "face to face" in the Hebrew is more accurately translated, "mouth to mouth." The Scriptures are the very words of YHWH Elohim Himself.

When we read His Word He is speaking to us face to face, or mouth to mouth. When we pray to Him it is we who are speaking to Him face to face, or mouth to mouth.

Couples who are in love and close to one another kiss each other opened mouth. And so when we engage in reading Scripture and Prayer it is as if we are being intimate with the GOD of the Universe.

Gen. 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

When we read His Word He is speaking to us face to face, or mouth to mouth. When we pray to Him it is we who are speaking to Him face to face, or mouth to mouth.

When one is in distress and cannot breathe on ones own, another will give what is called "mouth to mouth resuscitation.” Therefore when we read His Word, the GOD of the Universe is giving us spiritual "mouth to mouth resuscitation.”

Spirit Impartment

Spirit Impartment

Rabbi Yehudah ben Shomeyr

Num. 11:16-17  And the LORD said unto Moses, Gather unto me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom thou knowest to be the elders of the people, and officers over them; and bring them unto the tabernacle of the congregation, that they may stand there with thee.   And I will come down and talk with thee there: and I will take of the spirit which [is] upon thee, and will put [it] upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with thee, that thou bear [it] not thyself alone.

Luke 1:17   And he (John the Baptist) shall go before him (The LORD and or Messiah) in the spirit and power of Elijah to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.

I have made it clear that on Scriptural basis alone I cannot believe in reincarnation: http://www.adint-ministries.com/faqs/reincarnation.html

 

So how do I explain spiritual phenomena usually associated with evidence in favor of reincarnation, such as children recalling past memories of a past life or of a past relative long dead? A child having intimate knowledge of a language, geographical location or historical event they could have never known or experienced up to this point? A child having a habit or personality traits of a past relative they have never seen or met or have no knowledge of?

Using the Scripture verses above, one of which (Luke 1:17) is often used as Scriptural support for reincarnation I would like to propose a theory of Spiritual Impartation or Spiritual DNA or Spiritual memory if you will. 

Oft times the physical mirrors the spiritual and vise-versa. Take for instance a person receiving a lifesaving organ donation. Now as a rule, the organ recipient has no knowledge of whom the organ they received belonged to. Only when a recipient wishes to know who they received the organ from do family lawyers of both parties negotiate the release and exchange of such information.  It has been documented that in such cases the organ recipient will take on new interests and tastes. For example the organ recipient may start to crave jalapenos when they never even tasted them or even hated them before. They may exhibit a newfound interest in motorcycles.  When one investigates these peculiar events, come to find out the organ the recipient received was from a young man who loved jalapenos, spicy foods and was a motorcycle enthusiast and it was due to a motor cycle accident that the young man died. Scientist calls this cellular or organ memory. Scientists are beginning to feel that our cells, though non-sentient, retain information and a type of memory of ourselves and our lifestyle. This is also seen with our bodies in regards to muscle memory of those who exercise, stop, and begin to exercise again. It does not take long for the person to get back to where they were prior to stopping their exercise routine, this is said to be due to the muscles recalling where they were at their peak and thus it is easier to return to their peak state as opposed to someone who was never in shape. Take also for example a youth who stretches their earlobes to the size of a six gauge hole, then they allow the holes to close, then decides to stretch them again. The earlobes recall being stretched and accommodate the gauges more rapidly that one newly trying to stretch their earlobes.  

Spiritually speaking, taking into consideration the above passages of Scripture, coupled with what we know of the human body and its cellular memory, what if when we are formed in the womb, GOD imparts unto us bits and pieces of past relatives and or people, (sometimes memories of these people are part and parcel) to help support our own natural GOD given personality traits, talents, gifts and abilities in order to help us fulfil our life’s call upon our lives for the Glory of GOD? 

Physically, just as we inherit a big nose from our grandfather or our lips from our mother, why not inherit spiritual traits from our ancestors? Though we have free will, at the same time we can see GOD’s guiding hand of providence in our life, a type of divine fate, divine instinct if you will, that draws our parents to each other to specifically make us; a composite of the all the best of our ancestors. Just as salmon know to go to a specific river to breed when they never been there before!

Jer 1:5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, [and] I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.

Just imagine, a composite of the all the best of our ancestors for this particular place and point and time in history!

Est. 4:14b …and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for [such] a time as this?

Perhaps what many of us perceive as evidence for reincarnations is actually a case of Spiritual Impartation!