Month: October 2021

Does God Talk to Us Anymore?

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Is Anyone Awake? What’s going on?

I sit quietly looking out at the calm of the sea and the stillness of the Shabbat morning in a small town below the mountains that divide Israel from Lebanon. All is quiet but my mind is agitated. Where is the G-d of Elijah? I can see the long ridge of Carmel in the distance and I wonder if the people are any different today than in the days of the prophets. There is a calm but what does it mean? Does it mean that a storm is just around the corner? I mean a Spiritual Storm…Is the world just taking a deep breath because almost no one knows what he or she believes anymore? The modern world…how is it different from the world of Elijah? Is there a God in Israel other than the Baals or the golden calf? Why is YHVH not speaking to Israel, or is He? Is it because most of us are not really listening? And what is it that has robbed us of our connection to the Almighty?

The reliance on leaders to be our spiritual connection has led the people to a condition where the Creator is a God twice removed. Removed because the leadership follows tradition and because the people trust the leadership as a connection to Heaven. Hashem’s Word is still seen as Holy but many of His people see it as a broken fountain that none can understand, perhaps even that it does not apply in the modern world. And the spiritual leaders are standing where they should not stand, as mediators between the people and YHVH or at least between them and the god they have created for themselves. The people for the most part do not know what is happening. Blinded eyes and deaf ears are not able to discern the truth of what is really happening in the world and what Elohim is saying for this generation.

The highest prayer is considered of value when it is offered during a pilgrimage to the grave of a famous sage or one of the esteemed “Fathers—Abraham, Yitzak, or Ya’acov.

Yet the Author of Eternity says: “am I a God at hand and not also a God in every place?” If indeed Hashem sees and hears our prayers, then why pray at the graves of those long dead? Does it give it a better WiFi connection to pray through the channel of the dead? Is YHVH dependent on decaying corpses?

Why can’t people pray directly? Why do they need books of prayers to express the deep desires of their hearts? Is it partly because through the ages the traditions of the Fathers have been passed down to the children and many of these traditions are not based on truth but on the myth and midrash that has been accepted as a replacement for the Tanakh? If the Tanakh says that the dead do not hear us nor know what takes place on the earth (see Ecclesiastes 9), then why believe that these same dead can do anything to impress Hashem to do something for us?

It seems that YHVH shakes his head in disbelief as he sees the multitudes of deluded souls reaching out to the same idolatry that led the ancient Israelites astray originally and led to our fathers and mothers going into exile. And the Creator does not change His mind. We hear that God does not speak to us directly anymore…hmm, well maybe we are tuned out to the message He is sending!

He calls in the stillness: “Who will speak for me to this people? Who will go for me to warn them that they may return from their sins and learn to hear and tremble at my Word?”

But it is Just a Thing…

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What is idolatry anyway?

I always thought that bowing to an image or cultic idol in a pagan temple was idolatry. Well, yes! But what is the essence of Idolatry and can it be something that is even more pervasive, less obvious and more accepted by society than a pilgrimage to the shrine of a pagan god? I know that for Catholics, the explanation given them is that it is not the stone they are worshiping but that they are actually being reminded of whom they are praying to by a visible image. For some reason the Catholic Bible has deleted a commandment from the 10 words of YHVH on Sinai: “you shall not make to yourselves a carved image…you shall not bow yourself to them nor serve them.” Exodus 20:4 But before we get really tough with the Catholics, maybe we should look at what is the real essence of the problem of idolatry.

Here is another Torah text:

Deut. 12:30-31 Beware that you do not go astray after them, after YHVH your Elohim destroys them from before you, and do not ask about their gods and say, ‘How were the nations serving these their gods, that I may also do like them?’ But you shall not do so to YHVH your Elohim, because everything that YHVH despises and hates they have done for their gods…”

So, what other things did the nations do for their gods? And what is the intrinsic thought behind idolatry? Basically this—that a material object can transfer good or bad to a person and can become an item of our focus rather than the ONE and only Elohim who is uncontainable, uncontrollable, unfathomable, indescribable and on and on ad infinitum. There is more truth to be told in what YHVH is not than what He is. If we could define Him we would be equal to him. God forbid!

So lets look at a few things…that have been seen as having powers from a blessing that they may have been associated with.

A Biblical Example:

Gideon, a judge of Israel– righteous as well as chosen of YHVH to be a great warrior, deliverer.and judge of Israel for many years, 40 of which Israel had peace in the land, made an ephod before he died and hung it in his city. It later became a snare to his people. (Judges 8:27) Why? Because the people saw it as the object that brought blessing and because Gideon made it, it became revered as if having his blessing.

Memorabilia:

Many people save memorabilia to remember their loved ones who have passed on. There is no problem in that. However, if that object is seen as something that contains the essence of the dead relative and brings that essence, or any quality of good or bad into the home or house of worship, then it is counted an object of worship—an idol. How so? If we look to anything other than the Creator as having power to bless or curse, then we are directing to it, undue “worship” even if in the slightest degree.

Amulets:

So how about amulets? That should be easy enough. If an item is seen as having power to protect us then it is replacing the great Protector YHVH who is always with us. We have no need of amulets, not even to remind us of the protection of YHVH nor any blessing. Why? Because that is what the pagans did for their gods, which by the way can be as small as an amulet. But do you worship or serve it? Well, just ask yourself what happens if you lose it…

The Mezzuzah:

Now this may be something very touchy, but consider the case of the mezzuzah on the doorposts. Yes, we must have them. It is a commandment. But how are we viewing them? Is that little scroll inside with a material ink an paper copy of the NAME on it, what keeps us safe? Think about it! So, I have been told over and over to have a sofer check the mezzuzahs on our doors. When I fell and twisted my ankle, many were worried that something was wrong with the mezzuzah. If, God forbid someone in the house gets Covid, the same question comes around. But why do we need this object to be in rabbinic perfection to receive the protection of the Most High YHVH? Where does it say that in the Torah? It doesn’t! So, what was the purpose of the mezzuzah anyway? And by the way, the word mezzuzah means doorpost. So what is the object called? Here is Deut 6:9 “and you shall inscribe them on your doorposts and upon your gates.” And in Hebrew:

וּכְתַבְתָּ֛ם עַל־מְזֻז֥וֹת בֵּיתֶ֖ךָ וּבִשְׁעָרֶֽיךָ׃

The verse does not refer to an object at all. It says to write the words of YHVH on the doorposts. So how has the mezzuzah in it’s present form come about as a tradition?

Years ago in California, I paid over $100 for a Kosher parchment scroll that had been written by a sofer and imported to the United States. I then put it inside the little box (mezzuzah) made for it and had the congregation come and install it, hold a kiddish service and bless my office. I believed I had to do this. I suppose there was nothing wrong with that, but it was not necessary. Later someone pointed out: “Why don’t you just write your own Shema on a piece of paper and stuff it with that. It would be more meaningful, and actually fulfill the commandment more closely.”

But, however you put the words of the Almighty on the doorpost, the custom is fine, but what matters is what power you give to the object or writing that you do. The object has no power at all. The command was to remember that YHVH is ONE and that there is no other. (If you think about it, when you give the mezzuzah power to protect you, you are actually denying who it is that does so.) There IS NO OTHER thing or person or material item that has any power to bless or curse. That, my friend, is idolatry!

Hamsa:

And we should mention the Hamsa. After something so simple as the wrong focus in belief in the case of the mezzuzah, it is surely obvious that the Hamsa has no power to protect and the Evil Eye has no power to curse. Let’s get things straight.

There is important history of the Hamsa. Where did it come from? What did is symbolize? Was it ever used in other religions? Here is what Wikipedia says:

“The hamsa (Arabic: خمسة‎, romanized: khamsah, Hebrew: חַמְסָה‎, romanized: ḥamsā) is a palm-shaped amulet popular throughout the Maghreb and in the Middle East and commonly used in jewelry and wall hangings. Depicting the open right hand, an image recognized and used as a sign of protection in many times throughout history, the hamsa is believed by Middle Easterners, to provide defense against the evil eye. The hamsa holds recognition as a bearer of good fortune among Christians in the Middle East as well. “Khamsah is an Arabic word that means “five”, but also “the five fingers of the hand”. The Hamsa is also variously known as the Hand of Fatima after the daughter of Muhammad, the Hand of Mary, the Hand of Miriam, and the Hand of the Goddess.”1 Wikipedia

So yes, it is used by other religions and is an item of luck which can also be called worship when it is believed in.

What do Rabbinic Jews say about it?

From My Jewish Learning: “What Is A Hamsa? Although it may derive from Islamic or pagan culture, the hamsa today has become a Jewish and Israeli symbol…It is difficult to pinpoint the exact time when hamsas emerged in Jewish culture, though it is clearly a symbol of Sephardic nature. Jews might have used the hamsa to invoke the hand of God, or to counteract the Evil Eye with the eye embedded in the palm of the hand. Some hamsas contain images of fish, in accordance with Rabbi Yose son of Hanina’s statement in the Talmud that the descendants of Joseph, who received Jacob’s blessing of multiplying like fish in Genesis 48:16, are protected from the Evil Eye like fish. He explains: “the water covers the fish of the sea so the eye has no power over them (Berakhot 55b)…other icons besides eyes and fish have also found their way into the hamsa, including the Star of David, prayers for the traveler, the Shema, the blessing over the house, and the colors of red and blue, both of which are said to thwart the Evil Eye…“The symbol of the hand, and often of priestly hands, appears in kabbalistic manuscripts and amulets, doubling as the letter shin, the first letter of the divine name Shaddai. This mapping of the human hand over the divine name and hand might have had the effect of creating a bridge between the worshipper and God.”2

From a historical site:

“Hamsa is a universal protective sign and we encounter it in faiths. It is believed the symbol brings its owner happiness, luck, health, and good fortune. Hamsa offers protection from harm caused by the evil eye. As previously mentioned in Ancient Pages, there is an ancient, superstitious, and almost universal belief that certain people possess the supernatural power to cause disaster, illness, calamity and even death. They have the ability to do it with a gaze or stare that gives an unpleasant emotion. The evil eye is widely feared in many parts of the world. This is why the Hamsa symbol can be found today throughout the Middle East.3” Ancient Pages/hamsa

Soon we must look at the practice of going to graves to worship, but for now, remember: it is the same thing; no person nor stone nor grave nor dead person, has any power to bless or curse. Speaking to ask the dead to mediate with YHVH is invoking the dead. Necromancy! And why would we need a dead mediator when the King of Kings hears our prayers? This too comes under the judgment of the verse we started with:

Deut. 12:30-31 Beware that you do not go astray after them, after YHVH your Elohim destroys them from before you, and do not ask about their gods and say, ‘How were the nations serving these their gods, that I may also do like them?’ But you shall not do so to YHVH your Elohim, because everything that YHVH despises and hates they have done for their gods…”

Psa 135:15-19 “The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands. They have mouths, but cannot speak; they have eyes, but cannot see; they have ears, but cannot hear,
nor is there breath in their mouths. Those who fashion them, all who trust in them, shall become like them. O house of Israel, bless YHVH.”

1https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamsa

2https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/hamsa/

3https://www.ancientpages.com/2020/05/20/ancient-symbol-hamsa-meaning-history-explained/

¡Pero es Solo una Cosa Insignificante!

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¿Que es realmente la idolatría?

“No te harás una imagen tallada … no te inclinarás ante ellos ni les servirás”. Éxodo 20: 4

Pero antes de ponernos realmente duros con los católicos, tal vez deberíamos ver cuál es la verdadera esencia de la idolatría.

Otro texto de la Torá:

Deut. 12: 30-31 Cuídate de no extraviarte tras ellos, después de que YHVH tu Elohim los destruya de delante de ti, y no preguntes por sus dioses y digas: ‘¿Cómo servían las naciones a estos sus dioses, para que yo también lo haga? ¿como ellos?’ Pero no harás así con YHVH tu Elohim, porque todo lo que YHVH desprecia y odia lo han hecho por sus dioses … ”

Entonces, ¿Que otras cosas hicieron las naciones por sus dioses? ¿Y cuál es el pensamiento intrínseco detrás de la idolatría? Básicamente esto: que un objeto material puede transferir lo bueno o lo malo a una persona y puede convertirse en un elemento de nuestro enfoque espiritual, asi reemplazando el UN Solo Creador y Unico Elohim que es incontenible, incontrolable, insondable, indescriptible y adfinitum. Hay más verdad que decir en lo que no es YHVH que en lo que es.

Si pudiéramos definirlo, seríamos iguales a él. ¡El Altisimo no lo quiera que el hombre se pone como uno igual a El! Así que veamos algunas cosas … cosas que se consideren tener poderes de bendición o de maldiccion depende en la persona o evento con que pueden haber asociados.

Un Ejemplo Bíblico:

Gedeón, juez de Israel, justo y elegido de YHVH para ser un gran guerrero, libertador y juez de Israel durante muchos años, 40 de los cuales Israel tuvo paz en la tierra, hizo un efod antes de morir y lo colgó en su ciudad. Más tarde se convirtió en una trampa para su pueblo. (Jueces 8:27) ¿Como? Debido a que la gente lo vio como el objeto que traía bendición y debido a que Gedeón lo hizo, fue reverenciado como si tuviera su bendición.

Los Recuerdos:

Muchas personas guardan recuerdos para recordar a sus seres queridos que han fallecido. No hay mucho problema en eso. Sin embargo, si ese objeto es visto como algo que contiene la esencia del pariente muerto y que trae su esencia, o cualquier cualidad buena o mala al hogar o casa de adoración, entonces se considera un objeto de adoración. Un Idolo! ¿Cómo es eso? Si consideramos que cualquier otra cosa aparte del Creador tiene el poder de bendecir o maldecir, entonces, si nos dirigimos a ello, una “adoración” indebida, aunque sea en el más mínimo grado, ciertamente esto es la idolatría.

Amuletos:

Entonces, ¿qué hay de los amuletos? Eso debería ser bastante fácil de entender. Si se considera que un artículo tiene poder para protegernos, entonces está reemplazando al gran Protector YHVH quien siempre está con nosotros. No necesitamos amuletos, ni siquiera para recordarnos la protección del Altisimo, ni ninguna bendición. ¿Por qué? Porque eso es lo que hicieron los paganos por sus dioses, aunque sean tan pequeños como un amuleto. ¿Pero lo adoras o lo sirves? Bueno, pregúntate qué pasa si lo pierdes …

La Mezzuzah:

Ahora bien, esto puede ser algo muy delicado, pero considere el caso de la mezzuzah en los postes de las puertas. Sí, debemos tenerlos. Es un mandamiento. Pero, ¿cómo los estamos viendo? ¿Es ese pergamino interior con tinta especial sobre la cual es imprimida el NOMBRE YHVH—es esto lo qué nos mantiene a salvo? ¡Piénsalo!

Entonces, me han dicho una y otra vez que haga que un sofer revise las mezzuzahs en nuestras puertas. Cuando me caí y me torcí el tobillo, muchos estaban preocupados de que algo andaba mal con la mezzuzah. Si, Dios no quiera que alguien en la casa se contagie del virus Corona, surge la misma pregunta. Pero, ¿por qué necesitamos que este objeto pasa como perfecto con los rabinos para recibir la protección de YHVH? ¿Dónde dice eso en la Torá? ¡No es así! Entonces, ¿cuál fue el propósito de la mezzuzah de todos modos? Y, por cierto, la palabra “mezzuzah” significa “poste de la puerta”. Entonces, ¿cómo se llama el objeto?

Aquí está Deut 6: 9: “y las inscribirás en los postes de tus puertas y en tus puertas”. Y en hebreo:

וּכְתַבְתָּ֛ם עַל־מְזֻז֥וֹת בֵּיתֶ֖ךָ וּבִשְׁעָרֶֽיךָ׃

El versículo no se refiere en absoluto a un objeto. Dice escribir las palabras de YHVH en los postes de las puertas. Entonces, ¿cómo ha surgido la mezzuzah en su forma actual como una tradición?

Hace años, cuando vivi en California, pagué más de 100 dolares por un rollo de pergamino kosher que había sido escrito por un escritor rabino e importado de Israel a los Estados Unidos. Luego lo puse dentro de la cajita (mezzuzah) hecha para él e invité que la congregación viniera y lo instalara, realizaron un servicio en la cual bendijera mi oficina. Creí que tenía que hacer esto. Supongo que no había nada de malo en eso, pero no era necesario. Más tarde, alguien señaló: “¿Por qué no escribes tu propio Shemá en una hoja de papel y lo rellenas tu cajita con eso? Sería más significativo y, de hecho, cumpliría el mandamiento más de cerca “.

Pero, cualquiera forma que escribiera las palabras del Todopoderoso en el dintel de la puerta, la costumbre está bien, pero lo que importa es qué enfoque le das al objeto o escritura allí puesta. El objeto no tiene ningún poder. El mandamiento fue recordar que YHVH es UNO y que no hay otro. (Si lo piensas bien, cuando le das a la mezzuzah poder para protegerte, en realidad estás negando quién es el que lo hace.) NO HAY OTRA cosa, persona o elemento material que tenga el poder de bendecir o maldecir. ¡Eso, amigo mío, es idolatría!

La Hamsa

Debemos mencionar la Hamsa. Después de algo tan simple como el enfoque equivocado en la creencia del poder de la mezzuzah, seguramente es obvio que el Hamsa no tiene poder para protegerles y el Mal de Ojo tampoco tiene poder para maldecir. Dejemos las cosas claras. Hay una historia importante de la Hamsa. ¿De dónde vino? ¿Qué se simboliza? ¿Se usó alguna vez en otras religiones?

Esto es lo que dice Wikipedia:

“El hamsa (árabe: خمسة, romanizado: khamsah, hebreo: חַמְסָה, romanizado: ḥamsā) es un amuleto en forma de palma popular en todo el Magreb y en el Medio Oriente y comúnmente utilizado en joyería y tapices. Representando la mano derecha abierta, una imagen reconocida y utilizada como un signo de protección en muchas ocasiones a lo largo de la historia, los habitantes del Medio Oriente creen que el hamsa proporciona defensa contra el mal de ojo. El hamsa también tiene reconocimiento como portador de buena fortuna entre los cristianos de Oriente Medio. “Khamsah es una palabra árabe que significa” cinco “, pero también” los cinco dedos de la mano “. El Hamsa también se conoce como la Mano de Fátima en honor a la hija de Muhammad, la Mano de María, la Mano de Miriam y la Mano de la Diosa ”. Wikipedia

Entonces sí, es usado por otras religiones y es un elemento de suerte que también se puede llamar adoración cuando se cree en él.

¿Qué dicen los judíos rabínicos al respecto?

De My Jewish Learning:

“¿Qué es un Hamsa? Aunque puede derivar de la cultura islámica o pagana, el hamsa hoy se ha convertido en un símbolo judío e israelí … Es difícil precisar el momento exacto en que surgió el hamsas en la cultura judía, aunque es claramente un símbolo de la naturaleza sefardí. Los judíos podrían haber usado el hamsa para invocar la mano de Dios o para contrarrestar el mal de ojo con el ojo incrustado en la palma de la mano. Algunas hamsas contienen imágenes de peces, de acuerdo con la declaración del rabino Yose hijo de Hanina en el Talmud de que los descendientes de José, que recibieron la bendición de Jacob de multiplicarse como peces en Génesis 48:16, están protegidos del mal de ojo como los peces. Él explica: “el agua cubre a los peces del mar, por lo que el ojo no tiene poder sobre ellos (Berakhot 55b) … otros íconos además de los ojos y los peces también han encontrado su camino hacia el hamsa, incluida la Estrella de David, oraciones por el viajero, el Shemá, la bendición sobre la casa y los colores rojo y azul, que se dice que frustran el mal de ojo … “El símbolo de la mano, y a menudo de las manos sacerdotales, aparece en manuscritos cabalísticos y amuletos, doblando como la letra shin, la primera letra del nombre divino Shaddai. Este mapeo de la mano humana sobre el nombre divino y la mano podría haber tenido el efecto de crear un puente entre el adorador y Dios ”.

De un sitio histórico: (Ancient Pages)

“Hamsa es un signo protector universal y lo encontramos en las religiones. Se cree que el símbolo trae a su dueño felicidad, suerte, salud y buena fortuna. Hamsa ofrece protección contra el daño causado por el mal de ojo. Como se mencionó anteriormente en Ancient Pages, existe una creencia antigua, supersticiosa y casi universal de que ciertas personas poseen el poder sobrenatural para causar desastres, enfermedades, calamidades e incluso la muerte. Tienen la capacidad de hacerlo con una mirada o una mirada fija que da una emoción desagradable. El mal de ojo es muy temido en muchas partes del mundo. Es por eso que el símbolo de Hamsa se puede encontrar hoy en todo el Medio Oriente. Páginas antiguas / hamsa

Sobre Las Tumbas:

Pronto tendremos que considerar la práctica de ir a las tumbas a adorar, pero por ahora, recuerde: es lo mismo; ninguna persona, ni piedra, ni sepulcro, ni muerto, tiene poder para bendecir o maldecir. Hablar para pedirle a los muertos que medien con YHVH es invocar a los muertos. ¡Nigromancia! ¿Y por qué necesitaríamos un mediador muerto cuando el Rey de reyes escucha nuestras oraciones? Esto también cae bajo el juicio del versículo con el que comenzamos:

Deut. 12: 30-31 Cuídate de no extraviarte tras ellos, después de que YHVH tu Elohim los destruya de delante de ti, y no preguntes por sus dioses y digas: ‘¿Cómo servían las naciones a estos sus dioses, para que yo también lo haga? ¿como ellos?’ Pero no harás así con YHVH tu Elohim, porque todo lo que YHVH desprecia y odia lo han hecho por sus dioses … ”

Sal 135: 15-19 “Los ídolos de las naciones son plata y oro, Obra de manos de hombres. Tienen boca, pero no pueden hablar; tienen ojos, pero no pueden ver; tienen oídos, pero no pueden oírni hay aliento en su boca. Quienes los modelan, todos los que confían en ellos, serán como ellos. Oh casa de Israel, bendice a YHVH ”.

¡Nuestro Dios es Unico–Uno Solo!

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Oye Yisrael, YHVH es UNO

Razones por las que Jesús (Yeshua) no fue ni es el mesías ni Dios

El concepto del mesías se enseña en el Tanaj, y enseña claramente que todos los siguientes criterios deben cumplirse para que cualquier persona sea vista como el Mesías.

• El Mesías reinará como Rey de Israel y reunirá a todos los judíos del exilio de regreso a Israel. Los judíos inundarán Israel. Dúo 30: 3, Isaías 11:11 ~ 12, Jeremías 30: 3, 32:37, Ezequiel 11:17, 36:24.

… sin embargo, Jesús no era Rey y los judíos no acudieron en masa a Israel.

• No hay ninguna profecía en Tanaj acerca de que un mesías vendrá dos veces.

• Isaías 53 debe leerse en contexto con todos los demás versículos de Isaías que usan la palabra “siervo”.

• Se reconstruirá el Templo Sagrado de Jerusalén. Isaías 2: 2 ~ 3, 56: 6 ~ 7, 60: 7, 66:20, Ezequiel 37: 26 ~ 27, Malaquías 3: 4, Zacarías 14: 20 ~ 21 … el Templo todavía no estaba aún reconstruido Paz mundial y el fin de todas las guerras. Desarme universal de armas. Miqueas 4: 1 ~ 4, Oseas 2:20, Isaías 2: 1 ~ 4, 60:18

… obviamente la guerra todavía existe, aunque muchas guerras se han peleado en el nombre de Jesús, ¡difícilmente un príncipe de paz!

• El mesías reina como rey y todos los judíos e israelitas que permanezcan después de la tribulación mencionada en Daniel 12, seguirán los mandamientos de la Torá. Ezequiel 37:24, Deuteronomio 30: 8 ~ 10, Jeremías 31:32, Ezequiel 11:19 ~ 20, 36:26 ~ 27

… No todos los judíos están abrazando la Torá y ciertamente no están siguiendo los mandamientos.

• El Mesías gobernará a Israel y al mundo entero. Otras religiones y el mundo reconocerán y servirán al Único y verdadero Elohim de Israel. Zacarías 3: 9, 8:23, 14: 9 ~ 16, Isaías 45:23, 66:23, Jeremías 31:33, Ezequiel 38:23, Salmos 86: 9, Sofonías 3: 9

… obviamente esto no ha sucedido.

• El Mesías debe ser de la tribu de Judá y un descendiente directo del rey David y el rey Salomón. Génesis 49:10, 2 Samuel 7: 12 ~ 14,1 Crónicas 22: 9 ~ 10, Números 1: 1 ~ 18.

• … La genealogía solo se transmite de padres a hijos en Tanakh. La Biblia cristiana dice que no tuvo un padre de la tribu de Judá, y el linaje que se supone que es de José tiene al rey Jeconías, quien fue maldecido y no tiene lugar en la profecía mesiánica, ver Jeremías 22:30.

• Ezequiel 46: 1-4, el verdadero Mashíaj por venir ofrecerá a YHVH holocaustos de seis corderos en sábado y lunas nuevas en el tercer templo …

• ¡YHVH no acepta sacrificios humanos! Es una abominación para él … Deuteronomio 12: 30-31

… Si Jesús era Dios, entonces no podía morir, si era humano, entonces era un sacrificio humano.

NUMEROS 23:19 YHVH no es hombre, para que mienta, ni hijo de hombre, para que se arrepienta. ¿Lo ha dicho El, y no lo hará?, ¿ha hablado, y no lo cumplirá?

ISAIAS 43:11 Yo soy YEHOVA, Y fuera de Mí no hay salvador.

Astrology in Jewish Worship

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Rabbinic Holy Days and the Observance of Times (Astrology)

In the world of astrology the position of the stars and constellations on certain dates are connected to good and bad karma. Though a widely accepted practice throughout the world, the Bible forbids this approach which is the basis of astrology. Is it possible that the attention to special worship, mourning, abstaining, finding a mate, etc. on days that coincide with pagan holy days is actually observing that forbidden custom? Let us look a little closer at some connections in Judaism.

Why was it necessary to gather and compile several historical happenings that occurred around the same time of year to confirm the observance of the 17th of Tammuz, the following three weeks, the 9th and the 15th of Av (Tu Bishvat)? What is there about the low time that occurs during these 3 weeks?

This time of mourning in Jewish tradition, though basically unknown today, corresponds to the ancient death customs of the Babylonians for Tammuz (a fertility god) condemned by the Creator through the prophet Ezekiel (8:6-15).1

See my last article here.2

Tisha b’Av: The Day God Cursed, The Day Jews Cry…”Starting at sundown …is the Jewish fast day of Tisha B’Av (the name literally means the 9th of the Jewish month of Av). Since the time of Moses led the children of Israel out of Egypt, through modern times, horrible things have happened to the Jewish people on or around the 9th day of Av.” lidblog.com3

During the 3 weeks prior the the fast of the 9th of Av (5th Jewish month) — the day of mourning for the destruction of Herod’s Temple (CE 70) and the claimed destruction of Solomon’s Temple, abstinence from several things is required of Orthodox Jews:

Chabad in reference to the three weeks: “During this period, we lessen the extent of our rejoicing. We don’t: Conduct weddings. Play musical instruments or listen to music. Recite the Shehecheyanu blessing. Thus, we do not wear new clothing or eat fruit which we have not yet eaten this season so that we will not be required to recite Shehecheyanu. Take a haircut or shave…”4

The following is a list of events that purportedly took place on the 9th of Av: (perhaps a good fact checking is needed.)

  • The evil report of 10 of 12 spies is claimed to have taken place on the 9th of Av 1313 BCE and as a result the Israelites wandered 40 years. (Now try to make this add up for the 9th of AV using Numbers where the story is told. Start with chapter 10 and add all the details until chapter 14, I count no earlier than the 12th day of the 5th month–12th of AV).
  • Solomon’s Temple, claimed to be destroyed 9th of Av 587 BC after which Judah was exiled to Babylon for 70 years. But if we take the Bible as a credible source, we find: “The Book of Jeremiah (39:2, 52:6–7) states that the walls of Jerusalem during the First Temple were breached on the 9th of Tammuz. “the Babylonian Talmud dates the third tragedy (breach of Jerusalem’s walls) to the Second Temple period. However, the Jerusalem Talmud (Taanit IV, 5) states that in both eras the walls were breached on 17th Tammuz, and that the text in Jeremiah 39 is explained by stating that the Biblical record was “distorted”, apparently due to the troubled times.5” So what source do we believe? Is there an apparent agenda to make it fit the picture? Is it possible that the 9th was chosen to commemorate several Jewish disasters over the millennia? But is there something about that date that ties to anything that might have been believed by the nations at that time?
  • What about the second temple? According to the Jewish Virtual Library:6 “The Second Temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 C.E, on the 10th of Av, according to the historian Josephus (Wars, 6:249–50). This day is still observed as a day of mourning by the Karaites. The Talmud (Ta’an. 29a), however, gives the date as the 9th of Av, which became accepted as the anniversary of both destructions.” Why move the day? Josephus says one thing and the Talmud says another? Why?
  • Defeat at the Kochba Rebellion 9th of Av 133 CE when the Jewish rebellion was finally put down, some 100,000 to 500,000 died. Since the dates for this revolt stretch CE 132 to CE 136, it is difficult to find a particular day when it ended. According to the Jewish Encyclopedia:7 “the actual struggle for Bethar; after the fall of that city, which, according to the tradition, took place on the Ninth of Ab, 135.” Again we see the hand of tradition playing a role. Again, why was it so important to attach this event to the 9th of AV?
  • Herod’s Temple destroyed 9th of Av 70 CE when the final dispersion of the Jews began on a global scale for the next 2000 years.
  • Jews expelled from England 18 July 1290 CE, claimed to be 9th of Av 1290 CE. Jews lose land & property and are forced into exile. (According to the Hebrew Date Converter, the actual day may be the 2nd of AV, However, owing to the change of the calendar in by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582 which corrected the Calendar by 10 days, it is difficult to know the actual date other than to follow rabbinic sources.
  • Jews expelled from Spain 9th of Av 1492 CE lose land & property, forced exile, Columbus sails next day. 26th of Tamuz according to Hebrew Calendar Converter. Adjusts up to 10 days (even adding 10 days, it does not come to the 9th of Av)
  • Jews expelled from France 9th of Av 1306 CE when they were also forced into exile. July 22, 1306 converts to 2 Av 5066 (In this case the Gregorian Calendar adjustment of up to 10 days could fit).
  • Jews expelled from Germany 9th of Av 1933 CE forced exile, Jewish Holocaust – 6 million Jews killed (The restrictions and expulsion of Jews in Germany started April 8,1933 and over the years during the Holocaust continued, nothing of great import happened on the 9th of Av).
  • Kristalnacht, often stated as having occurred the 9th of Av actually took place on November 9-10,1938.
  • Jews expelled from Gaza Strip 9th of Av 2005 CE forced exile from land (The Jewish settlers were driven out of Gaza by their own government during the period of August 2005-September 2005). This can hardly be blamed on the persecution of the nations if indeed it was an act of self sabotage!

“…What do you make of all this? Jews see this as another confirmation of the deeply held conviction that history isn’t haphazard; events – even terrible ones – are part of a Divine plan and have spiritual meaning. The message of time is that everything has a rational purpose, even though we don’t understand it.” From Chabad in reference to the ninth of AV.8

Jewish Virtual Library:9 “The Talmud justifies the 9th of Av as the major day of mourning because a series of calamities occurred on this day throughout Jewish history. The Mishnah (Ta’an. 4:6) enumerates five disasters: (1) on the 9th of Av it was decreed that the Children of Israel, after the Exodus from Egypt, should not enter the Promised Land; (2) the First and (3) the Second Temples were destroyed; (4) Bethar, the last stronghold of the leaders of the *Bar Kokhba war, was captured in 135 C.E.; and (5) one year later, in 136, the Roman emperor Hadrian established a heathen temple on the site of the Temple and rebuilt Jerusalem as a pagan city which was renamed Aelia Capitolina and which the Jews were forbidden to enter.

The expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492 is said also to have occurred on the 9th of Av.

The 9th of Av thus became a symbol for all the persecutions and misfortunes of the Jewish people, for the loss of national independence and the sufferings in exile. The massacres of whole communities during the Crusades intensified this association.”

We see that at least some of the events that are claimed for the 9th of AV are not correctly dated. Why the effort to accumulate tragedies to fit a certain day? Does this have anything to do with the belief in Astrological dates (times of high and low energy related to the lining up of the constellations in the universe) a soul choosing to be born at that time with all the related challenges and tendencies from which one can elevate himself through the use of the methods of rectification suggested in the Kabbalah?

Is it possible that the real reason the temple was destroyed was because of idolatrous practices including the use of Astrology which had so permeated the thinking of the Jewish people that they did not know what they were observing nor whom they were worshiping?

From Jothishi:10 “According to the Jewish views on astrology, the Rabbis of the Second Temple taught that astrology does not apply to Jewish People. This doctrine is based on spiritual law. This law states that each person chooses the most appropriate time and place of birth so that they can achieve their Tikune (Correction) in this lifetime. The astrological influences affect each and every human being and help them to attain situations and conditions that can be used to achieve his or her Tikune. But when astrological judgments are pessimistic and are not supportive of our potentials, then you can use the Kabbalistic tool called Restriction and rise above the influence of these Astrological influences.

Judaism claims that by rising above the Astrological influence you can challenge your constellations and you have the ability to change the movie of your Life’s Karma.”

If this is true, is there not a heavenly voice telling us to leave these things and come away and cleanse ourselves from all of this idolatry which has even the names of those idols mentioned on the traditional Jewish calendar and in our prayer services? Whom are we worshiping and how did we get mixed up in defining our life’s agenda by astrological times?

Regardless of historical world events that appear to have happened at a certain time that may coincide with the pagan dates of Astrology, we are called to recognize Hashem’s Holy days and these days were established from time immemorial. When we look at traditional designated “holy” days, we must ask ourselves why we do what we do, especially when these happen to fall on days that coincide with ancient pagan observance, or rituals of remembering the dead! The Bible has a lot to say about Hashem’s Holy Days:

Leviticus 23:2, 4:

“Speak to the children of Yisra᾽el, and say to them, The feasts of the Lord, which you shall proclaim to be holy gatherings, these are My feasts. (That chapter defines those feasts).

…These are the feasts of the Lord, holy gatherings, which you shall proclaim in their seasons.”

What about the command that we not observe times (astrology)? The practice of remembering historic events and commemorating them, especially during times of pagan observance, be something that is outside the boundaries of what Hashem commanded? Would making a day have a certain good or bad karma such as TU B’AV (a day when special powers for romance are available) actually be observance of times? Am I taking this too far afield? Perhaps a close look at ancient practices and how they came to be attached to our religious observance would be in order.

Many customs have come from a long tradition in Judaism—Astrology, which Hashem strictly forbade is much in use. Though most deny it, communication with holy rabbis long since passed from this life is a practice among many observant Jews.

And back to the first statement about 17th of Tammuz and the 3 weeks period following up until the 9th of AV—why do they fall during the exact time of the ancient pagan festival, mourning the death of Tammuz? (And why do we keep calling the month by that name?) There is clearly an influence that led Israel to adopt this time of mourning and compile its own events to make it of import to the Jewish people!

Deuteronomy 18:10;14: “For these nations, which thou shalt possess, hearkened unto observers of times, and unto diviners: but as for thee, the LORD thy God hath not suffered thee so to do.”

Joshua 1:7: “But you must be very strong and resolute to observe faithfully all the Teaching that My servant Moses enjoined upon you. Do not deviate from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.

Deuteronomy 13:1: “Be careful to observe only that which I enjoin upon you: neither add to it nor take away from it.”

Deuteronomy 28:13-14: “The LORD will make you the head, not the tail; you will always be at the top and never at the bottom—if only you obey and faithfully observe the commandments of the LORD your God that I enjoin upon you this day, and do not deviate to the right or to the left from any of the commandments that I enjoin upon you this day and turn to (go after) the worship of other gods.”

So it seems that after all, we have allowed the names of pagan gods to be mentioned in our tradition. We have celebrated or mourned during the times of pagan tradition things that we brought with us out of exile, remodeling them to form a part of our own religious observance. Time to wake up, arise, oh daughter of Zion! Shake off the dust of paganism from these traditions and seek true teshuva. Then we can expect to pray and have our prayers answered. Too many bad things have happened to Jews over the centuries! If only we would turn from our sins and realize the desire of the Creator to gather us back to His original plan and to recognize us as His People!

2 Chronicles 7:14 Tells us what we must do so that Hashem will be open to our prayers once again:

“If I shut up the heaven so that there is no rain, or if I command the grasshopper to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people; if my people, who are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin, and I will heal their land. Now my eyes shall be open and my ears be attentive to the prayer that is made in this place.”

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1https://www.sefaria.org/Ezekiel.8.6?lang=en&p2=Ezekiel.8.6-15&ven2=The_Koren_Jerusalem_Bible&lang2=en

2https://wordpress.com/post/ariellat.wordpress.com/142

3https://lidblog.com/tisha-bav-cursed/

4https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/144573/jewish/The-Three-Weeks.htm

5https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seventeenth_of_Tammuz

6https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/the-ninth-of-av

7https://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/2471-bar-kokba-and-bar-kokba-war

8https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/946703/jewish/What-Happened-on-the-Ninth-of-Av.htm

9https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/the-ninth-of-av

10https://jothishi.com/jewish-views-on-astrology/