Mezuzot, Bronze Serpents and other Idols

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Can kissing an object be an act of idolatry?

In 2006 I opened a massage shop in Central California where I gave massage therapy and sold herbs for people with health problems. At the time I attended a Conservative Jewish Synagogue that was community led. The woman whose husband had purchased the synagogue was a marriage and family psychologist, leader in the synagogue and sold Jewish items in the lobby of her clinic. She encouraged me to purchase a mezuzah for the front door of my new office so that my business would prosper. At the time I thought only of the commandment to write the Torah on our doorposts and thought it was a good idea. I bought the little case and the kosher scroll that went inside it, spent around $100 for the set and followed her advice to invite the Jewish community to come and install the mezuzah one evening. I provided Kosher wine and cookies and happily entertained 9 or 10 Jewish guests who did the honors of saying the appropriate blessings and nailing the mezuzah to the door post in the correct manner. As everyone made there way out of the office all stopped to kiss the new mezuzah and wish me Mazal Tov. This item had now become part of my office experience and served as a testimony to the neighborhood that there were Jews in the vicinity.

So after this, whenever I noticed a mezuzah on a doorpost, I would stop, touch it and kiss my hand and feel I had done my duty. But was I really doing my duty in honor of the mezuzah rather than doing what the Torah requires? And does the Torah say anything about giving reverence to an object? What is the purpose of the mezuzah anyway? Obviously it is not even necessary to have a physical box with the words of the Shema written inside it if you recognize what the Torah says. (And interestingly, the words are hidden from view in most mezuzot!) The words of the Torah are what must be obeyed and writing them on the doorpost as a reminder is what is commanded, not buying a mezuzah and kissing it everytime a person passes through the door! It is not about a box and it’s contents that is commanded!

Recently I fell and broke my leg by stepping on a loose manhole cover in the parking garage under the apartment in Bat Yam. When I returned from the hospital, a couple of my friends asked me if I had checked the mezuzah in my apartment. I would have been shocked, if I had not run into this suggestion before. Of course it bothered me that one faded letter or tear in the parchment inside the little box could cause a person to have a serious accident! Seems like witchcraft to me!

My neighbor, whom I love dearly, had fallen and twisted her arm that same week, so that she could not work and blamed her mezuzah for the accident. From her viewpoint there was definitely truth to the belief that the mezuzah holds power and that her’s was defective or she would not have fallen. She said the same to me. She bought a new one, very pretty and very expensive and replaced the old one. Why do we give power to an object allowing it to bless or curse us? Are there indeed any “holy” objects in our world that hold power to do this? The Torah warns of giving power to objects, and kissing an object is a form of worship!

Is there anything about a mezuzah that gives success or protection? Look at what the Torah says:

Deut. 11:18-23: “Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates, so that your days and the days of your children may be many in the land YHVH swore to give your ancestors, as many as the days that the heavens are above the earth. If you carefully observe all these commands I am giving you to follow—to love YHVH your God, to walk in obedience to him and to hold fast to him—then YHVH will drive out all these nations before you, and you will dispossess nations larger and stronger than you.

Deut. 6:1-9: “These are the commands, decrees and laws YHVH your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, so that you, your children and their children after them may fear YHVH your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life. Hear, Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as YHVH, the God of your ancestors, promised you. Hear, O Israel: YHVH our God, YHVH is one. Love YHVH your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

The promises of HaShem’s protection and provision are fulfilled by obedience and not by the purchase of a Mezuzah or Hamsa or Amulet of any kind!

I am not sure how to approach my friend next door about the idolatry involved and I suppose it is far beyond my scope to teach her anything or even get her to think about it, yet for those who have not been indoctrinated in this way, I believe we must re-examine what is idolatry and how it has crept into Judaism and other religions.

When Christians go on pilgrimage to the Vatican or Jerusalem, they bow down and kiss their sacred objects, be it the cross, rosary beads, Saint Peter’s toe or anything related to the graves of the Saints. As Jews, why would we do the same thing? (And yes, Jews do kiss the graves of their sages, which is also a no, no!)

And why are we kissing the Torah scroll? While it is true that it contains the written will of the Most High, Almighty God, the object itself is not to be worshipped. The Torah is to be obeyed, not held up as a physical manifestation of YHVH!

The Torah speaks of idolatry in a very simple manner:

Exodus 20: 4-6: “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, YHVH your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.”

Here is one example in the Tanakh where a good thing was later made into an idol by Israel and later destroyed by righteous King Hezekiah:

2 Kings 18:-34: “He did what was right in the eyes of YHVH, just as his father David had done. He removed the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles. He broke into pieces the bronze snake Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had been burning incense to it.”

So rendering lip service, bowing to and kissing objects that were given as reminders of the commandments destroys the purpose of that object and creates an idol!

Yours in the quest for Truth in Torah!

Ariella Tiqvah

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Pascua y el paganismo: ¿sangre de cordero y matzá?

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Pesaj desafía el paganismo, ¡nada más!

En el momento del Éxodo, a los hijos de Israel se les dijo que trajeran una oveja o una cabra macho de un año a sus hogares a partir del día 10 del primer mes y luego el día 14 debía ser sacrificado en la noche. (Éxodo 12). De la sangre de este animal pintarían los postes y los dinteles de sus casas.

Uno de los dioses egipcios era un carnero.

“El Carnero representa al poderoso dios del sol y el aire Amun-Re, con Taharqa de pie debajo. El rey Taharqa fue el tercero en la línea de gobernantes kushitas cuyo poder se extendía desde su Nubia natal (norte de Sudán) a todo Egipto, que gobernaron como faraones de la Dinastía XXV. A lo largo de su reinado en Egipto, Taharqa usó las imágenes simbólicas de Amón-Re para evocar poder y fuerza. Muchas representaciones del rey Taharqa lo muestran con la cabeza de carnero y el disco solar, símbolo de Amón-Re, usado como aretes o amuleto alrededor de su cuello”. Carnero ceniciento

Israel debía abominar a los dioses de Egipto y, como demostración de esto, tomaron el cordero justo en el momento de la novena plaga y lo amarraron en exhibición para mostrar su coraje al desafiar a ese dios egipcio. Sí, Israel después de tantos años, oprimido por la esclavitud en Egipto, finalmente mostró su descaro al obedecer este mandato.

Entonces, aquí hay una pregunta intrigante:

Si de hecho el propósito de traer la cabra o el cordero de la Pascua era desafiar a un dios egipcio, entonces, ¿cómo restablece el cristianismo a ese dios llamando a Jesús “cordero de Dios” en su bautismo y luego sacrificándolo y resucitándolo como su dios? Si el propósito del sacrificio del cordero pascual en Egipto era abominar a los dioses de Egipto, convirtiéndose así en un símbolo del desafío de Israel al paganismo, entonces, ¿por qué los cristianos que creen en la Biblia afirman que la crucifixión del “cordero” era la ofrenda por el pecado de todos? tiempo, por su dios que está simbolizado por este cordero (oveja macho) y no por el desafío del paganismo del que se estaba liberando a Israel? Alguien lo tiene todo jodido, ¿no crees? ¿Cómo este símbolo muy claro del paganismo del cual Israel claramente estaba siendo liberado, se convirtió en el mismo dios que adoran los cristianos? La Pascua no se trataba de una ofrenda por el pecado, eso vino después, y las instrucciones se dieron para eso en el Sinaí (Levítico 4, Éxodo 29). En algunos casos la ofrenda por el pecado no era un cordero, sino un toro.

Así que la razón original por la que Israel iba a sacrificar el cordero o el chivo de la Pascua era con el propósito de desafiar el paganismo de Egipto. ¡No tenía nada que ver con una ofrenda por el pecado, no tenía nada que ver con un símbolo de un futuro cordero de Dios que sería dado como ofrenda por el pecado para salvar al mundo! La Pascua se trata de salir de las costumbres del paganismo, de ser un pueblo puro, santo y separado. También incluye un recordatorio cada año cuando tiramos el Jametz o los agentes de levadura en nuestro pan.

Matzá

“Se cree que el uso de masa madre en la producción de levadura de pan se desarrolló en el antiguo Egipto aproximadamente en el año 3000 a. C. y desde allí se extendió gradualmente a Europa, a lo largo de la antigua Grecia y el Imperio Romano hasta el presente.

“Los antiguos egipcios desarrollaron el arte de cocinar masas con levadura en moldes los primeros moldes para pan. Los moldes se calentaron y luego se llenaron con masa, se cubrieron y se apilaron en una cámara calentada. Estos fueron quizás los primeros panes producidos en masa”. Historia del procesamiento de alimentos

El pan es un símbolo a lo largo de las edades del sustento. Se llama “el báculo de la vida”. Las diferentes culturas extraen su pan de diferentes granos, pero la parte de los granos de la dieta se llama “pan” e incluso en la Biblia el pan figura en la forma del sustento de la humanidad. Recordamos que el maná se llamaba “pan del cielo” y

Deuteronomio 8:9-10:

“…una tierra (Israel) donde el pan no escaseará y nada os faltará; una tierra donde las rocas son de hierro y se puede sacar cobre de las colinas. Cuando hayas comido y te hayas saciado, alaba al SEÑOR tu Dios por la buena tierra que te ha dado”.

Génesis 3:19: “Con el sudor de tu rostro comerás el pan, hasta que vuelvas a la tierra, porque de ella fuiste tomado; porque polvo eres, y al polvo volverás.”

Entonces, si el pan se usa como símbolo de sustento para la humanidad, y el arte de hacer pan leudado fue introducido por primera vez por Egipto, cuyas costumbres religiosas incluían ofrecerlo a sus dioses… (ver la siguiente oración)

“Una ofrenda dada por el rey (a) Osiris, el señor de Busiris, el gran dios, el señor de Abydos… ‘Para que pueda dar una ofrenda de invocación de pan, cerveza, bueyes, pájaros, alabastro, ropa y todo bien y cosa pura de la que vive un dios’”. Wikipedia

…entonces, ¿no tenemos otra razón detrás de la Matzá –pan sin levadura– que se comía junto con el cordero, de prisa con los lomos ceñidos y sandalias en los pies, listos para huir de Egipto con todas sus costumbres? Fue en este momento que el pueblo de Israel desafió las costumbres de Egipto y se preparó para regresar a las costumbres puras y sin adulterar (sin levadura, por así decirlo) de sus padres, Abraham, Isaac y Jacob y regresar a la TIERRA que les había sido prometida. a ellos.

¡Tuyo por un Pesaj sin levadura!

Ariella Tiqvah

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Passover and Paganism—Lamb’s Blood and Matzah?

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Passover Defies Paganism, nothing more!

At the time of the Exodus, the children of Israel were told to bring a one year old male sheep or goat into their homes from the 10th day of the first month and then on the 14th day it was to be sacrificed in the evening. (Exodus 12). From the blood of this animal they were to paint the doorposts and the lintels of their houses.

One of the Egyptian gods was a Ram.

“The Ram represents the powerful god of sun and air Amun-Re, with Taharqa standing below. King Taharqa was the third in the line of Kushite rulers whose power extended from their native Nubia (northern Sudan) to the whole of Egypt, which they ruled as the pharaohs of the 25th Dynasty. Throughout his reign of Egypt Taharqa used the symbolic imagery of Amun-Re to evoke power and strength. Many depictions of King Taharqa show him with the ram’s head and sun disc, symbolic of Amun-Re, worn as earrings or an amulet around his neck.” Ashmolean Ram

Israel was to abominate the gods of Egypt and as a demonstration of this, they took the lamb right about the time of the 9th plague and tied it up on display to show their courage in defying that Egyptian god. Yes, Israel after so many years, oppressed by slavery in Egypt, finally showed their chutzpa in obeying this command.

So, here is an intriguing question:

If indeed the purpose of bringing the Passover goat or lamb was to defy an Egyptian god, then how does Christianity reestablish that god–by calling Jesus “lamb of God” at his baptism and later sacrifice him and resurrect him as their god? If the purpose of the Passover lamb sacrifice in Egypt was to abominate the gods of Egypt—thus becoming a symbol of Israel’s defiance of paganism, then why do Bible believing Christians purport that the crucifixion of the “lamb” was the sin offering for all-time, by their god who is symbolized by this lamb (male sheep) and not the defiance of the paganism from which Israel was being delivered? Somebody has it all messed up, don’t you think? How did this very clear symbol of paganism from which Israel was clearly being delivered, become the very god that Christians worship? Passover was not about a sin offering, that came later, and the instructions were given for that at Sinai (Leviticus 4, Exodus 29). In some cases the sin offering was not a lamb, but a bull.

So the original reason Israel was to sacrifice the Passover lamb or goat was for the purpose of defying the paganism of Egypt. It had nothing to do with a sin offering, it had nothing to do with a symbol of a future lamb of God that would be given as a sin offering to save the world! Passover is about coming out from the customs of paganism, about being a pure and holy, separated people. It also includes a reminder every year when we threw out the Hametz or leavening agents in our bread.

Matzah

“It is believed that the use of sourdough in bread leavening production developed in ancient Egypt in approximately 3000 BC and from there spread gradually to Europe, throughout ancient Greece and the Roman Empire until the present.

“The ancient Egyptians developed the art of cooking leavened doughs in molds the first loaf pans. The molds were heated and then filled with dough, covered and stacked in a heated chamber. These were perhaps the first mass-produced breads.” History of Food Processing

Bread is a symbol throughout the ages of sustenance. It is called “the staff of life.” Different cultures draw their bread from different grains, but the grain part of the diet is called “bread” and even in the Bible bread figures in the form of the sustanance of humanity. We remember the manna was called “bread from heaven” and

Deut 8:9-10:

“…a land (Israel) where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing; a land where the rocks are iron and you can dig copper out of the hills.

10. When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you.”

Genesis 3:19: “By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

So if bread is used as a symbol of sustenance for humanity, and the art of making raised bread was first introduced by Egypt whose religious customs included offering it to their gods… (see the following prayer)

“An offering given by the king (to) Osiris, the lord of Busiris, the great god, the lord of Abydos…’That he may give an invocation offering of bread, beer, oxen, birds, alabaster, clothing, and every good and pure thing upon which a god lives.'” Wikipedia

…then, do we not have another reason behind the Matzah—unleavened bread–which was eaten along with the lamb, in haste with the loins girded and sandals on their feet, ready to flee Egypt with all of it’s customs? It was in this moment that the people of Israel defied the customs of Egypt and readied themselves to return to the pure unadulterated customs (unleavened if you will) of their fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and go back to the LAND which had been promised them.

Your’s for a leaven free Pesach!

Ariella Tiqvah Casey

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¿Un Frasco para echar las Groserías?

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El Arrepentimiento y El Pecado Original

Ayer, Sally decidió sacar $5 de la caja registradora de su trabajo. Ese día había realizado varias ventas en efectivo sin recibos. Ok, entonces $5 no es mucho, pero ¿qué representa y es realmente pecado? La mayoría de nosotros diríamos que es un pecado. Para mí, incluso tomar una moneda de cinco o diez centavos que no te pertenece es robar. Pero, ¿cómo se le perdona por esto? ¿Y se trata de borrar esta única acción, o se trata de la tendencia subyacente que causa el robo? ¿Y si ella ha hecho esto 100 veces? ¿Quizás lo está haciendo compulsivamente? Bueno, aparte de la psicología, el pecado es un gran problema y parece que todos nosotros luchamos con una forma u otra, ya sea robar, engañar, mentir, usar lenguaje profano o cualquier otro pecado.

¿Cómo se perdona a uno? ¿Y qué sucede con nuestros pecados pasados que han sido vencidos? ¿Siguen registrados en alguna parte? ¿Hay un gran libro negro en el Cielo que nos impedirá la Vida Eterna si no confesamos nuestros pecados? ¿Qué es la confesión de todos modos?

En el cristianismo, el proceso del perdón es más o menos carta blanca, vuelves a pecar y vas a la iglesia o te arrodillas y la sangre de Jesús te cubre. Esperas dejar de pecar, pero muchas personas siguen haciendo lo que desearían no haber hecho y algunos finalmente viven en negación, creyendo que el pecado “no es tan malo”. Entonces mi pregunta es, ¿cómo les ayudó la sangre?

En el judaísmo existe el concepto que se llama teshuvá, palabra hebrea para arrepentimiento, pero incluye hacer algo más que confesar un pecado, algo que te cuesta, exigiendo en el caso de robar, y esto está respaldado por instrucciones específicas en el Torá donde pagas al menos el doble por lo que has robado.

En el caso de romper el día de reposo incluso en una emergencia, me han dicho que ayunar o pasar tiempo sin hacer algo que a la persona le gusta hacer satisfará la necesidad causada por el pecado. Quizás esto pueda tomar el lugar del antiguo sistema de sacrificios y puedo estar de acuerdo con algo de esto porque, en aquel entonces, se ofrecía un sacrificio cuando una persona reconocía que había hecho algo malo. No bastaba con reconocer el pecado, también había que hacer un pago. Y hablando de sacrificio, como yo lo veo, no perdonó nada, pero hizo que el pecador viera lo que había hecho bajo una nueva luz y renunciara a un animal escogido del rebaño, ¡eso no fue barato!

¿Alguna vez has oído hablar de un frasco para groserias? Se usa esto mas en el ingles. Pero para explicar: las personas que quieren curarse de las palabrotas o el habito de decir groserias ponen dinero en un frasco o tarro cuando se equivocan. Hace que algunas personas piensen dos veces cuando van a usar blasfemias, especialmente después de perder dinero una y otra vez. Entonces, ¿es posible que el proceso de arrepentimiento tenga que doler para que no lo vuelvas a hacer tan fácilmente? Hay personas que se disciplinan para estar realmente a la altura, por así decirlo, o “tomar el toro por los cuernos” y vencer un pecado en particular. Las adicciones son un ejemplo de pecado repetitivo. Esta área, especialmente en el caso del abuso de sustancias, requiere la abstinencia completa de la sustancia para estar libre de ella. ¿Qué hay de perder los estribos y lastimar a los que están cerca de ti? ¿Cómo se supera eso? Tal vez renunciar a una cantidad de dinero o renunciar a un postre o unas vacaciones.

Para el mundo no judío, esto podría parecer lo que se conoce como “una religión de obras”. Hay un elemento de obras involucradas, pero ¿qué dice la Biblia? –(Uso el Tenakh o Antiguo Testamento) porque ahí es donde la ley y los profetas hablaron de tales cosas.

Entonces, ¿qué pasa con los antiguos sacrificios requeridos por la Torá? ¿Y qué hay de hoy cuando el sacrificio de animales ya no es posible? ¿Y estos sacrificios alguna vez sirvieron para limpiar la culpa de uno, o borrar los pecados?

Sal 40:6 “Sacrificio y ofrenda no quisiste, pero abriste mis oídos; holocaustos y expiación no pediste.”

1Sa 15:22 “… ¿Se complace Jehová tanto en los holocaustos y sacrificios, como en obedecer la voz de Jehová? He aquí, el obedecer es mejor que el sacrificio, y el prestar atención (escuchar) que la grasa de los carneros. ”

Los profetas posteriores hablaron de un cambio de corazón en lugar de la necesidad de sacrificio:

Jer. 25:5: “Volveos ahora cada uno de vuestro mal camino y de la maldad de vuestras obras, y habitad en la tierra que Jehová os ha dado a vosotros y a vuestros padres para siempre jamás;

Eze 18:30 Por tanto, yo os juzgaré, oh casa de Israel, a cada uno según sus caminos, dice YHVH Elohim. Arrepentíos, y convertíos de todas vuestras transgresiones; para que la iniquidad no sea vuestra ruina. 31 Echad fuera de vosotros todas vuestras transgresiones en que habéis transgredido; y os haga un corazón nuevo y un espíritu nuevo; porque ¿por qué moriréis, oh casa de Israel?

¿Es posible que todo el sistema de sacrificios originalmente estuviera destinado a hacer que las personas reconocieran la gravedad de la desobediencia, al igual que el frasco de la maldición? ¿Tenían el propósito de volver el corazón de uno hacia la justicia y alejarlo del pecado? Además de la ceremonia que se realizó, el sacrificio llevó consigo el elemento de ver el sufrimiento de un animal por el pecado de uno y también la pérdida o riqueza personal

Creo que nunca se trató de ninguna expiación de sangre. Dios no se complace con la sangre de los animales más que con la sangre de los humanos.

Isa 1:11 “¿Para qué me sirve la multitud de vuestros sacrificios?” Dice YHVH. “Estoy harto de los holocaustos de los carneros y de la grasa de las vacas cebadas. No me deleito en la sangre de los toros, ni de los corderos ni de las cabras”.

¿Qué pasa con nuestros pecados pasados? ¿Qué dice la Biblia acerca de ellos? ¿Nos acompañan por el resto de nuestras vidas como amarrados a nuestras espaldas hasta el juicio cuando se nos da algún tipo de castigo? O peor aún, ¿nos enviarán a un infierno ardiente? ¿Los cubriría un sacrificio de sangre? ¿O es nuestra confesión y alejarnos de ellos todo lo que se necesita?

Os 14:2 “Toma contigo palabras, y vuélvete a YHVH: dile: Quita toda iniquidad, y recíbenos con misericordia: así daremos las becerros de nuestros labios.”

Ezequiel 18:27 “Además, cuando el impío se aparte de la maldad que ha cometido, e hiciere lo que es lícito y recto, salvará su alma con vida. 28 Por cuanto él considera, y se aparta de todas sus transgresiones que ha cometido, ciertamente vivirá, no morirá.”

Bien, entonces, ¿qué significa lo que dice el profeta Ezequiel? Que lo que hiciste en el pasado es nulo y sin efecto si cambias tus formas. Tiene que haber un alejamiento, tiene que haber un cambio. Y cómo eso sucede incluye obtener un nuevo corazón y mente. Y lo que hace que esto no se trate de obras es lo siguiente:

Eze 36:26 “Os daré un corazón nuevo, y pondré un espíritu nuevo dentro de vosotros; y quitaré de vuestra carne el corazón de piedra, y os daré un corazón de carne.”

Dios es quien nos da el nuevo corazón, pero tenemos que pedirlo y desearlo lo suficiente como para cambiar. No más justificación para el pecado: ¡se necesita un corazón quebrantado y la voluntad de cambiar!

Joe 2:13 “Y rasgad vuestro corazón, y no vuestras vestiduras, y convertíos a YHVH vuestro Elohim, porque él es clemente y misericordioso, tardo para la ira y grande en misericordia, y se arrepiente del mal.”

Pero más allá de esto, Dios se hace cargo en el campo de la disciplina. No todo depende de nosotros, después de todo, ¡somos sus hijos!

Pro 3:11: “Hijo mío, no menosprecies la disciplina de YHVH, ni te canses de su reprensión, 12 porque YHVH reprende al que ama, como el padre al hijo a quien quiere”.

¡La mejor evidencia del perdón de los pecados pasados de una persona es que ya no lo hace! Según Ezequiel 18, los pecados pasados solo se retienen contra nosotros si no cambiamos. Pero si el justo deja de ser justo, ninguna de sus buenas obras será recordada…

Vimos en Ezequiel 18 que las buenas obras de uno no se recuerdan cuando nos volvemos a hacer el mal y debemos recordar que tampoco se recuerdan nuestras malas obras pasadas si cambiamos por las buenas. ¿Qué hace Dios con los pecados que confesamos y abandonamos?

Isa 38:17 “He aquí, fue por mi bien que tuve gran amargura; pero por amor has librado mi vida del pozo de la destrucción, porque has echado todos mis pecados a tus espaldas.”

Sencillo, ¿no? Nuestro juicio se basa en quiénes somos ahora y en quiénes nos convertimos. ¿Qué pasa con las consecuencias de las cosas que hemos hecho, las decisiones que hemos tomado? Todos experimentamos consecuencias, si no lo hiciéramos, estaríamos muertos, y veo las consecuencias como causa y efecto, no como castigo. Incluso en la ciencia puramente secular, siempre habrá una reacción a cualquier acción (ver la tercera ley de Newton).

También está el ingenio acreditado a Albert Einstein:

“La locura es hacer lo mismo una y otra vez y esperar resultados diferentes”.

¡Así que seguimos tocando la estufa caliente pensando que no dolerá la próxima vez!

No es fácil para quien peca habitualmente vencer finalmente. En el caso de lastimar a otros, habrá daño a la relación así como a ambas partes. Muchas veces la familia y los amigos nunca perdonarán ni olvidarán. Lo más difícil que podemos enfrentar es la falta de perdón de las personas, pero Dios les da libre albedrío tal como nos lo da a nosotros.

El juicio no será sobre lo que hicimos en el pasado sino sobre lo que hacemos ahora y seguimos haciendo. Y la respuesta simple para vencer es que queremos vencer, confesamos y nos arrepentimos y LE PIDAMOS a Dios que nos dé un corazón nuevo. También incluye hacer buenas obras y enmendar la brecha que a menudo hemos hecho con los demás. Podría significar separarnos de conocidos que nos mantienen atrapados en ciertos malos comportamientos.

Ahora, ¿qué pasa con el pecado original del que tanto se habla? Los cristianos dicen que todos lo llevamos desde el nacimiento, y el judaísmo lo llama la inclinación al mal que Adán y Eva acogieron en el mundo cuando comieron del árbol prohibido, pero ¿de qué se trata todo esto y somos incapaces de vencer por eso? ¿Tiene algo que ver con el pecado generacional? ¿Somos juzgados por los pecados de nuestros padres?

Eze 18:20 “El alma que pecare, esa morirá. El hijo no llevará la iniquidad del padre, ni el padre llevará la iniquidad del hijo; la justicia del justo será sobre él, y la impiedad del impío será sobre él.”

Éxodo 20:5: “… Yo soy YHVH, Dios celoso, que castigo la iniquidad de los padres sobre los hijos hasta la tercera y cuarta generación de los que me aborrecen…”

Así que aquí vemos tendencias pecaminosas, cosas que obtenemos de nuestro ADN de nuestros padres, así como de nuestra crianza. ¿El pecado original? No en este caso. Adán y Eva eligieron el conocimiento del bien y del mal y nos lo transmitieron. Pero si resistimos la curiosidad de experimentar con el mal y más bien elegimos el bien, somos contados como sabios. La idea del pecado original lleva consigo la idea de pagar por algo que nunca hicimos. Un Dios justo no nos haría pagar por los pecados de nuestros padres, sólo si deseamos

repetirlos nosotros mismos. Es todo un asunto personal. Cada uno es juzgado por su propio comportamiento. ¿Bien?

Sal 37:27 “Apartaos del mal, y haced el bien; y habita para siempre.”

Job 28:28 “Y dijo al hombre: He aquí, el temor de Jehová, eso es sabiduría; y apartarse del mal es entendimiento.”

No existe tal cosa como cargar con la culpa por aquello con lo que nacemos. La tendencia no es algo que nos acumule culpa, aunque es cierto que estas tendencias hacen que la vida sea más difícil, pero nuestro Padre Celestial tiene suficiente misericordia para tratar con nosotros, para reprendernos y disciplinarnos hasta que aprendamos. No todo está sobre nuestros hombros para vencer el pecado, el Creador mismo está haciendo su recreación al formarnos a su imagen. Así que nos corresponde conectarnos con Él y confiar y luchar juntos con Su poder divino para conquistar lo que está mal en nosotros.

Job 23:10: “Pero él conoce el camino que yo tomo; cuando me haya probado, saldré como el oro. 11 Mis pies han seguido de cerca sus pasos; He seguido su camino sin desviarme. 12 No me he apartado de los mandamientos de sus labios; He atesorado las palabras de su boca más que el pan de cada día”.

¡Aleluya! ¡Podemos hacer esto!

Ariella Tiqvah,

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Curse jars and Original Sin

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Curse jars and Original Sin

Yesterday, Sally messed up, she took $5 from the cash drawer at her job.She had made several cash sales without receipts that day. Ok, so $5 isn’t much, but what does it represent and is it indeed sin? Most of us would say it is a sin. To me even taking a nickel or dime that does not belong to you–is stealing. But how does she get forgiven for this? And is it about blotting out this one action, or is it about the underlying tendency that causes the stealing? And if she has done this 100 times? Perhaps she is doing this compulsively? Well, psychology aside, sin is a big problem and it seems that all of us struggle with one form or another—be it stealing, cheating, lying, using profane speech or any other sin.

How does one get forgiven? And what happens to our past sins that have been overcome? Are they still registered somewhere? Is there a big black book in Heaven that will block us from Eternal Life if we don’t confess our sins? What is confession anyway?

In Christianity the forgiveness process is pretty much carte blanche, you sin again and you go to church or to your knees and Jesus blood covers you. You hope to stop sinning but many people keep on doing what they wish they didn’t do and some finally live in denial, believing that the sin is “not so bad.” So my question is, how did the blood help them?

In Judaism, there is the concept of Teshuvah, a Hebrew word for repentance, but it includes doing something more than just confessing a sin, something that costs you, requiring (in the case of stealing which is this is backed up by specific instructions in the Torah) where you pay at least double for what you have stolen.

In the case of Sabbath breaking even in an emergency, I have been told that fasting or spending time without something a person likes to do will fulfill the need that is caused through the sin. Perhaps this can take the place of the ancient sacrificial system and I can agree with some of this because, back then a sacrifice was given when a person acknowledged that they had done wrong. It was not enough to recognize the sin, there was also a payment that had to be made. And speaking of sacrifice, as I see it–it did not forgive anything, but it caused the sinner to see what they had done in a new light and give up a choice animal from the flock–that was not cheap!

Ever heard of a curse jar? People who want to cure themselves of swearing put money in the jar when they mess up. It makes some people think twice when they are going to use profanity, especially after losing money time and again. So, is it possible that the repentance process has to hurt so you don’t do it again so easily? There are people who discipline themselves to really come up to the plate so to speak, or “take the bull by the horns” and overcome a particular sin. Addictions are an example of repetetive sin. This area, especially in the case of substance abuse requires complete withdrawal from the substance in order to be free of it. How about losing one’s temper and hurting those close to you? How does one get over that? Perhaps giving up an amount of money or forgoing dessert or a vacation.

To the non-Jewish world, this could appear as what is referred to as “a religion of works.” There is an element of works involved, but what does the Bible say?–(I use the Tenakh or Old Testament) because that is where the law and the prophets spoke about such things.

So what about the ancient sacrifices required by the Torah? And what about today when animal sacrifice is no longer possible? And did these sacrifices ever serve to clear one’s guilt, or blot out sins?

Psa 40:6 Sacrifice and offering you did not desire–but my ears you have opened–burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not require.

1Sa 15:22 “…Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed (harken) than the fat of rams.”

The later prophets spoke of a turning of the heart rather than the need for sacrifice:

Jer. 25:5: ‘Turn now, everyone from his evil way and from the evil of your deeds, and live on the land which the LORD has given to you and your forefathers forever and ever;

Eze 18:30 Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith YHVH Elohim. Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin. 31 Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel?

Is it possible that the entire sacrificial system originally was meant to bring people to recognize the seriousness of disobedience, much like the curse jar? Were they meant to turn one’s heart towards righteousness and away from sin? Besides the ceremony that was performed, the sacrifice carried with it the element of seeing the suffering of an animal because of one’s sin and also the loss of personal wealth. I believe it was never about any blood atonement. God is not pleased with the blood of animals any more than the blood of humans.

Isa 1: 11 “To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me?” Says YHVH. “I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams And the fat of fed cattle. I do not delight in the blood of bulls, Or of lambs or goats.”

What about our past sins? What does the Bible say about those? Do they accompany us for the rest of our lives as if strapped to our backs until the judgment when there is some type of punishment given us? Or worse, will they send us to a burning Hell? Would a blood sacrifice cover them? Or is our confession and turning away from them all that is needed?

Hos 14:2 “Take with you words, and turn to YHVH: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips.”

Eze 18:27 “Again, when the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness that he hath committed, and does that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive. 28 Because he considereth, and turneth away from all his transgressions that he hath committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die.”

Ok, so what does Ezekiel mean? That what you did in the past is null and void if you change your ways. There must be a turning away, there has to be a change. And how that happens includes getting a new heart and mind. And the thing that makes this not about works is the following:

Eze 36:26 “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.”

God is the One who gives the new heart to us—but we have to ask for it and want it bad enough to change. No more justification for sin–it takes a broken heart and a willingness to change!

Joe 2:13 “And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto YHVH your Elohim: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.”

But beyond this, God takes over in the discipline field. It is not all up to us, after all we are His kids!

Pro 3: 11: “My son, do not despise YHVH’s discipline or be weary of his reproof, 12 for YHVH reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights.”

The best evidence of forgiveness of a person’s past sins is that they don’t do it anymore! According to Ezekiel 18, the past sins are only held against us if we do not change. But if a righteous person stops being righteous none of his good deeds will be remembered…

We saw in Ezekiel 18 that one’s good deeds are not remembered when we turn to doing evil and we must remember that neither are our past evil deeds remembered if we change for the good. What does God do with the sins we confess and forsake?

Isa 38:17 “Behold, it was for my welfare that I had great bitterness; but in love you have delivered my life from the pit of destruction, for you have cast all my sins behind your back.”

Simple, isn’t it? Our judgment is based on who we are now and who we become. What about consequences for things we have done, decisions we have made? We all experience consequences, if we did not, we would be dead — and I see consequences as cause and effect, nor punishment. Even in purely secular science, there will always be a reaction to any action (see Newton’s 3rd law).

There is also the witicism acredited to Albert Einstein:

“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.”

So let’s stop touching the hot stove thinking it won’t hurt next time!

It is not easy for one that sins habitually to finally overcome. In the case of hurting others, there will be damage to the relationship as well as to both parties. Many times family and friends will never forgive and forget. The hardest thing we may ever face is the lack of forgiveness from people, but then God gives them free will just like He does us.

The judgment will not be about what we did in the past but what we do now and continue to do. And the simple answer to overcoming is that we want to overcome, we confess and repent and ASK God to give us a new heart. It also does include doing good deeds and amending the breach we have often made with others. It could mean separating from acquaintances that keep us trapped in certain bad behaviors.

Now what about Original Sin that there is so much discussion about? Christians say we all carry it from birth, and Judaism calls it the Evil inclination which Adam and Eve welcomed into the world when they ate of the forbidden tree, but what is this all about and are we indeed unable to overcome because of it? Does it have anything to do with generational sin? Are we judged for the sins of our fathers?

Eze 18:20 “The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.”

Exo 20:5: “… I am YHVH a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me…”

So here we see sinful tendencies, things we get from our DNA from our parents as well as from our upbringing. Original Sin? Not in this case. Adam and Eve chose the knowledge of good and evil and passed this on to us. But if we resist the curiosity to experiment with evil and rather choose the good we are counted as wise. The Original Sin idea carries with it the idea of paying for something we never did. A just God would not make us pay for our parents sins–only if we desire to

repeat them ourselves. It is all a personal matter. Each is judged for his own behavior. Right?

Psa 37:27 “Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore.”

Job 28:28 “And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.”

There is no such thing as bearing guilt for what we are born with. The tendency is not something that stacks guilt upon us—though it is true these tendencies make life harder, but our Father in Heaven has enough mercy to deal with us, to reprove and discipline us until we learn. It is not all on our shoulders to overcome sin, the Creator Himself is doing his recreating in forming us in His image. So it behooves us to connect ourselves to Him and trust and struggle together with His divine power in conquering what is wrong with us.

Job 23:10: “But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold. 11 My feet have closely followed his steps; I have kept to his way without turning aside. 12 I have not departed from the commands of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread.”

Halleluyah! We can do this!

Ariella Tiqvah,

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