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Josephus and the Pharisees

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By Hakham Meir Yosef Rekhavi

One should always bear in mind that history is written by the victors, and in this case, the victors were the Pharisees who collaborated with the Romans. Many people labour under the assumption that the Pharisees were the “Party of the People”, attracting the masses. This is simply not true. Such information as this is drawn from the Talmud and the works of Josephus, who himself was a Pharisee. However, if we comb through Josephus’ works we will notice that he has not been consistent in his white washing of the Pharisees. First, Josephus confesses as a Pharisee that the Pharisees added to the Tora laws that had not been handed down by YHWH to Moshe and the Children of Yisrael. What I would now explain is this, that the Pharisees have delivered to the people a great many observances by succession from their fathers, which are not written in the laws of Moses; and for that reason it is that the Sadducees reject them, and say that we are to esteem those observances to be obligatory which are in the written word, but are not to observe what are derived from the tradition of our forefathers. (Josephus Ant. 13 Ch. 10 Par. 6) The following passages taken from the works of Josephus clearly illustrate that the people did not adhere to the ways of the Pharisees but to those of the Sadducees. It will also become clear, against popular misconception, that it was the Pharisees who allied themselves and collaborated with the Roman Empire and not the Sadducees. “So she (Alexandra) made Hyrcanus high priest, because he was the elder, but much more because he cared not to meddle with politics, and permitted the Pharisees to do every thing; to whom also she ordered the multitude to be obedient. She also restored again those practices which the Pharisees had introduced, according to the traditions of their forefathers, and which her father-in-law, Hyrcanus, had abrogated. So she had indeed the name of the regent, but the Pharisees had the authority; for it was they who restored such as had been banished, and set such as were prisoners at liberty, and, to say all at once, they differed in nothing from lords.” (Josephus Ant. 13 Ch. 16 Par. 2) In the above passage, we notice several things; i) Queen Alexandra (76-67 b.c.e.), who succeeded her husband Alexander Yannai (103-76 b.c.e.) to the throne, was a sympathizer of the Pharisees. Alexander Yannai was a Sadducees. ii) We also notice that John Hyrkanos (134-104 b.c.e.) the second Hasmonean king and father of Alexander Yannai was also a Sadducee. iii) Queen Alexandra made the Pharisees her advisors and gave them a free hand in the affairs of State. iv) Queen Alexandra’s elder son Hyrkanos was weak and turned a blind eye to the Pharisaic coup d’etat. v) The people were ordered to follow the Pharisees, in other words a totalitarian dictatorial government of “do what we say or else” came about, the people therefore followed the Pharisees not because they loved the Pharisees nor because they agreed with them, but out of fear. vi) The Pharisaic way was installed by the power of the crown and not by the will of the people. vii) The Pharisees now had the power of government and not the Sadducees. Seventy two years later we notice that not much had changed; “HOW Sosius and Herod took Jerusalem by force; and besides that, how they took Antigonus captive, has been related by us in the foregoing book. We will now proceed in the narration. And since Herod had now the government of all Judea put into his hands, he promoted such of the private men in the city as had been of his party, but never left off avenging and punishing every day those that had chosen to be of the party of his enemies. But Pollio the Pharisee, and Sameas, a disciple of his, were honored by him above all the rest; for when Jerusalem was besieged, they advised the citizens to receive Herod, for which advice they were well requited.” (Josephus Ant. 15 Ch. 1 Par. 1) Herod was placed in power by Rome and therefore owed his allegiance to Rome. We notice in the above passage that the Pharisees supported Herod. Therefore, with Herod being a Roman proxy and the Pharisees being supporters of Herod, the Pharisees were also lackeys of the Roman Empire. During Herod’s rule the Kohen Haggadhol (High Priest) was appointed by Herod and seeing that the Pharisees were supporters of Herod it is only natural that he would appoint a Pharisee to the position of Kohen Haggadhol and not a Sadducee who would have been loyal to the Hasmonean dynasty. Therefore, during the Roman occupation the Kohen Haggadhol would have been a pro-Herodian Roman lackey, in other words a Pharisee, and not a pro-Hasmonean anti-Roman nationalist, i.e. a Sadducee. The victors, i.e. the Pharisees, after the Great Revolt and at the time of Emperor Hadrian rewrote history making themselves into anti-Roman nationalist and changing the Sadducees into collaborators when in truth, it was the other way around. Further proof can be found in the works of Josephus that the people supported the Sadducees and not the Pharisees. The words in brackets are my notes. “NOW Hyrcanus (a Pharisee) was heir to the kingdom, and to him did his mother (Alexandra) commit it before she died; but Aristobulus (a Sadducee like his father and grandfather before him) was superior to him in power and magnanimity; and when there was a battle between them, to decide the dispute about the kingdom, near Jericho, the greatest part deserted Hyrcanus, and went over to Aristobulus; but Hyrcanus, with those of his party who staid with him, fled to Antonia, and got into his power the hostages that might he for his preservation (which were Aristobulus’s wife, with her children); but they came to an agreement before things should come to extremities, that Aristobulus should be king, and Hyrcanus should resign that up, but retain all the rest of his dignities, as being the king’s brother. Hereupon they were reconciled to each other in the temple, and embraced one another in a very kind manner, while the people stood round about them; they also changed their houses, while Aristobulus went to the royal palace, and Hyrcanus retired to the house of Aristobulus.” (Josephus War. 1 Ch. 6 Par. 1) We can clearly see from the above passage that the people went over to Aristobulus who was a Sadducee. In fact there were only two Hasmonean rulers who were Pharisees, Alexandra and her weak son Hyrcanus, the rest were Sadducees and the Hasmoneans held the support of the people. It would seem a little strange, if indeed the masses did follow the Pharisees, why they would support a Sadducean dynasty. Josephus further furnishes us with evidence that the people supported the Sadducees and that the Pharisees were pro-Roman and not the other way round as we are led to believe. “At this treatment Pompey was very angry, and took Aristobulus into custody. And when he was come to the city, he looked about where he might make his attack; for he saw the walls were so firm, that it would be hard to overcome them; and that the valley before the walls was terrible; and that the temple, which was within that valley, was itself encompassed with a very strong wall, insomuch that if the city were taken, that temple would be a second place of refuge for the enemy to retire to.” “Now as be was long in deliberating about this matter, a sedition arose among the people within the city; Aristobulus’s (a Sadducee) party being willing to fight, and to set their king at liberty, while the party of Hyrcanus (a Pharisee) were for opening the gates to Pompey… So Aristobulus’s party was worsted, and retired into the temple, and cut off the communication between the temple and the city, by breaking down the bridge that joined them together, and prepared to make an opposition to the utmost; but as the others (the party of Hyrcanus, in other words the Pharisees) had received the Romans into the city, and had delivered up the palace to him (Pompey)… he then disposed all things that were round about them so as might favor their attacks, as having Hyrcanus’s party very ready to afford them both counsel and assistance.” “Now here it was that, upon the many hardships which the Romans underwent, Pompey could not but admire not only at the other instances of the Jews’ fortitude, but especially that they did not at all intermit their religious services, even when they were encompassed with darts on all sides; for, as if the city were in full peace, their daily sacrifices and purifications, and every branch of their religious worship, was still performed to God with the utmost exactness. Nor indeed when the temple was actually taken, and they were every day slain about the altar, did they leave off the instances of their Divine worship that were appointed by their law; for it was in the third month of the siege before the Romans could even with great difficulty overthrow one of the towers, and get into the temple.” “And now did many of the priests, even when they saw their enemies assailing them with swords in their hands, without any disturbance, go on with their Divine worship, and were slain while they were offering their drink-offerings, and burning their incense, as preferring the duties about their worship to God before their own preservation. The greatest part of them were slain by their own countrymen (the party of Hyrcanus, in other words the Pharisees), of the adverse faction, and an innumerable multitude threw themselves down precipices; nay, some there were who were so distracted among the insuperable difficulties they were under, that they set fire to the buildings that were near to the wall, and were burnt together with them. Now of the Jews were slain twelve thousand; but of the Romans very few were slain, but a greater number was wounded.” “But there was nothing that affected the nation so much, in the calamities they were then under, as that their holy place, which had been hitherto seen by none, should be laid open to strangers; for Pompey, and those that were about him, went into the temple itself whither it was not lawful for any to enter but the high priest,… Moreover, he made Hyrcanus high priest, as one that not only in other respects had showed great alacrity, on his side, during the siege, but as he had been the means of hindering the multitude that was in the country from fighting for Aristobulus, which they were otherwise very ready to have done.” (Josephus War. 1 Ch. 7 Par. 1-2,4-6) In the above passages, we notice several things; i) The Sadducees offered resistance to the Romans. ii) The Pharisees sided with the Romans and opened the gates of Yerushalem to let them in, thus betraying the nation to Rome. iii) The Pharisees not only opened the gates of Yerushalem to the Romans but were “very ready to afford them both counsel and assistance” in other words they fought alongside the Romans against the people. iv) The majority of the Jews fought against Rome and supported Aristobulus, they thus supported the Sadducees. v) The defenders of Yerushalem, i.e. the Sadducees, were meticulous in keeping the Shabbath and the Torah. vi) 12,000 Jews were massacred when Yerushalem was taken. vii) This massacre of the people was carried out by the Pharisees and not by the Romans. I find it rather difficult to believe that the people would then wilfully accept the ways of those who were responsible for such a massacre. viii) The people were greatly affected by these events, i.e. the massacre and desecration of the Temple, which were carried out by the Pharisees. Again it seems hardly likely that after such acts as these carried out by the Pharisees that the people would wilfully accept the ways of the Pharisees. ix) Hyrcanus a Pharisee is made Kohen Haggadhol by Pompey and not his brother Aristobulus who was a Sadducee. x) Pompey made sure that the Nation of Yisrael, which sided with Aristobulus a Sadducee, were unable to support him, “but as he had been the means of hindering the multitude that was in the country from fighting for Aristobulus, which they were otherwise very ready to have done.” When it came to the time of the Great Revolt against Rome we see again that little had changed. “Hereupon the men of power got together, and conferred with the high priests, as did also the principal of the Pharisees; and thinking all was at stake, and that their calamities were becoming incurable, took counsel on what was to be done. Accordingly, they determined to try what they could do with the seditious by (their) words, and assembled the people before the brazen gate, which was that gate of the inner temple [court of the priests] which looked toward the sun-rising. And, in the first place, they showed the great indignation they had at this attempt for a revolt, and for their bringing so great a war upon their country; after which they conflated their pretense as unjustifiable.” “So the men of power perceiving that the sedition was too hard for them to subdue, and that the danger which would arise from the Romans would come upon them first of all, endeavored to save themselves, and sent ambassadors, some to Florus, the chief of which was Simon the son of Ananias; and others to Agrippa, among whom the most eminent were Saul, and Antipas, and Costobarus, who were of the king’s kindred; and they desired of them both that they would come with an army to the city, and cut off the seditious before it should be too hard to be subdued.” “Upon this the men of power, with the high priests, as also all the part of the multitude that were desirous of peace, took courage, and seized upon the upper city [Mount Sion;] for the seditious part had the lower city and the temple in their power; so they made use of stones and slings perpetually against one another, and threw darts continually on both sides; and sometimes it happened that they made incursions by troops, and fought it out hand to hand, while the seditious were superior in boldness, but the king’s soldiers in skill. These last strove chiefly to gain the temple, and to drive those out of it who profaned it; as did the seditious, with Eleazar, besides what they had already, labor to gain the upper city. Thus were there perpetual slaughters on both sides for seven days’ time; but neither side would yield up the parts they had seized on.” (Josephus War. 2 Ch. 17 Par. 3-5) i) The Pharisees were in allegiance with the men of power. ii) The Pharisees through seditious words tried to persuade the people to surrender to Rome. iii) The Pharisees did not support the revolt. iv) The Pharisees went over to the Romans and desired that the Romans should conquer Yerushalem. v) The Pharisees helped the Romans and fought against the people. Conclusion: Just as the Pharisees were divided into various schools, the main two being Beth (House) of Hillel and Beth Shammai, the Sadducees were also divided into various schools. However, none of them were Hellenists, but were rather ardent upholders of the Torah. The Rabbanites in the early medieval period tried (to ruin) the name of the Sadducees by claiming they were Hellenists and assimilationists. This lie became entrenched in Rabbanite Judaism and was later taken on by Christian and secular historians of the Second Temple period. The raison d’etre of both the Pharisees and Sadducees can be seen in the meanings of their names. The name Pharisee in Hebrew is Perushi (singular) Perushim (plural), which actually means Separatists and not Interpreters as the Rabbis of the late medieval period liked to claim in order to white-wash themselves. In other words they were Separatists from the pure way of the Torah. The name Sadducee is usually pronounced in Hebrew as Sedhoqi (singular) Sedhoqim (plural). However, this is a misnomer and is a label applied to them by the Pharisees/Rabbanites in order to besmirch them by claiming that the Sadducees were founded by a man named Sadhoq (Zadok). The proper pronunciation was probably Sidduqi (singular) Sidduqim (plural), which is a Second Temple period Hebrew word meaning; justification/righteousness derived from the word Sedheq meaning justice, righteousness, correctness; hence the Hebrew sedhaqa meaning charity/righteous act; and Sadhiq (Zadik) a righteous person. In conclusion, it was the Sadducees who were anti-Roman, pro-Hasmonean, nationalistic, and had the support of the people. While the Pharisees were proRoman, fought against the people, were in control under the Roman occupation, invited the Romans into Yerushalem, aided the Romans during the Great Revolt and thus brought about the destruction of the Temple. 

Who’s in Heaven Anyway?

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Death and Immortality of the Soul

Recently I heard a friend comment about all the souls in Heaven that are watching the events on this earth–cheering for the progress in restoring the land of Israel and crying over all the mistakes made by our Government. I was shocked because the Bible, Tanakh, Old Testament if you will, do not say these things. It is clear that those who are dead take no part in what happens under the sun, nor do they even know when their sons come to honor or disgrace. There is no way any human that we know of other than Enoch and Elijah are out there watching us and the events that happen to us. Remember, this is based on the Hebrew Scriptures only. 

So let’s begin with a perusal of texts that relate to this topic. 

Genesis 2:7:: “Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath (soul) of life; and man became a living being.”

 וַיִּיצֶר יְהוָה אֱלֹהִים אֶת־הָאָדָם עָפָר מִן־הָאֲדָמָה וַיִּפַּח בְּאַפָּיו נִשְׁמַת חַיִּים וַיְהִי הָאָדָם לְנֶפֶשׁ חַיָּה׃

Gen 2:17””But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” ( or dying you shall die), 

וּמֵעֵץ הַדַּעַת טוֹב וָרָע לֹא תֹאכַל מִמֶּנּוּ כִּי בְּיוֹם אֲכָלְךָ מִמֶּנּוּ מוֹת תָּמוּת׃

The idea of dying “that same day” is something a lot of students of scripture have tried to wrap their heads around. The verse uses two words for death ( מוֹת תָּמוּת). This is found elsewhere in scripture. When the children of Israel were in the desert and had been complaining about many things, YHVH told Moses that many would die in the wilderness. 

Num 26:65 ”For the LORD had said of them, “They shall surely die in the wilderness.” There was not left a man of them, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun.”

This passage also uses the two words that are translated “surely die” in some Bibles (מוֹת תָּמוּת). From both stories we see that physical death happened sometime later. But could it also mean that Adam and Eve, on that day became mortal, no longer having eternal life within them? At that point the element of eternal life had left them. 

But what actually happens when someone dies physically? This is really an important question and one that many religions state that only the body dies and stops breathing but the soul goes on living as an eternal element whether in Heaven or the other Place. But what does the Bible say? 

Is there evidence that the theory of the eternality of the soul is something that comes from paganism? When did this belief begin? I know that in Ancient Egypt, the mummified remains of rulers were buried with treasures and food for them to enter the afterlife. Not only Egypt, but Babylon, the cult of Osiris/Isis and the Greeks held this belief. See here.  It seems all pagan religions clung to this belief–the idea of an eternal life of the soul which elevated the senses to bliss or destined to them to hell and torment. But is this what the Bible says? Let’s look at all of this as we open this up for scrutiny.  The following verses deal with death and the grave:

Job 7:9-10 “[As] the cloud is consumed and vanisheth away: so he that goeth down to the grave shall come up no [more]. He shall return no more to his house, neither shall his place know him any more.”

Job 14:10, 14,15, 21, “But man dieth, and wasteth away: yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where [is] he? If a man die, shall he live [again]? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come. Thou shalt call, and I will answer thee: thou wilt have a desire to the work of thine hands. His sons come to honor, and he knoweth [it] not; and they are brought low, but he perceiveth [it] not of them.”

Sometimes people tell me that these verses are speaking of the wicked, not the righteous, but I don’t see any surrounding verses that suggest this. Notice in the verse above, Job is waiting for an appointed time. Trusting that God will remember him.  And mind you, Job is listed as one of the three most righteous men.

Eze 14:14: “even if these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they would deliver but their own lives by their righteousness, says the Lord GOD.”

Psa 6:5 “For in death there is no remembrance of thee; in Sheol who can give thee praise?”

Again, no mention that there are two types of people with different conditions in death. In fact, the wicked would not be praising Yah anyway. 

Psalm 115:17: “The dead do not praise the LORD, nor do any that go down into silence.”

Psa 13:3 “Consider and answer me, O LORD my God; lighten my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death.” So here the Psalmist calls death a sleep. 

Once King Saul sought out a Spirit Medium (one who practices Necromancy) which had been forbidden by YHVH in the Torah (see here). He wanted to know the outcome of the battle with the Philistines.Deut 18:9-11 See Here.

Saul asked to have Samuel brought up for him to tell the future of the battle. Samuel said the following:

1Sam 28:15: “Then Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?” Saul answered, “I am in great distress; for the Philistines are warring against me, and God has turned away from me and answers me no more, either by prophets or by dreams; therefore I have summoned you to tell me what I shall do.”

Note that Samuel demanded, “Why have you disturbed me?” As we are seeing, Samuel was dead and no, he did not come down from heaven, he was awakened to speak to Saul and was not happy about it. YHVH clearly forbade communication with the dead. They are not to be woken up, disturbed. Saul paid dearly for his disobedience. Read the whole passage in the link above.

Psa 16:10 “For thou dost not give me up to Sheol, or let thy godly one see the Pit.”

Here it seems that maybe this verse, if taken alone, means that the righteous do not go down to Sheol, but notice that it says that the Eternal will not “give me up to Sheol.” Other versions, us the word “abandon my soul.” If the soul has the possibility of being abandoned to Sheol (the grave), then David is saying that he trusts that his soul will not remain there permanently. And how long is that? Until the resurrection according to Daniel 12 and other passages.

Psa 49:15 “But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me.” [Selah]

What about the resurrection?

Why would YHVH even need a resurrection if He already has the souls of the good people with Him? The resurrection is a principle of faith for both Jews, see here,  as well as most Christian organizations, see here. 

In Job 19:25-27, Job speaks of waiting for the resurrection: “For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at last he will stand upon the earth; – and after my skin has been thus destroyed, then from my flesh I shall see God, – whom I shall see on my side, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. My heart faints within me!” See verse 25 in Hebrew below:

 וַאֲנִי יָדַעְתִּי גֹּאֲלִי חָי וְאַחֲרוֹן עַל־עָפָר יָקוּם׃

Again, what would be the purpose for Job to claim with faith that the Great Redeemer of souls would remember him in the final day upon the earth if there were no resurrection of the dead?

Daniel 12:1-2 “At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time; but at that time your people shall be delivered, every one whose name shall be found written in the book.- And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.”

Did you notice the words,” Sleep in the Dust”? Again we see that the dead are asleep, not wandering around either in Hell or in Heaven. But what returns to Hashem anyway?

And what about Isaiah?
Isa 26:19 “Your dead shall live; together with my dead body they shall arise. Awake and sing, you who dwell in dust; for your dew is like the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead”

So, again, what returns to the Creator when one dies?
Eccl 12:6-7: “before the silver cord is snapped, or the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher is broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern, and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit (ruach) returns to God who gave it.” 

Notice the spirit (breath or ruach)  returns, not the soul.

 וְיָשֹׁב הֶעָפָר עַל־הָאָרֶץ כְּשֶׁהָיָה וְהָרוּחַ תָּשׁוּב אֶל־הָאֱלֹהִים אֲשֶׁר נְתָנָהּ׃

Psa 146:4 “When his breath departs he returns to his earth; on that very day his thoughts perish.” 

 תֵּצֵא רוּחוֹ יָשֻׁב לְאַדְמָתוֹ בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא אָבְדוּ עֶשְׁתֹּנֹתָיו׃

If his thoughts perish, he will not even know he is buried, nor would he know if he is in Heaven. 

Ecclesiastes 9:5-6, 10 “For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing, and they have no more reward; but the memory of them is lost. Their love and their hate and their envy have already perished, and they have no more for ever any share in all that is done under the sun. Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going.”

The following shows that souls are not ever existing and here even the souls of those who sin (which is all of us), die along with the body. Nobody is in hell suffering damnation, nor in Heaven enjoying paradise except for those such as Enoch, and Elijah whose stories of translation are written for us in the Tanakh. And they did not die first but were taken by the Creator. What was their purpose? I could speculate that they were taken as judges for the generation in which they lived. Are there others? There are no others written of in the Tanakh.  

Ezek 18:4, 20: “Behold, all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sins shall die.”

“The soul that sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son; the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.”

Nefesh and Neshama: The body and the soul–(breath of YHVH) made a living being

Gen 2:7: “Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath (Neshama or soul) of life; and man became a living being.”

וַיִּיצֶר יְהוָה אֱלֹהִים אֶת־הָאָדָם עָפָר מִן־הָאֲדָמָה וַיִּפַּח בְּאַפָּיו נִשְׁמַת חַיִּים וַיְהִי הָאָדָם לְנֶפֶשׁ חַיָּה׃

Again we see this verse, but for the purpose of identifying the body and the soul as one unit once the breath of his Creator has been placed in his nostrils. 

Many take this to mean that the breath of G-d was actually the soul and it appears to so in this verse. But then why later when man dies, does only the Ruach (breath) return to God? Let me explain again. In Genesis 2:7, the Hebrew is clear that the Creator breathed a soul into Adam and he then became a living creature (Nefesh). So as we have seen above, when man dies only the breath (no not neshama–soul, but ruach–wind or breath) returns to the Eternal. However, and watch this train of thought closely, Adam was created with the potential of eternal life–He was an eternally existent soul. Then something changed when he and Eve ate from the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. 

Gen 2:17 ”But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” 

We know that they ate of the tree and something happened to them at that time. My best research reveals that the first pair became mortal on that day. That means there was a change in the soul. No longer was the soul immortal. And so the question arises: If Adam and Eve were no longer immortal and this seems to be the death that was foretold as “in the day that ye eat thereof,” then this describes the change of the soul from immortal  to mortal. Immortality was lost. So then it would follow that the soul now was not able to return to the Creator in its defiled form. The body now was bound up with the soul and this combination (body and soul) would have to wait for the resurrection of the dead. It also suggests that there must be a judgment day which we must study at another time.

If we see again the verse in Ezekiel 18 above that says “the soul that sinneth, it shall die”, it is clear that not only the body dies, but that the soul that is chained to it dies also. After all it is now a mortal soul, not an immortal one. 

I hope this study comes across clearly. If not, please leave a question or comment in the comments section.

For another study, the subject of judgment and eternal reward and punishment must be saved for later. 

Blessings as we dig deeply into the mine of truth!

Ariella

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K.I.S.S. Cleaning before Pesach

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Today we find ourselves just a week before Pesach and most of my Jewish friends are feverishly cleaning every crack and cranny of everything that can be imagined to be Chametz. All of their dishes are stored away and Kosher for Pesach plates and utensils are brought out of where they have been kept free of contamination for the past year! (If you don’t know the word Chametz, See Here). I personally am just starting, one item a day for the next few days. And no, I do not separate my plates and utensils for the holiday. After washing them, I can’t imagine them to have Chametz smeared on them! Today I cleaned the fridge. Tomorrow I will clean the stove…

(Cartoon above is sourced from here)

(Be sure to check out the Karaite Matzah recipe at the end of this article!)

Well, tomorrow is here and I cleaned both of my ovens and as I cleaned them, I realized that if you cause leaven to be rendered unusable, you destroy it. And that means that it has no more power to leaven anything. Therefore, if you clean the oven with chemicals or heat it to a high temperature, there is no chance that leavening will remain in any kind of active form. So I cleaned it well, but I could not get every dark spot off of the roof of the oven and I am not worried.

In regards to cleaning for Pesach, again we see where fence upon fence has been placed to protect what was given at Sinai. In fact some of these fences have become walls so high you cannot see past them to what was originally given, nor can we understand why. We probably should crash through some of those fences so we can catch a glimpse of the original Torah!

One of these multi-fenced laws that have been built around Sinai is found in the strict observance of Pesach.

I have been in homes that cover everything including the sofas with aluminum foil. I ask myself, so do they think that Hashem does not see through tin foil? Good grief! Every bit of flour, every one of the five grains listed by, no not the Torah, but you guessed it, the Rabbinic books must be taken out of the house or sold to a jewish organization who will sell it on to some gentile we don’t even know. 

And this is the loophole. Just put everything in a closed room or cupboard and sell it to your rabbi. That is, pay to Chabad or any other Orthodox group to have them sell it to a gentile and then buy it back after Pesach. Seems like a great-get rich quick plan, if the proceeds at $25 plus per Jewish person in the world goes into the pockets of the Orthodox institutions. How much would it come to,  if the estimated 10 million Jews in the world earn even $10 each to sell their people’s Chametz? That comes to 10 million dollars!

But of course, IF the Torah commands it, we had better pay for it. But does it? 

Actually the Torah makes no allowance to sell the Chametz. It is to be discarded or taken out of one’s’ property. And also we must see that something has been overlooked. All of the Gerim in the land were to clean for Pesach as well! Look closely at the following verse from Exodus 12:

“…for if any one eats what is leavened, that person shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is a sojourner (Ger) or a native of the land. Exodus 12:19”

Let’s look at the Hebrew:

 שִׁבְעַת יָמִים שְׂאֹר לֹא יִמָּצֵא בְּבָתֵּיכֶם כִּי כָּל־אֹכֵל מַחְמֶצֶת וְנִכְרְתָה הַנֶּפֶשׁ הַהִוא מֵעֲדַת יִשְׂרָאֵל בַּגֵּר וּבְאֶזְרַח הָאָרֶץ׃

 So there is a place for the gentile in the Land of Israel, but they are not legitimate buyers of Chametz! Perhaps later we need to study who is the Ger, but the Ger is not a homeborn Jew. And certainly not a convert. I choose to see them as the workers who come to Israel to support the farming and caregiving that is required. They also are to keep many of the laws of Torah.

Also we need to see that a lot of things that are not Chametz that are claimed to be. One is the five grains. The following is claimed by the Orthodox Union:

“If one of the five grains – wheat, barley, rye, oats and spelt – sits in water for more than 18 minutes it becomes chametz, and one may not eat, derive benefit from or own it on Pesach. In addition, Ashkenazim don’t eat kitniyot – a group of foods which includes (among other things) rice, corn, soy and their derivatives – but are allowed to own kitniyot foods on Pesach.” From OUKosher, see here.

But what does the Torah actually say?

Leviticus 23:5-6: “In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month in the evening, is YHVH’s passover. And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread to YHVH; seven days you shall eat unleavened bread.”

Exodus 12:15-20: ”Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread; on the first day you shall put away leaven out of your houses, for if any one eats what is leavened, from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel.On the first day you shall hold a holy assembly, and on the seventh day a holy assembly; no work shall be done on those days; but what every one must eat, that only may be prepared by you. And you shall observe the feast of unleavened bread, for on this very day I brought your hosts out of the land of Egypt: therefore you shall observe this day, throughout your generations, as an ordinance for ever.

In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread, and so until the twenty-first day of the month at evening. For seven days no leaven shall be found in your houses; for if any one eats what is leavened, that person shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is a sojourner or a native of the land. You shall eat nothing leavened; in all your dwellings you shall eat unleavened bread.”

Let’s look at the underlying principle. “You shall eat nothing leavened.” It does NOT say that things that might ferment, like the five grains, must be discarded or what they call Kitniyot (rice, corn, soy). How can you even imagine that soybeans will create leavening so that they become edible just by becoming damp? It is true that they increase in size when you soak and cook them, but this is not leavening–this is normal expansion. Leaven is that which causes flour to rise and create leavened bread.  The simple rule is to not leaven the flour of any type of grain. Get rid of the leavening (the yeast).  Now what was the original leavening process? Sourdough was the way bread was leavened in Egypt. Modern activated dry yeast was unknown at the time. However it does qualify as leavening for works the same way. So concerning the ancient Egyptian leavening process:

“Because sourdough consists of a spontaneous fermentation process, it can undoubtedly be considered the primordial form of bread leavening. It is believed that the use of sourdough in bread leavening 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.

Wheat and other grains cultivated in the Nile River Valley were used in ancient Egypt to manufacture leavened breads on a large scale—enough to feed thousands of people per day; this is supported by the discovery of desiccated bread and numerous wall pictures of the bread making process in ancient tombs.” From Science Direct. See Here. 

So all of one’s sourdough starter must be discarded, which is a bit inconvenient because you then wait until after Pesach to start a new batch. Otherwise the starter would have to be placed outside your property and not attended until after the week of Passover. 

What about beer?

Now some think this is debatable.. But beer is made with yeast. And if you have ever eaten beer bread, you will agree that it leavens the dough. So beer is definitely out. No we don’t eat beer, but people drink it which is basically ingesting it which is what you do when you eat food. Also the brewer’s yeast which is a by product after the making of beer, is questionable. It is a yeast, though it does not serve to leaven bread. 

There are other things that are listed by the OU as no-nos for those who keep passover. Vinegar is listed because it is fermented. But vinegar is not leaven, nor is it used to raise dough. 

And fermentation is not leavening. Only in the case of when fermentation of flour actually creates yeast as in the process of making sourdough bread. 

So it sounds pretty simple, just don’t eat anything with leavening agents. No yeast, no sour dough starter, and no baking soda or baking powder. This means no bread, cakes or cookies, nor beer.  There are a lot of leavening agents used in chips and crackers. Be sure to read the ingredients. And looking at all the ingredients labels in Hebrew may take an extra day for me!

 But, beyond food, there is more to be done. There should be no leavening found in the house, nor in one’s personal property, be it your office downtown or the garage where you park your car. 

Now, before we go crazy cleaning out from under the refrigerator, or tipping over the sofa to see what is down inside the cracks, let’s remember that the Torah stresses several times that it is about not eating leaven. You would never eat the crumbs that you would find under the furniture. And though I would suggest cleaning the fridge from all bread and cake remnants and crumbs and doing a deep clean on the oven and grill, you can avoid the month long scrutiny and the purchase of new utensils and plates just used for Pesach. The basic cleaning needed for Pesach and the Week of Unleavened Bread should not take that long. After all, it really is NOT rocket science! 

And the making of Matzoh, since when did we need the rule of 18 minutes before the flour would start to ferment (again it isn’t about fermentation, it is about leavening)? So what we learned earlier about sourdough– that it takes time to create yeast, is actually when the flour and water mixture creates yeast which is more than a couple of days. By the 3rd or 4th day, the sourdough may work, but usually up to a week of feeding it is required to create the yeast that raises the bread. It will not raise your dough during the first few days after mixing the flour with water. So let’s let go of the idea of fermented dough being leavened. Fermentation is not the same as leavening unless it creates a type of bacteria that turns into yeast, which happens after a long period as in the case of sourdough.  

The Israelites carried their dough wrapped up to their first encampment where they cooked their unleavened bread during that first week of unleavened bread. It may have soured but it was not leavened. Because of this example, we can be sure that the 18 minute rule for Matzoh is just a created rabbinic frustration for Jews. 

So here we are coming up to Pesach and the week of Unleavened Bread. Let’s Keep it Simple Stupid–no heavy duty cleaning inside the pockets of your husband’s favorite winter jacket!

Just don’t leave anything leavened on the property, don’t sell it nor buy it back– Really!!

And here is the promised link to Karaite Matzah! Enjoy!
https://www.nehemiaswall.com/karaite-matzah-recipe

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Thanks,

Ariella

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Strong as a Dead Lion–Then What?

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Painting by a Highschooler named Uri in Katzrin, Israel

At the time before there was a king in Israel, Samson arose as a judge and spent his life wiping out the Philistines, one episode after another. After having killed a lion with his bare hands, he later came upon the carcass and it was full of bees which had made honeycomb and was dripping with the sweet honey. From this experience he thought of a riddle with which to trick the Philistines that should attend his wedding to a beautiful Philistine woman.

“…Out of the eater came forth meat, and out of the strong came forth sweetness…” Judges 14:14

Do we remember that the Philistines occupied in part what today is called Gaza? The town of Timnah, where the wedding was to take place, was located a few miles east of what today is Gaza.  

It comes to mind that Judah was called a lion in the blessing given to him by his father, Jacob. Judah was to hold the kingship of Israel and rule like a lion. But what we see today is appearing to be an almost dead lion. What will happen if the lion is killed? What then? Will sweetness come from the carcass? Let’s look a little deeper. 

What we see in modern Israel is a political government that is not concerned with its mandates from its covenant the God of Heaven. This is the lion we see trying to fight with all the worldly power it can muster, trying to satisfy the different nations that supply weapons and yet subjugate themselves to the foreign policy of nations who care nothing for Israel–those who wield world power at the touch of a switch, and we see our nation “going along to get along.” Perhaps this lion will die. Then what?

Could we even imagine that something could happen then to help Israel in its most trying time? Is there Anyone watching this struggle? Anyone in the Heavens who might just be ready to take the reins when all seems lost? Will there yet be a sweetness that exudes from this dead lion? Wouldn’t it be better if we were not looking to might and power but to something else?

“Then he answered and spoke unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.” – Zec 4:6

Few know what it means to depend on El Shaddai, and even those may wring their hands in fear of what is coming upon the world and especially what will happen to those in this land given and  promised to God’s people. It is mandatory that we take heart at this time. 

It will get very ugly before it gets over. Maybe it should get over, the sooner the better. We need to stop being led by those who think like the world thinks, however wise that may seem. What if we had pure faith (Emunah if you will) in YHVH and His great power? Will He let us down? Where are we in the line up of what is happening to bring about the Divine plan for this world? How does Israel play a part in this? Do we fight like the nations, or do we march out with trumpets blowing when we hear a sound in the mulberry trees? 

“And it shall be, when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees, then you shall advance quickly. For then the LORD will go out before you to strike the camp of the Philistines.” – 2Sa 5:24.

But we are a long way from that type of trust. Why do we tremble? Is it because we have never seen the Hand of Providence guiding our lives? Is it because we remember pogroms, Holocaust, and the Kristanacht? Where was God during those times? Maybe somehow we were in the wrong places or worse yet, that we were not listening to Him? 

Maybe these terrible tragedies should tell us something. Maybe we need to step back and ask who we are following in our religion? Who wrote the instructions? When did we deny our Creator to go after a strange doctrine? 

The way I see it is that we follow the nations because we believe there is more wisdom and skill than that offered by the ONE who made a Covenant with us about land and protection and about raising us up to be a Holy Nation. 

What would happen if we really knew the God of Israel? Would He come alongside and win the war for us so that we could go out with tambourines and march (dance perhaps) to the sound in the myrtle trees?

Judah, “you’ve come a long way, Baby” but maybe in the wrong direction. 

In hopes of a new day after the storm…

Ariella

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Purim–Queen of Chutzpah–What about Hamas?

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Purim 2024! The Middle East war is bombarding us on every side, is there anything significant for us in Purim and the book of Esther? Right or wrong, this time we are handling the sneaky Haman (Hamas) differently. Maybe because we do not have a covert Jewish woman sitting as queen in Iran’s palace. Esther prayed and fasted and knew how to don her most beautiful garments to be attractive enough to break the King’s rules about illegal entrance into the throne room. She had no invitation but she took a chance and went before the king. What Chutzpah! Really? She sounds a lot like a normal Israeli once you know the culture. Nobody takes no for an answer here, nor do we always follow protocol. How did we learn this? And did Esther (Hadassah) teach us something about rules that make no sense and the right to refuse something that does us harm? 

Some Biblical scholars say that the book of Esther is a myth. Even if it is, there are lessons we can learn from its teaching about Jews in exile. Must Jews always take things into their own hands to be able to defend themselves? Is the Most High Eternal God of the Universe somehow gone on leave of absence? Or is He trying to get us to use our God-given wisdom and cunning to run the enemy out of our Promised Land? Is He somewhere in the shadows standing alongside us as we fight? Does He bring circumstances about so that even corrupt leaders are forced to make right choices about how and where to fight and whom to resist, even if it be the United States and Great Britain? Can we trust that things will go well in the long run? I often wonder what will happen when the United States decides to cut off all military aid to Israel–aid that they promised to their greatest ally in the Middle East. It is a horrifying thought and one that our leaders are trying to avoid by what appears to be stupid agreements with mediators who have betrayed Israel. And many of these mediators are actually Jewish!

So, Israel has offered 700 terrorists, some of them murderers, in exchange for 40 hostages! That is more than 17 to 1!  Are we serious? But as we watch, I wonder if something will happen that will change the circumstances.. Are we really alone in this? Is the Great YHWH absent from this war? Or is He working behind the scenes?

Yesterday my husband and I attended a Purim Megillah reading. The normal Purim treats and drinks were on the table. Visitors from out of town were present as well as friends from our town in the Golan Heights. The Megillah reading was a normal 2000+ years traditional reading except for the fact that we sat outside and as the chazan was reading the scroll, IAF planes flew over every minute or so, continuing throughout the day in response to hundreds of attacks from the enemy. Many of us had figured in advance that with Ramadan in place, Purim 2024 was going to be under fire from Lebanon, Gaza, and Syria.

The loud sound of the F-15s overhead was enough to make some want another drink of the hard stuff. The Chazan tried to space the reading so that the planes would drown out the name “Haman”. I guess it was meaningful. For me, the service was a reminder that we were in another encounter with Haman, but this time we are in our Holy Land and the looming question is…”Why do we suffer Amalek after we return to our homeland?” Are we still exiles? Did we import some of that mentality from the diaspora? The celebration, if you will call it that, became meaningful to me when I began to contemplate what is happening on a spiritual level. 

I recently questioned the need to continue Purim festivities. Must we remember that we are still in Persia–Iran?  Amalek is, in fact, still in our midst! And 75,000 enemies killed at the command of Esther and Mordechai was still not enough to put an end to the hatred that has generated through the centuries.

Seventy-five thousand is a lot more than the MSM claims as Israel’s victims! Some reports say 32,000 Gazans killed.Maybe it would be better for Israel if this was true! Where is our thinking? Why are we pussyfooting around to save “innocent civilians” when we know what those same “civilians” did to our people on October 7? The old saying “never forget” seems to be forgotten. Why are we trying to make peace with those who have our necks on their chopping block? Where is the Chutzpah of the Queen of Persia? She did not, after all, try to be politically correct when she had Haman and his ten sons hung on the gallows!

When will we realize that something is walking out of step with the Eternal? How can we expect His full intervention? Maybe we should stop fasting to fulfill tradition and start fasting for a renewed vision as to what Hashem expects of us!

And then, we shall ARISE and take back that which was promised to us in the strength of YHWH, the Almighty God of the Universe!

 “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of YHWH rises upon you.  See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but YHWH rises upon you and his glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.” Isa 60:1-3 

Shalom in the Midst of War,

Ariella

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How to Be an Individual and still be Religious

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Is it possible to have a Bible-based religion without bowing to some hierarchy? What about Judaism? Is it better than other religions?

There are several branches of Judaism, some more complex than others. Each has its own Halakha, Mitzvot or set of standards which it follows. Some Jews or wanna-be Jews are still in the wilderness gathering information about which road to travel. I would assert that most of this class are either Jewish by descent (perhaps lost in the process of the inquisition) or of the 10 lost tribes. But how does one know which group to follow and how much right does an organization have to exert influence over its adherents? 

Perhaps we are tired of man-made institutions that rule over us without our decision in the matter. We see hierarchies in Catholicism, and any of the mainline Christian churches, in the different levels of Orthodox Judaism and also in the more liberal movements of Rabbinic Judaism. How about Karaism? Is this exempt? I realize that there are at least three or four groups of Karaites, each with its own approach to the Tenakh and Torah. There are siddurim for some of these. Some require strict observance of their Halakha. 

While I personally suggest individuality in our approach to the Torah and its interpretive Tanakh, I do not recommend chaos. I will say, though it often seems like chaos when people consider their own natal religion and find it flawed. And when they realize that things they have formerly considered as fundamental laws suddenly loom up before them as having little Biblical value, they become disenchanted. Some throw religion out completely, others look for other religions, still others try to find the truth by themselves. But, considering this great religious renaissance going on around the world, are we among those who abandon all forms and ceremonies and throw out completely what we consider organized religion? How will we even have a religion if we do not have something that we agree on? 

The Karaite form of Judaism, in contrast to other branches of Judaism, seems to allow the most Biblical liberty, which is what many are seeking. But can we agree on anything? Can we agree to disagree and still stand together? The fundamental truth of Karaism is that everything must be based on the Torah given on Sinai and the works of the prophets in the Tanakh. In Karaism there is a universal rejection of what is called the Oral Torah or the תּוֹרָה שֶׁבְּעַל־פֶּה. 

This is based on the instructions to Moses that Israel not add nor subtract from the words he was given by YHWH for Israel.  

“You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God that I command you.” – Deu 4:2 

Orthodoxy, as well as other branches of mainstream Judaism, claim that the sages received the transmission of Torah and were given the right to reinterpret it and to apply it as they saw fit. The following quote sums it up:

“Jewish tradition identifies the unbroken historical chain of individuals who were entrusted with passing down the Oral Law from Moses to the early rabbinic period: “Moses received the Torah and handed it down to Joshua; Joshua to the Elders; the Elders to the prophets; and the prophets handed it down to the men of the Great Assembly.” (see here).

But many of us see so much deviation from the original words of Moses that we look for an approach to Torah that stands the test of time. And of course there are problems applying all of the Torah even today because there is no Temple and there are no sacrifices. That part of the Torah seems to have been lost at least until another Temple is built. Some of today’s norms do not allow things like Polygamy which mean we have to take a new look and understand the principles behind what was allowed. Sometimes the Torah allowed something but there was no law saying “Thou shalt, or thou shalt not.” So Torah application has an ongoing challenge and must be so. There is no desire that we recreate a new hierarchical religion that decides for us what we shall or shall not do. After all, Moses said:

“Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, “Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?” Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, “Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?”  No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it.” Deu 30:11-14 

So what is required of us today? Wouldn’t it be a good place to start if we began to study the Tanakh in earnest for ourselves and stop learning so much from rabbis and pastors? I do not say there is no reason to stop learning and yes, other people must have an influence, but none have the right to exercise spiritual authority over the individual at this time. And when the Temple is reestablished, and the Priesthood is installed along with a proper Levitical court, then judgments will be in order. We are not there yet. And I don’t think any of us knows how it will be exactly. 

What is required at this time is that we study and pray, asking the Eternal to search our hearts and keep us in His sight while we willingly surrender to obey His commandments. After all, is it possible that these laws are already written in our hearts and minds?

“For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘KnowYHWH,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares YHWH. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” – Jer 31:33-34 

“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does YHWH require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” Mic 6:8.

Yours,

Ariella

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History of Oral Culture in Modern Religion

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by Guest Author/Contributor, Devorah Yocheved

Part I

The Convergent Tides of Oral Cultures and the Rise of Literate Cultures Produced Two Major Religions in a Backlash to Retain the “Old” While Embracing the “New” World Order

Israel went into the Babylonian exile on the cusp of a major paradigm shift in history: the rise of the written text and literacy.  Scholars in this area of study attribute the addition of vowels to the Greek alphabet for hastening the “literate world.”  As was typical of the emerging nations of the new Western worldview, the people of exiled Israel, now the Jews in the nations struggled to retain their ancient identity as the chosen people of the Torah of Moses while embracing the new literate world founded in the Greco-Roman cultures.

The shift from purely oral cultures, without writing, to text driven literate cultures allowed people to remember their thoughts without the use of memory aids and to work out more complex solutions.  This gave birth to the analytical and systematic thinking which produced science, history, philosophy and liberal education.  Professor Walter J. Ong wrote extensively about this “evolution of consciousness” in his 1982 book “Orality and Literacy.”  This evolution is manifested in the classical Greek years as seen in the science of Euclid and Meton, the philosophical works of Plato and Aristotle, and the more objective historians such as Herodotus, Thucydides, Xenophon, and Ctesias.

This new world was no longer solely dependent on the elite scribal class of literates who controlled not only the limited written texts; they controlled the oral narratives from 3000 BCE through the 1st millennia CE.  The West developed along these lines as a more secular, pragmatic and individualized society through the text based education of “higher learning.”  The purely oral cultures that did not let go of their “orality,” as humanity moved towards “literate” text based cultures, were relegated to the “primitive” end on the continuum to “modernity.”  The growing literate cultures remained segregated into classes of the uneducated poor and the educated rich, farmers and city dwellers, the people of oral folk traditions and the townsfolk of letters.

In the midst of this major shift in human history two new religions emerged that not only embraced the new literate mind set but used ancient scribal traditions to preserve their “primitive” oral traditions in their literature and liturgical traditions alongside new theologies that have endured the test of time: Rabbinic Judaism and Christianity.  The rabbis of the Talmud claimed that they were handing down “the oral tradition that was given to Israel through Moses at Sinai.”  The Christian founding fathers claimed equal infallibility in their new theology and text, the New Testament.

Is there verifiable authority for these claims?  Looking first at the earlier rabbinic tradition, we ask these questions: 

What if the Jewish people have bet our collective soul on the wrong oral tradition that is based in lies and false narratives that aids and abets the exile mentality far from our original Covenant?  And if we have, how do we know that and, for the sake of a true return to our Maker, how do we do that?

The Mishna Talmud created a new utopian world for the Jewish people to learn of, embrace, and use to manage the changing social environs in their ever extended exile far from their original covenant and homeland of Israel.  This new oral tradition retained a memory of their original texts, the Torah and the Prophets, placing them alongside new texts from the exile that were added to the Hebrew canon.  The rabbis completed their work of codifying the Talmud which included ancient scribal devices of repetition and mnemonic memorization along with formulaic expressions such as proverbs and pithy maxims required in a purely oral tradition absent the use of a written text.

This method cleverly allowed the rabbis to invent new and every changing interpretations of the original and foundational text memorialized in the Torah and the Prophets Masoretic text.  In the earliest meeting places of the exile and during the second temple period in Israel the people gathered to hear the public readings from the Torah, but in a new and different language [Aramaic] and with new and different interpretations and translations [targumim].

What followed was a vast and never ending collection of commentaries from generation after generation of “Torah scholars” known collectively as the rabbis and sages of the past two thousand years.  The retention of this “oral tradition” has worked well to help the Jewish people feel “connected” to their original covenant made at Sinai.  

It is implemented through ritualistic formulas of blessings, prayers, mitzvot, and celebrations that replaced the Covenantal temple, priesthood and appointed times in Israel.  The orality of the rabbinic tradition is reinforced with the hermeneutical learning method of the Mishna Talmud which interprets Torah through formulaic and mnemonic expressions and repetition.

I forsook the false narrative of my birth religion Christianity that teased out its oral traditions and theologies based on the reinterpretation of the Torah and the Prophets in the New Testament.  I chose the Jewish faith and tradition in my adult years seeking an authentic connection to the Covenant Maker of Israel as given in the Torah and the Prophets.  I chose to move to Israel as an heir of Abraham through Jacob. 

It has been heartbreaking to learn that the Jewish people in the exile inherited the false narrative based on the new Writings and expounded in the Talmud as their interpretive text of the Torah and the Prophets.  The written Hebrew text of the Torah and Prophets has been sublimated to the replacement theology of rabbinic Judaism.  The Jewish people have inherited this false religion crafted for the exile with no way back to our Covenant of the Ten Words, the Land of Israel, and the proper authority under the Levitical priesthood in the House of YHVH on Mt. Zion.

In fact, we learn that the Torah and the Prophets are not historically significant but allegorical, that Ezra rewrote and restored Torah, that the rabbis replaced the Levites as the presumptive authority to handle and reinterpret the Torah through a contrived chain of transmission, and that when the “mashiach” comes the rabbinic tradition will continue as the legal and religious authority over the Jewish people. Many believe that there is no need for the temple to be restored and that the Jewish people are not required to live in their Covenant Homeland of Israel … none of which is supported by the Torah, the Covenant or the Prophets.

The deep seated angst that continues to reside in the soul of the Jewish people is palpable and is reinforced by the nations continuing hatred of Israel, her people and her land.  We are at war again with our neighbors and their allies in the world for our very survival in this Land of Israel.  No one can be trusted or believed to have the answer.  There are no good answers politically or religiously that will take us back to our Covenant Maker.

Many of us are asking: how do we return to our Covenant Maker as He wills for us?

We must return to our original Torah as given to Moses and as seen through our Prophets, through the end of the first kingdom and into the Babylonian exile, before we have a chance to understand the Will of our Covenant Maker.  Even though there is evidence of scribal tampering and false narratives that made it into our canon, it is possible to see through these lies as enabling the post-biblical replacement theology of exile.

We must admit that we have exchanged our Covenant and our very essence for a manmade construct that enables our exile mentality.  We must seek the ancient and everlasting path back to our Covenant Maker.

As suggested by students of ancient history, we must be willing to put ourselves in the sandals of those ancients.  We must wipe our minds clean of our preconceived assumptions and work to understand their worldviews in their lifetimes.  We must forsake manmade interpretations of Torah and relearn what YHVH said then and what He is saying now from His Written Word that was given to His Servant Moses in that day.

Starting with the understanding that Moses and the people who stood at Sinai in 1552 BCE lived in a world that did not have writing for the many.  There were no books that could be accessed, no libraries or education for the common people. From Genesis to the first kingdom of Israel was a time of purely oral cultures, bereft of literacy and written literature.  The people were wholly dependent on the narratives of the elite scribal classes regarding the heavens and life itself.  

Most of humanity has been dependent on and enslaved by the dominance and persuasiveness of the few who controlled the flow of information whether orally or textually received.  The people of the world are in the same predicament today.  No matter how much we have “advanced,” we are being held hostage by the few self-proclaimed elites who control the flow of information, politically, socially and religiously.

With this basic understanding and in that mindset, we will approach our written text and behold what the Creator of the universe, the Holy One of Israel, actually did for all of humanity through the Covenant He made with Israel.  We have forgotten and even forfeited the redemption from bondage that was granted to us 3500 years ago at Sinai.  We have forgotten who we are as Covenant Israel.  We must remember.

And, keeping in mind that He never changes and that His Word is everlasting, we can at least begin to understand that what He willed for Israel then and what He wills for us today has not changed.  We have changed and that is why we must seek His ancient and everlasting paths back to Him and His Covenants.

נִדְמוּ עַמִּי מִבְּלִי הַדָּעַת כִּי־אַתָּה הַדַּעַת מָאַסְתָּ וְאֶמְאָסְאךָ מִכַּהֵן לִי וַתִּשְׁכַּח תּוֹרַת אֱלֹהֶיךָ אֶשְׁכַּח בָּנֶיךָ גַּם־אָנִי׃

Hosea 4:6: “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.  Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from ministering before Me.  Since you have forgotten the Torah rule of law of your God, I also will forget your children.”

שִׁמְעוּ אֵלַי רֹדְפֵי צֶדֶק מְבַקְשֵׁי יְהוָה הַבִּיטוּ אֶל־צוּר חֻצַּבְתֶּם וְאֶל־מַקֶּבֶת בּוֹר נֻקַּרְתֶּֽם׃ הַבִּיטוּ אֶל־אַבְרָהָם אֲבִיכֶם וְאֶל־שָׂרָה תְּחוֹלֶלְכֶם כִּי־אֶחָד קְרָאתִיו וַאֲבָרְכֵהוּ וְאַרְבֵּֽהוּ

Isaiah 51:1-2: “Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness, who seek YHVH: look to the rock from which you were hewn and to the quarry from which you were dug.  Look to Abraham your father and to Sarah who gave birth to you in pain; when he was but one I called him, then I blessed him and multiplied him.”

2024-02-22 devorah yocheved

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The First Thou Shalt Not–Who are the “Other Gods”?

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Several thousand years ago Abraham, called Abram at the time, rejected the many gods that the people around him had set up. He spoke to Elohim who revealed himself to him as El Shaddai. (see here) He was, according to Scripture, the only one in his day who saw the falsity of strange gods. He was obedient to the One   God. We know this because of what the Torah says of him:

Gen 26:5 “…Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.”

How did he know these things if the law had not yet been given? This is perhaps a mystery that we cannot understand, except that he spoke directly to the Eternal, and as it says above he “obeyed my voice.” He apparently had no human interpreter. 

So how can a human understand the voice of the Most High, One and Only   God without others to direct him? 

By the time Moses came on the scene, there seemed to be a need for someone to guide and lead. Moses heard the Voice at the burning bush and was in direct communication with Elohim. He had no interpreter nor leader. And apparently there has never been another like Moses by whose hand we received the written down “voice” if you care to call it that, or “Words” of   God. 

Deu 34:10 “And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the YHVH knew face to face,”

Today, several thousand years later, human leaders have overtaken every religion in the world. How do we know that they correctly interpret the written words of Elohim? I say that usually they don’t give it to us as it was given through Moses. And they stand in the middle between us and our Creator, as interpreters or mediators. If we look at the 10 commandments, the very first “Thou Shalt Not” says something very big. Let’s look at the Hebrew for Exodus 20 3, and then look at the meaning in our own language.
לֹא יִהְיֶה־לְךָ אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים עַל־פָּנָיַ׃

This is usually translated as “thou shalt have no other gods before me.” But if we look deeper we see “there shall not be to you other gods upon my face or in  my presence.” עַל־פָּנָיַ (literally: upon my face or countenance or in my presence).(See Strongs).

Exodus 20:3 does not mean merely to not worship other gods, but rather not even to have them in between us and Hashem. He should not have to work through them to reach us. He would rather have a direct connection with us. 

If we look at the word Elohim throughout the Tanakh we will see that it is often used for judges or powerful men as well as false gods. 

From Strong’s Hebrew definitions:

אֱלֹהִים “ĕlôhîym, el-o-heem’; plural of H433; gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used (in the plural thus, especially with the article) of the supreme God; occasionally applied by way of deference to magistrates; and sometimes as a superlative:—angels, × exceeding, God (gods) (-dess, -ly), × (very) great, judges, × mighty …rulers, judges, either as divine representatives at sacred places or as reflecting divine majesty and power.” Strongs.

So anybody that is great enough in our imagination that we look to as an interpreter of   God’s laws, or anything to do with Him, anyone who stands between us and the Eternal or in the presence of   God as a mediator, is a false elohim or god: as it says: “there shall be to you no other elohim upon my face.” 

Moses actually stood in that place for the people of Israel who had just been delivered from Egyptian slavery. But who is as great in our day as Moses? Priests? Rabbis? Are there even any true prophets today? What about all the books that have been written to interpret Torah? Who gave anyone the right to define or reinterpret Torah, let alone add to or take away from it?”

If you are a religious Jew, you probably believe in the Chain of Transmission (See here) which endorses the passing down of the Torah through the generations of Sages and Rabbis who developed the Oral Torah and Tradition which is today’s Judaism. But did you know that not even Joshua was allowed to change even one word that Moses handed over?

Jos 1:7 “Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest. 8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

So, not even Joshua who was on Mount Sinai at the giving over of the two tablets of 10 commandments, was allowed to reinterpret anything. (See Exodus 24).

How do we get back to hearing the voice of  God speak to us in the wilderness like Abraham and Moses? Is it even possible? Perhaps some of us feel that YHVH has withdrawn his face from us. Maybe the question to ask ourselves is: what do we need to turn away from in order to cause His face to look once again upon us?  If the literal commandments were not to be altered or added to, then there may be a reason why we are not getting the connection we desire. 

Zec 1: 3” Therefore say thou unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Turn ye unto me, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will turn unto you, saith the LORD of hosts. 4 Be ye not as your fathers, unto whom the former prophets have cried, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Turn ye now from your evil ways, and from your evil doings: but they did not hear, nor hearken unto me, saith the LORD. 5 Your fathers, where are they? and the prophets, do they live forever? 6 But my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, did they not take hold of your fathers? and they returned and said, Like as the LORD of hosts thought to do unto us, according to our ways, and according to our doings, so hath he dealt with us.” 

We can see evidence in the verses above that even in the time of the prophet Zechariah, the people blamed the Eternal for abandoning them. And it is still true today, when troubles come upon God’s people, He often gets the blame, rather than people taking a hard look at their lives and measuring themselves with the only standard of righteousness–the written Torah!

Are we the chosen people just because we once were? Is there any standard at all that we must measure up to in order to qualify? Is there a slim chance that Hashem will or has abandoned us? The prophet Jeremiah serves up a very dire warning to the house of Israel. God forbid that it should be true of us today!

Jer 18:6 “O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay  is  in the potter’s hand, so are  ye in mine hand, O house of Israel. 7 At what  instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy it ; 8 If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them. 9 And at what  instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant  it ; 10 If it does evil in my sight, that it obeys not my voice, then I will repent of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit them.”

So, if we have been following the interpretations of men who set themselves up as leaders who claim to teach the ways of the Creator, and we admit that we really do not understand the Torah and that we somehow cannot connect with the Eternal other than through manmade rituals, then why not begin studying in earnest what the literal Torah says. Is it really that difficult?

Deu 30:10-14: if you obey the LORD your God and keep his commands and decrees that are written in this Book of the Law and turn to the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
11 …what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. 12 It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, “Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?”
13 Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, “Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?” 14 No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it.

Ariella Golani

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Dancing with the Devil?

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At the October 7, Nova Festival thousands of young people were gathered in a quiet park near Gaza, many of them dancing to psytrance music with a giant illuminated Buddha in their midst. It was Shabbat and a day most observant Jews were celebrating Simchat Torah, a day dedicated as Joy of Torah. These festivities sound pretty condemnable, especially when you see the footage of the semi-nude dancers in their celebration of love and peace. But might there be another way to see it?

Perhaps we cross a red line when we open this topic—one that perhaps should be left in the virtual trash can and not resurrected.
So if this material is offensive, then you know what to do!

I certainly do not have all the answers! I could, in fact, be wrong and some of my best thoughts have been to ask others for their opinions. And I am going to do just that here. So please respond with your best judgment on this issue.

There are definite questions about the whole affair and most Bible believers would say that the dancers were doing something wrong or at least out of place. Were they?

And what part did the Eternal, Hashem, G-d, YHVH have to play in this? Was it discipline? Punishment? Was it that these dancers somehow opened up the door to the devil (evil, or however you call the dark side) by being in a state of idolatry? Immorality? Some would say so. Most of our world doesn’t even know the meaning of idolatry since it seems consigned to an era long past when people bowed down to images and believed they had some kind of magic powers.

Perhaps we should sweep this whole thing under the rug. But if we do, will there be a repeat of what happened? Has G-d somehow abandoned the Jewish people? Do we need to put some things under the microscope?

Why were foreign workers, who were in Israel simply to earn some money, slaughtered if it was about punishment for idolatry? They were not even present at the festival. I hate the word punishment and all it brings to mind although some declare it to be such. And how is the slaughter to be seen as punishment if nothing can be learned by it? At least not for those who died. But is there something for the rest of us to learn?

Why were there a lot of religious Jews slaughtered in their Kibbutzim if this was Hashem showing his anger? Could it have something to do with religion? Is there something that caused a rift among the young and blinded them to the 10 commandments? Keeping Shabbat? Immorality? Idolatry? How actually do the commandments play out in today’s world?

Can I play the devil’s advocate to extreme moralists? What if these people did not know the meaning of the commandments? What if somehow those who were Jewish were tired of all the burdens that were imposed upon them for the past myriad generations by those who taught religion to their ancestors? But if this be the case, then why were the foreign workers killed and some Muslims as well? Maybe it was not punishment. Or did this act open the door to something evil and as a result, a lot of innocent people got swept away with it?

Most of us who study the Bible know that dancing before a Buddha is wrong, actually similar to the Golden Calf at Sinai. But I think there is a difference. At Sinai, the act was done out of rebellion—just a few weeks after hearing G-d’s voice speak the commandments from the mountain. The Hebrews said something to Aaron about Moses having abandoned them and thought they needed a new leader. Some were ready to go back to Egypt. They were doing apparently what they had observed in Egypt and no, those who danced around the golden calf were not holy— that’s why Hashem told Moses to have them slaughtered. Wow! Seems so unjust in the light of modern thinking! And I say “seems” because maybe we have the wrong idea of G-d, again!

But what does this have to do with semi-nude dancing on Shabbat before a Buddha? Do we somehow need to go back to the Bible to learn what it says and means? Is somehow the Bible outdated?

If you have read this far, I am sure some of you are ready to stone me. It’s ok, then, let’s all throw out the Bible and be done with it! The problem may well be with a religion that has taken the place of the Bible. That the Bible—rather Torah, we hear, can only be understood by rabbis and we can only understand when we follow the interpretations written by the Sages. I remember Catholics telling me that only the priests in that religion can understand the Bible and so the members must go to mass to learn. Hmmm, has something similar happened in Judaism? Moses says in the Torah that it is not too hard to understand.

Deut. 30: 11“For this commandment that I command you today is not too hard for you, neither is it far off. 12 It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will ascend to heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ 13 Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ 14 But the word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it.”

So why do we need extra interpretors? But that is beside the point in this article, it all boils down to why the apparently good suffered with those who were at least blinded to Torah and what was expected of them? I have heard it voiced on social media groups that we all need to become religiously observant in order that this not happen again. Then why were some of the people that were killed, raped or kidnapped, religious Jews? It doesn’t make sense.

So maybe we don’t have any clear answers, but we do need to take a closer look at the Judaism we know today how it compares to what was written in the Torah which came to us by the hand of Moses. Judaism claims to be the keeper of the Torah. But how close are its teaching to that which came down from Moses?

If our religion is wrong, we need to get it right. And yes, we are warned in the prophets that things like this would happen if we left the Torah. And on this theme, we might well ask, why the Holocaust? Why Pogroms? Are there answers? I hope so!

Ariella Golani

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The Why! A Short Meditation on the Events of October 7

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Why am I in Israel? This painful question haunts me and others and has done so ever since October 7 of last year. My thoughts about the purpose of the land of Israel and what this land is supposed to be confuse me. Is there not a purpose for Jews in the land of Israel? Is there no purpose for the chosen people other than to continually suffer? Where is the G-d of the Bible? Is it possible that people who have sacrificed to live in Israel, somehow have it all wrong?

Several of us toured some of the sites of the massacre a few weeks ago. My feelings were mostly numb throughout the tour. I learned things but my feelings were mostly shut down. Perhaps this was because of the grief I had felt ever since the event took place. I had already imagined the scenes. But it was interesting to see where the wall was breached so quickly at the Erez crossing and to learn first-hand from one of the residents who actually defended one of the Kibbutz’—Kibbutz Alumim, where not only Israelis were massacred but also foreign workers, who were shot and burned in their dormitory, some apparently while they were still in their beds or showers.

It was tragic to see the bullet holes and blown-up buildings. I was moved when I heard of the efforts of a local civilian who came on board to protect the police station in Sderot.

Many agree that Never Again has happened again and that it will happen over and over until we somehow get it right! But how will that play out? How is it that Jews, not only in Israel, still question, how do we get it right? How do we end the madness?

Perhaps this is the end of the world? It seems there is no hope anymore for a Messiah. Are Jews destined to extinction? Is there Nobody in the Universe watching the events unfold? Is there anywhere to hide? Perhaps the caves in the cliffs near the Kinneret are still waiting for people to find a bit of safety while Enemies take over the land. But how would we survive if we were even able to get there? Will we survive? There has to be hope.

When I question the G-d of Heaven, Ha Kadosh Baruch Hu, YHVH, Elohim or however He prefers to be called, I mean no disrespect. But upon what can I base my faith in the disaster that has happened to Israel and the hatred of the nations? Somehow Biblical promises don’t seem to be holding their ground. Perhaps there were conditions for these promises. Are we back to the days where the prophets feared for their lives? Will the cycle never end?

As someone who has always believed that the answer to the world’s woes is in the Book of Books, I find little solace when I see my vision of a peaceful Israel vanish before my eyes. I realize there is much that is embraced by the Jewish people that does not line up with the Covenant that we were given on Sinai. Could it be that somehow we have turned away from the ONE who is there to save and protect us? If so, is anyone listening? Does anyone care? Can blind eyes be opened, deaf ears be unstopped? Could it be that ever since Babylon, there have been new teachings that did not come from Sinai?

I hear my Jewish friends ask over and over again? Why the Jews? Why do we continue to suffer if we are the chosen people? I would ask them—but probably won’t—Is there a condition to being chosen? Did we somehow not fulfill our end of the bargain? If so where do we find what was expected of us? Where are the terms of the covenant written down? Everyone claims that the covenant is the Torah—but which Torah? Did anything happen to add to or take away from the covenant given at Sinai? If so, who was given permission to alter it?

A Prophet Speaks:

Isa 24:4-5: “The land mourneth, it fadeth away; the world languisheth, it fadeth away: the haughty people of the land do languish. And the land is polluted under the inhabitants thereof; for they have violated the laws, changed the statute, broken the everlasting covenant.”

So what was the command about altering the words of the covenant?

G-d speaks to Moses:

“Ye shall not add to the word which I command you, neither shall ye take from it, that ye may keep the commandments of YHVH your God which I command you.” – Deu 4:2

“Everything that I command you, ye shall take heed to do it; thou shalt not add thereto, nor take from it.” – Deu 12:32

G-d speaks to Joshua:

“Only be strong and very courageous, that thou mayest take heed to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded thee. Turn not from it to the right or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest.” – Jos 1:7

The Wisdom of King Solomon:

“Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.” – Pro 30:6

What did G-d tell Israel would happen if they changed the covenant?

The Torah:

“And YHVH will scatter thee among all peoples, from the one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth; and there thou shalt serve other gods, which thou hast not known, thou nor thy fathers, even wood and stone. And among these nations shalt thou find no ease, and there shall be no rest for the sole of thy foot: but YHVH will give thee there a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and pining of soul; and thy life shall hang in doubt before thee; and thou shalt fear night and day, and shalt have no assurance of thy life.” – Deu 28:64-66

Moses Prophesies the Exile and Final Return in the Latter Days:

“I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that you will soon utterly perish from the land which you are going over the Jordan to possess; you will not live long upon it, but will be utterly destroyed. And the LORD will scatter you among the peoples, and you will be left few in number among the nations where the LORD will drive you. … But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul. When you are in tribulation, and all these things come upon you in the latter days, you will return to the LORD your God and obey his voice, for the LORD your God is a merciful God; he will not fail you or destroy you or forget the covenant with your fathers which he swore to them.” – Deu 4:26-27, 29-31

So, I still am heartbroken from what I have seen, and my anxiety mounts that what was declared to never happen again will continue to happen. When I think of my friends, whose ancestors for more than 2000 years have embraced what they think is the true covenant–the Talmud and the many books written by ancient Jewish Sages, I feel hopeless to ever be able to communicate with them. I know several who have personally told me that they don’t know anything about the Bible, that they have never read it and that they think it may be too hard to understand. This all sounds like the same thing I heard from Catholic neighbors when I lived in Mexico. They told me that only a priest could explain the Bible, so they were dependent on going to mass and other things. Well, there you have it! It seems that Judaism, as it is known today, is almost a carbon copy of some things that are found in the Catholic religion. May we all seek the knowledge of the Great Book of Books and renew our covenant while there is still time. Hashem is merciful and will not allow us to be destroyed if our hearts are sincere and we are willing to learn from Him.

B’shalom

Ariella Golani

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Whose is the Land anyway?

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The war in Israel raises many questions and I switch back and forth in my views that Israel is winning the war and creating a safe place for Jews to live and be at peace, but then, on the other hand, I have reason to suspect that some evil agenda started this war and that leading politicians and globalists are somehow involved in creating a footstool for their agenda. The second idea is very troubling and I know there are many who see suspicious things that happened at the start of the war. Questions are raised about a lot of things that happen in the ongoing alliances of countries who are sworn to fight against us while a few others opt to support us.

It all can be very worrying, or should I say, crazy making? Planes turn on their afterburners over our heads as they fly in the direction of Lebanon or Syria, missiles find their targets in nearby cities, the news tells us what we are supposed to believe or not believe. With all the confusion, those who believe in the Bible or even have the slightest inkling of a God in Heaven are asking how this all fits into any Divine plan for the Land that belongs only to the Eternal who claims Israel as His own. Is there anything that makes sense? I hear my own thoughts and others asking where is Hashem? Does He not see? Has He removed His Hand? Some say God is punishing the Jews with this war for their ongoing belief in tradition rather than the Bible. But I don’t think any of what people are thinking is one hundred percent accurate.

I believe that the land of Israel belongs to the God of the Universe. I believe He will place and protect the people of the Eternal Covenant—that is, those who obey their part of the covenant, in the land. There may be a lot of mopping up that has to happen before it is over.

I believe that Hashem, YHVH, the Eternal is still involved, even when we don’t understand how.

And I believe that in the long run and at the end of the battle, all will be made clear and that nobody, not Gorge Soros, Not Klaus Schwab, not the UN or UNWRA–nobody will stand in the way of what Heaven wants for the Holy Land.

I do not doubt that it will get ugly and still uglier. But can we recommit ourselves to the Covenant that we once made with our Creator and stop following the doctrines of mere men? Can we cling to Hashem throughout this very rough time that is probably going to get very messy soon? Do we have enough faith to stand while the towers fall around us and we see blood flowing in the streets?

So let’s imagine that Israel is somehow destined to become a stronghold for the New World Order! And supposedly a lot of stuff gets blown up and goes away. Ok, perhaps it all seems to be destined to total destruction, and maybe that is what is needed. Maybe the Eternal Covenant Maker even then will execute his plan and all those who came against Israel will be dead on the mountains of Israel and therre will be months and months of burying corpses or burning the bones of those who come against the Land! See Ezekiel 39.

“11 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will give unto Gog a place there for burial in Israel, the valley of the passers-by to the east of the sea; and it shall stop the way of the passers-by; and there shall they bury Gog and all the multitude; and they shall call it, Valley of Hamon-Gog. 12 And seven months shall the house of Israel be burying them, that they may cleanse the land; 13 and all the people of the land shall bury them; and it shall be to them for renown in the day that I shall be glorified, saith the Lord YHVH.” Eze 39:11-13

People tell me that the Land of Israel belongs to the Jews. Not so fast! Who does the Land belong to? The Covenant Maker and He is going to clean it up so that those who keep His Covenant will have a safe place to live so that they will finally be a light to the nations. Do we really think that it doesn’t matter how we live? That it doesn’t matter what we do if we just learn to repeat certain prayers over and over, light Shabbat and Holiday candles, avoid mixing meat and dairy and wear wigs or scarves? Is this stuff even mentioned in the Bible? What is in our hearts? Do we have a clear conscience or do we do all this external stuff to cover up what we really are? I know these are hard questions, but Hashem is watching and He is making His list and checking it twice or three times to see who really deserves to be part of His Covenant People who live in the land of the Covenant.

So how do we fight the war? I do not mean we shouldn’t support the war effort, by no means! But at the same time, we need to fight the personal war of renewing our covenant with our Creator, making sure we are ready to be among those who finally win the right to the Land.

Yours for a final victory, both personal and for Israel!

Ariella

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Vayechi: Birds on a Wire

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If you have ever meandered around in the town center of Katzrin at night perhaps to eat a bite at a Shawarma or Falafel shop, you may have seen dozens of swallows perched near the ceiling in one of the dark hallways.

Katzrin, a small town located in the Golan Heights of Israel is a favored tourist spot, still shown on Google Maps as outside of the green line that Google is willing to accept as Israel.
But Israelis know it belongs to them and not to Syria, since Israel reclaimed this land in the bloody Six-Day War of 1967.

But I am not writing about that war. We are in another war called “Al Aqsa Flood” by Hamas and “Swords of Iron” by Israel—a war that started with a most horrible massacre. But let us step back even farther and look at what is happening behind the blood stained curtain. This is not all about the current war, though it certainly plays into it. It is about brothers and sisters coming together just as Jacob’s 12 sons came together after his death, put away differences and became one people. But let’s get back to the story!

On October 7, 2023 Hamas terrorists and many radical Palestinian Muslims, though technically classified as civilians broke through Gaza’s border fence and entered the Nova music festival and surrounding villages, killing and raping at random, burning and beheading babies and adults alike. At the same time many of them entered by air in para-gliders, which appeared as giant blood sucking mosquitoes as they filled the dawn sky.

That fated Shabbat, found many religious Israelis attending synagogues, completely disconnected from the news. In several towns, there were soldiers who passed by and alerted some synagogues as to what was happening, and the congregants increased their fervor in prayer with deepened emotion and passionate pleas to the Almighty who alone can save Israel from her enemies.

As I said, this is not about the horrors of war, though that may be the pressure that brought about what has happened since. The swallows in the picture represent the togetherness, the solidarity of togetherness that many Israelis and Jews are feeling around the world.

Soldiers in the field come in from a day of battle, arm in arm, the secular with the religious and feel a camaraderie that few have felt in the recent past. We are one people. And that is what is important here. Not that God is not important. Not that one’s observance is not important—but there is an overriding value that has been missing and is now coming into view. That of brotherly unity and the service of one’s fellow man and especially the right to claim the land of our ancestors. The importance of winning this war against evil is partly to reestablish the Jewish right to exist. And the war is being fought for the good of humanity. This is not just about the Jewish people. It is about good versus evil, hatred versus love, a good God versus an evil god. We fight on for the honor of the name of our God and the place of righteousness in the world. We fight for meaning in our own existence. And YHVH, the Eternal, the Most High, the Creator of the World is supporting this war and when all seems lost, He will come alongside and do things that other wars have not seen. But first we must learn unity. Though it seems to have little to do with God, it virtually has everything to do with Him. We must heal the breach before He can come to us. Love your fellow as yourself. And when we do so, a body will be formed, just as we see written by the prophet Ezekiel:

Eze 37:7 “So I prophesied as I was commanded. There was a sound when I prophesied – I heard a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to bone. 8 As I watched, I saw tendons on them, then muscles appeared, and skin covered over them from above, but there was no breath in them. 9 He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, – prophesy, son of man – and say to the breath: ‘This is what the sovereign LORD says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these corpses so that they may live.'” 10 So I prophesied as I was commanded, and the breath came into them; they lived and stood on their feet, an extremely great army.”

At this time in the war we see other elements trying to disrupt the unity. We see left-wing factions presenting their pressure to undo our current government. Can we allow this? Would this not be our undoing at this time? Doesn’t the enemy know about weakening us? and perhaps these ones are and were involved in inciting the ones who called for division in our land! This is a time to stand together and not back down. And for the sake of the soldiers, for the elderly, for the young people, for the children and for those who volunteer to support our soldiers, we must not give in to these demons who divide the nation and who were involved in weakening us in the very beginning, pre-October 7. Military people in charge were asleep at the switch. Why? Many ask this question, but when we look at the political scenario during the last year we see division in our people.

So what do the swallows represent? There they are, night after night, clinging to shredded electric wires draped along the ceiling in a dark hallway of the town shops, protected from the chaos of wind and storm. They are almost touching each other. They are there every night and they stand for something. No, the halls are not nicely painted or decorated. The ceiling is peeling, the wires are bare in places, loose ends hang in different places. It is not about luxury, fame or status, and they don’t care! It is about being together—sharing safety in each other’s company; standing together against the elements as one of a common creation. Can we learn something here? Can we see the foreshadowing in the Parsha that we read week after week?

If you ever come to Katzrin, please hang out with us in the evening in the town center! Check out the lighted fountains and venture down the dark hallways behind the shops to see the swallows. They seem to be a symbol of what we must stand for. And we are indeed getting there—are we not?

Ariella

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