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Footprints from the Shadows of Idolatry

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A Hard Look at Women’s Mitzvot

Earth’s ancient history tells that there were feminine and masculine gods worshiped by many different peoples. Mythology cites the stories of the wars and affairs of these powerful gods, or at least the beliefs that held their worshipers spellbound or shaking in fear. These deities were so revered that parents would sacrifice their own children to them to assure them favor with these gods. In the Bible, the prophets warned Israel about these gods and those who followed them. These people were to be eradicated from the land of Israel. It was Divinely mandated ethnic cleansing, if you will. Of course, none in the liberal “free world” today support ethnic cleansing especially not if you are speaking of the Jewish right to possess the land of Israel.  In many Middle Eastern and North African countries, parents train and send out their children to die as martyrs as they cleanse the world of Jews and Christians. These religions are death cults, just as in the ancient past when babies were burned in the arms of their gods, Astarte and Molech.  

What I want to examine today is a subject that has bothered me for some time–the worship of the Queen of Heaven mentioned by the prophet Jeremiah. Who was she, and what customs were common in those who worshiped her? And are there roots of these customs in today’s major religions? The Israelites were originally exiled because of their worship of false gods. Can there be any evidence that has survived from these pagan practices today? 

Of course, there is Mary worship (often called the Queen of Heaven by dedicated Catholics), which is just an extension of the ancient pagan worship of female fertility goddesses such as Ashtoreth, Isis, Ishtar, or Semiramis, just to mention a few. 

But what about the customs of the Chosen People–the practices of Judaism? Is there anything that would suggest that we have remnants of pagan worship practices relating to the female goddess (Ashtoreth), mentioned in 1 Kings and Jeremiah? 

1Ki 11:5, 33: “5 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. … 33 Because that they have forsaken me, and have worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the children of Ammon, and have not walked in my ways, to do that which is right in mine eyes, and to keep my statutes and my judgments, as did David his father.”   

Jer. 44:”17 But we will certainly perform every word that is gone forth out of our mouth, to burn incense unto the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink-offerings unto her, as we have done, we and our fathers, our kings and our princes, in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem; for then had we plenty of victuals, and were well, and saw no evil. 18 But since we left off burning incense to the queen of heaven, and pouring out drink-offerings unto her, we have wanted all things, and have been consumed by the sword and by the famine. … 21 The incense that ye burned in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, ye and your fathers, your kings and your princes, and the people of the land, did not YHVH remember them, and came it not into his mind?”

So, without further ado! Where does the lighting of candles for many things in Jewish practice come from? What about lighting Shabbat candles? Many of us question the claim that the Eternal commanded this mitzvah. Here is the English version of the candle blessing:.

“Blessed are You, oh Lord our God, who has sanctified us by His commandments and has commanded us to kindle the light of Shabbat.”

This is blessing is not found anywhere in Tanakh. Nor in the written Torah. It is clearly a command created by the rabbis. What else is wrong here? The sages claimed there was a curse that would come upon women who didn’t fulfill it. The following quote is From Mishna Shabbat 2:6

“On [account of] three transgressions women die in childbirth: because they are not careful with nidda, with challah, or with candle-lighting.” Below is the Hebrew from Sefaria: 

“על שלש עברות נשים מתות בשעת לדתן. על שאינן זהירות בנדה ובחלה ובהדלקת הנר:”

So the making of Challah, observance of Nidda (the separation from the husband during menstruation), and the lighting of the Shabbat Candles are what compose women’s most important mitzvot? I think anyone would agree that the making of Challah and Shabbat Candles, though pleasant in themselves, are rabbinic mitzvot. So how is it that God is going to punish us for not following the rabbinic commandments? Is the Creator somehow now subject to the decisions of the leadership? Who is in charge anyway?

Here are some more modern quotes, embracing the idea of punishment for women who do not follow the three mitzvot:


1. “For three transgressions woman die during childbirth: for being careless regarding (the laws of) menstruation, the tithe from dough, and kindling the (Sabbath) light.” The Complete Art Scroll Siddur. Second edition, Page 327.
2. “For three transgressions do women die in childbirth: because they have not been heedful in regard to their menstruation, in the separation of the priest’s share of the dough, and in the kindling of the lamp.” Mishnayoth Volume 2 page 30 Second Edition Judaica Press, Ltd. Gateshead 1983.
Page3. “Because of three sins women die in childbirth; for not being careful with niddah, with hallah, and with lighting the lamp.” Sephardic Siddur with Linear Translation and English translation for Shabbat page 79 Congregation Shaare Rahamim Publication Series 5766.
4. Rabbi Jonathan Sacks translates the Hebrew into English slightly different “For three transgressions woman may die in childbirth: for being careless in observing the laws of menstruation, separating challah (dough – offering), and lighting the Sabbath light “The Koren Siddur page 374. 2010 Edition. I would like you to notice that the word may, that is in this translation, casts a doubt on whether this will happen.
In this discussion I will evaluate only the kindling of the Sabbath light (maybe later we might consider the other two sins).  Let us look at the prayer that is said when the Sabbath lights are lit: “Blessed are you, HASHEM, our God, King of the universe, Who sanctified us with His commandments, and has commanded us to kindle the light of the Sabbath.” The Complete Artscroll Siddur, (second edition 1989) page 297. 

History tells us that the formal practice of lighting Shabbat Candles was an attempt by the rabbis to overthrow the Karaites ( 9th century CE) and to direct their followers to place their esteem upon the Oral Torah, thus assuring Rabbinic control over the Jewish people. (https://pathoftorah.com/2014/01/26/mitzvah-that-wasnt/)

“The great Sa’adia Gaon (882-942) worked tirelessly to counter Karaite Judaism, and the Rambam even credits him with saving Rabbinic Judaism at the time. Not surprisingly, then, it is in the 9th century Siddur of Rav Amram Gaon (d. 875) where we first see the text of a Shabbat candle-lighting berakhah.  To reaffirm and strengthen the Oral Torah at a time when it was under attack, the sages and rabbis of the 9th century instituted a formal blessing—modelled on the Chanukah blessing—to be recited when lighting Shabbat candles. This made it clear that it was God who kideshanu v’tzivanu, sanctified us and commanded us, to do so. People needed to know that this ancient practice was no rabbinic invention! Indeed, when we look into more mystical sources, we find that lighting Shabbat candles goes way back—all the way to the Garden of Eden.” Link

But those who know their Bibles realize that Shabbat Candle lighting was never commanded by the Torah and history shows us that it never gained true importance in Rabbinic Judaism until the 9th century, CE. 

And by the way, the use of modern candles in the form we have today, began to be developed in the 5th century when Rome began to dip wicks in animal fat called tallow,  (Link).
Anciently, however, there were wicks that burned in oil pots as far back as early Egypt. Many religions have used them in the worship of their gods and as a means to communicate with Heaven and even to send their dead loved ones on their way to the afterlife. (Link )

What actually does the lighting of Shabbat candles symbolize? Could it stem from the practice of burning of incense? Do Jews use candles in their service for the dead? Clearly they do. Every Yahrzeit is accompanied by candle burning. What does it mean?

What about the baking of Challah and cutting off the portion which is supposed to be burned? Jeremiah cries out against the women who baked bread for the Queen of Heaven:

 “The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead the dough, to make cakes for the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink-offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger.” – Jer 7:18  

I wonder about the part requiring the cutting off a portion of the dough, even though it stems from the biblical command to separate (Challa) a part of a sacrifice or meal offering, for YHVH. Numbers 15:18-21. But how does burning it have anything to do with separating a part for YHVH? Actually this sacrifice was not a weekly offering and it was only to be done in the Land of Israel:

“18 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land whither I bring you, 19 then it shall be, that, when ye eat of the bread of the land, ye shall offer up a heave-offering unto Jehovah. 20 Of the first of your dough ye shall offer up a cake for a heave-offering: as the heave-offering of the threshing-floor, so shall ye heave it. 21 Of the first of your dough ye shall give unto Jehovah a heave-offering throughout your generations.” – Num 15:18-21.

Perhaps it is a little far-fetched to associate the making of Challah and the lighting of Shabbat Candles with service to the Queen of Heaven so loudly renounced by the prophet Jeremiah, or is it? And why is there a curse on women who do not perform these Mitzvot?

Paganism aside, how have practices taken from the priestly service in the Temple come to establish a new type of service where every family has their own home temple with strange symbolic services that somehow connect us to the Torah? Can it be an attempt to justify living in the diaspora? The thought seems to be everywhere that, “isn’t the service at the home table and the Synagogue enough?”So why do we need a temple if we can do it all at home?

How about the custom of opening the door to the Shabbat Queen during Kabbalat Shabbat? The song Lecha Dodi (come my beloved) is sung on Friday nights in the synagogue, and when the final stanza is sung, the door to the synagogue is opened and the entire congregation turns around and bows to the left and right welcoming the Shabbat Queen which brings the divine presence to the assembly. 

Were we ever commanded to worship the Sabbath itself? And what is this mystical presence that is being worshiped, if it is a queen? Much is said about the Shekinah being the feminine presence of God. Yet the word Shekinah is not in the Scriptures. 

“The word comes from a transliteration of the Hebrew word, shākan. It means ‘the one who dwells’ or “‘that which dwells.’ The term “Shekinah” was first used in rabbinic targums.” (Link)

So the justification of worshiping the female presence of God is established, fully trusted because almost everyone believes the Bible supports it. It doesn’t and though we could get into great and lengthy discussions of the male vs female nature of the Eternal, we must abstain. This is forbidden ground. God is not a man, see Number’s 23:19. And even Moses was not allowed to fully view the Creator. He must remain a mystery to humankind. If we could see Him, we might try to make an image of Him, right? 

I know that I have only touched the tip of the iceberg showing the roots of things that have accompanied the Jewish religion for thousands of years. Dear friends, we must come clean! We must repent of that which blindly accepted as God’s commands, many times brainwashed into us as little children. It is not going to be easy. 

Ariella Golani

Understanding the Fallacy of Grave Worship

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Defilement and Grave Worship–Who hears our Prayers?

Most popular religions believe in an ongoing life of some form after death. This belief in an immortal soul has been around at least since Ancient Egypt. Wikipedia. People seem to forget what the Bible says about death and strange as it seems, there is something about it that makes people cling to it even now. Is it more comforting to think a relative is somehow relaxing in Paradise? Perhaps he is somewhere else, God forbid! But what can we find that shows this to be a fallacy? Common logic seems to look at it as lunacy. Perhaps that is why many atheists believe that when it is over, it is over. If we look to the Bible as an unerring source of wisdom there are some strong statements, some in the Psalms, others in the writings of the prophets and some even in the Torah. There is an example of a King of Israel who sought wisdom from the dead and what happened to him. But we will come back to that later. 

To show what one branch of Judaism embraces, look at the following quote from the Breslov site. There are many Jews who make the trip to Rebbe Nachman’s grave in Uman each year on Rosh Hashana. There is a belief that no matter how the person has lived, the Rebbe will rescue them from Hell when they die if they come and recite Psalms at his grave. See following quotes:

“Rebbe Nachman once declared: “Gohr mein zach is Rosh Hashanah . . . My entire mission is Rosh Hashanah.” He was particularly emphatic about his followers coming to him for Rosh Hashanah, and indicated on his last Rosh Hashanah in Uman that we should continue to do so even after his death (Chayei Moharan 403-406; Likkutei Moharan I, 211; ibid. II, 94; Kuntres “Ha-Rosh Hashanah Sheli,” 

“This Chassidic luminary, great-grandson of the Baal Shem Tov, known in his lifetime as a masterful storyteller and source of inspiration, wisdom and comfort, promised before his death that if even the worst sinner would come to his grave and there recite 10 Psalms and give a penny to charity, he would span the length and breadth of the universe to save him from Hell.  Reb Nachman’s unique promise seemed to justify the risks.” From Jewish Action.
So, this sounds as if “holy” rabbis, once dead, can forgive sins or at least mediate to save a sinner from hell! Where else do we find this?

Once a year on lag baomer which is the 33rd day of counting the omer before Shavuot, many thousands of Jews make a pilgrimage journey to Mt. Meron, located a few miles from us here in Northern Israel. Why is this important? And why do they do it?

“The tomb of Shimon bar Yochai (Hebrew: קבר רבי שמעון בר יוחאי), or Kever Rashbi (קבר רשב״י), on Mount Meron is the traditional burial place of the 2nd-century Mishnaic rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. A place of pilgrimage since the late 15th century,[2] it is today the second-most-visited Jewish site in the world after the Western Wall[3] with as many as two million annual visitors.”[4] Wikipedia Link here.

Why do people go to Meron? Basically for the same reason they go to Uman, to visit a dead rabbi and make a place for themselves in the hereafter. Shimon Bar Yochai (known also as the Rashbi) was famous for his writing of the Zohar which is composed of foundational teachings of the mystical Kabbalah. For many of us Kabbalah is witchcraft and strictly forbidden by the Torah.
Please subscribe to my site for upcoming discussions about this and other topics. (You can subscribe at the end of the article, like and comment).

Those who are familiar with Catholicism know about indulgences. These, at least in the past, paid for crimes in advance, crimes which were absolved by the Church. So the above quote infers that a Sage can absolve a sinner and save him from hell. How is this different? The Bible never affirms that any man can forgive sin. Note again what is quoted about Rebbe Nachman: “ even (if) the worst sinner would come to his grave and there recite 10 Psalms and give a penny to charity, he would span the length and breadth of the universe to save him from Hell.”  Only God forgives sin. Or are we becoming like religions that believe in an intercessor, once died and now living in Heaven, to intercede with YHVH for us? How is this idea different from Christianity?

“30 “But every one shall die for his own iniquity; every man who eats the sour grapes, his teeth shall be set on edge.” – Jer 31:30 

When we lived in Tzfat, my husband did a lot of carpentry work for a senior Chabad rabbi who had been a Shaliach for Rebbe Shneerson who had passed away over 30 years ago. He told him that the Rebbe had an office in Heaven and that he had frequent email communication with the Rebbe which guided him. We were shocked about this communication. It was obvious to us that the inference was that the Eternal doesn’t bother to communicate with us so we need a dead rabbi to do so!

Is it natural to think that life goes on even when the body is dead? So if I lose my eyesight, can I still see? If I lose my hearing, becoming deaf, can I still hear?  If we admit that those organs are what make life functional, then how will we use them to function if the body is dead? Is there some kind of soul organ that helps the dead to function? But even when all the body’s organs no longer function, the belief is that those who die, if they are worthy, are able to go to Paradise and talk to God, feel joy, hear angel choirs, and see outstanding beauty. Some even will work to intercede with God for those remaining alive on Earth. And of course there is also the belief that some go to Purgatory until their fate is decided whether Heaven or Hell. 

Worshiping at graves is rampant, and especially where prophets and Sages are buried is this practice common. But, if we were forbidden to consult with the dead (see Bible verses following), then how does it even enter our minds to pray at tombs? 

Why was it forbidden for the Cohenim to go to a burial or even be near a grave? These priests of the Most High were set apart with the Holy anointing oil made specifically for the holy things of the Temple and the priests themselves. Their work is holy, and they are not to be defiled by the dead. Ok, so if those who are set apart (the Priests) become defiled by being near the dead, then what is it that is defiling about tombs? And how can the common person think they are receiving a good spirit by praying at graves? There is something there and it is not holy. We must think beyond this logically. If a simple common person believes that they can access some of the spirit of Holy dead sages by worshiping at their tombs,or make requests of them,  then wouldn’t it make sense for a priest to receive even more holiness by being there? But it is forbidden:

“1 And YHVH said to Moses, “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them: ‘None shall defile himself for the dead among his people, … 4 ‘Otherwise he shall not defile himself, being a chief man among his people, to profane himself. … 6 ‘They shall be holy to their God and not profane the name of their God, for they offer the offerings of YHVH made by fire, and the bread of their God; therefore they shall be holy. … 8 ‘Therefore you shall consecrate him, for he offers the bread of your God. He shall be holy to you, for I, YHVH, who sanctify you, am holy.” – Lev 21:1, 4, 6, 8

So if the priest is made Holy by YHVH only, how can any dead body or corrupted spirit bring him any additional Holiness? Are men Holy and can men transfer holiness, especially after they die? 

When my husband and I first made Aliyah, we lived in Tzfat, Israel, The apartment next to ours had a picture of the Lubavitcher Rebbe (Of Chabad fame) outside our neighbor’s door. She could often be seen pausing to pray by the picture. When asked why she did this, she said she always felt his presence and sometimes the Rebbe would reach out his hands from the picture and bless her.

When she told us this, I shuddered! How can anyone justify this practice when the Bible is so clear about the dead and strongly forbids it? 

I still stand on the principle that the Bible is the foundation of truth, so here are some of the  verses that address this subject. Let’s go to Genesis:

The Creator told Adam:

“16 And YHVH God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” – Gen 2:16-17 

The result of eating of the fruit was to be mortality, not immortality and to show this more clearly look at Genesis 3:

“17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in toil shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; 18 thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; 19 in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.” – Gen 3:17-19

The Serpent’s Lie

The Serpent in the garden presented a masterful deception to Eve. In this deception, we see the very basis of what many religions believe today–that we really don’t die when we are buried, that some part of us goes on living, sometimes in the presence of God and sometimes in Purgatory or suffering in Hell. 

Are we still letting ourselves be deceived? Look at the lie again as presented in Genesis 3:

“1 Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which YHVH God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of any tree of the garden? 2 And the woman said unto the serpent, Of the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat: 3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. 4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: 5 for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as God, knowing good and evil.” – Gen 3:1-5 

From the quotes above regarding certain leading Rabbis who are dead and buried, we see the same lie. But what does the prophet Isaiah say about intercession before the Eternal Judge of the Earth?  

“15 Yea, truth is lacking; and he that departs from evil makes himself a prey. And YHVH saw it, and it displeased him that there was no justice. 16 And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his own arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it upheld him. 17 And he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a mantle.” – Isa 59:15-17 

And what about the soul, does it have a thinking, reasoning capacity? Check out these verses:

“5 For in death there is no remembrance of thee: In Sheol who shall give thee thanks? ” – Psa 6:5.

“17 The dead praise not YHVH, Neither any that go down into silence;” Psa 115:17 

“10 Wilt thou show wonders to the dead? Shall they that are deceased arise and praise thee? Selah 11 Shall thy loving-kindness be declared in the grave? Or thy faithfulness in Destruction? ”  Psa 88:10-11

“18 For Sheol cannot praise thee, death cannot celebrate thee: They that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth.  19 The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day: The father to the children shall make known thy truth. “ – Isa 38:18-19

“5 For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not anything, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. 6 As well their love, as their hatred and their envy, is perished long ago; neither have they any more a portion for ever in anything that is done under the sun.” – Ecc 9:5-6 

“10 But man dieth, and is laid low: Yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he?  11  As the waters fail from the sea, And the river wasteth and drieth up;  12 So man lieth down and riseth not: Till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, Nor be roused out of their sleep.  13 Oh that thou wouldest hide me in Sheol, That thou wouldest keep me secret, until thy wrath be past, That thou wouldest appoint me a set time, and remember me!  14 If a man die, shall he live again? All the days of my warfare would I wait, Till my release should come.  … 20 Thou prevailest for ever against him, and he passes; Thou changest his countenance, and sendest him away.  21 His sons come to honor, and he knoweth it not; And they are brought low, but he perceives it not of them. “ – Job 14:10-14, 20-21 

“2 I praise YHVH during my life, I sing praise to my God while I exist. 3 Trust not in princes — in a son of man, For he hath no deliverance. 4 His spirit goes forth, he returns to his earth, In that day have his thoughts perished.” – Psa 146:2-4 

“9 As the cloud is consumed and vanisheth away, So he that goeth down to Sheol shall come up no more.  10 He shall return no more to his house, Neither shall his place know him any more. ” – Job 7:9-10 ASV

“10 There shall not be found among you any one that makes his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that uses divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, 11 Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.” – Deu 18:10-11.

Necromancer in verse 11 means “to consult with the dead.” See below:

 וְחֹבֵר חָבֶר וְשֹׁאֵל אוֹב וְיִדְּעֹנִי וְדֹרֵשׁ אֶל־הַמֵּתִים׃

King Saul goes to a Witch in Endor:

After the prophet Samuel died, King Saul, who already had rejected the truth of Torah found himself without God and without hope, so he went to see a medium who did necromancy. The result was that he was killed on the battlefield the next day. See 1 Samuel 28:3-25.

“19 And when they say to you, “Inquire of the mediums and the necromancers who chirp and mutter,” should not a people inquire of their God? Should they inquire of the dead on behalf of the living?” – Isa 8:19 

What happens when a righteous person dies?

“1 The righteous man perishes, and no one lays it to heart; devout men are taken away, while no one understands. For the righteous man is taken away from calamity; 2 he enters into peace; they rest in their beds who walk in their uprightness.” – Isa 57:1-2 

So, taking the Bible for what it says and avoiding what it condemns, we can stay away from the defilement that comes from communication with the dead. People tell us that they really are not communicating, just praying to God in their merit, but honestly, then why go to a graveside to do it? 

People tell me they feel a presence at the graveside. But is this presence Holy (Tahor or pure) or is it Tamei (impure)? If we receive an unclean spirit by praying near a corpse, how will we know it except to embrace what the Bible says about it and flee from every vestige of this?

Get away from there as soon as possible, renounce the dead spirits and repent and return to YHVH, the only ONE who imparts holiness!

Ariella

Passover–More than a Memory!

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As we look at the things that were commanded in the ancient past of the religion of Israel and compare it to what is done today, we find major differences. Whether they are acceptable or “off the derech” is up to the individual to sort out. But let me ask a few questions of you!

We are currently at the time of Passover and there are a lot of things that don’t line up when reading the passages in the Tenakh that define what was commanded to be done and what was done in the original instance. 

The past few days I have been thinking about several of these things. I wrote an article about leaven, arranged a wave sheaf on the dining table as a reminder of what was required on the first day of unleavened bread. My husband gathered wild barley from an open field near us here in Israel. We will plan to wave it and break off some of the grains. 

Some would say, but there is no Temple, so you can’t do this! But a close look at the passages concerning Passover show that the barley sheaf which was only to be gathered “in the land” was not connected to the temple. 

The article I wrote was mainly about leaven vs fermentation (see it here). When a follower on my website, commented that there was more to look at, for example, the lamb sacrifice, I did a retake.  

The lamb sacrifice was originally done in Egypt without a Temple. It was done by individual families and did not require a priest to officiate! Correct! But the excuse we have heard for years is that we don’t do any of this without a Temple. Maybe we have been wrong about this!

What would happen if families got together and sacrificed a lamb on the 14th day of Aviv (Nissan)? That is a scary thought! What does the lamb sacrifice mean anyway? Does it have anything to do with killing the abomination of the Egyptians, which is idolatry? Does it mean that we are to cleanse out all idolatry before taking part in Passover? And what is Passover anyway, other than a commemoration of the leaving of Egypt? What about the call to leave Babylon? –the galute? Or do we even consider that the Jews (Israelites) should have abandoned all these places long ago? 

From my contemplation of the lamb sacrifice, what seems to appear is that its purpose was to rid ourselves of the idolatry imposed upon us by Egypt (the nations), actually bringing us to a cleansing. Why do many Jews prefer to live in other nations? Do they/we love the way the nations live? Why were so many rules about Halakha created to keep Jews as a separate and often strange people, allowing us to continue outside the land? Basically, why do the nations not respect us? Is it because we have added so much to the law of our God that we are unrecognizable as a pure and holy nation? Would we be able to continue in the diaspora if we only accepted the laws given on Sinai? Except for one thing, you can’t really follow Torah outside the land. Many of those laws aresignificant only in Israel. I mean how can you enforce the rule to not eat fruit from your trees until the fourth year when you buy fruit from a big supermarket in Europe or America? How do you know it has been harvested correctly? How do you wave the barley sheaf when it is clearly an Israeli harvest which is specified? But again, these laws and many others were for Jews in their homeland–Israel!

But back to Passover and the lamb…

What if we began to sacrifice a lamb on Passover? That is a scary thought, but with the Temple out of the picture, what prevents it as a command which should be practiced? I can’t imagine the pain it would cause me if I had to kill an innocent lamb! If people had to do this every year, would it make them think? And consider what it means to get rid of the leavening before the 7 days of the week of Unleavened Bread. Yeast is that which inflates, changes the nature (the truth) about the kernel of the grain used for bread baking. Is it possible that the yeast is what has happened to the Word of YHVH in changing it to an inflated law that requires years of Yeshiva to study and learn it? So the requirements of Passover and Unleavened Bread may be a way to get back to the real Torah of YHVH, and more than just a memorial!

Happy Peshach and Unleavened Bread!

Ezekiel 11:17: “Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord YHVH: I will gather you from the peoples, and assemble you out of the countries where ye have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.”

Ariella

What about the Bible? 

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Some say the Bible has been tampered with. Lots of voices are saying this. But let me quote something from the Bible itself:

“If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?” Psalm 11:3

This is a deep concern. I get emails from New Zealand by a couple of Noahides who are taking apart everything but the Moses Scroll (Shapira Scroll), which means that they hold none of Torah or Tenakh as valid, except, what was written by the hand of Moses. (I think I will unsubscribe). There is a book out there called “Who Wrote the Bible” which does the same thing. And it is not just these sources that are trying to rattle the foundations! Sometimes it is more subtle and has been around for a long time!

There are voices everywhere discrediting everything from the Bible. This is what is happening on one side. And among those who profess belief in the Bible, we hear rabbis stating that the only way to understand the Bible is to let them interpret it for you. Where have we heard this before? 

In my relationship with my Jewish friends, I rarely find someone who has read the entire Tenakh, other than listening to Torah readers at Synagogue in Hebrew read the current Portion so quickly, they are virtually not understandable.

On another side of the religious world, Catholics (especially in Spanish-speaking countries) have told me that since the mass is done in Latin, that only the priest can be trusted to know what God wants of them.  How much difference is there in what has been accepted in Judaism for thousands of years? Similarly, only a rabbi can interpret Torah. Really! And why does individual study of the Bible get so little attention? 

So we have our traditions, and often the Minhagim are fine and acceptable if one is really led to be more spiritual and more connected to the Source of all things. But, that being said, the question arises by critics in religious circles, “who can trust where these things came from?” 

And I will ask who can trust academics? We have seen how the colleges of today have gone down the woke path. I saw it beginning in secular colleges in the 90s. I could not believe how things had changed since I first attended college in the mid 70s. If things can change through academics in the political and educational fields, why would they not be influenced by hundreds of generations of teachers, (rabbis or preachers) who claim to know, but that were taught by others who claim to know, and so on ad infinitum, back for a couple of thousand years? Ever played telephone? Ever see how the message changes so much that when the last person receives the whispered sentence, it has nothing to do with the first person’s idea? And that is exactly how the chain of transmission has gone. There are some things that are so far from what the Torah says that you cannot recognize where they came from! So a young man goes to Yeshiva and everyone says “Wow”! And he graduates more confused than ever before. There are always arguments and debates on what the ancient Sages taught, who was right and whom does this would be “rabbi” choose to follow in his future career. Ever think of studying for one’self? Especially if you can learn Biblical Hebrew? 

But perhaps as in the first instance, the most dangerous trend out there is to discredit the Bible entirely, as many have been doing in recent years! As the Psalm says, “what can the righteous do if the foundations are destroyed?” So if we have to throw out the majority of the Tenakh because parts of it were somehow rewritten, then what are we going to use to guide our lives? Is there nothing? Perhaps a somewhat tarnished instrument is better than no instrument at all!

As to the evolutionary theory, I never bought into the idea that man descended from a monkey and such chaos. Perhaps if atheists could experience a living God who created the Universe, One who works in individual lives to bless, guide and strengthen, maybe, just maybe, we would see a different trend in the world. 

But then, there have always been haters of God, defiant of His leadership and law. 

We have several monsters raising their heads in the religious world. Beware of following them!

I would say in conclusion, let’s not “Throw out the Baby with the Bathwater!” 

What could be wrong with thinking for ourselves?

Ariella

Mezuzot

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Several years ago, my husband and I made Aliya to the Land of Israel, we lived for a time in Tzfat, which is considered one of the four “holy” cities of Israel. 

During that time, I tripped over an uneven place in the doorway of our  house and broke a bone in my foot. Several observant Orthodox friends told us we needed to have the Mezuzah inspected because it might have a broken letter in the scroll. That seemed pretty weird. Since that time I have had suspicions about man made laws. And to have the mezuzah inspected by a trained person costs money so again the element of making money over rabbinic teachings comes to view. . 

We left Tzfat after a hard struggle with some rabbis. We found a little town that was not so fanatical, a bit more secular, and where people left you alone. 

But the Mezuzah theme never left my mind. If you look at Torah there is nothing said about a box. It says to “write these commandments.” Does it say to buy an expensive parchment scroll, expertly written by a sofer and then hide it away in a box that you kiss when you pass in and out of your house? 

The verse says nothing about putting a scroll in a box. It does command each of us to do our own writing, not to go buy something and hide it away in a box!

Deut 6:4-9: “Hear, O Israel: YHVH our God, YHVH is one.[a] 5 Love Hashem your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.”

So the purpose of the Mezuzah, which means door post, is that we might have the commandments embedded, if you will, in our hearts and minds. What a better way than to do the writing ourselves and to place them where we can see them! 

The act of kissing an object is what is done in paganism. People kiss the graves of Saints and Rabbis. People kiss the image of St. Peter in the Cathedral in Rome and other places. Nowhere does the Torah tell us to kiss an object. 

But before we totally dismiss the Mezuzah, we need a new approach to it. How about finding a way to engrave the 10 commandments in a wooden plaque? Paint them, write them, wood burn them and hang them up so you see them and remember them when you go out and when you come in? 

Let’s make the Torah something personal between us and our God! 

Shabbat Shalom
Ariella