judaism

What about the Bible? 

Posted by

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

Posted by

2

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

Power of Distraction

Posted by

2

Is there Anything Real out There?

The world has been spinning out of control in mad chaos that no one really understands. Trump was inaugurated. He accomplished some encouraging things during his first hours in office. Everything sounds good. But is it really? Some of us are burned out from worrying about what comes next. Is Trump telling us the truth? Or is this propaganda?… again? Another big show to gain power and money? Is Donald Trump actually bringing about globalist control? The world was weakened under the past regime. So now, with our confidence destroyed, We embrace a leader that goes beyond the duties of a President of the United States? 

No, you can’t really blame us for pondering that what we see is really not what we get! And how did we come to be this way? Those of us who ask these questions obviously took the red pill, which makes us suspicious of everything. But does God factor in somewhere? Can we believe that the Eternal, all powerful Master of the Universe is still in control? Does He really raise up kings and put down kings? (Daniel 2:21), or are the promises we have relied on in the past null and void of fulfillment? 

Does Israel really have an end-time purpose in this world? Are the glorious promises in the Bible really meant for us today, or did we somehow miss the boat along the way? It’s easy to doubt, and I know it’s not right to think this way. But it’s extremely sad to see so many of our innocents killed, raped, burned, beheaded, and terrified. Even now, though some have been released, what is the chance that any of them who endured the last 16 months will be mentally ill,–that is, if they survive at all? Naturally, we are insecure, and even doubt the reasons for our faith. Sometimes wonder if we will see another tomorrow.

We try to put it out of our minds. Distraction is a game we play and it may be the only way to survive this horrendous war in any semblance of sanity. It’s difficult not to dwell on hostages half buried in dark holes beneath the grime–violated and hated. There is no certainty that any of them are still alive. As humans, we can never be satisfied with not knowing about something so precious as human life. And so we try to avoid thinking of the unthinkable! The long saga of dwelling on the evil fate of these beloved victims–living or perhaps even preferably dead in the tunnels of frozen fright, is pure hell for both them and all of us who have a soul.

So we stop thinking because we must. But let us ask ourselves: where has hope gone? Where is God at a time like this? Are there a few faithful souls who still see good beyond the tragedy of our times? 

The world is being weighed in the balances, with Israel being the centerpiece. It is as if God has drawn a line in the sand. A line separating between those who love His people and those who do not.

To call evil good and good evil seems to be the theme of a world gone mad. I have to believe that Almighty God sees us now. He saw Israel when they labored in the the slime pits of Egypt. Then he called Moses to set His people free.

“And God saw the children of Israel, and God knew…” Exodus 2:25

Can we bank on that now? 

Please share your thoughts. I really would like to hear from you!

Ariella

Israel, Stone of Stumbling

Posted by

1

The Nations are Drinking the Fatal Cup

This morning, the morning of “the deal”  unjust as it seems, even for the hostages held by Hamas, we saw three more Hamas missiles after the supposed deadline for the ceasefire. You just can’t make this stuff up! And nervous as ever, I began to contemplate what the prophets have said about this time. And it suddenly struck me that this war is the way the God of Israel is dividing the nations, either for His Land or against it.  

“1 The burden of the word of YHVH concerning Israel. Thus saith YHVH, who stretches forth the heavens, and lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him: 2 Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of reeling unto all the peoples round about, and upon Judah also shall it be in the siege against Jerusalem. 3 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all the peoples; all that burden themselves with it shall be sore wounded; and all the nations of the earth shall be gathered together against it. 

In the war between Israel and all of Iran’s proxies, Hamas, has stolen the limelight for their atrocities against the only democratic country in the Middle East! This war has drawn the attention of every nation in the world. Nations are split down the middle over the opinion of whether Israel is guilty in their participation in this war. Many accuse Israel of committing genocide. The UN has not shown favor to Israel nor has any of their agencies. Israel basically stands alone. It is a nerve wracking time for everyone in the land, Jewish or not. 

Hamas butchered over 1200 of our innocent civilians and kidnapped over 250. The Torah says that kidnapping is a crime worthy of the death sentence. But the world’s liberals and antisemites continue to accuse the Jews as the reason for the world’s woes. And Iran and those who fulfill their plans are aware of this attitude, which they play to their advantage and the outcome is that  Israel again stands alone amid the hatred and accusations of an antisemitic world who will never get over it! And Israel is supposed to stand alone and not be reckoned among the nations? Why do we even try to court their favor? 

“9 For from the top of the rocks I see him, And from the hills I behold him: Lo, it is a people that dwells alone, And shall not be reckoned among the nations.  10 Who can count the dust of Jacob, Or number the fourth part of Israel?… ” – Num 23:9-10 ASV

When we read the prophet Zechariah concerning Jerusalem as a cup that makes the world drunk, reeling to and fro, and a burdensome stone, we see exactly what is happening at this time. Yet we still wait for the Eternal God of Israel to rise and fulfill his promises to our fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He is surely there and the world is in the balances of judgment at this time!

Israel has become the hottest topic in the news for the past 16 months. And the people are divided in their support or accusations against Israel. Even among those in Israel, we see division about what the nation should do. 

Many, even Israelis say that we should give Hamas everything they ask in exchange for the Hostages, stop the fighting, stop the killing, make peace with Hamas, give them all of their terrorist prisoners, give them a state…it’s not an equal trade, yet it seems nobody understands that Israel has a right to protect itself and to go to war to defend the nation against the evil intentions of those who desire to destroy everything to take the land for themselves. And by the way, these terror nations have no desire for a part of Israel, they want all or nothing and intend to murder until they get it. If you think I am exaggerating, realize that Hamas is not satisfied to stay in Gaza. Their charter does not recognize the state of Israel. Since 1948, the Arabs were against Israel having a state of it’s own, see link.

And in case people did not know, Sinwar, the leader of Hamas in Gaza, who, among others instigated the October 7 attack, was released from prison in Israel in exchange for Gilad Shalit who was kidnapped and held hostage for 5 years by the Palestinians. No good came of this other than the return of our soldier. But the cost of so many more due to the release of Sinwar, is mind boggling!

Hamas certainly knows how to bait Israel by taking innocent children and family members! Jews are all family and will give anything to get back their people. And yet, at this time, can we wisely endanger the lives of all the rest of us by releasing thousands of murderous terrorists whose ultimate goal is to continue to massacre more and more of us? It’s an impossible question, and perhaps only solvable by choosing the lesser of two dangers. And, who can say which is better?

If we look at the broad spectrum of the effect of this war on the world, we see a huge division taking place among the nations. We see people of truth choosing to stand with Israel, and those who love the lies of the media and those who go along to get along, screaming “apartheid” and “genocide”. Israel is accused of starving the poor Gazans, among other things. How can 600 trucks of humanitarian aid daily cause people to starve? But it doesn’t matter, people who choose to hate Israel, don’t listen to reason. 

But the good news is that people from all nations are waking up. And this is why I quote the verse from Zechariah of old.

Chapter 12:3 “And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all the peoples; all that burden themselves with it shall be sore wounded; and all the nations of the earth shall be gathered together against it.”

And this is what we see just now. The land of Israel is being used to weigh the peoples of the nations. And the promise and the curse are standing ready to be poured out! 

“10 For who hath despised the day of small things? for these seven shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel; these are the eyes of YHVH, which run to and fro through the whole earth.” – Zec 4:10 ASV

It is the prophetic day of the plummet going throughout the entire world. Israel is the burdensome stone!

Please follow, share, and comment!

Still shuddering….

Ariella 

Follow Take Hold the Tzitzit on WordPress.com

Zion, the Land of Seeing

Posted by

Stop importing the Diaspora!
by Ariella Casey

For nearly 2000 years God’s people were scattered to all nations. We can blame Rome as chiefly the cause of this and much of the subsequent persecution that came about, but why did Hashem apparently walk away? And though this scattering was prophesied and given as a warning (Leviticus 24:14-33), the tragic history continues to sadden the hearts of those who try to return to the path of the righteous. But how will we know the way back? And where is back, anyway? What was it that originally led to this tragic history? Is it that God somehow forgot about us? Did we choose to stop following the light? It seems from reading the Bible that we ‘changed horses in the middle of the stream’, but how and when? And how do we get back to where we need to be? When did rabbis replace prophets? 

For more than 2000 years we have not had a genuine prophet. Some may argue, but when we apply the Biblical standard for prophets (Deut. 18:22), we see that none who have been held up as having the gift of prophecy actually qualify. I would say to anyone who thinks otherwise, show me the evidence that they did not add to nor subtract from the original Torah. Miracles aside, and fulfilled prophecy aside, if they change even one principle of Torah they do not qualify. 

But regardless of the horrific past suffering, there is hope today. But this hope is available only in the land of Israel. How so? Take a look at what Isaiah, one of the latter prophets, says about hope and restoration in the land:

“The wilderness and the arid land shall be glad; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom like the tulip. It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of the Lebanon shall be given to it, the excellency of the Carmel and the Sharon, they shall see the glory of YHVH, and the excellency of our God. 

Strengthen the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees. Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even with a divine recompense; he will come and save you.

Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.

Then shall the lame man leap as a hart and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert.

And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water: the habitation of jackals shall become a pasture for cattle, an enclosure of reeds and rushes.

And a highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness: the unclean shall not pass over it; and he shall be to them a guide, and fools shall not err in it.

No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up on it, they shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there: and the ransomed of YHVH shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.” (Isa 35:1-10 Koren Bible)

So is there any hope? There is in Zion. Can there be hope anywhere else? Who will come home to the land? Those who are ransomed by the Almighty YHVH who remembers his covenant with Israel and the Jewish people. Can there be a fulfillment of this promise outside the land? There is only one place of safety for the Jews. 

So in the land of Israel the eyes of the blind will be opened according to Isaiah 35:5. The eyes of the blind? Are we all blind? Most of us are not physically blind, but almost all of us have been spiritually blind. We have thought that God has left us, or that we are not following Halakha closely enough and that once we get it right, we would have a connection to the divine. Little do we know that what we have followed among the nations is not required in the land of Israel. Much of what was followed by Jews in other lands was invented by rabbis to safeguard their congregants from assimilation. But, in creating new laws, they often went too far, far beyond what was specified in the Torah. And that now being irrelevant for Israel, it needs to be laid aside as we learn first-hand from the ONE who is there to instruct us. We may need to have everything stripped away before we can see for the first time. The blindfolds of our former lifestyle must be removed before we will be able to see. 

But what about those who have not yet come to Israel? What about the ten tribes that still float around in the nations? This is not to condemn those who have not yet come. The redeeming process is ongoing. But, one day, all must come if they want to really see. 

But, I must tell you that Israel is not a place of comfort. It is a place of trial, a place of breaking down, or stripping off, of learning dependence upon the Hand that led us here. Do we have even a little bit of trust in the Eternal? 

Israelis who were born in the land probably were offspring of those who fought to establish a home for the Jewish people. Many of these people are not observant in the Orthodox sense. But they are real people. They love the land. They go out of their way to help you when you are down. And they are wild and reckless much of the time. And they may not tolerate your diasporic nonsense. They will borrow your parking place and stop and talk to a friend in the middle of the road when others are impatient to get by. And they will hoot at you or flash their lights if you are merely going the speed limit, and they want to get around. But they are all heart, and that is something many of us have lost while living abroad. How did this culture develop? By fighting for the right to exist. By fighting for the land that was given to the forefathers. Many gave their blood for this land and are unwilling to give up even an inch of what their compatriots gave their blood for. 

The land of Israel is pure light. How so? It is almost as if nothing we do here is hidden, no not from God and not from anyone. Everything comes under Divine scrutiny, and the conscience is quickened as our faults are revealed to us. It is the place of learning to walk, learning to see, learning to hear. Once here for a while, there is no going back. 

But Israel is not for everyone, many have come and do not make it here. Many have tried to live strict Halakha while living in the land and have left. Others want the comforts of their diaspora lifestyle, big games and shows and lovely heated homes and backyards. They soon go back to their communities, to reestablish themselves in the comfort they were accustomed to. And rightly so, Israel is not about that. It is about learning and growing and being the people of the Book. And we all come with a desire for the old and familiar, the leeks and the onions of Egypt. But when we learn that the leeks are much bigger, the fruit is sweeter, and pomegranates and grapefruits less bitter, we realize the taste of the land of milk and honey. 

And others have developed communities in the most “Holy” cities of the land. These places are full of these Diaspora Jews. They have recreated communities for the blind, following that which they feel is the will of God. But many of us stay away from these cities. We somehow do not fit in. 

If I have anything to stress in this publication, it is the emphasis that Zion is not just any country. It is a magical land that hugs its children but spews out those that do not belong here. That the war of October 7 was a response from the dark to block the call for the Jews to return to the land. Many have made their way to Israel during this time. The fear of war did not drive them away. This was one of our many tests. People came anyway. I say Kol HaKavod! Many read the handwriting on the wall that the nations would come against them if they did not come home. 

It is indeed time to come home, my friends! The land awaits us like a mother with outstretched arms.

Will you come?

Follow Take Hold the Tzitzit on WordPress.com