Notice the word for justice is repeated 2x. That is a significant! God emphasizes that way.
In war the army - the commanders and soldiers - are prosecutor, judge and executioner. Death sentences are handed out and exercised with no "due process." The accused enemy has no "defence lawyer." There is no "judge" overseeing matters. The "execution" is carried out on the spot with no opportunity to appeal.
Israel doesn't start wars but once it goes to war it operates by principles of the laws of war. Israel goes above and beyond those laws and to great lengths to avoid civilian deaths.
Hamas, on the other hand, is the antithesis. Their ways are the direct opposite. They are the manifestation of "evil." Israel uses violence -- Hamas literally IS "violence."
That is why this war is different than a war to settle a dispute. This war won't determine whether the Palestinians have a territory or state. This war is not only to defeat an enemy. This is a war to blot out the enemy.
The historical tragedy is that Israel missed it's chance to do so.
1 Samuel 15:1-3 TLV
Then Samuel said to Saul, “ADONAI sent me to anoint you as king over His people, over Israel. Now therefore, listen to the voice of the words of ADONAI! Thus says ADONAI-Tzva’ot: ‘I remember what Amalek did to Israel, how he set himself against him on the way while he was coming up from Egypt. Now go and strike down Amalek and put all he has under the ban of destruction—so have no pity on him; but kill both men and women, children and nursing infants, oxen and sheep, camels and donkeys.’”
Sadly, a war cannot blot out "evil." A war cannot end "violence." As history shows, there is no war that ends all wars. The ideology of Amalek, Haman, the Nazis and Hamas will still exist after this current war is over.
Israel will forever need to fight. Israel will have to go on pursuing justice so that Jews may live and possess the land that ADONAI our God gave us.
Until ...
Isaiah 2:2-4
It will come to pass in the last days that the mountain of ADONAI’s House will stand firm as head of the mountains and will be exalted above the hills. So all nations will flow to it. Then many peoples will go and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of ADONAI, to the House of the God of Jacob! Then He will teach us His ways, and we will walk in His paths.” For Torah will go forth from Zion and the word of ADONAI from Jerusalem. He will judge between the nations and decide for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning knives. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, nor will they learn war any more.
Am Yisrael Chai!
Epilogue:
IRAN IS FIGHTING A GLOBAL JIHAD WAR -- A RELIGIOUS WAR AGAINST EVERYTHING THE WEST STANDS FOR.
"The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist”—Charles Baudelaire
“The second greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he is the good guy”—Ken Ammi
In Lebanon, Iran, London and elsewhere there have been massive crowds of bloody thirsty haters calling for the destruction of Israel and the killing of every Jew on the planet. Even in the USA we see disturbing evidence of large scale antisemitism.
We have national leaders in Muslim countries blaming Israel for the massacre of Israelies. Russia and China are siding with Israel's enemies. Many are starting to wonder about the times we are in.
Israel's last major war, fifty years ago in 1973 started on Yom Kippur. The war Israel is in now started on the Jewish holiday of Shemini Atzeret, which landed on October 7th. It is no accident that Iran and Hamas chose to attack Israel on this special holiday.
Sukkot is a seven (7) day Jewish holiday. It is the last of the fall festivals in the bible. Sukkot goes right into the most joyous day in the Jewish calendar called Shemini Atzeret. The Book of Leviticus 23.36 declares this day, the eighth day to be a Holy Convocation.
Evil Chose the Most Joyous Day
Integral to all the festivals on the Jewish calendar – Passover, Shavuot, and Sukkot is the mitzvah to rejoice. The Torah enjoins us to "Rejoice on your festivals!" Of all the festivals, however, only Sukkot is described as "the season of our rejoicing." The joy of Sukkot eclipses the joy of the other festivals as evidenced by Sukkot's nightly "Water Drawing Celebrations."
Then, on the last day of the Great Feast, there's the utterly unbridled joy of Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah (Joy of Torah), which surpasses even the joy of Sukkot.
The Evil that is Hamas (violence and hate) sought to rob, steal and destroy Israel's joy!
8 IS SPECIAL!
Creation lasted 6 days and the 7th day God reserved for Rest, the Sabbath. 8 represents a new beginning, a new order or a new creation. 8 has a supernatural quality.
Seven is solid, perfect. 7 represents the natural order. 7 days in a week. 7 colors in a rainbow. 7 notes of the diatonic scale make one complete octave. 7 branches on the Temple menorah with 7 candles to illuminate the natural world with the glow of Light.
While 7 symbolizes perfection, 8 has supernatural associations. Judaism teaches that eight symbolizes that which is beyond natural limits and higher than the natural order. 8 transcends the natural. 8 is infinite.
After Sukkot and the 7 days of the Feast of Tabernacles, is the 8th day and the holiday of Shemini Atzeret, called the Last Great Day. It is also called Hoshana Raba, the day of "Great Salvation."
On the previous 7 days the temple priests gathered water from the Pool of Siloam. On Hoshana Raba, the 8th day, is the ritual of the great outpouring of the spiritual waters.
Jubilee - 50 - Pentecost
Jews literally count every day during the 7 weeks (Seven 7's) before Pentecost/Revelation at Sinai. It is called "counting the Omer." Then something supernatural happens on the 50th day. There is a great outpouring. After 7 Shmita Years (seven periods of seven years) is the Jubilee.
Jews who practice Kabbalah, work on perfecting 7 emotions: love, fear, compassion, ambition, humility, bonding and receptiveness (one emotion per week). Perfection leads to transcendence.
New Beginning
Eight symbolizes a new beginning. God saved eight people on the ark in order to have a new beginning for mankind after the flood. Jews perform the brit milah, circumcision, on the 8th day of a new baby boy's life.
Hanukkah, the holiday to rededicate the Temple to God after the Maccabees miraculous victory, lasts 8 days. According to most scholars, Hanukkah was born out of Sukkot and Shemini Atzeret, an eight day celebration. So the Maccabees rededicated the Temple and immediately set out to celebrate for eight days.
Psalm 27 is read at the end of Sukkot, which is the day Hamas attacked Israel. Read this prophetic Psalm.
Iran and Hamas's choice to massacre Jews on Shemini Atzeret is an attack on Christians too. In the Gosple of John, chapter 7 verse 37-38 it says,
"On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Yeshua stood up and cried out loudly, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture says, ‘out of his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’”
The 8th day, the last and greatest day of the Feast, Hoshana Raba, is when Iran and Hamas attacked Israel. The day Jews are rejoicing in order to bring the Great Salvation, the ultimate evil, Hamas, strikes. Think about that!
This attack marks a key moment in a battle between Supernatural Good and Supernatural Evil. It is a battle that is as old as Mankind on earth. The Evil of Antisemitism is evidence of this battle. It is the only logical explanation for Antisemitism.
This battle has a Supernatural origin and it will have a Supernatural ending. When this battle comes to an end there will be a new beginning.
The Torah tells how it all began. The Prophets and Writings foretold the future. The Book of Revelation tells us how it ends. Then there will be Supernatural New Beginning. The earth will be born again.
President Lincoln's second inaugural address became one of the best-known of his career. It begins with the following words, which became the best-known passage of the speech,
"A house divided against itself, cannot stand."
CAN PARALLELS BE MADE BETWEEN CURRENT EVENTS AND BIBLE PROPHECY?
Even though Abraham Lincoln's famous line drew from the bible he stopped short of suggesting that the Civil War would end our Nation. As horrific as that period in history was, evidently Lincoln knew he was not living in "End-Times."
There was more to Lincoln's famous quote, "A house divided against itself, cannot stand."
In this blog post I explored what Lincoln didn't say and what the biblical and prophectic implications may be.
President Lincoln drew from the bible verse Matthew 12.25, which contains the words, "... every city or house divided against itself will not stand."
Lincoln went on to say:
"I believe this government cannot endure, permanently half slave and half free.
I do not expect the Union to be dissolved - I do not expect the house to fall - but I do expect it will cease to be divided.
It will become all one thing, or all the other."
The Civil War to settle the future of the "House" over the matter of slavery was possibly the most perilous and difficult period our nation has faced.
Although Lincoln drew from the Book of Matthew, there are some distinctions I would like to call to our attention. Lincoln spoke of the "Divided House" -- our government. Lincoln believed the Union, our Nation would endure. He actually said so in his very next words. The Nation would settle the division in the House one way or the other.
I think Lincoln was also implying through means of punctuation, a simple comma, that how we settled the division in the House would ultimately determine whether or not the Nation would be destroyed. I will come back to this point at the end.
I think there is a parallel to be drawn to today's House, the People's House of Representatives. The division could not be more obvious looking at the tally of the recent vote for the new Speaker.
The Democrat party has moved to the far Left. It is increasingly standing on a more Socialist Platform. In fact, many in the party aspire to Democratic Socialism. Biden's campaign slogan "Build Back Better" mirrors the globalist agenda, which aims to rebuild America based on a new more Socialist vision and values.
In sharp contrast, the new Conservative House Speaker, Mike Johnson, stated his core principles which mirror the Founding principles of our nation including but not limited to: Judeo-Christian values, meritocracy and excellence, fiscal responsibility, sovereignty and security, etc.
Our House is clearly divided with no apparent willingness for Democrats to come back to the Center. One has to wonder whether our House can stand.
Following Lincoln's line of reasoning, the House is either going to "Build Back Better" or "Make America Great Again." The USA is either going to go in the direction of Socialism and follow the "One World Order" vision put forth by the Global Elite at the World Economic Forum (WEF) OR we are going to return to the core values that made our Country great.
There is a more ominous dimension to where our Nation stands in my opinion. Perhaps it even explains why "America" is not in the bible. To appreciate my concern, which is shared by tens of millions of Americans, we have to look at the full biblical verse from which Lincoln paraphrased.
Lincoln left out the preceeding words in the same sentence from the bible that his famous quote is from. The full passage of Matthew 12:25 TLV reads as follows:
Knowing their thoughts, Yeshua said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is destroyed, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand. -
Evidently Lincoln saw slavery as a matter that would be resolved in order for the House to Stand. But Lincoln believed the Nation, the Union, would endure.
If the expression "Kingdom divided" can be applied to a nation, then I think the consequences spoken of in Matthew are more drastic.
In the biblical Book of Matthew, Yeshua speaks of the destruction of the Nation. Ancient Israel was divided over Yeshua, and 40 years after his crucifixion the Kingdom was destroyed. The Roman wars began, the 2nd Temple was destroyed and Jews were slaughtered or take off as slaves.
It wasn't until when America was founded that Jewish and Christian values came back together. Thus we are a nation built on Judeo-Christian values. America paved the way for the prophecy of Israel being created in "one day":
Isaiah 66:8 TLV
"Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Can a land be born in one day? Can a nation be brought forth at once? For as soon as Zion was in labor, she gave birth to her children."
If America played such a key role in bible prophecy, it seems to me that being a divided nation like Yeshua described is to risk destruction.
Here is the full actual bible verse that Lincoln's famous quote is drawn from.
Matthew 12:22-28 TLV
Then a demon-plagued man, who was blind and mute, was brought to Yeshua; and He healed him, so that he spoke and saw. All the crowds were astounded and saying, “This can’t be Ben-David, can it?” But hearing this, the Pharisees said, “This fellow drives out demons only by beelzebul, the ruler of demons.” Knowing their thoughts, Yeshua said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is destroyed, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand. If satan drives out satan, he is divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand? And if I drive out demons by beelzebul, by whom do your sons drive them out? For this reason, they will be your judges. But if I drive out demons by the Ruach Elohim, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
Yeshua turns the Pharisees argument on it's head. Afterwhich Yeshua accuses them of being an "evil and adulterous generation." Yeshua said "Every kingdom divided against itself is destroyed." Is that where we are?
If America has turned it's back on God and turned away from our Founding Judeo-Christian values, what can we expect will happen? This is how the demons come in. I realize how crazy it sounds to think that demon spirits have anything to do with the division and destruction of America. All I will say is that religion in general sounds crazy so why not at least hear the theory about demon spirits before you excuse it.
In his book "The Return of the gods," author and Messianic Jewish Rabbi Jonathan Cahn writes about what is happening politically and spiritually in the USA. He explains how these events parallel what happened in Israel.
I want to come back to what Lincoln actually said for one last but profound question. After the sentence about a divided house, Lincoln said,
"I believe this government cannot endure, permanently half slave and half free."
Why did Lincoln insert a comma?? Did Lincoln have a prophetic vision of the future and was the comma a clue?
If parallels to current events and bible prophecy can be made, then at this point I say WATCH DAMASCUS.
Preface: This post is both speculation and prediction. I am not a reporter with the responsibility to have credible sources. I am a blogger sharing my thoughts and opinions.
Damascus is the oldest continuously occupied city in the world. It's population is over 2 million people!!
WILL DAMASCUS BE BERUIT ONLY 10X WORSE?
In this blog post I am going to lay out a basis for future events that fulfill this ancient End-Times prophecy of Isaiah.
Isaiah 17.1 -- "The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap."
Hezbollah missiles and ammunition supplies come from Iran, Russian, China and North Korea through Syria. Syria is the land bridge between Iran and Lebanon. Those weapons are stored in buildings in and around Damascus. The large civilian population and density of buildings affords Iran cover. It's Iran's old strategy of using human shields.
It is broadly accepted that Iran controls Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Evidence already proves that Iran was heavily involved in the planning of the Oct 7th massacre in Israel. It stands to reason that Iran has been building up weapons stockpiles to supply Hezbollah in anticipation of a large attack on Israel.
Thus far, Israel has been playing "whack-a-mole" with Hezbollah, however, Iran has repeatedly warned of a much larger attack on Israel. If/when Hezbollah fully engages in combat with Israel, Israel will not permit resupplies to reach Hezbollah fighters, artillery and missile launchers.
WHAT IF?
Do you remember what happened in Beirut in 2020?
On 4 August 2020, a warehouse at the Port of Beirut in the capital city of Lebanon exploded. That explosion caused at least 218 deaths, 7,000 injuries, and $15 billion in property damage and left ~300,000 people homeless. Adjacent grain silos were badly damaged and collapsed following a weeks-long fire.
The blast was so powerful that it physically shook the whole country of Lebanon. It was felt in Turkey, Syria, Jordan, and Israel, as well as parts of Europe, and was heard in Cyprus, more than 240 km (150 mi) away. The blast is considered the most powerful artificial non-nuclear explosion in history.
The massive Beirut explosion was possible because of 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate (equivalent to around 1.1 kilotons of TNT) stored in a warehouse without proper safety measures. Though it is not certain what or who detonated the material and triggered the blast, it was not caused by an Israeli missile.
Back to Damascus. Imagine how much larger the explosion in Damascus would be if warehouses filled with even more poswerful explosives are somehow detonated! Such a blast could level Damascus. Ensuing fires and toxic gasses would render Damascus uninhabitable. The loss of property and life would be unfathomable.
STOP: Don't think like a Westerner with Judeo-Christian values who loves life! Think like a religiously fanatical Ayatollah fighting an apocalyptical holy war. Remember, Iran could care less about lives in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria. They are all pawns, being used as martyres to provoke worldwide Jihad. The Ayatollahs' believe the martyres are glorified in their death.
We just saw how Hamas falsely blamed Israel for bombing a hospital in Gaza. Even though there is strong evidence that the bomb was a Hamas rocket and that Hamas staged that in order to blame Israel, the world believes Hamas. No matter how the explosion of weapons in Damascus happens, Israel will be blamed. The entire Muslim world will be on fire 🔥. That is Iran's ultimate objective.
If Damascus were to be ruined, thereby fulfilling Isaiah's prophecy, what are the implications? How will Russia and China respond? At what point will there be a popular realization that we are living out prophecies in the bible including Ezekiel's wars of Gog & Magog?
Let me be clear about this, if I haven't been already. The destruction of Damascus will be the end result of Iran and it's allies stock piling explosives in Damascus which will be detonated while they are still in storage.
Daniel 12:8-10 TLV
Now I heard, but I did not understand. So I said, ‘My Lord, what will be the outcome of these things?’ Then he said: “Go your way, Daniel. For the words are closed up and sealed until the time of the end. Many will be purified, made spotless and refined, but the wicked will act wickedly. None of the wicked will understand, but the wise will understand.
Read your bible. The Book of Daniel chapters 10, 11 and 12. There is a "trajectory" to events concerning Israel that is being sensed by tens of millions of people. The numbers are growing daily. I blogged about this phenomenon just yesterday in this post titled Trajectory.
1. The path followed by a projectile flying or an object moving under the action of given forces.
One of the most amazing features of intelligence is the ability to calculate trajectory in our mind. To shoot at arrow and hit the target, one must be able to take into consideration forces and factors including distance, the strength of the bow, angle, gravity, wind and more in order to hit the target. There are similar calculations happening in the brain when one hits a golf or tennis ball. To hit a major league pitch takes amazingly fast reflexes and lighting fast trajectory calculations.
People can sense a trajectory when it comes to anticipating outcomes. A human can sense a pattern of events leading to a future event. We sense the trajectory in relationships and behaviors. We even have expressions for this sense - "I saw [that] coming" or "I knew [that] was going to happen" and "It was leading to [that.]"
From birth to death, there is a trajectory to an entire life. Some can even sense a trajectory in the life of someone else.
When people sense trajectory in the context of a desirable or undesirable outcome, people often have an emotional reaction. For example, a crowd of Golf enthusiasts watching a golf tournament will react from the moment the golf ball leaves the tee and even more so as it approaches the pin or possibly a hazzard.
Civilizations have a very long trajectory. When we look back over history we can see the trajectory leading to major events such as wars and economic disasters. We can see the trajectory of major advances in civilization such as flight, computers and weapons.
There are times when large portions of the population collectively sense trajectory and have a shared "community" reaction. Generally speaking this happens when the people have a shared interest or concern. A simple example of this is during a baseball championship game. Imagine the score is tied in extra innings and the batter hits a long fly ball. You can hear the emotional roar of the fans as they sence the trajectory from practically the moment the balls leaves the bat.
A sence of trajectory can lead to fear and ultimately panic. An example of this is during 9/11 when the 1st tower came down and produced a massive cloud. Citizens there ran for their life because they sensed the trajectory of the cloud that was going to overtake them.
There is a trajectory to the planet's and the entire Universe. When God created the Universe and filled it with the planets and stars He set everything in motion and on a coarse. Astronomy and astronautics heavily analyze and calculate trajectory.
God gave the world the bible to show us the "End from the Beginning." Someone with the word of knowledge and prophecy sees the trajectory of events and nations. Prophets warn people and even kings of trajectories that lead to future natural and supernatural events. So it was with Daniel, Jonah, Jeremiah and all the Bible's prophets. God warns peoples, nations and the world. God prepares us. God gives us the power to change coarse - to alter the trajectory.
There is a growing group of people who are sensing the trajectory of God's plan for the world. There is an increasing sense that "something is coming." Many people are expressing concerns about where the world is heading.
People's expectations of biblical events are increasing. There is a feeling of a supernatural trajectory. It is inevitable that along with these shared expectations will be shared emotional reactions.
It is pretty obvious that there is an increasing sense that we are living in "End-times." That is a thought which is sure to produce fear in the hearts of many. As events unfold and people sence the trajectory of God's plan for the world, fear can lead to all out panic. If you have read the Book of Revelation you can certainly understand why!
Like all of our instincts, fear is by design. Our instincts serve a purpose. It is God's way warning us to perseve us.
Antisemitism has a trajectory that was set in motion in Genesis 16:1-2.
Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had not borne to him, and she had an Egyptian handmaid named Hagar.
"And Sarai said to Abram, "Behold now, the Lord has restrained me from bearing; please come to my handmaid; perhaps I will be built up from her." And Abram hearkened to Sarai's voice."
God tells us that he knows the end from the beginning. There is a trajectory to the bible.
Isaiah 46:9-10 TLV
Remember the former things of old: For I am God—there is no other. I am God, and there is none like Me— declaring the end from the beginning, from ancient time, what is yet to come, saying, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will accomplish all that I please.’
God warns us in many places in the bible such as:
Matthew 24:15-25 TLV
“So when you see ‘the abomination of desolation,’which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the Holy Place (let the reader understand), then those in Judea must flee to the mountains. The one on the roof must not go down to take what is in his house, and the one in the field must not turn back to get his coat. Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! Pray that your escape will not happen in winter, or on Shabbat. For then there will be great trouble,such as has not happened since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. And unless those days were cut short, no one would be delivered. But for the sake of the chosen, those days will be cut short. “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here’s the Messiah,’ or ‘There He is,’ do not believe it. For false messiahs and false prophets will rise upand show great signs and wonders so as to lead astray, if possible, even the chosen. See, I have told you beforehand."
Isaiah 17:1 TLV
The burden of Damascus: Behold, Damascus will cease as a city and will become a ruinous heap.
Are somebody who is sensing the trajectory of the times? Do you sense the fulfillment of bible prophecy? If so, you might be feeling accompanied emotions of fear and trepidation. What can you do?
DO WHAT THE PEOPLE OF NINEVEH DID.
Jonah 3:6-9 TLV
When the word reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his robe, covered himself in sackcloth, and sat in the ashes. He made a proclamation saying: “In Nineveh, by the decree of the king and his nobles, no man or beast, herd or flock, may taste anything. They must not graze nor drink water. But cover man and beast with sackcloth. Let them cry out to God with urgency. Let each one turn from his evil way and from the violence in his hands. Who knows? God may turn and relent, and turn back from his burning anger, so that we may not perish.”
A Great Fish delivered Jonah and Jonah delivered the word to the Gentile and the Ninevite heard God. Read the word of God and repent. Pray that God gives Israel and the world mercy and relents.
You can also do what David did. Read Psalms (Tehillim) for that.
Israel's Prime Minister said "This war will take time and it will be extremely difficult." Israel now has nearly 400,000 active reservist called up, which is close to it's total number available to serve.
What lies ahead:
While we do not know exactly how or when these events will unfold, we do know they lie ahead. These are the known unknowns:
- There will be a ground attack in Gaza. Incredibly difficult, tedious and dangerous. How bad will Israel's losses be?
- Hezbollah is likely to be a factor in the war with Hamas. Will Israel leave thousands of missiles pointed at it's population any longer?
- Iran is coordinating and supplying a proxy war against Israel. It has come to the point that Israel must deal with Iran. Will Israel finally cut off the head of the snake?
- The USA moved two nuclear carrier groups into the region. If/when Hezbollah and Iran enter into the war, what will the USA do?
Those are the known unknowns. Then there are the unknown unknowns:
- How will Iran's allies respond? Russia, China, North Korea. Since the USA overthrew Saddam Hussain Iraq has been largely controlled by Iran.
- What will other nations in the region do? (E.g. Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, etc)
- To what extent will terror cells and one off lone-wolves inside Israel, Europe and the USA reap death and destruction?
The Big Unknowns:
- Will Israel be forced to use nuclear weapons?
- Will China exploit the focus on wars in Ukraine and Israel to move on Taiwan?
- Will Iran's missiles land on Jerusalem, Tel Aviv or other Israeli cities?
The Great Unknown הלא ידוע הגדול
Many are looking to the bible for answers. Do Isaiah, Ezekiel and other ancient biblical prophets provide us any? Are we in End-Times?
What will God do?
WATCH DAMASCUS!
"LORD, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, LORD. Repeat them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy." Habakkuk 3:2
Praise ADONAI, all you nations! Glorify Him, all you people. For great is His lovingkindness (Chesed) toward us, and ADONAI’s truth endures forever. Halleluyah!
Torah Sages say the "The light that was created on the first day shone from one end of Creation to the other". Or, in the language of Kabbala, "In the beginning, an infinite, uncompounded light filled all of Creation." This is the light of Chesed חֶסֶד which permeates all of Creation and through which all of Creation is built."
Chesed, like many Hebrew words, does not translate precisely into English. The word means more than simply “kindness.” Often translated as “loving-kindness,” chesed means giving oneself fully, with love and compassion.
The concept of chesed appears in the Torah more than 190 times. For this reason, many Jewish thinkers hold the value of loving-kindness up as Judaism’s primary ethical virtue.
Psalms 89:3 tells us "The world was built with chesed." Chesed חֶסֶד denotes the unbounded loving-kindness with which G‑d created the worlds and with which all of creation is permeated.
Chesed is one of the ten Sephirot on the Kabbalistic Tree of Life. Sephirot are the 10 emanations, or powers, by which God the Creator was said to become manifest. Sages say Chesed preceds (comes before) all the other Sephirot. Characteristics of Chesed are: lovingkindness, devotion, mercy, strength, grace, purity, loyalty, tenderness, and steadfastness.
Rabbi Simlai in the Talmud claims that "The Torah begins with chesed and ends with chesed." It is a Jewish belief that "the entire Torah is characterized by chesed. It's said that the vision of the ideal life is characterized by behaviors which are merciful and compassionate. Chesed is properly described as an act that has no "cause."
Rabbi Yehonasan Gefen says "chesed is more appropriately understood as a trait that is characterized by overflowing and lack of boundaries. One significant outgrowth of this is kindness in that chesed causes a person to want to unabashedly share with others, breaking his boundaries of selfishness."
According to Jewish mystical belief, Kabbalah "The World is Built on Kindness."
How the World is Destroyed
If the world is built on Chesed, it is destroyed on Evil (רוע in Hebrew, pronounced Ra) and Hate (שִׂנאָה in Hebrew, pronounced Saw-nay). Hamas and Iran have made it obvious. Like Haman from the Book of Esther and Hitler, Hamas is an animation of Evil and Hate. They illustrate, they show us, how (Eicha) Evil and Hate look, act and what they are capable of.
Right now in Israel we are witnessing how evil and hate destroy the world. It is painfully obvious to see -- in what Hamas did to little children living on Kibbutzim in Israel.
Make no mistake, the evil and hate we are witnessing began with words spoken and taught to the children. We see the same evil and hate displayed at the rallies in support of Hamas around the world at which are chanted the same words heard at Nazi rallies -- "Kill the Jews." They have the same objective as Haman. But God ... and we know how Purim ends for Haman!
The Source of Hate
I see the number of the shortest Psalm about Chesed, 117, as a clue of the darkness hidden in the light. According to the Tzava'at Harivash, the anthology on the deep mystical meanings of the Tenach, 117, relates to the Yetzer Hara. Yetza Hara described as mankind's "inclination or impulse to evil," otherwise known as the "evil inclination" in mankind and the world. It is said that the Yetzer Hara seeks mankind to "cease."
Psalms 36:4 tells us "The words of his mouth are evil and deceit; he has ceased to be wise, to do good.” The Yetzer Hara seeks to do evil through “The words of his mouth.”
In the Christian bible it says in James 3-6 that "The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell."
In the Beginning
Before the 4th day of Creation when God creates the Sun, Moon and Stars, Genesis 1:1-4 TLV reads:
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was chaos and waste, darkness was on the surface of the deep, and the Ruach Elohim was hovering upon the surface of the water. Then God said, “Let there be light!” and there was light. God saw that the light was good. So God distinguished the light from the darkness.
The Sage says"The light that was created on the first day shone from one end of Creation to the other."
Light and Darkness have been in the world since Day One, but "Chaos and waste, darkness" existed before God said "Let their be Light." This was the Light of creation. God saw that the Light is Tov, good, but not the darkness, so God separated them. I believe the Light creates. Without the Light we go back to chaos and waste again.
The Light of Creation is in us, but Darkness is as well. We are "in the image of God." We can distinguish good from evil. God gave us free will to choose. The Ruach Elohim, God’s Holy Spirit, is hovering over us to offer us discernment and understanding.
We can speak good or evil into the world. If we choose good it manifests through Chesed, lovingkindness. If we give in to the Yetza Hara, the evil inclination, our tongue is destructive.
Proverbs 18:21 TLV says:
"Death and life are in the control of the tongue. Those who indulge in it will eat its fruit."
It is said we will be known by our fruits.
CHOOSE THE LIGHT! BE THE LIGHT!
P.S. Click here for some additional explanation of the "Chesed Personality" by an Orthodox Jewish Yeshiva source.
Epilogue:
i blogged about the opposite force to Chesed (Hebrew: חֶסֶד) on Jacobs Ladder. Here is a link to my blog post about Gevurah.
