HOW GOD SHOWS US PERFECTION

 

PERFECTION:

Hebrew is God's "alef-beyt."  Hebrew is so much more than letters.  The letters themselves tell a story and reveal God. 

Before I show you some examples of how God uses Hebrew to speak of perfection, here are a couple basics.

There are 22 Hebrew letters. In the Torah there are no vowels.  This is one of the things that makes it more difficult to read directly from the Torah, versus modern Hebrew.  Each Hebrew letter is also a number. The first letter, alef, is the #1. The second letter, beyt, is the #2 and so on.

Each Hebrew letter also has an original primitive (ancient), also known as paleo form. (Think of hyrogliphs.) In other words, Hebrew is a picture language. The image of the letter is synonymous with the meaning of the letter. For example the paleo image of first letter, alef, and number ONE is an OX head. The letter alef is synonymous with strength. And the number ONE is associated with God.

God loves math like he loves his alphabet. God uses hebrew letters and numbers to provide us a deeper understanding of his Word.  There are amazing mathematical patterns within the Torah!  ONE of my favorite examples of this is the 23rd Psalm, the Song of David. There are "perfect numbers" (triangle numbers) all through the Psalm. There is even the math for a Magen (Star) of David to be found in the letters of the Psalm. 

"The Lord is my shepherd,

I shall not want."

Psalm 23

The Psalms are the makings of wonderful songs. King David was a wonderful musician. The whole Torah has been called a song. Rabbi Lord Sacks explains why as follows:

"And why call the Torah a song? Because if we are to hand on our faith and way of life to the next generation, it must sing. Torah must be affective, not just cognitive. It must speak to our emotions. As Antonio Damasio showed empirically in Descartes’ though the reasoning part of the brain is central to what makes us human, it is the limbic system, the seat of the emotions, that leads us to choose this way, not that. If our Torah lacks passion, we will not succeed in passing it on to the future. Music is the affective dimension of communication, the medium through which we express, evoke and share emotion. Precisely because we are creatures of emotion, music is an essential part of the vocabulary of mankind."

There are several literary techniques used in the Torah to emphasize points. ONE of the ways God shows us His perfection is through the use of acrostics. An acrostic is a poem, word puzzle, or other composition in which certain letters, often the first letter, in each line form a word or words. We find this pattern in the Bible.  Here are some examples.  In each of these cases the pattern is found in the first letter of every verse, and what the pattern forms is the Hebrew Alphabet.  (Note: The Acrostic pattern is lost in translation to English.)

• Psalm 112 - About the Perfect Man
• Proverbs 31 - About the Perfect Woman
• Psalm 119 - Praises the Completeness of God’s Word, the Law - each set of 8 verses starts with a different letter.
• Lamentations - The Perfect Fullness of Sorrow 

Psalm 145 is also an acrostic. This is the only Psalm, aka chapter, in the Book of Psalms, that identifies itself as a תְּהִלָה (tehillah) --namely, a hymn of praise.

Tehillah is derived from the Hebrew word תְּהִלָּה}  meaning "praise, song or hymn of praise", which itself is derived from הָלַל (halal) meaning "to shine; to praise, boast, be boastful".

"I will extol thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever".  Psalm 145.1

Psalm 145 is also an alphabetic acrostic. The initial letter of each verse is the Hebrew alphabet in sequence.  (The Hebrew numbering begins at the first verse, not the title. It begins at ארוממך Aromimkha, "I will exalt You," verses the title, "A Psalm of David."

Psalm 145 is the last Psalm attributed explicitly to David and also the last of the nine acrostic Psalms in the Book of Psalms.

Think of David!!  His story begins with the miracle of slaying Goliath.  His life includes other miraculous events. There is a miscarriage of sorts within the story of his Kingship in relation to King Saul. When it comes to deceit,  David performs one of worst acts deceit. As for David's seed, need I say more.

David was the greatest King who united Israel. But he was not the "perfect man." He was a fallen man. He was however profoundly faithful.

The fact the verse 14 omits the letter Nun is coupled with fact that instead it goes to the letter Samekht - which means to hold up, to support.  And when Israel and David could have fallen, God held them up. God is our Rock and our Shield. 

Here is something I noticed which I find interesting: If we take Psalm 145 (which Praises the Completeness of God’s Word) and subtract Psalm 112 (The Perfect Man) we get Psalm 33.  (145-112=33). Psalm 33 praises a nation devoted to God.

"Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord..." Psalm 33:12

Psalm 33 is a poem about the blessing that comes from trusting in God. The central word, literally, is the word "blessed" or "happy." In Hebrew there are exactly 80 words before and after it. As is so common in Hebrew poetry this central word or phrase sums up the psalm. We can only be blessed or find happiness when we place our hope in God.

Although this is not an alphabetic acrostic Psalm 33 is uniquely structured with 22 verse lines and a clear parallel structure to the lines. (Note: The are 22 letters in the Hebrew alphabet.)

Structure of Psalm 33:

Part 1: God is great, good,  creator, awesome,  sovereign

Part 2: Trust God, Watch God, Rescue, Our Hope

Central word - Blessed.

Psalm 33 seems to have been purposely designed to be a prelude to Psalm 34 which is another alphabetic acrostic Psalm.  Psalm 34 describes angels as guardians of the righteous.  That brings us back to Psalm 145 and the missing letter Nun.

"The Lord redeems the soul of His servants, and all who take refuge in Him shall not be accounted guilty." Psalm 34:22

Psalm 34:

1 Of David, when he disguised his sanity before Abimelech, whereupon he drove him out and he departed.

2 I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise is always in my mouth.

3 My soul boasts of the Lord; may the humble hear and rejoice.

4 Declare the greatness of the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together.

5 I sought the Lord and He answered me, and He delivered me from all my terrors.

6 They looked to Him and they became radiant, and their faces will not be ashamed.

7 This poor man called and the Lord heard, and He saved him from all his troubles.

8 An angel of the Lord is stationed around those who fear Him, and He saved them.

9 Comprehend and see that the Lord is good; praiseworthy is the man who takes shelter in Him.

10 Fear the Lord, His holy ones; for there is no want to those who fear Him.

11 Young lions suffer want and are hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good.

12 Come, children, hearken to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.

13 Who is the man who desires life, who loves days to see goodness?

14 Guard your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceitfully.

15 Shun evil and do good, seek peace and pursue it.

16 The eyes of the Lord are to the righteous, and His ears are to their cry.

17 The face of the Lord is against evildoers, to cut off their remembrance from the earth.

18 They cry out and the Lord hearkens, and He saves them from all their troubles.

19 The Lord is near to the broken-hearted, and He saves those of crushed spirit.

20 Many evils befall the righteous, but the Lord saves him from them all.

21 He guards all his bones; not one of them was broken.

22 Evil will kill the wicked, and those who hate the righteous shall be accounted guilty.

23 The Lord redeems the soul of His servants, and all who take refuge in Him shall not be accounted guilty.

In closing this post about "Perfection" in God's Hebrew in the Torah, I offer the following videos by two teachers I like very much: 

The first is a teaching by a Pastor in Australia. "I am the first and the last."

My favorite Hebrew teacher is a Christian who doesn't speak Hebrew. John is a math wiz who loves Hebrew. Here are three of his videos about math in the bible. If this doesn't blow your mind nothing will.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Zei Gezunt!

Jonah

P.S.  Here is some Bible "trivia."

The Gemetria value of the name David is 14. The Messiah was to be in the line of King David.  

The Passover Exodus tells the story of the birth of the nation of Israel. Both "The Book of Exodus," (which is actually called The Book of "Shemot" (Hebrew  "Names") and the first book in the Brit Haddasha, Matthew, begin with a list of names. 

Matthew 1 then says, 

"So all the generations from Abraham to David are 14 generations, from David until the Babylonian exile are 14 generations, and from the Babylonian exile until the Messiah are 14 generations."

 

 

TAKE A KNEE

Washington's Army's spirits reached a low point during the harsh winter of 1777-78 at Valley Forge.

Washington's army had spent the summer of 1777 fighting a string of losing battles. The British General Howe's Army occupied Philadelphia while Washington's troops were forced to march tired, beaten, hungry and sick to VALLEY FORGE about 20 freezing miles northwest of British-occupied Philadelphia. Their frostbiten feet left a trail of blood in the snow.

At Valley Forge, there were shortages of everything and the men were sick from disease, hunger, and exposure. Washington described his men as starving, naked and freezing. 

Local farmers were hoarding much-needed food waiting to earn higher profits in the spring. Some farmers even sneaked grain into Philadelphia to feed the British army, who paid in gold or silver.

With each passing night came more desertions. Washington grew privately disgusted and discouraged.

Terms of enlistment were ending for many soldiers in Washington's army. The General wondered if he would even have an army left when the spring thaw finally arrived.

The General's leadership was being questioned by some in Congress and even some of his own Officers. 

How could Washington and his army endure?  

Answer: General George Washington took a knee. And his prayers were answered. 

Fast forward 244 years.  What's the problem with America today? 

President George Washington answered that question. He wrote us a Farewell Letter when he retired as President warning about the problems he foresaw. 

No human being has more invested in America!  The least we can do is try to understand our Founding Father's message. 

Read more.

1776 AND 2021

In the 1760s, Britain was deep in debt, so British Parliament imposed a series of taxes on American colonists to help pay those debts. The Sons of Liberty responded with the Boston Tea Party in 1773. 

Desperate for tax revenue the government continued to impose more taxes. 

Naturally, the citizens became rebellious. And the government became increasingly harsh on the citizens. 

In response to the Boston Tea Party, the British government decided that it had to tame the rebellious colonists in Massachusetts. In the spring of 1774, Parliament passed a series of laws including the Coercive Acts and cracked down harder on resistance.  

England continued to overreach on citizens rights. The government increasingly pressed down on rebels.  This caused the rebellious spirit of the freedom loving  colonies to grow.  On April 19, 1775, during Passover, the first shots of the Revolutionary War were fired.  (The shot heard round the world.")

The birth of the Nation of Israel (the children of Jacob) and the birth of our nation, America, both started on Passover. 

In that day, the people we consider the Patriots who founded America in 1776 were considered rebels and traitors by the ruling government. 

When you step back and think about it, one of the major underlying causes for the American Revolution was a debt and taxes. Wealth redistribution creates a dynamic which leads to the loss of freedom. The loss of freedom leads to rebellion.  

It could be said that what America witnessed on January 6th 2021 was ultimately in some sense about "taxation without representation." There are tens of millions of Americans, and many times more non-Americans, who believe that the election was stolen. Most Americans who do not believe Congress represents them. 

"The most recent polling data from June 2021 puts the approval rating of the United States Congress at 26 percent." Source: Gallup. 

In 1776 the colonists threw off the English government. Today, the threat is foreign forces too.  Marxist Socialist influences today are as un-American as the Crown of England was in 1776. 

America finds itself today in the terrible situation which our Founding Father George Washington warned us about in his famous Farwell Letter.  

Three main warnings in Washington's Farwell Letter. 

Washington believed the greatest danger to the Union, though, stemmed from the combination of factionalism and external invasion. Washington explained that partisanship “open[ed] the door to foreign influence and corruption” because it weakened voters’ abilities to make reasoned and disinterested choices. Rather than choosing the best [men] for office, the people would base decisions on “ill-founded jealousies and false alarms,” and so elect those in league with foreign conspirators.

WOW!!  Sound familiar!  That's what Washington warned. 

One bright light is that our Founders knew the dangers of central government!  They did everything they could to protect us, the citizens, FROM GOVERNMENT!  The years ahead are putting their genius to the test. 

Policies and actions of Progressive Left is challenging our Constitution.  There was even talk of "packing the Supreme Court in order ensure their success. Fortunately the Founders were particularly concerned with the balance of power between states and the Federal government. 

Ultimately, in my opinion, the greatest test of all is whether as a Nation we repent and turn back to God OR continue to fall away. In this regard I'd like to quote Matthew 12:25:

“Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand."

WHOSE MOVE IS IT NOW?

In response to recent Hamas's rocket attacks, Israeli Army spokesman Jonathan Conricus said on Monday evening: 

"We have started, and I repeat started, to attack military targets in Gaza . . . We have made preparations for various scenarios, including high intensity ones... Hamas will get the message."

Nobody is fooled by Iran which is escalating violence to put pressure on the USA Administration to get greater concessions out of Biden in nuclear deal negotiations.  

HOW HAS THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION RESPONDED?  WITH MORE SHOWS OF WEAKNESS!

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said "the administration, including President Joe Biden himself, was monitoring the violence." "We have serious concerns about the situation, including violent confrontations that we've seen over the last few days." 

The U.S. Embassy in Israel said the "rocket fire was 'unacceptable."

Meanile the USA military is firing "warning shots" at 13 Iranian boats threatening the USA Navy. 

Essentially, Biden picked up where Obama left off.  America is right back to funding Palestinian organizations with a history of funding terrorism.  

During the Trump Administration the Ayatollahs knew Trump had Israel's back and would respond to threats and force with the same and then some. And they took him seriously.  On the other hand, Biden sends the opposite signals. 

It is pretty obvious that the Iranians are not intimidated whatsoever by the Biden Administration. Iran reads that there is no danger or threat to come from Israel's only ally, the USA. Iran can continue to use it's proxies Hamas and Hezbollah to step up violence in Israel without a credible threat from the USA. The only Nation that has Israel's back today is Israel. 

ISRAEL RESPONDS HOW IT HAS TO:

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that Hamas had crossed a 'red line' by directing missiles towards Jerusalem and that the Jewish state would 'respond with force'.

'We will not tolerate attacks on our territory, our capital, our citizens and our soldiers. Those who attack us will pay a heavy price."

WHAT ABOUT SURROUNDING ARAB COUNTRIES - WHAT WILL THEY DO?

Thanks to the last four years during the Trump Administration, it appears that Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and others are staying on the sidelines. Syria supports Iran but Israel was smart to neutralize Iranian assets in Syrian in advance of the present conflict.

Fortunately, the historic ground work laid by the Trump Administration changed the dynamic in the Middle East.  Trump began to lay that ground work the moment he took office with the Arab summit he organized in Riyadh in May 2017 to which high level representatives from 54 Arab and Muslim counties attend. Notably, Iran and Turkey boycotted!  

For Trump's entire four years he kept extreme pressure on Iran to cease it's terrorist ways and for the Palestinians to pursue peace within Israel.  Trump's foresight and confidence in his son-in-law Jared Kushner was extraordinary too. The left criticized Trump mercilessly at the time of that decision!  

The Abraham Accords would not have been possible without Trump and all his actions over the full course of his term.  Without Trump and a return to Obama's policies I have serious doubts whether they will achieve peace for the Palestinians.  The accords may produce other benefits for Israel and cooperating Arab countries. But so long as Iran controls Hamas and Hamas controls Gaza there will be no peace. The most that can happen is a ceasefire for a time.

Trump proved how useless the United Nations is in terms of the peace process. He proved that appeasement is a failed strategy.  He proved that Iran's regime doesn't seek peace. He proved that a strong America which unequivocally stands by Israel and calls out the main cause for violence in the Middle East is Iran is essential.

Neither Israel or Iran's leadership has changed since Obama. Neither has Syria, Jordan and other kingdoms in the Middle East. Turkey has the same President.  What's changed is the President of the United States and U.S. policy. 

All Jews had the opportunity to compare the relationship between Israel and America during the Obama's years verses the Trump years. All Jews had the opportunity to compare the safety, security and prosperity in Israel during the  Obama's years and Trump years.  The contrast in favor of Trump's policies and Leadership should have left no doubt in any Jew's mind which President was better for Israel and the Middle East overall. 

It was clear to everyone who went to the polls in 2016 that Biden was going to do the exact opposite things that Trump did.  It was clear that he was going to undo Trump. So it should come as no surprise that Biden is getting the exact opposite results. The only thing that is shocking is how rapidly Biden turned the clock back and how much damage that has caused. 

The time has come for all Jews to choose a side.  It's our move!  

P.S.  If you need more facts to help you make a decision on where you stand, check out this video:

HAPPY WOMB DAY!

I was inspired to write this post on Mother's Day.

In today's "woke" culture I wonder if Mother's Day is considered "sexist" by some people. We could call Mother's Day "Womb Day."  That would be sexist, but isn't that the point? Here is the reasoning why it actually is quite accurate. 

 

Either gender can embody the characteristics we commonly associate with motherhood.  A mother is caring and nurturing, but surely men can be caring and nurturing too.

Putting children's needs and interests ahead of one's own is in a word "selfless." Mother's are instinctively selfless. But being protective and providing for a family is something we associate with Father's and those are selfless behaviors as well. Behaviors which Mother's perform too.

So in certain respects Mother's Day is sexist. And that is the point!  The biological ability to give birth is what differentiates a woman from a man. We are celebrating the WOMB. 

Only a biological woman can be a mother. A man cannot carry an unborn child and give birth.  And a woman cannot father a child. Men do not have a uterus and woman don't produce sperm. Which is why we also have Father's Day when we will celebrate biological male parents. 

In Hebrew the word for womb is rechem. Rechem is the root for the Hebrew word Rachamim which means mercy and compassion.

The womb's purpose is to nurture and protect a life in order to prepare it for the world. Before the womb can prepare a conceived life for 40 weeks it must recieve a fertilized egg.  But first the egg needs semen. 

The Hebrew word for semen is שֶׁמֶן "shemen."  SHEMEN is also the word for "ointment(s)." Shemen (Hebrew: שמן‎) is the most commonly used word for "oil" in the Hebrew scriptures. Shemen can also mean fertility in Hebrew. 

Shemen is almost certainly the origin for the Latin word "semen" meaning "seed," from which we get our English word "semen."

Oil is used for anointing. So you might say that in order for a womb to produce life, an egg must be anointed. A life is the result of a successful anointing. I can only think of two Biblical stories of a woman having a child without an anointing by a man.  One is in Luke 1:-26-38

Once an egg is anointed, that Life is nurtured in the womb for 40 weeks before he or she is ready to go out to find and fulfill their destiny. There are a few other situations in the Bible when a person who was anointed by God needed a period of "40" to prepare. 

Oil is used to produce Light. Both the Jewish Nation and Yeshua was chosen by God to be a Light to the world. 

Speaking of roles for men and woman, we often associate the man's role with being a protector.  The Hebrew word for protector is Magen (מָגֵן‎). Magen is also literally a shield. The Star of David is called the Magen of David. Magen comes from the root ganan (גנן) which is a verb meaning to defend, cover or surround. The word Magen, shield/protector, is used over 60 times in the Old Testament. 

Before God made his unconditional Covenant with Abram, God told Abram in Genesis 15.1:

“Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward”

 In Moses final blessing to the Children of Israel before they went into the Promised Land (Eretz) of Israel, Moses said to them in Deuteronomy 33.29:

“Happy are you, O Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the Lord, the shield of your help, and the sword of your majesty!” 

I will wrap up this post with this conclusion: 

- The womb (woman) protects an egg annointed with semen and transformed into a life. 

- Man protects the womb (woman). 

- God preserves and delivers us all.

Psalm 138.7 - "Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and your right hand delivers me."

Amen.

P.S.  I have written some posts related to abortion that may be of interest:

The Paradox of Abortion

We Are Unworthy

 Give women better choices. 

 

PUT DOWN EVIL EARLY

To put down evil we have to be able to speak about it!  

Please read this article and consider the implications!!  

How dangerous is China?

I am "walking the talk" literally.  I am on my morning walk.  Please pardon the shaking and breathing. 

THIS IS OUR LAND

 

Enjoy "This Is Our Land" in Yiddish. 

WHAT IS IT ABOUT YIDDISH? 

Yiddish is the Jewish experience wrapped up in a language.  It embodies where we've been. It captures the unique struggles of the Jews. It portrays our passion, pain, joy, humor and worldly insights in words and phrases. 

Since the Babylonians, Persians, Greeks and  Romans conquered the Kingdom of Israel and Judea and scattered the Jews around the world we have had to make countries around the world our home.  

When Jews left Jerusalem, often as slaves, we brought the Bible with us.  Wherever Jews ended up we contributed to society and culture in important and significant ways.  

Sadly, we were often met with hatred. Jews have suffered and survived many attempts to wipe us out. The Holocaust is certainly not the first attempt!!  England and Spain also sought to purge their kingdoms of Jews. 

Ironically, in an effort to survive armies and genocidal attempts, the greatest threat to the Jews may be assimilation.  Yiddish is an example of the paradoxical combination of assimilation and trying to retain Jewish identity.  

In the nick of time, as prophesied thousands of years earlier, but sadly after hope was lost for 6 million Jews, God called the Jews back to the land God Promised. 

Ezekiel 37:11-12

11 "Then He said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say: ‘Our bones are dried up; our hope is lost; we are cut off—by ourselves.' 12 Therefore prophesy and say to them, thus says Adonai Elohim: ‘Behold, I will open your graves. I will bring you up out of your graves, My people. I will bring you back to the land of Israel.

The story of the Jews rise and fall and rise is the greatest and most amazing story ever told. It is called the Bible.  

Commenting on a verse in Leviticus that describes the curses that will befall the land of Israel, Nachmanides wrote that the devastation of the Eretz Israel “constitutes a good tiding, proclaiming that during all our exiles, our land will not accept our enemies... Since the time that the Jews left it, [the land] has not accepted any nation or people, and they all try to settle it... This is a great proof and assurance to us.”

Nachmanides, Moses ben Nahman, commonly  referred to as the Ramban, was a leading medieval Jewish scholar, Sephardic rabbi, philosopher, physician, kabbalist, and biblical commentator. The 13th-century scholar wrote that Israel will remain desolate until the Jewish People assume control. But when the people of Israel finally return to the land of Israel, the region will once again flourish thanks to Divine providence.

Mark Twain is the most famous eyewitness to the 19th-century desolation of the land that the Roman emperor Hadrian renamed Syria-Palaestina, after the Jews two traditional enemies, the Syrians and the Philistines, to punish the Jewish people for their insurrection  for the Bar-Kochba Revolt of 132-136 CE. 

Twain was an unwitting collaborator of Nachmanides when he penned "Innocents Abroad" and brought global attention to the sorry state of Palestine and proved it was a "land without a people" just 15 years before the very first waves of Jewish immigration. Twain couldn't have foreseen the Balfour Declaration in 1917, the Six Day War, and how Israel would rise from the ashe and flourish. 

This week Israel will celebrate it's 73rd year of Independence.  What Israel has accomplished with a treeless, natural resourceless, desolate land is remarkable. Nobody would believe if it wasn't true. What's equally remarkable is that it happened according to God's plan.

ONLY GOD COULD HAVE PREDICTED IT 2600 YEARS BEFORE IT ALL HAPPENED IN THE BIBLE.  THE STORY ISN'T OVER . . . 

HAPPY 73RD ISRAEL!!