MY FATHER DIED IN ROSE'S HANDS

Mark Ivan Ritter

I never met my father's mother Rose, my grandmother. My grandmother died when Dad was 18. My first name Robert, was named after her. (My middle Hebrew name Jonah is after my mother’s grandfather Joseph.) 

I always wished I could have talked to Rose. If only to hear her voice. 

This morning I woke up very early thinking about my father. I put on my headphones and started to listen to Shabbat worship songs from Central Synagogue. They were singing Hashkiveinu, which I love, but I didn't like the version they were doing so I forwarded to the next worship song, the Shema. 

During the Shema I had some deep thoughts about Adonia, and the complexity of "Oneness." Then the phone rang. 

I have to digress. Yesterday afternoon I booked a flight to go back to see my father again. He is in the crisis stage, but he is holding on. I thought it might help to be with him and reassure him with prayers. Now back to the phone call.

The called ID came up, "Maria, Dad's Aid." So I knew. It was Maria, Dad's beloved aid who has cared for him the past two years. She and I have grown close. She is a strong believer. Maria didn't say hello. She simply said, "He didn't wait for you." I was speechless.  So Maria handed the phone to the Hospice crisis nurse. 

The Hospice nurse said, "Robert, this is Rose."

I said, "Rose?" 

"Yes," she said. 

I said "Rose, that is my father's mother's name." 

Rose seemed to understand my reaction. 

I thought to myself that Rose's voice was so sweet and tender.  

Rose said, "Your father passed at 3:48am. 

Then Rose told me she was washing him and telling him it would be alright. This was the start of the 4th day that Dad has been asleep with no food or water. But we know he is listening. I started to imagine what my father was thinking; when the nurse arrived for the evening shift and said to Dad, "Mark, my name is Rose; I will be taking care of you tonight." And, when she was using a warm towel to clean him like a mother wipes off a baby.  I wonder if Dad thought he was in his mother Rose's hands? 

Rose said, "Your father did a small cough, and then he just stopped breathing." He died so fast. He was very peaceful. Your father was very peaceful." 

Very Peaceful. Perfect peace. Shalom Shalom.

Rose handed the phone back to Maria. Who shared a priceless message about the last night with Dad. 

Rest in peace Dad. Your name is for a blessing. Amen. 

Obituary 

NUN - 50

 

2 Samuel 24:24 -- And the king said to Aravnah, "No; for I will only buy it from you at a price; so that I will not offer to the Lord my God burnt-offerings [which I had received] for nothing." And David bought the threshing-floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.

Does the letter 'Nun' point to the name of the Messiah? Is the name of the Messiah hidden in the number 50?  Let's explore that. 

The Hebrew letter NUN has a numerical value of 50. The ancient Hebrew letter NUN is a seed or fish. Or maybe it is both, a swimming seed. 

Some believe the hieroglyph may have been of a fish in water, as nun means "fish" in Aramaic and Akkadian, and "large fish" or "whale" in Arabic. A large fish should remind some of my readers of an important 'sign' of the Messiah. 

Joshua, who led the Israelites into the Promised Land, was the "son of Nun." “Nun his son, Joshua his son” (I Chronicles 7:27)  

Here is a very interesting clue in a Jewish Midrash: Genesis Rabba 97:3 -- "[T]he son of him whose name was as the name of a fish would lead them [the Israelites] into the land." 

Psalm 119 has a deep message about each of the Hebrew letters.  Eight verses are dedicated to each of the 22 Hebrew letters. The letter NUN corresponds to verses 105 - 112. Psalm 119:105 reads: 

"Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path."

I encourage you to read the remaining verses in Psalm 119 that pertain to the letter Nun! 

Are you starting to form a sense of what/whom the letter "Nun" is pointing to?  There's more, so keep reading!

The Hebrew word for "faithful one," ne'eman, is signified by the letter NUN. 

The Hebrew word for faith is "אֱמוּנָה" (emunah). The root of this word is "אָמַן" (aman), which means to be firm, to support, or to be faithful. We get the word "Amen" from this Hebrew root. This root conveys a sense of stability, reliability and trustworthiness, which are core aspects of the concept of faith in the biblical context.

The Hebrew root "אָמַן" (aman) consists of three letters: Aleph (א), Mem (מ), and Nun (ן). Each of these letters carries its own symbolic meaning:

1. Aleph (א): This is the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet and often represents God, unity, and leadership. It symbolizes the beginning, strength, and the oneness of God.

2. Mem (מ): This letter is associated with water/blood, which in Hebrew symbolism can represent wisdom, the flow of life, and the source of all things. Mem can also signify the hidden and revealed aspects of reality.  (The modern Hebrew form of Nun has two forms—open (מ) and closed (ם).)

3. Nun (ן and נ): This letter often symbolizes faithfulness, humility, and the concept of "falling" and "rising." In Hebrew, the letter Nun is associated with continuity and perpetuity, reflecting a sense of enduring faith. 

The shape of the Nun can be seen as a symbol of a humble, bent figure, which represents the humility necessary for true faith. In a spiritual context, humility often precedes exaltation, and the Nun embodies this dynamic

Together, these letters form the root "אָמַן" (aman), which conveys the idea of firm faith, trust, and reliability. The root suggests a strong, unwavering foundation, which aligns with the concept of faithfulness and trust in the divine.

Nun is 50

50 has major biblical associations: 

• Shavuot
• Pentecost 
• Feast of Weeks and Firstfruits
• The Jubilee

Shavuot is mentioned in the Torah in the context of the agricultural festival celebrating the harvest. 

Exodus 34:22 -- "And thou shalt observe the feast of weeks, of the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the feast of ingathering at the year's end."

Shavuot/Feast of Weeks occurs seven weeks after Passover. Shavuot, also known as Pentecost, is a Jewish holiday that celebrates the beginning of the wheat harvest in the Land of Israel. It also marks the end of the spring barley harvest and the start of the summer fruit harvest. Shavuot is the second of the three Pilgrim Festivals, sometimes referred to as a "Foot Festivals." 

Leviticus 23:15-16 -- Counting the Omer:

In Leviticus, Jews are instructed to count the Omer (an amount of wheat) to mark the Feast of Weeks leading up to Shavuot.

 "You shall count from the day after the Sabbath (the first Passover) from the day when you brought the sheaf of the wave offering; there shall be seven complete Sabbaths. You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath; then you shall present a new grain offering to the Lord."

Exodus 16:1-4 describes how, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departure from Egypt, the Israelites began to grumble about the lack of food. In response, God provided manna from heaven to sustain them throughout their journey in the desert.

The first explicit command to keep the Sabbath is given in the context of the manna in the desert. 

Exodus 16:23-30, Moses instructs the Israelites to gather double the amount of manna on the sixth day because no manna would fall on the seventh day, which is a Sabbath of rest.

The Hebrew word for manna is מָן (mon). You'll notice that מָן is only one letter less than the root of the word for faith, אָמַן. The one letter is אָ, aleph. That's very cool. 

I remind you that the wheat harvest would be taken to the threshing floor. David purchased the biblical threshing floor, which was on top of Mount Moriah, from Araunah the Jebusite. Araunah and Emunah (Faith) - Notice the phonetic similarities. King David Paid 50 Shekels of Silver:

In Genesis 22:2, the Threshing floor is where Abraham prepared to Sarcafice his son Issac.  Isaac was spared by God and a ram caught in a thicket by it's horn (yovel) became the sacrafice. 

This location, the Threshing floor would ultimately be where the 1st temple was built. 

2 Samuel 24: 14-25 

David said to Gad, “I am in great distress. Let us fall into the hands of the LORD, for His compassion is great; and let me not fall into the hands of men.” 

The LORD sent a pestilence upon Israel from morning until the set time; and 70,000 of the people died, from Dan to Beer-sheba. 

But when the angel extended his hand against Jerusalem to destroy it, the LORD renounced further punishment and said to the angel who was destroying the people, “Enough! Stay your hand!” The angel of the LORD was then by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. 

When David saw the angel who was striking down the people, he said to the LORD, “I alone am guilty, I alone have done wrong; but these poor sheep, what have they done? Let Your hand fall upon me and my father’s house!” 

Gad came to David the same day and said to him, “Go and set up an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.” 

David went up, following Gad’s instructions, as the LORD had commanded. 

Araunah looked out and saw the king and his courtiers approaching him. So Araunah went out and bowed low to the king, with his face to the ground.

And Araunah asked, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?” David replied, “To buy the threshing floor from you, that I may build an altar to the LORD and that the plague against the people may be checked.” 

And Araunah said to David, “Let my lord the king take it and offer up whatever he sees fit. Here are oxen for a burnt offering, and the threshing boards and the gear of the oxen for wood. 

All this, O king,-e Araunah gives to Your Majesty. And may the LORD your God,” Araunah added, “respond to you with favor!”

But the king replied to Araunah, “No, I will buy them from you at a price. I cannot sacrifice to the LORD my God burnt offerings that have cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. 

And David built there an altar to the LORD and sacrificed burnt offerings and offerings of well-being. The LORD responded to the plea for the land, and the plague against Israel was checked.

50 - Jubilee

7 Shabbat years marks a time of economic, cultural, environmental, and communal reset. The word "jubilee" comes from the Hebrew word jobel, which means "ram's horn". A ram's horn trumpet was used to signal the beginning of the Jubilee year.

The Hebrew word "Yovel" (יוֹבֵל) is often translated as "Jubilee." The root meaning of the word "Yovel" has several interesting connotations:

1. Ram's Horn: One of the primary meanings of "Yovel" is "ram's horn" or "trumpet." This derives from the practice of blowing a ram's horn to proclaim the beginning of the Jubilee year. The sound of the ram's horn signified freedom and the start of a new cycle of renewal.

2. To Bring or Lead: Another related meaning of the root "יובל" (Yovel) is "to bring" or "to lead." This is seen in the context of leading something, like leading animals or people, which fits with the concept of leading the people back to their ancestral lands and freedom.

These root meanings highlight the themes of liberation, return, and renewal that are central to the concept of the Jubilee in biblical tradition.

The Hebrew Jubilee, or "Yovel," is a significant concept in the Torah, particularly described in Leviticus 25. Here are some of the intriguing aspects and mysteries associated with it:

1. Timing and Observance: The Jubilee year occurs every 50 years, following seven cycles of seven years. The exact timing and historical observance of the Jubilee are somewhat unclear. It's debated whether it was consistently observedwith the Sabbatical year cycles.

2. Economic and Social Reset: During the Jubilee, all agricultural land was to be left fallow, debts were forgiven, and Hebrew slaves were freed. This economic reset is unique and raises questions about its practical implementation and long-term societal effects.

3. Land Restitution: One of the central tenets of the Jubilee is the return of all sold or leased land to its original familial owners. This concept emphasizes the belief that the land ultimately belongs to God. The implications for property rights and economic systems are profound and complex.

4. Theological Significance: The Jubilee year underscores themes of freedom, redemption, and social justice. It symbolizes a time of renewal and divine mercy. The deeper spiritual and prophetic meanings of the Jubilee continue to be subjects of theological exploration.

5. Messianic Associations: Some interpretations link the Jubilee to messianic expectations. The proclamation of liberty and the restoration of rights are seen as foreshadowing the ultimate redemption in Jewish eschatology.

6. Historical Evidence: There is limited historical and archaeological evidence about the actual practice of the Jubilee. Scholars debate how often and how strictly these laws were observed, and what historical records indicate about its impact on Israelite society.

These aspects contribute to the enduring fascination with the Jubilee, both as a historical institution and as a symbol of spiritual ideals.

In Hebrew, each letter can have its own significance and can sometimes be explored for deeper meanings. Here's a look at the individual letters of "Yovel" (יוֹבֵל) and their potential meanings:

1. י (Yod): 
   - Meaning: Hand, work, or deed.
   - Symbolism: Represents the hand of God, divine action, or a spark of inspiration.
2. ו (Vav):
   - Meaning: Hook, nail, or connector.
   - Symbolism: It often signifies connection and continuity, linking different aspects together.
3. ב (Bet):
   - Meaning: House, dwelling, or family.
   - Symbolism: Symbolizes a house or a place of dwelling, also representing community and family.
4. ל (Lamed):
   - Meaning: Goad, staff, or to teach.
   - Symbolism: Often associated with learning, teaching, and guidance.

The letters in the word for "Yovel" (יוֹבֵל) can be seen as a word that embodies the concept of divine action (Yod) connecting (Vav) people to their homes and families (Bet) and guiding them towards learning and renewal (Lamed). Yovel aligns well with the themes of liberation, return, and spiritual renewal inherent in the Jubilee year.

Joshua was the Son of Nun.

Nun in the Bible is the Father of Joshua who led the nation of Israel into the Promised Land. Joshua's name in Hebrew was Hoshea ( הוֹשֵׁעַ 'Save'). He was the son of Nun, of the tribe of Ephraim, but Moses called him "Yehoshua." 

The word Jesus is the Latin form of the Greek Iesous, which in turn is the transliteration of the Hebrew Jeshua, or Joshua, or again Yehoshua. The name means: God/YHVH is Salvation.

In Joshua 6, seven priests carry trumpets of rams’ horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets.

When Joshua went out to conquer Jericho, the seven priests went out in faith and blew a Yovel in proclamation of Jubilee.  

I encourage you to read all of Joshua 6. 

Book of Ruth And the Harvest

Ruth 1:22, 2:23 -- Ruth arrives in Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest and continues working in the fields through the wheat harvest

Jews celebrate Shavuot by studying Torah all night long, including reading the Book of Ruth and eating dairy (cheesecake and blintzes). A central theme and setting in the story of the Book of Ruth is the barley harvest. 

The Book of Ruth is associated with the Feast of Weeks, also known as Shavuot or Pentecost, in the Jewish tradition?

This connection is both thematic and agricultural:

1. Agricultural Significance: The story of Ruth takes place during the barley and wheat harvests, which align with the timing of Shavuot. Ruth arrives in Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest and continues working in the fields through the wheat harvest (Ruth 1:22, 2:23). Shavuot is an agricultural festival that marks the end of the grain harvest, particularly the wheat harvest.

2. Theme of Giving and Charity: Shavuot emphasizes the importance of giving and taking care of the poor and strangers. The Book of Ruth exemplifies these themes through Ruth's gleaning in the fields and Boaz's generosity. The practice of leaving the edges of the fields for the poor and the stranger, which Ruth benefits from, is a key aspect of the agricultural laws given in the Torah (Leviticus 23:22).

3. Covenant and Conversion: Shavuot also commemorates the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai, a covenant between God and the Israelites. Ruth's story is often seen as a parallel to this, as Ruth, a Moabite, chooses to join the Israelite people and accept their God, symbolizing a personal conversion and commitment akin to the collective acceptance of the Torah by the Israelites.

4. Lineage and Redemption: The story of Ruth culminates in her marriage to Boaz, which leads to the birth of Obed, the grandfather of King David. This lineage is significant in Jewish tradition, and Shavuot is seen as a time to reflect on the continuity and fulfillment of God's promises through generations.

Ruth's narrative is intertwined with the themes of harvest, generosity, covenant, and the continuity of the Israelite lineage, all of which resonate deeply with the festival's significance.

The Book of Ruth is a short narrative found in the Old Testament of the Bible. It tells the story of Ruth, a Moabite woman who, after the death of her husband, remains loyal to her Israelite mother-in-law, Naomi. Here is a brief overview of its content and themes:

1. Loyalty and Devotion: After the death of her husband, Ruth decides to stay with Naomi and accompany her back to Bethlehem in Israel. Ruth's famous declaration of loyalty to Naomi includes the words, "Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God" (Ruth 1:16).

2. Providence and Redemption: The concept of a "kinsman-redeemer" is central to the story of Ruth. Boaz acts as a kinsman-redeemer by marrying Ruth and preserving the family line of her deceased husband.

In Bethlehem, Ruth gleans in the fields to provide for herself and Naomi. She meets Boaz, a relative of Naomi's late husband. Boaz is impressed by Ruth's loyalty and kindness and eventually becomes her kinsman-redeemer, marrying her and securing their future.

This act of redemption is a powerful theme that parallels the Christian understanding of Jesus as the ultimate Redeemer, who saves and restores humanity.

The inclusion of a Gentile in the ancestry of Jesus prefigures the Christian message that salvation through Jesus is available to all people, not just the Israelites. It underscores the universality of God's plan for redemption.

3. Lineage of David: The story concludes with Ruth and Boaz having a son, Obed, who becomes the grandfather of King David, establishing Ruth as an important figure in the lineage of David, and by extension, in the genealogy of Messiah.  (See Isaiah 11:1 and Jeremiah 23:5.)

4. Genealogy of Jesus:  Genealogy plays a major role in the prophecy of Messiah for both Jews and Christians. 

In the New Testament, both the Gospels of Matthew and Luke trace the genealogy of Jesus back to David. The Gospel of Matthew explicitly includes Ruth in the genealogy, emphasizing her role in the lineage that leads to Jesus (Matthew 1:5-6). This connection highlights Jesus' fulfillment of the messianic prophecies that required the Messiah to be a descendant of David. 

In summary, The Book of Ruth highlights themes of faithfulness, kindness, and God's providence, illustrating how God works through ordinary lives to fulfill His purposes. The Book of Ruth, which is read on Shavuot/Pentecost/Feast of Weeks. These holidays have a direct connection to 50. The letter NUN is pointing to Messiah.

The Name of the Messiah Saves

2 Samuel 24:24-25 -- And the king said to Aravnah, "No; for I will only buy it from you at a price; so that I will not offer to the Lord my God burnt-offerings [which I had received] for nothing." And David bought the threshing-floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. 25And David built there an altar to the Lord, and he offered up burnt-offerings and peace offerings. And the Lord was entreated for the land, and the plague was stayed from Israel.

David buys the threshing floor from Aravnah for fifty shekels. The name Aravnah is repeated seven times in verses before on the 7th time we find his name hidden in fifty. 

The Gematria (numeric) Value of FIFTY

The word fifty in Hebrew is חֲמִשִּֽׁים

David paid חֲמִשִּֽׁים 50 shekels for the threshing floor. Here is the gematria of חֲמִשִּֽׁים:

8 חֲ 
מ 40
שִּֽׁ 300
י 10
ם 40
= 398 

The gematria of “name of his son” שֶּׁם-בְּנוֹ is 398. 

The gematria of “This is Yeshua” זֶה יֵשׁוּעַ is 398.

WOW!

Aravnah (Faith) is mentioned seven times in 2 Samuel 24:13-25 before David buys the temple floor for fifty shekels.  

Below are those 7 statements. I posted some verses from Genesis 22 and the Binding of Isaac which took place on the same threshing floor. 

1. "Go up to erect an altar to the Lord in the threshing-floor of Aravnah the Jebusite."

2. And Aravnah looked afar and he saw the king

(Genesis 22.4 - the third day, Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar.)

3. and Aravnah went out and he bowed down to the king with his face to the ground.

(Genesis 22.5 will go yonder, and we will prostrate ourselves and return to you.")

4. And Aravnah said, "Why has the lord my king come to his servant?

5. And Aravnah said to David, "Let my lord the king take and offer up what seems good in his eyes; 

(Genesis 22.8 -- Abraham said, "God will provide for Himself the lamb)

6. And Aravnah said to the king, "May the Lord your God accept you."

7. And the king said to Aravnah, "No; for I will only buy it from you at a price; And David bought the threshing-floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.

(Genesis 22.14 -- Abraham named that place, The Lord will see, as it is said to this day: On the mountain, the Lord will be seen.)

In conclusion, there are powerful parallels and connections between different stories in the Bible and the letter Nun - 50. Woven into the letter Nun is: faith, the Jubilee, the Bread of Life, redemption, forgiveness, payment, the Word, the Harvest, the promise land and ultimately the lineage and name of Yehoshua.  

JUBILEE AND THE LAST LETTER IN THE BIBLE

In the last book of the Bible, Revelation, verse 13 reads "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”

I love how this works with the Hebrew.  The first Hebrew letter in the Torah is "Bet." The last letter in the bible is "N" in the final word, "Amen." Amen is the same as the Hebrew word אָמֵן. The last Hebrew lettet in אָמֵן is the letter Nun in Hebrew.  The letter is equivalent to 50, Pentecost. 50 is Jubilee! 

If we combine the first and the last, we get "Bet Nun" which is the Hebrew word pronounced as "Ben" for "Son."

You gotta love the letter Nun! 

The Lord utters His Voice.

NOW WHAT? TRUMP'S SOLUTION IS THE ONLY WAY

For years we've listened to Biden, Harris, Pelosi, other major Democrats and the media, liken Trump to Hitler. They drew a direct correlation between Trump's rally at MSG and the giant Nazi rally held there in February 1939; which is to say that Trump haters see Trump supporters as endorsing a fascist dictator.

What does this say about our Nation? 

Trump scored the greatest political comeback in American history, that included Trump winning all seven swing states and the popular vote. He saw huge increases in minorities and Jewish voters! Surely America did not overwhelming choose to be lead by a fascist dictator! By the same token, I contend that Trump's electoral "victory" is not enough to fix the hate. 

Israelies seem to get Trump. 

According to polls of Israelies, 66% wanted Trump and only 17% wanted Harris. Surely Israelies would not support a fascist dictator who wants to kill Jews! 

Will Trump haters dial back what they said? 

Democrats are not expressing a full throated retraction of their accusation. To the contrary. Many like AOC are doubling down. Harris concedes that Trump won, but she has vowed to fight on, means she will continue to spew the same lies and rhetoric. Trump haters refuse to forgive Trump supporters.

So where does that leave our Nation? Can Trump haters and Trump supporters unite?

TRUMP'S SOLUTION IS THE ONLY WAY:

How do we fix America? Trump said it best. Listen to this interview from 5 months ago. 

For those of us who are excited about Trump's historic victory, here is a message we can all embrace. 

A BLAMELESS MAN

Noah was a righteous man, perfect in his generations (6:9)

One of the people I would love to meet and talk with is Noah from the bible, featured in this weeks prescribed Torah portion.  

Genesis 6:9–11:32 is called Parshah Noach (Noah). It includes the story of the "Great Flood" and the righteous man who preserved humankind. Noah preserved "all life from the face of the earth; and insects." 

Noah was the only righteous man in a world consumed by violence and corruption. He was 'a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God.' (Gen 6:9 ESV)  Noah did everything just as God commanded him. (Gen 6:22).  

What other biblical figure was righteous, blameless and did everything God wanted to preserve life from God's judgment? 

God waited patiently in the days of Noah. But once the time had come the waters came! 

Matthew 24:37-39 (KJV) -- But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

These weren't the waters of salvation that Jews prayed for on Shemini Atzeret, the last day of the great feast of Sukkot!!  In the days of Noah, when the rain fell, a time for judgment had arrived. 

God warned Noah of a great deluge that will wipe out all life from the face of the earth. He ordered Noah to build a large wooden teivah (“ark”), coated inside and out with pitch that would float upon the water, sheltering Noah and his family, and two members (male and female) of each animal species (and 7 of the "pure" species).

God treated all that came before Noah like thieves and robbers. They were all judged as evil by God and were wiped out by the flood.

Genesis 6:5-8 KJV -- And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them. 8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. 9 These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.

In verse Genesis 6.8 you will find the word "grace."  The Hebrew the word for grace is חֵ֖ן. Noah’s name in Hebrew is נֹ֕חַ (Chen).  Grace and Noah have the same letters.  Noah recieved grace! This is the first time the word grace is found in the Bible. 

Another Hebrew word that can also mean grace is חֶסֶד, It is pronounced "Chesed" and it can mean: grace, kindness, charity, favor, graciousness, favour.

On the Tree of Life in Kabbalah (Reception), the character of Chesed is directly across from Gevurah. That is to say that Gevurah "balances" out Chesed. Gevurah means Strength and Judgment.

Rabbi Shimon Leiberman writes this about Gevurah:

"Gevurah or "strength" is usually understood as God's mode of punishing the wicked and judging humanity in general. It is the foundation of stringency, absolute adherence to the letter of the law, and strict meting out of justice. All this contrasts with chesed or "kindness" (discussed in Chesed - The World Is Built On Kindness) which implies mercy and forgiveness."

I want you to notice on the Tree of Life image above that God balances "Gevurah" with "Chesed"; Judgment with Grace. Strength with Loving Kindness. You will notice that the Hebrew letter that connects Gevurah and Chesed is the Holy Letter Aleph (1), the letter most closely associated with God. 

God didn't choose Noah to save the world. God started over with Noah and everything else on the ark. This reminds me of Moses (Exodus 32) after the Israelites worshiped the Golden Calf.  God told Moses that he would destroy the nation, and start over with Moses, but Moses pleaded with God not to and God spared the Hebrews. Moses acted as a mediator between the Lord and the people.  

John 14.2 -- In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

In Noah's case, the only life that was spared  entered through the door of the ark.  Then God shut the door. Genesis 7:16 -- 'Then the LORD shut him in.'

There is a parallel to Yeshua who said in John 9.10 -- "I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture." 

Then God said to Noah, “Go out from the ark, you and your wife, and your sons and your sons' wives with you. Bring out with you every living thing that is with you of all flesh—birds and animals and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth—that they may swarm on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.” (Genesis 8:15-17)

Noah made the Ark (ta-va) according to the master’s specific dimensions. There is a parallel  made to the Ark (aron) of the Covenant, in the tabernacle, which also was a focal point of salvation in the Torah. Even though we use the same English word, the words in Hebrew are different. 

The word for the ark of the covenant, is Aron (ארון) in Hebrew literally means “chest or cupboard.” It comes from the verb /aRaH (ארה) which means “to bring out into the light.” Metaphorically it means “one's ability to bring things to light.

Moses’ basket is also called an “ark” and in Hebrew it is spelled the same as Noah's Ark (ta-va).  It too was covered with pitch.

Of all the parallels, perhaps the most intriguing is this date -- the 17th day of the 7th month. 

• Rain falls for 40 days and nights, and the waters churned for 150 days more before calming and beginning to recede "and in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat." Genesis 8.8.
• Israel came through the Red Sea on the 17th of Nisan having left at Passover on the 14th. For them this was death to their old life (with the drowning of the Egyptians) and resurrection to a new life, free from slavery. 
• The manna which had fed the nation of Israel for the 40 years in the wilderness stopped on the 16th of Nisan and from the 17th onwards Israel feasted on the new grain of the promised land (Josh 5:10-12). This again is a picture of the new life that came on the 17th!
• In Leviticus 23:5-7 -- Firstfruits works out to being on the 17th day of the 7th month.
• In Esther 3:1-12, A death sentence hung over the entire Israelite nation as their sworn enemy, Haman, had convinced the king to sign a decree to destroy them.  The decree went out on the 13th Nisan (Esther 3:12). Esther then proclaimed a three day fast (Esther 4:16) for the 14th, 15th and 16th. On the 3rd day (5:1) Esther approached the king saying to herself 'If I perish, I perish!' (an attitude of death or resurrection... it's in God's hands!) On the 17th Nisan, the tables were turned on the enemy Haman and instead of the Jews being destroyed, his own life was taken!
• The 10th of Nisan, in the week leading up to Yeshua's crucifixion, was Palm Sunday. It was on this day that He presented Himself to the Israelites as their Messiah. On Thursday the 14th of Nisan, in direct fulfilment of the Exodus 12 passage, He was slain. Finally, on the same day, the 17th day of the 7th month, Nisan, the day Noah's Ark came to rest, this happened:

Luke 23:1-8 'On the first day of the week (17th of Nisan), very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 

The Parshah of Noach concludes with a chronology of the ten generations from Noah to Abram (later Abraham).

Belowe is a messianic teaching regarding Noach is for Jew and Christian.

A deeper understanding of the time of the flood.

Epilogue:

During the Feast of Tabernacles, Sukkot, just before Parshah Noach, this billboard went up in in Palestinian Square in Tehran Iran. It was written boldly in Hebrew. It was a warning to Israel that "Another Storm is Coming." How terribly ironic! 

WORLD'S FIRST "JEW JOKE"

Dear Jewish Friends and Supporters:

GOD IS THE WORLD'S FIRST "COMEDIAN" AND THE FIRST JOKE IS "ON US."  

One could say Jewish humor is biblical and that the very first joke is a "Jew Joke" in an ironic way. His name is Isaac, "we laugh." 

Genesis 20:5-7 -- Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. And Sarah said, “God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh over me.” 

It's very easy to make fun of Jews! Or any group of people. Especially when the person making the jokes is somebody who belongs to the subject group they are making fun of.  THEN, the humor also encourages introspection and humility. The world needs more of that! This is one of the earliest lessons God gave us in the bible. 

There is also a profound basis for why so many of the great comedians have been Jews. The "world" has hated and tried to destroy us for thousands of years. We can cry or laugh about it. Jews do both! 

Proverbs 17.22 -- joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

I offer this short skit, called "Hide or Laugh" by an Israeli comedian as an example of how an Israeli Jew is helping Jews cope with the tragegic challenges. 

Tomorrow is Shemini Atzeret, which is also the one year anniversary of the biblical date of the Hamas massacre. We will cry and laugh. Laugh because, look who is surviving!  With God, all things are possible.

Be well,

Jonah

P.S. Should I apologize if my humor offends? Does God owe Sarah an apology? Does God owe Jews an apology? I think not. Actually, I think it is the other way around! Such is repentance.

THERE IS A TIME FOR EVERYTHING

Ecclesiastes 3.8 tells us there is: " a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace."  

We are living during one of these times! We always are. 

Ecclesiastes 3.1 -- There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:

During Sukkot, Jews read the Book of Ecclesiastes, also known as Kohelet.  

Ecclesiastes is attributed to King Solomon, King David's son. King Solomon's reign of 40 years was a time of great wealth and splendor for the Kingdom of Israel. Solomon surrounded himself with tremendous luxuries. According to the Bible, King Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines. 

ECCLESIASTES begins with:

1 The words of the Teacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem:  

2 Vanity of vanities, said Koheleth; vanity of vanities, all is vanity.

3 What profit has man in all his toil that he toils under the sun?

4 A generation goes and a generation comes, but the Earth endures forever.

Solomon is considered to be very wise and Ecclesiastes is one of the "wisdom books" in the Bible. (The others include Psalms, Proverbs, Song of Songs (Song of Solomon) and Job.)

The author's basic goal is to target all of the ways we try to build meaning and purpose in life apart from God and then let the teacher deconstruct them.

The Bible Project does a very intelligible analysis of Ecclesiastes. 

Click here to watch this animated overview.

After 12 chapters Kohelet concludes where he begins. 

"The end of the matter, everything having been heard, fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the entire man."

Like a sukkah, life is temporary. Life is hevel, meaningless. everything is hevel.  There you have it. Paradoxically, there is great lesson on finding joy. 

Happy Sukkot...Look up. 

More about Sukkot 

Celebrating the Lord's Guidance and Protection

"How lovely are your tents, O Jacob, your encampments, O Israel!"

Numbers 24.5

Numbers 24:3-5 -- He uttered his oracle and said: “This is the oracle of Balaam son of Beor, and the oracle of a strong man whose eye has been opened, the oracle of one hearing God’s speech, one seeing Shaddai’s vision, one fallen down, yet with open eyes: How lovely are your tents, O Jacob, and your dwellings, O Israel! 

The holiday of Sukkot is upon us.  Welcome to the most joyous holiday of the year!  The biblical mitzvah (commandment) of “rejoicing on the festivals” applies to both Pesach and Shavuot. Purim has plenty of joyous celebration too. But the festival of Sukkot tops the chart when it comes to joy (simcha). It's been said that on Sukkot we are "harvesting joy!"

Sukkot is one of the appointed times, the mo'adim, spelled out in chapter 23 of the Book of Leviticus of the Torah. 

Leviticus 23:33-36 -- Adonai spoke to Moses saying: “Speak to Bnei-Yisrael, and say, On the fifteenth day of this seventh month is the Feast of Sukkot, for seven days to Adonai.  On the first day there is to be a holy convocation—you are to do no laborious work. For seven days you are to bring an offering by fire to Adonai. The eighth day will be a holy convocation to you, and you are to bring an offering by fire to Adonai. It is a solemn assembly—you should do no laborious work.

In Genesis 12.2, "I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."

The root of Sukkot traces back to Genesis 33 which describes Jacob's encounter with Esau.  Jacob, who is renamed Israel, built a house and shelters for his livestock, and named the place Succoth. 

Genesis 33:16-17 -- So Esau returned that day on his way to Seir. But Jacob journeyed to Succoth, and built himself a house and made booths for his livestock. Therefore the name of the place is called Succoth. 

Fast forward to Egypt, after Joseph, to Moses, after the death of the first born males. After Passover, in Exodus 12:37 the Torah records, "And the people of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides women and children."

After 430 years, the Israelites passed through their doorways with the blood of lamb put on it's posts and lintel. This is the birth of the Jewish Nation.

The Israelites arrived in Sukkot, free from slavery. The Israelites could look up at the stars knowing that the mighty hand of God brought them out of Egypt as God promised Abram. At this moment in Sukkot, a biblical milestone in the story of the Jewish people was realized. 

Genesis 15:1-6 -- After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” But Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue[a] childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.” And behold, the word of the Lord came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.” And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.

Succoth is proof that God keeps His promises!

Genesis 15:12-14 -- As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. And behold, dreadful and great darkness fell upon him. Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions. 

They left Egypt. Here they were in the desert with no shelter and insufficient food and water, but God provided and protected them all the way to the Land He promised the people He chose.  After dwelling in Sukkot for a short time, the people moved on with God's protection as it says in Exodus 13.  How were they "equipped for battle" with the Egyptians that would pursue them?

Exodus 13:18-22 -- And the people of Israel went up out of the land of Egypt equipped for battle. 19 Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for Joseph[a] had made the sons of Israel solemnly swear, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones with you from here.” 20 And they moved on from Succoth and encamped at Etham, on the edge of the wilderness. 21 And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. 22 The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people.

As the scriptures read, the Shekinah's protection first appears for the Israelites in Succoth! It would guide them to the Promised Land, Eretz Yisrael. 

Once out of the desert and in Canaan, the land God chose for the Jewish people, the Jews are commanded to continue to keep Sukkot as a Harvest Festival as it is written:

Exodus 23:16 -- You shall keep the Feast of Harvest, of the firstfruits of your labor, of what you sow in the field. You shall keep the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather in from the field the fruit of your labor. 

The entire chapter of Exodus 34 is a rich reminder of the fall Harvest Festival and so much more! 

Finally in Deuteronomy 16:13-15, Moses is retelling the history and obligations of the Jewish people to the new generation that will enter the land.  We are told a final time to keep the holiday of Sukkot. 

“You shall keep the Feast of Booths seven days, when you have gathered in the produce from your threshing floor and your winepress. 14 You shall rejoice in your feast, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant, the Levite, the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow who are within your towns. 15 For seven days you shall keep the feast to the Lord your God at the place that the Lord will choose, because the Lord your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, so that you will be altogether joyful.

Sukkot In the Land with a Temple 

Now let's look at how Jews kept the holiday in the times when the Temple in Jerusalem existed. 

The Great Feast, as Sukkot was referred to, was a time to sacrifice many animals -- 192 bulls, rams and goats in all. That's a lot of blood!! To wash away that much blood took a lot water, and the priests drew a tremendous volume of water from the pool of Siloam in a water drawing ceremony.  

During Sukkot, there was a Water Libation (nisukh hamayim) ceremony based on Isaiah’s promise “With joy shall you draw water out of the wells of salvation.” The epitome of celebration in Temple times took place surrounding this water ritual: the Rejoicing (Simchat) at the Place of (Beit) the Water Drawing (Hashoavah).

Isaiah 12:2 -- "Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation." And with joy you shall draw water out of the wells of salvation. 

Each morning of Sukkot, the priests went to the pool of Siloam near Jerusalem to fill a golden flask. Shofar blasts greeted their arrival at the Temple’s Water Gate. They then ascended and poured the water so that it flowed over the altar simultaneously with wine from another bowl -- water and wine poured out together. 

The Talmud recorded that “one who had never witnessed the Rejoicing at the Place of the Water Drawing had never seen true joy in his life.” 

The Talmud describes the festivities in detail, from the lighting of immense candelabrum set in the Temple courtyard (each holding gallons of oil and fit with wicks made from priests’ worn‑out vestments), which generated such intense light that they illuminated every courtyard in the city. A Levite orchestra of flutes, trumpets, harps, and cymbals accompanied torchlight processions, and men who had earned the capacity for real spiritual joy through their purity, character and scholarship danced ecstatically to the hand‑clapping, foot-stomping, and hymn‑singing crowds.

Joy and Sadness are Intermingled on Sukkot 

Intermingled with the joy of Sukkot is a rather sober life lesson. Customarily, we read from the scroll of Ecclesiastes (in Hebrew: Kohelet), The scroll of Kohelet starts with the exclamation "havel havalim/vanity of vanities!" Upon reflecting over his illustrious life, Solomon summarizes that his life is empty and an meaningless.  "What profit is a person's work?"

Matthew 16:26 of the Gospels put it this way:

For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?

Interestingly, sad as the Book of Ecclesiastes is, this book mentions "Simcha" (Joy) more times than any other book in the Bible! 

On the 7th day of Sukkot, which is the 21st day of the month of Tishrei, Jews say Hoshana Rabbah. “Hoshana” means “please save us,” and “rabbah” means “great,” so the holiday refers to “the great salvation.” This is also known as the "Great Supplication."

On Hosanah Rabbah, the seventh day of Sukkot a series of seven liturgical poems calling upon God to rescue and redeem the Jewish people, primarily by sending rain.

Technically, Sukkot is a seven day feast holiday, but an eighth day is added (7+1). Some consider it part of Sukkot but Shemini Atzeret, (Hebrew: “Eighth Day of the Solemn Assembly”), is a Jewish religious festival on the 8th day of the 7 day holiday of Sukkot.  Shemini Atzeret is celebrated on the 22nd day of the Hebrew month of Tishrei in Israel, 

On personal tangent, I just blogged about 22 on Yom Kippur. 

The 22nd day of Tishrei is the same day the Jews also celebrate the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah (Joy of Torah). It's celebrated to mark the end of the annual cycle of reading the Torah in synagogues, and the beginning of a new cycle. On Simchat Torah the Torah scrolls are rolled back to the beginning and the reading starts over. 

Shemini Atzeret, the last day of the great feast, is considered the happiest day of the year in Judaism.

Sukkot After the Destruction of the Temple

After the destruction of Herod's Temple, without a place to make the sacrifices and draw the water, the rabbis formulated new ways to remember and celebrate Sukkot. 

This is how we got the tradition of building the temporary booth called a Sukkah. There are laws for a "kosher" sukkah. 

It is tradition to spend as much time as we can in the Sukkah, versus our home. We enjoy meals, prayers and spending time in the sukkah. The meaning of the sukkah.

The Torah commands us in the Book of Leviticus 23:40 -- And you shall take on the first day the fruit of splendid trees, branches of palm trees and boughs of leafy trees and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God seven days.

So in the Sukkah we bring those together: The Etrog (citron fruit), Lulav (frond of date palm) Hadass (myrtle bough) and Aravah (willow branch) and bind together and wave in the sukkah.  There is fascinating connections in Judaism, and even archeology, about the spices that are associated with the Four spices of Sukkot! More about the spices. 

The great rabbis debated what we are supposed to be celebrating on Sukkot.  Some say it is God's provision and protection in the desert during the Exodus. Other's say it is the temporary nature of the sukkah itself that is what is most important. Sukkot has powerful deep meanings. 

I like to believe it is both and that it all ties back to that place Jacob built animal shelters and where the Israelites traveled to when they left Rameses Egypt. 

Sukkot reminds of the fulfillment of God's promise to Abram. We are reminded of we were lead out Egypt and millions looked up in the sky as a free nation for the first time. That is when we dwelled in Sukkot for a short time and baked unleavened bread. Sukkot is the place the Lord's Shekinah came down shade them from the scorching sun by day and light their way by night as it lead the people to the sea and ultimately the land God promised. 

Of all the Jewish holidays, only the Feast of Tabernacles is specifically prophesied to be observed by ALL nations in the future. 

Zechariah 14:16-17 -- Then everyone who survives of all the nations that have come against Jerusalem shall go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Booths. And if any of the families of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, there will be no rain on them. 

THE DAY HAMAS ATTACKED ISRAEL IS THE SAME DAY THAT 2 CHRONICLES CHAPERT 7 IS ABOUT. 

2 Chronicles 7:22 --Then they will say, ‘Because they abandoned the Lord, the God of their fathers who brought them out of the land of Egypt, and laid hold on other gods and worshiped them and served them. Therefore he has brought all this disaster on them.’”

READ THE WHOLE CHAPTER!

I will add this for the Christian wondering if the holiday of Sukkot, the great Feast of Tabernacles, the Water Libation ceremony, the 8th Day of the Assembly and Simchat Torah, when Jews finish the Torah, have any relevant meaning for Christianity.  Read John Chapter Seven (7) 

John 7:37-38 -- On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’”

Miracles at The Pool of Siloam

John 9:5-7 -- As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” Having said these things, he spit on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man's eyes with the mud and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing. Read John Chapter Seven (9).

Good news...Yeshua's time had arrived! His hour was coming. Christian, can you think of reasons to be joyful?  Yeshua chose this holiday to declare Himself. The better you understand Sukkot, Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah the more I think you will understand why! 

Yom Tov! Chag Sukkot Sameach -- Happy Sukkot Holiday