Nitsavim-Vayelekh: Deuteronomy 31:12-13

 

As I read these 2 verses at the end of the 5th Aliyah this morning, I immediately thought of what Rabbi Sha'ul (Paul) said in Romans 10:17: "Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God."

    This is borne out by the wisdom of Solomon, who was a king and would have been the one to read the Torah to the people every 7 years, in Proverbs 22:6 : "Train up a child in the way he should go and he will not depart from it."

    The truth is that God's Word is a Living Word, just like God Himself. For it to have a positive effect on our lives, it has to be heard, learned and practiced, as a way of life, so that our children can see God's principles in action. I was not born into a Torah-observant lifestyle and only adopted it later in life, once my children were almost grown-up. The value of being part of the community of Torah-observant Israel is invaluable in imparting the truth to our future generations.

    Picture in your mind EVERYONE in Israel coming together every 7 years to hear the Torah read by the king and the men going home to help their families live that way. Plus all the other family and community values practiced on a daily basis, in homes and synagogues, in the street and in the field.

    We have sadly mostly lost this dynamic today. People seem more concerned about themselves than each other. Even though the second greatest commandment, according to Yeshua our Lord, and the 10 Commandments in Genesis, is "love your neighbour as yourself".

    1 Corinthians 12:26: "If one part of the body suffers, then all the other parts suffer with it. Or if one part of our body is honoured then all the other parts share its honour." Do we  believe this? Then that belief should be borne out by our actions. This concept is confirmed by Judaism's belief that we are all part of the same eternal soul. Remember that Yeshua was and is Jewish and is coming back as the king of the Jews. You can't get away with loving Him but not His people.

    At this time of Elul, I am discovering, as I do every year, that I have many faults and flaws. I am making an effort to reach out to individuals - of which the body consists - to appeal for forgiveness for those things that HaShem points out to me - as Yeshua said: "If you stand praying and there remember that your fellow has something against you, leave your gift there at the altar and go, make things right with your fellow, then come back and offer your gift." Matthew 5:2-24.

    And likewise Mark 11:25 (Yeshua talking): "And when you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him; so that your Father in heaven may also forgive your offenses."

    Yeshua the Jewish Rabbi and Saviour of the world, wasn't making up new ordinances, He was calling out the ones God had imparted at Sinai, which have been kept, some as the written Torah and some as the oral Torah, by the Israelites for over 3000 years. They have protected the Torah of God with their lives and we should be grateful to them. Without them and their fervour for the word of God, we wouldn't have a Bible today. If the Jews had been annihilated as a nation, there would be no Messiah to save us all.

    To love God is to love the Jewish people.

    Forgive, and be forgiven. Don't forgive, and you won't be either.

    We're almost at the end of Elul. Rosh Hashanah is next week Wednesday. Make the best use of the time that is left to both do as much teshuva as you can and forgive others as much as you can.

    May HaShem have mercy on us all.