תשפה

 Tav Shin Peh Heh

These are the letters of the year. 5784 became 5785 last week.

The thing to note about this is that the last 2 letters of this current year say  -  פה - "mouth".

Our mouths - tongues - are the problem. As Ya'aqov (James) said: "The tongue is set on fire by hell itself."

On Sunday past we commemorated the Fast of Gedalya, which marks the murder of Gedalya, which resulted from none other than jealousy and hate, which were fueled by words of slander and gossip. A severe lesson for us, if we will take note of it. Murder is the end result of evil speech.

    The Ten Days of Return can be compared to the Ten Commandments. The Ninth Commandment - "Do not testify as a false witness against your neighbour" - relates to the Ninth Day of the Ten Days of Return, this Friday, just before Yom Kippur.

    What does that mean for us?

Well, for starters, we need to carefully examine what comes out of our mouths, Twenty Four Seven.

    If we say we're going to do something, meet someone somewhere, we are making a vow. Broken vows are very serious to God. We should also not speak about other people behind their backs - that's called Lashon Harah - the evil tongue - and it's consequences are dire. Just imagine that you bad-mouthed someone. Now try and find everyone that heard that bad report. Impossible. It's like going to the top of a hill and cutting open a feather pillow and letting all the feathers fly off into the distance. Good luck finding all those feathers! It's the same with our words.

    As we witness the happenings in Israel, with each minute that passes it seems the return of the Messiah is imminent. We ALL need to ensure we are as prepared as possible to meet Him. A good place to start is showing Him we love Him in His Own Love Language - He said: "If you love Me, keep My commandments." 

    For years I asked what those commandments are. The best answer I got was "All of them". But what are those commandments? The Torah! Yeshua said: "I and the Father are One." He meant it. The Father's Commandments are His Commandments. Walk in the Torah!

    Shannah Tovah & Tsom Qal