Shalom Everyone,
I get several emails every week from people who say they do not have a Lapid or Messianic synagogue near them and they want to engage in Torah study each week with the Torah Portions. Many of which say they watch the teachings we do Monday night but also make note it is kinda one sided. Over a month ago we ran a test with the Zoom video conferencing app. Zoom is great but there are some drawbacks, first of all we could not live stream on our social media accounts such as Facebook and others without paying a $40 fee monthly, plus if you have an external microphone (as I do) it is a juggling act to get it connected and to keep it connected considering the app was not really designed for external microphones. Below is our first study we did and you can see an example of the first test study Now the Zoom app is great and the limitations are few, but we wanted to be able to stream live without paying an arm and a leg. So we signed up for BeLive which we have used in the past. Now we want you to be involved. We want people in the study and below you can sign up for the first official study which will take place October 5th 2018 at 8pm EST (7pm Central, 6pm MT, 5pm PST). Now with BeLive you don't have to sign up for a BeLive account, all you do is log in through facebook when you attend a study. The Apple and Google Play stores have the BeLive App if you wish to use a tablet or cell phone. Click the links below and they can be downloaded
With the BeLive platform we are able to not only connect with all of you to engage in the study, but also we are able to stream the study live through Facebook using Facebook live. We can also get questions from people who are "only watching" in real time and display them on the screen. Now if you are actually in the study and on camera then you do not have to watch it on Facebook you instead are on screen and can talk and engage in real time. Those who wish not to can watch through the live stream. Here is what it looks like below:
The example above has three people in the video but we can do up to 20, and so it will look slightly different with more than three people. Now a little about this study: In this weekly study Christopher Fredrickson will lead it off with a focus of the study or will ask, "what did you take away from this parshas this week?" "or do we have any questions about the Torah Portion?". The way it starts out will depend upon the number of people in the study. If there are 5 or below then we may start out with a particular verse or ideal in the Torah Portion to get it started. If we have more then we will start out with your input. When questions or asked or something is discussed Christopher mainly cites Jewish sources such as Talmud, the words of Rebbe Nachman or Schneerson, he also uses FFOZ's Torah Portion commentaries from the Torah club series as well as things from numerous Jewish sages. This study may be too jewish for some so keep that in mind. Ok I want to sign up but what do I need to do?
 Sometimes when I am cleaning my apartment I take my iPhone, put in my earbuds and listen to podcasts of other teachers to get a beat on what is happening in the affiliated faiths such as Judaism, Christianity, the Hebrew Roots Movement and Messianic Judaism. I like to find out what kind of things the bodies of faith(s) associated with Lapid Judaism are having to deal with.
Today, I did just this, and I was shocked that a podcast dealing with one of the faiths mentioned has an apologetics podcast, and I will not mention the name of the podcast nor the host, because I am sure the person who did this is a lovely person but I was shocked to hear one of the arguments happening in the selected faith was "Apple vs Windows", this persons apologetics podcast was about settling the apple vs windows debate. Why in the world is this even a thing? The thing that shocked me even more is the host then said the prophecy of Daniel 12:4 which states that "knowledge will increase" is talking about Bible apps and Bible computer software. I had to stop what I was doing and ask myself, "this has to be a parody this person cannot be serious". And come to find out this host was serious. Let me outline the huge flaw in this and the progression we have seen since the advent of these modern forms of technology. Many cite the formation of Messianic Judaism starting in the 60s, and stemming from the Hebrew Christians. Now, we can actually trace this back much further back with individuals such as Paul Phillip Levertoff and Isaac Lichtenstein who predate this idea by over 100 years and I am sure there are more. But lets skip ahead to today. If you look at what Messianic Judaism was in the 60s and 70s it is nothing like it is today. In fact, Lapid Judaism was created by Rabbi Yossi to bring Messianic Judaism back to what it was, as a fully Jewish and Rabbinic faith that the only difference between Hasidic Judaism today and Lapid Judaism of today is belief in Yeshua being the Messiah and the middle pillar of the sefirot of the G-dhead. Messianic Judaism and the Hebrew Roots today is a shadow of it's original self. Today, we have believers and influential teachers within both of those faiths teaching that the earth is flat, using various variations of the 4 letter name of G-d, and various variations of the name of the Messiah, even adding extra letters to it. We see, the racial identity theology of the Nazis known as Two House Theology being propagated, we see conspiracy theory taking over, we see various pet doctrines that are not only far off but dangerous within the represented faiths that shows a lack of understating of the basics of Scripture. We see big name teachers taking trips to Israel and having to bring, for themselves, translators. In the 1970s 80% of those attending a Messianic synagogue knew hebrew and/or took classes in Hebrew. A majority of the liturgy was in Hebrew. Today about 5% of attendees of Messianic synagogues know basic hebrew phrases. This is a problem. Where does it stem from? The issue stems from intellectual laziness that is thrust upon us in the technology age. We live in a time where popular Bibles can be imported into Microsoft Word and a find and replace option is used and words replaced to where a new translation comes out every few days with the protection of the 1993 parody law, which states that if 10% of a text is changed it then is considered an original work. This is where the sacred name theology really was birthed. We started to see knowledge DECREASE during this time. Skip forward 10 years later. In the early 2000s, you started to get Bible softwares like BibleWorks and e-Sword and others sprouting up. I personally started to really see things go down hill at this time. I found it odd previously that a Messianic synagogue I attended in Marion NC, used to tell congregants, "open your Holy Strongs Concordance to Strongs number _________". After leaving there, I attended Natzrim HaTorah in the Burke County area, and everyone there did not bring their Bibles they brought their laptops. We were told to "pull up your e-sword and go to______". Now at this time, I couldn't figure out the softwares people were using they were very complicated. You had to download modules and install them and then figure out how to go back and forth it was just very confusing. But I also didn't know any better at this time and thought, "well these are good resources I am sure, but I just don't know how to use them." Several years passed and I started learning semitic languages and I would carry my interlinear Bibles with me whenever I would attend various Torah studies. I attended a place called Shofar of Ephraim (yeah i was still 2 House at that time) and the "Rabbi" there, who didn't know Hebrew of course, did a sermon on one word from Jeremiah. And after the sermon I asked, "what codex was used that you cited that from?" And he said, "whatever the complete Jewish Bible says". I then pulled out Stone Edition Tanach, to show, "well the CJB relies upon these texts which use the Masoretic and that word is not used there." I then forked over $50 for a Strong Concordance for the reason of research. I then realized that the Strongs uses the English text and translations as though it were the base text and then works backwards, saying essentially "basically because the english says this then the Hebrew would be this". I found that because of that method almost 2/3 of the time Strongs was incorrect. Not only that but certain letters, James Strong didn't realize could make a variety of sounds, one would be the letter bet, he didn't know it makes 2 sounds based upon if it contains a dagesh or not, so even the transliterations within Strongs were hit and miss. And this, is what a majority of Bible software is based on. That is scary. Now, with this newer software builds upon the failed concepts, but adds other features. But with a faulty basis, the cards start to fall. But lets say you purchase Logos or Bible Accordance for the reasons of textural commentary. Now these programs offer many things in terms of textural commentary from both Jewish and Christian sources. They are highly revered software in the Messianic community. But with this provides another issue. Is my issue with the commentaries provided? Chas v"Shalom (G-d forbid)!. Here is my issue: Though my conversion and ordination, one thing that was taught was the journey to find what you are looking for for brings about da'at (knowledge) and chochmah (wisdom). I never understood that until I started to build my library for my radio show and for citation of writings I do. Anyone who knows anything about Talmud for instance knows that verses of the Bible are cited within the text, but it doesn't have an appendix, and this is for a reason. The reason is to engage in Daf Yomi and to learn many things along the way as you are searching for one thing in particular. I have spent hours at a time trying to find information in the Talmud and through that journey I am keeping notes and saying, "Oh wait I can do an entire radio episode on this in the future." I am often teased by my friends when they stop by because I have books sprawled out on my desk and my bed searching for citation. Many of you have probably noticed in my video teachings I always have a stack of books I am opening up when quoting commentary and other citation. The journey is important and valuable in true da'at and chochmah. Why? Because, not only does Hashem bless the hard work but you learn so much more along the way and what you find from having to do the hard work is valued and thus better remembered. There is time put into it. As the Bible says, "Do your best to shtel zich (apply yourself), to present yourself to Hashem as one approved, a po’el (workman) without bushah (shame), keeping on a derech yashar the Dvar HaEmes." (2 Timothy 2:15). This is key and vastly important. How so? Think about how many times you have eaten fast food. Now think of the best meal you have had in your entire life. Chances are it didn't come through a drive through. Chances are you either spent a lot of time preparing it and cooking it, and it took several tries to get it right, or someone else had made it and you had to wait for it to be prepared and they had to go through the tedious process of preparing it. If the best meal of your life is so dependent upon this formula, should we treat our study of the Scripture like a drive through? Chas v'Shalom! When you are diligent in actual study and don't rely on YouTube or Bible software, the journey is more fulfilling and the knowledge stays with you longer and is better applied. Because we have new technology, the assertion that knowledge is increasing at this point in time is very much a misnomer. In fact the evidence shows that it just means the guf hamashiach is just getting lazier and they are treating the Torah of Hashem like a $1 double hamburger through a drive through window. We live in a time to where people's attention spans are getting shorter and shorter because of technology, because of social media. Why is twitter so big? Because when it formed it limited you to only 140 characters. This reliance on technology influences study habits, and the most minimal amount of work possible. When we can type in key words and get the information we need instantly and we rely on that it is a symptom of a greater problem. Some may say, "well I rely on this because I don't have the money to buy the resources." That is nothing more than a lame excuse. And I will prove it. I work at a diner, I make less than 99% of the working population, I make minimum wage. Most people have an entertainment budget, they have a budget for their cable tv and a budget for vacations etc. Why aren't people who claim they live for Mashiach and for the Torah of Hashem not set aside a budget for their own resources to help them to study the Scripture diligently? Is the NFL package more important? I own 3 huge bookshelves full of books I can afford by setting a little back after paying my bills every month. That is where my exposable income goes. Because of it I own a set of Talmud and a set of Zohar as well. I also have a library of over 100 peer reviewed books from well known scholars. The fact is, no matter how small your income is, you can do it. Invest in your faith. Don't invest in being theologically lazy.  In Philippians 2:5-11 we have: Let this mind be in you which was also in Moshiach Yeshua. Who, though existing in the demut (likeness) of the mode of being of Elohim, nevertheless Moshiach did not regard being equal with G-d as a thing to be seized. But poured out and emptied himself, taking the demut (likeness)of the mode of being of an eved (servant), and was born in the likeness of Bnei Adam (Son of Adam), and having been found in appearance as an Adam, Moshiach Yeshua humbled himself and took the path of shiflut (lowliness), unto mishma'at (obedience) even unto death, and that, a death on HaEtz (the Tree). Therefore, also Hashem exalted Yeshua, and gave to him haShem (the name) above every name, That at haShem (the name) of Yeshua, kol berech (every knee) will bow, of beings b'Shomayim (in heaven) and ba'Aretz (in earth) and mitachat laAretz (in the world below), And kol lashon (every tongue) shall make hoda'ah (confession) with an Ani Ma'amin (I believe) that is an open and public admission that Yeshua is Adoneinu (L-rd), to the kavod (glory) of Elohim Avinu (G-d the Father).” (Philippians 2:5-11) Here we see Paul using very deep Jewish language that many take for granted in Christianity and the Messianic world of who it is Yeshua really is. There are many denying the divinity of the Messiah and the fact that he is indeed HaShem, because they haven’t studied Judaism. And many in the Hebrew Roots and Messianic world seek not to learn about the Jewish Messiah but rather have a goal to diminish the ideologies of their former religious institution. Now, I was reading this verse today, and I decided to look into my commentaries, (Stern’s Complete Jewish Commentary, the Complete Jewish Study Bible, and The Jewish Annotated New Testament, as well as David Daube’s The New Testament and Rabbinic Judaism, as well as Lightfoot’s From the Talmud and Hebraica) and didn’t find any Jewish citation at all whatsoever on this passage in relation to Rabbinic works. A lot of great scripture was given in these commentaries that showed the point but could be contested within Judaism in terms of the interpretation of the verses given. And this is to be expected given that within our Jewish faith we argue the scripture in order to grow and we have the arguments of the sages on these matters. So I went on a quest to find the Jewish citation on the matter. And I found something no one seems to ever mention. There is a concept in Kabbalah called Tzimtzum, and the word tzimtzum means “restriction” and in Zohar Beresheet A 8:41-44 in The section called “The Lock and Key” we are told about the tzimtzum. It says: During the process of creation, spiritual forces were unlocked ii order to ignite and propel the birth of the universe and the divine worlds. As the Zohar describes the procedure by which these forces were unleashed, we acquire the same power to unlock spiritual forces within ourselves.  “This paragraph also reveals another secret concerning the word Beresheet בראשית. When the word is broken down, two words are revealed: "Bara" and "Sheet," which means "created six." This refers to the spiritual realm of Zeir Anpin, which contains six Sfirot [dimensions]. All six dimensions [Chesed, Gvurah, Tiferet, Netzach, Hod and Yesod} are compressed and locked into the one realm called Zeir Anpin. With the emergence of superstring theory, modem physics has revealed a model of reality that resembles the Zohar's. Both the Kabbalist and the proponents of superstring theory agree that ten dimensions comprise reality, and that six of these dimensions were compacted into one at the moment of creation, or Beresheet.” (Zohar Beresheet A Intro)  Rabbi Chiya and Rabbi Yosi were walking along. As they reached a field, Rabbi Chiya said to Rabbi Yosi, what you have said that Bara Sheet (created six) IS ALLUDED TO IN THE WORD BERESHEET is certainly so. Because the supernal six days, THAT IS TO SAY, ONLY THE six EXTREMITIES OF BlNAH HAVE A BEARING on the Torah. WHICH IS ZEIR ANPIN, and no more. While the others, NAMELY THE UPPER THREE SFIROT OF BINAH are concealed. (Zohar Beresheet A 8:41)  But we have already seen in the hidden mysteries of Beresheet where he says that He who is holy and concealed engraved a certain form in His bowels, THE SECRET OF BlNAH, of a secret one, SECRET OF THE NUKVA OF ATIK, who is designated by a thrusting point. This engraving, WHICH WAS MOLDED IN BlNAH was incised and hidden in it. as someone who hides everything, locks it up, and puts the key away. This key is kept hidden in a certain chamber and although everything is hidden in that chamber, the most important thing is that key, which locks and unlocks everything! That chamber has a lot of hidden treasures one upon the other. In that chamber there are fifty gates, which are supposed to be closed, MEANING THAT THEY BLOCK THE FLOW OF LIGHTS. There are 49 gates engraved upon the 'four directions' of the world. One gate has no direction (side); it is not known whether it faces up or down. This is how this gate REMAINS closed. (Zohar Beresheet A 8:42-43)   Inside the gates is a lock with a tiny narrow keyhole this lock is marked AND KNOWN only by the impression of the key. And no one is to know about THIS NARROW KEYHOLE without having the key. And upon this secret IS BASED THE VERSE, "In the beginning (Heb. Beresheet) Elohim created (Heb. bara)" (Beresheet 1:1). Beresheet is the key by which everything is hidden, as it locks and unlocks. With this key six gates are locked and unlocked. So when it locks those gates and includes them within itself, then it is for sure Beresheet: a revealed word that includes within it a concealed word. Bara, wherever it appears, is a word that hides and guards a secret, IMPLYING THAT THE KEY locks it up and does not unlock it. (Zohar Beresheet A 8:44) And if we continue in the Zohar, as it continues to talks about the premise of tzimtzum we then come across this passage in Zohar Beresheet A 10:49:  Rabbi Chiya prostrated himself on the earth, kissed the dust and cried out, Dust, dust how stiff-necked (stubborn) you are; how shameless you are that all the delights of the eye perish within you! You consume all the beacons of light in the world and grind them. How impertinent you are. The Holy Luminary that illuminated the world; the great leader who governs the entire world and whose merit sustains the world is consumed by you? Rabbi Shimon, the Light of the Illumination, the Light of the Worlds! You perish in the dust while you sustain and govern the world! He then fell into a reverie for a moment and said. Dust, dust, be not proud! Because the pillars of the world will not be delivered into your hands; and Rabbi Shimon shall not be consumed by you (Zohar Beresheet 10:49) Now, it is interesting the constant mention of “dust” in this passage which, the text also says chapter 10 is talking about the Messiah as seen in the picture below. Here is why this is important. The word for dust used here is עַפְרָא (aphra) which is the Aramaic version of the Hebrew word אדמה (adamah: meaning, dust, earth, dirt, ground). Now the Zohar goes back and forth between Hebrew and Aramaic. Now when you see a switch from a concept being talked about that is basically identified you see the clue is to hide it by switching languages to give you the answer. You will actually use the language not used to get the answer in terms of what the secret is to be revealed. It sounds complicated but if you know Semitic languages the patterns are very predictable in terms of that in the Zohar. Now the reason this is interesting is because of the various definitions and also their application. Let us go to Genesis 2:7: וַיִיצֶר יְהוָה אֱלֹהִים אֶת-הָאָדָם עָפָר מִן-הָאֲדָמָה וַיִפַּח בְּאַפָּיו נִשְׁמַת חַיִים וַיְהִי הָאָדָם לְנֶפֶשׁ חַיָה: Vayitzer Hashem Elohim et ha’adam afar min ha’adama vayipach be’apav nishmat chayim vayhi ha’adam le’nefesh chaya. In which the Gutnick Chumash renders: God, Almighty made man out of soil from (the four corners) of the Earth. He blew into his nostrils a living soul, and man became a living, (thinking and speaking) being. (Genesis 2:7; The Gutnick Chumash) Even if you don’t know Hebrew you can see something going on between the words, הָאֲדָמָה (ha’adama) and הָאָדָם (ha’adam). The word הָאֲדָמָה you know, it means the dust, earth, soil and ground. But extract the ה and you have the word הָאָדָם (the man). Man came from dirt showing us the concept of tzimtzum in many ways through the language. Now let’s break all this down, since we have set the stage. Now the concept of "dust" coming from the hebrew אֲדָמָה is a reduction to formulate something great אָדָם (Adam: The father of all humanity). Now it is interesting that the Bible refers to Yeshua as the second Adam: So also it has been written, "vay'hi HaAdam l'nefesh Chaya" (and the first man became a living soul); but Adam HaAchron (the last Adam) became a Ruach mechayeh (life giving spirit). (1 Corinthians 15:45) The concept mentioned in Philippians 2 of Mashiach emptying himself and taking on the form of אָדָם is the definition of tzimtzum. Now this concept is in relation to Zeir Anpin lets see if the Zohar says anything else in terms of Zeir Anpin.  The correctlons of Zeir Anpin were established through the Corrections of Arich Anpin, and His Corrections unftirled from this side and this side, MEANING FROM_RIGHT, LEFT AND CENTER, like the countenance of man'. MAN IS INDICATIVE OF THE CENTRAL COLUMN THAT INCLUDES ALL THREE COLUMNS in order that the spirit of the concealed of all concealed, THAT IS ARICH ANPIN, wffl reign in him. So he will sit on the throne, WHICH IS MALCHUT, since it is written: "And upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it" (Yechezkel 1:26). 'The appearance of a man," MEANING LIKE THE FACE OF A MAN, that comprises all aspects, SINCE THE THREE FACES, LION, OX, EAGLE, ARE CONTAINED IN MAN'S COUNTENANCE. THAT IS FROM THE ASPECT OF MALCHUT WITHIN HIM, SINCE MAN ENCOMPASSES Zeir Anpin AND MALCHUT. IT IS ALSO "the appearance of a man," as it includes all the names, BECAUSE ZEIR ANPIN is CALLED YUD HEI VAV HEI THAT INCLUDES ALL THE NAMES. 'The appearance of a man" in which are sealed all the worlds above and below, SINCE IT is THE SECRET MEANING OF THE CENTRAL COLUMN THAT SEALS ALL THE REALMS IN THE ASPECT OF THE FIRST THREE SFIROT OF MALCHUT BY DIMINISHING THE LEFT COLUMN. SO IT SHOULD NOT ILLUMINATE EXCEPT FROM BELOW UPWARDS. ALSO, "the appearance of a man" that he includes the secrets that were expressed and established prior to the world's creation, MEANING in THE SEVEN KINGS IN THE FORMLESS WORLD, even though THEY WERE DESTROYED AND did not endure. (Zohar Naso 24:172) Now we see here the concept of G-d in the flesh is not outside of Judaism. In fact Zeir Anpin is the most mentioned aspects of Sefirot in the Zohar, and the Zohar is one of the holiest collection of books within Hasidic Judaism. Now our only source cannot be the Zohar, we also have understand what Paul understood and what was taught in Pharisaic realms in Paul's time which influenced his understanding and his words. To do this we are gonna go to Pirkei Avos: "Moshe received the Torah from Sinai, and transmitted it to Yehoshua; and Yehoshua to the Elders; the Elders to the Prophets; and the Prophets transmitted it to the Men of the Great Assembly, They (the Men of the Great Assembly) said three things: Be diligent in judgement; develop many disciples; and make a fence around the Torah." (Pirkei Avos 1:1) Now on the biggest commentaries on Pirkei Avos is by the Maharal of Prague, it is known a Derech Chaim. Here is what the Maharal says about Pirkei Avos 1:1  It seems superfluous for the mishnah to count how many things were said; after all, we can easily count them ourselves. The mishnah states "They said three things" to teach that the remedy consists of precisely three parts. No less would be adequate and no more are required. The number three is characteristic of a complete entity. An entity consists of three parts: two opposite extremes and an intermediate part that joins with those extremes to form a unified whole.
(Derech Chaim, Maharal pg. 13) This is a core part of Judaism that we find within only a few lines from the beginning of the Torah. כו. וַיֹאמֶר אֱלֹהִים נַעֲשֶׂה אָדָם בְּצַלְמֵנוּ כִּדְמוּתֵנוּ וְיִרְדוּ בִדְגַת הַיָם וּבְעוֹף הַשָׁמַיִם וּבַבְּהֵמָה וּבְכָל-הָאָרֶץ וּבְכָל-הָרֶמֶשׂ הָרֹמֵשׂ עַל-הָאָרֶץ: Vayomer Elohim na’ase adam betzalmenoo kidmootenoo veyirdoo vidgat hayam oovof hashamayim oovabehema oovchol ha’aretz oovchol haremes haromes al ha’aretz. And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps (Genesis 1:26) Now, the "us" in "Let us make man in our image" is often speculated, devoid of Jewish theological sources. Some say it is the angels, some say other heavenly beings. Yet, we see the word אֱלֹהִים is used there, which is a huge indication showing a singular plural of G-d. And it is actually in relation to sefirot when it says "we", the 3 pillars of the Sefirot. The right hand side is Ruach HaKodesh the left is G-d the Father and the middle pillar is Yeshua, which encapsulates the tzimtzum and Zeir Anpin. Be on the lookout for a radio episode on this premise, you can check to see if said episode is posted on-demand yet by clicking the button below:  I recently read this article entitled, "Is Your Church Christian or Christianish?" Now let me be clear I don't know the author of this article. I am sure he is a wonderful person with a heart for the L-rd, but I also see a talking point nature in society that has horribly caused my Christian brethren to go astray. This is apparent as you will see from my words added to the original article (my words as a response in bold font) how things are said but not properly researched or believed. Thus, it is a talking point.Here we go: Three little letters make a world of difference. Together i, s, and h distinguish Christian from Christianish and mark the difference between right and wrong, life and death, heaven and hell. There is nothing better for your spiritual wellbeing than to be in a Christian church. There is nothing worse for your spiritual wellbeing than to be in a Christianish church. Here are a few marks of each. (Even better would be a part of a Biblical synagogue *Acts 15:21* considering that is where the New Testament says the Word of G-d is taught and heard) A Christian church teaches the Bible. It is committed to the inerrancy, sufficiency, clarity, and authority of the Word of God and therefore preaches it week by week with confidence and consistency. A Christianish church teaches about the Bible. It is committed to imparting life lessons and uses the scriptures as a starting point to teach people how to live lives of success and fulfillment. (Now first of all if the Christian church were "committed to the inerrancy, sufficiency and clarity and the authority of the Word of G-d" then why do they throw 2/3 of it out the window and ignore the words of the Messiah in Matthew 5:17-21, Romans 7:12, Deuteronomy 13:1-11, Romans 3:2, Matthew 23:1-3, John 4:22? Now life lessons are important to the body of Messiah, nothing connects a person more to the Bible and the faith given to us by the Creator than by making it tangible and relatable to the people) A Christian church admits the deep depravity of human beings. It acknowledges that we are all deeply disordered so that not one of us has even the least righteousness to plead before God. A Christianish church proclaims the inherent goodness of humanity. It acknowledges that we aren’t what we could and should be, but encourages us to believe that with enough effort we can get there. (We have both a yetzer hara (evil inclination) and a yetzer hatov (Inclination of good) both should be discussed and taught not one being exclusive) A Christian church makes its core declaration the finished work of Christ. The good news of grace frees us from the impossible task of earning our own salvation and instead simply receives what Christ has already accomplished. A Christianish church has its core declaration the unfinished work of humanity. The bad news of works becomes the brutal and impossible path to impressing God with deeds that will catch his eye and win his favor. (So.....basically the Christian Church and the Christianish Church are in agreement, they just say it differently? Yet the entire first two chapters of the book of James say that works are the product of faith, the Messiah says "If you love me keep my commandments" (John 14:15), apparently by the Christian and Christianish's Churches standards the Messiah was teaching people to earn their salvation. Us Jews get attacked with this phrase "earning your salvation" all the time yet, here we have another talking point that is based in zero biblical basis....I thought the Christian church relied on the Bible for it's authority. They must have skipped over Philippians 2:12 which states, "Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed--not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence--continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling". And I would ask the author what he thinks, "it is finished" actually means in John 19:30. When I am accused of "trying to earn my salvation" I say, no, I do what the Bible says because I love G-d and he has blessed me, Romans 10:9 and Romans 4:1-8) A Christian church proclaims the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ. Believing that our sin has provoked the just wrath of God, it declares in awe that the Son of God willingly took our sin upon himself and absorbed the full fury of the Father’s wrath. A Christianish church proclaims the wrathless love of God and the exemplary life of Jesus Christ, upholding Christ as the ultimate example of what a human being can and should be. (G-d has 72 attributes through his 72 names in the Bible, neither concept is mutually exclusive, yet we do see mention of a progression of Abraham Isaac and Jacob mentioned in the Bible several times (Matthew 22:32, Exodus 3:6, Matthew 8:11, Exodus 32:13, the list goes on an on). Why Abraham first? Because he represents chesed (loving kindness). That is the foundation of all of faith as noted by the Messiah as well in Matthew 22:37-39) A Christian church preaches the gospel of justification by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. It calls people to repent of their sins and turn to Jesus Christ for forgiveness. A Christianish church preaches a gospel of social justice or personal prosperity. It calls people to right social wrongs or to claim financial enrichment, to repent only of insufficient action or insufficient faith. (Justification....GREAT....now define sin for me...Romans 7:7 says sin is deviating from the law, what then does this guy think sin is?) A Christian church gathers each week to worship the God of the Bible according to the Bible. Knowing their desperate need for divine wisdom, they read the Bible, preach the Bible, pray the Bible, sing the Bible, and fellowship around the Bible. A Christianish church gathers each week for empowerment or entertainment. Their services are shaped more by pop culture or personal preference than by holy Scripture. (No argument here) A Christian church preaches the exclusivity of Jesus Christ. It echoes scripture in saying Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life and that there is no other way to be reconciled to the Father but through him. A Christianish church insists Jesus Christ may be a way but not the way, and proclaims instead that all roads lead ultimately to the same destination. (Jesus is indeed the way, the truth and the life, and I am glad near the end of the article Scripture was actually used here. But to preach exclusively on Jesus is ripping out 3/4 of the Bible shouldn't the entire Bible be taught as it is what the author says the Christian church does.....so which is it?) A Christian church proclaims the existence of heaven and hell. It takes hold of the authority of the Bible to plead with people to turn to Christ and be saved from destruction. A Christianish church affirms an afterlife but denies the possibility of eternal punishment for those who have chosen to reject the free offer of the gospel. (The Christianish church is actually in the right here, because no where does it say "hell" is eternal, infant the word "hell" doesn't appear in the greek nor hebrew nor aramaic, no manuscript, the two words used are Sheol which means death, and the word Gehinnon which was a garbage dump that was used to burn trash. The ideal of "hell" that the church adopted was not from the Bible but instead from Dante's Inferno, which was a comedic play. When Gehinnon is used it is used as a parable, as a teaching not in actual history or theology. In fact Malachi 4:3 takes an approach of an instant death of the evil and wicked, it says we will be walking on their ashes. I thought the Bible was the authority, and not some comedic play centuries later. But hey, it scares the "hell" out of enough people to get them to pay that tithe right? But wasn't that a part of the law....ya know the thing that they say was done away with?). There is nothing in all the world as precious as a truly Christian church. There is nothing in all the world as dangerous as one that is merely Christianish. Choose your church well. (I think I will stick to a Biblical assembly instead)  There is a bad theology out there that has become prominent and it deals with the word את (Et). What is the word “Et”?
People think it contains mystical meaning about the Messiah because for one it is not translated and two it is made up of the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet. So they automatically relate it to the Greek “Alpha and Omega” thinking that when you see the את in your internlinear it is speaking of the Messiah. This is just horrible theology and let me show why. First of all, the את is an object pointer showing which noun is receiving the action. Take for instance Genesis 1:1 which reads: בְּרֵאשִׁית, בָּרָא אֱלֹהִים, אֵת הַשָּׁמַיִם, וְאֵת הָאָרֶץ (Beresheet Bara Elohim Et HaShamayim v’et HaAretz) Now the action here is the word בָּרָא (Bara) which means “to create”. Now did the בְּרֵאשִׁית (beginning) create אֱלֹהִים (Elohim)? No that is ridiculous. So and את is there to show it is Elohim doing the creating by pointing to the word HaShamayim through the Et. Now we also have a second Et in this verse with the word וְאֵת (v’et) and the ו signifies “and” and then it has the את to show that הָאָרֶץ (the earth) was ALSO created by Elohim. Without the Et you don’t know what created what. It could be that the beginning created Elohim or that HaShamayim created the beginning or HaAretz created Elohim etc. The את is simply a grammatical pointer nothing more. In fact when Yeshua is said to be the first and the last in the gospels and the New Testament The Hebrew is Rishon v’Acharon. And the Aramaic is Rishoni w’Achraya never does it say את.  A question I have received often the past few months is a concept spoken about often in the writings of Breslov writers. Which is the concept of “reincarnation”. This concept is found often in Rabbi Shalom Arush’s book The Garden of Emuna and the Women’s Wisdom (so I am told in terms of Women’s Wisdom).
When we go through any concept in religious theology we have to find its origin and the earliest writings and witnesses of the theology. We search this out to get our internal evidences and then we seek out the surrounding world to understand the external evidences to form a hypothesis and a scholarly conclusion. With this concept it has become difficult. Our earliest mentions of this concept. Can be seen in the gospels: “But, from the days of Yukhanan Mamdana {John, the Immerser/the Baptist}, and up to right now, The Malkutha d'Shmaya {The Kingdom of the Heavens} is taken by force, and the violent are seizing her. For, all The Nabiye {The Prophets}, and The Uraytha {The Law}, have prophesied until Yukhanan {John}. And if you will receive it, this is EliYa {Elijah} who is destined to come.” (Matthew 11:12-14; The Aramaic Scriptures) And: “As a time to die is placed upon each of mankind, and from after death, the judgment,” (Hebrews 9:27; The Aramaic Scriptures) Now, it seems we have conflicting report here. In the gospels and the traditional Pesach Seder we have a “return of Elijah” being prophesied. And the author of iggaret ivrim (the book of Hebrews) we have a hard no in terms of reincarnation. So we have a real conundrum here. We may not be able to answer all these questions in this quest and you may be shocked to find that this article in many ways concludes on a note of being open ended. But we are gonna our best to go through the thought process and see if we can pin down the theology to some respect. Usually, in terms of Jewish Theology, I tend to refer to Talmud and Tosefta, I try and go back to the earliest of extra-biblical (yet binding) in terms of Jewish theological documents such as Talmud and Tosefta. This however, presented an odd challenge, because nowhere in these documents do we find mention of “reincarnation”. Why is this so shocking? Because all Jewish theology starts from two places. First the Tanach, then the Mishna. Now, the Gemara could introduce a concept and it can make its way into Jewish life but the Gemara is not binding to theology as Mishna is. But nowhere in these ancient Jewish documents be it Mishnah or Gemara do we find a concept of reincarnation. The earliest mention of this concept we find in the Zohar. Now, this is odd because even the concepts of the Zohar, being mystical in nature have to have a precedent in which they stand on from earlier documents. So when our primary document is a text that requires the use of 32 hermeneutical rules to properly interpret, we have an even bigger conundrum. But, again, we are gonna attempt to do justice to the analysis of this concept. When I looked at book 23 of my set of Zohar, which is the book of the Index, I discovered that it is mentioned several times in the Zohar. Upon inspection of the passages recorded in the Zohar that mention “reincarnation”, I found this: I noticed all of the passages in the Zohar mentioning “reincarnation” are mentioned in a way that seems as though we should be familiarized with this ideal. It doesn’t take the time to explain it, it seems like an ideal that is just accepted, known, and as basic as the question of “how many fingers are on your right hand?” Looking at the Hebrew we see יָמוּת מָשִׁיחַ בֶּן אֶפְרַיִםדּוֹחהַ (yamot mashiach ben Ephraim docha) which literally means “the Messiah son of Ephraim dies and rejects (death) not “reincarnates”. This can seem frustrating realizing the translation is not literal but it does help us with context. If the concept is derived from such wording then we can then start to move forward when realizing the word “reincarnation” is actually not mentioned in the Hebrew or Aramaic. Often times we find מוּת(Mot) or מֶוֶת (Mevet) meaning “death” so the concept of reincarnation is tied to an attribute of “death” or “dying” that is pre-established. The thing that is interesting in this find is the fact we have phrasing that also helps us date the Zohar. Let’s segway into the debates of its dating and how this phrase brings more to life than we realized it would. The debate that has been going on for centuries is either the Zohar was indeed written by Simeon Bar Yochai in the 2nd Century, or it was written by Moses de Leon in the 16th century. The debate has gone on, after de Leon’s widow claimed her husband had written it. Scholarship had really been split on this for a while, but this passage from Zohar Mishpatim offers us a major clue. The term “יָמוּת ______ דּוֹחָה” was a term used before a certain Hebrew word came into existence. The word not yet in existence was תְקוּמָה(Techiyah: meaning Resurrection). This word had not yet come into existence. In fact the term Mot _____ Dochah was used even in the tosefta. This phrasing forced a word to come into existence to classify what was being talked about. And in Avodah Zarah 14 and Sanhedrin 90-92 we see this word תְקוּמָה sprout up. Also within the Zohar we see Hebrew and Aramaic mingled in with each other which was common for the 1st-6th century, not so much afterwards, with the exception of terms like Bar Mitzvah as opposed to Ben Mitzvah. But this word מָשִׁיחַ is Aramaic for the Hebrew “Mashiach”. Now the Aramaic term Mashikha as used in the Zohar here. This was prominent as well till the 6th century. After that time the term “Mashiach” was used in both Hebrew and Aramaic texts and the term Mashikha, was not. Some cite that the grammar of the Zohar was sloppy, when we investigate this it really isn’t so. Hebrew and Aramaic share similar grammar but not exact. A well learned Jew during the time of the 2nd Century such as Simeon Bar Yochai would be weaving in and out of Hebrew and Aramaic with a fluidity and changing of grammar which was common for the 2nd Century as The Hebrew language was only known by the highly educated and religious leaders. This continued to be the case until the days of Eliezer Ben Yehudah who was considered a heretic for bringing the Hebrew language to the common people for the first time since before the Babylonian exile. Now, Moses de Leon was a learned man, but from the limited historical accounts of him, other than the claim of his widow, we really have no evidence to suggest he knew Hebrew. For as a Spanish Rabbi, most at that time spoke Aramaic as well as Spanish and maybe a little French. It would be essentially impossible for de León to be able to model his text with the exactness of idiomatic expression used in the days before the gospels. And to write with the fluidity we find prominent with 2nd Century Judaism. This is where we have a theological split that is based on the idea of when the Zohar was written. If a person believes that the Zohar was written by de Leon, then the idea is the term techiyah was in existence, and given the Zohar is a mystical text, one can say that de Leon brought about a Jew term signifying reincarnation. But, if one believes that Bar Yochai wrote the Zohar then the term would indicate a use of phrasing used for techiyah before the word techiyah was invented, signifying “resurrection”. This now should craft our ideology in terms of the New Testament passages put to us at the start of this article. Let us remember that the idea of reincarnation is not found in the Torah She BikTav, Torah She Be’al Peh, Ketuvim and Nevi’im. Let us make an educated assumption based on the New Testament texts that would give credence to a later interpretation from some who read the Kabbalists texts. Let’s look at passage mentioned previously: “But, from the days of Yukhanan Mamdana {John, the Immerser/the Baptist}, and up to right now, The Malkutha d'Shmaya {The Kingdom of the Heavens} is taken by force, and the violent are seizing her. For, all The Nabiye {The Prophets}, and The Uraytha {The Law}, have prophesied until Yukhanan {John}. And if you will receive it, this is EliYa {Elijah} who is destined to come.” (Matthew 11:12-14; The Aramaic Scriptures) Here, again it seems to make a case for reincarnation. But notice Paul’s words: “As a time to die is placed upon each of mankind, and from after death, the judgment,” (Hebrews 9:27; The Aramaic Scriptures) What can we conclude? Well, notice even in Judaism at the Seder Haggadah reading during Pesach a child is asked to open the door and check to see if Elijah is there. Why....Elijah? Why not Moses, why not Avraham, why not someone mentioned in the Torah? Why not a greater prophet? Because, Elijah didn’t die. The finite spirit of Elijah had not passed away. But Elijah did at some point have to taste death, and he did when John was killed by the Romans. Have you noticed as well that Christians and Hebrew Roots people also teach reincarnation? Oh yes. How many times have you heard that Revelation 11’s two witnesses are dead biblical figures? That they reincarnate, and then get killed a second time and then resurrect? This simply cannot be because otherwise we would be stepping right into idolatry that was worshipped in Egypt with the worship of the dead. The Aramaic however of the Crawford Manuscript of the book of Revelation gives us some insight. The word used for “witnesses” is actually a Hebrew word which is עֵדִים. Now why would an aramaic text use a Hebrew word here? To make ya look at it more closely. Much in the same way we have Aramaic words in the book of Genesis to do that very thing. Now the word עֵדִים (edim: witnesses) is used in Yoma 28b of the Talmud, Shabbat 31a, and Likutei Sichoth, vol. 31, p. 137 I’m discussing the tablets from Sinai that Moses came down with. They are referred to as עֵדִים in relation to one עֵד being the written Torah and the other being the Torah which is Oral. This makes much more sense considering the context of Revelation 11. Would Moses, Enoch, John, Elijah, any of the dead prophets be in the courts of the Gentiles? They are jews. This would make no sense whatsoever. Instead, the witnesses are the written and Oral Torah. Not prophet reincarnated. Notice we see a period of them being deceased (3 days: 3 representing completeness) for the Torah of HaShem (written and Oral) to be resurrected to the Gentiles. This is one of the prophecies that Chabad says that Schneerson has fulfilled in terms of Jeremiah 31. And yet we will see that these two witnesses will do greater things in the knowledge of the written and the Oral Torah through the prophecies of the talmid of Yeshua in Revelation 11. In conclusion, i would say this is one of the very few times I am in disagreement with my Breslov brethren. It doesn’t happen often. But, in terms of the concept of “reincarnation” I would say Breslov and Rabbi Arush, because of this concept are not batting 1000 but I would say there is little else I am in disagreement with in the theology of Hasidis. And that is allowed considering that later interpretation is not bound to halakha.  “And Elohim spoke unto Moshe, and said unto him, I am Hashem; And I appeared unto Avraham, unto Yitzchak, and unto Ya’akov, as El Shaddai, but by My Shem Hashem I did not make Myself known to them.”
(Exodus 6:2-3; The Orthodox Jewish Bible) Now, with this verse many see it as a source text for sacred name theology and propagating of it. But is it? Within the mishna it says: “He was sentenced to be burned to death, for he had pronounced the Divine Name as it is spelled out. But how could he have done such a thing, and have we not learned in the Mishnah: All Israelites have a share in the world to come, as it is said. “Your people also shall be all righteous they shall inherit the land forever; the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified" (Isiah. 60:21). And these are the ones who have no portion in the world to come: (1) He who says, the resurrection of the dead is a teaching which does not derive from the Torah, (2) and the Torah does not come from Heaven; and (3) an Epicurean. R. Aqiba says, "Also: He who reads in heretical books, and he who whispers over a wound and says, 'I will put none of the diseases upon you which I have put on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord who heals you" (Exodus 15:26)." Abba Saul says, "Also: he who pronounces the Divine Name as it is spelled out" [M. San.10:1A-G].” (Avodah Zarah 18a) So, we seem to have a contradiction based upon the word of HaShem, and also what the Sanhedrin ruled which HaShem said to listen and do as they say or the penalty of death (see Deuteronomy 17), so how do we reconcile what seems to be a contradiction? Let’s look at this history of Jewish thought on this concept from Rebbe Schneerson of Chabad and Revve Nachman of Breslov as well as Rashi. Moshe served God primarily through intellect which Is why the Torah—God's wisdom—was transmitted through him. The Patriarchs, on the other hand, served God primarily through emotion. Since the primary emphasis of the Patriarchs' Divine service was not intellectual, they never found a need to question God or challenge Him for an explanation of His actions. Only Moshe, whose focus was intellectual, demanded to know, "Why have You mistreated this people?" (Exodus 5:22). Thus, Moshe's question was not inappropriate. An inability to understand God's actions would have weakened Moshe's Intellectual bond with his Maker. So, Moshe asked God, "Why have You mistreated this people”, not as a challenge, but rather, in an attempt to come closer to God. God replied, "With My (true) name "Adonoy" (Havayeh), I did not become known to them." The Tetragrammaton, "Havayeh", transcends all limitations. Thus, God was replying to Moshe, "Do not serve me with intellect alone. Temper your intellect with emotion and faith so that you serve Me without limitation.” (Based on Likutei Sichos vol. 3, p. 854) “The argument between God and Moses about redeeming the jews was rooted in Moses- perception of the truth Though God sent him to redeem the Jews (see exodus 4). Moses was reluctant. believing that each person's perception of truth was too great an obstacle to overcome. He saw Pharaoh enslave an entire nation with false claims. He saw Datan and Aviram advocate for the Jews as if they were interested in helping them. How could he ever undertake to reveal the real truth in the world? Exasperated, he turned to God and said, "Why have You perpetrated this evil to Your nation?" (Exodus 5:22). God rebuked him. “I appeared ro Abraham, Isaac and Jacob." The Patriarchs were the first to reveal Godliness in the world, but this revelation did not take place all at once. The revelation of truth is an ongoing process, one that can take many generations. However, each person is required to contribute his share. "I did not reveal to them My Name יהוה-for they Knew only the Holy Name Shaddai they were not fully aware of God's Holy Name יהוה. which implies His true measure of compassion (Rashi). That is the patriarchs were not privy to God's awesome levels of truth, yet they did not question God. But you. Moses, have attained a his and deeper revelation of God, and you question Me. No matter how great a revelation a person attains, God and His truth remain unfathomable. G-d taught Moses to continually seek the inner truth of whatever was taking place around him, and not to despair if he saw things getting more difficult” (Likutey Halakhot IV, p 408-205a-410-206a) “When one’s awareness is in exile, his speech (which is the expression of awareness) is in exile as well. It is then very difficult for him to recognize God, and as a result, God’s compassion remains hidden from him.” (Likutey Moharan I, 56:7) This concept outlined by the heads of the 2 biggest sects of Hasidic Judaism agree with the words of the Messiah and gives us greater context to what Messiah meant when he said: “Then He said unto them, “EshaYa Nabiya {Isaiah, the Prophet} prophesied well about you nasbay {hypocrites}! As which is written that, “This Ama {People}, the same, myaqar {honor} Me with their sephutheh {lips}, but, their leba {heart} is very distant from Me.” (Mark 7:6; The Rabbinic Gospel of Mark and the Aramaic Scriptures) Many who focus on the 4 letter name of God (יהוה) do not know what it represents. For within the Tanach alone we have 72 names for God. Have you noticed that the sacred name movement doesn’t focus on the other 71 names, and they cannot decipher nor do they attempt to show that the 4 letter name represents. Each name of God is a different attribute of God to help us see Him more fully. But there are parts of God that require both emotion and intellect as well as obedient to unlock. When it is discovered, it is Holy and set apart, it is not common and it is closely guarded. To the sacred name movement the 4 letter name of God is not Holy, it is not set apart, and it is as common as the name Bob. This signifies deep spiritual issues that one cannot break until they connect with HaShem in a way that is realizing His authority, His Love, His Judgement etc.  The Zohar says in Zohar Vaera 1:5:
Therefore the verse says, "trust in Hashem forever" (Yeshayah 26:4), which is Zeir Anpin. For from there up, namely chochmah and binah, which are above zeir anpin, the place is covered and hidden, as none can conceive it. It is a place from which the worlds, which are male and female, emerge and are formed. This is the meaning of: "For Yah Hashem is an everlasting rock." Yah is chochmah, יהוה is binah, and they design and produce the worlds that are male and female. This place is hidden and concealed. Therefore, the scripture says, "Trust in Hashem forever (Heb. adei ad)," to teach that up to here, to zeir anpin which is called “ad”, everyone is permitted to observe. From here and further, meaning in chochmah and binah as mentioned, no one is permitted to observe because it is concealed from everyone. And what is the place that is prohibited to be observed-it is Yah, יהוה, which are chochmah and binah whence all the worlds were formed, and no one is able to understand that place, in order to conceive anything.” (Zohar Vaera 1:5) Now this may seem complicated. But if we go to Derech Chaim. The Maharal tells us that the sefirot is made up of three pillars. And this will show you that Judaism DOES teach trinitarianism, the HRM ignorantly denies it and essentially takes away the Jewish aspect of the Divine Messiah. So the Maharal says this: “It seems superfluous for the mishnah to count how many things were said (in reference to Pirkei Avos 1:1); after all, we can easily count them ourselves. The mishnah states "They said three things" to teach that the remedy consists of precisely three parts. No less would be adequate and no more are required. The number three is characteristic of a complete entity. An entity consists of three parts: two opposite extremes and an intermediate part that joins with those extremes to form a unified whole. Consider a house. Inside is a haven of refuge and tranquillity; outside fies danger "and the harsh elements; and the structure joins these extremes. We can fortify a house in all three dimensions. We can protect it from outside forces with a windbreak and good water drainage. We can protect the inside by eliminating fire hazards, and we can brace the structure of the house itself. All of those areas must be fortified, and there is no other area available for improvement. This principle of a three-dimensional creation appears in many facets of Jewish thought: • The three forefathers, Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov, left a legacy for the Jewish nation in the dimensions of kindness, strictness and the balanced synthesis of these opposites. • A human being is the synthesis of the spiritual and physical planes of existence. • This mishnah addresses the three areas that encompass all of Torah law: mishpatim, mitzuos and chukim. At one extreme are mishpatim — Intuitive civil Jaw. At the other extreme are chukim — laws that defy systematic rationale. And in between those extremes are all other mitzvos, which have systematic principles that require significant effort to discover.” (Derech Chaim p 13-14) So we learn of three pillars of sefirot making sefirot complete. We find completeness is within 3. Now let’s look at the quote from the Zohar. Let’s start with Chochmah, Binah and Zeir Anpin. Chochmah represents “wisdom” which is on the right hand side of sefirot. It represents the feminine. Binah represents “understanding” which is on the left hand side of the sefirot. It represents the male aspect. Now, Zeir Anpin is different, it is not located on sefirot. But it is a combination of the left and right and builds the bridge between the left and right. It means “small face” and it contains chesed (mercy, kindness), gevurah (judgement), tiferet (splendor), netzach (victory, eternity), hod (glory), yesod (foundation), and malchut (kingdom). Now these are all attributes of Mashiach Ben Yosef and Mashiach Ben David. The connection is also located in the middle pillar, which is Keter (crown). The crown of thorns was placed upon the head of Mashiach. Now we have to look at the masculine and feminine traits of HaShem. For the scripture says: “And G-d said, Let Us make man in Our tzelem, after Our demut.....” (Genesis 1:26) Within Genesis 1:26 the name for G-d used there is אֱלֹהִים which is a singular plural. So the “our” it is speaking of in the verse are the three pillars of the sefirot. The male, feminine and zeir anpin also called the tzimtzum (the constricted light). The male aspect of G-d is the Father, grammatically and through the use of adjectives in the Hebrew and Aramaic scriptures Ruach HaKodesh is feminine. The “bridge” is Zeir Anpin, which is the Mashiach.  “When Pharaoh speaks to you, saying: ‘Prove yourself with a miraculous sign,’ you should say to Aaron: ‘Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh- it will become a snake.”
(Exodus 7:9) When Moses began to perform the miracles before the Egyptians Yochana and Mamre said to him, “are you bringing straw to Afarayim (a place of abundant straw)?” In other words, “Are you bringing sorcery to Egypt, the land of sorcery?” Moses replied, “People says, ‘Carry vegetables to the vegetable market” (Menachot 85a) In this Talmudic passage, the word תבן (straw) alludes to תבונה (understanding) which is associated with repentance עפריים (Afarayim) is similar to עפר (earth). The Aramaic word for vegetables is ירקא corresponding to repentance. And the Aramaic word שקול (carry) is similar to משקל (balance) which forms part of the phrase תשובת המשקל (measure for measure repentance). Thus, the Egyptians were asking Moses “are you trying to bring Torah understanding to the Jews who’s spiritual level is low and earthly?” Moses answered, “When people learn Torah, their speech in Torah learning illuminated the paths of repentance, so they are able to perform exact measure for measure repentance even if they are at a low spiritual level. (Likutei Moharan I, 11:1) The symbolism of the snake refers to a shadow of what happens in Numbers 21:9: “And Moshe made a נחש of nechoshet, put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a nachash had bitten any man, when he beheld the nachash hanechoshet, then he lived” (Numbers 21:9) Now the word נחש and the word משיח (Messiah) both hold the gematria value of 233. Showing they are bound concepts. This, we see Yeshua himself make note of this. “And as Moshe lifted up the נחש in the wilderness, so it is necessary for there to be a hagbah (lifting up) of the בן האדם.” (John 3:14) These concepts are tied to the passage in the initial passage of the Torah. “From then Yeshua began to proclaim, saying, L’Alter LiTeshuvah (Immediate Repentance ), for the Malchut HaShomayim has come near.” (Matthew 4:17) “And teshuva for the selicha (forgiveness) of chattaim (sins) is to be preached bShem of Yeshua to all the Nations, beginning from Yerushalayim.” (Luke 24:47) 
Some Christians and Hebrew Roots people are up in arms over the idea the Pope wants to "change" the L-rd's Prayer. A prayer that is prayed by Catholics, Christians, Hebrew Roots people, Messianics and those within Lapid Judaism.
This is a prayer that is held sacred by billions of people around the world who believe in Yeshua as the Messiah. When I recently heard this, I was first of all a little shocked when I heard he was advocating for it to be "changed". Many heard this and didn't look at the reasons for this change. The change in which the Pope is advocating has nothing to do with base text but with Aramaic Primacy. Now, with the Pope's change, I can say he actually got it partly right as sourced in this short Fox News segment seen below: So I decided to look at the Aramaic of the Khabouris codex to see if there is merit to the Pope's claims. Here is the Lord's Prayer in Aramaic: NOTE: The Khabouris Codex was written in Estrangela Aramaic font but my website only allows Serta Aramaic font. So the text below is in Serta Aramaic ܗܟܢܐ ܗܟܝܠ ܨܠܘ ܐܢܬܘܢ ܐܒܘܢ ܕܒܫܡܝܐ ܢܬܩܕܫ ܫܡܟ ܬܐܬܐ ܡܠܟܘܬܟ ܢܗܘܐ ܨܒܝܢܟ ܐܝܟܢܐ ܕܒܫܡܝܐ ܐܦ ܒܐܪܥܐ ܗܒܠܢ ܠܚܡܐ ܕܣܘܢܩܢܢ ܝܘܡܢܐ ܘܫܒܘܩ ܠܢ ܚܘܒܝܢ ܐܝܟܢܐ ܕܐܦ ܚܢܢ ܫܒܩܢ ܠܚܝܒܝܢ ܘܠܐ ܬܥܠܢ ܠܢܣܝܘܢܐ ܐܠܐ ܦܨܢ ܡܢ ܒܝܫܐ ܡܛܠ ܕܕܝܠܟ ܗܝ ܡܠܟܘܬܐ ܘܚܝܠܐ ܘܬܫܒܘܚܬܐ ܠܥܠܡ ܥܠܡܝܢ Now with this we are gonna look at verse 13 which states ܘܠܐ ܬܥܠܢ ܠܢܣܝܘܢܐ (or w'la ta'lan l'nesyuna) and that is what we are gonna focus on first. W'la Ta'lan L'Nesyuna (ܘܠܐ ܬܥܠܢ ܠܢܣܝܘܢܐ)
This phrase in question is from Matthew 6:13, which most Bibles render "Lead us not into Temptation"
ܘܠܐ (w'la) means "right, proper, nor, or not" ܬܥܠ (ta'lan): means: "enter or bring" ܠܢܣܝܘܢܐ (l'nesyuna) means "trial, testing, tribulation, or temptation"
I have been looking at several translations from the Aramaic as well to see how translators have rendered this passage in terms of these three words as well, because with the various options of translation, I would personally render it as:
"And Let us not enter into tribulation..." (Matthew 6:13a) The reason I would render it as such is for the same reasons mentioned in the video above, G-d does not bring us into "temptation" but we do make a choice to "enter" if the word "bring' is used then I believe it should be "let us not bring ourselves into temptation". Because with the options given, a G-d is not going to "bring" someone into "temptation", he will however bring them into tribulation or trial or testing for a reason of refinement. But there seems to be a willingness of the participant by their yetzer hara in this verse that we are to kill daily. I can understand the concept of "lead" being used a synonym for "bring" during the times of the KJV using an idiomatic expression during the 17th century worldview in England. So the phrase "bring us into temptation" has a different understanding a quarter of the way around the world 500 years ago than it does today in the European world and also in the United States. Here is how other translators from the Khabouris Codex have rendered this phrase: And don’t bring us to nesyuna {testing}... (The Aramaic Scriptures) And not bring us into trial... (The Aramaic English New Testament) I believe both of these are "better" translations. But they still present a problem, let me explain. Both use the same language except for "trial and tribulation" as opposed to "temptation". Let me explain: The Zohar in Bechukotai 114 states: "How beloved are the children of Israel before the Holy One, blessed be He! He desires to reprove them and to lead them to the straight path, like a loving father who wields a rod in hand in order to lead the son on the straight path, so that the son shall not stray to the right or the left, as it is written (in Proverbs 3:12) 'Hashem reproves those that He loves, and like a father, mollifies the child." Now the sages also say in tractate Arachin 16b that if a person has 40 consecutive days free of tribulation, he or she forfeits their share in the world to come. Tractate Kiddushin 40b says that the righteous receive tribulations in order to merit a lofty place in the world to come. James 1:2 says: "Consider it all simcha (joy), my achim b'Moshiach (brothers in Messiah), whenever you fall into various nisyonos (tests trials)." In Conclusion
The translation process is not an easy one, not only does one have to know the language, but they must also know the world view within the community it was written during the times it was written in to understand how to render it properly 2,000 years later to readers on the other side of the world. This is a tremendous challenge. Not translation is perfect but translators do they best they can based upon their own words view and their own education and their own inherent biases which we all have, whether we wish to acknowledge it or not. Personally, even though I am a Lapid Jew and definitely not a Catholic, I have to give credit to where credit is due. Not only do I agree mostly with the Pope's rendering here, but also I am glad that a light is being shown on the Semitic language of Aramaic and a discussion is reemerging on Aramaic Primacy.
Want to Learn the Semitic Languages?
For those who do not know, there is an amazing website called the Hebrew And Aramaic Learning Institute. Within the website there are over 200 video on-demand teachings that help you go step by step through Hebrew in both D'fus and K'tav script and Aramaic through the Ashuri, Serta, Estrangela and Swadaya scripts. All three instructors (including myself) teach not only the sounds of letters but as the nikud (punctuation and vowel markings) of the languages as well as the history of the languages and we offer a variety of exercises and midrashim with the languages as well. Not only are there over 200 video teachings but over 100 PDF documents that go along with each respected lesson to help you along the way as well.
The Hebrew And Aramaic Learning Institute was set up so you can learn at your own pace as opposed to having to be in a classroom at a certain time. You can also jump around to the lessons you wish whenever you wish, full reign is given to you there. The cost is only $15 per month or $40 every 3 months. The choice is yours and you can cancel at anytime. |
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Theological Insights from Rabbi Eved Banah from the Brutal Planet Radio Program Archives
September 2018
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