Letters from Jerusalem
November 8, 2018
"Give ear…And hear…For I proclaim The Name of The Lord. Ascribe greatness to our God. He is the Rock. His work is Perfect; For all His ways are justice, A God of Truth and without injustice: Righteous and upright is He."
Deuteronomy 32:1-4 "NOW I SAW…AND HE WHO SAT ON HIM WAS CALLED FAITHFUL AND TRUE…"…" AND HIS NAME IS CALLED THE WORD OF GOD…"Revelation 19:11+13
(please note these are parts of the scriptures - my own emphasis but not in any way saying that they are more important than the rest of the scripture in context)
Greetings dear friends, brothers and sisters in Yeshua h'meshiach. May HE ALONE be glorified and may He be blessed in His body, and may you (and me)(His body) be blessed and edified!
I hope that the above pieces of verses aren't too 'cryptic' but this morning it was speaking to me…'GIVE EAR…HEAR…NOW I saw'…NOT what I 'saw' or 'heard' before, but NOW. And is there any doubt in any of our minds that we really need to hear for NOW…minute by minute and day by day?…how QUICKLY the changes are coming!
My husband had just come in for lunch (he works directly across the street from our apartment) and we suddenly heard a great deal of noise from the street below us. We rushed to the merepesset (balcony) and there were thousands of young people walking with signs, flags and firm determination. 'What is this about?' my husband asked me. 'Wow! We get to watch them arrive in Jerusalem!' I answered. 'These are the young people's march from the south of the country for 'normalcy' in their lives.' They are the youth from the Gaza periphery communities who have been living under the daily tension of the fires from incendiary balloons and kites, the daily riots at the Gaza fence and the from-time-to-time rocket attacks throughout the summer …and they had 'enough'. Amidst the many flags, some of the signs that they carry read (in Hebrew) 'We need a normal life'…some read 'Peace now' some read 'The south is burning'. They have been walking all week, these young people, dressed in the national colors of blue and white, and also black for the land burnt throughout the south. They have grit; they are determined to stay (they are not saying 'let us come and live somewhere else') but they are all suffering from post traumatic stress, living under the constant threat of attack, most of them since they were born. These are NOT living in 'disputed territory' (areas taken during the '67 and '73 wars). They are living in Israel 'proper'. Territory NOT up for negotiation.
Along the street we all cheer them on…encourage them…look at their faces, bright, young, hopeful. 'Lord, reveal Yourself to them' I pray…staving back my own doubt that there is any power in these prayers of mine. 'Lord, put YOUR passion into these prayers…YOUR power alone is what saves' I remind myself…and agree with Him.
'Sherooteem? Yesh lechem sherooteem?' (Do you have a bathroom?) the girls call to those standing along the street. The kids are packing sleeping bags and camping paraphernalia, but they are in the city right now…the Capital of their nation. People at ground level kindly shuffle them off to bathrooms in apartments along the way.
They are part of the same dilemma that you face in your countries; division, abundance of real problems with no solutions in sight, deep and weighty problems and then there is the anger, polarization…signs of judgment and not of blessing.
They come to a city without a mayor.
My last letter spoke of our regional elections and here in Jerusalem…the city set upon a hill…the city where The Lord CHOSE to put His Name…we have no mayor as yet. There are to be runoff elections on the 13th and the two candidates left are a classic example of what is happening around the world; they are as different from one another as night and day but WHAT IS THE LORD SAYING? For me, there is no choice…and yet as I listen to my sisters and brothers in The Lord here they feel that they have no choice in the OPPOSITE direction. HUH? LORD, HELP!YOUR MIND! YOUR HEART! YOUR CHOICE…NOT OURS!
Moshe Lion is generally considered 'the religious candidate' and Ofer Berkovitz the 'secular'. We have 'pre-set' ideas. Yeshua overturned the moneychangers' tables, and hated the religious system. That means to many…'DO NOT VOTE RELIGIOUS NO MATTER WHAT!' according to some. Berkovitz, 35 years old, is for doing away with Sabbath 'restrictions' (allowing stores - closed on the Sabbath to be open, allowing public transportation on the Sabbath etc.) and is very pro other liberal 'rights'. HUH.
I often wondered after I got saved about the Sabbath. And certain 'kosher restrictions' as well. OH MY, WE ARE NOT UNDER THE LAW, that is for sure! We are free. HE has set us free for HIS glory, but for more than 40 years I wondered why people who would NEVER consider murder, or theft, or lying, or taking The Lord's Name in vain (the 10 commandments) …WHY when it came to 'keeping the Sabbath' … the Commandment spoken of more than any other throughout scripture (besides loving The Lord our God with all of our heart and soul and mind and strength) WHY that was considered an expression of 'legalism'. Surely there are 'legalistic' ways that it can be enforced…but the Shabbat itself? Commanded by God? Given as a gift? To be cherished? I never understood why it was so controversial. To me, if God said something was an 'abomination' to Him, I figured that He meant it and that it was an expression of my love and fear of Him to AGREE with Him. So, yes, it troubles me to see a potential mayor of Jerusalem speaking of doing away with the quiet of Shabbat…in JERUSALEM!
We are divided. You are divided. The world is divided.
But the body must not be. I'm NOT saying that we all must 'vote' one way…but we all MUST be of One Spirit…HIS SPIRIT ALONE WITHOUT MIXTURE…SEEKING HIM FOR HIS GLORY.
He IS our Shabbat rest.
So…our local elections are continuing…and not only in Jerusalem but there are run offs in other municipalities as well.
Did I mention to you a bit ago about a large stone 'falling out' of the Western Wall? Thankfully, none of those praying below were injured, but I don't know of anyone who did not take that as a definite pause! Well this week a large (turned out to be non poisonous) SNAKE proceeded to slither out of the wall! Uh…is God speaking? Is it 'coincidence'? These are NOT common occurrences.
We all have our 'theologies'; we have learned, we have heard, we have read, and by His Mercy we have heard from Him and hidden His promises in our hearts… but my heart does quiver when I see these things…signs…warnings…reminders that HE IS HOLY…and that HE sees EVERYTHING…and that His great mercy is not without judgment…for He is Righteous.
AND it is DRY…the rains…they are not yet here…
AND we have measles. LOTS of it! Working at the doctor's office we get the daily Health Department updates and on Wednesday the cases were nearly 1,300. An 18 month old baby died from complications of measles at the hospital down the road from us on Friday. I was told that signs are posted at the airport for those arriving that Israel is experiencing a measles epidemic. It is cause for concern…not 'whhooo whooo' superstitious concern but 'Give ear…and hear…' concern. And thankfully, we don't need to rely on 'signs' to tell us if we are walking in His blessing or needing correction, for we have His Holy Spirit Who WILL lead us into all Truth and bring to remembrance those things that He has told us… as we fear and reverence Him.
And we, personally, have been BLESSED with WONDERFUL EDIFYING VISITORS of late! Our older daughter and two of our Grandchildren were here for 10 days as well as several beloved sisters and brothers whom we haven't seen in many years…and now a dear friend is staying with us and bringing the blessing of His presence with her… God has been SO good to us!
The countries around us continue to be looking for ways to destroy us. We seem generally as blind as ever…BUT THE LORD IS THAT ROCK AND HIS WORD WILL NOT FAIL!
In that I have no doubt!
I must run and make dinner now, but I pray that you …and that includes 'we'…will be found worthy and faithful. GOD BLESS YOU AND KEEP YOU AND MAKE HIS FACE TO SHINE UPON YOU AND GIVE YOU HIS PEACE…AND LEAD YOU IN HIS PEACE! Lovingly, your sister
"Give ear…And hear…For I proclaim The Name of The Lord. Ascribe greatness to our God. He is the Rock. His work is Perfect; For all His ways are justice, A God of Truth and without injustice: Righteous and upright is He."
Deuteronomy 32:1-4 "NOW I SAW…AND HE WHO SAT ON HIM WAS CALLED FAITHFUL AND TRUE…"…" AND HIS NAME IS CALLED THE WORD OF GOD…"Revelation 19:11+13
(please note these are parts of the scriptures - my own emphasis but not in any way saying that they are more important than the rest of the scripture in context)
Greetings dear friends, brothers and sisters in Yeshua h'meshiach. May HE ALONE be glorified and may He be blessed in His body, and may you (and me)(His body) be blessed and edified!
I hope that the above pieces of verses aren't too 'cryptic' but this morning it was speaking to me…'GIVE EAR…HEAR…NOW I saw'…NOT what I 'saw' or 'heard' before, but NOW. And is there any doubt in any of our minds that we really need to hear for NOW…minute by minute and day by day?…how QUICKLY the changes are coming!
My husband had just come in for lunch (he works directly across the street from our apartment) and we suddenly heard a great deal of noise from the street below us. We rushed to the merepesset (balcony) and there were thousands of young people walking with signs, flags and firm determination. 'What is this about?' my husband asked me. 'Wow! We get to watch them arrive in Jerusalem!' I answered. 'These are the young people's march from the south of the country for 'normalcy' in their lives.' They are the youth from the Gaza periphery communities who have been living under the daily tension of the fires from incendiary balloons and kites, the daily riots at the Gaza fence and the from-time-to-time rocket attacks throughout the summer …and they had 'enough'. Amidst the many flags, some of the signs that they carry read (in Hebrew) 'We need a normal life'…some read 'Peace now' some read 'The south is burning'. They have been walking all week, these young people, dressed in the national colors of blue and white, and also black for the land burnt throughout the south. They have grit; they are determined to stay (they are not saying 'let us come and live somewhere else') but they are all suffering from post traumatic stress, living under the constant threat of attack, most of them since they were born. These are NOT living in 'disputed territory' (areas taken during the '67 and '73 wars). They are living in Israel 'proper'. Territory NOT up for negotiation.
Along the street we all cheer them on…encourage them…look at their faces, bright, young, hopeful. 'Lord, reveal Yourself to them' I pray…staving back my own doubt that there is any power in these prayers of mine. 'Lord, put YOUR passion into these prayers…YOUR power alone is what saves' I remind myself…and agree with Him.
'Sherooteem? Yesh lechem sherooteem?' (Do you have a bathroom?) the girls call to those standing along the street. The kids are packing sleeping bags and camping paraphernalia, but they are in the city right now…the Capital of their nation. People at ground level kindly shuffle them off to bathrooms in apartments along the way.
They are part of the same dilemma that you face in your countries; division, abundance of real problems with no solutions in sight, deep and weighty problems and then there is the anger, polarization…signs of judgment and not of blessing.
They come to a city without a mayor.
My last letter spoke of our regional elections and here in Jerusalem…the city set upon a hill…the city where The Lord CHOSE to put His Name…we have no mayor as yet. There are to be runoff elections on the 13th and the two candidates left are a classic example of what is happening around the world; they are as different from one another as night and day but WHAT IS THE LORD SAYING? For me, there is no choice…and yet as I listen to my sisters and brothers in The Lord here they feel that they have no choice in the OPPOSITE direction. HUH? LORD, HELP!YOUR MIND! YOUR HEART! YOUR CHOICE…NOT OURS!
Moshe Lion is generally considered 'the religious candidate' and Ofer Berkovitz the 'secular'. We have 'pre-set' ideas. Yeshua overturned the moneychangers' tables, and hated the religious system. That means to many…'DO NOT VOTE RELIGIOUS NO MATTER WHAT!' according to some. Berkovitz, 35 years old, is for doing away with Sabbath 'restrictions' (allowing stores - closed on the Sabbath to be open, allowing public transportation on the Sabbath etc.) and is very pro other liberal 'rights'. HUH.
I often wondered after I got saved about the Sabbath. And certain 'kosher restrictions' as well. OH MY, WE ARE NOT UNDER THE LAW, that is for sure! We are free. HE has set us free for HIS glory, but for more than 40 years I wondered why people who would NEVER consider murder, or theft, or lying, or taking The Lord's Name in vain (the 10 commandments) …WHY when it came to 'keeping the Sabbath' … the Commandment spoken of more than any other throughout scripture (besides loving The Lord our God with all of our heart and soul and mind and strength) WHY that was considered an expression of 'legalism'. Surely there are 'legalistic' ways that it can be enforced…but the Shabbat itself? Commanded by God? Given as a gift? To be cherished? I never understood why it was so controversial. To me, if God said something was an 'abomination' to Him, I figured that He meant it and that it was an expression of my love and fear of Him to AGREE with Him. So, yes, it troubles me to see a potential mayor of Jerusalem speaking of doing away with the quiet of Shabbat…in JERUSALEM!
We are divided. You are divided. The world is divided.
But the body must not be. I'm NOT saying that we all must 'vote' one way…but we all MUST be of One Spirit…HIS SPIRIT ALONE WITHOUT MIXTURE…SEEKING HIM FOR HIS GLORY.
He IS our Shabbat rest.
So…our local elections are continuing…and not only in Jerusalem but there are run offs in other municipalities as well.
Did I mention to you a bit ago about a large stone 'falling out' of the Western Wall? Thankfully, none of those praying below were injured, but I don't know of anyone who did not take that as a definite pause! Well this week a large (turned out to be non poisonous) SNAKE proceeded to slither out of the wall! Uh…is God speaking? Is it 'coincidence'? These are NOT common occurrences.
We all have our 'theologies'; we have learned, we have heard, we have read, and by His Mercy we have heard from Him and hidden His promises in our hearts… but my heart does quiver when I see these things…signs…warnings…reminders that HE IS HOLY…and that HE sees EVERYTHING…and that His great mercy is not without judgment…for He is Righteous.
AND it is DRY…the rains…they are not yet here…
AND we have measles. LOTS of it! Working at the doctor's office we get the daily Health Department updates and on Wednesday the cases were nearly 1,300. An 18 month old baby died from complications of measles at the hospital down the road from us on Friday. I was told that signs are posted at the airport for those arriving that Israel is experiencing a measles epidemic. It is cause for concern…not 'whhooo whooo' superstitious concern but 'Give ear…and hear…' concern. And thankfully, we don't need to rely on 'signs' to tell us if we are walking in His blessing or needing correction, for we have His Holy Spirit Who WILL lead us into all Truth and bring to remembrance those things that He has told us… as we fear and reverence Him.
And we, personally, have been BLESSED with WONDERFUL EDIFYING VISITORS of late! Our older daughter and two of our Grandchildren were here for 10 days as well as several beloved sisters and brothers whom we haven't seen in many years…and now a dear friend is staying with us and bringing the blessing of His presence with her… God has been SO good to us!
The countries around us continue to be looking for ways to destroy us. We seem generally as blind as ever…BUT THE LORD IS THAT ROCK AND HIS WORD WILL NOT FAIL!
In that I have no doubt!
I must run and make dinner now, but I pray that you …and that includes 'we'…will be found worthy and faithful. GOD BLESS YOU AND KEEP YOU AND MAKE HIS FACE TO SHINE UPON YOU AND GIVE YOU HIS PEACE…AND LEAD YOU IN HIS PEACE! Lovingly, your sister
October 1, 2018
Leviticus 23:39-44 "Also on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the fruit of the land, you shall keep the feast of the Lord for seven days; on the first day there shall be a sabbath-rest, and on the eighth day a sabbath-rest. And you shall take for yourselves on the first day the fruit of beautiful trees, branches of palm trees, the boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook; and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days. You shall keep it as a feast to the Lord for seven days in the year. It shall be a statute forever in your generations. You shall celebrate it in the seventh month. You shall dwell in booths for seven days. All who are native Israelites shall dwell in booths, that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.’ ” So Moses declared to the children of Israel the feasts of the Lord."
Simchat Torah (the joy of/in Torah/The Word of God [specifically, the first 5 books of the Scriptures])
Greetings AGAIN, dear brothers and sisters. May The Lord be glorified and blessed, and may you be blessed and encouraged…even though you did not expect to hear from me YET AGAIN during this cycle of fall feasts.
But today IS 'Simchat Torah' and the singing and dancing around the Torah scrolls that we watched from our merepesset (balcony) this morning (because the singing and dancing was in the square across the street, outside) brought joy to my heart and perhaps I can speak words of joy and we can provoke one another to more of Him. The songs calling for Messiah to come still ring in my ears. HE IS coming AGAIN!
Reasons that I'm writing again…: Last night I spoke with a friend in New York…the one friend that I am in contact with since high school. What a story; but no I won't tell it. Suffice it to say that after I met Him and after she was in the Moonie cult for many years… she gave her heart to Him. When we spoke last night, she reminded me that they had been with us during the fall feasts a number of years ago (while I was finishing up radiation treatments). I had forgotten, but she had not, and she told me how it had changed her forever …sitting in our sukkah with various people, both His and those not yet His … also … watching the march of the nations…the believers from all over the world singing and dancing through the streets blessing the people … and then…Simchat Torah where men and women dressed in white lifted the Torah scrolls in the air and danced through the streets singing: She, like me, being raised Jewish in New York City, had not witnessed this type of joy growing up, and it branded her forever.
That came on top of another sister telling me that she had gone to the parade and witnessed it first hand and experienced the wonder that I had described in the past (and that she remembered)…the hearts of the locals lining the road being lifted higher and higher on the blessings of the believers from around the world, marching in colorful costumes of their countries through the streets. Interesting that this takes place at the same time that the UN General Assembly is meeting yearly bearing 'civilized witness' to the curses of the nations against Israel. One is cursing throwing accusing lies… and here are the believers, standing on the Eternal Word of God and casting blessings before them. It IS truly a wonder…an exchange that happens that only He could initiate!
So, even though I participated in far less 'activity' this year…even though I was neither at the parade, nor did we have our own sukkah: Here it is, Simchat Torah, and I could only write again…yes one more time! (sorry!)
On Friday night (Erev Shabbat…the festive evening dinner of Shabbat) we were invited to the sukkah of dear friends where we were blessed with the richest of fellowship! One of the many edifying things that happened was that we spoke briefly about 'dates'; the setting of 'dates' and debate about 'dates' and our brother said simply 'I always felt that if a date was really important for us to know that The Lord would have put it into the Bible!' My thoughts jumped back more than 40 years to a 'hippie' Bible Study that I was attending. Everyone there was a new believer from the streets as I was and we were studying the book of Job. One fellow, not yet a believer, kept interrupting and asking about dinosaurs. The man leading the Bible Study wisely (and with authority) turned to him suddenly and said 'If The Lord had thought that they were important …He would have put them in The Bible!' That silenced the young man who was seeking to sow discord and unbelief into the group of very young sprouts…but instead, the wisdom of the statement sent deep roots into my heart which I have never forgotten.
And The Lord HAS set dates in His Word! Not always the ones that we have focused on, but dates were given 'you SHALL do this…you SHALL do that' and it is really a wonder to know that 'dates' that He has set…the holidays and the Shabbat… they are still observed!
And that brings me to Simchat Torah.
As you can see in the scripture above…The Lord (through Moses) told us that Sukkot would last for SEVEN days. THEN He adds: "AND ON THE EIGHT DAY (you shall have) A SABBATH REST"! Hum…again please? Seven days…and on the EIGHTH day. Believe me (I kid you not!) EVERY year there is a bit of a belegan (confusion) among the entire population of Jerusalem as to 'WHAT day is the last day we eat in the sukkah??...is it Sunday or is it Monday??' Even some of our calendars have it wrong. It seemed to me that we were ALWAYS the last ones in our sukkah after the time past, but I found out that we were not alone by a long shot. It can be a bit confusing.
So…WHERE DID SIMCHAT TORAH COME FROM? (being that NOT MUCH is written about it in Torah for sure!)
I decided to do my research.
I found out that the body of information is huge…and extremely varied.
SOMETIMES…we are 'The people of The Book'…but SOMETIMES we are 'the people of TRADITIONS!' We are ALL familiar with Matthew 15:2-6 "Then the scribes and Pharisees who were from Jerusalem came to Jesus, saying, “Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.” He answered and said to them, “Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition? For God commanded, saying, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.’ But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God”— then he need not honor his father or mother.’ Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition."
Thankfully, I really don't think that this tradition transgresses the commandment of God. Sometimes our traditions enhance or illustrate The Truth of His Word and Who He Is. GENERALLY (I think in my own personal opinion) that is the original purpose and source of most traditions…to illustrate. But when they 'go wrong' and make the 'commandment' of 'no effect'…it can be hard to let go. But this is another subject.
AS IT STANDS TODAY; You know that Jews read the Torah (first 5 books of the Bible) according to a yearly cycle set out with weekly portions. (the parashat h'shavouah) Many, but not all, also read a portion of the Prophets at the same time (h'ftorah). It is in prescribed sections and was established during the dispersion to keep the Jewish body unified although we were scattered around the world. The rabbinic 'council' in Babylon wielded the most authority and much of Orthodox modern Rabbinical Judaism is derived from the interpretations of the leaders from Babylon. Indeed, the Babylonian Talmud, the Mishna and Kabala all claim origins from the sages in Babylon (don't forget, Daniel was there, Ezekiel and many of the other prophets and wise men were looking for a way to keep the Jews in the dispersion from scattering and embracing paganism.).
Back to Simchat Torah. Last night, the yearly cycle of reading ended with the last chapter of Deuteronomy. People stayed up through the night reading and welcoming the morning with Genesis 1:1…the cycle continues…the cycle has begun again…we have been given The Torah and in it we will rejoice! According to the sources that I perused, Simchat Torah began to look something like it does now somewhere between the 7th century and the 16th century. That's a LOT of years. Here in Jerusalem, I have found that the holydays 'change color' year after year…perhaps just a tiny shade, but the traditions expand and contract. That should not take me by surprise because The Word IS Alive and Living and HE IS THE WORD…and ONE DAY HE SHALL BE RECOGNIZED AS THE WORD MADE FLESH and we shall TRULY rejoice and worship The One Who IS and WAS and ALWAYS WILL BE THE WORD!
TOTALLY 'ASIDE' BUT CAN'T BE IGNORED: One last thought; NOT about Simchat Torah, but 'during it'. I saw (and perhaps you did too) a video taken on a cell phone of the approaching tsunami in Indonesia and the vain cries of the man taking the video to the people on the street below to take cover in the building; He could see the tsunami and they could not. His cries were mostly unheard or unheeded and he broke into pathetic tears as the people below were swept away as he watched…and I wept with him and I could only think: 'This is exactly how I feel as a believer here! I see the approaching tsunami but who will hear?'
I have taken enough of your time; tonight at sundown we return to 'normal Jerusalem chaos' until Chanukah. I shall give you less of an 'inbox clutter' for awhile…perhaps.
THANK YOU FOR PRAYING FOR THIS PEOPLE…THIS LAND…MY RELATIVES AFTER THE FLESH AND FOR HIS OWN REASONS…IN THE HEART OF GOD. THANK YOU FOR PRAYING FOR HIS PURPOSES…FOR HIS GLORY ALONE. Lovingly, your sister
Leviticus 23:39-44 "Also on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the fruit of the land, you shall keep the feast of the Lord for seven days; on the first day there shall be a sabbath-rest, and on the eighth day a sabbath-rest. And you shall take for yourselves on the first day the fruit of beautiful trees, branches of palm trees, the boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook; and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days. You shall keep it as a feast to the Lord for seven days in the year. It shall be a statute forever in your generations. You shall celebrate it in the seventh month. You shall dwell in booths for seven days. All who are native Israelites shall dwell in booths, that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.’ ” So Moses declared to the children of Israel the feasts of the Lord."
Simchat Torah (the joy of/in Torah/The Word of God [specifically, the first 5 books of the Scriptures])
Greetings AGAIN, dear brothers and sisters. May The Lord be glorified and blessed, and may you be blessed and encouraged…even though you did not expect to hear from me YET AGAIN during this cycle of fall feasts.
But today IS 'Simchat Torah' and the singing and dancing around the Torah scrolls that we watched from our merepesset (balcony) this morning (because the singing and dancing was in the square across the street, outside) brought joy to my heart and perhaps I can speak words of joy and we can provoke one another to more of Him. The songs calling for Messiah to come still ring in my ears. HE IS coming AGAIN!
Reasons that I'm writing again…: Last night I spoke with a friend in New York…the one friend that I am in contact with since high school. What a story; but no I won't tell it. Suffice it to say that after I met Him and after she was in the Moonie cult for many years… she gave her heart to Him. When we spoke last night, she reminded me that they had been with us during the fall feasts a number of years ago (while I was finishing up radiation treatments). I had forgotten, but she had not, and she told me how it had changed her forever …sitting in our sukkah with various people, both His and those not yet His … also … watching the march of the nations…the believers from all over the world singing and dancing through the streets blessing the people … and then…Simchat Torah where men and women dressed in white lifted the Torah scrolls in the air and danced through the streets singing: She, like me, being raised Jewish in New York City, had not witnessed this type of joy growing up, and it branded her forever.
That came on top of another sister telling me that she had gone to the parade and witnessed it first hand and experienced the wonder that I had described in the past (and that she remembered)…the hearts of the locals lining the road being lifted higher and higher on the blessings of the believers from around the world, marching in colorful costumes of their countries through the streets. Interesting that this takes place at the same time that the UN General Assembly is meeting yearly bearing 'civilized witness' to the curses of the nations against Israel. One is cursing throwing accusing lies… and here are the believers, standing on the Eternal Word of God and casting blessings before them. It IS truly a wonder…an exchange that happens that only He could initiate!
So, even though I participated in far less 'activity' this year…even though I was neither at the parade, nor did we have our own sukkah: Here it is, Simchat Torah, and I could only write again…yes one more time! (sorry!)
On Friday night (Erev Shabbat…the festive evening dinner of Shabbat) we were invited to the sukkah of dear friends where we were blessed with the richest of fellowship! One of the many edifying things that happened was that we spoke briefly about 'dates'; the setting of 'dates' and debate about 'dates' and our brother said simply 'I always felt that if a date was really important for us to know that The Lord would have put it into the Bible!' My thoughts jumped back more than 40 years to a 'hippie' Bible Study that I was attending. Everyone there was a new believer from the streets as I was and we were studying the book of Job. One fellow, not yet a believer, kept interrupting and asking about dinosaurs. The man leading the Bible Study wisely (and with authority) turned to him suddenly and said 'If The Lord had thought that they were important …He would have put them in The Bible!' That silenced the young man who was seeking to sow discord and unbelief into the group of very young sprouts…but instead, the wisdom of the statement sent deep roots into my heart which I have never forgotten.
And The Lord HAS set dates in His Word! Not always the ones that we have focused on, but dates were given 'you SHALL do this…you SHALL do that' and it is really a wonder to know that 'dates' that He has set…the holidays and the Shabbat… they are still observed!
And that brings me to Simchat Torah.
As you can see in the scripture above…The Lord (through Moses) told us that Sukkot would last for SEVEN days. THEN He adds: "AND ON THE EIGHT DAY (you shall have) A SABBATH REST"! Hum…again please? Seven days…and on the EIGHTH day. Believe me (I kid you not!) EVERY year there is a bit of a belegan (confusion) among the entire population of Jerusalem as to 'WHAT day is the last day we eat in the sukkah??...is it Sunday or is it Monday??' Even some of our calendars have it wrong. It seemed to me that we were ALWAYS the last ones in our sukkah after the time past, but I found out that we were not alone by a long shot. It can be a bit confusing.
So…WHERE DID SIMCHAT TORAH COME FROM? (being that NOT MUCH is written about it in Torah for sure!)
I decided to do my research.
I found out that the body of information is huge…and extremely varied.
SOMETIMES…we are 'The people of The Book'…but SOMETIMES we are 'the people of TRADITIONS!' We are ALL familiar with Matthew 15:2-6 "Then the scribes and Pharisees who were from Jerusalem came to Jesus, saying, “Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.” He answered and said to them, “Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition? For God commanded, saying, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.’ But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God”— then he need not honor his father or mother.’ Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition."
Thankfully, I really don't think that this tradition transgresses the commandment of God. Sometimes our traditions enhance or illustrate The Truth of His Word and Who He Is. GENERALLY (I think in my own personal opinion) that is the original purpose and source of most traditions…to illustrate. But when they 'go wrong' and make the 'commandment' of 'no effect'…it can be hard to let go. But this is another subject.
AS IT STANDS TODAY; You know that Jews read the Torah (first 5 books of the Bible) according to a yearly cycle set out with weekly portions. (the parashat h'shavouah) Many, but not all, also read a portion of the Prophets at the same time (h'ftorah). It is in prescribed sections and was established during the dispersion to keep the Jewish body unified although we were scattered around the world. The rabbinic 'council' in Babylon wielded the most authority and much of Orthodox modern Rabbinical Judaism is derived from the interpretations of the leaders from Babylon. Indeed, the Babylonian Talmud, the Mishna and Kabala all claim origins from the sages in Babylon (don't forget, Daniel was there, Ezekiel and many of the other prophets and wise men were looking for a way to keep the Jews in the dispersion from scattering and embracing paganism.).
Back to Simchat Torah. Last night, the yearly cycle of reading ended with the last chapter of Deuteronomy. People stayed up through the night reading and welcoming the morning with Genesis 1:1…the cycle continues…the cycle has begun again…we have been given The Torah and in it we will rejoice! According to the sources that I perused, Simchat Torah began to look something like it does now somewhere between the 7th century and the 16th century. That's a LOT of years. Here in Jerusalem, I have found that the holydays 'change color' year after year…perhaps just a tiny shade, but the traditions expand and contract. That should not take me by surprise because The Word IS Alive and Living and HE IS THE WORD…and ONE DAY HE SHALL BE RECOGNIZED AS THE WORD MADE FLESH and we shall TRULY rejoice and worship The One Who IS and WAS and ALWAYS WILL BE THE WORD!
TOTALLY 'ASIDE' BUT CAN'T BE IGNORED: One last thought; NOT about Simchat Torah, but 'during it'. I saw (and perhaps you did too) a video taken on a cell phone of the approaching tsunami in Indonesia and the vain cries of the man taking the video to the people on the street below to take cover in the building; He could see the tsunami and they could not. His cries were mostly unheard or unheeded and he broke into pathetic tears as the people below were swept away as he watched…and I wept with him and I could only think: 'This is exactly how I feel as a believer here! I see the approaching tsunami but who will hear?'
I have taken enough of your time; tonight at sundown we return to 'normal Jerusalem chaos' until Chanukah. I shall give you less of an 'inbox clutter' for awhile…perhaps.
THANK YOU FOR PRAYING FOR THIS PEOPLE…THIS LAND…MY RELATIVES AFTER THE FLESH AND FOR HIS OWN REASONS…IN THE HEART OF GOD. THANK YOU FOR PRAYING FOR HIS PURPOSES…FOR HIS GLORY ALONE. Lovingly, your sister