Rabbi’s Reflections – Friday, October 11, 2019
(Early) Shabbat Shalom *|FNAME|*,
Time to write again. But before I do, what a great Yom Kippur! We had 3 wonderful services. So thankful for all who came and participated.
Sukkot Announcement: Next on the schedule of holidays is Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles). My Lulav and Etrog arrived today as scheduled. I hope you will join us on Sunday night at 6pm when we start the holiday with a celebration service preceded by a covered dish dinner. Please bring something to share (like you do for our monthly oneg).
Rabbi Trail: Is it my imagination or is October 11th Columbus Day? Or have the revisionist historians written that off the calendar. I checked and it was my imagination. I’m off one day. Columbus landed in the Americas on October 12, 1492. The federal holiday is celebrated on Monday (like all the other Monday holidays), October 14th this year. I guess I got confused with Veterans Day which is November 11th (which this year falls on a Monday).
Do I need further correcting? Feel free to pile on. End RT.
Recently I wrote about 1 John 4:7,8. The last phrase is a simply profound thought, “God is love.” Can we meditate on that for a moment? This struck me during communion at the N’ilah Service Wednesday night. N’ilah means “we will be locked” from the Hebrew word Linol (to lock, as in to lock a door).
The prayers we have been praying all day through the first 4 services of Yom Kippur take on a different tone during the N’ilah Service. Now we begin praying that we will be sealed. As followers of Yeshua we are definitely, positively, and most assuredly sealed.
Ephesians 1:13 After you heard the message of truth—the Good News of your salvation—and when you put your trust in Him, you were sealed with the promised Ruach ha-Kodesh.
What impresses me is the love of God to give His only begotten Son for us. Not just for all of us, but for each of us, as it we were His only one. What level of love is that? Nothing less than divine love. That supreme love commands a response, and the only reasonable response is thanksgiving for the ultimate gift.
What follows below is a word on thanksgiving, but I wrote that first, then I moved to the top and wrote this. Remember, only 2 shopping days (Friday and Sunday) left before Sukkot.
Week 41
Memory Verse: 1 Thessalonians 5:23 Now may the God of shalom Himself make you completely holy; and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept complete, blameless at the coming of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah. 24 Faithful is the One who calls you— and He will make it happen!
201 10/7 Monday: 1 Thessalonians 3-5
202 10/8 Tuesday: 2 Thessalonians 1-3
203 10/9 Wednesday: Acts 18:18-19:41
204 10/10 Thursday: 1 Corinthians 1-2
205 10/11 Friday: 1 Corinthians 3-4
Question of the day: I really like 1 Corinthians 4:2 In this case, moreover, what is required of stewards is to be found trustworthy (faithful). I’m sure I’ve written about this verse before. So today I’m going to write about a different verse from 1 Corinthians 4. It’s a verse with 3 questions in it.
1 Corinthians 4:7 For who makes you different? And what do you have that you did not receive? But if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?
Let’s answer these 3 questions one at a time. Who makes you different? It is God the creator of heaven and earth who made the miracle that is you. Psalm 139:14 I praise You, for I am awesomely, wonderfully made! Wonderful are Your works— and my soul knows that very well.
The second question is “What do you have that you did not receive? This question calls us to an ongoing sense of gratitude. When someone gives you something, it is natural to say, “Thank you.” The reason this question is asked is to point out that everything we have we have received from God, to Whom all thanks is due. Colossians 3:17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Yeshua, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
The last question is, “But if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?” It’s that pride thing again. In the middle of the Avinu Malkenu prayer on Yom Kippur we have this Hebrew phrase, “Ki Ayn Banu Ma’asim.” It means “because there is nothing in us to make anything out of.”
Since we have received everything from God, we cannot have an attitude of prideful accomplishment, but rather just be thankful for God’s blessing. The Scripture that supports this thought is in the Torah.
Deuteronomy 8:18 Rather you are to remember Adonai your God, for it is He who gives you power to make wealth, in order to establish His covenant that He swore to your fathers—as it is this day.
Stay humble my friends.