Rabbi’s Reflections – Thursday, January 2, 2019
Shalom *|FNAME|*,
Is it true, the holidays are now behind us? For many people the holidays are a wonderful time of year. I imagine though, that for an equal number of people the holidays are a stress factor. Even worse, there are many for whom the holidays are actually a trigger to depression. Without regard to any particular situation, may I offer two words of counsel?
Rabbi Trail: Let’s play a game. Try to imagine what 2 words of counsel I might have. When you think you’ve got it, click here. This link will take you to a sight with the answer. End RT.
That was fun. Now let’s turn our attention to the next Spirit of God. It is the Hebrew word “Binah” (from the shoresh “Bet-Nun-Hay”) which is translated as “insight” in the TLV and as “understanding” in many other translations. The same shoresh is where we get the word “Mavin.” Put the accent on the last syllable for Hebrew and on the first syllable for Yiddish.
Rabbi Trail: I noticed for the first time today that all of these 7 Spirits (except possibly the first one) is written in the feminine form. Do you think that God is trying to tell us that women are more spiritual than men? End RT.
God gives understanding (or insight) through His spirit. Is that old news or new news? Yes, both! Here is a relevant piece of advice (I’m speaking to me here, you just get to listen.) Every time before reading the Bible, ask God to send understanding through His spirit. Everything worth understanding is in the Bible. It is the most amazing book. Check out this link if you need some evidence… https://deeptruths.com/articles/amazing_book.html.
Sometime soon let’s review the 4 levels of reading and understanding the Bible. We’ve done it before in the RR, but not in a long time and it would be good to review.
Week 1
Memory Verse: Genesis 1:27 God created humankind in His image, in the image of God He created him, male and female He created them.
1 12/30 Monday: Genesis 1-2
2 12/31 Tuesday: Genesis 3-4
3 1/1 Wednesday: Genesis 6-7
* 4 1/2 Thursday: Genesis 8-9
5 1/3 Friday: Job 1-2
Question of the day: What happened while Noah was napping?
Answer: After the flood, Noah drank too much of his own wine and was sleeping exposed. His youngest son, Ham (not kosher), did not cover him us, but instead ran and told his brothers about it. They acted righteously and covered their father without themselves looking at him. The two older brothers acted with respect and were rewarded for it.
Genesis 9:24 When Noah woke up from his wine, he learned what his youngest son had done to him. 25 So he said, “Cursed is Canaan: the lowest slave will he be to his brothers.” 26 He also said, “Blessed be Adonai, God of Shem, and let Canaan be his servant. 27 May God enlarge Japheth, may he dwell in the tents of Shem, and may Canaan be his slave.”
It’s interesting to see this prophesy fulfilled even until today. God is consistent. He wants things done “decently and in order.” God commands us to honor our parents with a purpose, Exodus 20:12 “Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long upon the land which Adonai your God is giving you.
What does it mean to “honor?” It means to take care of them (either yourself, or paying others to act on your behalf) in their old age. As the saying goes, be nice to your children, they will decide into which nursing home you’ll go.
On that happy note, let’s visit again tomorrow. Blessings for a great year.