Rabbi’s Reflections – Friday, February 19, 2021
(Early) Shabbat Shalom,
A N N O U N C E M E N T
Remember the TV series “Lost In Space?” Young Will Robinson was always getting into trouble. “Danger Will Robinson, danger.” Put your name in the blank. Don’t forget to reserve your place to celebrate the Passover with us. I made an announcement awhile back and some have registered, but not everyone. Saturday night, March 27th at 6pm we will gather at Rothchild Catering on Kingston Pike, to once again honor the Lord as He commanded us.
We are publishing the second edition of our Shomair Haggadah in color, for this occasion. This is the prayerbook for the Seder worship service that night. The 44 page booklet will be our gift to every attendee. Adults $25, Children 12 and under $15. Use this link to make a reservation. https://shomairyisrael.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/704149
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Daily Bread, reading plan by Lars Enarson (https://www.thewatchman.org/)
Fri 19-Feb-2021 7th of Adar, 5781
Ex 27:1-8 2 Ki 23 Ps 147 Jn 19 (Heb 4)
2 Kings 23 is both a great story and a tragic one. It is great in the first part of the chapter. There are many wonderful thing written about king Josiah. 2 Kings 23:25 Before him (King Josiah) there had never been a king like him, who turned to Adonai with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his might, according to all the Torah of Moses, nor has any king like him risen since him.
The story of Josiah includes many wonderful details. He tore down altars to false gods. He stopped many forms of false worship and other sins too evil to speak of here. He stopped the sacrifice of children to the false god, Molech. There is much more to which Josiah put an end.
On the positive side, Josiah entered in to the covenant with God. He also had all the people join him in this. 2 Kings 23:3 Then the king stood by the pillar and cut a covenant before Adonai, to follow Adonai, keep His mitzvot, His laws and His decrees with all their heart and soul, in order to fulfill the words of this covenant that were written in this scroll. So all the people stood for the covenant. Josiah then ordained the keeping of the feast of Passover. 2 Kings 23:21 Then the king commanded all the people saying, “Celebrate the Passover to Adonai your God, as it is written in this Book of the Covenant.”
Why am I writing all this? We all have choices. Several of Josiah’s ancestors were kings in Israel. They did what was evil in the sight of Adonai. Also, two of Josiah’s sons followed him as kings. They both did not follow the example of their father, but rather did as their evil forefathers had done. They all had choices and so do we. Life is filled with choices. As the Knight Templar in “Indiana Jones, The Last Crusade” said, “Choose wisely.”
Matthew 16:24 Then Yeshua said to His disciples, “If anyone wants to follow after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me. 25 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. 26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world but forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?
Week 8
Memory Verse: Galatians 5:14 For the whole Torah can be summed up in a single saying: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
36 2/15 Monday: Exodus 19-20
37 2/16 Tuesday: Exodus 24-25
38 2/17 Wednesday: Exodus 26-27
39 2/18 Thursday: Exodus 28-29
* 40 2/19 Friday: Exodus 30-31
Question of the day: At the end of our reading today (Chapter 31), we learn that God finished speaking to Moses and gave him the 2 tablets of the testimony of Moses. What was the last thing that the Lord spoke to Moses before giving him the tablets of the 10 Commandments?
Answer: God spoke the details of the 4th Commandment which concerns our observance of the Sabbath Day (Shabbat). Exodus 31:16 “So Bnei-Yisrael is to keep the Shabbat, to observe the Shabbat throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant. 17 It is a sign between Me and Bnei-Yisrael forever, for in six days Adonai made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day He ceased from work and rested.’”
I want to comment briefly on the last Hebrew word of verse 17, Va’yi’na’fash. It has 4 syllables. The Shoresh is the same as Nefesh, (Nun-Peh-Shin). It means “soul.” In giving us the Shabbat, God was giving the world a soul. A human soul is what makes humans different from all other living things. The “Shabbat soul” is what makes this world different from all other space.
Please follow me here. Why do we have a goal line on a football field? It’s the same reason God gave the world the weekly Shabbat. Without a goal line, we’re just playing without purpose. The game might end, but we would never know who won. Shabbat gives each week a goal line. The other six days of the week derive their purpose from the “goal line” of Shabbat.
God gave the world a day of rest, a weekly vacation, a break from striving, to stop and give thanks and honor to the creator of all things. We stop working and celebrate His goodness and love for us. Yeshua is the reality of all things. Therefore; Yeshua is also the reality of the Shabbat. When we rest, we rest in Him. We honor Him on His appointed day.
Matthew 12:6 But I tell you that something greater than the Temple is here…. 8 For the Son of Man is Lord of Shabbat.”