Rabbi’s Reflections – Tuesday, February 8, 2022
Shalom *|FNAME|*,
The Second Commandment by Rabbi H Michael Weiner
The second commandment looks like this in Hebrew and transliterated Hebrew…
לֹא-יִהְיֶה לְךָ אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים, עַל-פָּנָי
Verse 2b(3) Lo-Yiyeh L’cha Elohim Acherim, Al-Panay
לֹא-תַעֲשֶׂה לְךָ פֶסֶל, וְכָל-תְּמוּנָה, אֲשֶׁר בַּשָּׁמַיִם מִמַּעַל, וַאֲשֶׁר בָּאָרֶץ מִתָּחַת–וַאֲשֶׁר בַּמַּיִם, מִתַּחַת לָאָרֶץ
Verse 3(4) Lo-Ta’aseh L’cha Fesel, V’Kol-T’munah, Asher BaShamayim MiMa’al, VaAsher Ba’Aretz MiTachat—VaAsher BaMayim MiTachat LaAretz.
לֹא-תִשְׁתַּחֲוֶה לָהֶם, וְלֹא תָעָבְדֵם: כִּי אָנֹכִי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ, אֵל קַנָּא–פֹּקֵד עֲוֺן אָבֹת עַל-בָּנִים עַל-שִׁלֵּשִׁים וְעַל-רִבֵּעִים, לְשֹׂנְאָי
Verse 4(5) Lo-Tish’ta’cha’veh, LaHem, V’Lo Ta’av’dem. Ki Anochi Adonai(YHVH) Elohecha, El Kana—PoKed Avon Avot Al-Banim Al-Shla’shim V’Al-Rebay’im, L’Son’ay.
וְעֹשֶׂה חֶסֶד, לַאֲלָפִים–לְאֹהֲבַי, וּלְשֹׁמְרֵי מִצְוֺתָי
Verse 5(6) V’Oseh Chesed, La’alo’fim—L’Ohavay, U’L’Shomray Mitz’votai.
And in English, like this…
Exodus 20:3 “You shall have no other gods before Me. 4 Do not make for yourself a graven image , or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above or on the earth below or in the water under the earth. 5 Do not bow down to them, do not let anyone make you serve them. For I, Adonai your God, am a jealous God, bringing the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, 6 but showing lovingkindness to the thousands of generations of those who love Me and keep My mitzvot.
There is much to this second commandment. To begin, the numbering is different between the Christian Bible and the Jewish Bible. In the Jewish Bible, verse 3 is appended onto verse 2 (as shown above), which makes the rest of the chapter one verse off (also as shown). The key words are “Elohim Acherim,” meaning “other gods.” Then in verse 4, don’t bow to them and do not be a servant to them (the other gods).
Joshua put it best, as he addressed the children of Israel after they crossed the Jordan river (at the end of the book of Joshua) and entered the promised land. Joshua 24:15 If it seems bad to you to worship Adonai, then choose for yourselves today whom you will serve—whether the gods that your fathers worshipped that were beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living. Then Joshua makes a bold statement. He takes a stand to see who will stand with him. Joshua 24:15b But as for me and my household, we will worship (“serve” in the Hebrew) Adonai!”
Life is full of choices. The key to victory is to make wise choices. Sadly, many of us have a lifetime of poor choices. Why not agree with Yeshua, (Whose name is very similar to Yehoshua, Joshua) and snatch victory from the jaws of defeat? John 14:23 Yeshua answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word. My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our dwelling with him. There it is, the last 3 words of the second commandment, “keep My Mitzvot” (Commandments). God’s “Word”are His commandments. He is our God, there is none else.
There is more, and tomorrow is another day. TTFN. (As Tigger says.)
Daily Bread, reading plan by Lars Enarson (https://www.thewatchman.org/)
Tue 08-Feb-2022 7th of Adar I, 5782
Ex 28:31-43 2 Ki 2 Ps 115 Jn 8:31-59 (Tit 1)
Week 7
Memory Verse: John 1:29 The next day, John sees Yeshua coming to him and says, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
31 2/7 Monday: Exodus 8-9
32 2/8 Tuesday: Exodus 10-11
33 2/9 Wednesday: Exodus 12
34 2/10 Thursday: Exodus 13:17-14
35 2/11 Friday: Exodus 16-17