Rabbi’s Reflections – Tuesday, April 18, 2023
Shalom,
Today is Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Memorial Day. There is another Holocaust Memorial Day with the same name in English (but not in Hebrew) on January 27th of every year. Yom HaShoah is intentionally sandwiched between the end of Passover and Yom HaAtzmaut, Israeli Independence Day. We must never forget. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lpTceEE3d8 Her testimony is compelling, but I disagree with her assessment of humanity in the last 15 seconds of this presentation. Here is another link. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrrI81yTHbk This presentation was filmed at Woodson High School in Northern Virginia. It is only half as long as the previous one.
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Day 10 of counting the Omer
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָֽׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו, וְצִוָּֽנוּ עַל סְפִירַת הָעֹֽמֶר
Baruch Atah Adonai Elohenu Melech Ha-Olam, Asher Kid’shanu B’mitzvotav, Vitzivanu Al Sefirat Ha-Omer.
Blessed are You O Lord our God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us by his commandments and commanded us about the counting of the Omer. Today is one week and three days of the counting of the Omer.
Follow up that prayer by remembering a blessing from the Lord and give Him thanks.
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Victory Over Sin 7 – Romans, part 68
Romans 6:11 So also continually count yourselves both dead to sin and alive to God in Messiah Yeshua. 12 Therefore do not let sin rule in your mortal body so that you obey its desires.
Paul is on a mission. He’s writing to instill in us a visceral revulsion of sin. I’ve heard of being wanted “dead or alive,” but Paul wants us to count ourselves both “dead AND alive.” First, we must consider ourselves dead to sin.
Rabbi Trail: If we are in fact, dead to sin, then we no longer respond to it. The universal scientific test of life is response to stimulus. This applies to any life, plant or animal. Dead people, by definition, no longer respond to stimulus. End RT.
It is important to remember that sin is easily defined. Significantly, sin is not what makes you feel bad or guilty. It is simpler than that. Sin is breaking God’s law (which also breaks God’s heart). Read “1 John 3:4” if you need to be refreshed in this. Once we are dead to sin, by grace, we no longer have the desire to break God’s law.
Jacob 1:15 Then when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is full grown, it brings forth death. So then, like the Fram auto filter man (pay me now or pay me later), we die to sin (desire) now, or die eternal death later.
That death now (to sin) is part of a singular process, the second part of which is a resurrection to (new) life in Messiah Yeshua. Yes, we are born again which is “made alive” (unto eternal life) in Messiah Yeshua. Let’s summarize these thoughts to this point. Colossians 2:13 When you were dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive together with Him when He pardoned us all our transgressions.
The last part of our subject verses today involves a warning from Paul. Romans 6:12 Therefore do not let sin rule in your mortal body so that you obey its desires. I know too many believers who are comfortable with sin. They want to play with it, to see how close they can come to the edge of sinning. Take my word for it, take Paul’s word for it, take God’s word for it,… this is a game you don’t want to play.
Let’s pray… Lord, make any transgression of Your loving command repulsive to us. Your goodness is too sweet. May we have the courage and character, a gift of the Holy Spirit, to receive your command… Jacob 4:7 Therefore submit to God. But resist the devil and he will flee from you. In Yeshua’s name, amen.
Daily Bread, reading plan by Lars Enarson (https://www.thewatchman.org/)
Day 10 of the Omer
Tue 18 Apr-2023 27th of Nisan, 5783 Day 10 of the Omer
Le 13:40-54 Isa 46 Job 4 1 Pet 1 (Mt 6)