Rabbi’s Reflections – Tuesday, May 31, 2022
Shalom,
Matthew 5:17-20 – Until All Things Come To Pass… part 3 of ??
Matthew 5:18 Amen, I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or serif shall ever pass away from the Torah until all things come to pass.
“It’s semantic!” How many times have we heard those words. They are all too frequently used to dismiss a valid thought as being out of hand. When someone says, “It’s semantic,” they are marginalizing the value and importance of words. Words mean something. In Hebrew, “Davar” (Dalet-Bet-Resh) means “word,” but it also means “thing.”
Rabbi’s Trail: Interestingly, “Davar” is also the Shoresh of “Mid’bar” which means “wilderness.” The wilderness is where we go to hear the words of God. As I’m writing this, I heard this verse in my head. It is only tangentially connected to what I’m writing. Enjoy!
Isaiah 40:9 Get yourself up on a high mountain, you who bring good news to Zion! Lift up your voice with strength, you who bring good news to Jerusalem! Lift it up! Do not fear! Say to the cities of Judah: “Behold your God!”
Here is a special note on Isaiah 40…. The 66 chapters of Isaiah correspond to the 66 books of the Christian Bible. I say “Christian Bible” because the Jewish Bible (Old Testament) only has 24 books, while the Christian Old Testament has 39. The words are all the same, just books are combined. This means Isaiah chapter 40 corresponds to Matthew (the first book of the New Testament. Pray with me… Oh that Zion would both hear and behold God. In Yeshua’s name, Amen. End RT.
Words matter, and these words matter. The last time I checked (which was just an instant ago), heaven and earth have not yet passed away. That being the case, then nothing (not the smallest letter nor any part of any letter) “shall ever pass away.” God’s word will not die until all things come to pass!
To what “things” could Yeshua be referring. Remember, things are words. The “things” to which Yeshua is referring are His promises. Are all His promises fulfilled? Is this (our current existence) all there is? Of course not! Not one letter of the Torah is done away! Does that further explain the previous verse?
Matthew 5:17 “Do not think that I came to abolish the Torah or the Prophets! I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill.”
As we learned previously, Yeshua knew there would be those who wanted make His coming a replacement for living according to God’s righteous standard, when in reality, it is a call, by grace, to live it.
Romans 8:4 so that the requirement of the Torah might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Ruach.
Later in the “big sermon” we find Yeshua referring again to “things,” which we should also remember are words in the Hebrew mindset. Matthew 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. The “things” are not zeros to the left of the decimal place in your bank account. They are the words of God that form His promises. They will not be removed until God has fulfilled them all.
Counting the Omer – Day 38
Here is the proper blessing to be said each day.
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 five weeks and three days of the counting of the Omer.
Daily Bread, reading plan by Lars Enarson (https://www.thewatchman.org/)
Tue 31-May-2022 1st of Sivan, 5782 Rosh Chodesh Sivan 45th day of the Omer
Nu 2:1-34 Jer 18-19 Job 29 (Mk 6:30-56) 1 Co 8
Week 23
Memory Verse: Isaiah 53:5 But He was pierced because of our transgressions, crushed because of our iniquities. The chastisement for our shalom was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. 6 We all like sheep have gone astray. Each of us turned to his own way. So Adonai has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
111 5/30 Monday: Isaiah 6; 9
112 5/31 Tuesday: Isaiah 44-45
113 6/1 Wednesday: Isaiah 52-53
114 6/2 Thursday: Isaiah 65-66
115 6/3 Friday: Micah 1; 4:6-13; 5