Rabbi’s Reflections – Wednesday, May 5, 2021
Shalom,
Counting the Omer – Day 32
Here is the proper blessing to be said each day. This is how Jewish people fulfill the command to count.
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 counting the counting of the Omer. Today is four weeks and four days of the counting of the Omer.
This year we are counting the Omer six days behind the rest of the Jewish world. We are following the Karaite method as explained in a previous RR. For us, tomorrow is Lag B’Omer (the 33rd day of the counting of the Omer). This year the other Lag B’Omer was 5 days ago now – last Thursday night. 45 people were killed and hundreds more were injured (some critically) (https://www.timesofisrael.com/dozens-said-hurt-as-stand-collapses-at-mass-lag-bomer-gathering-in-mount-meron/) when a crowd of 100,000 people gathered in a space designed for 10,000 at the grave of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, who wrote the Zohar. The Zohar is the “bible” of the followers of Kabbalah )Jewish mysticism).
Please pray for all those who have suffered loss. Also, please pray that the eyes of many millions who are following false messiahs will be opened to the one and only true Messiah, Yeshua. We put our trust in Him. I’ll write more on Lag B’Omer tomorrow (on Lag B’Omer).
Today, we continue counting our blessings as we value the attributes of God. God is excellent. Our culture is built around superlatives (good-better-best). However; in considering God’s excellence, we must avoid such comparisons. Jeremiah 10:6 There is none like You, Adonai! You are great and great is Your Name in power.
Not only is God beyond comparison with others, but He is beyond comparison with Himself. God is not better now than He was then. Malachi 3:6 “For I am Adonai. I do not change, So you, children of Jacob, are not consumed.
Since Yeshua is God, He also does not change. Hebrews 13:8 Yeshua the Messiah is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
My point is that we must appreciate that God is not at the head of the line, He’s the only one in line, He created the line. God is not at the top of the pile, He’s the only one making up the pile. God is excellent in Himself. He never improves, never gets better or ever learns anything. He is “omni-omni.” I just made that up, fill in the blank after “omni.”
Psalm 8:2 Adonai our Lord, how excellent is Your Name over all the earth! You set Your splendor above the heavens. Enjoy this from Marty Goetz https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgcR80jm_QQ
Daily Bread, reading plan by Lars Enarson (https://www.thewatchman.org/)
Wed 5 May-2021 23rd of Iyar, 5781
Le 25:39-26:9Jer 7Job 28(Mt 26:1-35)Ro 8
In the Aliyah for today, we find many promises based on this condition. Leviticus 26:3 “If you walk in My statutes, keep My mitzvot and carry them out, 4a then…. Then what? God promises rain, abundant harvest of fruit and vegetables (so much that the harvest will last until planting). He also promises that we will live in our own land in security and shalom, without fear or the threat of dangerous beasts, and we will be victorious in battle.
Rabbi Trail: Then God writes some interesting statistics (Time for a math lesson. This is new math according to God’s command.)… Leviticus 26:8 Five of you will chase 100 and 100 of you will chase 10,000, and your enemies will fall by the sword before you. When there are only 5 chasing their enemies, 5% will chase 100%, but when 100 are doing the chasing, 1% will chase 100%. My take-away from this is that God makes us even more effective in large groups. 100 can chase 100 times more than 5 can chase (100 x 100 = 10,000), but 100 is only 20 times more than 5. Is your head ready to explode yet? End RT.
That word “IF” above makes these blessings conditional. Oh no, Lord, please don’t punish me with those blessings. Do I have to obey You, Lord? This is so much trouble. Besides, can’t I just get the “grace” pass and be exempt from following your ways?
No! (I feel a little like Mark Levin here.) It’s this simple, obey God and get a blessing. God keeps His word and His promises are yes and amen. 2 Corinthians 1:20 For in Him all the promises of God are “Yes.” Therefore also through Him is the “Amen” by us, to the glory of God.
Week 19
Memory Verse: Psalm 139:15 My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. 16 Your eyes saw me when I was unformed, and in Your book were written the days that were formed— when not one of them had come to be.
91 5/7 Monday: Psalm 119:129-176; 139
92 5/8 Tuesday: Pslam 148 – 150
* 93 5/9 Wednesday: 1 Kings 2
94 5/10 Thursday: 1 Kings 3; 6
95 5/11 Friday: 1 Kings 8, 9:1-9
Question of the day: 1 Kings 2:1 Now when the time of David drew near to die, he charged his son Solomon, saying: 2 “I—I am going the way of all the earth. So be strong and be a man. What does it mean to “be a man?”
Answer: To be a “man” is not a matter of gender, it is a matter of character. This brings to mind the Yiddish word, “Mensch.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mensch#:~:text=Overview,a%20friend%20or%20trusted%20colleague
A mensch is a person of integrity who always goes the extra mile to do the right thing. And the “right thing” is always consistent with the Word of God and His commands. Paul said as much to the Corinthians.
1 Corinthians 16:13 Be on the alert! Stand firm in the faith! Be men of courage! Be strong! 14 Let all that you do be done in love.