Rabbi’s Reflections – Friday, June 14, 2024
(Early) Shabbat Shalom,
Announcement: Mark your calendar for a special Shabbat, August 17th. Bob Mendelsohn from Jews for Jesus will be ministering at Shomair. This is a wonderful opportunity to visit with one of the pillars of the Messianic Jewish movement. Here is a link to Bob’s autobiography. Enjoy! https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5d26072b3710ee0001629f51/t/5eaa86989f981324a189202f/1588233882491/mendelsohn.pdf
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Day 48 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 six weeks and six days of the counting of the Omer.
Follow up that prayer by remembering a blessing from the Lord and give Him thanks. 2Corinthians 9:11 You will be enriched in everything for all generosity, which through us brings about thanksgiving to God. 12 For this service of giving is not only supplying the needs of the kedoshim, but is also overflowing with many thanksgivings to God.
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Psalms
Psalm 10:2 – Part 2
Psalm 10:2 In pride the wicked hotly hunts the poor. Let them be caught in the plots they have planned.
Most of the rest of this Psalm is about the wicked. What are they thinking? What are their motivations? What are their expectations? This Psalm addresses these questions. Do you know that most wicked people don’t think they’re wicked? Even the most notorious gangsters have a self image of being good and except for a few “small” bad breaks, they believe their lives would have turned out much differently. However; the Scriptures warn us…
Isaiah 5:20 Oy to those who call evil good and good evil, who present darkness as light and light as darkness, who present bitter as sweet, and sweet as bitter! 21 Oy to those who are wise in their own eyes, and clever in their own sight!
We don’t get to decide for ourselves what is right, God’s commandments inform us in the way of righteousness. The Scriptures also connect the difference between knowing right from wrong to wearing tzit-tzit (fringes). And again we are warned…
Numbers 15:38 “Speak to Bnei-Yisrael. Say to them that they are to make for themselves tzitzit on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and they are to put a blue cord on each tzitzit. 39 It will be your own tzitzit—so whenever you look at them, you will remember all the mitzvot of Adonai and do them and not go spying out after your own hearts and your own eyes, prostituting yourselves. 40 This way you will remember and obey all My mitzvot and you will be holy to your God.
Think about this! Putting a fringe on the corners of your garment means that you’ll touch the fringe every time you try to put your hand in your pocket. Today, we have to reach into our pockets before we do much of anything. Before we drive, spend money, use our cell phones, and much more. And every time we touch the tzit-tzit, we are commanded to think about God’s commandments.
Yeshua’s teaching is consistent with this in the Sermon on the Mount… 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…. Yeshua came to fill-full (completely obey). This is not our pass to have grace (thinking you can live like hell and get to heaven is wrong minded), but our instruction in obedience to God’s commands. Deuteronomy 6:6 These words, which I am commanding you today, are to be on your heart. Yes, let’s do take it to heart.
Daily Bread, reading plan by Lars Enarson (https://www.thewatchman.org/)
8 Sivan Friday 14-Jun-24 48th day of the Omer
Numbers 5:11-6:27 Jeremiah 22 Job 31 Mark 8 1 Corinthians 10