Rabbi Chaim Eisen graced our fellowship in February of 2023 with teachings and interactions that were lovely. Among the many things he enumerated was that the high spirituality of our faith must be concretized—made practical in the tangible world; otherwise, we tend to fall into a fluidity of belief that...
FI Y5 WK 48 P. SHOFTIM (Judges) THE CURSED TREE, THE BLESSED TREE
Deuteronomy 16:21 LO-TIT’TA L’CHA A’SHER’AH KOL-EYTZ EYTZEL MIZ’BACH YHVH ELOHEICHA ASHER TA’ASEH-L’CHA You shall not plant for yourself an idolatrous Asherah tree—any grove of (ritual) trees—near the altar of ADONAI your God, which you shall make for yourself. The Bible begins with a cursed tree and a blessed tree,...
FI Y5 WK 47 P. RE’EH (SEE!) THE WHOLE WORD AND REVELATION OF GOD IN MESSIAH
Deuteronomy 13:1 (Christian citation: Deuteronomy 12:32) EYT KOL-HA’DA’VAR ASHER ANOCHI ME’TZA’VEH ET’CHEM OT’TO TISH’ME’RU LA’ASOT LO-TO’SEIF A’LAIV VE’LO TIG’RA MIM’MENU [STONE translation]: “The entire word that I command you, that shall you observe to do; you shall not add to it and you shall not subtract from it.” [OWENS translation]:...
FI Y5 WK 45 P. VA’ETCHANAN (I implored) THE VALLEY WHERE MOSES’ JOURNEY ENDED
Deuteronomy 3:29 VA’NEI’SHEV BA’GEI’EE MOOL BEIT PEOR So we abode in the valley opposite Beth-Peor GEI’EE is a valley with high walls. Peor is a mountain on the east of Jordan, the place where Balaam sought to curse Israel but God would not permit it. There was a pagan...
FI Y5 WK 44 P. DEVARIM (WORDS) “THE WORDS THAT MOSES SPOKE”—THE BEGINNING OF THE BIBLICAL FUNCTION OF PROPHECY (AS SUCH) IN THE BIBLE
Deuteronomy 1:1a EI’LEH HAD’DE’VARIM ASHER DI’BER MO’SHE EL-KOL-YISRAEL BE’EY’VER HA’YAR’DEIN These are the words which Moses spoke to All Israel on this side Jordan BAM’MID’BAR in the wilderness The commentary in the STONE Tanakh that introduces the Book of Deuteronomy emphasizes the unique character of this book versus the...
FI Y5 WK 42 P.MATTOS (TRIBES) THE VENGEANCE OF GOD ON MIDIAN AND THE PURIFYING OF THE MEN OF WAR AFTERWARD
You would think that a total victory was a matter of rejoicing; but Moses was angry with the victorious warriors of the attack on Midian because they did not go far enough—they let the women who could have sexual relations with men live—part of the booty of war. The...
FI Y5 WK 41 P. PINCHAS (Phinehas) THE MINISTRY OF VENGEANCE
Numbers 25:10-13 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying, Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned my wrath away from the children of Israel, while he was zealous for my sake among them, that I consumed not the children of Israel in my jealousy....
FI Y5 WK 40. BALAK (Balak) I SEE HIM: Balaam’s Prophecy of Messiah—THE STAR
Numbers 24:17 ER’ENU VE’LO AT’AH I see him, but not now ASHURENU VE’LO CAROV I behold him, but not nigh DARACH COCHAV MI’YA’ACOV A Star shall come forth from Jacob VE’CAM SHEVET MI’YIS’RAEL And a scepter (shall arise) out of Israel U’MACHATZ PA’A’TI MOAV (And) it (he) shall (smite) crush...
FI Y5 WK 39 P. CHUKAS (RED COW) PURIFICATION THROUGH SPRINKLING
Numbers 19:11-13: He who touches the dead body of anyone shall be unclean seven days. He shall purify himself with the water on the third day and on the seventh day; then he will be clean. But if he does not purify himself on the third day and on the...
FI Y5 P.38 KORACH GOD’S PHENOMENAL WORKS
Numbers 16:28-30 “Moses said, ‘Through this shall you know that HASHEM sent me to perform all these acts, that it was not from my heart. “If these die like the death of all men, and the destiny of all men is visited upon them, then it is not HASHEM Who...