Demonstrating Faith

Parashiot Behar – Bechukotai

What is the connection between these two parashiot, and what is the ultimate promise made by G-d to the Jewish people?

Behar and Bechukotai are the last two portions in the book of Vayikra, Leviticus. On non-leap years, when various portions are doubled up, the rabbis specifically chose these two portions to be read together. One does not have to look too hard to be able to see the similarities between the two portions.

Behar begins with a special connection between Mt. Sinai and the land of Israel by speaking of the holiness of shmita, of letting the ground lay fallow for an entire year every seven years. This connection is directly connected to the mitzvah of Shabbat. For six days we are to work, and on the seventh day we are to rest.

This idea follows that HaShem created the world in which we inhabit for six days, but on the seventh day G-d ceased from His creating, and brought completeness and menucha – rest. The purpose of shmita is to teach us that the ultimate force in the universe is G-d and not the law of nature. It also goes against our own instincts of fear that if we do not plant and work during that year, we will starve. Yet this is why, built even into the harvesting of the land, G-d gives us opportunities to demonstrate faith. That is the reason for the harvesting for six years, and stowing a small amount away every year of in order to have extra food for the year of shmita. By doing so, we are obligated to trust G-d that by following His mitzvot, we trust He will provide for us during these years so that we will not go hungry in the seventh. This goes against everything in us to take a Shabbat – especially for an entire year!

However, Parashat Bechukotai begins with G-d promising that if we follow His commandments, than He will give us abundance in our harvests and blessings upon us. That He will send us the rain we need, and will keep our enemies away. It is His promise that if we will trust in Him, and observe the mitzvot He just gave us in the previous parasha, that He will be faithful to meet our needs.

How often do we really trust G-d to meet our needs? Often we worry and seem to keep one little areas hidden (or at least we think hidden from G-d). Yet that is not what HaShem wants of us. G-d wants us to trust Him, that by following His mitzvot, He will bring blessings in our lives. Yeshua reiterates this by reassuring us not to worry about these things – of what we will eat or drink, or even about what we will wear (Mat. 6:25-34). For Yeshua promises us that He knows everything we need better than we do. Therefore Yeshua affirms the message of this week’s parashiot, to continue to seek His Kingdom and His Righteousness (i.e. His mitzvot and will for our lives), and everything else will be added to us as well.

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Book Review: Biblically Kosher

I know … I’m way behind on my book reviews. I’ve been so incredibly busy lately that it has been hard to keep up on my weekly blogging. Although I am a little behind other bloggers who have already reviewed this book, I think the book is still worth contributing my own few thoughts on.

In January First Fruits of Zion (FFOZ) released one of its most recent books, Biblically Kosher: A Messianic Jewish Perspective on Kashrut, by Aaron Eby. With a title like, “Biblically Kosher,” it would be easy to assume that Eby would tow the common Messianic party-line on what it means to eat “kosher.” However, knowing Aaron Eby, and FFOZ, I knew this not to be the case and to ‘not judge a book by it’s cover’ … errr, it’s title.

Let me be clear before proceeding, I applaud those who hold to some sort of semblance of kashrut, including the level of what is often called ‘biblically kosher.’ I recognize that in today’s world, maintaining a “diet for the soul” is not easy and that it changes everything – what you can eat in restaurants, what you can eat in other people’s homes, and the requirement to ask lots of questions about ingredients whenever you purchase or order anything. As one who believes that an “all or nothing” approach to observance can often lead to ‘no observance’ or quick burn-out within a year or two, every small step is a step in the right direction. Therefore, when taking on a greater level of observance, it must be done in a way that is both meaningful and maintainable.

But it is also important that we are honest with ourselves about what we do … or don’t do.

A Common Misconception

What most people within the Messianic movement today call “Biblically kosher” is in reality only  ’kosher-style.’ To truly be ‘biblical’ it would require not only the avoidance of forbidden foods like pork and shellfish, but also the purchase of kosher meat - something quite difficult outside of major urban centers with large Jewish populations. Therefore convenience has dictated the common ‘kosher-style’ approach.

However, there is a growing movement within Messianic Jewish circles of those who desire to take on a greater level of kashrut. This is especially true among a number of those in their 20′s and 30′s. Here in LA, for example, most of the Messianic Jewish 20-somethings I know active in Jewish life all have kosher kitchens and primarily only eat kosher food. And this is true in other cities as well. Many younger Messianic Jews desire a greater level of observance in this area.

Hence the need for Eby’s book. Biblically Kosher is an excellent resource for understanding not only the Bible’s approach to what we eat, but also what Jewish tradition has understood over the last 2,000 years. There is actually great wisdom, as Eby points out, in maintaining a semblance of kashrut that is recognizable to other Jews.

Contents of the Book

There are three parts to the book. In part I Eby discusses in-depth reasons for keeping kosher and why it is important. He also addresses common objections to keeping kosher. In part II of the book, Eby specifically goes into what the Torah itself says about kashrut and what we can and cannot eat. In the final part of the book, part III, Eby then discusses keeping kosher within the Messianic Community, and particularly addresses issues and questions related to Gentiles who desire to keep kosher.

The final portion of the book includes a few reference materials, including a glossary and a scriptural reference index.

Most importantly, Eby brings a Messianic Jewish perspective into every part of this book – discussing how Yeshua either directly fits into it, and/or what the New Testament has to say on the various issues.

Important Topics

I must say that I was quite impressed with the depth of Eby’s book, as well as the breadth of all he discusses … and yet does so without being too technical or overly wordy. This book is written with the average person in mind. It is a thorough, yet quick read.

I was also particularly impressed with the way he handles the discussion of mixing meat and dairy, and the way he breaks down various biblical verses including the often quoted command, “not to cook a kid in it’s mother’s milk (Ex. 23:19, 34:26; Deut. 14:21).” Eby demonstrates clearly through the biblical text how the rabbis came to the conclusion of not mixing meat and dairy from the Torah itself, and that this ancient practice goes back even before the time of Yeshua.

Eby also does a tremendous job demonstrating from the biblical text itself the importance of ritual slaughter and the importance of eating kosher meat.

Whether you are relatively new to the idea of ‘keeping kosher’ or already quite knowledgeable of the issues, this book is for you. I recommend this book as a beginning place for understanding how rooted in Scripture kashrut is,  and its importance for those at the beginning of their journeys. But I also recommend this book to leaders and others already well-versed in kashrut, as this is an excellent resource for later consultation. No matter your current level of knowledge and observance – this book is for you! There is something new everyone can get out of this important contribution.

I highly recommend this book – and you can get your copy right HERE.

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Holiness in Doing

Acharei Mot – Kedoshim

This week’s double-portion seems to be a long list of do’s and don’ts. If so, why is their so much talk about holiness and being holy? What is the connection?

Parashat Kedoshim is one of my favorite parashiot in the Torah. For it clearly illustrates the stark distinction between the concept of holiness as understood within the Jewish community and much of the western world. Holiness in the Torah is not some mystical, esoteric state we are all somehow striving to attain; but is rather a state of being, and a way of living our lives. In the Torah, holiness is establishing G-d’s Kingdom and Presence here on this earth. It is partnering with G-d in bringing redemption into the world.

The Torah portion is called Kedoshim because it is all about holiness. It is the instructions of how to live a life that is holy and pleasing unto G-d. We are instructed to weigh fairly, pursue justice, observe Shabbat and the mitzvot, and protect those who are down trodden. Why? Because the Torah states “Anochi HaShem … Because I am HaShem … and you are to be holy as I am holy (Leviticus 19:2)”.

It is a concept radically different from many of our own understandings of what we perceive as holy. For holiness is establishing G-d’s Presence among us and through us. Yeshua intrinsically understood this. Yeshua came to serve, and to ransom his life for ours (Mark 10:45). After all, it is in this week’s Torah portion we find the commandment echoed by Yeshua, “V’ahavta l’Raeicha Kamocha – To love your neighbor as you love yourself (Lev. 19:18).” For Judaism clearly teaches that how we treat one another is a direct reflection upon our relationship to G-d.

This is what Yeshua even taught us to pray for, “May Your Kingdom come. May Your Will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven (Matthew 6:9).” Let us pray for the inspiration and strength to lead lives that are holy and pleasing to G-d. May each of us pursue justice, follow Torah, and protect those downtrodden.

HaShem our G-d, open our eyes for opportunities to serve you, and help us see the world and our neighbors the way you see them. And may we merit your soon coming and the ultimate redemption in the messianic age!

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The Leper Scholar

Parashiot Tazria-Metzora

Our Torah portions this week discuss the malady of tzara’at. Previously I have discussed how tzara’at is not what we often think it is. Although it is common to understand these passages as dealing with an actual skin disease, Jewish tradition teaches that tzara’at is not leprosy at all, but a serious spiritual malady caused by Sinat Chinam – hatred without a reason.

Interestingly, there is a wealth of Jewish tradition that makes a connection between tzara’at and the Messiah. After all, the rabbis teach us that everything in the Torah concerns Mashiach. Therefore, the rabbis recognized that even within the spiritual malady of tzara’at were hidden signs of Mashiach:

This tradition of connecting tzara’at and Mashiach begins with a particular verse from last week’s parasha, in Leviticus 13:12-13:

יב וְאִם-פָּרוֹחַ תִּפְרַח הַצָּרַעַת בָּעוֹר וְכִסְּתָה הַצָּרַעַת אֵת כָּל-עוֹר הַנֶּגַע מֵרֹאשׁוֹ וְעַד-רַגְלָיו–לְכָל-מַרְאֵה עֵינֵי הַכֹּהֵן.

12 If the tzara’at breaks out all over the skin, so that, as far as the cohen can see, the person with tzara’at has sores everywhere on his body, from his head to his feet;

יג וְרָאָה הַכֹּהֵן וְהִנֵּה כִסְּתָה הַצָּרַעַת אֶת-כָּל-בְּשָׂרוֹ–וְטִהַר אֶת-הַנָּגַע: כֻּלּוֹ הָפַךְ לָבָן טָהוֹר הוּא.

13 then the cohen is to examine him, and if he sees that the tzara’at has covered his entire body, he is to pronounce the person with the sores as ritually pure – it has all turned white and he is clean.

Referring particularly to verse 13, the Talmud States (b. Sanhedrin 97a):

“The Son of David (Mashiach) will only come when every government becomes heretical. Rabah said, ‘Where do we see this in Scripture? From the verse “He has turned completely white, he is ritually pure.’”

Rashi further expands on this verse and notes, “Just as when the affliction has spread throughout the entire skin and the person is ritually pure, so too, when all the governments have become heretical, the redemption will come.”

Recognizing that the Messiah must be afflicted, and familiar with suffering, the rabbis went even further – and one of the ways they identified Mashiach in the Talmud is with the title, The Leper Scholar:

“The Rabbanan (rabbis) say that Mashiach’s name is The Leper Scholar of the House of Rabbi, for it is written, ‘Surely he has borne our grief and carried our sorrows, yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten and afflicted by G-d (b. Sanhedrin 98b).’”

The rabbis obviously recognized that this does not mean that Mashiach would literally be afflicted with tzara’at but that this was a metaphor. This connection between tzara’at and Mashiach is not unique to rabbinic literature. Rather, Yeshua himself is described in the Besorah as having compassion for the metzora (the person with tzara’at), and healing them:

“And it happened when he was in a certain city, a man covered with tzara’at saw Yeshua, and he fell on his face and implored him, saying, ‘L-rd, if you are willing, you can make me clean.’ Then Yeshua put out his hand and touched him, saying, ‘I am willing, be healed.’ And he commanded him to tell no one, ‘But go to the cohen and make an offering for your cleansing, as a testimony to them, just as Moshe commanded (Luke 5:12-14).”

Those with tzara’at were healed, and their healings were part of the sign of his being the Mashiach. Yeshua taught that we must forgive, and not let Sinat Chinam eat away within us:

“And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins” (Mark 11:25).

“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven” (Luke 6:37).

According to the sages, tzara’at is the physical effect of sin. It is a spiritual disease that must be kept in check. To specifically avoid tzara’at, we must avoid slander and baseless hatred. All of us have spiritual sores and wounds, which if left untreated, can fester into something much worse. That is why we must learn to forgive and let go of any kind of judgment and hatred we might have against another person. Sinat Chinam – baseless hatred will destroy us, but forgiveness and healing can set us free!

We must learn how to go before our great High Priest, Yeshua our Messiah (Hebrews 5), and let him inspect us. For through him, not only will we find healing and wholeness, but redemption as well.

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Yom HaShoah: A Fresh Look at Ein Keloheinu

Yom HaShoah

Yom HaShoah – Holocaust Remembrance Day – begins tonight at sundown. As I’ve mentioned before, my grandfather was a member of the U.S. armed forces that liberated Germany.

Actually, he was both a liberator and a survivor, having escaped Germany as a young boy on the Kindertransport. He was eventually reunited with his parents after staying in a Quaker boarding school in Chiselhurst, England. Together, they immigrated to the United States, where my grandfather joined the Army, which was eager to put his linguistic skills to work.

Serving in U.S. Army intelligence, in 1945, he helped to liberate Dachau. His fellow veterans reported a living nightmare. As the Allies advanced through Axis territory, the Nazis had sent trainloads of Jewish prisoners toward Dachau, which was near Munich, their communications center. When the U.S. military arrived at Dachau as liberators, they confronted thousands of dead bodies. My grandfather never could bring himself to speak of it.

He remained in Germany to assist in U.S.-led war crimes investigations, then returned to the States to attend law school and set up a law practice that assisted Holocaust survivors in retrieving their stolen assets from Swiss and German banks. His refusal to charge survivors with exorbitant fees forced him to run a high-volume practice, which my uncle manages to this day.

My grandfather died before I was old enough to see beyond the tip of my own nose, or show an interest in anything other than getting him to stack Legos with me. He bequeathed to me his bum right knee, which he exercised using green ankle weights wrapped around his dark knee-high socks. I vividly remember watching his funny exercises, utterly mesmerized by my lanky old Poppy.

I still have trouble reconciling my childhood image of my grandfather with who he really was – a refugee and veteran, a survivor and a liberator, a war crimes investigator, and an advocate for the poor. According to my mother, Dachau ruined his faith in G-d, yet he remained committed to Jewish life, community, and continuity. He was extremely punctual, fastidious, and hard working. His family, his law firm, and the tight-knit community of German Jewish survivors in his neighborhood in Queens, were his main priorities.

I’m now a lawyer, too, having followed in the family tradition of human rights advocacy. I wish he were still here, that I might pick his brain, hear his young lawyer stories, and tell him what a hero he is to me. I wish he could have seen his granddaughter graduate from law school, and that he could have rejoiced with me at my huppah when Joshua and I got married.

In his absence, I cling to bits and scraps …. testimonials of fellow liberators, the jurisprudence of the Nuremburg Tribunals, and my uncle’s occasional stories of his early career as my grandfather’s apprentice.

I found this jewel a few days ago, which includes audio of the first Jewish service broadcast over the radio in Germany, almost immediately after U.S. troops arrived on German soil. Being in the middle of a war zone, the troops didn’t have time for a full service, and chose Ein Keloheinu to mark the event. My grandfather wasn’t a part of this, but perhaps he listened to it on the radio:

The Jewish Service Heard Round the World: Live from Germany

From now on, I’ll think of my grandfather every time I pray Ein Keloheinu.

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Slumdog Pesach

On Sunday night (for the 3rd night of Passover), our friend and fellow-blogger, Miri Kehler (from the blog Miri in the Village) hosted a wonderful party at her home – the 3rd Annual Slumdog Pesach. Slumdog Pesach is not a seder but rather a whole themed out party (with all kosher-for-Passover Indian food!).

Aside from the fact that we had an incredible time, I am always blown away at just how talented and crafty Miri is. She is also a tremendous cook and her baking skills are amazing. Additionally, her attention to detail is remarkable … If you’ll notice in the pictures for the event, Miri hand-made the entire string of little flags hanging from the ceiling, all the place cards with each person’s name at each setting, little cards on the drinking glasses … and all the other little details which made it so superb. It was truly so much fun!

All of the food was Indian and was delicious, savory, seasoned very well … and all kosher-for-Passover. And the palate cleanser (of home-made parev ice-cream and coconut milk whipped cream) and the dessert (a parev kosher-for-Passover chocolate tart) topped it all off.

All of this just highlights why you should check out and follow Miri’s blog, Miri in the Village – a blog all about, in Miri’s own words, “kosher food, crafty design, and over all fabulous things.” My wife, Monique, loves this blog and regularly comments about how great all the different ideas and recipes are. I also really enjoyed her recent post about a recent hiking trip to the old Los Angeles Zoo in Griffith Park that I never even knew existed.

This is a fun blog that we have added to our blog role and hope you will enjoy as well. So check out Miri in the Village!

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Quote of the Day

“The first mitzva transmitted to the Israelites in Egypt was the requirement to have a calendar and own their time: “This month shall mark for you the beginning of the months; it shall be the first of the months of the year for you.” (Exodus 12:1)  It celebrated the equivalent of a bar-mitzva for the nascent nation of Israel; everyone was given a watch as their gift.  They were emerging adults whose freedom meant accepting responsibility.  What’s more, having their own time as free humans meant that there was newfound opportunity to develop, to grow and to create.

I am fond of punning on the Hebrew for month, chodesh, suggesting that we read not “ha-chodesh” – this month; but “ha-chidush” – this innovative idea.  In that way, the commandment captures the essence of the Israelite revolution.  The message of Exodus is that freedom facilitates creativity and change.  Moses stands up against Pharaoh, the representative of the sun god Ra, and proclaims: We are the moon people.  We know that the sun offers stability and certainty.  But we also know that “there is nothing new under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9), i.e. no chadash tachat ha-shemesh.  We are willing to leave the certainty and fixedness of the Egyptian sun, which we experience as slavery, for the uncertainty and riskiness of the waxing and waning moon because it offers the possibility of renewal and change.

This has been our clarion call as a people throughout the ages. We learned not to be satisfied with what is and always pursue what ought to be. We were taught to remember that we were slaves in Egypt where we were seduced by the grandeur of power and order only to be provoked by Moses to resist the temptation of capitulating to the promise of certainty. He urged us, rather, to pursue the freedom that is gained by engaging the Unknowable and encountering the unexpected.  For, only then will we be constantly prodded to pursue the fulfillment of our human potential.  Only then will it become clear that one of the secrets of our survival was our creative spirit that was nurtured from the onset by an obligation to innovate. This human ability to innovate is itself liberating and redemptive.”

-Rabbi Chaim Seidler-Feller, Executive Director of Hillel at UCLA

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Redemption, Resurrection and Looking Forward!

Luke 23:44-56

In Luke 23:44-56 we encounter Yeshua’s atoning death, during which, crying out in a loud voice, he declared “Into your hands I commit my Spirit.” Yeshua’s moment of death cataclysmically impacted both the physical and spiritual realms – renting the parokhet (the curtain in the Temple) and causing the earth to shake, darkness to come over the earth, and causing tzadikim (righteous people) to be raised from the dead (see Matthew 27).  This was a cosmic event and an atoning act that would usher in redemption to all who would forever believe.

Many witnesses to Yeshua’s death recognized the moment in which they were in, and many who had not previously believed also came to recognize the revelation of Yeshua’s Messiahship.

We are told that a very righteous member of the Sanhedrin, Joseph of Ramatayim, who had not been in agreement with the decision of a certain number of other members of the Sanhedrin, also recognized the significance of the moment.  He was also a man who, “Looked forward to the Kingdom of G-d (23:51).”  Joseph approached Pilate and asked permission to bury Yeshua’s body, to which permission was granted.

We all know how the story ends.  Three days later Yeshua was miraculously resurrected and revealed himself to his talmidim (his disciples), as well as to many others.  His resurrection was an act with cosmic redemptive ramifications for all humanity.  This week’s reading is an encouragement to recognize the times we are in.  Many of us often live our lives and never recognize the moments in which HaShem is about to act.  However, we are called to be aware and recognize what G-d is doing.

We need to be like the tzadik Joseph of Ramatayim, who not only recognized the cosmic moment of Yeshua’s death, but was one who “looked forward to the Kingdom of G-d.”  We all need to be eagerly seeking out G-d and His Kingdom, and preparing the way for Messianic Redemption.  We as Jews, and especially as Messianic Jews, are placed on the earth for the purpose of Kiddush HaShem – the sanctification of G-d’s Name.  Therefore, let us be ready to recognize what G-d is doing, and prepare ourselves and those around us for the return of Mashiach Tzidkeinu – our Glorious and Righteous Messiah!

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Passover: Redemption Draws Nigh

Passover begins tomorrow night, April 6, 2012.

While living in Budapest, Hungary, I had the amazing opportunity to participate in a Passover Seder with a large group of Holocaust survivors. This special group opened my eyes to a deeper message of freedom and redemption.

Sitting with Jewish people who experienced one of the worst atrocities in history, and to see how excited they were to be at that Seder was encouraging. For most, it was their first Seder since they were children, and for a few of them, it might also have been their last. Yet to experience and celebrate with them not only our liberation from Egypt, but their deliverance from the Holocaust, made the message of redemption during this season very real.

Pesach (Hebrew for Passover), recounts G-d’s deliverance of the Jewish people from Egypt approximately 3,300 years ago. The Passover week actually includes three separate, yet connected holidays – Pesach (only the first night), Chag HaMatzot (the Feast of Unleavened Bread), and Yom HaBikkurim (the Feast of First Fruits and Resurrection). Passover has remained a distinct identity marker of the Jewish people throughout years of dispersion and turmoil, and remains one of the most widely observed Jewish practices.

Pesach, as did all the Biblical festivals, played an enormous role within the life of Yeshua and his followers. There are over 28 references to the observance of Passover within the New Testament alone. By the time of Yeshua, a whole order of service had been developed surrounding the covenant meal, called a Seder, where, according to the Biblical text, lamb is commanded to be eaten along with matzah and maror (bitter herbs). As many of us are already aware, the Seder is the context for Yeshua’s last covenant meal (often called the Last Supper) shared with his disciples before his death.

The Biblical text is clear that we can never atone for ourselves. Only a blood covering can provide atonement for sin. That was the role of the sacrificial system – to make atonement for our shortcomings. The blood of the Passover lamb was placed on the door-posts, which caused death to “pass over” the homes of the Israelites. Through the sacrifice of Yeshua, death in our lives is “passed over” once and for all.

Our sages teach us that in every generation we should celebrate Passover as though we ourselves are personally being delivered from Egypt. For within Jewish understanding, “Egypt” represents more than just a geographical place on a map. The Hebrew word for Egypt is Mitzrayim, which is related to the word maytzorim, meaning boundaries and limitations. As such, to be “redeemed from Egypt” is to overcome and be redeemed from those natural limitations that impede the realization of our fullest potential. Passover is our opportunity for redemption!

This “Festival of Freedom” is one all of us can benefit from – Jews and non-Jews alike. And I pray that it should be so for all of us. Freedom to think beyond ourselves … to not take who we are, and what we have for granted. Freedom to think on a larger scale and have a bigger vision for what G-d wants to do in our lives and in our congregations. G-d is only as limited as we make Him in our lives. Be encouraged in this Passover season, for redemption draws nigh!

Chag Pesach Sameach – Have a wonderful and Happy Passover!

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Video of the Day – Levertoff, Part 7

Here is the newest video (#7) in the Levertoff series by Vine of David, wherein I discuss the idea of the Torah as a joy rather than a burden.

You can check out the newest Levertoff video HERE.

And to view the other videos in this special series, click HERE.

Zissen Pesach!

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