Prison Weekly Elul 23,5769
Shalom
This weeks Parshas are for Sabbath Elul 23, 5769
Torah Nitsavim " you are standing " / Va Yelech "And he went" Deuteronomy 29:9-31:30 Haftarah Isaiah 61:10-63:9 Brit Hadasha Romans 10:1-13 & Hosea 14:2-10
Next Weeks Readings are Torah Ha'azinu " Give ear" Deuteronomy 32:1-52 Haftarah Isaiah55:6-56:8 Brit Hadasha IISamuel 22:1-5 & Romans 10:14-11:12
Nitsavim " you are standing "
For this Mitzvah that I command you today- it is not foreign to you nor is it distant. It is not in the heaven (for you) to say, "Who can ascend to the heaven for us to take it for us?" Nor is it across the sea (for you) to say, "Who can cross to the other side of the sea for us to take it for us so that we can listen to it and perform it?" Rather, the matter is very near to you – in your mouth and in your heart –to perform it." (Devarim 30:11-14) What is that Mitzvah that we would think we need to climb the heavens or cross the oceans to fulfill? The verse doesn't say explicitly what it is. The Ramban says that it's talking about the Mitzvah of Teshuvah (repentance) while Rashi claims that it is in reference to the Mitzvah of learning Torah- both the Oral and the Written. Which is it? Why is left obscure? How is the Torah so close and ready to be performed for one who never had a Torah education? Why is the order offered- "in your mouth", "in your heart", "to perform it"? Why is the sequence 1- speech then 2-thought and then 3-action? Many moons ago I was just an all-American guy, a recent college grad living and working in the big city, New York. For some mystical reason I found myself in a small mid-town Synagogue on Saturday mornings regardless of where I had been on Friday night. Sitting in the back of the Shul I would read the archaic, "thy", "thou"- Old English style translations of the Hertz Chumash and the Birnbaum Siddur. I never knew what page we were on. It didn't matter much. I stood and sat when everyone else did. The words tickled my mind even in translation. I often glared at the Hebrew side of the page longingly like Moses looking into the promised-land. I knew something major must be lost in translation.
One weekday night back at my Manhattan apartment I turned on the desk lamp and with trepidation opened a Chumash to page one and started to read in Hebrew for the first time since my Bar Mitzvah. The words crawled out slowly from my mouth and by the time I had finished the first verse I was experiencing an unusual phenomenon. My heart was pounding so wildly I suspected that it may be a medical emergency. It was not at all painful but rather curiously pleasant. I didn't understand what had happened to me that night till years later when I was already a Yeshiva student. One of our regular Friday afternoon rituals was to go with a group of guys to the local nursing home to sing and wish Gooooood Shabboooooos to the elderly folks. There was one woman there who was not so old. She was a stroke victim and unable to express herself except for a few desperate grunts. The nurse tried to wave me away from paying attention to her claiming she was just a bitter but I sensed she was trying to tell me something. It was frustrating for her. I knew that her boys came to visit her at lunch time so I positioned her near to the elevator bank. She then carried on more frantically than before. In spite of the nurse I persisted and somehow figured out that the face of her watch had slipped downward on her frail wrist so I turned it upright. She began to cry and laugh with joy like a weepy Shofar. Someone had finally and for once understood what she was trying to say. Soon afterwards, I was able to relate that incident back to my encounter with the words, Breishis…Bara…Elochim" and the sublimely emotional response that awakened within me. I realized that for the duration of thousands of movies, ball games, and poetry of the highest order my Neshama had been waiting patiently for me to say those words, words of Torah. That simple exercise of reading triggered an inner ovation. I was intrigued to know more and eventually to do more. It all started with words of Torah, "the mouth", which opened up new thought avenues in "the heart" before being born into action, which is better than being forever lost in translation DvarTorah, Copyright © 2007 by Rabbi Label Lam and Torah.org.
Nitzavim
"You are standing, today, all of you, before HaShem, your G-d..." So does this portion open and so is it named, "Standing." It is a short parashah, and one that I will deal with briefly before we explore the second reading for this Shabbat, Vayeilech. This portion details the blessings for our obedience and the curse that will befall those who walk away from His ways. Deuteronomy 30: 11-14 gives us hope. It says, "For this commandment which I command you today is not too difficult for you, nor is it out of reach. It is not in heaven, that you should say, ' Who will go up to heaven for us to get it for us and make us hear it, that we may observe it?' Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, 'Who will cross the sea for us to get it for us and make us hear it, that we may observe it?' But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may observe it." Carol and I have had the privilege of bringing two Torah scrolls from Israel for Messianic congregations in America. For one of them, I ordered a custom made cover. When I entered the shop of the rabbi who makes these wonderful dressings, I immediately saw just what I wanted. It was an incredible flame that nearly danced on the velvet cover. He asked if I knew what it said. Perplexed, I said, it is the Fire of HaShem. He nodded and asked again if I could read it. Only then were the Hebrew letters clear to me. The fire was created by the very word of the L-rd. It said, "Torat HaShem t'meemah." This is from this week's parashah, "The commandment is not too difficult."
Our hope is in obedience to the word of the L-rd. Dear friends, because the Spirit of G-d dwells within us, we can walk in obedience. Those who have rejected the Son cannot obey the Father; yet for so long, we have run away from obedience as we cling to the promise of the Son. The Son did only what He saw the Father doing, and that, beloved is Torah. Rabbi Marty
Mission Update:
Malachi 3:10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.
Shalom In Yeshua Our Messiah
Wow we are nearing another NEW YEAR ! ("they sure seem to wiz bye now days") We just harvested a big ol bag of Giant jalapenos and they are hot. We got a few bananna pepers and lots of cherry tomatoes but the tags must of been switch at the store this year cause we only wound up with three big tomatoe plants. I plan on canning the pepers next Tuesday at the mission. Sunday I plan on making our third batch of fried squash, green tomatoe and cucumbers.
Most of the bills are paid and I just got another 200 for the Food bank leaving 599.that needs to be paid before we continue with the meat bags. We are only planning to do the meat bags the Last Wednesday of each month unless we recieve the funding to do more. The Mission electric was due on the 8th and it is 347. something so by Tuesday I expect to get another bill in the mail that will be double that or more. Coming due the 15th I have 457.00 worth of bills so PLEASE pray about sending even a small tithe or offering to help do these works. If EVERYONE on our various list would commit to five bucks a month we wouldn't have to continually ask you for support and help. We NEED you to be WILLING VESSELS for THIS MINISTRY for us to be able to do these works.
We thank all who do help an we love you all we pray you have a very restful Sabbath an now I must go it is time for our Sabbath Service.
Love sisterlinda / Messiah's Branch
Shalom B'Shem Yeshua HaMashiach Peace in the Name of Yeshua, the Messiah
Mark 9:23,10:27
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