The fruit, the woman, and us

Shalom to all, here is our study for Beresheit chapters 3 and 4. 

You may eat fruit from all of the other trees in the garden, just not this one.

“Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which Yehovah Elohim had made. And he said to the woman, has Elohim said, Do not eat of every tree of the garden?” (Gen 3:1)

 Tactics of the adversary

 The adversary then, and now, comes to us and often exaggerates what Elohim has instructed us to do and not do. He also makes it sound oppressive. The serpent didn’t say, “Did Elohim say you could eat of all of the trees, except one?” He didn’t put his question in terms of the bounty Chava was allowed to partake of. No, he made it sound as though being prohibited from eating from that one tree, out of all the other trees, was such a burden.

 He still uses the same tactic today.

 Consider the Shabbat. He instructs us to work for six days and do all our labors, and then the seventh we are to rest from our labors and work, and not cause others to work. What does the adversary say? “What a burden it is to not be able to work on Saturdays! How can Elohim expect you to not work, go shopping, or cause others to work one whole day of the week? There is no way anybody could do that.”

 Or consider the clean food instructions. Father says we can eat meat from any clean animal, and all fruits and vegetables. But how does the adversary present the issue to us? “How can Elohim put such a burden on you that you can’t eat pork, or shellfish, or snakes, rats, and bats? You are so deprived! Why should Elohim have the nerve to tell you not to eat such delicacies?”

 Elohim can make the rules

 When we think about it simply, Elohim created all things, He has the right and responsibility to instruct us how we should live, He loves us, and wants what is best for us. If we love Him, we accept His instructions and do our best to live by them from our hearts out of love for Him and love for our neighbor, with all our heart, all our soul, and all our strength.

 The adversary doesn’t stop once he has our attention and has lied to us.

 His next step is to get us to see his temptation, really see it in a manner that entices us.

 “And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, (sakal - prudent, circumspect, insight, comprehend, notice wisdom is not among the meanings of this Hebrew word) she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat; and she gave also unto her husband with her, and he did eat.” (Gen 3:6)

   “Seeing” the adversary’s way

 Chava had probably seen the fruit on the tree many times, but Elohim said don’t eat it, and she saw it as you or I might see a tree at the side of the road as we drive by. After we have driven by the same tree a few times, we no longer even consciously notice it. But the adversary put a big orange sign on the tree. He made Chava see it as food, even though it was not, he made her see it as delightful instead of just like all the other trees, and he made her see it as desirable rather than detestable.

 To guard and cherish

How many things today have taken on the façade of good, delightful, and desirable? Not to you perhaps, but to the indoctrinated masses who flock into the streets leaving destruction in their wake out of a sense of “good” or “justice"? Part of Adam’s charge was to guard the garden. Our charge is to guard the words of Yehovah. Another sense of guard is to cherish because of their value and because it is our Father in Heaven who has given them to us. It goes back to love. Do we love our Father enough to cherish and obey His instructions?

 May we always love Elohim enough to keep His commandments, not out of duty, but out of returning His love that was so great He sent His only begotten Son. Shalom and blessings.

 October 31 we will study Beresheit Ch. 5-6, Jeremiah Ch. 2,  Matthew 5-7 I pray you will join us.

Insight into The Garden of Eden

“Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Yehovah Elohim had made. And he said unto the woman, “Has Elohim said, You shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” And the woman said unto the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, Elohim has said, ‘You shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.’” And the serpent said unto the woman, “You shall not surely die: For Elohim knows that in the day you eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and you shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:1-5)

Well, the serpent lied, and it didn’t.

The adversary still operates that way! It mixes one or more lies with enough truth so the lie sounds plausible.

The lie, “You shall not surely die.”

Thanks for that

Eating the fruit brought death into the world, not just for them, but for all of us.

The truth, “In the day you eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and you shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.”

Elohim confirms the true part, “And Yehovah God said, ‘Behold, the man has become as one of Us, to know good and evil.’”

The other aspect here is that the adversary realized there was a difference between the imposition of the death sentence and the gaining of knowledge. “In the day you eat thereof,” their eyes were opened.

“And the eyes of both of them were opened. And they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made girdles for themselves.” (Genesis 3:7)

Their eyes were open immediately. It was later that Elohim imposed the death sentence. Although it is not specifically stated in the text, I suspect there was an immediate change in them that accompanied the realization they were naked. They may have felt the seed of death and it probably came with the opening of their eyes. If not, why was it important to keep them from eating from the Tree of Life?

Now Chava (Eve) aided in her own deception when she added, “Neither shall ye touch it,” to what Elohim told her and Adam. But that is the subject of another day.

Once Elohim discovered Adam and Chava had eaten of the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, He did eight things;

To the woman

·         I will greatly increase your sorrow and your conception.

·         In pain you shall bear sons

·         Your desire shall be toward your husband

·         Your husband shall rule over you

And to Adam

·         The ground is cursed for your sake

For both of them

·         Made coats of skin

·         Clothed them

·         Sent them out of the Garden of Eden to till the ground

And then “Lest (Adam) put forth his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever,” Elohim “placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.” (Genesis 3:16-24)

Now comes the fun part.

Well, except for the whole we are all going to die, more or less.

When I talk with people, they agree the cherubim are there to keep Adam, and his descendants away from the Tree of Life. But let’s look at it another way.

“Lest (Adam) put forth his hand…”

Adam and Chava sinned. If you sin, can you reach out and take hold of Eternal Life? Nope. There is a process laid out of repentance, accepting the sacrifice that makes atonement for the sin, and then following the instructions Elohim has established for right living.

I think the cherubim were placed at the east of the Garden for exactly the purpose the text says, “To guard (Shomer in Hebrew) the way to the Tree of Life.”

Elohim did not want the adversary to block or obliterate the way that Adam and his descendants would be able to gain access to the Tree. Adam could not simply reach out and take the fruit, he had to follow the Way back. Not to keep Adam out, but to ensure that when he was ready, the way would still be there.

We need to follow the way as well.

Paul  pointed out we are all sinners (Rom. 3:23). We can’t simply reach out and take the fruit. But the Way cherubim have been guarding it for millenia so those who truly desire to find the Way to Eternal Life can find it.

Repentance is turning away from sin (violation of the instructions of God) and toward Elohim (living the way He wants us to live). The sacrifice is Yeshua (Jesus). The instructions that lay out how to live the way Elohim want His people to live is the Torah.

That was fun. I invite you to come back and visit me again. If you have comments, please share. Thank you for reading.

Noach (Noah) Beresheit (Genesis) 6:-11:32

Shalom and welcome to Hungry for Torah. This week’s portion Noach is one of the most exciting portions in all of Torah. Yeshua said that the days that precede His coming will be similar to how things were in the days of Noach.

“And as he sat upon the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be, and what shall be the sign of your coming, and of the end of the world?” (Matthew 24:3)

Yeshua explained to them the answer to their question and in the midst of the explanation He said;

As it was for our Fathers, so shall it be

“Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. But of that day and hour no man knows, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of Noach were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noach entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.” (Matthew 24:35-40)

The Other Rapture

One of the ideas that stems from the above verses is that of a rapture. “Two will be in the field the one shall be taken and the other left.” The ‘taken one’ is considered ‘raptured’ according to an idea that cropped up in the 1800’s. But if we look at what Yeshua says, “The flood came and took them all away,” the taken one is taken by the flood. The taking, according to what these verses indicate is not a good thing. The flood didn’t deliver or save anyone, it killed them.

Since Yeshua paralleled His coming to the days of Noach, we can learn what to expect in the future by looking at what happened in the past. In this sense, our portion contains prophetic insight that we can mine.

The Unexpected Rest

To begin, let’s take a quick peek at last week’s portion to discover the meaning of Noach’s name. When Noach is born his father Lamech named him. In the Scriptures, the name given is sometimes followed by the definition of the name, the definition given by someone who knows their intent. Lamech said he named Noach because, “This one will provide us relief from our work.” (Beresheit 5:29)

Elohim cursed the ground when Adam ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Lamech believed that in Noach’s day, this curse would end, and people would no longer have to work so hard for food. The genealogy suggests that Noach was the first generation born after Adam’s death. Since the curse came upon the ground because of Adam, it made sense that after Adam died, the curse would be lifted.

There is a correlation here between then and now. As Lamech thought Noach would provide relief, so today many believe that this generation will witness relief from our work. People see signs that Messiah’s coming is near.

Whose Timeline?

I have heard many ‘prophecies’ about what is going to happen in our generation. When we look at Noach, we can see two things right off, the ‘rest’ Lamech prophesied didn’t come for six-hundred years, and it wasn’t what he expected.

I’m not saying that I know anything about what’s going to occur between now and Messiah’s return, or that those who prophecy about the end are incorrect, just that historically and Scripturally, end-time events don’t always play out the way we think we understand they will.

Almost every generation has believed they were the last one, and Yeshua would return in their day. There are indications in the New Testament that the disciples thought it would happen in their day. I do not believe, nor say, that all things continue as they have from the beginning, or that Yeshua delays His coming. I think He’s right on time, but that we as humans tend to misinterpret the Scriptures because we try to fit them into our timeline instead of Elohim’s.

Bottom line, Yeshua could return while we are alive. He might not. What do we do about it? Live Torah. What if He comes in 2015, what should we do now to prepare? Live Torah! What if our timelines are off by a hundred or five hundred years, and Yeshua won’t come back until 2115 or 2500 then what do we do? Live Torah.

We are not the first generation to look at world events and see what appears to be the fulfillment of end-times prophecies. Many preachers and teachers have built empires on prophesying when the end will come. But so far...they’ve all been wrong.

Don’t be deceived, and don’t be caught unaware, don’t let it sneak up on you like a thief in the night. Be prepared. How? Live Torah!

It's all about Love

When someone tells me “Nobody can keep all those Old Testament laws,” I realize they haven’t begun at the beginning. Yes, the instructions are difficult to keep in this age, and when we first start and are unfamiliar with them. But the beginning is found in the Shema (Devarim 6:4) “You shall love Yehovah your Elohim with all your heart, and all your soul, and all your strength.” When we have that, then the rest becomes easier.

It is when we are divided, and love earthly things that the instructions in the Torah become difficult. I talked with a person once who told me, “I could never keep all those food laws, I love bacon too much.” ?? There’s the problem. Divided love instead of loving Elohim with all your heart.

Shades of Gray

One of the first things we learn in our Torah portion Noach is that the earth was corrupted and filled with violence (chamas). I don’t think it is simply coincidence that one of the most violent Muhammadan groups calls itself hamas/chamas.

How often do we see in the news another incident of corruption? The reported incidents are just the ones that affect many people. How much corruption is going on that is not reported either because nobody knows about it, or it isn’t sensational enough?

Has corruption been going on before this age? Absolutely. The difference is that it used to be done in secret. Now much of it is openly displayed with a, “What are you going to do about it,” attitude. One that comes to mind is the, “We’re here and we’re queer,” blatantly open displays of what Elohim declares is an abomination punishable by death.

Elohim instructs Noach exactly how to build the ark. Perhaps we can glean some instructions on preparing for our time from them.

Noach's Box

Noach is to build an ark (taybaht, box). Although the English word, ark, is the same as the housing that Moshe has built for the Torah, the Hebrew is not the same. The ‘ark’ that housed the Torah is an aron, not a taybaht. It was also a taybaht that Moshe’s mother put him into to hide him when she set him afloat in the river so he could escape Pharaoh’s death decree for all Hebrew male infants.

Noach’s taybaht was to be constructed of gopher wood, and covered, Kaphar, with pitch, Kopher. All of the words associated with the taybaht are related. There is a sense of covering for protection. The ‘mercy seat’ in the tabernacle where Elohim met with Moshe and later the high priests is the Kapporet, the covering, also from the same root.

The aron with the kapporet that sat in the tabernacle (mishkan) provided a protective covering for all Israel. It still does. The word translated as tabernacle, mishkan, means ‘from dwelling.’ The mishkan was the dwelling place of the shekinyah, the dwelling of Yehovah. Literally, the tabernacle was the dwelling place of Yehovah on the earth.

We have Noach building the covering for those who would be delivered from death when the flood came to snatch up and take away all the wicked.

On one hand, we can look at the flood and see that only eight souls were saved from death. A small number. On the other hand, we can look at those eight and consider that in their loins were all the people who ever lived after the flood. A much larger number. That is the way Abraham was depicted, as the father of all who would come through his physical lineage and his spiritual lineage.

Fist, Second and Last Adam

In a way, Noach was the second Adam. He was the father of all who are alive today. He was righteous (tzadik) and perfect (tamim). If you were with me in earlier Torah portions, you will know that tamim doesn’t mean flawless perfection, but lacking prominent distinguishable defects and damage. In this picture, Noach foreshadows the Messiah whom Paul referred to as the last Adam. (1 Corinthians 15:45)

When we look at the shadow, we can see that all those who cling to their father will be rescued, and those who scoff and deride and carry on with all the prevalent sins will be taken away by the destruction to come.

Got a Light?

Elohim promised He would never again destroy all life with water, and Yochanan (John the baptizer) prophesied that Yeshua would baptize with the Holy Ghost and with fire (Matthew 3:11). The next scheduled cleansing may be by fire, just as Kepha (Peter) prophesied.

“But the day of Yehovah will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.” (2 Peter 3:10)

How can we prepare to be among those who are rescued if the destruction comes in the form of fire? Keep Torah, "These are not idle words, they are your life." "Your word is a light to my path."

There is so much more in this portion, but I’ve kept you long enough. Until we meet again next week for portion Lech Lecha, stay hungry for Torah and share your insights in the comments section below. Shalom and blessings.

Beresheit (in the beginning) (Genesis) 1:1 – 6:8

When you are hungry for Torah, you see a correlation between your spiritual hunger and your physical hunger. You don’t eat once and you’re done. Your hunger is a cycle. You eat and satisfy your hunger; after awhile, you are hungry again and you eat again. It is a cycle that lasts throughout your life.

The Cycle

The study of Torah is also a cycle. I am at the beginning of the annual cycle this week with Beresheit (in the beginning). I know there are a variety of cycle schedules, and if the one I am following is different from the one you use, I apologize. But the essential lesson here is that the study of Torah is a cycle. We begin, we study our way through each book, and we end, but the end is only the end in the same sense that a ring has an end.

 The Father's Heart

The last letter in the Torah is a lamed. It comes at the end of the last word, Israel. The first letter of the Torah is the bet. It comes at the beginning of the first word, beresheit. When we see the Torah as a cycle, ring, or circle, where the end connects with the beginning we have the word Lamed bet, lev, heart. The rabbinic teaching is that this shows that the Torah is the heart of the Father. I don’t think the rabbis get it all right all the time, but there are times such as this that I think they are right on track.

The Torah tells us more about who Elohim is and what He is like than any other book. Even when Yeshua was with us, He constantly referred back to the Torah. Yeshua said “I can do nothing but what the Father shows me.” Where did the Father show Yeshua what to do? If we look at how often Yeshua referred to the Torah, we can see that it is filled with instructions for living. I think Yeshua was saying that He followed the written instructions given in the Torah.

The encouraging news is that if we love Yehovah with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our strength, we can also do all that the Father shows us. I don’t mean to say we can do all that Yeshua did, He was the only begotten Son in the flesh, but we can still be obedient to Father’s instructions, just as Yeshua was. That was part of Yeshua’s message, “Follow me.”

Starting at the Beginning...of John

I am going to begin this study with Yochanan’s (John) explanation of beresheit.

“In the beginning (beresheit) was the Word (ha Dvar), and the Word was with Elohim, and the Word was Elohim. The same was in the beginning with Elohim. All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made.” (John 1:1-3)

We need to remember that in Yochanan’s day the Scriptures had not been divided into the chapters and verses we have today. He would have referred to a portion of text by its name; in this case, he pointed us to our current portion, beresheit. Now let’s return to beresheit and lay Yochanan’s explanation alongside the verse to which he referred.

In the beginning Elohim created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1:1)

And in Hebrew;

Beresheit bara elohim et haShamayim v’et haEretz. (Beresheit 1:1)

In Hebrew, can you see something that isn’t there in English? I see a balance of seven. Three words on one side and three words on the other side with the little word, et, aleph tav, in the middle. It balances the two sides. On one side, the verse says, “In the beginning created Elohim,” and on the other side of the balance it says, “The heavens and the earth.”

A Rabbi Trail to the End

Now, I’m going to take a little rabbi trail and bring up Yochanan’s vision as recorded in the book of Revelation.

“...Saying, “I am Alpha and Omega (Since both Yochanan and Yeshua were Hebrews, more than likely, that’s not what He said. He probably said (I am) “ani Aleph Tav”), the first and the last: and, What you see, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.” And I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks;” (Revelation 1:11-12)

What is the likely form that seven candlesticks would take for a first century Hebrew? The menorah! Imagine if you will a golden menorah. Got the picture in your mind? Now, in the middle is Yeshua and on each side are three arms of the menorah. On one side, in the beginning created Elohim, and on the other the heavens and the earth. After all, Yeshua has just said, “ani aleph tav,” and lo and behold, there He is, standing right where the aleph tav in our first verse of the Torah puts Him.

 The Trail Back to the Beginning

Okay, back from that rabbi trail excursion...and onto another.

“And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of Elohim moved upon the face of the waters. And Elohim said, Let there be light: and there was light.” (Beresheit 1:2-3)

According to Yochanan, the Word was with Elohim and the Word was Elohim. It says, Elohim said, what did He say? In the Hebrew it was “yahee ohr,” let there be Light. Words. And there was light.

“In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in darkness; and the darkness comprehended (seized, overtook) it not.”(John 1:4-5)

Do you see the correlation between the account Yochanan gives and the account in Beresheit? There was darkness, and Elohim said words, “Let there be light and there was light,” “And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overtake it.”

Enough trails, let’s get into the portion.

Elohim is The Creator

This, the very first portion of Torah tells us some vital information. Elohim created the heavens, the earth, and everything that occurs naturally in them. He is the Creator. All that we see in nature is His. Since it is all His, He has the right to tell all of creation what to do and what not to do. As we progress through the instructions in the Torah, we need to keep that in mind. Elohim has the right to tell us what to do

He also has the right to correct us when we go astray, and to discipline us when we refuse to return, shuv to His instructions.

Skip down with me to Beresheit 1:14, 

“And Elohim said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years...” (Genesis 1:14)

Signs of What? Seasons?

Note the underlined signs and seasons. First signs, oht in Hebrew. What are they signs of? They are signs that Elohim is the Creator placed where man cannot monkey with them (Evolution/Monkey). The Gospel in the Stars, by Joseph Seiss, explains that the stars and constellations tell the story of the Gospel. If Seiss is correct, then the statement that the planets and stars are for signs is quite literal.

According to end time prophecy, the stars are going to fall from the heavens, as a sign of the coming of the Son of Man. We have the signs that explain the entire plan of Elohim before us nightly, and in the end, those same stars will become a sign that the end is here.

The second word, seasons, is the Hebrew word moedim, festivals. We have just completed the final festival of the year, Sukkoth, with its attendant days of Hoshana Rabbah and Simchat Torah. The moon is our guide for the festivals. Sukkoth began on the fifteenth day of the seventh month. 

How do we know the fifteenth day of the month? We watch for the new moon, and when it appears, we begin to count. The first day of the new moon is day one. We count to fifteen and we arrive at Sukkoth. It’s the same with the other festivals (except one but we will go into that when we get to that portion) they are attached to a day of the month, and the moon tells us when to start counting.

Elohim put the sun, the moon and the stars in the heavens for light and to show us the His story, and to give us a calendar so we can keep His festivals.

Each of the days of creation are numbered, but not as they appear to be in the English. They progress as, day one, day two and so on, until the sixth day and the seventh day. Perhaps the days of the two crowning events of creation are set apart from the other days. On the sixth day, Elohim created man, and on the seventh day, the Shabbat.

 Humans are Specially Formed, not Final Links on an Evolutionary Chain

As we look at the actions involved in creating man there is a difference from the other creations. Elohim forms man from the ground. In Hebrew, man (adam) is formed from the ground (adamah) and Elohim calls him adam (man). Once adam is formed, then Yehovah Elohim breathes into adam the neshama of life and adam becomes a living nephesh.

According to the creation account, all animals have a nephesh, but only adam has a neshama. Yehovah breathed into adam His neshama before adam became a living nephesh. All the other creatures were created as living nephesh. People are special creations

As a side note, evolution is a lie that attempts to remove Elohim and turn the world upside down. In creation people are a special creation, endowed by the Creator with something none of the animals have, a neshama. In evolution, people are just another animal descended along the same familial lines as all other animals, from a rock in a primordial soup.

So much more in this portion, but so little space, and I know that your time is valuable, so I will end with the thought that even though Elohim saw that all of creation was good, that it didn’t take long for people to pervert creation to the point that Elohim destroyed it to remove the evil. “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be in the days of the coming of the Son of Man.”

I look around at the world today and measure it against the Torah and I see that the thoughts of humans in general appear to be evil continually. Maybe we should examine ourselves and repent.

Until next week when we will feed our hunger for Torah and delve into portion Noach, shalom, keep Torah like your life depends on it, for Torah is not idle words, it is your life.