Kindness of Your Youth

Posted on July 15, 2013 by yourphariseefriend

Kindness of Your Youth

 

The Talmud describes the Book of Jeremiah as “kulei churbena” – it is all about the destruction (Bava Batra 14b). In light of this description Jeremiah’s first prophecy to Israel seems out of place. “Go and proclaim in the ears of Jerusalem, saying: So says the Lord, I remember for you the kindness of your youth, the love of your nuptials, when you followed me into the wilderness, into an unsown land. Israel is holy to the Lord, the first of His crop; all who devour them will be held guilty; evil shall come upon them.” (Jeremiah 2:2,3).

 

Visions of destruction and pain fill the Book of Jeremiah. At the same time, throughout the book, the prophet provides words of comfort and reassurance with the vision of the final redemption. But this introductory prophecy, a prophecy about Israel’s past, still calls for an explanation. Why is this prophecy chosen to introduce the destruction of Jerusalem and the exile from the Land of Israel?

 

Perhaps we can better understand this prophecy when we consider the concept of exile. When God punishes us He is not merely taking revenge or expressing anger. Each punishment is planned out as a path to correct us and to help us accomplish the purpose for which we were created.

 

When Israel sinned they lost the ability to accomplish their purpose in their own land. Therefore, Israel needed to wander in the spiritual wilderness of exile. Instead of testifying to the oneness of God in the light of Divine favor, Israel will need to fulfill this task in the darkness of exile.

 

Before we set out on this new aspect of our mission, God reminds us of our original commitment to Him. When we followed Him that first time we weren’t expecting anything. Our love for God was so complete that we followed Him out into the desert without knowing how we would be sustained.

 

This prophecy is the appropriate introduction to exile. God is declaring that Israel is indeed capable and fit for the task of exile. Their love for God runs so deep that all of the persecutions and suffering of exile will never extinguish it (Song of Solomon 8:7). The fire in Israel’s heart for God, which we showed when we followed Him into the desert, has the strength to remain loyal to Him even in the darkest depths of exile.

 

Isaiah prophesied that we will yet emerge from this exile with our loyalty to God intact. We will yet enter the gates as the nation that remained faithful to the God who we followed when we left the land of Egypt (Isaiah 26:2).

 

May it happen speedily in our days.

If you found this article helpful please consider making a donation to Judaism Resources by clicking on the link below.

https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=FEAQ55Y7MR3E6

Judaism Resources is a recognized 501(c) 3 public charity and your donation is tax exempt.

Thank You

Yisroel C. Blumenthal

Posted in General | 22 Comments

Landscape of the Bible – Excerpt from C.U.

Posted on July 14, 2013 by yourphariseefriend

Landscape of the Bible

The second strategy employed by the Church in her effort to silence the voice of the Jewish prophets is by misrepresenting the literary structure of the Bible. As it is with any work of literature, the Jewish Bible contains highlights and climaxes. The prophets used various literary devices to emphasize certain events and certain teachings. Having a storyline slowly build up towards a certain event is one device used by the prophetic narrator to direct the reader’s attention to a given point (e.g. the Sinai revelation in Exodus 20). Repeating a teaching again and again is another literary device that the prophets used to underline a given teaching (e.g. the universal principles of justice and charity). Pointing back to a specific teaching, reiterating and elaborating, is yet another method that the prophets used to help us see the importance of a given truth (e.g. the Sinai revelation as per Deuteronomy 4).

The Church ignores the literary structure that is inherent in the Bible itself. Instead the Church presents its own version of the “highlights” of the Jewish Bible. These are passages or verses that, when read out of context, seem to support one Christian doctrine or another. The Church promotes the non-contextual reading of these solitary passages as if they were the central teachings of the Jewish Bible. The Church’s exaltation of the alleged “virgin birth” of Isaiah 7:14, is a perfect illustration of this strategy. A contextual reading of this verse will reveal that this prophecy has nothing to do with the Messiah and a correct translation will prove that there is no virgin mentioned in the verse. But in complete disregard for the literary structure of the Jewish Bible, the Church has for centuries pointed to this verse as if it were the climax of human history. By exalting this passage, the Church has successfully distorted the literary landscape of the Jewish Bible in the minds of many readers.

Through the implementation of these various strategies, the Church has endeavored to silence the voice of the Jewish prophets.

(Read the full article here – https://yourphariseefriend.wordpress.com/christianity-unmasked/ )

If you found this article helpful please consider making a donation to Judaism Resources by clicking on the link below.

https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=FEAQ55Y7MR3E6

Judaism Resources is a recognized 501(c) 3 public charity and your donation is tax exempt.

Thank You

Yisroel C. Blumenthal

Posted in General | 4 Comments

The Experience of the False Prophet

Posted on July 7, 2013 by yourphariseefriend

The Experience of the False Prophet

What is a “false prophet”? Is it someone who makes up a story out of his hat but never had any experience to back up that story? Or is it perhaps someone who had a profound experience but the experience is actually misleading?

There is no question that some false prophets simply concocted “visions” out of thin air but the Bible also teaches us about another type of “false prophet”.

In the First Book of Kings chapter 22 we are introduced to Zedekiah son of Chenaanah. This Zedekiah prophesied to King Ahab but his prophecy was false. Michaiah, who was a true prophet of God, described how Zedekiah had been misled. Michaiah describes God’s heavenly court sitting in judgment over Ahab. The court seeks to destroy Ahab and a medium is sought to accomplish this goal. A spirit is sent forth to persuade Ahab to go to battle where he will meet his fate. This spirit sent from on high was a real experience that Zedekiah and the other false prophets truly felt. But it was sent to mislead and to confuse.

It is clear that the fact that someone undergoes an “experience” does not prove anything. When Moses teaches us about the miracles of the false prophet he describes them as a test from God (Deuteronomy 13:4). Moses doesn’t tell us that the false prophet cannot perform miracles, signs and wonders. Instead Moses tells us that we need to measure those experiences, we need to evaluate those miracles and use our sense of discernment to understand if the miracles and the experiences are tests from God or if they are true prophecy.

The yardstick that God granted our nation so that we can evaluate these supernatural experiences is the testimony of our nation. Is the experience leading us in the path that God set us on when he took us out of Egypt or are these miracles introducing a “new” and “better” path?

Throughout history many people have attempted to market their “new paths” by claiming to be the real and rediscovered “old path”. But the path that God set us on travels through the hearts of His witness nation. And the only way that these people can claim our path for themselves is by dismissing our testimony.

As the nation chosen by God we have the responsibility toward ourselves and towards the world to remain loyal to the testimony with which we were entrusted. And the prophet Isaiah prophesied that the purpose of the Lord will indeed be fulfilled through our people. With our hearts on fire for God we will yet illuminate the world (Isaiah 60:3).

If you found this article helpful please consider making a donation to Judaism Resources by clicking on the link below.

https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=FEAQ55Y7MR3E6

Judaism Resources is a recognized 501(c) 3 public charity and your donation is tax exempt.

Thank You

Yisroel C. Blumenthal

Posted in Faith Structure | 243 Comments

Being a Jew – What Does it Mean?

Posted on July 3, 2013 by yourphariseefriend

Being a Jew – What Does it Mean?

 

The Bible tells us that G-d took the Jewish people to Him for a nation and that He is their G-d (Genesis 17:7; Exodus 6:7).  The relationship between G-d and Israel is like a marriage. G-d will not enter into such an intimate relationship with any other nation and Israel will never enter into a devotional relationship with anyone aside from their G-d.

“You were shown in order that you know that the Lord is God there is none beside Him” (Deuteronomy 4:35).

It is Israel’s holy calling to testify to this truth. Israel is to carry the torch of the Oneness of G-d throughout the corridors of history.

This truth has two ramifications. The first ramification of this truth is the simple fact that the devotion of our hearts belongs to no one but to the One who brought our hearts into being in the first place.

The second ramification of this truth is that every inhabitant of this earth, including those people who are deified by the various world religions, are but fellow subjects of the One Creator.

If you found this article helpful please consider making a donation to Judaism Resources by clicking on the link below.

https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=FEAQ55Y7MR3E6

Judaism Resources is a recognized 501(c) 3 public charity and your donation is tax exempt.

Thank You

Yisroel C. Blumenthal

Posted in General | 84 Comments

A Parable – by Annelise

Posted on July 3, 2013 by yourphariseefriend

A family are walking on a dark and isolated street when a man walks in front of them and stops them. He says he is a police officer and asks them to get into his car. The mother demands to see he is who he claims to be. So he says to her, “I am a police officer!”

She asks again for proof of his identity and he says, “I am not a fraud! I’m a member of the police. You must come with me or you will be arrested.” A few more times she tries to reason with him, but he replies, “I know you think that I may be a fraud, but I am a police officer. I am one. It is the law that you follow me because I’m with the police.”

The family, unsettled and fearing for their children, start to walk away from the man. He runs after them, “It’s the law! You’ll be arrested!” The father asks what law would have them arrested for not coming with them, and he simply replies, “I’m a police officer and you have to come with me.”

I’m not saying that all Christian evangelism is like this… often people do try and present reasons that they think are important. But when people keep saying over and over- Jesus is this and Jesus is that, and that his followers worship only “The Holy One,” “Avinu Malkeinu”… expecting people to respond to the forcefulness of what they say… then they are effectively asking people to drop their guard about worshiping what seems to be part of creation, just because “it’s true and important”, “it’s true and important”, “it’s true and important”. To ask people to do that is to ask them to violate the sanctity and holiness of their covenant with Hashem.

If you found this article helpful please consider making a donation to Judaism Resources by clicking on the link below.

https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=FEAQ55Y7MR3E6

Judaism Resources is a recognized 501(c) 3 public charity and your donation is tax exempt.

Thank You

Yisroel C. Blumenthal

Posted in Annelise | 6 Comments

Why Jews Don’t Believe in Jesus – Excerpt From Critique of Volume 1

Posted on June 27, 2013 by yourphariseefriend

16. Objection 1.8
Here Brown tries to explain to his readers why Jews have not accepted Jesus as their god. Brown lists several explanations for the Jewish position but Brown fails to tell his readers the most important reason why Jesus was never an option for the Jew. The Christian Scriptures themselves testify that the most important Jewish reaction to Jesus was: “how can a man claim to be god?” In other words, Jews in Jesus’ time and until today, recognize that attributing divinity to a human being is idolatry. It is for this reason and for this reason only that Jews gave their lives rather than accept Jesus. Judaism teaches that human life is sacred, but in order to avoid idolatry, one must be ready to die.
Imagine the following scenario. A certain drug manufacturer developed a drug that he claimed would cure chicken pox. The FDA refuses to approve the drug, because they recognize that some of the ingredients of this drug are extremely dangerous toxins. When asked why the FDA turned down his product, the manufacturer responds by complaining that they never seriously tested his drug. The manufacturer never tells his prospective customers that the FDA considers the contents of his drug to be harmful and dangerous. The word “dishonesty” does not begin to describe the salesman’s attitude.
Brown is doing the same thing. He fails to inform his readers, that the Jewish people, who were entrusted by God with preserving the message of Sinai, consider his product idolatry. Instead he tries to convince his readers that the product he is trying to market was not given a fair trial!
Another point to consider on this issue is Brown’s own admission that the Church had been preaching false doctrine. For centuries upon centuries, the Church had been teaching that Israel is no longer the elect of God. Even today, many Churches contend that the Jewish people can no longer consider themselves God’s firstborn sons. So how are Jews supposed to accept the “truth” of Christianity? The Christian teaching that the elect of God are the followers of the Messiah is nowhere to be found in the Jewish scriptures. Should the Jews have accepted a non-scriptural election and repudiate the scriptural election? According to Brown’s own standard that he set forth in the introduction – “follow the Bible” – and according to Brown’s own interpretation of the Bible, the Church has miserably failed. Why does Brown value the conversion of Jews to Christianity at a time when conversion to Christianity meant rejecting God’s firstborn son? (Exodus 4:22, Jeremiah 31:8).

If you found this article helpful please consider making a donation to Judaism Resources by clicking on the link below.

https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=FEAQ55Y7MR3E6

Judaism Resources is a recognized 501(c) 3 public charity and your donation is tax exempt.

Thank You

Yisroel C. Blumenthal

Posted in General | 32 Comments

New Arguments and Spiritual Blindness

Posted on June 19, 2013 by yourphariseefriend

Christian missionaries are constantly presenting new arguments to justify their devotion to Jesus. This exercise is self-defeating.

One of the salient features of Christianity is the belief that anyone who doesn’t see the “truth” of their claims must be stricken by a spiritual blindness (or worse). We then find a debate between Christians and their opponents which the Christians proceed to lose. The Christian then turns around and generates a new argument and says: “Aha! It is because of THIS argument that you are spiritually blind.” “Well Mr. Christian, if you are not affected by this spiritual blindness, why then did you not think of the argument until now?” (This is aside from the fact that Christianity changed its theology time and time again after centuries of critique from the “spiritually blind”.)

If you found this article helpful please consider making a donation to Judaism Resources by clicking on the link below.

https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=FEAQ55Y7MR3E6

Judaism Resources is a recognized 501(c) 3 public charity and your donation is tax exempt.

Thank You

Yisroel C. Blumenthal

Posted in General | 59 Comments

Believe in His Prophets – 2Chronicles 20:20

Posted on June 16, 2013 by yourphariseefriend

Believe in His Prophets – 2Chronicles 20:20

It is virtuous to believe in God’s prophets. It is not always easy to believe in the prophets. Sometimes the prophets were commissioned to deliver harsh words of rebuke. Messages that expose corruption, hypocrisy and that upset the apple-cart of spiritual complacency. People like to think that their understanding of spirituality is complete and refined and these same people like to judge themselves favorably according to their own spiritual standards. The prophets were sent to destroy the self-delusion of these people who were so self-satisfied.

Sometimes the prophets were sent by God to encourage the people to take a course of action that may seem completely illogical from a human perspective. The prophets often encouraged Israel to abandon fear and plans of self-defense and to place all of their trust in God. It was not easy to accept these messages that were delivered by the prophets of Israel.

It would be so much easier to dismiss the prophet as a madman or as a fraud.

Those who would reject the prophet and his message did not need to look at themselves as people who are taking a stance against God. The human power for self-delusion is almost unlimited. People could build an entire spiritual framework in which that which is good and Godly is defined as evil and that which is evil is defined as good (Isaiah 5:20). People who operate under this delusion of a false spiritual framework will consider a man of God to be evil. The fortress of petty religiosity that these people have erected for themselves will give them the strength and the confidence to persecute and even to kill the true prophet.

Even in a corrupt society that has built itself a complex structure of crooked spirituality God will find good people. These are people that have the humility to suspect that their concept of Godliness may not be as perfect as they would like to believe. These would be people who take rebuke, not as a trigger to persecute the messenger, but as an occasion for introspection. These are people who have the moral courage to reevaluate and correct the spiritual structure that they have erected for themselves.

It is good and Godly to accept the prophet sent by God and it is evil and ungodly to reject him.

But at the same time, Israel has a serious responsibility to reject a fraudulent messenger. Israel was entrusted with a message from God, they were appointed as God’s witnesses to the world and they were charged with the mission of preserving that message. Throughout history men arose with fraudulent messages that threatened to corrupt the testimony of Israel. It is Israel duty to reject these imposters and to maintain their loyalty to the truth with which the nation was entrusted.

Whenever a claimant to prophecy is rejected it is easy to cast the rejecters in the evil light of petty, hypocritical legalists. It is easy to say that those who rejected the visionary were threatened by the truth of the message that was brought to them and that they were too haughty to be able to accept the rebuke that was delivered to them.

But is this always the case? Israel is charged with the mission of destroying false prophets (Deuteronomy 13:6). Any time Israel moves to discharge this holy duty they can be accused of self-centered hypocrisy.

A holy rejection of a false prophet will be rooted in love for God (Deuteronomy 13:4). Before we are encouraged to believe in God’s prophets we are encouraged to believe in God (2Chronicles 20:20). After all, this is Israel’s mission, to testify to the world that all of the devotion that humanity can muster ought to be directed above and beyond all of nature to the One God who created it all (Isaiah 43:10).

When a prophet came with a message that would have us redirect our devotion then our loyalty to God demands that we reject him together with his evil message. Our love for God does not allow us to bend our hearts towards any one of His creations. And our love for God gives us the strength and the fortitude to face all of our accusers with equanimity. When the Jew was being burned at the stake under the accusation that he is a small-minded, self-centered, petty, hypocritical legalist, his love for God did not waver. When those who accepted the message of the false prophet cast themselves in the role of the humble and trusting people who are obedient to God’s message to the degree of total self-effacement, while at the same time they cast the Jew in the role of the arrogant, stubborn, inflexible, self-deluded rebel against God – the Jew was empowered by His love for God to remain strong.

This love for God survived 2000 years of hell on earth and it burned brighter than all of the persecutions that tried to extinguish that love (Song of Solomon 8:7). And it is the fire of that love that will eventually light up the world with light and happiness (Isaiah 60:3).

If you found this article helpful please consider making a donation to Judaism Resources by clicking on the link below.

https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=FEAQ55Y7MR3E6

Judaism Resources is a recognized 501(c) 3 public charity and your donation is tax exempt.

Thank You

Yisroel C. Blumenthal

Posted in Faith Structure | 85 Comments

Annelise on Faith Structure

Posted on June 10, 2013 by yourphariseefriend

Some Jewish followers of Jesus believe that if the New Testament message is  not valid, then they have no other way of being sure that the Torah is from God.  If they found that Jesus’ teachings were false, they would not necessarily  continue to believe in the covenant made at Sinai or follow that law. Many  people have grown up feeling that traditional Judaism is dull or missing  something; not believing in Tanach on its own terms, or accepting the Jewish  understanding of God until they accepted Jesus. Their faith, convictions, and  personal experience of God are all anchored in their experience of the church  and the reasons they believe have compelled them to listen to its message.  Jesus’ life and message are the only reason why many people trust in this day  and age that the Torah itself was given to Israel by her God after the exodus  from Egypt.

The five books of Torah reflect a different assumption. Their message was  given to Israel to be held steadfastly in faith and loyalty as the primary basis  of all their future beliefs and choices. It is rooted in the experience that the  whole nation had of God in the time of Moses. This message was to resonate with  their children who sought God, for all generations in the future, as the story  and the covenant law would be passed down in their lives.

The book of Deuteronomy in particular expresses this theme constantly. Israel  is often reminded to keep carefully the laws that God has given them. Over and  over again, the experience of the exodus, their time in the wilderness, and the  importance of faithfulness to this covenant are brought as the first reason to  listen and obey. It is understood that in all the generations to come, this  covenant and this message will remain the foundation for knowing what God wants.  The phrase “What I command you today,” and words similar to it, shape the  framework.

A clear example comes in chapter 13, where the children of Israel were taught  to test the revelation claims that people would tell them to accept in the  future. This passage shows us the order of the process in which Israelites are  able to show their faithful love of God, according to Deuteronomy, while sifting  through the question of what they should believe and be loyal to. The message is  that even if the signs that a person prophesies come true, if they then lead  Israel away from these commandments (for example, into idolatry), they should  not be accepted or listened to. Any other ‘reasonable proofs’, miracles or  wonders, would also have to be considered in the same light of a prior belief in  Torah, as we can see from the rationale: “for the Lord, your God, is testing  you, to know whether you really love the Lord, your God, with all your heart and  with all your soul… For you shall hearken to the voice of the Lord your God,  to keep all His commandments which I command you this day, to do that which is  proper in the eyes of the Lord, your God.” (Deut 13:4, 19)

This loyalty to the Sinai relationship is always the first place to look when  considering any later claims about truth. If the message of the Torah is true,  then in every generation it is possible for Jews to accept this, as it is passed  down in the community, and understand it on its own terms as the foundational  belief among their beliefs. The story of Sinai and its laws presents itself as  the central hub for all beliefs that are later understood to join with it. The  message of living Torah passed on through generations is never believed to be  true simply because people realise that any particular man was a prophet.  Instead, the acceptance of each prophet is tested on the basis of the knowledge  that the community has of what was taught through Moses about how God wants the  nation to follow Him.

This is not to say that logic, evidence, and signs are not needed or  important for faith. We should not run blindly into things that we are told by  our parents or communities, or things that seem and feel right to us, without  using the minds and desire for truth that God has given us to test our own  biases. We always need to humbly check whether we are following Him, or  following a mistake. But at the heart of any human’s belief in God, and any  Jew’s acceptance of Torah, is an aspect of relationship that is deeper than  proof. It is true that when the evidence seems confused, we are limited in how  well we can walk forward in it, and must continue to search diligently for the  anchors and foundations of our obedience. But even then, the response that a Jew  has to God in the Torah is a personal relationship and a deep experience of  loyalty, at its very core. The Torah suggests that this knowledge, and this  loyalty, are possible for Jews to know in every day and age. It should be taken  as it was spoken in the time of Moses as the solid foundation for testing any  additional belief.

Any Christian Jew who feels that the message of the Torah and the importance  of loyalty to it are not accessible until you place your trust and loyalty in a  later idea has missed the process that God set in place for preserving the  knowledge of Himself among Israel. If a Jew finds it impossible to question  Jesus while continuing to believe in the Torah, or is never drawn to test his  message in light of their faithfulness to God in the Torah covenant, then they  have come at everything from the wrong perspective and missed the depth of what  the observant community is holding onto.

If you found this article helpful please consider making a donation to Judaism Resources by clicking on the link below.

https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=FEAQ55Y7MR3E6

Judaism Resources is a recognized 501(c) 3 public charity and your donation is tax exempt.

Thank You

Yisroel C. Blumenthal

Posted in Annelise, Faith Structure | 30 Comments

Faith and Works – Reading Reality

Posted on June 7, 2013 by yourphariseefriend

Faith and Works – Reading Reality

 

The concept of faith in Judaism means maintaining a loyalty to truths that were demonstrated to our nation over and against the allures of the world which threaten to obscure these truths. Our nation came face to face with the God of justice, kindness and morality and we pledged our hearts to him. The glamor of the material world tends to hide the truth of God from us and distort our view of reality. The work of faith is then to maintain loyalty to these truths and to make sure that our view of reality remains steadfast and true.

 

How do the attractions of the world distort our view of reality?

 

There are two basic ways that our desire for pleasure honor and power can warp our read on life. The obvious way that our understanding of reality can become warped is when our bias compels us to read the facts on the ground in a way that agrees with our personal preference. When the members of a sports team argue with the referee they usually believe that they are telling the truth. Their partiality towards their own team makes them see that the facts on the ground occurred in a way that is favorable for their own team.

 

But there is another, perhaps more insidious way, that our attachment to the pleasures of this world distorts our view of reality. Sometimes it is not a question of what actually happened but rather our leanings will distort our interpretation of an event from one extreme to the next.

 

Imagine a practical joke being played on someone. Some people would consider the occurrence to be entertaining. They may go home and tell their spouses and children about the funny event that they witnessed. The mother of the victim of this practical joke will probably not see this event in the same light at all. She will most likely read this event as a callous act of cruelty – which it probably is.

 

There is a struggle going on inside of every one of us. On the one we have a desire for justice, a love of kindness and we appreciate holiness. On the other hand we crave for physical pleasure, honor and power. From the standpoint of our desire for justice, when we witness an act of injustice, we find it repulsive. From the standpoint of our yearning for holiness any act of immorality is abhorrent. But from the standpoint of our desire for physical pleasure immorality and injustice are not abhorrent at all; we may even find them attractive.

 

As we go through life, every one of our thoughts, words and deeds, will empower either one side of our personality or the other. Either we are strengthening our sensitivity to truth, our love for kindness and our appreciation of holiness. Or we diminish these at the expense of our desire for material pleasure, honor and power.

 

A person who has developed a very strong sensitivity to his or her own enjoyment of physical pleasure will read the world through the eyes of greed and self-indulgence. The reality of the God of truth and holiness will fade into the background and will be more difficult to perceive. The pleasure offered by any given attraction of this world will tower over any negative feelings of wrongdoing that might stand in the way of acquiring this pleasure. The acquisition of this pleasure will be defined in the mind of this person as something positive and worthwhile.

 

But a person who has developed a strong sensitivity towards justice, love of kindness and holiness will see the acquisition of this same pleasure in a completely different light. In the eyes of such a person the acquisition of something which violates the precepts of justice and holiness is repulsive and abhorrent. For such a person it is much easier to maintain loyalty to the God of justice and holiness. A person who lives with a strong sensitivity to God’s truth will find it easier to see the reality of God through the allures and the attractions of the material world.

 

A person who is attuned to the quality of kindness will see in an act of compassion a deep and abiding beauty. A person who is focused on satisfying their own desire for pleasure may see the same act of compassion as a foolish act of weakness. A person who is attuned to the Godliness inherent in every human being will see people in a very different light than the person who can only measure people by what they have to offer in terms of instant gratification.

 

By observing God’s holy law and by practicing the precepts of justice and kindness we empower the side of ourselves that takes pleasure in truth. By living with the works of God’s holy law we strengthen our faith and we make it so much easier for ourselves to see the reality of God beyond the illusion of the fleeting pleasures of this world.

 

“With what can the youth purify his way? By observing Your word.” (Psalm 119:9)

If you found this article helpful please consider making a donation to Judaism Resources by clicking on the link below.

https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=FEAQ55Y7MR3E6

Judaism Resources is a recognized 501(c) 3 public charity and your donation is tax exempt.

Thank You

Yisroel C. Blumenthal

  

Posted in Faith Structure | Leave a comment