|
Deuteronomy 21:10 - 25:19 In our parsha this week we read "...For Hashem, your G-d, is moving within your camp to save you and defeat your enemies before you, so your camp must be holy; let Him not see within you disgraceful objects lest He turn away from you." Deuteronomy 23:15 It is one thing for G-d to command us... to direct us... to teach us... to expect us... to punish us... G-d is our Creator. G-d is the Universal Authority. G-d is King of the universe. G-d is the Eternal Judge. Now it is an entirely different situation when man attempts to assume the position intended for G-d Alone!! First, we read the defined words of Torah "For Hashem, your G-d." They declare Hashem is our G-d! In other words only Hashem has the total authority over us. NO ONE ELSE HAS HIS AUTHORITY! Second, we are informed that Hashem is moving within our camp. One sure trait of present day authority is not to move until being forced to do so. Authority has to look at the polls to determine what to say. Authority has to check the pulse of the public, of the workforce and of the consumer. Why is it necessary for the US Congress to investigate defects in a tire? Why would an auto manufacturer sell defective tires on their vehicles? Why would a tire manufacturer produce tires suspected of defects? There are so many why's like this in the consumer's world it is almost unapproachable. Why would the President of the world's most powerful country lie to his staff, to the courts, to the country and to the US Congress when questioned about sex with women he has known? Why do athletes use drugs? Why are athletes involved with drugs, domestic abuse, rape and murder? Why do we have showtime in Jewish communities? G-d does not check the polls. G-d does not stonewall. G-d does not send political or consumer spins. G-d does not need to! G-d is G-D! G-d is in the boardroom of the tire manufacturer listening to what is being said. G-d is reading the thoughts and intents of the heart of each board member. G-d reads every politician like a book, word for word. G-d observes every action of the athlete and every person in the Jewish community... WHY? Because G-d is amongst us. G-d is not far off in some distant land. G-d is not locked behind the doors of a boardroom or a presidential suite. G-d is here amongst us! G-d is avaliable! G-d does answer us. Often we miss His answer because we have narrow vision. Our hearing is only tuned into one station or program. We often miss G-d's message... We miss G-d's message because in our limited way of doing business, in our limited way of thinking we do not acknowledge that G-d has possibilities beyond our realm of consideration. We cannot imagine that G-d may have an entirely different aproach so distant from our narrow limited considerations!! Third, G-d is here to rescue us... Holy reader, there are many areas that we need to be rescued from, especially at this time of year. Some of these areas we may contend are just fine. We may insist, everything is under control, yet most of us know in our hearts that a problem does exist. Again our extremely narrow approach to possibilities is hindering our rescue. Fourth, G-d is moving to defeat our enemies. We cannot define just how because our focus is so restricted. G-d is there! G-d is working! Fifth, so we MUST BE HOLY IN OUR CAMP! We must be separate in our camp! Our camp MUST BE SEPARATED FROM THE WAYS, THE ACTS, THE DIRECTIONS OF OTHER CAMPS.... Our camp MUST be movitated by a genuine love for our Creator. When we are tempted to speak a word of loshon harah we MUST STOP! We must discipline ourselves not to speak those words of loshon harah, out of pure love for our Creator! When we are tempted to be less than 100% pure in our business dealings we MUST STOP! We must discipline ourselves to be totally honest in our business dealings, out of pure love for our Creator! When we are tempted to speak a word of onas divorim, words of pain, to another person we MUST STOP! We must discipline ourselves not to say those painful words, out of pure love for our Creator! Holy reader, whenever we are tempted to do wrong we must overcome that temptation simply because we are movitated out of love for our Creator to do what is HOLY! Love of G-d must be our motivation! Sixth, if our love for G-d fails it is because we have sadly allowed disgraceful weeds to grow into our lives. These disgraceful weeds are choking out our natural love for G-d! During the past several weeks a member of our staff began corresponding with an individual whose spouse deserted the family unit. The spouse has committed this horrible act in the past only to return and be forgiven. Recently it was learned that children were conceived and brought into this world from these unfaifthful acts. Now this spouse has allowed weeds of lust, desire and attraction to choke the sacrifice of marital union between two people... Unfortunately, many Jewish people have done the same thing with our G-d. We have been attracted to business more than to loving G-d. We have been attracted to earning a living more than to loving G-d. We have been attracted to the pious clothes that we wear more than to loving G-d. We act like we love G-d just as this spouse did for years, yet behind the senses we are having a fling, an attraction with disgraceful things that lure us away from our total responsibility, that of loving G-d. At this time each year G-d stands by the fantail of the great ship called RESCUE with a life saver desiring to toss it to those of us that recognize the error of our ways. As the Rescue passes our troubled waters all that we have to do is clasp the lifeline, acknowledge the error of our ways, begin loving G-d again. The Gematria for Ah Nee - Li Doh Dee - Vi Doh Dee - Lee meaning, "I am My beloved's and My beloved is Mine" is 185 which is the same Gematria for Li Hah Tzee Li Chaw, meaning "to rescue you." From right to left:
An Nee Li Doh Dee Li Doh Dee Lee 185 = 61 + 54 + 30 + 40
Li Hah Tzee Li Chaw
How we display our love to G-d is important. How we understand love is maximum to spiritual growth. When we fail to understand that our love is an individual surge, an individual release to G-d that is not under the control of leadership, we open the door for our dimininution, we open the door for leadership to judge our love of G-d. And that cannot be. We do not need an intermediary to control, express or judge our love of G-d. Love is an individual expression from an inner depth with which we are reaching out to G-d. It is not an exercise of power and control by leadership. In our age we have no leaders to speak directly to Hashem like Moshe Rabbeinu. So at best our leaders can teach not condemn, direct not demand, lead not drive. So the point is, each Jew must reach out to G-d expressing individual love. When G-d says, "I am My beloved's and My beloved is Mine," G-d is not opening the door to outside power and control. G-d is closing that door. G-d is saying My love is exclusively yours and your love is exclusively Mine. There is one way communication, which is open and free expression between G-d and each of us. Rabbium must learn not to interfere with this channel of communication between G-d and His people. Wishing you the best, Dr. Akiva G. Belk JewishPath is a sponsor of B'nai Noach Torah Institute. As a sponsor we are permitted to offer one FREE E-Mail course on a limited basis per individual from BNTI's Introduction Courses. We invite you to visit and choose an E - Mail Intro Course. BNTI offers Intro Courses in Judaism and Spirituality {7 Noaich Laws}. BNTI Responses are NOT AUTO!!
|