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Showing posts with label JPS_Tanakh. Show all posts
Showing posts with label JPS_Tanakh. Show all posts

Saturday, June 8, 2013

There's The Paradox of Hope and Reality, Because...

Oftentimes, hope and reality do not match up. Expecting the best is a mistake--"Always suspect the worst of others; you'll rarely be disappointed." Always suspect the worst of others and yourself, and you'll be pleasantly surprised when the best happens--just don't expect the best to last long, let alone forever. Even a fruitful septuagenarian or octogenarian life--let alone a nonagenarian or centenarian life--is a gift. Only where hope is, is where the best and better will last forever--and hope is in the Lord alone.

Otherwise, forget even hope: reality, especially without hope, is a screwy business--and what about death, which ends reality in this lifetime for those who are taken by it? If you're going to Heaven, then you know where you're going. But if you're going to Hell (and you probably are if you're unsure if you are [though I'm not talking about if you're just having doubts], or if you're sure that you're not, going to Heaven), take Dante's admonition seriously--"Abandon all hope, ye who enter [Hell]." 

By the way, Hell is a Jewish concept--Scripture aside, "the Talmud [of all books is] quite descriptive of the place we now call hell...The Talmud is much more detailed concerning the fire and darkness of hell, even supplying descriptions concerning its size, divisions and entrance gates." If you need proof, go look at what the P'rushim think about Jesus and Hell The P'rushim particularly hated Jesus because, at the very least and a point on which Messianic Jews and Non-Messianic Jews can agree, Jesus "transgress[ed many] of the enactments of the Scribes"--punishment for which, according to the "Scribes", is death and boiling in semen or fecal matter--and the P'rushi scribes exalted themselves, including Eliezer ben-Hyrcanus HaKohen, to be Yehovah: "My son, be more careful in the words of the Scribes than in the words of the Torah, for in the laws of the Torah there are positive and negative precepts; but, as to the laws of the Scribes, whoever transgresses any of the enactments of the Scribes incurs the penalty of death."

Using the P'rushim as an example, you would best suspect the worst of others--there is no end to how any human being (whether Jewish or gentile, rich or poor, politician or constituent, clergy or layperson, or any other kind of person) can make life Hell enough for even him or her self--much less and/or let alone for others. " Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help....Happy is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God". "[P]ut your trust in the LORD."

Thursday, June 6, 2013

Closing Thought For The Night: Non-Messianic Judaism Versus Messianic Judaism

Non-Messianic Judaism says, "I can attain merit on my own righteousness and follow tradition." Messianic Judaism says, "'And he believed in the LORD; and He counted it to him for righteousness.'--So if Abraham had to rely on G-d and on faith, what of me?! I can't do it on my own! 'Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? Then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil.' Since human nature is like skin color, I can't rely on myself--I have to rely on G-d to merit my righteousness!" L'laila tov.

Friday, May 17, 2013

What Is Working On Shabbat? Does Driving Count?

Working on Shabbat is not any of the following, which needs to be addressed in order to understand what working on Shabbat is:

  1. Playing on the computer or any other device.
  2. Driving or walking to Shabbat services at your local synagogue or church (To the brats--and I address you later as well--, you ought to get some fresh air and realize that there are Jews and Israelophilic gentiles who observe Shabbat services in churches.).
  3. Preparing your food (which is specifically in Tanakh).
  4. Kindling fire for non-work purposes (which is implied in Tanakh).
  5. Bathing (unless you're bathing after you've engaged in certain activities; which, under the Old Covenant, you're arguably not supposed to be doing on Shabbat).
  6. Anything else that isn't intended as work (e.g., flushing a toilet).
Firstly, "[I]t is not as man seeth: for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart." If it is not intended as work, it is not work. Secondly, "no manner of work shall be done in them, save that which every man must eat, that only may be done by you." The first day of Pesach is like Shabbat--you cannot work except for what you need to eat. Some will ask, "Well, what about as gathering the manna was or the Jubilee Year is? Shouldn't you prepare your food the day [or year] before, and double what you would prepare on every other day?" That may not work for everybody. For example, the composition of a food can change even in an hour depending on that which the food is exposed to; and that may not work for someone whose system is intolerant of even the slightest--v.g.--fermentation or temperature change in food, and they may need to eat only fresh foods. So, leaving out that challah for an hour or refrigerating that wine may be breaking piku'ach nefesh--saving a life (e.g., choosing life in the first place)--anyway, and piku'ach nefesh comes first. 

Besides (though this is another discussion), making Shabbat the Queen, the challah, the candle lighting, and the wine were all practices to Sikkut and Kiy'un (like the Star of David was a pagan symbol)--and Messianics can redeem those practices; Non Messianics (arguably) can not. That's part of why at least some Karaites don't follow those practices, and they look for "Rabbi"nical ways to be cleansed from Israel. 

As for the man who was gathering wood on Shabbat--since he needs to be addressed and was going to be brought up, anyway--was intending to work. Again, God looks at intent. As one woman stated (with my emphasis put on her words), "But what constitutes "for real" [Shabbatnikery]? Not using electricity? Not using money? Not watering the crops? Going to synagogue? I think it's clear that one can choose to observe a sabbath in many ways - from spending time with friends and family to not doing job-related work to having people over for a Friday night meal - any statistics will be self-reported and most likely not well-defined here." (Also, to be fair and for example, watering your gluten-free crops for your gluten-intolerant family member or your beloved flowers in your gadren is not work.).

Also, if you can't figure out why I'm linking to certain books in the JPS Tanakh, then you go look up the specific verses on BibleGateway yourself--I don't want to use the New King James Version and get accused of proselytizing by certain brats (and you know who you are; and that's the nicest way that I can describe you, since you are--and I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt by stating that you are--acting like petulant children).