Parasha Naso (Take)

from Rabbi Jack… Bible link

Genesis {3:16} To the woman he said, "I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you." {3:17} And to Adam he said, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, 'You shall not eat of it,' cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; {3:18} thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. There are many misunderstood verses in the English translations of the Bible and this passage is one of them. What we have here is God placing a curse on Eve and Adam for their disobedience in eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. However, one part of the curse placed upon the woman, as it is translated in English, is not a curse at all. “Your desire shall be for your husband…” The English version took the Hebrew word “T’SUQA” and translated it as “DESIRE” which is a valid translation. However, readers of the Bible have taken it to mean, “The desire of a woman for a man.” For a woman to desire a man and for a man to desire a woman is something natural and cannot be taken as a curse. It is not uncommon for Hebrew words to have multiple meanings and such is the case with “T’SUQA.” Of the three possible meanings of this word only one fits the category of being a curse and that is “The desire of a beast to devour its prey.” In fact, the root word of ‘t’suqa’ is ‘shuq’ with means “stretch out against.” God cursed woman with a jezebel spirit (the desire to devour her husband), and He cursed man with having to earn his living with hard work. You might say, “Yeshua redeemed us from the curse.” Yes, Yeshua redeemed us from the curse of sin and death but not from the curses mentioned in our scripture passage. Prior to my salvation I had to work hard, long hours to support myself, it was a drudgery having to wake up early and work late so as to make ends meet. The morning after I was saved, Born Again, I was not redeemed from having to work hard for a living. I still had to wake up early and work late. The difference came in my attitude towards my work. I now viewed my work as a ministry for the Lord and viewed God as my boss, this made all the difference. Forty-five years later although I still work long and hard it is now a blessing and I have overcome the curse. I was not redeemed from the curse through salvation but my whole outlook toward having to work was redeemed. The same principle applies to women. Yeshua did not redeem them from the jezebel curse. They are redeemed when saved, Born-Again, because their attitude towards men takes on a different meaning and expression, which defeats and overcomes the jezebel spirit in them. The same principle applies to child birth. It becomes something beautiful instead of painful. In other words, through the Holy Spirit believing men and women are able to rise above and overcome the curses of hard work, weeds, thistles, painful childbirth and desire to devour. Sadly, however, many Believers resist the Spirit and are still stuck with the curses.

Parasha Bamidbar (In the Wilderness)

from Rabbi Jack… Bible link

Matthew {5:33} "Again, you have heard that our fathers were told, `Do not break your oath,' and `Keep your vows to God’ {5:34} But I tell you not to swear at all -- not `by heaven,' because it is God's throne; {5:35} not `by the earth,' because it is his footstool; and not `by Jerusalem,' because it is the city of the Great King. {5:36} And don't swear by your head, because you can't make a single hair white or black. {5:37} Just let your `Yes' be a simple `Yes,' and your `No' a simple `No'; anything more than this has its origin in evil." What Yeshua is saying here is linked to honesty. This is why Yeshua said that we are not to vow at all. If we do not vow, we cannot be dishonest and vow falsely. “Keep it simple” He says; the less said the better. We live during a time where we have more legal documents and contracts which mean less than at any other time in history. It used to be that agreements were sealed with a handshake, and they were far more binding than the reams of paper generated by legal experts today. We used to say, “A person’s word is his bond.” But now we have prenuptial agreements, sales agreements, employee contracts and all kinds of other legal documents which are only as good as the character of the people who sign them, which in most cases makes them worthless. Do you really think that a prenuptial agreement will help a couple keep their vow to, ‘love honour and cherish each other untill death do them part?’ Of course not! Marriage is the highest commitment that we make outside of our commitment to God. It is the place where honesty is more important than at any other time in our lives. Honesty is a characteristic of God; therefore, it should be one of our characteristics as well. It would be sad if at the end of our life we end up like the man in Michelangelo’s painting of the “Last Judgment.” He painted a man being dragged down to hell by demons, one hand over one eye and in the other a look of horrible anguish. At that moment it was too late for him. I pray that before it’s too late for you, you will recognize honesty, believe in honesty and live honestly by living with simplicity, transparency and integrity. Proverbs {5:2} Don't speak impulsively – do not be in a hurry to give voice to your words before God. For God is in heaven, and you are on earth; so let your words be few. {5:3} For nightmares come from worrying too much; and a fool, when he speaks, chatters too much.

Parasha Bahar - Bechukotai (On Mount - My Statutes)

from Rabbi Jack… Bible link

I think we all need to understand how God works things out in our lives; this should explain it! 1 Samuel {9:3} Now the donkeys of Kish, Saul's father, were lost. And Kish said to his son Saul, "Please, take one of the servants with you, and arise, go and look for the donkeys." {9:4} So he passed through the mountains of Ephraim and through the land of Shalisha, but they did not find them. Then they passed through the land of Shaalim, and they were not there. Then he passed through the land of the Benjamites, but they did not find them. {9:5} When they had come to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant who was with him, "Come, let us return, lest my father cease caring about the donkeys and become worried about us." {9:6} And he said to him, "Look now, there is in this city a man of God, and he is an honorable man; all that he says surely comes to pass. So, let us go there; perhaps he can show us the way that we should go." {9:7} Then Saul said to his servant, "But look, if we go, what shall we bring the man? For the bread in our vessels is all gone, and there is no present to bring to the man of God. What do we have?" {9:8} And the servant answered Saul again and said, "Look, I have here at hand one fourth of a shekel of silver. I will give that to the man of God, to tell us our way." All of Israel asked Samuel for a king. God told Samuel to heed their voice. Samuel had no idea who God wanted him to choose, but God did, and look how He brought His choice to Samuel. Saul’s father’s donkeys happened to get lost, so Kish send his son and servant to find them. They travel around from place to place looking, with no success. Finally, the pair arrive near a city where Samuel was evidently staying. Saul was reluctant to go and consult Samuel about the whereabouts of the donkeys, he did not have a gift to bring Samuel, but as it happened, his servant did. The day before Samuel was told by God to expect Saul. Upon seeing him God said, “There he is,,,” Moral of this story. Nothing in our lives happens by accident. In relation to God, the means always brings us to His desired end!

Parsha Emor (Speak)

 

From Rabbi Jack… Bible link
In Deuteronomy chapter 28 we read God’s list of blessings and curses. I would like to focus this teaching on the blessings and curses that relate to our finances. Many of us are experiencing financial hardship, can it be related back to a curse? First, I want to encourage us, that as Believers in Messiah Yeshua we have been redeemed from all curses; Yeshua became a curse for us. Galatians 3:13 “Messiah has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree),” The poverty curses Deuteronomy 28 lists are; hunger, thirst, nakedness and lack of all things. However, Scripture assures us that Yeshua became poor so that we might become rich (2 Cor. 8:9). Is there still a possibility then that as Believers our difficult financial situation can be the cause of a curse? 2 Corinthians 9:8 “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.” Grace is received by faith and we are told that; “Without faith it’s impossible to please God.” We are also told that God is a rewarder of those who seek Him by faith. Faith and righteousness go hand in hand and only righteousness based on faith is acceptable to God. Sadly, my experience is that many Believers do not exercise faith in the area of finances. Consequently, they do not demonstrate a righteousness based on faith. It does not matter how we earn our living, as an employer or employee, we must still exercise faith when it comes to our finances otherwise, we limit God. However, faith is demonstrated not only in receiving but also in giving. Luke 6:38 Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you." Notice that this verse starts with GIVE and then ends with, IT WILL BE MEASURED BACK TO YOU. So, we are not to wait until we receive before we give! We are to give first and then we will receive. Nor are we ever to think that we are too poor to give and thus hold back from giving. God’s condition for receiving is giving, whether we are poor or rich. It is the sow and reaping principle given to us by Paul in: 2 Corinthians 9:6-7 “But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.” Yes, Yeshua redeemed us from the curse of poverty but He also requires us to demonstrate righteousness by faith. Romans 14:23b … “for whatever is not from faith is sin.”
From Ellen… Bible link
We have shared this before but I will reiterate.  Jack and I over the years have taken various kinds of medicines and supplements, as I am sure we all have.  On the bottle or box of pills it indicates that the medication should be taken 3x a day, for the most part.  We trust in God as our healer so we have since the beginning of shutdowns due to covid, started to take the GOSPILL after every meal.  What a joy and illumination it has been to take a chapter in and ingest it just as we would a pill or spoonful of medicine, but better!   Jack and I have just started the Book of Revelation as our GOSPILL and this is what I would like to share…Chapter 2 and 3 talk about the “churches.”  John states their spirituality or lack of and I noticed one thing written in each account.  It ends with, “he who overcomes or to him that overcomes.”  We who are born again of God are overcomers!    The kehillah the Lord has given Jack, myself and the elders in Kenya has but One Leader and His Name is Yeshua.  Let us read in John 16.33 (NIV) “I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”    Will you not join Jack and me in following the only One and True Leader, Healer and Father by not forgetting to take our GOSPILL!
Yours in Messiah Yeshua, "…while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Messiah Yeshua." (Titus 2:13) Rabbi Jack & Ellen
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Read parasha	Commentary	Sermon of the week “Controlled By The Spirit"
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