Two Brides, Become One Bride!!

Ezekiel 37

We are walking in today:  Two Brides, Become One Bride!!

There is a prophetic message being made by the fact that in the seventh month of the Hebrew year, both brides (typified in Leah & Rachel) will ultimately be made as one bride, and one stick in the hand of the Most High (Ezekiel 37:16). It is for this reason that our Messiah portrayed the role of the “Twin Goats” beginning with his baptism on the 1st of Elul, and continuing during the forty days leading up to Yom Kippur. Leviticus 16:7 commands that the High Priest takes two goats and presents them before the “door” of the Congregation of Tabernacle. These two goats represent Leah & Rachel, as they also typify the Two Houses of Yisra’el.

Seven Feasts of The Most High
1.) Passover: Messiah’s death as the Passover Lamb for the first-born & his death as the Red Heifer for “the prodigal son” Ephraim, the younger son in Luke 15. When the younger son returned home, the Father killed the “fatted calf”(Luke 15:23) symbolic of the Red Heifer. When the younger son receives this blood atonement for his sins, he is advanced to the “first-born” status when he is “born-again” of incorruptible seed by the Holy Spirit (1st Peter 1:23; Jeremiah 31:9).

2.) Unleavened Bread: Messiah’s burial. Leah was buried with Jacob but Rachel was not (Genesis 49:31). This means that only those who are willing to “die” to the old nature with Messiah in burial (baptism) will be raised to new life with him.

3.) First-Fruits: Messiah’s resurrection and “first-fruits” offering for the righteous souls who died under the Old Covenant are typified in the spring barley harvest.

4.) Pentecost: This 4th feast brings together all of those redeemed under both covenants (Leah & Rachel) and it is the “middle branch” on the menorah, as well as the “middle feast” representing Messiah who brings together both houses of Yisra’el and both covenants. Messiah came to us in the 4th millennium at his first coming and he comes from the tribe of Judah (the 4th son born to Leah) and he represents “the door” to the Father (the 4th letter in the Hebrew Alphabet) called “the dalet.”
Also, in the name YaHuWDaH (Judah), the dalet is the 4th letter. And finally, Messiah died on the 4th day of the week “in the midst of the week” (Daniel 9:27) and this was on a Wednesday. He also resurrected at the close of the 7th day of the week (the Sabbath) which represents his second coming at the last feast of the sacred year which is the Feast of Tabernacles.

Three Fall Feasts & Latter Rain Harvest
5.) Trumpets: This is the feast where the Renewed Covenant believers who are typified in Leah (Ten Northern Tribes of Ephraim) are redeemed. These symbolize the born-again (redeemed) gentiles, (nations) the bullock, the Red Heifer. These are redeemed at the sound of the last trumpet on this feast.

There are four different types of trumpets sounded on the Feast of Trumpets and the number “4” represents “the four angels from the four winds of heaven who gather the elect from the four corners of the earth!” These four types of trumpet blasts are as follows:

*First Trumpet: The Tekiah - A pure unbroken sound that calls man to search his heart, forsake his wrong ways, and seek forgiveness through repentance.

*Second Trumpet: The Shebarim - A broken, staccato, trembling sound. It typifies the sorrow that comes to man when he realizes his misconduct and desires to change his ways. It sounds like a man moaning in repentance.

*Third Trumpet: The Teruah - A wave-like sound of alarm calling upon man to stand by the banner of Elohiym.

*Fourth Trumpet: The Tekiah Gedolah - The prolonged, unbroken sound typifying a final appeal to sincere repentance and atonement.

This 4th trumpet is “the last trumpet” sound made on the Feast of Trumpets and this represents “the four angels from the four winds and the four corners of the earth” as they gather the elect (Matthew 24:29-31).

6.) Yom Kippur: This is the 6th feast of the year and it represents the redemption of mankind, because Adam was created on the 6th day of creation. This will be the day when the remnant from the House of Yahuwdah (Judah) who are sealed (according to Ezekiel 9 & Revelation 7) will see their Messiah “face-to-face.” This will happen at the Jubilee in the last 50th year as redemption for the House of Yahuwdah (Judah). This is when Yahuwshuwa will also be married to the other bride from the House of Judah who will finally accept him as their Messiah when they see him face-to-face. These redeemed Hebrews are typified in Rachel.

7.) Tabernacles: This feast will begin the “in-gathering” of both Houses of Yisra’el as Messiah will make them both as “one stick” (Ezekiel 37:16-17) or one bride and this will commence the “Sabbath Millennium” which will last for 1,000 years or (one day) as “One thousand years is like one day to The Most High” (2nd Peter 3:8).

While the Feast of Trumpets takes place at the Civil New Year (because it commences at the time of creation when linear time began), it can be seen as “the anniversary of time.” The Most High’s physical creation of man began on the 1st of Tishri in the 7th month with Adam. But mankind’s spiritual redemption began in the 1st month of Abib when the Most High brought Yisra’el out of Egypt. Hence, the 1st day of the 7th month is when we are born physically, and the 1st day of the 1st month is when we are born spiritually. This reminds us of what Yahuwshuwa said to Nicodemus:

Yahuwchanon (John) 3:5-6  5 Yahuwshuwa answered, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of Elohiym. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

We must first be born of water (the amniotic sack in the mother’s womb) which means we are born physically of water. And then we are born-again when we die to the old sinful nature in baptism of the water of repentance. And that is when we are born from above of the Ruwach ha’Qodesh (Holy Spirit). Hence, the fall feasts are akin to being born physically (of water) and the spring feasts are akin to being born spiritually (of the Spirit). The New Year in the spring on the first of Abib represents our spiritual birth or renewal. But the Civil New Year in the fall (between Yom Teruah & Yom Kippur) represents our physical birth when we put on immortality in the future!

Shema Selah let us fully consider being born again first the natural then the spiritual!!

Messiah’s Forty Days of Fasting Leading Up to Yom Kippur! The revelation of yeshua is found in the feast days!!!!

Luke 4

Messiah’s Forty Days of Fasting Leading Up to Yom Kippur!  The Revelation of Yeshua Is Found in the Feast Days!!!

Witness write through the Bible:  H3789 kathab--to write, inscribe, engrave, write in, write on

Exo 17:14 And the LORD said unto Moses, Write H3789 this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.

The Torah .........……
 Exo 34:27 And the LORD said unto Moses, Write H3789 thou these words: for after the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with thee and with Israel.


The prophets proclaim...............…
 Isa 30:8 Now go, write H3789 it before them in a table, and note it in a book, that it may be for the
time to come for ever and ever:


The writings bear witness.........…
 Pro 7:3 Bind them upon thy fingers, write H3789 them upon the table of thine heart.


Jer 31:33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write H3789 it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.


Luke 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, 19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.

Most children taught by the Catholic nuns have been taught that our Messiah fasted in the wilderness during the forty days known as “Lent.” This season would commence on “Ash Wednesday,” and it would culminate on “Easter Sunday,” according to Catholic tradition.

It was not until layer that it was discovered these traditions of Ash Wednesday, Lent & Easter stemmed from ancient Babylonian religion, and were adopted into Christianity by Rome.

As you read Luke 4:19, where our Messiah declared “The Acceptable Year of The Most High.” It should be understood in that moment that our Messiah, Yeshua fasted during the forty days of repentance or “Teshuva,” leading up to Yom Kippur. Even though Luke’s gospel does not tell us what time of year this was, there are enough clues in the language of Isaiah 61 to indicate Yom Kippur typology.

Additionally, during his 40-day fast, our Messiah, Yeshua turned 30 years old on “Yom Teruah,” (Feast of Trumpets), which then qualified him (according to Numbers 4:3), to be the High Priest after the order of Melchizedek.

Messianic tradition holds to the idea that our Messiah was born on The Feast of Tabernacles or “Sukkot.” However, there are a few problems that arise with that theory. Once we understand that our Messiah was acting as the High Priest, Melchizedek when he made the declaration of “The Acceptable Year of The Most High,” it becomes obvious that in order for him to make this declaration, he had to have had his 30th birthday BEFORE Yom Kippur!

After his cousin John immersed him in the Jordan River, there was a transfer of power that was being made. The authority of the Sons of Aaron as the High Priest was being passed on to our Messiah who was from the Tribe of Judah. Hebrews 7:14 confirms this when it says that “Melchizedek sprang out of Judah!”

It was on this particular Yom Kippur in Luke 4:19, that we see our Messiah revealing to those in the Synagogue that he was the “Anointed One,” the Messiah of Israel, and the High Priest who could then declare whether or not the nation was accepted that year for Yom Kippur. This is precisely when his 3.5 year ministry began, on Yom Kippur in 26 A.D.

Once we establish that his 30th birthday took place on the Feast of Trumpets during his 40-days of fasting in the wilderness, we can then conclude that he was old enough to become the High Priest for Israel!

The clue can be found is Luke 4:19, when we learn that our Messiah “DECLARED THE ACCEPTABLE YEAR OF THE MOST HIGH!”

Only the High Priest could declare “THE ACCEPTABLE YEAR OF THE MOST HIGH” once per year on Yom Kippur!

The month of Elul is the 6th month on the Hebrew Calendar and it is called “chodesh ha’cheshbon,” which is a month of accounting.

The name of the month Elul is spelled with four Hebrew Letters, Alef-Lamed-Vav-Lamed which is said to be an acronym of “Ani l’dodi v’dodi li.” This is translated “I am my Beloved’s and my Beloved is mine,” a quote from Song of Songs 6:3, where the Beloved is The Most High, and the “I” is his covenant bride, Israel.

In Aramaic (the vernacular of the Hebrew people at the time that the month names were adopted), the word “Elul” means “search,” which is appropriate, because this is the time of the year when we search our hearts and farmers search for the harvest.

According to deductive reasoning by reading the scriptures, the month of Elul is the same time that Mosheh (Moses) went to Mount Sinai to prepare the second set of tablets after the incident of the golden calf (Exodus 32; 34:27-28). He ascended on Rosh Chodesh Elul and he descended on the 10th of Tishri, at the end of Yom Kippur, when repentance was complete. The 1st day of Elul commences a period of 40 days where Moses prayed for The Most High to forgive the people after they committed adultery with the golden calf. After this, the commandment to prepare the second set of tablets was given.

Could this be the reason why our Messiah fasted during these very same forty days? Could it be that he was also preparing to present the very same commandments that would be written upon the heart of his bride for Yom Kippur? You see, in Ancient Hebrew Wedding Custom, the bride was to have the ketubah (written marriage agreement) on her at all times, or else she could not enjoy intimacy with her husband. This explains why The Most High promised to “write his Torah” (laws) in the heart of his bride (Jeremiah 31:33; Hebrews 8:10; 10:16).

Traditionally, the Hebrews celebrate a time of fasting and repentance for “forty days.” This is the time that foreshadows the preparation for the bride to meet her bridegroom on the “Feast of Trumpets” (Yom Teruah), and on “Yom Kippur”(Day of Atonement). These two feast days, I believe represent the marriage of two different brides typified in Leah & Rachel to Jacob. In John 10:16, our Messiah spoke of having “two folds of sheep,” when he said the following words “And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.”

These two folds of sheep are none other than what Isaiah 8:14 describes as “Both Houses of Israel.” The Two Southern Tribes of Judah & the Ten Northern Tribes of Israel are referred to in prophecy as as “The Stick of Ephraim & the Stick of Judah” (Ezekiel 37:16).

True to prophecy, our Messiah said in John 10:16 that he would make both sheepfolds “one fold,” just as Ezekiel also foretold that both Houses of Israel would become “one stick,” in the hand of The Most High in the last days (Ezekiel 37:19). This event will culminate during the last ten days of the “Great Tribulation,” (which will only last for three and half years).

During these last ten days of tribulation, our Messiah will make these two houses only one house, and one bride. These last ten days are often referred to by the Hebrews as “The Ten Days of Awe” (Revelation 3:10).

At the end of these forty days of fasting and repentance in the final Jubilee at the “last great day” of the 6th millennium and going into the “Sabbath Millennium,” which will commence the 1st day of the 7th month called “Tishri!”

The Feast of Trumpets commemorates the “ushering in of the king,” and it is a time for us to prepare our hearts for the Fall Feasts of The Most High.

The two themes of the month of Elul have to do with accounting and preparation of the heart. In Aramaic the word Elul means “searching.”

(Psalms) 139:23 Search me, O The Most High, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:
It was during this time of year that Yahuwchanon (John) the Immerser (Baptist) began preaching repentance in the wilderness:

(Matthew) 3:1 In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, 2 And saying, Repent you: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. 3 For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare you the way of THE MOST HIGH, make his paths straight.

The Hebrew word for “repent” is as follows:

#8668 tshuwa’ah tesh-ooaw or tshuah; from #7768 in the sense of #3467; rescue (literal or figurative, personal, national or spiritual): deliverance, help, safety, salvation, victory.

The next two words are the root words that make up this word for repent (tshuwah):

#3467 yasha yawshah to be open, wide or free; to be safe; avenging, defend, deliver, help, preserve, rescue, be safe, bring salvation, save, get victory.

#7768 shava shawvah: to be free, freedom from trouble; cry aloud, shout.

These three words above, all paint a picture of what is happening during the 40 days of fasting and repentance starting on the 1st of Elul (the 6th month) and leading right up to the 10th day of the 7th month of Tishri on Yom Kippur (day of covering). We first see that John the Immerser (Baptist) was “crying out” (shauwa) for the nation of Israel to repent by exclaiming “tshuwa!”

This was the time of year when Israel was being called to prepare for the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). The Day of Atonement is a day of salvation (yasha) for those who repent, but it is a day of avenging or “vengeance” for those who are not ready and have not washed their garments in the blood of the lamb. For forty days, Israel would always prepare their hearts during this season of repenting. It was a time to “make the crooked paths straight” and to ask forgiveness from those whom you may have wronged.

Yeshua admonished us not to bother bringing a gift to the altar until we go and make peace with our brother:

(Matthew) 5:24 Leave there your gift before the altar, and go your way; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.

To those who repent and make the crooked paths straight (correct the wrongs that they have committed), the Day of Atonement will be a day of “acceptance” by The Most High. But to those who do not humble themselves and repent, it will be a day of “vengeance.” On the future Day of Atonement when Messiah returns in Revelation 19:2, he will “avenge” the blood of his set-apart ones (his bride). It is for this reason that he read only the first half of Isaiah 61:2 at the end of his “forty days of fasting” in the wilderness:

(Isaiah) 61:2 To proclaim the acceptable year of THE MOST HIGH, and the day of vengeance of our The Most High; to comfort all that mourn; 

Yeshua only read the first half of this verse when he declared that he had come to fulfill this prophecy in “Proclaiming the Acceptable Year of The Most High.”

However, he did not finish the latter part of this verse, because he has yet to fulfill the other half of Isaiah 61:2, at his second coming on “The Day of Vengeance of our The Most High” (Revelation 19:2). This will be the very same event called “The Great Day of Wrath,” (Zephaniah 1:15-18; Romans 2:5; Revelation 6:17) also referred to as “The Great & Terrible Day of The Most High”(Joel 2:31).

There are three parts to Isaiah 61:2 to be fulfilled in history:

1.) To Proclaim “The Acceptable Year of The Most High.”
Yeshua already did this at the beginning of his ministry when he emerged from his 40-day fast on Yom Kippur. This statement is “Yom Kippur” language. Only the High Priest (Kohen ha’Gadowl) could declare “The Acceptable Year of The Most High” each year for Yom Kippur. You see, the atonement of the entire nation depended on the righteousness of the High Priest. The High Priest had to first make atonement for himself by killing a bullock. And then he would be a proper vessel to make atonement for the entire nation when he killed the Yom Kippur sacrificial goat. If the High Priest was not righteous, he would die behind the veil in the “Holy of Holies,” and this meant that the entire nation was not atoned for that year and they were “not accepted.”

When John the Immerser baptized Yeshua, he was transferring the role of the High Priest from the sons of Aaron back to the Melchizedek Priesthood again. And so Yeshua was now acting as the High Priest that year when he interceded in the wilderness for Israel. This is why he qualified as one who could then “Declare the Acceptable Year of The Most High!”

2.) To Proclaim “The Day of Vengeance of our The Most High.”
He will do this at his second coming when he returns to “avenge” the injustices that have been done to his bride. He will avenge their blood and “even the score.”

3.) To Comfort All that Mourn.
On that day, the House of Judah will finally see the one whom “they have pierced” (Zechariah 12:10) and “they will mourn for him as one mourns for his only son.” Not only that, but all of the tribes of the earth shall mourn for him (Matthew 24:30), because not only the House of Judah, but all have crucified him!

Shema Selah let us look and make amends to those that we have harmed.  

THE KING IN THE FIELD: The Day Of Creation!!!!

Genesis 1 & 2 



We are walking in today:  THE KING IN THE FIELD:  The Day Of Creation!!!!

 

Witness create throughout the Bible:  H1254 bara'--to create, shape, form, to shape, fashion, create (always with God as subject)

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created H1254 the heaven and the earth.

The Torah testifies.........……
 Genesis 1:27 So God created H1254 man in his own image, in the image of God created H1254 he him; male and female created H1254 he them.

The prophets proclaim...............…
 Isaiah 41:20 That they may see, and know, and consider, and understand together, that the hand of the LORD hath done this, and the Holy One of Israel hath created H1254 it.

The writings bear witness.........…
 Psalms 148:5 Let them praise the name of the LORD: for he commanded, and they were created. H1254

Isaiah 45:12 I have made the earth, and created H1254 man upon it: I, even my hands, have stretched out the heavens, and all their host have I commanded.


Genesis 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

Many people regard Rosh Hashanah as the date of the creation of the universe by The Most High, but the midrash notes that it occurred six days earlier, on the 25th of Elul, when The Most High created the divine light by saying, “Let there be light” (Gen. 1:3). The sages reasoned that since the gematria for the word yehi, “let there be,” is 25, and man was created on Rosh Hashanah, the first work of creation actually began on Elul 25 of the Hebrew calendar.

The world was created on the 25th of Elul. Though we refer to Rosh Hashanah as “the day of the beginning of your works” in our prayers that is because Adam was created on that day. The entire world was created for him, [so that he could establish a connection between the world and The Most High]. Thus, on the day of his creation, he was able to motivate the entire creation to “come, bow, and prostrate ourselves before The Most High, our maker.” Nevertheless, it was on the 25th of Elul that the world was created. Indeed, time itself begins from that day.

The Mishnah states that Adam and Eve were created six days later on Rosh Hashanah. According to Hebrew tradition, this first “Friday” of creation was the first Rosh Hashanah, the “head of the year,” since it represents the day that The Most High began to rule as King of the Universe. When Adam first opened his eyes and human consciousness was born, he immediately understood that The Most High created all things, including himself. According to Midrash, Adam’s first words were Adonai malakh olam va’ed: “The Lord is King for ever and ever” (Exodus 15:18). The Most High then said, “Now the whole world will know that I am King,” and he was very pleased. This was the “tov me’od” moment of creation, when The Most High saw all that he had made “and found it very good” (Gen 1:31).

Torah associates this concept with our Sages' statement: "All the prophets began their prophecies with äï (gematria 25) "So the Lord has spoken;" Moshe began his prophecies, "This is the word of The Most High."

The difference between "So" and "This" is that stating "this" implies that the person actually sees the subject he is speaking about. To quote our Sages, "he can point his finger and say, 'This is it.' “In contrast, "So" implies that one does not actually see the subject which one is talking about. Though one perceives it, the perception is not through actual sight.

These two levels are reflected in the creation of man. The Torah relates that man was created, "in our form and in our image." "Our form" means possessing the form of The Most High (equivalent to the level of "This"). "Our image" refers to a lower level, something which resembles Godliness (the level of "So").

This characterizes the difference between the 25th of Elul and Rosh Hashanah. The creation of the entire world on Rosh Hashanah is related to the level of "our image." In contrast, on Rosh Hashanah, the inner intent and the "soul" of the entire creation was revealed with the creation of man. The Torah begins Bereshith implying that the world was created for two entities which are called "first," Israel and the Torah. This is equivalent to the level "our form."

The question, however, remains: Why do our Rosh Hashanah prayers proclaim that the world was formed on that date? Even if it is acknowledged that Rosh Hashanah takes precedence, it was on the 25th of Elul that the world was created.

This question can be answered by reference to a point of Talmudic law which relates to ritual purity. The laws of purity apply only to objects in a state of completion. For example, a shapeless piece of metal cannot become impure until it is fashioned into a useful object. Though the metal obviously exists, the laws of ritual purity do not yet relate to it; the object cannot be said to have come into being until it has been completed.

Certain objects may be thought of as complete at any one of a number of stages. Animal hides, for example, can be used at one stage as covers or blankets, or they can be further treated and refined and made into clothing.

Imagine that a substance which imparts impurity comes into contact with a hide in a less developed state. Is the hide ritually impure (because it can be used as a cover at this stage), or pure (because it can be further processed into a garment)?

The Mishnah rules that the status of the hide is dependent upon its owner. If the owner would be expected to be content with the hide as a cover, the hide is impure. However, if the owner is a tanner who would ordinarily consider the hide to be unfinished at this stage and would be expected to further refine it in order to make a garment, it is pure.

This halachah lends us a conception of the status of creation before the advent of man. The 25th of Elul and the following days of creation revealed awesome holy powers. These powers were, however, totally eclipsed by the creation of man, which revealed a deeper purpose of creation and a higher aspect of Godliness, just as the animal hide can be transformed into a garment by a skilled tanner.

The revelation occasioned by man's creation caused the world's prior existence to be considered unfinished. Through the creation of man, The Most High established a new definition of existence, and according to this new definition, the world did not previously exist. The anniversary of man's creation can therefore be considered the anniversary of creation as a whole.


Torah readings for Elul 25:
Genesis chapter 1 and 2
Deuteronomy 10:14  Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens is the Lord's thy God, the earth also, with all that therein is.

Isaiah 37:16  O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, that dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth: thou hast made heaven and earth.

Isaiah 42:5 Thus saith God the Lord, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein:

Nehemiah 9:6 Thou, even thou, art Lord alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshippeth thee.

Hebrews 1:1-3 1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, 2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; 3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high:

Colossians 1:15-17 15Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: 16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: 17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

John 1:1, 14 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

Revelation 4:11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.

Shema Selah let us speak His words that they may be created in our lives on today, Elul 25!! 

A Few Thoughts on Prayer

​Philippians 4

We are walking in today:  A Few Thoughts on Prayer

Witness prayer throughout the Bible:   H8605 tĕphillah--prayer, pray a prayer, house of prayer, intercession, supplication

2 Samuel 7:27 For thou, O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, hast revealed to thy servant, saying, I will build thee an house: therefore hath thy servant found in his heart to pray this prayer H8605 unto thee.

The Torah .........……

--
The prophets ..................
Nehemiah 1:6 Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hear the prayer H8605 of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, day and night, for the children of Israel thy
servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee: both I and my father's house have sinned.

The writings ............
1 Kings 8:28 Yet have thou respect unto the prayer H8605 of thy servant, and to his supplication, O LORD my God, to hearken unto the cry and to the prayer, H8605 which thy servant prayeth before thee to day:


Attuning your heart before the Most High....
Prayer is essentially a response to the Most High's call for us, a kind of teshuvah, or turning a shuv to the Most High. It is His love for us, that is the question and our turning of the heart toward Him is the answer. I t is not about finding the right words. When you pray, rather letting your heart be without words than thy words be without heart. Inwardly bow in awe before the throne of grace. Keep praying until you are able to let go and trust in the Most High's heart.

The Most High wants your heart, and prayer is the means by which your heart is offered to Him. Set you affections upward, lift up your soul, and inwardly bow in awe before the Presence of the King who sits upon the Throne of Grace. Pour out your concerns before Him, since He cares for you. Our prayers are answered when we are able to let go and trust the Most High's heart for us. Philippians 4:6-7

Since prayer is the expression of the heart, it is vital to understand that it means far more than reciting certain 'religious' words in formulaic petition. The Most High is not interested in empty prayers any more than He desires heartless sacrifice (Isaiah 29:13, Hosea 6:6, Matthew 15:9). King David said in Psalm 35:13 But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth: I humbled my soul with fasting; and my prayer returned into mine own bosom. Some of our prayers are conscious words spoken to the Most High, whereas others are unconscious expressions of inner heart attitudes. Be careful how you think!! It is sobering to realize that our thoughts are essentially prayers being offered up before the Most High. When we will the good of others we find the Most High's favor, healing and life. Yeshua spoke of 'good and evil treasures of the heart' that produce actions that are expressed in our words.

Luke 6:45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh. A midrash states that if someone speaks well of another, the angels above will then speak well of him before the Holy One.

Pray without ceasing (1 Thess. 5:17). The Holy One, the Most High of Israel I bade you to pray in the assembly of your city, but it you cannot pray there, pray in your field, but if you can not pray there, pray on your bed, but if you cannot pray there, 'be still and know that I AM the Most High'. Therefore pray often and sometimes use words.

Henri Nouwen wrote, I am beginning to see that much praying is grieving, since the confession of the truth when we come to ourselves (Luke 15:17) is often painful. When we pray to the Most High, however it is obvious that we are not imparting to Him any information since the Master of the Universe knows all things. As King David wrote, in Psalm 139:4 For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether. Yeshua taught us to abstain from using 'vain repetitions' in our prayers, since our Heavenly Father knows what we need even before we ask Him (Matthew 6:7-8). Some people think that the Most High is impressed with a large crowd of people who are praying for the same thing, as if this were not another form of 'vain repetition'. The same can be said of being part of a large prayer list. No, there is no need for the crowd to offer prayer, since the Most High regards the individual heart of faith as sufficient to move a mountain and cast it into the sea (Matthew 21:12). One heartfelt prayer that makes real contact with the Most High is better than thousands of people praying for someone or some situation of which they know next to nothing on a prayer chain.

True prayer, then is a means of reverent listening, or quieting ourselves, so that we might hear what the Sprit of the Most High is saying. When you pray, with all of your heart, your apprehend the Most High's glory and express your desire to Him. You are then enabled to intercede for others by means of the Holy Spirit with 'groanings too deep for words' (Romans 8:26).

Finally, we must remember that a prayer is essentially a response to the Most High's calls for us. In that sense, prayer is a kind of teshuvah a word better understood as turning to the Most High in response to His call. The Most High's love for us is in question, and our turning of the heart toward Him is the answer. We are able to turn to the Most High because the Most High first turned to us!

The heart of a child, the Most High prefers sincerity of heart, passion borne of mercy, the 'weightier matters' of Torah, more than religious rites or sacrifice. The Most High of our ancestors Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, hear my voice. My heart is filled with love for you, but I am not a learned man, and I am at a lost for words before You. The only thing that I know is the letters of the Hebrew alef-bet, so please Master of the Universe, accept these letters from me and combine them to be words of blessing and praise to your Name!! Alef, bet, gimmel, dalet….

Just as the Most High, at the beginning of creation, made the world, out of nothing, so His creative power continues unchanged. The Most High takes what is infinitely nothing, what is worthless, despised and dead, and creates it new, for the sake of His glory. He is able to take a dead heart, a heart of stone, and make it tender and soft through the breath of His Spirit. Therefore His eyes look upon the lowly, the humble and the poor in spirit, but He disregards those who lift themselves up in pride.


Shema Selah we must consider that even our thoughts are prayers before the Most High!!

The Season of Elul!!!! The Importance of Truth

Song of Solomon 6

We are walking in today: The Season of Elul!!!! The Importance of Truth

Witness truth throughout the Bible: H571 emeth--firmness, faithfulness, truth, true doctrine

Exodus 34:6 And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, H571

The Torah .........……
 Deuteronomy 13:14 Then shalt thou enquire, and make search, and ask diligently; and, behold, if it be truth, H571 and the thing certain, that such abomination is wrought among you;

The prophets...............…
 Isaiah 43:9 Let all the nations be gathered together, and let the people be assembled: who among them can declare this, and shew us former things? let them bring forth their witnesses, that they may be justified: or let them hear, and say, It is truth. H571

The writings..........
 Psalms 25:5 Lead me in thy truth, H571 and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.


The Importance of Truth
Many people love falsehood and only a few love truth. For it is possible to love falsehood truly, but it is impossible to love truth falsely. May The Most High of truth help us to love truth truly, then, with all our hearts, since love and truth characterize The Most High’s rule: As it is written, “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and truth go before you” (Psalm 89:14).

Truth springs up everywhere; righteousness shines down over all the earth. This primarily concerns the sacrificial work of the Messiah, of which it is rightly said: “Steadfast love and faithfulness meet; righteousness and peace kiss each other” (Psalm 85:10). Because of the great reconciliation we have through Yeshua, the truth of The Most High shall prevail among men. The “Seed” that was planted in Zion and becomes a Tree of life throughout all the earth. “Deliverance goes before the LORD, and prepares a pathway for Him” (Psalm 85:13).

We have a moral imperative, given by The Most High Himself, to receive the truth and to live according to the nature of spiritual reality. Those who reject or suppress the truth, however, are responsible for their actions, as it is written, “No one who practices deceit shall dwell in my house; no one who utters lies shall continue before my eyes” (Psalm 101:7).

Note that the word tamim, translated “blamelessly,” might better be rendered “perfectly,” that is, complete in all its parts; where no part is missing. The person who walks perfectly, then, means one who is wholehearted in their faith and trust. Note that this person does what is right, that is, practices tzedakah and performs good deeds; he uses the “good eye” to bless others. Speaking truth “within the heart” is critical since it implies that the person is sincere, honest, without ulterior motives, and so on. He is a “true” person with a heart that can be trusted. The phrase also implies the person is free from self-deception or the need to pretend to be something he isn’t.

The Hebrew word for truth is composed of the first, middle and last letters of the alphabet, whereas the three letters that spell “falsehood” stand next to one another. Truth creates a firm foundation, secure, strong, and trustworthy, while falsehood is unstable. As it is written, “truth stands forever, falsehood has no legs.”

It requires moral courage to speak the truth to others. A hypocrite is one who wears a mask, who pretends to think or feel one thing when he really thinks or feels something else. The law, “you must not set a stumbling block before the blind” (Lev 19:14) includes the implication that you must not hide part of your intention while giving someone advice or when offering someone a benefit. It is important to understand that a sin of omission regarding speaking the truth is as serious as practicing deceit itself.

There are many ways to offend against the truth. One way is to deny it: the way of the liar. Another way is to keep silent when the truth should be spoken: the way of the coward. At the other end is the cruel use of the truth, pointing out failure when silence is the way of honor, or by distorting “little truths” for the sake of a supposed capital “T” truth, that is, lying for the sake of an ideology or dogma: the way of the politician”.

May The Most High help us never to “trifle” with Him, to play “religious games,” and thereby fool ourselves. The Most High chose you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the spirit and faith in the truth. (2 Thess. 2:13) It is the truth that sets us free, and for the truth Yeshua gave himself up for us: “For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice” (John 18:37). May it please The Most High to fill us with the spirit of Truth and to help us be honest with ourselves at all times. Amen.
Shema Selah we must consider are we thinking, living and walking in truth?!?

The Season of Elul!!!! Why Do We Read Psalms 27?

Psalms 27


THE KING IN THE FIELD: The Season of Elul!!!! Why Do We Read Psalms 27?


Psalm 27 in its entirety focus verse 1
The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

The Psalm To Read Before Rosh Hashanah
Elul is the month of preparation and shofar blowing. The name of the month has been understood to be an acronym for the Hebrew verse “I am my Beloved’s and my Beloved is mine.” During Elul we read Psalm 27, “To David – the Lord is my light,” twice daily. This practice is relatively new, evidently some 200 years old. But it is a wise practice, even essential.

The first half of the psalm bespeaks assurance. The psalmist, while describing the enemy from a distance (from whom will I be afraid), approaching (as evil men come near), preparing (should an army besiege me), and attacking (should war come against me), nevertheless is calm, above all danger, sacrificing and thanking the Lord. The opening structure reflects both the growing threat and its total disappearance. The first three verses increase numerically: two parallel phrases of five words each, then six, then seven (that number hinting at completion). There follows the central word of the psalm, One. Facing all these threats, the psalmist feels the peace of unity, and throughout this first half the reader senses no doubt, no real threat.

How strange it is that the second half of the psalm depicts a world so totally opposite. (Many scholars even conclude that these are separate psalms!) Here we find a desperate search, a constant request, a pleading before the Holy One (“do not hide Your face … do not thrust [me] aside … do not forsake me, do not abandon me”). The author is abandoned by parents and surrounded by enemies. At the apex of this section, the psalmist cries out in agony, with a sentence he cannot finish, for it depicts the worst of all: Had I not the assurance that I would enjoy the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living …. His faith is his sole remaining thread connecting him to the land of the living. If he did not have this faith, then.

But the two psalms are indeed one. Hebrew roots carefully repeated in the two halves testify to unity, as does the clear inclusion: the name of God opens and closes the first half (The Lord is my light … a hymn to the Lord) and the second (Hear O Lord … look to the Lord).

The psalm demands oneness, reflecting an integration of most difficult circumstances together with security. The psalmist is model, puzzle, and challenge to us, for he did not hide from life’s troubles on one hand, and yet lives within a framework of faith on the other. Reciting this psalm demands that twice a day we struggle with ourselves and our faith, in expectation that we will arrive at the Days of Awe ready for repentance, ready to celebrate on the holiday with a full heart before the Lord.

In Elul, we renew our faith through search, as is also reflected in the modern midrash on this psalm, “One have I demanded of the Lord, that I shall seek: I seek only that forever I will demand the one, demand the oneness, demand the unity, from the Lord.”

Be Strong, Be Trusting: Reading Psalm 27 in Elul
There is a ritual this time of year that takes a bit more than 50 days. We have been reading a particular psalm that is not otherwise part of the siddur—Psalm 27—every morning and every night through the month of Elul, and we will continue this until Simhat Torah. Through our daily reading of Psalm 27—so like the daily counting of the Omer—we make this autumnal period, with its linear narrative of atonement, redemption, and the renewal of Torah, into a second version of the vernal Pesah-Shavuot narrative and give each year not one, but two special, sacred Sevenths.
There is no right or wrong way, only more or less interesting ways of understanding Psalm 27 or any other deep text. For example, in the eyes of the Anchor Bible, a work of serious scholarship from another tradition, this psalm’s roots lie in earlier texts in other Semitic languages, and they show that it is entirely about the Afterlife, but that’s not what I see. In sharing my interpretations here I intend only to share my way of experiencing these Holy Days. How then do I read Psalm 27? Let’s take a look.
It is—first but not foremost—beautiful poetry. Having even a little Hebrew helps a lot, because the poetry that lies in the sounds, their resonance and dissonances, gets lost in translation. I’ll transliterate the Hebrew where necessary; otherwise I’ll refer to this translation from the Jewish Publication Society’s 1999 Tanakh.
David was a King of many voices and moods. I read this entire psalm as a stream of thought in David’s head, not as a spoken or written text, until the last line, 14, where I see and hear a vocal outburst that summarizes the whole psalm. To my eye the psalm breaks into five silent stanzas before then, each with its own emotional tone: lines 1-3, 4-6, 7-10, 11-12, and 13. The stanzas get shorter as the poet’s introspective mood gets at once more agitated and elevated, so that when the last line comes, an astonishing optimism breaks through the dark cloud of David’s self-doubt.
In the silent, inner cycle that oscillates between the intensity of personal prayer and the relief of communal worship, Psalm 27 falls completely on the side of the personal; it is profoundly moving, even disturbing, in its ability to convey an inner voice in intimate communication with Adonai. Certainly it is the right time for us to be given this chance to hear David as he struggles. It is a daily reminder of this obligation we are all under, this time of year, to get past our cleverness and confess our hidden thoughts and secret actions to Adonai. As Moshe says in Parashat Ki Tavo [Devarim 29:28], “Ha’nistarot La’Adonai Eloheikhem / Concealed acts concern the Lord our God.” Like confession at any other time of year, fully feeling the meaning of this psalm, while theoretically possible at another time, might just be too painful outside of this special seventh of the year.
1-3
Here David is someone trying to convince himself of something he wishes he could believe. The very first words, the beginning of line 1, set a high standard for density and depth, even for a psalm of David: “Adonai ori veyish’i, mimi eera? / Adonai is my light and my salvation, whom should I fear?” Ori/eera; light/fear: it is a great example of the distinctions we are supposed to seek, and the words look and sound enough alike to make each illuminate the other. But then, in line 2, the fear breaks through: “When evil men assail me to devour my flesh / ’l’ekhol et-b’sarai’ ” … they will stumble and fall.” Devour my flesh? Maybe a hyperbole, maybe not; in any event, line 3 concludes that even so, “B’zot ani boteah / In this I would still trust,” that is, that David would trust in Adonai’s salvation, no matter what.
4-6
Here David daydreams: He will live in the house of the Lord, Adonai will shelter him, raise him high. All will be well, better than well: “V’ata yarum roshi al oi’vai s’vivotai/now my head is held high over my enemies surrounding me.” How then will David rejoice? With “sacrifice in Adonai’s tent with shouts of joy / V’ezbakha b’ahalo ziv’khai t’ruah,” and with singing and chanting a hymn to Adonai. Three possessive words now snap into sharp focus: “B’sarai; S’vivotai; Ziv’khai / my flesh; surrounding me; my sacrifice.” S’vivotai is the critical link: In Vayikra 1:11, intended to be read every morning at prayer even today, we repeat that the Kohanim were to take the blood of the animal sacrificed at the Temple in Jerusalem and dash it “upon the Altar, all around / Damo al ha’mizbeah saviv.” The daydream teeters on the edge of a nightmare: Is David dreaming of being the sacrificer, or the sacrifice?
7-10
Another jump in the narrative. Away with the daydream, back to the reality: David calls to Adonai and cries that he is not sure his call is heard. And who of us does not know that feeling? Here the words in English and in Hebrew convey panic and fright with blunt force: “Do not forsake me, do not abandon me, do not hide your face from me;” nothing subtle here, nor particularly poetical. The worst fear breaks through in line 10: “Ki avi v’imi azvuni, va’Adonai ya’asfeni / though my father and mother abandon me, Adonai will take me in.” Given the previous two lines, do we really think David is certain of this? I am told by good friends that the root of ya’asfeni is to receive in order to guide or teach, and that the line should be read as saying that even if I am so rotten that my parents give up on me, Adonai will find a way for me to become a good person. I wish I could feel the force of that interpretation, but that is not the effect this line has on me. As I am an orphan, the simpler meaning overwhelms me.
11-12
David pulls himself together and tries to focus on difficulties at hand. False accusers surround him, and his head is not at all held high above them; he needs a way out and asks Adonai to show him that path, past his watchful foes. These two lines are reasonable, practical, and altogether different from anything that has come before. It is as if David has snapped to attention, seen that time is short, and gotten to the point. But, there is no answer!
13
The strain of Adonai’s silence is too much; back to the daydream: “had I not the assurance that I would enjoy the goodness of Adonai in the land of the living … / Lulei he’emanutai lir-ot b’tuv-Adonai b’eretz Kha’yim… .” In the Hebrew, Lulei is surrounded by the sort of dots that mark of a word troublesome to the keepers of this text a thousand years ago, and rightly so; this is a wholly ambiguous line. The Anchor Bible translates Lulei as “The Victor,” based on linguistic overlaps with other cultures, but to me this line is simply David in a voice of great anxiety. What, for instance, are we to make of “b’eretz Kha’yim / the land of the living?” Is that this world, the world to come, or—as the Artscroll commentary concludes—the land of Israel? David is as broken as this line is broken; he is not sure that he is going to survive this moment.
14
The mood shifts again, dramatically: David will not give up and die. He remembers the b’rit between Adonai and his—and our—ancestors and knows he will prevail. Here comes the most powerful line in the psalm and perhaps the most dense line I have ever come across, anywhere. “Kavey el-Adonai, Khazak v’ya’ameitz libeha, v’kavey el-Adonai. / hope in Adonai, make yourself strong and give your heart courage, and hope in Adonai.” This line is all by itself a cycle, the tightest of the cycles I have come across in our ritual, the cycle that is the b’rit. From the very beginning of the Book of Joshua, Adonai tells Joshua “Khazak v’ ematz / be strong and resolute” many times, and of course Joshua is, and so we are alive today as Jews. But do we really think that this strength is what won the day for Joshua, or for us?
Psalm 27 teaches us, instead, what the entire narrative of these days—from Selihot through Simhat Torah—teaches us: that as Jews we are to hope in Adonai; and then we are to do everything we can to strengthen ourselves as if we were wholly left to our own fates; and then we are to continue to hope in Adonai despite having acted as if we were wholly on our own. That’s all we can do for our side of the b’rit; Adonai will respond to us in ways neither David, nor I, nor you, can know, nor need to know.

The general premise is that we recite it as long as we are being judged for the new year. Thus, some have the custom to say it until Yom Kippur (the day when Moses secured complete forgiveness). However, others continue until Shemini Atzeret (or Simchat Torah). The Chabad custom is to recite it until Hoshanah Rabbah, since that is when the judgment is “sealed.”

Since the customs are numerous, each individual and community should embrace their unique traditions, in the sincere hope that we all be inscribed and sealed for a sweet new year!

Shema Selah let us seek and consider our thoughts and ways during the month of Elul leading up to Yom Kippur!! 

The Season of Elul!!!!

Song of Solomon 2


We are walking in today: The Season of Elul!!!!

Witness recompense throughout the Bible: H7725 shuwb-- to be returned, be restored, be brought back

Numbers 5:7 Then they shall confess their sin which they have done: and he shall recompense H7725 his trespass with the principal thereof,
and add unto it the fifth part thereof, and give it unto him against whom he hath trespassed.

The Torah ............…
Numbers 5:8 But if the man have no kinsman to recompense H7725 the trespass unto, let the trespass be recompensed H7725 unto the LORD, even to the priest; beside the ram of the atonement, whereby an atonement shall be made for him.

The prophets ..................
2 Samuel 22:21 The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness: according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed H7725 me.

The writings ............
Psalms 18:24 Therefore hath the LORD recompensed H7725 me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight.

Jeremiah 18:20 Shall evil be recompensed for good? for they have digged a pit for my soul. Remember that I stood before thee to speak good for them, and to turn away H7725 thy wrath from them.

Selichot Services
The Hebrew word selichah colloquially means forgiveness through in the Hebrew scriptures it refers exclusively to the Most High's offer of pardon and forgiveness of the repentant sinner. For instance, in Psalm 130:4 we read, ' But with you is forgiveness (selichah), that you may be feared.

The plural form of the word selichah is selichot, a word traditionally used to refer to additional prayers for forgiveness recited before dawn, before the daily shacharit (morning) service. The list of the Thirteen Attributes of the Most High's Mercy (Shelosh Esrei Middot shel Rachamin). In general Selichot services are intended to inspire us to consider the direction of our lives and to under go teshuvah.

In the Sephardic tradition, Selichot services begin at the start of Elul and run until Yom Kippur (similar to the 40 days that Moses spent on Mt. Sinai). Some of the prayer and music for Selichot service are taken from the services of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kipput, providing a transition between the old year and the New Year.

Appealing to the Most High's Compassion
After Israel had commit the grievous sin with the golden calf, Moses despaired of Israel ever being able to find favor in the Most High's eye again. In the tabernacle the Selichot service is built upon a recitation of these thirteen merciful attributes that the Most High revealed in Exodus 34:6-7

The Most High, the Most High, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and upon the children's children's unto the third and forth generation.

According to the various traditional interpretations, these thirteen attributes of the Most High's name may be understood as follows:

1. Adonai--I the Lord am the Compassionate Source of all of the life and Ground of all being; I am the breath of life for all creation. I am the God of all possible worlds and Master of the universe. Everything that exists is an expression of my loving will and kindness. The world is built with chesed Psalm 89:3. Since the relative difference between existence and non existence is infinite, the Most High's creation represents infinite kindness, and since you exist, you likewise are an expression of the Most Highs kindness and love. You do not exist because the Most High needs you but solely because your life is willed by the Most High as an expression of His love.

2. Adonai--Though the Most High created the universe 'very good' He remained the Compassionate Source of life even after mankind sinned and therefore the Name is repeated to refer to His loving relationship with alienated, fallen creation. I the Most High, am also compassionate to one who has sinned and repented (i.e. the Creator gives us free will and the good gift of teshuvah). The Most High created mankind for the sake of teshuvah--that is , our return to Him. The Most High desires atonement with mankind even after sin and therefore continues to give existence to the world. 'He makes the sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends out rain on the just and the unjust." Matthew 5:45 Moreover, as the Saviour and Redeemer of the world through Yeshua, the Most High reveals kindness even to the evil, and even partakes of its presence by means of His sacrificial love at the stake. Since tesuhvah can only exist after the advent of sin, Yeshua is call the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. Rev 13:8, Eph 1:4 and 1 Peter 1:20

In this connection, it should be noted that while the Most High 'wills' evil (in the sense of allowing the actions of the wicked to occur), He does not desire it. The sages note that while the Creator supports the existence of both the wicked and the righteous, and only their actions are desired by Him. Psalm 1:6 The Most High wills the brokenness of the sinner so that the soul can return to Him by experiencing His salvation, love and blessing.

3. El- I the Most High am the Almighty and Omnipotent;

4. Rachum- I the Most High, am merciful

5. Chanun- I the Most High am gracious, I pour out my favor freely to all of creation;

6. Erekh Apayim-I the Most High am slow to anger and patient

7. Rav Chesed- I the Most High am abundant in love to both the righteous and the wicked;

8. Rav Emet- I the Most High am truthful and faithful in carrying out promises;

9. Notzer Chesed la'alafim- I the Most High retain chesed (love) for thousands of generations, taking into account the merit of our worthy ancestors

10. Nosei Avon- I the Most High forgive iniquity, defined in the tradition of wrongful deeds committed with perverse premeditation;

11. Nosei Pesha--I the Most High forgive transgression, defined as wrongful deeds committed in a rebellious spirit;

12. Nosei Chata'ah--I the Most High, forgive sin (chet) defined as those wrongful deeds that were inadvertently committed;

13. Nakkeh--I the Most High will not cancel punishment, but I will clear the guilt for those that genuinely return to Me in teshuvah.

In addition to the Shelosh Esrei Middot, the chanting of a number of Psalms and prayerful poems are recited during the services throughout the month of Elul. the tone of the Selichot service is sent in Psalm 130:


Psalm 130 King James Version (KJV)

1 Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O Lord.

2 Lord, hear my voice: let thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications.

3 If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?

4 But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.

5 I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope.

6 My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more than they that watch for the morning.

7 Let Israel hope in the Lord: for with the Lord there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption.

8 And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.

For believers in the kingdom of the Most High we affirm that forgiveness is obtained by exercising emunah/faith in the offering of Yeshua as the kapparah for our sins, and by the evidencing wholehearted teshuvah in our daily life.

Sin in Hebrew is chet and means failure in our relationship with the Most High. Our goal should be to continually move closer to the Most High but chet causes us to move away from Him. Teshuvah means return and the period of Selichot is therefore set apart as a means of returning to the Most High!

Micah and the Attributes of Mercy
In reference to the name El, the prophet Micah does not refer to the One “who made heaven and earth, sea and all that is in it” (Exodus 20:11) nor to the One “who counts the number of the stars and calls them all by name (Psalm 147:4), etc., but rather to the One who forgives and who delights to restore what is broken by means of His mercy and love. The work of redemption is greater even than the work of creation.

“Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because He delights in steadfast love” (Micah 7:18)

Like the first redemption of Israel out of Egypt, where The Most High was exalted above all so-called gods, in the future deliverance of Israel. The Most High reveals His grace and compassion, which is the grace of the gospel of Yeshua the Messiah when the remnant of Israel shall be saved at the End of the Age.

The passage from Micah continues: “He will again have compassion on us; He will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. You will show faithfulness to Jacob and steadfast love to Abraham, as you have sworn to our fathers from the days of old” (Micah 7:19-20)

What is Teshuvah?
The theme of the Hebrew High Holy days is Teshuvah, a word often translated as “repentance,” through it’s more accurately understood as turning back (shuv) to The Most High. The root of this verb occurs nearly 1,000 times in the Hebrew Scriptures and first occurs when God told Adam he would “return to the earth” (Gen 3:19). In spiritual terms, shuv may be regarded as both a turning away from evil and a turning towards the good, though Hebrew thinking regards turning to The Most High as the means by which we turn away from evil. This act of turning has the power to redirect a person’s destiny. It effects the whole life of the soul.

The Greek word sometimes translated “repentance” is metanoia, which literally means “changing your thinking”. It is often the word used to translate the Hebrew word nacham, often associated with the emotion of regret.

While it is important that we “regret our thinking” and embrace the authority of The Most High as the first principle in all our reasoning, it is equally important that we exercise our wills by turning to The Most High through acts of repentance.

The Four Steps of Teshuvah
1. Forsake the sin--Prov 28:13 Sincere repentance is demonstrated when the same temptation to sin, under the same conditions, is resolutely resisted.

2. Regret the breach in your relationship with the Most High and others,--Psalm 51

3. Confess the truth and make amends with those we have harmed--Proverbs 28:13, 1 John 1:9, James 5:16, Matthew 5:23-24

4. Accept your forgiveness and move forward with the Most High through faith Philippians 3:13-14, 1 John 1:9. Be comforted by the Presence of the Most High in your life --Isaiah 40:1

Finally, it needs to be said that authentic repentance is a lifestyle, not a one time deal. We must never get past it. Although there is some certainly spiritual progress as we walk in grace, all genuine progress comes through an ongoing teshuvah. We may repent from a certain action at a given point in time, but that does not mean that no longer need to do a teshuvah. Teshuvah is perpetual and timeless, since it corresponds to our spiritual lives rather than our temporal lives. Indeed, a true penitent is called baal teshuvah, a master of returning who is always turning away from self and toward the Most High. We never get beyond the call to repent and believe the gospel, Mark 1:15. That is why this season of teshuvah is always timely. The message of Elul and the High Holy Days is meant to be carried over throughout the rest of the year.

Confession means bringing yourself naked before the Divine Light to agree with the truth about who you are. Indeed, in the modern Hebrew teshuvah means an answer to a shelah or question. The Most High's love for us is the question, and our teshuvah or our turning of the heart toward Him--is the answer. Teshuvah is one of the great gifts that the Most High gives to each of us, the ability to turn back to Him and seek healing in our brokenness.

Shema Selah will we return to the Most High and turn away from the things of this world?? That is the question being asked of you!

THE KING IN THE FIELD: The Season of Elul!!!!

Song of Solomon 1

We are walking in today:  THE KING IN THE FIELD: The Season of Elul!!!!

Witness inquire throughout the Bible:  H1875 darash--to resort to, seek, seek with care, enquire, require

 
Psalm 26:2 Examine me, O Lord, and prove me; try my reins and my heart.

The Torah ............…
 Deuteronomy 4:29 But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek H1875 him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.

The prophets ..................
 Isaiah 1:17 Learn to do well; seek H1875 judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless,
plead for the widow.

The writings............
 Judges 6:29 And they said one to another, Who hath done this thing? And when they enquired
H1875 and asked, they said, Gideon the son of Joash hath done this thing.

Psalm 119:2 Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek H1875 him with the whole
heart.

Zephaniah 1:6 And them that are turned back from the LORD; and those that have not sought the LORD, nor enquired H1875 for him.

Elul is the 6th month of the Biblical calendar which is late summer or early fall. The month of Elul is set apart for repentance also known as teshuvah in Hebrew. It is a month in which preparation begins for the High Holy Days--Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. If you count from the first biblical month of Tishri to the month of Elul as you would count in Rabbinic tradition, Elul would be the last month of the year- a time to make “New Year’s Revelation” and turn away from sin before the start of The New Year. The month of Elul is therefore a time each year to prepare for the Yamim Nora’im, also known as the Days of Awe, by getting your spiritual house in order.

The Background at Sinai
Every year the “Season of Teshuvah” runs for forty days from the first day of the Hebrew month of Elul to Yom Kippur. During this time we make every effort to repent or turn which is also “shuv” towards The Most High. The 40 days are also referred to as Yemei Ratzon in Hebrew also known as the “Days of Favor.” Some have likened these 40 days to the number of weeks it takes for a human fetus to be formed in the womb. Teshuvah is likened to a death and a rebirth. A death of the past life and the birth of a new life and a new creation (2 Cor 5:17).

But you may ask the question, why forty days? Do we really need that much time to prepare ourselves to repent and make confession for our sins? 40 days came from Israel’s experience at Sinai as well as Yeshua also spent 40 days in the wilderness.

Forty Days of Teshuvah
The month Elul represents the time that Moses spent on Sinai preparing the second set of tablets after the making of the Golden Calf. Moses ascended on Rosh Chodesh Elul which is the Head of the Month of Elul and then descended 40 days later on the 10th of Tishri, the end of Yom Kippur, when the repentance of the people was complete. The month of Elul therefore represents the time of national sin and forgiveness obtained by means of teshuvah before The Most High.

Listening to the Shofar
Beginning on Rosh Chodesh Elul and continuing until the day before Rosh Hashanah, it is customary to blow the shofar which is also known as a ram’s horn every day except Shabbat. The custom is to first blow tekiah, a long single blast which is the sound of the King’s coronation, followed by shevarim, three short wail-like blasts which signifies repentance, followed by teruah which is several short blasts of alarm to awaken the soul and to close with tekiah hagadol which is a long final blast.

Theme of Repentance
The following appeal from the prophet Isaiah is considered thematic for this reason:
Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near (Isa. 55:6)

The passage continues “Let the wicked man forsake his way and the perverse man his thoughts; and let him return to the LORD, that He may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon (Isa. 55:7).

About the name “Elul”
In the Torah, the month of Elul is simply called the sixth month. It is well known that the name Elul is thought to be an acronym for “Ani L’dodi Li”- “I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine in Hebrew. Take note that the end of each letter in this phrase is a Yod (in the Hebrew Alphabet), which has the numeric value of 10, so the phrase itself can be combined to the number 40, reminding us of the forty days of teshuvah that lead up to Yom Kippur.

There are other allusions to the word Elul found in the scriptures. In Deuteronomy 30:6 states that The Most High will circumcise “your heart and the heart of your offspring” which is said to be an example of Elul. The Most High’s favor rests upon those who genuinely turn to The Most High.

In Exodus 18:7 we read about how Yitro and Moses were reunited after the Exodus and asked about one another’s welfare. In Hebrew the phrase, “And each friend asked of the other’s welfare” can be rearranged into an acronym for the word Elul. This allusion has led to the custom of inquiring about the welfare of family and friends during this season, and the practice of sending ‘Shanah Tovah” cards wishing them a sweet and good New Year.

Psalm 27 The High Holy Days Psalm
It is an old custom to read or sing the book of Psalms during the month or Elul. In the famous song of Moses, it is written and they spoke saying 'I will sing to the Most High' Exodus 15:1. This phrase can be formed into the acronym for Elul, and the sages therefore reasoned that hearing the Psalms were vital during the season of Teshuvah and Days of Favor
Of all the great Psalms, however, Psalm 27 is considered the central one of the season of teshuvah. The midrash of Psalms states that the word ori my light refers to Rosh Hashana based on Psalm 37:6 where as the word yishi my salvation refers to the atonement given on Yom Kippur. King David also mentions that the Most High would hide him in his sukkah in the time of trouble, referring to the holy days of Sukkot, Psalm 27:5. Therefore since it alludes to all three fall holy days Psalm 27 is regarded as the thematic Psalm for the High Holy days of the Hebrew year.
Psalm 27:1(KJV) The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
Finally, Psalm 27:13 contains a textual oddity. It is often translated, 'unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living'. The word translated unless lulei which read backwards spells Elul. This is to said to suggest that salvation comes from faith that sees the goodness of the Lord. Repentance is only really possible if we believe in the goodness and love of the Most High in the land of the living.

Selichot Services
The Hebrew word selichah colloquially means forgiveness through in the Hebrew scriptures it refers exclusively to the Most High's offer of pardon and forgiveness of the repentant sinner. For instance, in Psalm 130:4 we read, ' But with you is forgiveness (selichah), that you may be feared.

The plural form of the word selichah is selichot, a word traditionally used to refer to additional prayers for forgiveness recited before dawn, before the daily shacharit (morning) service. The list of the Thirteen Attributes of the Most High's Mercy (Shelosh Esrei Middot shel Rachamin) are the primary focus of the prayers, based on the Talmud's statement that, whenever the nation of Israel sins, let them pray this prayer the thirteen attributes of mercy and I shall forgive them. In general Selichot services are intended to inspire us to consider the direction of our lives and to under go teshuvah.

In the Sephardic tradition, Selichot services begin at the start of Elul and run until Yom Kippur (similar to the 40 days that Moses spent on Mt. Sinai), through in the Ashkenazic tradition they are recited late (i.e. midnight) on the Saturday night before Rosh Hashana. Some of the prayer and music for Selichot service are taken from the services of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kipput, providing a transition between the old year and the New Year. A Chassidic tradition holds that the twelve day of the year--Elul 18th through 29th correspond to the twelve months of the closing year, on each of these twelve days the people should review their deeds and achievement of the corresponding month.

Appealing to the Most High's Compassion
After Israel had committed the grievous sin with the golden calf, Moses despaired of Israel ever being able to find favor in the Most High's eye again. The Most High however as explained in the Talmud donned a tallit and in the role of a chazzan showed Moses the thirteen attributes of Mercy. In the tabernacle the Selichot service is built upon a recitation of these thirteen merciful attributes that the Most High revealed in Exodus 34:6-7

The Most High, the Most High, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and upon the children's children's unto the third and forth generation.

According to the various traditional interpretations, these thirteen attributes of the Most High's name may be understood as follows:

1. Adonai--I the Most High am the Compassionate Source of all of the life and Ground of all being; I am the breath of life for all creation. I am the Most High of all possible worlds and Master of the universe. Everything that exists is an expression of my loving will and kindness. The world is built with chesed Psalm 89:3. Since the relative difference between existence and non existence is infinite, the Most High's creation represents infinite kindness, and since you exist, you likewise are an expression of the Most High's kindness and love. You do not exist because the Most High needs you but solely because your life is willed by the Most High as an expression of His love.

2. Adonai--Though the Most High created the universe 'very good,' He remained the Compassionate Source of life even after mankind sinned and therefore the Name is repeated to refer to His loving relationship with alienated, fallen creation. I, the Most High, am also compassionate to one who has sinned and repented (i.e. the Creator gives us free will and the good gift of teshuvah). The Most High created mankind for the sake of teshuvah--that is , our return to Him. The Most High desires atonement with mankind even after sin and therefore continues to give existence to the world. 'He makes the sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends out rain on the just and the unjust." Matthew 5:45 Moreover, as the Savior and Redeemer of the world through Yeshua, the Most High reveals kindness even to the evil, and even partakes of its presence by means of His sacrificial love at the stake. Since tesuhvah can only exist after the advent of sin, Yeshua is call the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. Revelations 13:8, Ephesians 1:4 and 1 Peter 1:20

3. El- I the Most High am the Almighty and Omnipotent;

4. Rachum- I the Most High, am merciful

5. Chanun- I the Most High am gracious, I pour out my favor freely to all of creation;

6. Erekh Apayim-I the Most High am slow to anger and patient

7. Rav Chesed- I the Most High am abundant in love to both the righteous and the wicked;

8. Rav Emet- I the Most High am truthful and faithful in carrying out promises;

9. Notzer Chesed la'alafim- I the Most High retain chesed (love) for thousands of generations, taking into account the merit of our worthy ancestors

10. Nosei Avon- I the Most High forgive iniquity, defined in the tradition of wrongful deeds committed with perverse premeditation;

11. Nosei Pesha--I the Most High forgive transgression, defined as wrongful deeds committed in a rebellious spirit;

12. Nosei Chata'ah--I the Most High, forgive sin (chet) defined as those wrongful deeds that were inadvertently committed;

13. Nakkeh--I the Most High will not cancel punishment, but I will clear the guilt for those that genuinely return to Me in teshuvah.

In addition to the Shelosh Esrei Middot, the chanting of a number of Psalms and prayerful poems are recited during the services throughout the month of Elul. The tone of the Selichot service is set in Psalm 130:

1 Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O LORD.
2 Lord, hear my voice: let thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications.
3 If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?
4 But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.
5 I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope.
6 My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more than they that watch for the morning.
7 Let Israel hope in the LORD: for with the LORD there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption.
8 And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.
For believers in the kingdom of the Most High we affirm that forgiveness is obtained by exercising emunah/faith in the offering of Yeshua as the kapparah for our sins, and by the evidencing wholehearted teshuvah in our daily life.

Sin in Hebrew is chet and means failure in our relationship with the Most High. Our goal should be to continually move closer to the Most High but chet causes us to move away from Him. Teshuvah means return and the period of Selichot is therefore set apart as a means of returning to the Most High!  Shema Selah we must turn from our ways to become face to face with the King, He is in the field during this time, the month of Elul!

The ​Hebrew​ Heart​: The Secret of Elul

Song of Solomon 6
​

We are walking in today:  The ​Hebrew​ Heart​:  The Secret of Elul
​
Witness beloved throughout the Bible:   H157 'ahab--to love, human love, for or to God, act of being a friend, God's love toward man 

Song of Solomon 6:3
I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine: he feedeth among the lilies.

The Torah ..................…
 Deuteronomy 33:12 And of Benjamin he said, The beloved of the Lord shall dwell in safety by him; and the Lord shall cover him all the day long, and he shall dwell between his shoulders.

The prophets ...............…
 Isaiah 5:1 Now will I sing to my well -beloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My well
-beloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill:

The writings .............
 Song of Solomon 2:8 The voice of my beloved! behold, he cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills.

Song of Solomon 5:16 His mouth is most sweet: yea, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.

Love. It is the most powerful of human emotions. We all crave it. We cannot live without it. And yet it is so overwhelming, so all-encompassing, that there is no way to measure it, prove it, define it, or even describe it.

When we speak of the intellect, it is represented by the mind. And when we speak of the emotions, specifically of love, they are represented by the heart. But why?

When our back is turned, we have no idea of the state of the other​. ​

The symbol of the heart is probably one of the most well-known symbols. Spanning continents, cultures, religions, languages, that little red heart means love. It is used to sign letters, to represent the word “love” itself, and has inundated the buyers’ market by being plastered on cards, T-shirts, necklaces, balloons and just about everything else.

How is the image of the heart, as we most commonly know it, the symbol for this passionate experience of love?

The month that we are now in, Elul, is the key to unlocking the inner and most potent meaning of the heart. As is well known, the Hebrew letters that make the word “Elul,” aleph, lamed, vav and lamed, are an acronym for the phrase (from the biblical Song of Songs) ani l’dodi v’dodi li, which means “I am to my beloved and my beloved is to me.”

This beautiful and romantic phrase is that which represents our relationship with our Creator, which is often paralleled to that of a husband and wife, a bride and groom, in our individual lives.


​At the beginning of Elul we are achor el achor, meaning “back to back,” and by the end of Elul we are panim el panim, “face to face.” But how can it be that we are back to back? Wouldn’t that imply that the Most High has His back turned to us as well? How can we say such a thing, when this is the month in which—“the King is in the field”? Is it not the month when ​the Most High is more accessible than ever, when He is waiting for us to greet Him, when He is there for us in the “field” of our everyday lives?

The fact that we are described as “back to back” and then “face to face” is an incredible lesson. Often, when we feel angry, hurt, abandoned, whatever the root of our pain may be, we turn our back. When our back is turned, we have no idea of the state of the other. And it is often easier to believe that we are not the only one with a turned back. It is easier to think the other also turned around, that the other isn’t facing us at all, because if that is the case, then even if we turn around it won’t help, so why bother. Why make that first move only to turn around and see the back of the other?

But this rationalization is the cause of many unsettled arguments, hurt feelings, and broken relationships. How classic is the scene, played out endlessly in movies, of the couple who walk away from one another. At some point the man turns around, wanting to call her name, ask for another chance, beg for forgiveness. He is about to speak, but realizes that her back is turned. She is walking away. He tells himself that it is too late, she just doesn’t care. So he turns back around. Seconds later, she turns to look at him. She doesn’t want this to end. She wants to say something, but can’t garner the courage, doesn’t have the strength. And why, why should she, when his back is turned? The month of Elul teaches us the necessity of being willing to turn around. She looks at him longingly, but it just doesn’t matter—she assumes he couldn’t care less as he continues to walk away from her. And we, the viewers, sit on the edge of our seats, hoping that maybe they will both turn around at the same second, that they will finally realize that the other does care, that even though they appear to be back to back, they really want to be face to face. Sometimes that fairytale ending does happen; other times they simply continue to walk in opposite directions, right out of each other’s lives.

It is the month of Elul that teaches us the necessity of being willing to turn around. The King is in the field, our Creator is there, and no matter how we may feel, He has never had His back turned. All we need to do is turn ourselves around to realize that He is there and waiting for us. The “back to back” that we experience in the beginning of the month is based on our misperceptions, our fears, our assumptions. Only when we turn around do we realize the truth, the inner essence, and then we are “face to face,” which does not only mean that we can finally look at each other, but more so, that we can look in each other—for the root of the word for face, panim, is the same as pnimiyut, which means “innerness.”


So now the question is how this lesson is taught to us, not only in the month of Elul, but through the name “Elul” itself. A Hebrew name is not a mere way of referring to something, but actually represents its soul.  ​To uncover the essential meaning of a Hebrew word, we need to analyze the letters that comprise it, their numerical value, their form and their meaning.

As we said above, the word “Elul” is comprised of an aleph, followed by a lamed, followed by a vav, followed by the final letter, another lamed. The first letter in “Elul” is also the first letter in the Hebrew alphabet. The letter aleph is numerically equivalent to one, which represents the idea of
​the Most High's total unity.

So now we must answer how all of this is related to the heart. Here is where our lameds are once again defined. At this point it is important to think again about the symbol of the heart and to question its origin. And so it should come as no surprise that the meaning of this symbol will once again be found in the word for “heart” itself.

In Hebrew, the word for heart is lev, which is spelled lamed-beit. ​T​he word lev, lamed–beit, needs to be understood as two lameds. This is because the letter beit is the second letter in the alphabet, and is numerically equivalent to two. So he explains that the word needs to be read and understood as “two lameds.”

But it is not enough to have two lameds.  I​n order for their to be a relationship, the two lameds need to be connected. They need to be face to face. When we turn around the second lamed to face the first, we form the image of the Hebrew Heart. While the heart, as we are used to seeing it, is quite clear in this form, an entirely new part of the heart is also revealed.

The heart and the love it represents can thrive, can flourish, only when there is a totality in connection.This is because the letter lamed is the tallest of all the letters in the Hebrew alphabet. The reason is because the lamed represents the concept of breaking out of boundaries, of going beyond your potential, of entering the superconscious from the conscious.

The lamed also means two things simultaneously. It means both “to learn” and “to teach,” which shows us that the two are intertwined and both are essential. In a relationship, I must be willing to learn from the other, thereby making myself a receiver. Yet the other person also must be able to learn from me, which then makes me the teacher, the giver.

Furthermore, the image of the lamed can be broken down into three other letters. The top part of the letter is that of a yud, the smallest of the Hebrew letters, and the letter that represents the head. The head contains the mind, the intellect, and also the face.

The next letter in “Elul” is a vav. In Hebrew, the vav serves as a conjuctive “and.” As a word, vav means “hook,” and in its form it looks like a hook. So in this case the vav is the hook which is connecting the yud, the mind, with the bottom letter, the chaf, which represents the body. Physically speaking, it symbolizes the neck, which transports the flow of blood from the brain to the heart.

This teaches us that the heart, that the love that it represents, can thrive, can flourish, only when there is a totality in connection. The ​Hebrew heart, true love, represents a mind-to-mind, face-to-face, eye-to-eye, body-to-body, soul-to-soul connection. The vav, the connection between the head and the heart, must always stay healthy, with a clear flow. If anything cuts it off, the relationship cannot continue. As we all know, one of the quickest ways to kill a person is a slit right across the neck. The neck is our lifeline. It ensures that our head, our intellect, rules above our emotions, and that there is a healthy interchange between the mind and the heart.

The heart that we are all familiar with, the symbol that represents love throughout the world, lacks the yud and the vav; it is missing the mind and the neck. The popular symbol represents only the physical connection between bodies.

So this is why and how Elul is the month that begins back to back and ends face to face. At the beginning of the month we are unaware of the reality that “I am to my beloved and my beloved is to me.” However, by working on ourselves during this month, by being willing to turn around and make changes, we come to realize that our Creator has never had His back turned. He has always been facing us, and just waiting for us to turn around. And once we do, we are then like two lameds that are face to face, which form the ​Hebrew heart and which are the essence of the month of Elul.

Elul then must be understood as an aleph, representing ​the Most High, followed by a lamed, vav, lamed—a lamed that is connected (vav) to the other lamed. And the Hebrew heart, this idea of love as a totality of connection, is not merely the work for the month of Elul, but is the entire purpose of our creation. This ​Hebrew​ heart is a symbol for why we were created and what we are meant to accomplish. For the Torah is the blueprint of creation, and the guidebook of how we connect to the divine. And it is not a book that has a beginning, middle and end, but rather a scroll, since we are taught that the “end is wedged in the beginning, and the beginning in the end.”

So what do we find when the Torah scroll’s end rolls into the beginning? How does the Torah end and begin? The last word of the Torah is Yisrael, Israel, which ends with the letter lamed; and the first word is bereishit, meaning “in the beginning,” which begins with a beit. When we join the first and last letters of the Torah, we have lev, the Hebrew word for heart.

May we be blessed with the ability to tap into the powers of the month of Elul, to recognize and reveal our ability to both learn and teach, and through that, to come face to face with ourselves, with our loved ones and with our Creator, as we are taught through the
​Hebrew heart.

Shema Selah we must look inside ourselves to see what needs to be corrected, cleaned and reordered while in the field with the King!