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. 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 7:18-20)

The Tenth Attribute – Give Truth to Yaakov

The Sages seem to approach this attribute in two ways.

In the first instance it looks to be a plea to the Holy One that He will fulfill His promise to Jacob; that despite all of the errors that Israel as a people have made and are now going into exile, here is an express declaration of the faithfulness of the Father to maintain the faithfulness of the promise made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. To emphasise this, I have listed some of the scripture which sets out the promises made specifically to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. it is not an extensive list, but it gives a flavour of the importance of understanding the foundation of the promises made and the necessity of their fulfillment if truth is to be established.

I will make of you a great nation, I will bless you, and I will make your name great; and you are to be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, but I will curse anyone who curses you; and by you all the families of the earth will be blessed.” Genesis 12:2-3

Adonai appeared to Avram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” So he built an altar there to Adonai, who had appeared to him. Genesis 12:7

Adonai said to Avram, after Lot had moved away from him, “Look all around you from where you are, to the north, the south, the east and the west. All the land you see I will give to you and your descendants forever, and I will make your descendants as numerous as the specks of dust on the earth — so that if a person can count the specks of dust on the earth, then your descendants can be counted. Get up and walk through the length and breadth of the land, because I will give it to you.” Genesis 13:14-17

Some time later the word of Adonai came to Avram in a vision: “Don’t be afraid, Avram. I am your protector; your reward will be very great.” Genesis 15:1

On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates, the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites and the Jebusites.” Genesis 15:18-21

“By myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.” Genesis 22:16-18

And he said, “O LORD, God of my master Abraham, please grant me success today and show steadfast love to my master Abraham. Behold, I am standing by the spring of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. Let the young woman to whom I shall say, ‘Please let down your jar that I may drink,’ and who shall say, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels’—let her be the one whom you have appointed for your servant Isaac. By this I shall know that you have shown steadfast love to my master.” Before he had finished speaking, behold, Rebekah, who was born to Bethuel the son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, came out with her water jar on her shoulder. Genesis 24:12-15

And the LORD said to her, “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you shall be divided; the one shall be stronger than the other, the older shall serve the younger.” Genesis 25:23

And the LORD appeared to him and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; dwell in the land of which I shall tell you. Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you and will bless you, for to you and to your offspring I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath that I swore to Abraham your father. I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and will give to your offspring all these lands. And in your offspring all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.” Genesis 26:2-5

And he came to a certain place and stayed there that night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it! And behold, the LORD stood above it and said, “I am the LORD, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring. Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” Genesis 28:11-15

And God said to him, “Your name is Jacob; no longer shall your name be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name.” So he called his name Israel. And God said to him, “I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply. A nation and a company of nations shall come from you, and kings shall come from your own body. The land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you, and I will give the land to your offspring after you.” Genesis 35:10-12

The verses above are foundational in their expression of the covenant that the Father has made with the offspring of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  This is the appeal that is being made in these final verses of Micah; that the Holy One would not relent or renege on these promises. In His full knowledge of the flawed nature of men, He spoke these words, not in a moment of wishful thinking.

Torah’s instruction -v- Our flawed nature

As we have discussed previously, Torah’s instruction is not diminished by our in ability of fulfill it.  As a standard set out for life, whether we are able to maintain living in accordance with its instructions or not, it remains the expression of the Father’s heart setting forth the true desire of what “utopia” might look like.  Our aversion to its instruction is rooted in the disobedience in the Garden founded in the statement “has God said”. The reaction to that we have in seeking to “interpret correctly” what Father is setting out, has over time created the works of many writers and the Sages to interpret and instruct; it is the basis of the Oral Torah interpretations, which are elaborations on the rulings of the Written Torah.  Keeping in mind these principles, we find that the wide-ranging interpretations should not stand as their own authority.  The difficulty that we encounter is the way that scripture can be taken out of context or used to create a precedent of understanding that is not in keeping with the original intention of the “Author” or the text.  This has manifest itself in many ways, its most potent form being antisemitism and replacement theology.  To investigate these further is beyond the scope of this study, but the phrases “You will show faithfulness to Jacob” and “Give Truth to Yaakov” override the ultimate impact that they espouse to have in the ultimate conclusion of history. However, what they do show is either a willful ignorance of the truth of the scripture by those who have studied it carefully, or a rampant manifestation of hatred and jealousy toward the Creator and the people that He chose as His inheritance.

Give Truth to Yaakov

The second approach that the sages take, which is evidenced in Tomer Devorah is that of the difference between and attitude of legalistic understanding of the Torah, which can be life sapping, rather than the correct instruction of Torah applied with mercy and compassion which can be life giving. 

As we investigate this idea, we discover that one of the hardest sections of scripture to understand in the gospel accounts is explained by correctly applying the 10^th attribute.

“Don’t think that I have come to abolish the Torah or the Prophets. I have come not to abolish but to complete. Yes indeed! I tell you that until heaven and earth pass away, not so much as a yud ( י ) or a stroke will pass from the Torah — not until everything that must happen has happened. So whoever disobeys the least of these mitzvot and teaches others to do so will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But whoever obeys them and so teaches will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness is far greater than that of the Torah-teachers and Pharisees, you will certainly not enter the Kingdom of Heaven! Matthew 5:17-20

We are familiar with the first part of this section of Matthew 5, but it is the final part that we are most interested in this study. When we first came to faith in Yeshua as our saviour, it may well be that our initial experience was one of such joy that our desire was to get to know our redeemer better through the word of the scripture. We were hungry for a relationship with the Living God and to understand our place in all of this.  But as we have grown in our knowledge of Torah, it may well be that we have become more exacting not just in our own behaviour, but in what we see in others. When Yeshua speaks of how our righteousness is to exceed that of the Pharisees, we recognise that their “understanding” of the Law was of such a high standard that it created a spirit of such superiority that it caused a haughtiness within them that they began to look down upon people as those who were failing to keep Torah as well as they did.  The result of this caused an alienation from the true purpose of Torah. We have perhaps begun to do the same thing. To exceed the righteousness of the Pharisees is not to become more pious, but to become more merciful.  Not to become tolerant of sin and wickedness, but to certainly not look down on others who do not believe in the same way we do to recognise as scripture says that we were saved while we were still transgressors of the will of the Father.   

The explanation comes in the phrase to “Give Truth to Yaakov”.  How do we give truth?  If we seek to do it but by purely verbal means without example, then we fail to give truth.   Truth requires us to maintain within ourselves a foundation which is immovable, but it has to be an objective truth that exists beyond our own comfortable paradigm.  The Creator has already shown “truth” to us, but if we decide to apply our own “truth” to our lives and circumstances, then it is not that “truth” has become moveable, only that we have become deluded into believing that our “truth” is the only “truth” that matters.  The question then becomes whether it that “truth” stands the test of time and the scrutiny of the One who is the “Truth”.

In the context of the Matthew 5 passage, the challenge that is being set down is: How do we bring truth into the world, where truth is relative by many individual standards? In the Jewish, this “truth” is even harder to penetrate, because it is an inherited truth, based upon a belief that unless one is born into it, the only other way that a person can become part of it is through a form of conversion experience.  This is the contention that Rabbi Shaul deals with in the book of Galatians, and which over time has become an argument within the Christian world for the abolishment of the Law.

The point that Yeshua seems to be getting to is that even when you have the Living Torah working within you and that you know the “law”, whenever you see the need of others, who are acting within the framework of their own truth, one’s true purpose is to raise them up to the “higher truth” without condescension.

Teachers should have a greater knowledge of the truth then their pupils, but they are not to use that knowledge to undermine and condescend, but to raise up and one day even cause the student to surpass the knowledge, understanding achievements of the Teacher.  The purpose of this is not so that the student can then return to the Teacher and gloat over them by showing how knowledgeable and superior they now are, but to show their appreciation for the time that the Teacher gave to assist them in life.  (This is assuming that there is no agenda being given by the Teacher)

Grace and Truth

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.'”) For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known. John 1:14-18

The Word became a human being and lived with us, and we saw his Sh’khinah, the Sh’khinah of the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth. Yochanan witnessed concerning him when he cried out, “This is the man I was talking about when I said, ‘The one coming after me has come to rank ahead of me, because he existed before me.’ ” We have all received from his fullness, yes, grace upon grace. For the Torah was given through Moshe; grace and truth came through Yeshua the Messiah. No one has ever seen God; but the only and unique Son, who is identical with God and is at the Father’s side — he has made him known. John 1:14-18

I’ve shown the same text above twice, but through two different translations, the 1st is the English Standard version and the 2nd is the Complete Jewish Bible. The contrast is indicative of how words can create an impression that changes emphasis and meaning.

The highest calling of truth is that it accommodates grace, because without grace, truth only condemns.  This is the essence behind “Give Truth to Yaakov”.  It is not an allowance of wickedness but an encouragement to come up higher and move beyond what appears to be the accepted normal.

Abraham’s ministry of hospitality came through a knowledge of the truth in recognition that whatever he might receive in this world regarding worldly goods was no match for the inheritance that he would receive from the Father through obedience to the call that he had heard and obeyed.  It also goes to understanding his response to the King of Sodom regarding the exchange of souls for gold and silver.

Our sole task in this life is to testify to the truth of the Creator and His intention for mankind.

The testimony that we give is not meant to be one whereby we judge others, but it is to be one where we seek to lift up others and in doing so are lifted up.

The greatest truth that so many believe to be hidden is the faithfulness of the Father which extends to us and to all mankind and specifically to the descendants of Abraham.  The promises of the Torah for life are extended to the disciples of King Yeshua, who also abides and embodies the Truth of the those promises as the other half of the covenant made with Abraham and ratified by the Akedah and Golgotha.

Truth giving can only really operate in an atmosphere of Grace.

It is only through the 13 Attributes of Mercy embodied in Messiah that we can see these bring life to the world. The daily adherence to the commandments has to be married with a willingness to accept as we were accepted those who do not yet understand the Torah principles, but in their everyday lives operate as if they did. We are not to look down upon them, we are to learn, to lift up and be lifted up in all our dealings with men looking for the spark of redemption to encourage them toward recognizing the Creator of All and His Messiah, Yeshua.

Brothers, my heart’s deepest desire and my prayer to God for Isra’el is for their salvation; for I can testify to their zeal for God. But it is not based on correct understanding; for, since they are unaware of God’s way of making people righteous and instead seek to set up their own, they have not submitted themselves to God’s way of making people righteous. For the goal at which the Torah aims is the Messiah, who offers righteousness to everyone who trusts. Romans 10:1-4

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. 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 7:18-20)

The Ninth Attribute – He casts our sins into the Sea

The action of casting our sins into to the sea is acted out on Rosh HaShanah in the Tashlich service where the sins of the individual are symbolised by breadcrumbs, or lint or pieces of paper and cast into a moving body of water so that they float away and are eventually consumed or diminished to the point of no longer existing.

The statement that Hashem will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea is not just poetic imagery but has deeper implications that we need to investigate to understand the depth of the work of the death of King Yeshua ben David and the association with Yom Kippur and Azazel. In our last study we looked at the phrase “he will tread our iniquities underfoot” or as phrased within Tomer Devorah “He suppresses sin”.  In our discussion we recognised that to suppress something does not mean that it has been eliminated, only that its impact is limited.  We used the example of the person carrying a virus being placed in isolation to eliminate the contamination of the surrounding healthy environment.  Therefore, the virulent element has been limited or supressed but not eliminated.  This may be done to study the virus, and in some cases, to assist in creating an immune response that can then be used to assist in the immunisation of the rest of the population thereby turning the carrier of the virus into the carrier of the cure which can then be distributed to save life. 

The response to the antigen that has been created can then be enhanced by the recipient by their own ability to maintain a healthy lifestyle that assists in boosting their immune system and examining their diet and behaviours that will either enhance the immune system and bring the person back to full health or continue to maintain their existing lifestyle which brought about the circumstances that introduced the vulnerability that caused their illness.

In many instances, other cures will be sought to annul the effects of the virus or to try and remove it. But it is only careful analysis that identifies the virus correctly and then is able to effect a cure.  Any other treatment will only be temporary, and in itself may become its own form of harm, by dulling the effect of the virus which is then able to continue unchecked, ultimately bringing the potential for death, but, worse than this, lulling the individual into a false sense of wellbeing and negating the need for self-examination and adjustment, thereby dulling the senses to future issues, which, because of not having been dealt with at the root of the problem, have been allowed to continue unchecked.

When the truth is revealed

When the truth is revealed, that is the objective truth that exists outside of the rationality of man’s understanding, demands that it be acknowledged, the consequence of ignoring that truth then becomes an inevitable result, much like the parent who needs to discipline the child who refuses to do what it is asked, pushing the patience of the parent to the point where punishment has to be enacted.

The heart of this is the action of “repentance” which causes us to turn from the actions that have brought us to this point. This has to be voluntary.  However, as we see in the scripture, even when the obvious consequence is before men, then they will still seek to move against the will of the Holy One.  This is the conscious nature of wickedness within men which can only be given the breath of life by us, when we activate the rebellion in our own hearts.

Key examples of this are Pharaoh, Sennecherib and Nebuchadnezzar. Read Exodus, 2 Kings 18&19, Daniel 2&4

The expression of the verse in Micah speaking of how HaShem casts our sin into the sea is not just a symbolic statement. In joining these three kings together as examples of rebellion against the Holy One, we see another principle in play; the limitation of the actor who is deluded because of their own narcissism, which has been reinforced by their ability to take the lives of other men.

This subjective truth has led them to believe that their power and authority is supreme.  We see this being acted out dramatically in film where there is always the belief that good somehow prevails over evil. A correct premise. But as we see it enacted on screen, the protagonists of the drama are not always clear cut in their roles.  We look to everyday life and ask whether this portrayal before us is borne out in reality? There do not appear to be any superheroes who fly in and subdue the villains.  In fact, even the superheroes are now flawed characters.  Therefore, who do we rely on to solve the problems we encounter.  Where does the justice come for the injustices?  Those who are in positions of power are meant to be the ones who realise and understand the privileged position they are in and that in fact they are not there to be served but to serve, not just on the basis of the popular thought, but for the objective truth. If they don’t they become tyrants. But beyond that, if we rely on the “State” to be the only arbiter of justice while we neglect our role as individuals to also act justly, then we can only expect things to go badly. Even within this framework, we are still required to act in accordance with objective truth, not subjective justice, and that objective truth must transcend the precedents set down by an inability to see beyond the obvious before us. It must have “vision” that looks to the ultimate good and posittive outcomes, even if in the short term, pain and difficulty will be the immediate experience. This is the true message of Gethsemane, the Cross and the Resurrection.

So back to our original question: Where are the limits on power?

When he established the heavens, I was there; when he drew a circle on the face of the deep, when he made firm the skies above, when he established the fountains of the deep, when he assigned to the sea its limit, so that the waters might not transgress his command, when he marked out the foundations of the earth, Proverbs 8:27-29

As we have described elsewhere, the nations are associated with the metaphor of the seas.

Remember the days of old; consider the years of many generations; ask your father, and he will show you, your elders, and they will tell you. When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance, when he divided mankind, he fixed the borders of the peoples according to the number of the sons of God. But the LORD’s portion is his people, Jacob his allotted heritage. Deuteronomy 32:7-9

Although not a popular narrative, the “limit” in our world today is Israel and the attitude of the nations toward its people, bith on a national and personal level. This is a great burden for the nation to bear, and without this clear understanding, has caused it to reject its creator at times and turn to the surrounding nations for its help. We have seen this throughout recent history as well past history. And the response of the nations tot he people of Israel, bith natinally and individually will ultimately be either praise or indictment when all comes before the True Judge. We can be the “limit” if we abide in the Truth of Torah and our King Yeshua. It may mean that we lose our lives in this world, but if our premise is correct, then this present world that we exist in is only the isolation tent in which the virus is limited. We can act within it in away that encourages others to become well, or we can in with others and seek to become King of the Tent, which has a limited lifetime of existence.

But the wicked are like the tossing sea; for it cannot be quiet, and its waters toss up mire and dirt. There is no peace,” says my God, “for the wicked.” Isaiah 57:20-21

Be appalled, O heavens, at this; be shocked, be utterly desolate, declares the LORD, for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water. “Is Israel a slave? Is he a homeborn servant? Why then has he become a prey? The lions have roared against him; they have roared loudly. They have made his land a waste; his cities are in ruins, without inhabitant. Moreover, the men of Memphis and Tahpanhes have shaved the crown of your head. Have you not brought this upon yourself by forsaking the LORD your God, when he led you in the way? And now what do you gain by going to Egypt to drink the waters of the Nile? Or what do you gain by going to Assyria to drink the waters of the Euphrates? Your evil will chastise you, and your apostasy will reprove you. Know and see that it is evil and bitter for you to forsake the LORD your God; the fear of me is not in you, declares the Lord GOD of hosts. Jeremiah 2:12-19

These verses present us with a picture that shows the limitation placed upon the nations and that even when they are in the midst of their turmoil

The voice of the LORD is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the LORD, over many waters. Psalms 29:3

Ah, the thunder of many peoples; they thunder like the thundering of the sea! Ah, the roar of nations; they roar like the roaring of mighty waters! The nations roar like the roaring of many waters, but he will rebuke them, and they will flee far away, chased like chaff on the mountains before the wind and whirling dust before the storm. Isaiah 17:12-13

These verses provide us with a picture of the futility of the turmoil of the waters in that in all the energy that they generate, they can never exceed the limits that are placed upon them. If the turmoil that they produce is just mire and dirt that will be cleansed, then in the reality of our present existence, we will find ourselves soiled by the violence of the waves.  But this does not change the fact of the statement regarding the casting of our sins.  In fact, it assists in explaining them. 

The contaminated waters of the seas are the place where the contamination of sin is at its highest concentration, it is the repository of sin, just as it was at the time of the Flood, when all that was wicked and filthy in the world perished in the waters.  

But the wicked are like the tossing sea; for it cannot be quiet, and its waters toss up mire and dirt. There is no peace,” says my God, “for the wicked.” Isaiah 57:20-21

Rashi comments on the following three aspects of Isaiah 57:20

But the wicked who do not give a thought to repent.

like the turbulent sea This sea its waves raise themselves high and strive to go out of the boundary of sand that I made as a boundary for the sea, and when it reaches there, against its will it breaks. The next wave sees all this, yet does not turn back. Similarly, the wicked man sees his friend being punished for his wickedness; yet he does not turn back. Also, just as the sea has its mud and its offensive matter on its mouth, [i.e., on its surface,] so do the wicked have their offensive matter in their mouth; e.g., Pharaoh said, (Exodus 5:2) “Who is the Lord?” Sennacherib said (supra 36:20), “Who are they among all the Gods of the lands…?” Nebuchadnezzar said, (supra 14:14) “I will liken myself to the Most High.” 

like the turbulent sea Like the sea, which is turbulent, that casts up all day mud and dirt.

Just as the sea is the repository for sin, so at Yom Kippur, the goat for Azazel is the repository for the sin of Israel.  We see again the principle that the goat cannot stop the sin, but the blood of the can suppress the punishment of the sin.  The goat is taken into the wilderness, the place the Adversary met with Messiah.  It carries the sins of the nation upon it and is cast over the cliff top. King Yeshua’s refusal to bow the knee to the Adversary in the wilderness meant that Messiah’s future sacrifice as the Lamb who took away the sin of the world would not be invalidated by His own sin.  Instead, He becomes Beersheva, the Well of the Oath, the Fountain of Living Waters, waters that will cover the sea.

They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples—of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious. Isaiah 11:9-10

Therefore, there is no longer any condemnation awaiting those who are in union with the Messiah Yeshua. Why? Because the Torah of the Spirit, which produces this life in union with Messiah Yeshua, has set me free from the “Torah” of sin and death. For what the Torah could not do by itself, because it lacked the power to make the old nature cooperate, God did by sending his own Son as a human being with a nature like our own sinful one [but without sin]. God did this in order to deal with sin, and in so doing he executed the punishment against sin in human nature, so that the just requirement of the Torah might be fulfilled in us who do not run our lives according to what our old nature wants but according to what the Spirit wants. For those who identify with their old nature set their minds on the things of the old nature, but those who identify with the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. Having one’s mind controlled by the old nature is death, but having one’s mind controlled by the Spirit is life and shalom. For the mind controlled by the old nature is hostile to God, because it does not submit itself to God’s Torah — indeed, it cannot. Thus, those who identify with their old nature cannot please God. But you, you do not identify with your old nature but with the Spirit — provided the Spirit of God is living inside you, for anyone who doesn’t have the Spirit of the Messiah doesn’t belong to him. However, if the Messiah is in you, then, on the one hand, the body is dead because of sin; but, on the other hand, the Spirit is giving life because God considers you righteous. And if the Spirit of the One who raised Yeshua from the dead is living in you, then the One who raised the Messiah Yeshua from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit living in you. Romans 8:1-11

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. 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 7:18-20)

The Eighth Attribute – He suppresses Sin

Although it would be fair to say that we have all been subject to an abuse of the process that I am about to set out, the basic principle behind it is sound.

We have all experienced in the last few years the isolation of lockdown.  The thinking behind this originally was based on, if we are charitable with our assessment, that isolating those with the virus, until we were sure of how lethal, was the best way of protecting the general population from infection, hence “two weeks to flatten the curve”.

Whenever there is a lethal outbreak, the policy is always to isolate those who are affected and to seek a cure that then fixes the problem.

Within the Christian doctrine exists the teaching of how, before the death and resurrection of Messiah, there was a gulf that existed between man and HaShem that could not be breached.  This was true to a point in that the previous relationship that existed in the Garden was no longer in operation.  But through the introduction of the Torah and the creation of the Tabernacle, it is clear the extent of this gulf was not so dramatic, that it could be bridged if HaShem wished it to be. In fact, the very fact of the giving of the Torah at Sinai was evidence of the ability to bridge the gap.  

At the heart of the issue is not HaShem’s inability to bridge the gap, but our inability to maintain the bridge.  If it is reliant upon us to resolve the issue, then the issue is unresolvable, because there is no amount of good works, no number of mitzvot which resolve this. 

We remain in an isolation bubble, which we seek to make as comfortable as possible so that we forget what the problem at the core is. However, a solution has been granted.

Death has lost its sting

The first man is from the earth, made of dust; the second man is from heaven. People born of dust are like the man of dust, and people born from heaven are like the man from heaven; and just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, so also we will bear the image of the man from heaven. Let me say this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot share in the Kingdom of God, nor can something that decays share in what does not decay. Look, I will tell you a secret — not all of us will die! But we will all be changed! It will take but a moment, the blink of an eye, at the final shofar. For the shofar will sound, and the dead will be raised to live forever, and we too will be changed. For this material which can decay must be clothed with imperishability, this which is mortal must be clothed with immortality. When what decays puts on imperishability and what is mortal puts on immortality, then this passage in the Tanakh will be fulfilled: “Death is swallowed up in victory. “Death, where is your victory? Death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin; and sin draws its power from the Torah; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Yeshua the Messiah! So, my dear brothers, stand firm and immovable, always doing the Lord’s work as vigorously as you can, knowing that united with the Lord your efforts are not in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:47-58

The current world that we find ourselves born into allows us to operate in a way that can reflect the Kingdom of Heaven (as in heaven so on earth) whilst remaining physically separated from it. 

For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil may not dwell with you. Psalms 5:4

The isolation tent of the earth contains all the death and disease that can be generated in the Universe.

C.S. Lewis, in his novel Out of the Silent Planet, seeks to investigate the concept of what the consequences of man travelling to another planet, Mars in this instance, and taking the “disease” of the knowledge of good and evil with him.   The story climaxes with an encounter with the ruling angels of the Universe informing the main character Ransom of how the Earth is silent amongst the heavenly realms because of the nature of the ruling angel and is therefore isolated from the other realms.

Lewis may well have been influenced by the following statement that Yeshua makes in the gospel of Luke.

The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!” And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” Luke 10:17-20

Yeshua answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not mine. Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” John 12:30-32

The person who keeps on sinning is from the Adversary, because from the very beginning the Adversary has kept on sinning. It was for this very reason that the Son of God appeared, to destroy these doings of the Adversary. No one who has God as his Father keeps on sinning, because the seed planted by God remains in him. That is, he cannot continue sinning, because he has God as his Father. Here is how one can distinguish clearly between God’s children and those of the Adversary: everyone who does not continue doing what is right is not from God.

Likewise, anyone who fails to keep loving his brother is not from God. 1 John 3:8-10

So where do the commandments fit in?

Torah is the scan which shows the abnormality or not of the patient; it is the perfect image for comparison. Just as the scan does not provide the treatment, neither does the Torah.

Torah provides the recipes for healthy living and maintenance, but the only cure for the problem is repentance “teshuvah” and the death of oneself.

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. 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 7:18-20)

The Seventh Attribute – After Teshuvah, He will have mercy on us

As you awoke this morning, did it begin with an overwhelming joy of anticipation and appreciation of life and the gift that the Holy One had returned your soul to you, or was there a jolt of remembrance of something that you had said or done yesterday that immediately placed a blemish on today?

Even as we look at the beginning of each day, we could question what it holds and whether, if or when we get to the end of it, how have we been; what has been the summary of our thoughts, perceptions, actions, and words?

This question is particularly pertinent to the Torah portion that we are in presently, which is Noach.  As the story is progressing through the book of Genesis, we see how all the seeming potential of the Garden has been lost and that now, as mankind begins to fill the earth with his presence, hand in hand with this comes the “sin”. 

What comes through in the time between Adam and the Flood of Noach is that the population of the earth has not set aside a belief in the Holy One but they have lost sight of their place before Him.

And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and called his name Seth, for she said, “God has appointed for me another offspring instead of Abel, for Cain killed him.” To Seth also a son was born, and he called his name Enosh. At that time people began to call upon the name of the LORD. Genesis 4:25-26

The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the LORD regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. So the LORD said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.” Genesis 6:5-7

But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD. Genesis 6:8

The commentators explain that Noach found pity in the eyes of the Holy One.  Perhaps with all the wickedness taking place around him, his willingness to remain faithful toward the values of the that were reflected in his generations, just as the parallel generations of creation itself remained faithful also found favour on the seventh day of creation.

These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens. Genesis 2:4

These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God. Genesis 6:9

We see the emphasis being placed upon genealogy both here and in the gospels regarding King Yeshua.  How does this inform us regarding our consideration of the seventh attribute?

Teshuvah means more than repentance

The first mention of “shuv” is in Genesis 3

By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” Genesis 3:19

With this verse in mind, one could consider that “death” is a form of repentance, or circumcision from the flesh.  Removal of the flesh also means a “fixing” of the established consequences after that moment.  If there is no further opportunity for redemption, then we are make the most of this existence.  This would bring understanding to the importance of the understanding that Yeshua as Messiah takes us beyond just the “salvation” from sin but restores the foundation of the Kingdom “as in heaven so on earth”. At the heart of this concept is a “separation” from the previous state.  In Noach’s case, he is being “repented” from the earth in its present state, passing through the waters, to emerge renewed into the new world. 

For the Messiah himself died for sins, once and for all, a righteous person on behalf of unrighteous people, so that he might bring you to God. He was put to death in the flesh but brought to life by the Spirit; and in this form he went and made a proclamation to the imprisoned spirits, to those who were disobedient long ago, in the days of Noach, when God waited patiently during the building of the ark, in which a few people — to be specific, eight — were delivered by means of water. This also prefigures what delivers us now, the water of immersion, which is not the removal of dirt from the body, but one’s pledge to keep a good conscience toward God, through the resurrection of Yeshua the Messiah. 1 Peter 3:18-21

The portion of Lech Lecha, “Go for yourself” which follows this week introduces the covenant of physical circumcision upon the body of Abraham and his descendants, representing their withdrawal from the idolatry of the world, separation from the peoples and their passing through the waters to a new life beyond Egypt, so that they will become a beacon of hope for the nations around them.

The heart of “teshuvah” is to be removed from the previous “world” that we have dwelt in, so that we can begin living in the “new world” that we have now been given to inhabit.  This is the example that we see throughout the scripture including the Apostolic writings.

As we take on this principle, we then recognise the “mercy” that we can experience by returning to “world” that we were created to dwell in.  To purely focus on the material existence around us denies the higher call upon our lives which requires us to look to the Holy One as the “source” of all that exists and how we are able to bring into this existence the qualities of “the heavenly realm” “olam habah” through the doorway into this world “olam hazeh”.

Perhaps we treat the entrance as a door only swinging one-way. However, the words of Messiah indicate otherwise.

So Yeshua again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. John 10:7-9

This perhaps explains the narrowness of the window at the top of the Ark which rescues Noach and his family.  It is the same dimension as the Altar of Incense which represents the prayers of the people which ascend to “heaven”.

The narrow opening allows the light in but does not allow a view of all the destruction around whilst the cleansing takes place.  The focus is on the world to come, which is revealed when the door opens.  From this point the world can be remade.

King Yeshua speaks in similar terms:

Honour your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” The young man said to him, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?” Yeshua said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. And Yeshua said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” But Yeshua looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:19-26

At the heart of this account, there is a question.  Are we being told to sell everything to follow Messiah?  Maybe?

What I believe we are being asked to do is to not allow any material thing in this world to become more important than the Kingdom of Heaven as it only cause us to look down at the abyss and potentially pull us over the edge.

This world was created for us to enjoy by the Creator, the Architect who was there at the very beginning and created not only the physical attributes of this beautiful world but also the access for us to return if we messed it up has desired us to be delighted in Him and with each other. 

Our task is to understand and recognise that we are seeking to look beyond what is immediately before us in the knowledge that through His mercy He will allow teshuvah in whatever form that takes in acknowledgement of the provision He has made through King Yeshua.

Alternatively, amon means “artisan.” The Torah is saying, “I was the artisan’s tool of Hashem.” In the way of the world, a king of flesh and blood who builds a castle does not do so from his own knowledge, but rather from the knowledge of an architect, and the architect does not build it from his own knowledge, but rather he has scrolls and books in order to know how to make rooms and doorways. So too Hashem gazed into the Torah and created the world. Similarly, the Torah says, “Through the reishis Hashem created [the heavens and the earth],” and reishis means Torah, as in “Hashem made me [the Torah] the beginning (reishis) of His way” (Mishlei 8:22). Midrash Rabbah Bereshit

And, “You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands; they will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment, like a robe you will roll them up, like a garment they will be changed. But you are the same, and your years will have no end.” And to which of the angels has he ever said, “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet”? Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation? Hebrews 1:10-14

But Yeshua deserves more honour than Moshe, just as the builder of the house deserves more honour than the house. For every house is built by someone, but the one who built everything is God. Also, Moshe was faithful in all God’s house, as a servant giving witness to things God would divulge later. But the Messiah, as Son, was faithful over God’s house. And we are that house of his, provided we hold firmly to the courage and confidence inspired by what we hope for. Hebrews 3:3-6

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. 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 7:18-20)

The Third and Fourth Attribute – He Removes Iniquity for the Remnant of His Inheritance

The Third Attribute is closely related to the last, but as we will discover, “He bears sin” is markedly different to “He removes iniquity”.

As we can see, the ESV translates this as “passing over transgression for the remnant of His inheritance”. What is interesting is that the ESV concludes this sentence with a question mark, referring to the “who is a God like you” question.  One wonders whether the use of this punctuation reflects the “misunderstanding” that can be inferred in the English.  The Hebrew does not contain these punctuation marks.  However, the translators of the Jewish Publication Society have considered the same passage with a different emphasis.

Who is a God like You,
Forgiving iniquity
And remitting transgression;
Who has not maintained His wrath forever
Against the remnant of His own people,
Because He loves graciousness!

This is a much better translation. There is literally “no question” regarding the character of HaShem, rather an exclamation/exhortation of His nature. By way of review to our previous study, in our language lexicon looking at this passage, we recognise that “sin” or “iniquity is “avon”; translated as depravity and wickedness.  This explains perhaps why we see what we do in the world today.  “Avon” must start in the realm of pre-meditation because of its nature. It is difficult to be depraved or wicked unconsciously, but as one becomes inured to wicked and depraved actions, they become “normal”.  This is part of the condition that where actions run unchecked and without boundaries the influence of “avon” seems unstoppable which is one of the reasons we see this increasing in the world around us today. In some circles, whether there is a belief in their untouchability by earthly authorities, or an ignorance that is only informing an animal soul, there is a mindset that any hedonistic desire is acceptable, with wider society accepting also that the diet of depravity it is being fed is normal.  But, in a heavenly context, although HaShem “bears with the sin (avon)”, it does not mean that it will go unpunished.  At the heart of this principle is the concept of the refiner’s fire burning away the dross to ultimately reveal the pure soul at the centre and that in this world it is its own reward; but in the world to come, it has no merit.

Based on this principle, it can look like Hashem has taken His hands off the steering wheel, but this is where our trusting in His faithfulness becomes paramount and our willingness to emulate Him and to see that even with all the “avon” at the heart of the person who has committed the “avon”, there is a pure soul that can still be fanned in to flame. Perception and faith must walk hand in hand to see beyond what appears to be directly in front of them.

By example, we may use the principle of setting out on a journey using a map.  The route is assessed, the distance calculated and the places to stop and rest noted. As much perfection in the journey as possible has been calculated and even visualised in the mind’s eye of the traveller, with even the anticipation of the arrival and the comforts that will come with it.  However, the reality does not necessarily bear out the ideal. Things may break down. Diversions and delays may occur.  Even, God forbid, encounters with villains and thieves. But if the individual perseveres, they will arrive, and maybe along the way through these hardships, they have been able to assist, inspire or rescue someone who has experienced the same or worse than they have.  The soul of that person in their journey has grown more through the difficulties than if they had experienced a journey of ease.

“Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles. He will not quarrel or cry aloud, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets; a bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not quench, until he brings justice to victory; and in his name the Gentiles will hope.” Matthew 12:18-21

With this principle in place, the question now is whether we can allow the Spirit of GOD to work through us or whether our own concerns, prejudices and preconceptions cause us to operate in a way that is in conflict with the heart of the Father and how we look at others and ourselves. 

Remember, this is not excusing “avon”, only allowing it to follow its course to its conclusion.

He removes “pesha”

H6588 פּשׁע – pesha‛

BDB Definition: 1) transgression, rebellion, 1a1) transgression (against individuals), 1a2) transgression (nation against nation), 1a3) transgression (against God) 1a3a) in general, 1a3b) as recognised by sinner, 1a3c) as God deals with it, 1a3d) as God forgives, 1a4) guilt of transgression. 1a5) punishment for transgression 1a6) offering for transgression, Part of Speech: noun masculine Related Word by BDB/Strong’s Number: from H6586

The Third and Fourth attribute

The direct translation of “He removes iniquity” is “passing over transgression”.   “Pesha” has a cognate relationship with the word “Pesach” – associated with “skipping over”.  The heart of the concept is the idea of “misusing the relationship” that one has with someone, but that the one who has been “used” is able to “skip over” the transgression and not only deal with the results by bringing direct repair to the damage caused, but to bring about an even better conclusion than if the one who has caused the transgression could achieve if they were to seek the provision of reparation on behalf of the transgressed. 

It is the highest calling, because the “transgressed” one is also the only one who can truly bring the repair.  The best scriptural example of this is in Genesis in the context of the repair that is brought through the restoration of the relationship of Joseph and his brothers.

The scene is after the death of their father Jacob.  The brothers now fear for their lives because they believe that the only restraint that has been present to stop Joseph from punishing them, Jacob, has now been removed.  Joseph has every reason and every capability to now bring retribution fully and swiftly.  They are scared. 

Here’s the dialogue:

Brothers:             Whoa! Dad’s dead – now what are we going to do?   Joseph is bound to want to pay us back for what we did to him.

Brothers:             Maybe we could send him a note saying something like:  Dear Joseph, As I am now no longer with you, I am writing this note to you before I die to ask you to promise to not take revenge on your brothers.  I know they deserve it, but God did not bless our family just so that because of a mistake, we would be wiped out.  I ask you, for my sake, please forgive them. I know you will do the right thing. Your loving Dad, Jacob

Brothers:             Excellent! Ok, who’s going to take it? 

Brothers:             Don’t worry guys, we’ll get the messenger to take it. We can stay here safely in the meantime.

Brothers:             No, that looks really cowardly. Let’s do both, send the message and then we should all go and give ourselves to him after the letter.  Perhaps he’ll have greater pity on us if we all go together. After all, we are family.

So the brother’s went to Joseph, who was already in tears, because he had been thinking about what he could do and what he should do.  Hashem had already been working on Joseph’s heart. He was so pleased to see his father when he arrived from Canaan, 13 years previously, and to have had these final years with him was more blessing than he could have imagined. 

What would revenge bring? Only sadness! OK! so he was viceroy, but he was still a stranger in a stranger land. He’d seen how quickly things could turn with Potiphar’s wife, even though he had done nothing wrong.  But look at how HaShem had brought good out of that situation. So much so, that through HaShem he had not only been reunited with his family, but he had also managed to save them through the famine and countless millions of others too. Forgiveness was worth much more than revenge. 

“I have more family than I could ever have wished for” thought Joseph. “How blessed am I? How wonderful is HaShem! He saw way beyond mu own tribulations.  He is so faithful, there is no way I could seek revenge”.

Joseph’s brothers entered the room. They could see that Joseph had been crying. Now was their moment for pity.

Brothers:             We know that we did wrong to you and so did our father. He wrote this note and instructed us to give it to you.  Please forgive, we are prepared to be your slaves if you will forgive us and spare our lives.

Joseph:                Brother’s, my dear brother’s – do not be afraid. Who am I to act as a judge like HaShem over you? I am not His substitute.  Our Heavenly Abba has shown me how He brought all this about. Even though you wanted to harm me, He only saw good and was able to bring about not just our family’s survival but the survival of many people. You have nothing to fear. We are brothers. We are family; all of us including your families. Now that you are here, HaShem has given to us all that we need to be sustained with my position here in Egypt. All is well!

You get the gist.

When we emulate the Creator, despite the bad things that may have happened to us, we can echo the words of Joseph.  We can echo the words of the Master “Father forgive them” – we can look to bring repair in a way that the party who did the wounding could never bring repair.  We have the skills and abilities to make things better and beyond how they were previously because of the wounding that we have suffered.

The motivation of the transgressor to seek to repair the damage may always be tainted or motivated by fear and concern of retribution, no matter how sincere the transgressed may be in their forgiveness and reconciliation.

The recipient has to believe/trust/act that the forgiveness and reconciliation is real and that any shame they feel from their actions which caused the incident originally will only be as a reminder to them to not repeat the offense.  It is no longer hanging over them in condemnation.  Their freedom becomes a battle of the mind as well as a battle of the flesh. 

If we as the injured party are able to repair the damage they have done without rubbing their faces in the dirt, whether their souls are improved or not, our souls will increase because we have emulated the Creator who passes over transgression, to His Glory.

What, then, are we to say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare even his own Son, but gave him up on behalf of us all — is it possible that, having given us his Son, he would not give us everything else too? So who will bring a charge against God’s chosen people? Certainly not God — he is the one who causes them to be considered righteous! Who punishes them? Certainly not the Messiah Yeshua, who died and — more than that — has been raised, is at the right hand of God and is actually pleading on our behalf! Who will separate us from the love of the Messiah? Trouble? Hardship? Persecution? Hunger? Poverty? Danger? War? As the Tanakh puts it, “For your sake we are being put to death all day long, we are considered sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are superconquerors, through the one who has loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor other heavenly rulers, neither what exists nor what is coming, neither powers above nor powers below, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God which comes to us through the Messiah Yeshua, our Lord. Romans 8:31-39

Exercise

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:2

Q1          How does Paul’s statement help us think about the transgressions that have been committed against us in light of the statement “He removes iniquity”?

Q2          What repair have you or are you able to undertake that “passes over a transgression”?

Q3          Do you believe that there are transgressions in your own life that are unforgivable or that you still feel shame about?   Can you trust in the Father’s love enough for you to know that He has passed over your transgression?

Q4          How does you answer to Q3 impact how you are with others?

Q5          If you feel diminished, what do these words of the Master tell you?  “a bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not quench”

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. 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 7:18-20)

The Second Attribute – He Bears Sin

As we can see from the passage above, the ESV translates this as “pardoning iniquity”, and this is most likely influenced by the Christian understanding and influence of the crucifixion. Although this is not entirely misplaced, the emphasis on “pardoning” is in some ways unhelpful because (in my opinion) it diminishes the extent of the mercy of the Holy One, seemingly allowing inappropriate actions to take place without consequence. The root word here is “nasah” – to lift up – suffer or bear. The definition is set out below:

H5375 – נָסָה    נָשָׂא – nâśâ’    nâsâh – naw-saw’, naw-saw’

A primitive root; to lift, in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively, absolutely and relatively: – accept, advance, arise, (able to, [armour], suffer to) bear (-er, up), bring (forth), burn, carry (away), cast, contain, desire, ease, exact, exalt (self), extol, fetch, forgive, furnish, further, give, go on, help, high, hold up, honourable (+ man), lade, lay, lift (self) up, lofty, marry, magnify, X needs, obtain, pardon, raise (up), receive, regard, respect, set (up), spare, stir up, + swear, take (away, up), X utterly, wear, yield. Total KJV occurrences: 653

If the ESV had translated this as “bearing iniquity” then the implications of our actions have much greater consequences as they imply even greater compassion and mercy on the part of Messiah and The Holy One, and for us to realise that we are still answerable for our “avon” “iniquity”; that He is “bearing it” in the hope that we turn away from these bad actions.

If the teaching of Christianity is that our sins are forgiven and that there is no consequence; this being the worst kind of interpretation/misunderstanding of the crucifixion, then consequently, a belief is encouraged that we can get away with anything by saying a few penitent prayers. That is not what the scripture teaches.

The fact is that iniquity always costs someone something, and that someone will always bear that cost, whether it be a diminishment of resources, lifespan or some other psychological impact that then effects their performance in the physical.

If we are to desire to emulate Our Father the principle at work is how we take responsibility for others but not so that they can escape their obligations to themselves and society in general.

There is room for misunderstanding in this:

1. The person we seek to assist might be verging on narcissism and sociopathy if we are always “picking up for them” encouraging them to only think about themselves to the complete exclusion of those around them. 
2. When someone has reached that level of self-aggrandisement or self-delusion, there may only be one solution.  “Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you. Matthew 7:6
3. Alternatively, the perception of the individual(s) might be influenced by social engineering (groupthink) or just some other external influence (drugs, alcohol, medications, personal trauma). It is how they continue to operate that call into question the efficacy of any regret or repentance.

Whatever the cause, at the heart of the question is whether there is still capacity for that person to make teshuvah/repentance and to turn away from their present condition despite what they may have done while in the state of sin that may have caused them to commit the acts that they have.

The passage below from Genesis 4:6-13 is key to us understanding the phrase “He bears sin”.  The scene painted is one of the most profound as it really is the acting out of the consequence of the “two” trees in the Garden of Eden.

Abel, the younger brother of Kain brings a sacrifice before GOD. The issue is not whether the sacrifice was one of “blood” – the lamb, or of “grain” – the fruit of the ground. Within the sacrificial system, both are acceptable in their own right. The issue is the “tree” mindset.

Abel’s offering is one that is akin to the Tree of Life, an appreciation of the goodness of the Creator; acknowledgment that all things come from the hand of the Creator.  We are not told in the text why Abel’s sacrifice was acceptable and Kain’s was not.  The difference is hidden from us, but at the heart of Kain’s problem is jealousy of acceptance which leads to the outcome of anger and manslaughter. I use this term specifically as murder in Torah terms carries the death penalty. But that punishment is not meted out against Kain, therefore it must be manslaughter.  The word “killed” is used, but not “manslaughter”.

Of the many explanations of the two trees, the following is one of the aspects. 

A religious spirit: the ability to know the difference between the knowledge of good and evil does not actually serve us well in the kingdom relationship, because that knowledge was never something that would help to grow us, in fact it would only bring death. 

This in part is what makes the idea of the Torah being called a Tree of Life so interesting. 

She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her; those who hold her fast are called blessed.

Proverbs 3:18

To know Good and Evil, brings us into a knowing that causes us to judge without truly seeing.  Torah is designed to help us see beyond Good and Evil because it is wisdom.  Knowledge of Good and Evil can bring a cold judgmental logic to a matter, but wisdom brings life to the decision. 

“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment, you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye. Matthew 7:1-5

We establish the outcome of sin upon a false temporal platform without knowing the heart of the Father.  Clearly the Torah sets out consequences for judgment in this world; end of life consequences, that are a result of not attributing a full responsibility before Our Heavenly King. 

Therefore, you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?  Romans 2:1-4

Kain’s example to us is that as we are each faced the choice to turn away from “sin”, we turn away from the possibility of murder, whether that be death to ourselves (just one last doughnut!) or a piece of our soul dies off because we have strengthened another bit of our fleshly selves reinforcing the false aspect of our nature,  or to others in both a physical and metaphorical sense.  The retribution that the world seems to carry out (or not) is murderous to our souls as well as our bodies.

But the religious spirit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil does not give space for the Spirit of Life.  As you read this, think about it, it takes time for us to fully grip this concept.

So let us return to Kain. The clue is the moment that GOD spoke to Kain. Although shepherding is not easy, it is much easier to grow sheep than to be a tiller the ground, which was Kain’s role.

Again, the issue is not the difficulty or the misunderstanding that the ground was cursed.  The issue is the spirit of the offering.  Kain’s offering was more Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, then Tree of Life.

Lift up your head

Adonai said to Kayin, “Why are you angry? Why so downcast? If you are doing what is good, shouldn’t you hold your head high? And if you don’t do what is good, sin is crouching at the door — it wants you, but you can rule over it.” Genesis 4:6-7

Sin always seeks to devour us, but the Holy One always desire for His children to rise above the issue – literally to “lift their head or lift their eyes”.  Kain is no different. Unfortunately, he doesn’t and the consequences are such that his punishment causes him to cry to the Father.

Kayin said to Adonai, “My punishment is greater than I can bear. Genesis 4:13

This is where we see a wonderful link with the Micah passage and our phrase “He Bears Sin”.

In the passage in Genesis, Kain says “My iniquity is greater than I can bear”

In the Micah passage, the phrase is reversed where it says “He bears our iniquity”

Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. Isaiah 53:4-6

He Bears Iniquity

At the core of this is a principle of what we cause the Father to bear because of our refusal to repent. Or, what we have to bear because of our fellow travellers who the Father bears first, and therefore, we have to bear with just as He does in order to bring about the essence of His Kingdom on Earth.

This is a further example of the call in the Sermon on the Mount.

You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. Matthew 5:48

G5055 – τελέω – teleō – tel-eh’-o

From G5056; to end, that is, complete, execute, conclude, discharge (a debt): – accomplish, make an end, expire, fill up, finish, go over, pay, perform. Total KJV occurrences: 26

When Yeshua had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. John 19:30

G5046 – τέλειος – teleios/tel’-i-os

From G5056; complete (in various applications of labor, growth, mental and moral character, etc.); neuter (as noun, with G3588) completeness: – of full age, man, perfect.

Total KJV occurrences: 19

Exercise

Q1.         In the context of present-day circumstances, how are we to exercise the principles behind “He bears inquity”?

Q2.         What are our daily situations where we are being called upon to “bear with others” and how do we react?

Q3.         What difference does it make to you knowing that your “iniquity” is being carried by the Father and His Messiah?

Q4.         What are you doing to perfect your self and to reduce the burden upon the Father and others around you?

Q5.         Consider the following statement by Paul.  How are you seeking to complete this exhortation on a daily basis?  Write down two areas practical areas in your life where you could change with the Father’s help.

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:1-2

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. 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 7:18-20)

The passage in Micah is the subject of an extensive study by Rabbi Moshe Cordovero (The Ramak 1522-1570, born in Safed). Rav Cordovero was regarded as a Torah genius, and one of his seminal works is Tomer Devorah which studies the 13 attributes in association with the 10 sefirot. It is studied during the period of Elul and leading up to the end of Sukkot.  Within Judaism it is regarded as a key text that expresses the aspects of the 10 sefirot, the kabbalistic tree of life which is a pattern for man’s communication and understanding of himself and his relationship with the Creator of the Universe and his fellow men.

The studies that follow are based on various sources:

• Tomer Devorah (The Palm Tree of Devorah) – Rabbi Mosh Cordovero
• The Elucidated Tomer Devorah – Rabbi Shmuel Meir Riachi
• The Kabbalah of Forgiveness – Henry Abramson

However, keeping this in mind, some of the questions that have always bothered me are:

• Can we see the 10 sefirot within the context of our understanding of Messiah and the Apostolic writings?
• If they do apply, how do we gain greater insight into the mission of Messiah and our own lives?

So, in addition to the texts above, we’ll also be looking closely at the Sermon on the Mount and other writings from the Apostolic scriptures.

13 Attributes

Tomer Devorah (TD) is rooted in the 13 attributes of mercy that we see expressed by The Holy One, when Moshe is pleading on behalf of the children of Israel after the giving of the Torah and the abomination of the Golden Calf:

So Moses cut two tablets of stone like the first. And he rose early in the morning and went up on Mount Sinai, as the LORD had commanded him, and took in his hand two tablets of stone. The LORD descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.” And Moses quickly bowed his head toward the earth and worshiped. And he said, “If now I have found favor in your sight, O Lord, please let the Lord go in the midst of us, for it is a stiff-necked people, and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for your inheritance.” (Exodus 34:1-9)

The passage in Micah 7 is directly related to these verses in Exodus.

Each of the aspects of the Micah passage examine the expressions of the attributes of the Holy One so that we are able to examine ourselves in the light of these expressions and consider how we perceive and operate in the world around us towards Our Father in Heaven and our fellow men.  Unlike Rabbi Cordovero, as we have the additional “resource” in the revealed attributes as embodied by Messiah ben Joseph and can learn through his interpretation, we’ll look at the Sermon on the Mount which declares each of the 13 attributes.

1^st Attribute – Who is a GOD like you?

From the outset, we need to reestablish an understanding of the absolute sovereignty of Our Heavenly Father

In the daily prayers, this is expressed through the text of Adon Olam:

Adon O-lam, Asher ma-lach

Be-te-rem Kol Ye-tzir- Niv-rah

Le-et Na-ahso, Ve-chef-tzo Kol

A-zay Me-lech She-mo Nik-rah

Lord of the World, who reigned as King

Before creating everything

And at the moment all was made

Then was His Name as “King” proclaimed.

And after all comes to an end

The Awesome One will be Sovereign

He was and He remains to be

He will remain with majesty.

He is but One and none exist

To equal Him or to assist

Without beginning, without end

Authority belongs to Him.

My Redeemer lives, He is My God

He is My Rock when times are hard

A banner and a safe haven

My portion when I call to Him.

I give my spirit to His hand

When I lie down and I will stand

And with my flesh, my soul will be

I do not fear, the LORD’s with me.

In His Temple, I will sing

He sends us our MESSIAH KING

And in His house rejoice again

Before the Awesome One

Amen

The thoughts expressed by this liturgy move us beyond the framework of there being any equal to our Creator. This includes the Adversary, to whom we attribute far too much power.  The example of Pharoah is the epitome our understanding of the “battle” with human agencies that believe that they are the most powerful force in the known world. There may be some pain that we experience (think of all the Israelites including the fathers of the 12 tribes who did not experience the fulfillment of the words of the Holy One to Abraham – Hebrews 11) which may even result in our death because of the bad actors in this world, but Sin is only as powerful as we allow it to be in terms of dominance in our lives, this is our sovereignty in action in concert with the power of Our Heavenly Father. But the strength to sin does not come from us, but from our Creator.   It is our responsibility to use that strength for the good of the Olam Hazeh, the world that we reside in, but even if we use it for “ill”, this does not deflect the purposes of the Creator of the Universe, it only deprives us of the goodness that comes from Him and removes us from the Garden in which we were meant to reside.

This is best expressed in the passages of the Exodus, where we see how The Holy One “strengthens” the heart of Pharaoh or consider the story of Balaam.

(Read Exodus 10 and passages preceding and following and Numbers 22-25).

For many, these are difficult passages as they seem to contradict the idea of free choice; in many ways a difficult concept altogether, if we are considering the idea that all our life force comes from the Creator and that with all things being in His control, leads us to conclude that the energy for sin, is also a product of His mercy.  We can only really understand this if we examine each situation that we encounter sin, either in our personal day to day dealing with the environment around us or within ourselves and our own personal battles.

Teach me your way, O LORD, and lead me on a level path because of my enemies. Give me not up to the will of my adversaries; for false witnesses have risen against me, and they breathe out violence. I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living! Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD! (Psalms 27:11-14)

Then did something good become for me the source of death? Heaven forbid! Rather, it was sin working death in me through something good, so that sin might be clearly exposed as sin, so that sin through the commandment might come to be experienced as sinful beyond measure. For we know that the Torah is of the Spirit; but as for me, I am bound to the old nature, sold to sin as a slave. I don’t understand my own behavior — I don’t do what I want to do; instead, I do the very thing I hate! Now if I am doing what I don’t want to do, I am agreeing that the Torah is good. But now it is no longer “the real me” doing it, but the sin housed inside me. For I know that there is nothing good housed inside me — that is, inside my old nature. I can want what is good, but I can’t do it! For I don’t do the good I want; instead, the evil that I don’t want is what I do! But if I am doing what “the real me” doesn’t want, it is no longer “the real me” doing it but the sin housed inside me. So I find it to be the rule, a kind of perverse “torah,” that although I want to do what is good, evil is right there with me! For in my inner self I completely agree with God’s Torah; but in my various parts, I see a different “torah,” one that battles with the Torah in my mind and makes me a prisoner of sin’s “torah,” which is operating in my various parts. What a miserable creature I am! Who will rescue me from this body bound for death? Thanks be to God [, he will]! — through Yeshua the Messiah, our Lord! To sum up: with my mind, I am a slave of God’s Torah; but with my old nature, I am a slave of sin’s “Torah.” Romans 7:13-25

The similarity between these passages is that the initial energy for the direction that we move in comes from our physicality, whether that be the will to move, the thought within us combined with the will to move. We have become the steward of the breath of the Creator and given the responsibility to guard that breath within us (the neshama).  This essence can be used for good (tov) of for evil (ra), but from the Creator’s point of view “all things work to the good (tov)”

Likewise, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. (Romans 8:26-30)

Even within this passage, Paul is expressing the principle of the sovereignty of the Holy One, but also recognising that if we are aligned to the Spirit of the Holy One we will be at odds to our surroundings where they are unwilling to be aligned to His Will including our own animal desires outside of the instruction of Torah written on our hearts.

At the centre of our thoughts regarding the sovereignty of Our Creator, we can also recognise that in the words of the Master, who GOD calls “His Son” – That is the one who fully reflects Him; in the opening stanza of the Sermon on the Mount, echoing the words of his earthly father from previous generations, David Ha Melech, in Psalm 1.

Matthew 5:3-12

3  “How blessed are the poor in spirit! for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

4  “How blessed are those who mourn! for they will be comforted.

5  “How blessed are the meek! for they will inherit the Land!

6  “How blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness! for they will be filled.

7  “How blessed are those who show mercy! for they will be shown mercy.

8  “How blessed are the pure in heart! for they will see God.

9  “How blessed are those who make peace! for they will be called sons of God.

10  “How blessed are those who are persecuted because they pursue righteousness! for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

11  “How blessed you are when people insult you and persecute you and tell all kinds of vicious lies about you because you follow me!

12  Rejoice, be glad, because your reward in heaven is great — they persecuted the prophets before you in the same way.

How blessed are those who reject the advice of the wicked, don’t stand on the way of sinners or sit where scoffers sit! Their delight is in Adonai’s Torah; on his Torah they meditate day and night. They are like trees planted by streams – they bear their fruit in season, their leaves never wither, everything they do succeeds. Not so the wicked, who are like chaff driven by the wind. For this reason, the wicked won’t stand up to the judgment, nor will sinners at the gathering of the righteous. For Adonai watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked is doomed. Psalms 1:1-6

Exercise

Q1. When have you felt that the circumstances that you are experiencing day to day do not testify to the sovereignty of the Creator?

Q2. If you consider the situation differently, acknowledging the sovereignty of the Creator in the phrase “Who is a GOD like you?”, how does this change your perception of the situation?

Q3. How does it change you?

Q4. How can you change the situation by changing your perception of the sovereignty of the Creator.

Q.5 Consider this last question in the context of the words of the Master in the Sermon on the Mount.

“You have heard that our fathers were told, ‘Eye for eye and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you not to stand up against someone who does you wrong. On the contrary, if someone hits you on the right cheek, let him hit you on the left cheek too! If someone wants to sue you for your shirt, let him have your coat as well! And if a soldier forces you to carry his pack for one mile, carry it for two! When someone asks you for something, give it to him; when someone wants to borrow something from you, lend it to him. “You have heard that our fathers were told, ‘Love your neighbor — and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! Then you will become children of your Father in heaven. For he makes his sun shine on good and bad people alike, and he sends rain to the righteous and the unrighteous alike. What reward do you get if you love only those who love you? Why, even tax-collectors do that! And if you are friendly only to your friends, are you doing anything out of the ordinary? Even the Goyim do that! Therefore, be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.

(Matthew 5:38-48)

I was in conversation with a friend recently about the merit in following the Moedim and seeking to obey the commandments of the scriptures. As was expected, the conversation went something along the lines of: “Surely, GOD does not expect us to do all 613 commandments.  I don’t want to come under that sort of bondage!”  My response was probably not as gracious as it could be, but it went something along these lines.

We are not expected to do all the commandments, we can’t. I’m not a woman, therefore not all the commandments apply to me. I’m not a judge, priest or king etc.  Just in the same way that in the highway code, I’m not a truck driver, or a motorcyclist or pedestrian all the time.  Laws or instructions don’t apply to me if I am not in those roles, but the fact that they exist and do apply to others means that the world is potentially a safer place and that order exists so that we can all co-exist. I am not a pilot, but aviation law exists not only to keep those in the air safe, but also those of us on the ground.

But actually none of this is the point.

The point is that if the law exists, and I have to be careful here, because today, laws are being made that are claimed as being beneficial to us all, but are in fact a form of totalitarian dictatorship; if the law exists, then it is there to teach us and guide us into something good or away from something that will do us harm, and it is our ability to discern and choose which is the gift that we have been given as human beings; a gift that does not belong to any other species on this planet. 

As it says in the book of Psalms: The Torah of Adonai is perfect, restoring the inner person. The instruction of Adonai is sure, making wise the thoughtless. (Psalms 19:7)

Or in the Apostolic writings: But if a person looks closely into the perfect Torah, which gives freedom, and continues, becoming not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work it requires, then he will be blessed in what he does. (James 1:25)

If the law exists in the context of those laws created by GOD that are found in the scriptures; Do we believe that our loving Heavenly Father created a bunch of instructions just to set us up for a fall?  The unequivocal answer to that is NO!

So how do we approach this?

There is a wonderful parable that I came across during my reading on Yom Kippur from Rabbi Simcha Zisel Ziev of Kelm which sums up what our response should be, found in the Artscroll commentary on the book of Jonah which is read on Yom Kippur. 

” Once there was a king who promised great rewards to anyone who could scale an enormous ladder of a hundred widely spaced rungs. People heard of the reward and rushed to come and claim it, but when they saw the ladder, they left without even attempting the climb.  Clearly the task was impossible of achievement; the king must have been mocking his loyal subjects.  One by one the candidates drifted away until only one remained. Did he think he could do it? No – but he was driven by a stubborn thought.  The king was neither a fool nor sadist.  If he offered the challenge then it must be possible to climb that ladder. And if the king were convinced that it could be done, then this one remaining person would make the attempt.   The others laughed at him, reviled him, taunted him. What a fool he was to attempt the impossible!  He was doomed to climb a few rungs and then fall off, exhausted and humiliated.  He began to climb. Five rungs. Six rungs, his strength was giving out. Seven rungs. His legs were like rubber. Eight rungs. His lungs were bursting. Nine rungs. Total exhaustion.  He was ninety-one rungs short of success, but he could go on no longer. About to fall, he thought again of the king’s challenge. “It must be possible or the king would not have asked it!”  He summoned up all his strength and determination and struggled up one more rung. Then, just as he was about to collapse, he felt himself lifted, as if by a huge magnet, and placed atop the ladder.  He had succeeded because, without knowing how it could be done, he had had faith in the king. Indeed the royal wish was not that all one hundred rungs be climbed, for that was impossible. What the king wanted was that people make this attempt and dedicate themselves totally to reach the limit of their ability – more was not required; the king would do the rest”

The commentary goes on:  “So it is in our spiritual quest. GOD wants us to scale heights that no human can imagine; but He does not expect us to do it alone. He only asks that we make the effort – a sincere, diligent, uncompromising effort. By making the attempt we earn His help.”

I particularly like this comment, because it shows the fundamental misunderstanding that most believers have about following GOD’s commandments in light of the finished work of Messiah Yeshua.  Salvation in terms of that “work” was never to be an “earned through works” issue.  To reverse the sin of the first Adam would be impossible for any man. We cannot travel back in time and we are born with the same fundamental flaw – we desire to be god.  No, what we needed was a new start, to be “born again” not just spiritually, but each day as we rise from sleep – our daily practice of death – to be resurrected once again to a new day and have our souls restored to us by the keeper of our souls.  We have been given a new start through Messiah Yeshua.  He has begun the process. 

The commentary continues:  “By making the attempt we earn His help – the help that makes success possible” – this last quote was from Rabbi Mordecai Gifter.

But I would like to point us to another Rabbi who spoke in a very similar manner to his followers:

Yeshua said, “I will be with you only a little while longer; then I will go away to the One who sent me.” (John 7:33) And also: “But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I don’t go away, the comforting Counsellor will not come to you. However, if I do go, I will send him to you. “When he comes, he will show that the world is wrong about sin, about righteousness and about judgment —about sin, in that people don’t put their trust in me; about righteousness, in that I am going to the Father and you will no longer see me; about judgment, in that the ruler of this world has been judged. “I still have many things to tell you, but you can’t bear them now. However, when the Spirit of Truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own initiative but will say only what he hears. He will also announce to you the events of the future. He will glorify me, because he will receive from what is mine and announce it to you. Everything the Father has is mine; this is why I said that he receives from what is mine and will announce it to you.” (John 16:7-15)

One more quote from the commentary:

“Let Wisdom see blemish.  Let Prophecy see destruction. Let Torah see partial atonement through offerings. GOD sees Repentance. He sees his children approaching Him and He goes out to meet them. He supports their efforts and eases them: “Make me a single opening of repentance like the point of needle. Then I will provide you with entrances that wagons and carriages can enter. “(Song of Songs Rabbah 5:3)”

Rabbi Mendel of Kotzk commented that the opening of repentance need only be as tiny as the point of a needle, but it must be all the way through. The intention to gain greatness must be sincere. Then the ultimate achievement, thanks to GOD’s help, is infinitely greater than any human effort could make possible.”

There is a very similar quote from my Rabbi:

Then Yeshua said to his talmidim, “Yes. I tell you that it will be very hard for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Furthermore, I tell you that it is easier for a camel to pass through a needle’s eye than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God.” When the talmidim heard this they were utterly amazed. “Then who,” they asked, “can be saved?” Yeshua looked at them and said, “Humanly, this is impossible; BUT WITH GOD EVERYTHING IS POSSIBLE!“ (Matthew 19:23-26)

When Lynne and I first met Michael and Maria Frasche, it was in the home of Grant and Robin Luton in May 2017.  We had travelled over to Ohio to visit our wonderful friends and to have the opportunity once again to enjoy sweet fellowship at Beth Tikkun Messianic Congregation, of which Grant is the congregational leader.  We were staying with Grant and Robin in their home while we visited, and as was usual we gathered together for a Friday Shabbat meal around their table.  Grant had mentioned earlier that they had invited some friends from New Jersey who would be joining us and that in particular I might enjoy talking to Michael as he was a fellow musician.  Mike and Maria arrived as did their friends Dave and Peng Krug with their 3 children and a wonderful evening of conversation, fellowship and friendship took place.  Michael and I never really spoke about music that evening.

Grant had invited me to teach that Shabbat; it was the feast of Shavuot.  This is always a daunting task. Anyone who knows Grant’s teaching will know that the privilege it is to teach at the fellowship is also one of great responsibility.  Mike and I chatted afterwards over “oneg” (lunch for the uninitiated. “Oneg” means “delight”) and it was clear that a bond was already beginning. 

We arrived back in the UK and at the beginning of June I reached out to Mike.  The bond was cemented!!!  Immediately we were speaking about Torah, the soul, Luzzatto, Schneerson, Dessler and the importance of Mussar in the daily walk of the disciple of Yeshua. 

Mike and Maria began to join MBM UK studies on a Friday evening as it was only around 3pm U.S. time. From June that year and immediately the dynamic of the group changed.  We were on a journey together. Our weekly calls started to become almost daily, as Mike would be sat in his office at the plant, reading or studying something deep and, thanks to facetime, our conversations across the Atlantic Ocean were priceless in all senses of the word.

The next time we were able to meet face to face was in 2018.  Beth Tikkun had arranged a trip to Israel and we had signed up as it was a perfect opportunity to catch up with all of our friends.  As we travelled on the coach together and visited the sights it was clear that there was a restlessness in Mike. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to be there: he and Maria loved being there, but somehow there was something missing, but then we arrived in Jerusalem!  The restlessness disappeared and his countenance brightened.  The night we arrived, a group of us made our way down to the Western Wall and Mike’s face just lit up.  This was the reason for the trip!!!  That was back in 2018 at Hanukkah.  

After that trip, we were on facetime again almost every day. When would there be a chance to get together again?  We spoke of when we might return to the U.S. or maybe meet up in Europe somewhere.  Lynne and I had moved house in early 2019 and were recovering from the rigours of that and getting our lives back in shape. It was not going to be that year.  And then late 2019, COVID began. 2020 came and went.  We continued to speak to each other most days about what was happening in the world and again there was a calm urgency in Mike, speaking of understanding and doing the commandments; working on his soul; learning Mussar.  Book recommendations continued to fly back and forth as well as growing the library. 

The U.S. election came and went.  Life became busier, but we still talked at least 2, 3, 4 times a week. Mike’s New Jersey voice echoing through the house. 

And then, on the 30th July 2021 Mike sent a photo of himself lying on a hospital bed with an oxygen mask over his face.  What happened?! Pneumonia!! Is this you earlier? Or now? Are you back home?  The answer came back. Now!

Mike’s last word to me was “Now!” – He passed into the next world on the 2nd August 2021

So, what is the legacy of Michael Frasche?

Husband, Father, Friend, Musician, Percussionist, Drummer, Composer, Engineer, Torah Scholar, Teacher, Dangermouse aficionado? – Yes, all of those things! 

But it is so much more than that! 

Mike taught me that whatever you do, you can’t do it in half measures.  You have to be fully committed.  As I read the pages of the books that we shared in conversation, I hear the wisdom, questions and laughter of a friend who in the flesh I met only twice in 4 years.  MBM UK Family will be very different without Mike. But his legacy?  Now!!  Now is the time to work on your soul!  Now is the time, “Get Wisdom, Get Understanding”!  Mike had been learning musical composition and as he understood the mathematical structure of music it also gave him renewed insight into Torah.  In one of our conversations, he said something along these lines, I don’t remember the exact words, but it went something like this: 

“Someone can be listening to a piece of music, say, “The Magic Flute” by Mozart, which is brilliant. And yet someone can be sitting next to them and just not get it.  I can look at the structure of music and recognise an augmented 4^th or an Ionian scale, but if I don’t listen to the whole piece, then it becomes meaningless.  Torah is the same.  If we don’t do this thing as a whole and only examine pieces of it, we might appreciate some of its intricacies, but we won’t appreciate the composition or the brilliance of the composer. We all have to play our part even, if it is only one cymbal, or a single beat of the timpani.”

But when do I have to play that part?  Now!

Goodbye Michael, my very good friend, our very good friend.  Thank you for all you left with us! See you on the other side!!

It’s taken 56 years to begin to understand how necessary it is to bring discipline into our lives. This may sound naïve and even stupid to some, but when I talk about discipline, I’m really talking about the principles of Mussar.  Mussar is the Hebrew word for “discipline”. Here is an example of the word in its context from the book of Proverbs (Mishlei).

My son, heed the discipline (Mussar) of your father, and do not abandon the teaching (Torah) of your mother; (Proverbs 1:8)

This is the sort of discipline that is really required.

We can have a discipline that is external but it does not necessarily address the internal habits and changes that we need to make in our lives that bring us to a point of change.

Soldiers can be extremely disciplined, but they can also be morally bankrupt because as soon as they come out of the disciplined environment that they are used to, they realise that their purpose has been removed from their lives and has now cut them adrift.  This just leads to resentment.  It does not just apply to those in the armed forces.  It is the same for those of us who have had ordinary jobs and have given our whole lives over to the cause of the company or organisation that we have been part of for so long, but then we get to retirement and we find ourselves cut adrift.  The company continues without us but does not miss a beat as a result of our absence. That then leaves us feeling resentful and needing to find a new identity or purpose that we can throw ourselves into.  But what does it mean to our souls.

Ethics 1:14 makes the following statement:

“He was accustomed to say: If I am not for myself, who will be for me? And if I am for myself, what am I? And if not now, when?”

This is brilliant!  It gets right to the heart of the issue.

The following is an extract from the book by R. Twerski – Vision of the Fathers on the above statement.

‘In order for a person to have a meaningful, constructive identity, it should be one which he gives to himself. If a person has no identity, other than that given to him by others, he really has no identity at all.  He must change like a chameleon, being one thing to his wife, another to his parents, another to his children, another to his employer, another to his friend, and yet another to a different friend. A person must have a valid awareness of his abilities and character traits,’

The church has done us a disservice on one level when it defines all of our negative character traits as sin. It is going against the tenet that we find in Romans 8.

Therefore, there is no longer any condemnation awaiting those who are in union with the Messiah Yeshua. Why? Because the Torah of the Spirit, which produces this life in union with Messiah Yeshua, has set me free from the “Torah” of sin and death. For what the Torah could not do by itself, because it lacked the power to make the old nature cooperate, God did by sending his own Son as a human being with a nature like our own sinful one [but without sin]. God did this in order to deal with sin, and in so doing he executed the punishment against sin in human nature, so that the just requirement of the Torah might be fulfilled in us who do not run our lives according to what our old nature wants but according to what the Spirit wants. For those who identify with their old nature set their minds on the things of the old nature, but those who identify with the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. Having one’s mind controlled by the old nature is death, but having one’s mind controlled by the Spirit is life and shalom. For the mind controlled by the old nature is hostile to God, because it does not submit itself to God’s Torah — indeed, it cannot. Thus, those who identify with their old nature cannot please God. (Romans 8:1-8)

The transformation that we undertake is to understand that we will see and identify negative character traits in our lives.  More than that, that our identities found in our old lives are no longer conducive to life at all; they are just part of the social conditioning that we have experienced in this world.  It does not mean that we throw everything up in the air and regard it all as useless, but it does mean that we discern and ask our Abba, the Creator of the Universe to show us and guide us through His Spirit toward the things that are good and set apart for His glory and our well-being.  That will mean things like:

• Getting to bed on time and sleeping well
• Having a good and healthy diet and removing the things that do us harm. This can be applied spiritually, physically and emotionally
• Seeking the face of our Father, in prayer and in His word.
• Enjoying all of our life and using it to His glory by removing our negative character traits and replacing them with positive ones in faith, trust and discipline (mussar).