Passover…a day early

I celebrated the first evening of Passover last night, which technically is a day early since Passover begins tonight, Nisan 14 (Lev 23). So why a day early?

The first Passover night (Nisan 14) preceded the Exodus from Egypt, the Red Sea crossing, the Cloud that led the people by day & the Fire at night…

In Exodus 12, G-d instructs the people to select a lamb on Nisan 10, tend to that lamb til Nisan 14 when they were to: slaughter it & place its blood on their doorposts so that the L-rd would pass over their homes; then roast the lambs and eat the meat with unleavened bread, sharing within families and within the community. The very next morning they were led out of Egypt.

So in the Hebrew mindset Passover is celebrated to commemorate the going out of Egypt and the great miracles which the L-rd used to free the people. All of this beautiful and beyond understanding.

But there is so much more: G-d instructed His people to offer daily sacrifices of various kinds and for various purposes and much of those sacrifices were animals and that is because according to Leviticus 17:11 – “For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.”

Yeshua is THE sacrificial Lamb, only His Blood is pure, holy, able to make atonement for ALL. And so He had to be crucified on Passover. But He also wanted to gather with His friends to celebrate Passover, commonly known as the Lord’s Supper or the Last Supper. And during that Passover seder, it was after He washed their feet, told them to eat His Flesh & drink His Blood, and the prayers in the garden, that He was arrested and then beaten & crucified on the same day that the Passover lambs were to be slaughtered for Passover. Not incidentally, G-d instructed the people that they had to eat the entire lamb, NONE of it could be left over. All of this preparing the people, looking forward to when Yeshua would say:

John 6:53-58 “Then Jesus said to them, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. This is the bread which came down from heaven—not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever.’”

So that is why it’s a beautiful thing to have a seder an evening earlier.

And that mark which those who celebrate Passover are marked with…is the Blood of the Messiah, Yeshua, which literally means God Saves.

a mark on hand & forehead

I was always familiar with the mark of the beast, aka 666. There are a number of movies that make allusion to this–probably most famously the Omen. And the idea of the mark comes from…

Rev 13:16-17 “He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.”

And of course the mark of the beast refers to anti-christ, an anti-messiah. Christ & Messiah simply mean anointed of G-d as if dedicated to G-d, a servant. So anti-christ is anything that is anti-G-d, unanointed.

Now what’s interesting about this is the mark of the beast is a sign on a right hand or forehead…and Passover (which begins April 8, 2009) is referred to the same way, as a mark…on your hand and forehead:

Exodus 13:7-10 “Unleavened bread shall be eaten seven days. And no leavened bread shall be seen among you, nor shall leaven be seen among you in all your quarters. And you shall tell your son in that day, saying, ‘This is done because of what the LORD did for me when I came up from Egypt.’ It shall be as a sign to you on your hand and as a memorial between your eyes, that the LORD’s law may be in your mouth; for with a strong hand the LORD has brought you out of Egypt. You shall therefore keep this ordinance in its season from year to year.”

Since in the past, I only read Exodus like a history book and history was my worst subject in high school, I never saw this before: Passover is the true mark of G-d. Why? Because Yeshua who IS the anointed became the Passover Lamb . Each year that the Israelites celebrated Passover before His death, was simply a foreshadow of His ultimate sacrifice. They sacrificed lambs, He was the Lamb.

And then I was reminded of Deuternomy 6:8…where it says of G-d’s Word: “You shall bind them (His commandments) as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.“

This speaks of the same concept: He is telling His people to so love the Word and live the Word, that it shall be like a mark on their hand and forehead, always present with and within them.

And so I just thought it was pretty neat how all these “marks” point to Yeshua and each reference is just a different way of saying the same thing: He is the Word that became flesh…and as believers we are marked by Him and so Passover, being that He became THE sacrifice, is THE MARK of the L-rd.

Chag Sameach!

stimulus for porn…pernicious pun

Bad puns abound over Joe Francis and Larry Flint’s request for a $5 billion bailout for the “Adult Entertainment” industry. I probably shouldn’t even waste my words on this topic but couldn’t resist.

The have a plan: With the $5 billion, they would “invest in building new means of distribution, and shoring up our distribution right now to prevent further erosion from factors like Youporn and other Internet content that has seriously affected our business over the past few years,” Francis said in an interview with FOX Business. “We will use the money wisely, and we will create more jobs.” (from the article below)

So to the many that are currently laid off, fear not, plenty of jobs on the way…I am glad they will use the money wisely and with others interests & well-being in mind because as they say, “People are too depressed to be sexually active,” Flynt said in the press release. “This is very unhealthy as a nation. Americans can do without cars and such but they cannot do without sex.” (from the above article)

Interesting that Mr. Flynt suggests that to not participate in adult entertainment, porn, whatever you want to call it, is unhealthy. Maybe this is all a publicity stunt to stimulate their business. But even if it is a stunt, just the fact that these guys decided to give this a try makes an interesting commentary on our culture. I will leave it at that.

So let’s see if they drive in their hybrid to DC as they promise…to show how much more upstanding they are than those raunchy car makers.

http://www.foxbusiness.com/story/markets/economy/adult-entertainment-industry-wants-bailout/

just funny

A 6 year old foster son of good friends of ours had this to say to his foster mom (our rabbi’s wife):

“Lisa, I know Santa doesn’t come to this house, but if he did, you would save a lot of money.”

matters of quirkiness & faith

My father died in 1995. He was 48, a mere 9 years older than I am right now. (Don’t worry this is not a downer post, though I do have a mild fascination with death;). So I woke up at midnight last night after a short time of sleep and though I so wanted to sleep, my mind took over. And I was thinking about some nonsensical interjection I said in someone’s office the previous afternoon. I can’t recall what I said, but whatever it was there was a tiny logistic connective tendril. Tiny. I call it controlled ADD. Is that offensive to anyone? Unintended if so. I define someone with that condition as: when in conversation, he or she makes loose to very loose connections to whatever is being discussed, sometimes in song. But most always, eventually gets back to the original topic, albeit circuitously but usually humorously, at least for the loose connection maker.

The particular instance I was thinking of didn’t amuse anyone but me so I returned to the original topic. Selfishly, often times, I am not thinking that my odd rambling, lyric embedding, or word inserting will entertain anyone but me. (I used to do it when I taught college comp courses all the time. I definitely needed to self-entertain during class.) So all this to say that at midnight I remembered that my father used to come out with things that made no sense in the conversation. Or at times, no one was saying a word and he’d say something that had no connection to anything recently said. I used to think, “how odd you are!” And so for the first time, last night, I realized where my little oddity comes from, at least one oddity anyway. And it made me laugh because what annoyed me in him is in me and I actually enjoy it! I thought that was great.

An even bigger thing used to annoy me: his faith. One thing I did know was: he was different. Watching my father die of cancer over the course of a month with such a peace, such an unwavering faith in G-d, is what caused me to really see what the heck was so different about him. And then after he died I began exploring what he was talking about: I tried to read the Bible and I remembered things he’d try to tell me about his faith, always beaming as he shared whatever it was. And then later I remembered that when he’d get home from work each night, often after 14 hours, he’d kneel in a spare room and pray. He’d close the door but I could see him through the small opening. I wouldn’t be really looking; I would just catch a glimpse of him as I passed by. Obviously I made an unconscious mental note because at the time, I didn’t think much of it. Until he was gone…I know cliche…but sadly some cliches are just that, sad, and sad that we persist in living them out…

So to make a slightly longer story wind down, watching his faith in action at such a difficult time and then remembering all these details that I unknowingly stored away, led me to find the peace, joy, and love that only G-d can offer us. (If that sounds cliche, so be it, at least it led to a good result.) All that’s pretty big.

And now I’ve discovered this little thing too. Discoveries are good. So look around to the people that you’ve known for years or maybe just for a week and thank G-d for how He has used them to shape you in matters of faith and quirkiness. Oh and be aware: sometimes the shaping process doesn’t always feel good, but it’s the end result that matters.

A cool side note: I’ve since realized that during a lot of that kneeling, he was praying for me. You never really know who is praying for you. And you may be very surprised if you found out.

Jesus at the bar?

I drive up and down Warwick Avenue usually twice per day. Driving home Sunday night I saw a sign on Eddie’s Bar that I absolutely loved…here it is>>

In the window on the right is one of those Sam Adams light-ups and on the main Eddie’s sign: “JESUS SAVES.” I did a double-take and lots of knee slaps. I thought it was great. Usually the letters spell what band is playing or what the day’s beer special is…

So on the way to work Monday morning I had to pull over and take some pictures. Here’s what was on the other side: HO HO HO WHERE DID THE SUMMER GO.

Some people might say HO HO HO makes more sense on a bar sign: Santa’s battle-cry along with a lament that summer is gone. Enter winter: the season of depression. And a bar often caters to the depressed, at least stereotypically in tv land. Makes some odd sense.

But then you see the flip-side…JESUS SAVES. I have no idea why they put either slogan on this sign or both at the same time. But though the dichotomy is quite interesting, what I find more interesting is that JESUS SAVES on this bar sign reminds me that G-d is EVERYWHERE, waiting to be seen, heard, spoken to, smiled at, bought a drink…loved. If He can be in the church, the synagogue, the football field, He can also be in a bar.

So if you’re in Eddie’s, will you look around, I mean really look and when you see Jesus, will you buy Him a drink? I will. Thanks Eddie’s!

Learnin’ from Bruce Almighty

I just saw Bruce Almighty again. It’s one of my favorite movies.

Bruce Almighty

But what struck me most this last time I watched it was the ending. The homeless guy to the right is holding a sign that says something like “Amageddon outta here” and he slowly morphs into Morgan Freeman who is playing G-d. Such a simple scene, such a beautiful truth: we should see G-d in everyone we encounter. I know this but I have a hard time remembering…

Yesterday morning, I was talking to a guy at work that had been out with an injury for two weeks…and I wasn’t thinking about Bruce Almighty but my mind did that morph thing and I knew that for that second, I was looking into the eyes of G-d and it rattled me. It’s good to be rattled!

G-d speaks through the craziest things. Actually He really speaks through EVERYTHING, if we listen…

This is the funniest scene in the movie…

what’s with thanksgiving?

I am thankful. I want to be thankful daily–moment by moment. How did you feel on Thanksgiving? Was it a peaceful day in whatever house you were in, with whomever you were with, were you relaxed and calm, did thankfulness come up? If so, Baruch Hashem! I was peaceful but not because I find the day lends to that, but because I have chosen to view it differently than I used to.

I never had much expectation for holidays. I think that’s because too many people around me did and were so depressed particularly from Thanksgiving to Christmas that I resisted expectations, expectations that are never met. Or to be fair I should say often not met. I am sure there are families where the expectations are more reasonable, are met, and depression is avoided. There are some of those right? But largely I think people want something from these holidays that is unreasonable and impossible to achieve. And those of us without expectations assume the “destined to fail and only cause stress” role of frenzied expectation fairy peacemaker, constantly thinking “Is this person ok?” “Is that one depressed?” “Did he have too much to drink?” “Did I have a piece of her pie because if I didn’t she’ll be depressed?”

This morning a co-worker said she was exhausted when she got home Thursday night and she didn’t know why. She didn’t have much to cook, she didn’t travel but a few minutes, she got home early enough…and then she admitted it was that she feels she has to make sure “everyone is ok…” That is exhausting!

Another friend said her son and family got to her house at 4:30 after eating at the in-laws at 2 and her son hardly said a word. The next day he apologized and said he was just tired. She realized it was too much, expecting them to go to both houses. She said she was selfish to feel that he had to come to her house. She said she won’t do that again. Baruch Hashem! That’s quite a revelation she had with all the emphasis that this culture and our families have put on these special days.

In some families, one parental side owns a holiday and are damned and determined they will have people over to eat their food at their table in their house or else…they own the day after all! What? Is that what celebrating being thankful is about? Come to my house or I will hold a grudge and make every holiday stressful…

My friend with the son and I started talking about the odd comfort people find in these holidays that really is just deception. But it’s something they hang onto like it will save them…hmmmm…sounds a little like worship. The emphasis we have placed on these days, the completely unrealistic expectations are a by-product of our lack of reverence for G-d and lack of following His holidays…the true holidays that are holy and set apart because He created them.

I love the line: “Christmas is about the kids after all…” Really? Last time I checked, it was supposed to be about G-d. But it’s not. Never was. As hard as you try to cram Him in there, and I used to try to do just that, He’s not there…at least not in the way we expect Him to be.

flame-carved commandments

Disclaimer: I apologize for the meandering nature of this post. But as G-d is so uncontainable, I found it difficult to condense and contain these ideas into a neat package but hope this wandering is thought-provoking…

I know the verse:
Deuteronomy 9:10 Then the LORD delivered to me two tablets of stone written with the finger of God, and on them were all the words which the LORD had spoken to you on the mountain from the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly. (NKJV)

and so I assumed that literally the 10 Commandments were “written by the finger of G-d.” But Ad-nai is a consuming Fire…

Deuteronomy 5:24-25 And you said: ‘Surely the LORD our God has shown us His glory and His greatness, and we have heard His voice from the midst of the fire. We have seen this day that God speaks with man; yet he still lives. Now therefore, why should we die? For this great fire will consume us; if we hear the voice of the LORD our God anymore, then we shall die. (NKJV)

Hebrews 12:28-29 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire. (NKJV)

and the Hebrews literally saw that fire many times:

Exodus 20:18-19 And all the people are seeing the voices, and the flames, and the sound of the trumpet, and the mount smoking; and the people see, and move, and stand afar off, and say unto Moses, ‘Speak thou with us, and we hear, and let not God speak with us, lest we die.’(JPS)

Did you ever notice that the people are “seeing voices”? Here’s a more literal translation:

Exodus 20:18-19 And all the people saw⁶ the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw⁴ [it], they removed,⁴ and stood⁴ afar off. (KJV with links to Hebrew words and meaning)

Thunderings = voices; lightning= flames. If we read this account as merely words talking about some historic event or even worse, if we question that this event actually happened, we are missing the awesomeness of G-d. If the Bible is Truth, the details of this event Truly happened, as impossible as they may seem. But back to fire…this verse amazed me:

Psalms 29:7 The voice of the LORD divides the flames of fire. (NKJV)

or a more closer translation…

Psalm 29:7 The voice of HaShem heweth out flames of fire. (JPS)

The word hew in Hebrew is chatsab חֹצֵב which means to cut, carve, hew…divide, which the KJV uses. Jewish tradition teaches that, one by one, the commandments were written by flame as the people said “yes we will obey.” So could it be that Ad-nai wrote the Commandments with flames of fire, carving His Word into stone, preparing to lovingly sear His Word in our hearts (Jer 31:33),and He does so as we receive what He gives us? Makes G-d-sense to me!

Jeremiah 31:33 “‘This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time,’ declares the LORD. ‘I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.’”

I wonder if the word division in Hebrews 4:12, had it been written in Hebrew, would be chatsab?

Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (NKJV)

This Hebrew translation of the Brit Chadashah uses chatsab in Hebrews 4:12.

By the way, the 10 Commandments are just a shortened version of the Torah and the Torah is the Word and the Word is Yeshua, Jesus, the Messiah. So to really encapsulate the ideas in this post: Yeshua is a consuming fire that dwells in our hearts causing us to be like Him to show His Glory.

Empty Me

This is the prayer of my heart and it’s a beautiful song.  I don’t recall Chris Sligh on American Idol Season 6 but I thought that was pretty cool.  He has a great voice.  Baruch Hashem!

Guitar Tabs for Empty Me–only one worth trying that I could find.

Chris’ site, lyrics

Chodesh Tov!