Remember Jerusalem

For those of you who follow this blog, I am no longer going to post on turnourmourningintodancing.blogspot.com 

As most of you have probably heard, Leah and I have started a ministry called Remember Jerusalem in affiliation with Tikkun International.  Check out our website at www.remember-jerusalem.org
The website details our personal story and the specifics of our ministry and efforts to move to Israel in the immediate future. 

I will be posting regularly (hard to believe I know) on the new website so check back often and I plan to use video technology (eventually) to keep people updated on us in Israel and create video teachings. 

Also, many of you have expressed interest in my thesis, Understanding the New Covenant in Light of the Previous Biblical Covenants and Israel.  After much deliberation on how to make it available, I've decided to just have you email me at tom@remember-jerusalem.org if you want a copy.  

Thanks for reading my previous posts and know that you have had a part in turning my mourning into dancing.    

Israel Palestinian Conflict

The Unity of the Physical and Spiritual World

The Hebraic concept on life and the Scriptures emphasizes that there is no separation between the physical and spiritual worlds. This contradicts many aspects of Greek philosophy (of which we are highly influenced by in the West) and many early Church heresies. Although these early Church ideas were heretical, they still seeped into some aspects of Church doctrine. Bonhoeffer understand the unity of the physical and spiritual worlds as well as the unity of faith and works. The Hebrew word for faith is EMUNAH which is understood to mean a combination of faith and faithfulness. Therefore, it is not possible to have faith without the action behind it. Or to paraphrase one of my teachers, "I don't care what you believe, show me what you are doing and I will know what you 'believe'. Here is an excerpt about Dietrich Bonhoeffer:

The Scriptures said that faith without works is dead, that faith “is the evidence of things not seen.” Bonhoeffer knew that one could see some things only with the eyes of faith, but they were no less real and true than the things one saw with one’s physical eyes. But the eyes of faith had a moral component. To see that it was against God’s will to persecute the Jews, one must choose to open one’s eyes. And then one would face another uncomfortable choice: whether to act as God required.
Bonhoeffer strove to see what God wanted to show and then to do what God asked in response. That was the obedient Christian life, the call of the disciple. And it came with a cost, which explained why so many were afraid to open their eyes in the first place. It was the “antithesis” of the “cheap grace” that required nothing more than an easy mental assent, which he wrote about in Discipleship. Bonhoeffer “was a person about whom one had the feeling that he was completely whole,” said one Finkenwalde [his seminary] ordinand, “a man who believes in what he thinks and does what he believes in.” [pg 278-279]

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

So, I have a new hero. The title of the book about him indicates his hero status: "Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Prophet, Martyr, Spy." He came from an extremely (no exaggeration) intelligent and dynamic family living in the most difficult of times in world history: Nazi Germany. I am overwhelmingly inspired in my life calling and pursuits when reading about this pioneer of a man. He was so far ahead of his time and generation that it is difficult to fathom the boldness that he possessed. He believed (in complete defiance of his world) that the L-RD is a living G-D who would talk to us and he put this into practice through the daily meditation of Scripture. He loved the Jews because they are G-D's chosen people and had action behind that love in the most difficult of circumstances--Nazi Germany. Here is a quote from a "confirmation" he presided over of 3 young people covenanting with the Living G-D of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in what I think is 1938:

"Confirmands [people who are officially confirmed] today are like young soldiers marching to war, the war of Jesus Christ against the gods of this world. It is a war that demands the commitment of one's whole life. Is not God, our Lord, worthy of this struggle? Idolatry and cowardice confront us on all sides, but the direst foe does not confront us, he is within us [evil inclination]. 'Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.'"

Is Believing the same as Trusting?

Friedman's Commentary on the Torah gives a great explanation concerning the concept of Trusting ADONAI in the Biblical context. The context is Exodus 14:30-31 just after the Israelites are delivered from the Egyptians by the miraculous hand of ADONAI parting the Red Sea.

That day ADONAI saved Israel from the hands of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the shore. And when the Israelites saw the great power the ADONAI displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the ADONAI and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant.

trusted. This word is also translated often as "believed" (Hebrew wayya'aminu). It does not have the meaning here that it has in later religious concepts. That is, it does not function in the sense of believing that a G-d exists. This notion of belief in does not occur in Biblical Hebrew (nor in other ancient Near Eastern languages)! In pagan religion the gods, being observable forces in nature (e.g., the sun, the sky, the storm wind), are not a matter of belief but of knowledge. So in the conception of ADONAI in Exodus, G-D becomes known; ADONAI's existence and power are a matter of knowledge, not belief. When one has seen ten plagues and a sea split and has a column of cloud and fire visible at all times, one does not ask, "Do you believe in G-D?" As the term is used in the Hebrew Bible, it means not belief in, but belief that; that is, it means that if ADONAI says He will do something one can trust that He will do it.

We can trust that ADONAI will redeem us just as He redeemed His people from Egypt and that He is returning in a similar column of cloud that was seen by the Israelites in the wilderness. May it be soon and in our days. Maran Etha! (Our Master is coming!).

Blog Format?

So, up until this point in my short blogging life I have basically ignored people's comments/questions. While I thoroughly enjoy the responses, I have yet to figure out how to appropriately continue a serious discussion through the blog format. I would love suggestions on how I could respond to people's comments to continue a particular discussion outside of "commenting" on my own blog. And possibly a blog is not the proper format for discussion, not sure. Let me know if you have any suggestions. But, until all is cleared up please continue commenting as, like every blogger, I enjoy your reactions.

One Tear, One Prayer

An excerpt from Souls on Fire by Elie Wiesel:

"Song is more precious than words, intention more important than formulas. And since it is given to every man to acquire all the powers, why despair? Why give up the fight? One tear, one prayer can change the course of events; one fragment of a melody can contain all the joy in the world, and by letting it go free, influence fate. And no elite has a monopoly on song or tears; G-D listens to the shepherd playing his flute as readily as He listens to the saint renouncing his earthly attachments. The prisoner's cravings equals the wise man's: the one, like the other, has a bearing on the essence of man.
He [this particular Rabbi] taught them to fight sadness with joy. 'The man who looks only at himself cannot but sink into despair, yet as soon as he opens his eyes to the creation around him, he will know joy.' And this joy leads to the absolute, to redemption, to G-D."

I am encouraged that one tear, one prayer does make a difference in this world and in the world to come. The L-RD sees us fighting even in our seemingly "weak little prayers." Because through this fight we are able to connect with the eternal reality of Him and His joy. There is indeed joy that follows pain. It is a joy that only originates with the eternal G-D and yet somehow is able (however often) to be experienced in one fragment of a melody. Where are our warrior poets? Who will bring heaven to the earth in song? Where is our joy? Who has this joy? Do we have this joy that leads to the absolute, to redemption, to G-D?

Fear of the L-RD

I have been engrossed in study in the book God's War on Terror. I finished it and will be posting about it soon enough. It was so intense I basically forgot to post. Also finished Aspects of Rabbinic Theology although I only had a little bit left to finish. I tend to be "in" many books at the same time and read according to my "interest" at the moment. The following passage put the fear of the L-RD in me and was referenced in ART but is quoted here from the original source, The Mishnah. Tractate Abot 4:22:

A. ...Those who are born are [destined] to die, and those who die are [destined] for resurrection.
B. And the living are [destined] to be judged--
C. so as to know, to make known, and to confirm that (1) He is G-d,
D. (2) He is the one who forms,
E. (3) He is the one who creates,
F. (4) He is the one who understands,
G. (5) He is the one who judges,
H. (6) He is the one who gives evidence,
I. (7) He is the one who brings suit,
J. (8) and He is the one who is going to make the ultimate judgement.
K. (9) Blessed be He, for before Him are not (1) guile, (2) forgetfulness, (3) respect for persons, (4) bribe taking,
L. for everything is His.
M. And know that everything is subject to reckoning.
N. And do not let your evil impulse persuade you that Sheol is a place of refuge for you.
O. For (1) despite your wishes were you formed, (2) despite your wishes were you born, (3) despite your wishes do you live, (4) despite your wishes do you die, and (5) despite your wishes are you going to give a full accounting before the King of kings, the Holy One, blessed be He.

Why A Torah Scroll?

Based on my last post, you might be asking yourself the question, "Why does a Gentile man in Merriam, Kansas want a Hebrew Torah Scroll?" Glad you asked.

The Torah is the Five Books of Moses and is the very foundation of the Bible. In his book Jewish Roots, Dan Juster one of the leading Messianic Jewish leaders of today (Jews who love Jesus as their Messiah), writes from a historically Jewish perspective about this foundational aspect of the Torah:

"The Jewish tradition has venerated the Torah above all other revelation. The reason for this is clear: Torah is foundational; all other revelation is to be tested by its consistency to Torah. Therefore, although all Scriptures are inspired by God, Torah is clearly foundational. This has vast implications for our understanding of the New Testament. Any interpretation of the New Covenant Scriptures [New Testament] which is inconsistent with the revelation in the Torah cannot be true."

This is consistent with the character and nature of Jesus. Our Messiah Jesus lived a perfect life according to Hebrews 4:15, Ephesians 4:13, and other Scriptures. He was the perfect Lamb that was slain. But perfect according to what? According to God's law written in the Torah. Jesus was and is and will always be the only One found worthy. He fleshed out the law or Torah of God perfectly because He is the Word of God. The Gospel according to John in chapter one reveals this when he says, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God...And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us..." The same Divine Presence that was with God in the beginning, was the Word or Torah of God, that Word then became manifest in the person of Jesus who of course lives out the law perfectly because He is the Law! He is the Living Torah! What a story!

As I like to emphasize, Jewish tradition often points to and alludes to Jesus even if they do not recognize Him as Messiah. This quote reads like the Gospel of John and is taken from Jewish Folklore and Legend:

"According to one tradition God actually created the Torah first, and then consulted it before creating the world...The Torah then became personalized as a kind of artisan, a medium by which the creation of the world was set in motion, and the whole creative process planned. In this sense it may be seen as the Logos, or the divine word."

So, acquiring a Torah Scroll is a way to connect with the Artisan of creation, Jesus as the Living Torah, the very cornerstone of the Bible.

150 Year Old Torah Scroll Available

A few months ago, I met this older man at the Jerusalem Conference hosted by the American Institute for Advanced Biblical Studies. He had a few items for sale including an old Esther Megillah Scroll (which he sold at the conference) and most interestingly a 150 year old Torah Scroll! It seemed to be in very good shape (although I am no expert) and very usable although it clearly is not kosher. His asking price was an astonishingly low $2,500! Torah Scrolls can range from $10K-$60K or more so this is quite a deal. A scroll will typically take a sofer (official Hebrew scribe) almost a year to complete!

The man bought the scroll at a store in Tzfat, Israel a few years back. It is quite beautiful. It does not have the Torah Scroll rollers so those would have to be purchased and attached separately (typically a couple hundred bucks). I contacted him again recently to see if the Torah Scroll was still available and it is and he said he was willing to sell it for $2,150 because he wants someone to be blessed by using it! Also, the Scroll is in Houston, Texas and probably should not be shipped so we would need to go and get it. Let me know if you are interested in helping to bring a Torah Scroll to Merriam. Any money donated is tax deductible if it is given to Kingdom Living.

He Who Is Wise Prepares

I just read this Talmudic Tale from the ancient Jewish sages and couldn't help but notice the similarities between our Messiah's teaching in Matthew 25. I thought is was relevant to this season to see repentance as wisdom and preparation for the returning of our Messiah.



A king, in order to test out the wisdom of his attendants, invited them to a banquet but did not set an exact hour for the feast.

The wise ones among them dressed fittingly and held themselves in readiness for the call as they said, "We might be called any moment."

The foolish ones, on the other hand, said, "There will be plenty of time to prepare" and went about their affairs making no preparation whatever for it.

Suddenly, the king announced that the banquet was ready and the wise, who were ready and fittingly clothed, were admitted and seated at the table but to those who had foolishly delayed preparing themselves and came in their work clothes, he said:

"Those who are properly attired for the banquet may sit down and dine with me but those who did not properly prepare themselves, after being invited, shall stand and look on."

It was Rabbi Eliezer who said, "Repent one day before thy death." "But," asked his pupils. "How does a man know on what day he will die so he may repent before that day?"

"Ah!" responded the sage, "that is the secret. Let him prepare today and every day lest he die tomorrow, and doing so, he will be prepared every day of his life."



Compare this story to our rabbi Jesus':



"Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.

"And at midnight a cry was heard: 'Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!' Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. And the fooish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out,' But the wise answered saying, 'No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.' And while they went to buy, the bridgroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.

"Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open to us!' But he answered and said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.'

"Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming." (NKJ)

The Nature of Pleasure Seeking

I will try to address the questions from my previous posts in a future blog post. For now, here is is an excerpt from The Wisdom of Maimonides pg 33 as quoted from Introduction to Perek Herek, Sanhedrin.

"If you contemplate these two forms of pleasure--physical and nonphysical--you will appreciate the baseness of the one and the supremacy of the other, even in this material world. This is obvious from the fact that most people--and perhaps even all--will spend prodigious psychological and physical effort in order to attain position and honor in the eyes others. This pleasure is not physical pleasure, such as eating and drinking.

Similarly, many people choose to seek revenge on their enemies rather than indulge themselves in physical pleasure. And we find that many people avoid the greatest of physical pleasures out of fear that this will bring them shame and embarrassment in the eyes of people, or because they desire to enhance their reputation.

If this is our situation in the material world, surely this applies in the spiritual world--the World to Come--where our souls will be able to experience the Creator. This pleasure cannot be parceled out or described, nor can an analogy be given to define it...

This is the ultimate good to which no good can be compared, nor can any pleasure be likened to it. For how can there be any comparison between that which is eternal and endless, and any temporal matter?"

The argument is interesting in that the realities of the material world point to the supremacy of the spiritual world. It seems to me that it is as if we are experiencing a taste of His eternal kingdom even though it is not fully here yet. And that there is some sort of unity between the physical and spiritual worlds as even this physical/material world is pointing to the supremacy of the World to Come when the physical and spiritual realites will be fully revealed and heaven and earth will be come one.

What Do You Mean "Bless the L-RD"?

Can we as created beings really bless the Almighty, our Creator? So I came across a great explanation for why we should bless the L-RD. Not surprisingly, it starts in Torah: Deuteronomy 8:10 is the original context for blessing the L-RD. "So you will eat and be satisfied, and you will bless the L-RD your G-d for the good land He has given you."

Of note is the fact that the commandment (#19 of the 248 positive ones according to Maimonides) is to bless the L-RD not the food. So what does it mean to bless the L-RD? I'm glad you asked. Dr. Brad Young explains, "The Hebrew term barakh [where we get the word "bless"], in this context (Deut 8:10), does not mean to provide a blessing but rather means to worship God by acknowledging His kingdom and His authority, an action which also influences a person's conduct in daily life" (pg 121 from JJT). Many people ask me the question, so how does your understanding of Jewish roots impact your everyday life?

Praying before meal time is a common everyday occurrence for many followers of Jesus so I think this is a great example to address that question. Dr. Young argues that by blessing the L-RD for providing your food (and/or all sorts of other things!) you are going beyond "...mere praise because, in essence, blessing G-d is a full recognition of His lordship and sovereignty. One could say that one is actually acknowledging the kingdom of G-d, His rule, and His reign as sovereign L-RD of His creation" (pg 120 from JJT). Even as I write this it makes me want to bless the L-RD! Speaking words into existence have real power in His kingdom just as He taught us to pray "Your kingdom come, Your will be done". By blessing Him we are acknowledging the reality of His kingdom!

Dr. Young goes as far as to say that "the failure to bless G-d for benefit received from the world is to deny His goodness and His authority over all that He has created" (pg 121 from JJT). Maybe this is why Shaul (also known as Paul) implores the Thessalonians to "pray without ceasing" (1 Thess 5:17). Let's bless the L-RD in all things!

I Have Officially Entered The 21st Century

So, after much pressure from Leah and many others of the blogging community, I have leaped the technological hurdle of computer saviness (with generous support from Leah) to begin my journey into blogging. By nature, I am a face-to-face person. I do not prefer email, phone, texting, or blogging for communication purposes. However, I do enjoy reading other peoples' blogs. I am the guy who reads and rarely comments but mainly because I can't figure out the word verification, those things can be pretty hard. So, I thought maybe someone out there might enjoy hearing from me every now and again. Plus, as you all know, I have a lot to say and I am very opinionated, so thank you for taking the time to listen to me and/or the people I am quoting.


The following is a quote from a book I just finished. Dr. Young is a Christian who got his Ph. D. from Hebrew University and studied under Dr. David Flusser (probably the most renowned scholar of his day on the historical Jesus). My journey in discovering the Jewishness of Jesus has been so exciting and life giving that I can't even begin to put it in words. Here is a taste of what I love...

Jesus The Jewish Theologian by Dr. Brad Young pg 273

"So the theology of many Jewish scholars is not to have a theology. At least one should not be overly aware of ones theology. Perhaps blind obedience to the Torah will better reveal the divine presence in everyday experience than the intellectual exchange of conceptual ideas. God is too vast. Mystery and wonder must pervade human perception of God's goodness. Contradictions and inconsistencies are part and parcel of God and His mysteries. One learns by doing. The Eastern mind loves riddles and is fond of mystery. The Western theologian explains much and understands little. The Eastern mindset of Jewish theology reveres God and wonders at His mysteries. All attempts to systematize God will fall short. Stand in amazement. Wonder in awe.

Jesus is like that. He never wrote a creed. He did not occupy Himself with systematic theology. But He is a profound theologian even if He would feel uncomfortable with this Western designation, He is a theologian but His theology is Jewish to the core, being rooted in Torah faithful Judaism. He stressed action more than belief. His theology emerges in the metaphor of parable and a holy reverence for life. God is good. One must stand in wonder and awe before Him."