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Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Jewish New Year for Trees

A BRIEF HISTORY OF TU B'SHEVAT

Tu B'shevat was first mentioned in the Mishnah, as one of four "New Year" days, the New Year of Trees.  It was of great importance to the agricultural life of Israel, for it was the day when the tax in kind, a part of the crop paid to the Kohanim and the Levites, was calculated.  It was a logical time for such tithing; since Tu B'Shevat falls between all the growing seasons, and the exact amount of the crop was already known, the exact assessment could be calculated.  At this time, the severe rains of the winter in Israel begin to subside.  The Jerusalem Talmud tells us that "Until now "(15th of Shevat) they (the trees) lived on the water of last year.  From now on, they live on the water of the new year."

As signs of Spring begin to appear, the weather becomes milder and the fields begin to sprout green.  A riot of flowers of every kind carpet the earth.  The almond is the first of the trees to blossom, and the trees give forth a fresh and pleasant aroma.

The Israeli birds, which migrated to warmer climates during the rainy season, return home.  The Jewish people in ancient Israel, most of whom were farmers, were aware of and sensitive to these changes in nature.  Israel is a land of varied topography.  While plants in the colder regions put forth leaves, those in warmer areas already have flowers.  In earlier times, the inhabitants of the valleys celebrated the New Year of the Trees on the first day of Shevat, and those who lived in the hills celebrated it on the 15th.  The two great rabbis, Hillel and Shamai, also had different opinions on the proper date, and ultimately Hillel's view was accepted, that the holiday should be on the 15th of Shevat.

At that time, Tu B'Shevat was not a festival or feast day.  But people regarded the 15th of Shevat not only as an important date in their agricultural life, but as the day of judgement of the trees.  As the fate of human beings is decided on Rosh Hashanah, so tradition tells us, the fate of the trees was to be decided on Rosh Hashanah Laillanot (the New Year's Day for Trees on the 15th of Shevat)…"Which shall suffer from adverse weather and harmful insects and which shall brave all dangers."

Tu B'Shevat gradually become a festival, and special prayers and liturgical poems about trees were recited.  The earliest such poem known is by Yehuda Halevi Berabi Hillel (approximately 1000 CE) who wrote "Edar Nizley Yesha."  Each verse mentions a different tree, in alphabetical order.

The tradition grew.  The Jews continued to celebrate Tu B'Shevat over the centuries, adding to the prayers and poems the custom of eating fruits at a special holiday meal on this day.

Then, with the conquering of Israel by Crusaders in the 11th century, and the dispersion of the Jews, the tradition of celebrating Tu B'Shevat almost disappeared.  Almost, but not quite - though many people in the Diaspora did not know the reason for it, they continued to observe the holiday by eating fruit.  In some areas, children were given a holiday from school, and the day was celebrated as a festival.

It was the Kabbalists settling in Safed 400 years ago who revived the holiday of Tu B'Shevat.  They established a special "Seder for Tu B'Shevat," similar in structure to the Pesach seder.  Four cups of wines, the first one white, the second slightly darker, the third darker still, and the fourth a red wine, were drunk.  Interwoven with this was a special order of eating fruits.  Each group of fruits had a special meaning, and while they were eaten, prayers, poems and verses recited.  So, Tu B'Shevat, the Festival of the New Year of Trees, was revived and restored by the Kabbalists.

The history of the holiday doesn't stop there.  With the rise of the Zionist movement at the end of the last century came a renewed emphasis on planting the land.  The festival of Tu B'Shevat gained importance in Israel and became specifically associated with tree planting.  This custom seems to have been started by the settlers of Yesud Ha'Ma'la, in the Galil, who planted 1500 trees on Tu B'Shevat, 1884.  Others in Israel demonstrated their enthusiasm by continuing this custom: the first avenue of trees in Tel Aviv was planted on Tu B'Shevat, 1910, by school children from Jaffa.  The holiday has become inseparably linked with the Jewish National Fund: the forests planted by the Jewish National Fund are familiar and significant signs of the growth of Israel.

The holiday continues to evolve, and new meaning is found in old customs and traditions.  In Israel, the day has been designated as the "Nature Festival," and Israel's Nature Protection Society organizes educational programs and excursions to nature reserves.  Other creative and enjoyable ways of celebrating Tu B'Shevat are being developed.  The focal point of these celebrations is the interrelationship between the trees of Israel, the land of Israel, and the people of Israel.

(American Zionist Youth Foundation in Cooperation with NEOT KEDUMIM, THE GARDENS OF ISRAEL)

Tu B'Shevat Seder

 

copyright 1996 by Rabbi Amy R. Scheinerman
all rights reserved

 

 


Please note: This seder service is copyrighted. You may copy it for use by your family. If you wish to use it for a synagogue, chavurah, or other use, you must obtain my permission. 

For pdf version of seder (easier to print out) click here. (The pages will appear in reverse order, but it will print out just fine.) 
For 
explanation of seder, click here.
For 
preparation instructions (foods and supplies you'll need, how to organize it, etc.) click here. 


 

We have joined together to celebrate the New Year of the Trees. Tu B'Shevat has long been a Jewish tradition, for Jews have always honored trees and appreciated the food, shade and shelter they provide. The custom of holding a Tu B'Shevat seder dates back to the Kabbalists who lived in Israel in the 16th century. Like them, we have gathered together to eat, sing, and rejoice in the miracle of the tree.

BA-RUCH A-TA A-DO-NAI E-LO-HAY-NU ME-LECH HA-O-LAM SHE-HE-CHE-YA-NU VE-KI-YE-MA-NU VE-HI-GI-YA-NU LAZ-MAN HA-ZEH.

Blessed are You, O Lord our God, ruler of the universe, who has kept us alive and sustained us and allowed us to reach this joyous occasion.

Four Questions for Tu B'Shevat

  1. Other new year celebrations honor people or events. Why do we have this special New Year to honor trees?
  2. On other days we eat all kinds of fruits. Why, on Tu B'Shevat, do we especially eat fruits from Eretz Yisrael, the Land of Israel?
  3. Here, and in much of the world, it is still winter. Why do we talk about trees and planting now?
  4. Since trees make their own seeds to reproduce, why do we celebrate trees by planting new seeds?

The First Cup: Apple Juice

With our first cup of juice, we honor the apple tree which grows here in our own community. It reminds us of all our community offers us and of the importance of celebrating and learning with the Jews around us. Jews live in small communities throughout the world, taking care of one another and celebrating together.

Long ago, there lived a righteous man named Honi. One day he saw an old man planting a carob tree. Honi said to him: "Foolish man, do you think you will live to eat and enjoy the fruit of the tree you plant today? It will not bear fruit for many, many years."

The old man replied: "I found trees in the world when I was born. My grandparents planted them for me. Now I am planting for my grandchildren."

Honi sat down in the shade of a nearby tree to take a short nap. But his short nap lasted 70 years! When he awoke, he was surprised to see a full-grown carob tree where the old man had planted a seed just before Honi fell asleep. An elderly man was picking its fruit. "Are you the man who planted this tree?" asked Honi.

"No," replied the man. "My grandfather planted it for me." And so Honi learned the importance of planting seeds for future generations. Our Torah is called Aytz Chaim, the Tree of Life. Jews in every community plant seeds for future generations by passing on traditions and learning from parents to children, as we do here today.

Together we share and enjoy the sweetness of fruits which grow in our community and in communities throughout our country: apples, walnuts, raisins. May each Jewish community, like trees, nourish and shelter its members.

BA-RUCH A-TAH A-DO-NAI, E-LO-HAY-NU ME-LECH HA-O-LAM, BO-RAY P-RI HA-AYTZ.

Blessed are You, O Lord our God, ruler of the universe, who creates the fruit of the trees.

With thanks that we are here celebrating Tu B'Shevat together, we sing:

 

How good and how pleasant it is when brethren live together!

 

HI-NAY MA TOV U-MA NA-YIM SHE-VET A-CHIM GAM YA-CHAD.

The Second Cup: Orange Juice

On Tu B'Shevat, we especially eat fruits which grow in the Land of Israel, such as figs, dates, peaches, mangoes, pomegranates, almonds and oranges. We will share together some of these now and enjoy the sweet juice of oranges.

The Land of Israel is the birthplace of the Jewish people. More than 3000 years ago, God made a covenant with Abraham, promising to make him a great nation and to give his descendants Eretz Yisrael. The Land of Israel has been important to Jews ever since.

For many years there was a Jewish nation in the Land of Israel. Then for nearly 2000 years, although Jews lived there, others ruled the Land. Today, there is once again a Jewish nation in the Land of Israel, called the State of Israel. Her people are our people. We are brothers and sisters.

On Tu B'Shevat we remember the Eucalyptus tree with which the early Jewish pioneers of the Land of Israel &emdash; called chalutzim &emdash; drained the swamps 100 years ago. The Eucalyptus can absorb tremendous amounts of water and the chalutzim were able to reclaim many dunams of land by planting them.

The early chalutzim sang this song while they planted:

 

We have come up to the Land,
we have tilled the soil and sown the seeds,
but we have yet to harvest our crop.

 

AR-TZA A-LI-NU, AR-TZA A-LI-NU, AR-TZA A-LI-NU (2)
K'VAR CHA-RASH-NU V'GAM ZA-RA-NU (2)
A-VAL OD LO KA-TZAR-NU (2)

 

As we share the fruits of the Land of Israel and drink the juice of the oranges grown on land which used to be swamps, let us recall our bond with the people of the State of Israel:

BA-RUCH A-TAH A-DO-NAI, E-LO-HAY-NU ME-LECH HA-O-LAM, BO-RAY P-RI HA-AYTZ.

Blessed are You, O Lord our God, ruler of the universe, who creates the fruit of the trees.

The Third Cup: Pineapple Juice

It is still winter here, but in the Land of Israel and elsewhere in the world, the rainy season is ending and the planting season is beginning.

Our third juice and our third plate of fruits come from around the world: bananas, coconuts, olives, apricots, pineapples. We will share some of them together today. They remind us of our obligation to Jews around the globe. We are our brothers' keepers.

Oil pressed from olives was used to keep the Ner Tamid (the Eternal Lamp) lit in the Temple in Jerusalem. It symbolizes the light of Jewish life, kept alive in small communities throughout the world.

Together let us enjoy some of these fruits from around the world:

BA-RUCH A-TAH A-DO-NAI, E-LO-HAY-NU ME-LECH HA-O-LAM, BO-RAY P-RI HA-AYTZ.

Blessed are You, O Lord our God, ruler of the universe, who creates the fruit of the trees.

It is a Jewish tradition for Jews around the world to send money to Israel on Tu B'Shevat to plant trees and help rebuild the Land. We will pass around a tzedakah box now and combine all our contributions to plant as many trees as we can.

The Fourth Cup: Fruit of the Vine

Our fourth cup is filled with wine or grape juice, the fruit of the vine. We began with a story about Honi, who learned the importance of planting for the future. We end with a vision of the future.

Our people has always dreamed of a day when hatred and war will be forgotten; a day when no one will go hungry and no one will suffer homelessness; a day when we will all care for one another and live together in peace. Our sages called it the Messianic Age.

Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai taught that as important as the messianic age is, if you are planting a tree when someone tells you that the Messiah has arrived, you should finish your planting, and then go to greet the Messiah. Trees provide food and homes and warmth and shade. They contribute to the building of the Messianic Age.

We contribute to making the world a better place when we become the best people we can be. A tzaddik, a righteous person, is often compared with the erez, the cedar tree, which grows tall, strong and proud. The cedar tree was used to panel the outside of the Temple in Jerusalem, a building dedicated to God's compassion and people's righteousness.

There is a song from the Bible which compares the righteous person to a cedar tree. Let us sing it together:

 

The righteous shall flourish like a date palm;
the righteous shall grow as tall as a cedar in Lebanon.

 

(Psalm 92)

TZA-DIK KA-TA-MAR YI-F'RACH YI-F'RACH )2
TZA-DIK KA-TA-MAR YI-F'RACH )
K'E-REZ BA-L'VA-NON YIS-GEH (2)
K'E-REZ BA-L'VA-NON YIS-GEH YIS-GEH.

R. Elazar ben Azaryah said: One whose wisdom exceeds his good deeds is like a tree with many branches but few roots: the wind comes and plucks it up and overturns it. But one whose good deeds exceed his wisdom is like a tree with few branches but many roots: even if all the winds in the world come and blow upon it, it cannot be uprooted. May our learning lead to good deeds which improve our world.

Instead of eating fruit this time, we will plant seeds for the future, as Honi did. We will plant parsley seeds in the hopes that we will enjoy our harvest this Pesach. On Passover, we recall how God saved our ancestors from slavery in Egypt. Then we open the door for Elijah the prophet who, according to tradition, will herald the redemption of the whole world: the Messianic Age.

Wine is our symbol of joy. We rejoice in the goodness of the earth and in the fruit of the trees. We rejoice in our families and those with whom we share this Tu B'Shevat seder. We rejoice in the accomplishments and promise of the State of Israel. We rejoice in the dream of world peace. And we rejoice especially in the dream of the Messianic Age and pray that it will soon become a reality.

BA-RUCH A-TAH A-DO-NAI, E-LO-HAY-NU ME-LECH HA-O-LAM, BO-RAY P-RI HA-GA-FEN.

Blessed are You, O Lord our God, ruler of the universe, who creates the fruit of the vine.

In every seed there is the promise of new life. May we, in our lives, plant seeds of wisdom, friendship and peace.

LE-SHA-NA TO-VA U-VE-RA-CHA P'RI U-TE-NU-VA.

May the year be fruitful and blessed!


 

 

Preparation for the Seder

It works best to hold the seder in a room with tables, such that everyone can sit at a table with a plate, cup, and napkin in front of them and a copy of the seder service in their laps. It will work well to arrange people sitting at a number of small tables clustered together. Prior to the seder, prepare 3 pitchers of juice (for the first three cups), a bottle of wine, and one of sparkling grape juice for those who do not drink alcohol, and 3 plates of fruits to accompany each cup of juice. The plates of fruit should contain small pieces of several of each fruit listed below, so that each participant can take a taste of each fruit offered. I recommend passing out juice and fruit at the beginning of each section of the seder, so that the flow of the liturgy is not interrupted.

First Cup: apple juice

First Plate of Fruits: apple, walnut, raisin

Second Cup: orange juice

Second Plate of Fruits: fig, date, peach, mango, pomegranate, almond, orange (chose several from among the list)

Third Cup: pineapple juice

Third Plate of Fruits: coconut, olive, apricot, pineapple, banana

Fourth Cup: Shabbat wine

Fourth Plate: In place of fruits, we pass around cups of dirt and parsley seeds and everyone plants parsley for use at their Pesach seder. Then we pass around a tzedakah container and use the money to plant trees in Israel.

 


 

Explanation of the Seder

The seder is structured in a similar fashion to the Passover seder, beginning with Shehecheyanu, and launched by Four Questions. The structure hinges on Four Cups, which introduce the themes of Jewish community and identity: the local community, the Jewish community in Eretz Yisrael, the global Jewish community, and the messianic dream. Each cup is accompanied by fruits which exemplify these themes.


Saturday, January 15, 2011

Happy New Year to the Trees! Tu b'shvat -Jews for Jesus

SATURDAY, JANUARY 15, 2011

Happy New Year to the Trees!

David BricknerBy David Brickner 
Jews for Jesus 

I know that the 2011 New Year's celebration is already a few weeks old by now but this week on the Jewish calendar, we actually celebrate another entirely different New Year … this time for trees. Really!

This "New Year" is a minor Jewish festival known as Tu B'shevat, meaning the fifteenth day of the Hebrew month of Shevat. It is spoken of in the Talmud as Rosh HaShanah La'Ilanot, or New Year of the trees. The holiday, celebrated this year on Thursday January 20, serves as a Jewish version of Arbor Day. Traditionally, we celebrate the day by planting trees and eating various fruits and nuts in accordance with Deuteronomy 20:19, "... for the tree of the field is man's food." Some people even celebrate with a Seder meal, not unlike the Seder meal that is part of Passover.

Of all the Jewish communities in the world, Tu B'shevat is by far most widely celebrated in Israel, where planting trees has been extremely important in the process of reclaiming and revitalizing that once arid and barren land. The Jewish National Fund has taken on much of the responsibility of reforestation in Israel. Many tourist groups, Jewish and Christian alike, take the opportunity to help in that process by purchasing trees to plant in Israel's forests. The last time I was in Israel, I had the privilege of planting trees in honor of Moishe and Ceil Rosen. The devastating fire in the Mount Carmel region lately probably lends even more importance to Tu B'shevat this month.

Trees are indeed important for many different reasons. Today I was driving to the Amtrak station in Washington D.C. The night before, a couple of inches of snow had fallen and was still clinging beautifully, almost magically, to the branches of all the trees lining both sides of the Potomac River. It was a majestic sight that reminded me of the artistry of our great Creator God.

Isn't it interesting that trees play such a prominent role in God's purposes for His creation? In the Garden of Eden, trees were a symbol of God's grace and provision for humanity — except for one special tree that served as a boundary between obedience and disobedience. God used that tree to instruct and to warn:

"And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, 'Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die'" (Genesis 2:16-17).
Likewise, the apostle John's vision of our eternal home in the New Jerusalem showcases the description of a tree that is truly wonderful beyond imagination and beyond anything we have seen on this earth:
"In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations" (Revelation 22:2).
From beginning to end we can see that our Creator God uses the majesty and meaning of the trees He has created to point us to Him.

Science has demonstrated how important trees are in maintaining a healthy atmosphere and balanced environment. Even though environmentalism is so often associated with political controversy, it is important to remember that God is the first and ultimate environmentalist. We who are His children worship the Creator and not the creation; nevertheless, our love for God should compel us to love what He has made and to be good stewards of the earth He has entrusted to us.

In addition to great beauty, there is an aura of mystery in the midst of a beautiful forest. Living in Northern California, I have often ventured into groves of the giant redwood trees. You can stand in the midst of these giants and listen to the wind whispering in those trees. It is such a wonderful and powerful experience; you can almost believe you are listening, like Adam, for the sound of the Lord God walking in the cool of the day. Every now and again you hear the groan and crackle of the trees as they sway in the wind. C.S. Lewis captured this sense of mystery through his imaginative personification of trees in The Chronicles of Narnia. But the mystery of the trees is far more than mere stories or fairy tales. There is a mystery that plays into the real redemption story that God planted in His very Word.

Why do you suppose that God through Moses told us that“he who is hanged on a tree is accursed of God" (Deuteronomy 21:23c)? Well, whenever God curses something in the Bible, we ought to pay close attention. The apostle Paul unlocked the mystery behind this unusual Scripture in Galatians 3:13, by quoting it in the context of what our Lord Jesus accomplished:

"Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, 'Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree')."
Y'shua's death on Calvary's tree was foreordained by God, established as His plan to redeem us from before the very foundations of the earth. Like those trees in the Garden of Eden, that tree symbolized God's grace and provision, along with His warning of the consequence of sin and separation from Him. When Messiah hung on that cross, that tree, He experienced on our behalf all the pain that sin (and separation and brokenness) has unleashed on this world since the Garden. And when He died on that tree the veil was rent, the curse was broken and the blood of His life shed for us indeed became "the healing of the nations." The cursed One became the source of ultimate blessing. The mystery once hidden has now been revealed and we who believe are now redeemed. Hallelujah!

I don't know what kind of tree that cross on which Jesus died was made from, but I am kind of glad I don't know. What happened on that cross means everything to me, but it's not a symbol I would choose to wear — mostly because many whom I am called to reach would misunderstand it. Sadly, the symbolism of the cross has been misused throughout history, especially with regard to the Jewish people. And as Moishe Rosen often pointed out, Jesus didn't wear the cross; that cross wore Him.

But the wonder of the cross is forever wedded in my mind to the wonder of a tree. That is a symbol that I can see and celebrate each and every day with joy and gratitude. And it isn't a bad thing to have a special day set aside like Tu B'shevat, a day to celebrate God's gift of trees. How I long for those who are celebrating this day to understand and celebrate, not just the mystery and gift of trees, but also the mystery and gift of the One who died upon that very special tree to make possible the healing of all the nations.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

The Seven Churches Chronology

The Seven Churches Chronology

Q. I have read about the seven Churches and that we are at this point in history considered the Church of Laodicea. Beginning with the first Church, Ephesus, what was it’s length of time and also the the length of time of the rest of the Churches leading up to present. I am curious to know the average length of time for each of these seven Churches.

 

A. Ephesus represents the 1st century Church.  Smyrna represents the 2nd and 3rd centuries.  Pergamus is the 4th century, and then things changed.

Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea are all still around. Thyatira is the Catholic Church, Sardis the main line protestants, Philadelphia the Evangelical Church, and Laodicea the Apostate Church.  Parts of Thyatira and Sardis will disappear with Philadelphia in the Rapture, leaving the rest with Laodicea to suffer the end times judgments.

Here’s a link to my three part study on the Seven Churches.

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Related Posts:

When I read the explanation, if you are like me, you say....OK so if this is accurate the question was How Long? And the answer is, Its Arbitrary.

That alone should raise RED FLAGS. 

 

1) How can one letter be 1 century and another letter half a century, and the the rest are 16 centuries long? 

OK.......

Here is the fact from the scriptures: The Bible was written for those in the past. The Bible was Written for those in the Present. The Bible is written for those in the Future.

ALL SEVEN LETTERS ARE WRITTEN:

For those in the Past, those is the Present, those in the Future

SOUND TO SIMPLE TO BE TRUE?

God is kinda funny that way. You really have to work at work at it to screw up what He is saying.

Michael James Stone


Will Psalm 111 Be Fulfilled in 2011?-J.R.Church

#Please Be Very Careful with J.R.Church material and statements.

Will Psalm 111 Be Fulfilled in 2011?

By J.R. Church on December 31, 2010


“Praise ye the LORD. I will praise the LORD with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation.

“The works of the LORD are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein.

“His work is honorable and glorious: and his righteousness endureth for ever.

“He hath made his wonderful works to be remembered: the LORD is gracious and full of compassion.

“He hath given meat unto them that fear him: he will ever be mindful of his covenant.

“He hath shewed his people the power of his works, that he may give them the heritage of the heathen.

“The works of his hands are verity and judgment; all his commandments are sure.

“They stand fast for ever and ever, and are done in truth and uprightness.

“He sent redemption unto his people: he hath commanded his covenant for ever: holy and reverend is his name.

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever” (Psalms 111:1-10). 
Since 1983, I have been intrigued by hidden prophecies in the Psalms. It is evident that they give the story of the return of the Jews to their Promised Land, beginning with 1901 and continuing psalm by psalm to this very day.

In the year 2006, I thought that the prophetic calendar in the Psalms had ended. I could not see the fifth book of the Psalms (107-150) as being prophetic of the years in the history of modern Israel.

It was easy to see the events of World War II in Psalms 39-45, and the birth of Israel in Psalm 48, etc., but I was skeptical of the last 44 psalms, which, according to the rabbis, corresponded to the Mosaic book of Deuteronomy.

Psalm 107

To my surprise, however, Psalm 107 seemed to touch upon 2007, as the UN replaced the Lex Mercatoria (the ancient Law of the Seas) with a new UN treaty. Psalm 107 speaks of these sea merchants reeling over troubled seas. The UN took control of the world’s oceans, thus controlling national sovereignty, navigation rights, international taxation, the environment, and energy production. In the hands of a powerful, unelected few, the UN is threatening the long tradition of freedom on the high seas — 70 percent of the Earth’s surface. Also, in 2007, the UN began talks on global warming under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and developed the “Kyoto Protocol.” Furthermore, representatives of the United States and the European Union signed a new “transatlantic economic partnership” at a summit in Washington DC, agreeing to set up an “economic council” to move ahead with regulatory convergence in some 40 areas, including intellectual property, financial services, business takeovers and open skies — the ability to fly to airports anywhere in Europe and America without the need for passports. Psalm 107 alludes to these subjects with a promise that the Messiah will soon come and judge the nations.

Psalm 108

I was also intrigued by a verse in Psalm 108, which speaks of casting a shoe: “Over Edom will I cast out my shoe” (Psalm 108:9). We all remember seeing an Iraqi newsman throwing his shoes at President George Bush! This verse is also given in Psalm 60:8. Well, believe it or not, 1960 was the year Russian President Nikita Kruschev banged his shoe on his desk at the United Nations and declared, “We will bury you!” Now, this may not be a major news event, and its connection to Psalm 108 may seem thin, but it seems to me that God is keeping us in touch with certain events, just to let us know to keep watching the Psalms.

Psalm 109

This psalm speaks of a wicked and deceitful ruler, who turns his back on Israel. David prays for God’s judgment upon him: “Set thou a wicked man over him: and let Satan stand at his right hand” (Psalm 109:6). 2009 was the year Barack Hussein Obama became president of the United States. Even T-shirts were produced with Psalm 109 written on them. Although they were condemned by Washington elites, the psalm, nevertheless, set a powerful theme for 2009.

Psalm 110

This is the most quoted psalm in the New Testament. It speaks of God’s Son sitting at His right hand until the time is right to return to Earth in Judgment. Perhaps the psalm is saying that 2010 is very close to the time for Christ to return, but not quite yet. Certainly, a lot of Christians looked to 2010 as a good year for the rapture, but it just didn’t happen. And that brings us to Psalm 111, and its possible relationship to 2011.

Psalm 111

As we look at Psalm 111, let us first look at the Hebrew layout of this psalm. Notice that the letters in red represent the Hebrew alphabet. Therefore, this is an alphabetic psalm. The famous rabbis, Rashi (A.D. 1040-1105) and Radak (A.D. 1160-1235), have both suggested that “the initial letters of the stitches of this psalm (after the first word “Hallelujah”) follow the sequence of the Hebrew alphabet” (Tehillim, Vol. 2, p. 1348).

The Hebrew Alphabet in Psalm 111

I think the alphabetic nature of this psalm represents a suggestion for today’s Jewish scholars to study Psalm 111 for its secret message — its Sohd level of interpretation. Perhaps it holds a special message for Israel during this year. As we shall see, the psalm contains a reference to Israel’s occupation of their Promised Land while an enemy also claims possession of it.

Hallelujah

Secondly, however, we need to note that this is the first of seven psalms that form a menorah design. Psalms 111, 112, and 113 begin with “Praise ye the LORD” (Hallelujah), while Psalms 115, 116, and 117 have a “Praise ye the LORD” (Hallelujah) following the last verse. We have three psalms that begin with Hallelujah and three psalms that end with Hallelujah. Psalm 114 stands in the middle of this menorah as the servant lamp. Psalm 114 demonstrates its light by saying that the sea fled and the Jordan was driven back. At what? “At the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Israel” (Ps. 114:7). God’s Shekinah glory is thus given as the light of this servant lamp.

The Hebrew Letter Dalet

 

Third, I should point out that among the letters of the Hebrew Alphabet, the s Dalet offers the key to understanding this psalm. The KJV renders verse two as “The works of the LORD are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein.” But the literal translation from the Hebrew text says, “Great are the accomplishments of Yahweh,accessible to all who want them.” This seems to be a better translation because of the meaning of s Dalet. This Hebrew letter refers to a “door” or “way” and can be easily determined, even when the meanings of the other letters are not always clear. In verse 2, the s Dalet is translated as “accessible.” That is, all devout Torah scholars can enter the secret realm of the Sohd level, as depicted in this verse, if only they desire to do so.

The Theme of Psalm 111

Following the “Hallelujah,” the psalm begins with “I shall thank Yahweh wholeheartedly, in the counsel of the upright” (v.1). The term “counsel” is literally translated as “the secret of the upright.” This alludes to the Sohd level of Jewish interpretation.

Rabbi Sforno (A.D. 1475-1550) comments: “The upright are the select scholars who have attained the highest levels of wisdom and have perfected their character in accordance with the lofty teachings of Torah. They have been initiated into the counsel of Divinity. The congregation refers to the novices who come to centers of Torah study to embark upon a program of instruction.”

But, Rabbi Radak said, “Israel in its entirety is described as a nation of upright scholars. The secret belongs to everyone.”

Rabbi Avrohom Chaim Feuer, editor of the Tehillim (p. 1349), wrote “The detached observer of cold, hard facts is oblivious to the broad Divine design which is imprinted on all natural phenomena. Only the Torah student who has learned how to identify the signature of Yahweh which is inscribed upon every molecule and atom of the universe can exclaim, ‘Great are the accomplishments of Yahweh!’”

The Theme Is Explained

In Psalm 111:6

In verse 6, David writes, “He hath shewed his people the power of his works, that he may give them the heritage of the heathen. The Midrash (Bamidbar Rabbah 23:11) relates that God said to the Children of Israel, “I could easily have created a new homeland for you, a glorious uninhabited land which you could have occupied without contention or combat. Yet, I specifically assigned you the Land of Canaan, where your settlement would be vigorously challenged. I did this so that I could perform miracles for you and show the world the strength of My deeds on your behalf!”

David says that God showed Israel His power in order to “give them the heritage of the heathen.” In other words, the Palestinians will eventually lose their claim to a Palestinian state.

This present-day contention will fester during the Tribulation Period and explode during the Battle of Armageddon. The Messiah will come to conquer the enemies of Israel and establish heaven’s kingdom. This is the theme of Psalm 111. This is the secret that Israel will learn — perhaps as early as 2011!

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

BPT: 'And the Moon into Blood'

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Posted: 10 Jan 2011 08:50 AM PST

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Posted: 10 Jan 2011 08:11 AM PST

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