![]() (by Rabbi Eh'bed Baw'naw of Kehilat Melech Mashyach) There were once two pairs of spouses. The first pair, the husband still had an infatuation with his ex wife. He was not consecrated to his current wife, and instead would bring up the bad instances that flowed from his former marriage. He would speak to his current wife about how his ex wife would snore, speak down to him, cheat on him, not allow him to watch sporting events, make fun of his profession. He would make note that he felt she was a bad mother and just all and all bad person. Every conversation with his current wife would be about his former wife and the anger and animosity he has towards her. The second pair however, the husband would not bring up his ex under any circumstance. His energy was focused on edifying his wife, being a servant to her, and in his eyes no other woman has ever existed in the entire world. He would come home from work and say "sweetheart, I am sure you are tired from watching the children all day and doing all that it is you do for them and myself. So I want you to not worry about dinner, go and lay down I'll cook dinner and take care of the children and wake you up for dinner". He would bring her flowers, jewelry and chocolates not because it was their anniversary or any other reason she could foresee but rather he did it because his focus is on her and he wanted to build her honor and vitality. The question then becomes this, "which husband displayed love towards his wife?" "If anyone says I have ahavah for Hashem and the Ach b'Mashyach he hates, he is a shakran. For the one not having ahavah for the Ach b'Mashyach of him whom he has seen, how can he have ahavah for the Elohim whom he has not seen? And this mitzvah we have from Him that the one having ahavah for Hashem should have ahavah also for the Ach b'Mashyach of him." (1 John 4:20) It has become in this day the status quo of the Hebrew roots movement to focus attention upon one's former religious institution, and to attack them on social media in podcasts, YouTube videos, blogs etc. The ideal is that by doing such things you will be considered a valiant warrior of emes for that of Hashem, and that one will be rewarded for doing so. This is a huge misnomer and a trap by the internal satan known as the yetzer hara who uses one's gevah (pride) or tzadakah shitla (self righteousness) to seek and destroy from one's inward being. For if one is immersed in seeking destruction of their former religious institution, they are like the husband who talks only about his ex and is a neglectful husband towards that of his wife. At some point the wife will say, "why don't you ever talk good about me? Why don't you ever focus on me? Why is it there is this huge wall between us so we can grow in echad (unity) together? ". The fact is because the husband is focusing so much on his ex he is neglecting his wife, and those in the hebrew roots who do this in towards their former religious institution are unable to consecrate themselves unto Hashem because they are too busy focusing on their ex, thus G-d is neglected because He is not the focus, instead the ex is the prime target of focus. The prideful will say that they are trying to bring a person to emes. My question then is, is not Hashem in control of not most things or some things or is Hashem in control of all things? For Yeshua said we should be the the tov pri (good fruit). Does an apple, orange, etrog, or banana choose who plucks it from the tree and takes a bite of it? God forbid, for all things are destined by Hashem, and all things are timed by Hashem because it is Hashem is the one who is in control. So therefore how does the pri become tov and how does it get picked and not the same fruit that is right next to it on the next branch over? The pri must be nourished with good soil, plenty of mayim (water) the pri must realize it's nutrients come from the branches that come from the trunk of the tree that sprouts from the soil and that the system was created by Hashem for it's own good and for the good of the one who plucks it and eats it. The fruit must be connected to the source to grow, if the stem of the fruit snaps it doesn't receive the nutrients to grow. It falls on the ground and it goes bad, not fulfilling it's purpose and the seeds of the fruit can become underdeveloped and not able to take root in the soil. So therefore it "bears no fruit" (Matthew 7:17). It did not fulfill it's purpose because it broke from it's source. The source in which all things come is Hashem. When we feel the source is da'as (knowledge) and we act nabal (foolish) and think da'as is all we need. So da'as and our own mind becomes our source and we break from the tree saying; "I got this". We are back to being again the first husband mentioned. Because it is not connected to it's source but relies upon it's own mo'ad (mind). "Trust in Hashem with all your lev, and lean not unto own own binah. In all your drakhim acknowledge Him, and He shall make yasher your orkhot (paths)." (Proverbs 3:5-6) When we make our focus Hashem, and we follow the Jewish path, and pursue derech Hashem we become fulfilled through things that are emes, tov, tiferet as opposed to things that are the antithesis of these things. For if we focus on hara (evil) and seeking out what is hara for reasons of "research" or "witnessing" etc, then we are not cleaving to Hashem. For our Melech Mashyach Yeshua said: "For where your otzar is, there also will be your lev." (Matthew 6:21) Focus not on the thing you wish to destroy, allow not your yetzer hara to build, because the goal of the yetzer hara is ultimately to kill your nefesh and your basar. Science has proven that the happier person, lives longer. When we focus on the bracha (blessing) from Hashem fulfillment comes, and worry ends because we realize that Hashem is in control of all things, when we realize this we also are able to better identify the tiniest bracha from Hashem and we get hooked on identifying the daily brachot (blessings) and connecting with his chesed (loving kindness) he bestows upon every one of us daily. And in turn we give todah (thanks) and we are more of a hakarat (grateful) person towards that of our Creator. We are closer and more bound to Him because of it because our focus is on Him. It is a millah (message) that we apply which will bring about real change all around. For as it says in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 in the original aramaic "Khoo-ba nagira hee roo-kheh wuh-va-seem khoo-ba la kh-sa-meh khoo ba mesh-te-gesh wuh-la met-khetar wuh-la sa-ar deh-veht-ta deh-yee-lah weh-la met-tapir weh-la met-ra-eh de-vesh la khada be-aw-la ah-la kha-da beh-koosh-ta kol medem me-see-bar kol medem ma-hi-meen kol mes-bar kol sa-vei" "Love is patient, and is kind; love is not envious; love does not shout loudly; and is not boastful; And does nothing that causes shame; and seeks not her own; is not passionate; and thinks no evil; (It) does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; (It) bears all things, believes all things, hopes for all, and endures all" |
The Blog
Theological Insights from Rabbi Eved Banah the North American Rebbe of Ani Judaism Archives
July 2020
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