Author: Steven R. Bruck

Parashah Mattot 2019 (Tribes) Numbers 30:2 – 32

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In the previous parashah, Moses had been reviewing the sacrifice requirements that were to be followed when the Israelites entered the land God promised to them. In this parashah, he begins by explaining the rules regarding when a vow is made. God had told Moses he was to die, but before that was to happen God had one more thing for Moses to do: destroy the Midianites.

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Moses took 1,000 warriors from each tribe and sent them to battle with Midian, in retribution for the sin they caused Israel to do at Ba’al-Peor. The 5 Midianite kings were killed, as well as all the males, and much booty was taken. The warriors had saved alive all the women and children, but this made Moses mad because these were the same women who, under the advice of Bilyam (who, by the way, met his end during this battle), had seduced the men of Israel into sin.  These captives were all killed, except for the virgin women. In accordance with the Torah, the men stayed outside the camp for 7 days, undergoing the cleansing ritual God had proscribed.

This parashah ends with the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half of the tribe of Manasseh asking to remain on the east side of the Jordon because they were cattle farmers, and that land was perfect for raising cattle. Moses said that unless they first go into Canaan and do battle with the other tribes to conquer the land, they could not separate themselves from the rest of the people. If they are willing to first fight alongside their brothers, then once the land was conquered they could return and have their own land outside of God’s Promised Land. They agreed to that, and Moses gave them his blessing to remain on the east side of the Jordon.

For the record: although we are told that half of the tribe of Manasseh stayed on the east side of the Jordon, in Numbers 26:29-32 we learn there are actually 8 sub-tribes of Manasseh and only 6 of those remained on the east side.

The subject of vows, specifically how a man (father or husband) is allowed to void the vow of a woman, would certainly be an interesting topic to discuss, given this age of empowerment of women and equal rights. However, although I am not a coward, I am not going there because I do have something else to discuss.

Rueben was one of the tribes that rebelled against Moses and Aaron in the desert, under the influence of Dathan and Abiram. Gad and Reuben had, I am sure, become close to each other because they were next to each other in both the camp and the march for 40 years. Now, Reuben, along with Gad and Manasseh, seem to be continuing on this path of rebellion.

Moses acquiesced to their request only on the condition that they fight alongside the other tribes to do as God had commanded them, and to make sure that the other tribes are as well settled as they would be, before they could completely settle in their own land, outside of God’s Promised Land.

And that brings me to the point of today’s message: they chose to reject God’s Promised Land because they liked what they saw and wanted it now, instead of trusting that God would provide for them later. Yes, the land there was favorable for cattle, but there were places in the land of Canaan that would have served just as well.  Their choice to live where they liked, instead of doing as God had told them and trusting in him to make sure they would be provided for, demonstrated more of the same faithlessness that resulted in the death of 250 of their leading men. Eventually, they would be conquered by the Assyrians and disseminated throughout the world.

How often do we think that what we have now is better than what we might get? It’s like being on Let’s Make a Deal, and Monty Hall is asking if you want the prize you can see before you or the one in the box that Johnny is bringing down the aisle now? I suppose that Gad, Reuben, and Manasseh felt that way when they saw the beautiful cattle land before them and had no idea what was on the other side of the Jordon. They decided not to trust that God knew what they needed and was able to provide it for them, so they said they will stick with what they have now. Even though they were told that they would be on their own, they decided to take what’s here now instead of trust in God for later.

How often do we do that? How many times have we accepted what we see in front of us and settle for something that may not be what God has planned for us because it is easy and here, now?  Why wait for something that may or may not be better when I see something I like that is here and available to me right this second?  This is what God meant when he warned Cain, all those years ago, that sin is crouching at his door and he must conquer it. The here and now is what this world loves, but God is not subject to linear time and his timetable is based on what he knows is best for each of us. We want it now, and God wants us to have it when we are ready for it- BIG difference! And you know what? His timing is always perfect, and ours is almost always wrong.

The message today is that we must trust in God and not trust in our own feelings. We are, by nature, impatient and when we want something that we know God hasn’t provided, we are asking for trouble. We may not want to follow all the instructions in the Torah because they are harder than listening to our religious leaders who tell us we don’t have to follow them all. We may see a baked goods display at a banquet during Hag haMatzot (the seven days of no leavened products after Passover) and decide that we can forego the fast just for now because we can start it again tomorrow.  Or maybe we will accept that invitation to go somewhere or do something we know we really shouldn’t be doing, but it just sounds like so much fun we can have and I am really bored right now.

Selfishness and pride will always lead us to the same place…Sheol. God knows what we need, God how much we need, and God knows the perfect time to give it to us. We, on the other hand, have no idea what we need, and whatever we think we need we want more of it than we really do need. And we want it N-O-W!!

Gad, Reuben, and Manasseh rejected the promise God gave them to provide a land rich in good things and accepted what they saw in front of them which they liked and wanted to have now. We all have that same potential to reject God’s good things promised to be given to us later for the good things the world offers us right this minute.

We think in terms of immediate satisfaction whereas God’s plans for us are eternal.

Let me finish today with this question: why settle for a moment of pleasure when you can have an eternity of joy?

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I wish you all Shabbat shalom and until next time, L’hitraot and Baruch HaShem!

How to Defeat Pridefulness

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Many believe that pride is a bad thing, and it usually is, but it doesn’t have to be. We can be proud of a job well done; we can be proud of our country, our friends, or even our way of life. We can be proud of the accomplishments we have achieved during our lifetime.

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I believe there is a difference between being proud of something and being prideful. Being proud is simply feeling good about what you have accomplished, knowing that you did it skillfully. Pridefulness is thinking that because your skills are superior, YOU are superior.

This feeling of self-importance and superiority is sinful, and the way to quell it is to be humble. Not false humility, but true humility.

As Shakespeare would say, “Ah! There’s the rub!”

As a Marine, I often say (what a United States Marines can rightfully say) “It’s hard to be humble when you’re the best!”

Of course, I am joking; yet, it does raise the question of how can anyone be humble when they know they are better at something than someone else? There is nothing wrong with being more skillful than someone else at a certain thing, or for that matter, nothing wrong with being less skilled than someone else.

God gave each of us certain gifts and talents, designed and meant to be used for his glory. The special gift or skill God gave doesn’t make you or me a better person than anyone else, it just means we can do something better than someone else. And maybe that is the best way to remain humble: realizing that no one is really any better a person than anyone else, it’s just that we each have different abilities, abilities which we did not give to ourselves but which were given to us.

I know people with advanced degrees in education who can’t boil water, and people with little more than a high school education who can finish the New York Times Sunday crossword puzzle in under an hour. Some people are capable of doing just about any kind of handyman work but can’t balance a checkbook, and others who have a mind for mathematics but can’t change a lightbulb.

I have achieved much in my life that many never could, and I have skills and abilities that many don’t. Because of this, I fight with pridefulness because I am also a human being, infused from birth with iniquity. It is only with God’s help through his Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) indwelling in me that reminds me I am nothing special. And I really, honestly know that to be true. I am not being falsely humble, and I can say that because God has provided me, and still does, many opportunities to realize just “un-special” I really am. I have been fired more than once, I have had a failed marriage, I have been bankrupt, my children disowned me ( thanks to God I have reconciled with my son), and I have many experiences that I cannot forget which demonstrated my immaturity, selfishness, and incompetence.

And I am truly grateful to God for putting me through this tsouris in my life in order to keep me in line.

Nebuchadnezzar is a great example of learning humility, and you can read about it in the Book of Daniel, Chapter 4.

The first step to defeating pridefulness is to recognize it in yourself, and here is a simple test:

When you feel proud of something are you thinking “Look at what I can do” or are you thinking, “Thank you, Lord, for the gifts you gave me which enable me to do these wonderful things”?  

Here is today’s final lesson: we can never really defeat pridefulness, we can only control it.

It is like any other sin, which means we are always subject to backsliding. People who have overcome drug addiction will not say they are cured, they will say they are “recovered” because they know that they could slide back into that dark and deathly lifestyle at any time if they do not maintain control.

I will finish with this: we are, every single one of us, a musical instrument and when we are played by God we can make beautiful music that can change the world.  On our own, we can’t do anything. Understanding, accepting and being thankful for this truth is how you can begin to defeat pridefulness.

Thank you for being here and please don’t forget to subscribe. I also welcome comments, all I ask is that you be nice.

Until next time, L’hitraot and Baruch HaShem!

Why Wait for Saturday?

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I am so brain dead today that I don’t want to do anything. I have to clean the house (it’s my turn this week) and I really don’t like doing that. I also have to work out but I may get a break since there are thunder and lightning storms due this afternoon and riding your bike in Florida during a lightning storm is tantamount to suicide.

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So I am thinking I may take my Shabbat early this week. Being retired, that is much easier for me to do then those who are still wage-slaves, yet most companies allow a personal day.

The Bible says to do all your work on the 6 days you are given and rest on the seventh, but I never saw anything that said you HAD to work for 6 days. There is nothing that says we can’t have more than one Shabbat during the week, so long as we don’t become lazy and slothful.

So I am taking a Shabbat rest on this non-Shabbat day, and even if you have to work, I suggest you consider doing the same thing. If you have to plan for it, then plan for it.

When I was working on Wall Street as a Department Manager with the Securities Transfer Division, I often would be at my desk, feet up and resting. People would ask why I wasn’t working, and my answer was, “I am enjoying my emergency time. I always plan some time during the day for an emergency, and since I didn’t have one yesterday, I am taking that emergency time now.”

Rest is good for the body and the mind, so make sure you plan for it. Too many of us get so obsessed with needing to do everything we can it becomes a drug that needs to be taken over and over. You know who I mean: the person who is always so busy they never get to do anything for themselves. They spend all their time doing for others until they are so burned out they can’t do anything, for anyone. That is not being a “good person”, that is being stupid and selfish, and self-destructive.

I guess I am going to have to clean the house, but I will skip the workout today. I usually work out 3 times a week, starting with a 15-minute metabolic exercise session, followed-up with working out on the gymnastics rings in the garage, finishing with an 18-mile bike ride. It’s a good workout, and I always feel better when I do it, but that ain’t happening today!  Today is a pseudo-Shabbat for me, and if you have the ability to do so, make it one for you, too.

Until next time, L’hitraot and Baruch HaShem!

 

Parashah Pinchas 2019 (Pinchas) Numbers 25:10 – 30:1

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At the end of the previous parashah, we read how Pinchus killed the Israelite man and the Midianite woman who were making a spectacle of Moses. Now, starting in this reading, God makes a covenant with Pinchus that his descendants shall all be high priests, because of the zealousness of Pinchus, which stayed God from destroying the sinful Israelites.

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Next, God orders a new census, and the results show very little difference in the overall number of the 12 tribes from 40 years earlier when they first came out of Egypt, although some tribes were significantly less, specifically Reuben, Simeon, Gad, Ephraim, and Naphtali. Note that when encamped and marching, Gad, Simeon, and Reuben were always next to each other; when I read this I remembered how Yeshua said a just little hametz in the dough spreads throughout it.

The new census confirms that all those who rebelled against God by refusing to enter the land when they first came to it were now dead.

There is one member of the tribe of Manasseh named Zelophehad, who never had a son but had 5 daughters, and they ask Moses for a ruling regarding their inheritance. God tells Moses that when a man has no sons, his daughters will be allowed to inherit the land, but they must marry within their tribe so that the land does not revert to a different tribe.

God has Moses climb a mountain to observe all the land and will soon be gathered to his people. Moses’s first response is not a plea for himself, but for the people to have a leader. Even when he is told he will die, his first thought is of protecting and caring for the people. God tells Moses to give some of his authority to Joshua by laying his hands on him in front of the entire assembly, and also before Eliezer the Cohen HaGadol.

The parashah ends with God reviewing the rulings regarding the daily and festival sacrifices.

When Moses laid hands on Joshua, symbolizing Moses giving his authority to Joshua, the Hebrew word used in that verse (Numbers 27:18) is:

וסםכת

which is pronounced “v-sam-chat”; from this word is derived the Hebrew noun Samicha (pronounced sah-me-cha), which in the Talmudic age meant to be given the rights and duties of a Rabbi. It is, in a way, a form of ordination.

We hear this word used in the Gospels. Not the Hebrew word, of course, because nearly every New Covenant Bible is based on Christian interpretation, but that word is what the one they used when the Pharisees asked Yeshua who had given him the authority to teach.

This occurs in Luke 20:2:

And spake unto him, saying, Tell us, by what authority doest thou these things? or who is he that gave thee this authority?

And in Mark 11:27-28:

After their return to Jerusalem, Yeshua was walking in the temple courts, and the chief priests, scribes, and elders came up to him. “By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you the authority to do them?”

The word that the Pharisees, Scribes, etc. would have used would have been “samicha”, which is what they were given when they were appointed to their position of authority. They were basically asking, “Who died and left you in charge?”

Yeshua’s answer was the typical Jewish response, which is to answer a question with a question. He never admitted to his authority coming from God, which should bring up the question, “Why didn’t he?”

I am not sure, but my guess is that it wasn’t yet time for his true mission on earth to be revealed. He told his mother when she asked him to help with the wedding that ran out of wine (John 2) that it wasn’t yet his time, and he also told his Talmudim (Disciples) not to tell people that he is the Messiah when that revelation was made by Kefa (Peter) in Matthew 6:13. Just the same way that when he healed people, many times he told them not to tell anyone that he did it.

Do we, as “Born Again Believers” also have a samicha? Do we have the authority to interpret the Bible, to preach, to advise or to explain to others about the kingdom of God?

I would say, “Yes, we do!”, because we have the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) indwelling in us and as such, we get a direct message from God. Well, we should- not everyone who professes to be “saved” acts the way they should. Myself, included. Yet, still and all, we are human and will never be as righteous as Yeshua was, so what we can do is take the samicha we have through the Ruach and use it as best we can, recognizing the tremendous responsibility we have to teach accurately and correctly.

And therein lies the biggest problem of all- how do we know we are teaching correct interpretation and leading people towards God, and not away from God? Even with the best intentions, we can deprive people of their salvation by leading them not to heaven but to Sheol with improper interpretation and wrongful teachings. As the old saying goes, “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.”

My answer to that question is …I don’t have an answer. I can only say that the best way to be secure in your own knowledge is to read the Bible, listen to people who demonstrate through their actions they are God-fearing (words mean nothing- people don’t mean what they say, they mean what they do) and ultimately ask God to show you what he wants you to learn from his Word. The same passage can have different meanings to different people, and each person could be correct in their own interpretation.

What I would also recommend, as I finish this message, is that when you hear someone tell you what something from the Bible means, and whether it sits well with your spirit or doesn’t sit well with your spirit, go to the Bible and verify for yourself what is written, and ask God to show you what he wants you to know from it.

I chose to listen to read the Bible daily, pray for understanding, listen to others, verify it in God’s Word, and decide for myself rather than just accept what I hear from someone simply because they have a samicha. My ministry is all about making sure that you know what you are doing and saying because we will all be held accountable for our actions, and for my money, I want to make sure that whether I am right or wrong, it isn’t because I was too lazy to check it out when I had the chance.

Thank you for being here, and please don’t forget to subscribe to both the website and my YouTube channel, as well (the link is above.)

I have been running a Gofundme campaign to raise money to buy bibles and Bible study materials for three rural Ugandan Messianic synagogues who have asked me for help, so if you haven’t donated I only have about a week left before I have to close this campaign, and I am way short of my goal, so please donate something. Here is the link:

Ugandan Messianic Synagogue Help

I always welcome comments and only ask that you be nice.

Shabbat shalom and until next time…L’hitraot and Baruch HaShem!

The Signs of the Time (to Come)

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I rarely talk about political issues on this website because I believe in the separation of church and state, so to speak, and this ministry is a teaching ministry, not a political one.

However, I do want to talk about the political divisiveness in our country, as well as the socio-political upheavals within Europe.

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Many countries in Europe have been overrun with Muslims, and they are literally taking over the countries they have migrated into through social reforms (if you can call despotic Sharia law reforming) resulting in the existing governments beginning to capitulate to their demands. Their population is growing at a phenomenal rate, while the indigenous populations are not only growing much slower but in fact, are not even growing at a rate that will be able to sustain the population. Some have predicted that at the current rate of population growth in many European countries, within just a few decades the indigenous peoples will no longer exist in their own country.

In America, the divisiveness over whether or not the President is good or terrible (there doesn’t seem to be any “grey” in this argument) has caused many people, even from the moment he took office, to call for his impeachment. There have been a number of accusations, but in the end, none have been proven viable, and some of the accusers later admitted to having lied.

All of this is, to me, a spiritual sign of the time; not really the times as they are, but the times to come.

The Antichrist will first come as a sort of peacemaker, someone who will bring us together, promote peace and social communion, and offer a program of government that will appeal to everyone. This is always a good thing, but when it is promised within the current environment of social, political, and economic unrest, it is significantly more appealing. After all, if we are doing well as a country, who needs what we (seemingly) already have? However, when people are so divided that even within families they argue vehemently, the promise of a universal solution to all our problems is like a drink of cool water after being in the desert for a year.

The Antichrist is supposed to create peace for 3 1/2 years, then will expose himself (or herself) and demand to be worshiped as God. By then, the mark will have been distributed, those who remain faithful will be persecuted, and the world will follow the Beast.

All of this, I believe, will be predicated upon the entire globe looking for a solution to the social, political, and economic unrest it has been suffering for years. I believe what we are seeing now are the “birth pains” that Yeshua talked about in Matthew 24:8.  We are seeing the foundations for a one-world government and one-world economy already being poured and formed. Eventually, there will be a one-world religion, as well, which may not be religion as we think it is, but a different type of religion. Maybe technology will be our new god and become a new religion (I think that is a definite possibility, if not already here) or sports, or something else that unifies people and promises them worldly rewards and pleasures. Whatever it is going to be, when politics, economy, and religion are controlled by the Antichrist, it will be too late for anyone to do anything about it.

At that point, we will be able to do nothing but maintain our faith and wait for Yeshua to sort it all out.

So, that is all I wanted to say today. I see the end of the world, as we know it, sinking in the West and in the East, the world as Revelation tells us it will be appearing on the horizon.

What do you see?

 

Thank you for being here. Please don’t forget to subscribe and comments are always welcomed, just be nice.

Please don’t hesitate to donate to the Ugandan Messianic Synagogue project I am running, which I will be closing at the end of this week. It is to send Bibles and Bible study materials to congregations in three Messianic synagogues in a rural section of Uganda, who all want to better know God and the Torah. Anything you send will help; here is the link to that Gofundme campaign:

Ugandan Messianic Help

Until next time, L’hitraot and Baruch HaShem!