Author: Steven R. Bruck
Are Different Versions of the Bible a Problem?
If you go to a book store, to the Religion section, and look for a Bible, you will see many different versions. A quick Google search shows no less than 35 different versions of the Bible.
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Even more confusing is the fact that all these different versions have been translated into hundreds of different languages, each with its own challenge to express the proper meaning and not have it lost in translation, resulting in the situation where now we have so many different versions of the Bible in the world that it is impossible to find two different versions that match, exactly.
In fact, from what I understand about copyright laws, there is a limitation on how many verses can be written exactly the same (somewhere around 500) without written permission from the author, and they cannot be presented as an entire work.
In other words, it is illegal (at least here in the USA) to have two different versions of the Bible that are exactly the same.
So, nu? If the Complete Jewish Bible says one thing, and the New International Version says another thing, and the King James Version says something completely different, which one is correct?
I could give examples of these differences, but that would take more time than is necessary, so if you don’t believe there are significant differences, just use whichever search engine you like (Google, Bing, Mozilla, Yahoo, for example) and do a search for a few of your favorite verses, then compare the “hits” you get. I am sure you will be amazed at how different some of them are.
For me, there is one version I would never recommend, and those are the ones that call themselves extended language versions. The reason is that they are “filling in the gaps”, so to speak, of what is written that may be difficult to comprehend, or they just add a lot of words to try to make some things easier to understand. We are told, very plainly, in Deuteronomy (more than once, in fact) that we should not add to or remove any words from the book, so (in my opinion) by God’s command these extended language versions are just not the place where you want to get your information from.
So, again, who do we believe? How we can trust what we are told is “God’s Word” when the word, itself, is so different?
My belief is that we can trust what we read, no matter which version we read it from, so long as we read it trusting not in written words in a book, but in God’s Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) to give us the true understanding of what God is telling us.
And my belief is founded in what Isaiah heard God say, which was that God’s word will never return void (Isaiah 55:11)!
So, when people argue the Bible is untrustworthy because it has so many differences between different versions, or that the Zachariah mentioned in Luke is not the same Zachariah mentioned in Matthew or any other number of apparent discrepancies within the Bible and between Bibles, my reply is that human error will be found in anything humans do, but God can overcome human error.
The way God does this is through his Holy Spirit in those who have accepted it, and USE it when reading the Bible. Yes, we can have the Holy Spirit but ignore it, if we choose to, and often (too often!) I have heard people say things that aren’t from the Bible, but from their own flesh, yet they use the Bible to justify what they want.
I am sure you have run into this, as well- someone who clearly has decided what they want the Bible to mean, then pull passages and verses out of context in order to prove their point.
You usually cannot argue effectively with these people because they are the living example of the old saying “I have already made up my mind- don’t confuse me with facts.”
The most important thing about the Bible is that it tells us how to worship God and how God wants us to treat each other. God doesn’t have any religion, just his instructions to us; and when I say “us”, I don’t mean just Jews, I mean everyone. God told Moses that the Israelites would be his nation of priests (Exodus 19:6), which means priests to the world, and as such the instructions God gave to the Jewish people through Moses are meant to be taught to the world. That is why he told Abraham, long before the Torah was given, that his descendants would be a blessing to the world.
Let’s face it, salvation is the goal we all want, and every Bible ever written will have one thing that will always be understood to have the same meaning: Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness. In other words, it is through faith, and faith alone, that we can be saved.
The problems start after this, usually with the confusion about faith and works, but that’s for a different message.
The Bible is not God- it is a book about God. And since it is written by humans, it will have faults. The most dependable word of God is the Torah, and I mean a Hebrew Torah because of all the painstaking steps that are employed when copying one Torah to another; for example, did you know that when the Sofer (Scribe) copies one new Torah from another, one of the tests they use to ensure accuracy is that every single letter is counted to make sure nothing is missing?
Read the Bible, read whichever version you find easiest to understand, but never read it without first praying to God to give you HIS understanding of what the words are supposed to mean. Remember that Yeshua didn’t teach just the P’shat, which means the literal meaning of the words, but he taught the Remes, which is the deeper, spiritual meaning of the words, so don’t let different words or what seem to be discrepancies confuse you.
Know what God wants you to learn from his word by praying for guidance by, and listening to, the Ruach HaKodesh, which God will help you hear when you ask him to do so.
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Until next time, L’hitraot and Baruch HaShem!
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Parashah Vayyera 2020 (And he appeared) Genesis 18 – 22
The major events that occur in this reading are the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, the creation of the peoples of Moab and Ammon through the incest of Lot’s daughters with their father (after his wife is turned into salt), the birth of Isaac, the sending away of Ishmael, and what we call the Akedah, the story of the Binding of Isaac.
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We also read of twice how Abraham caused Sarah to be taken as someone else’s wife in order to protect his life, a weakness of faith that shows Abraham was still, after all, human.
You know what? Let’s make that today’s lesson: a truth that is simple, straight-forward, and easy to understand is that no matter how faithful we are, we are still human and still subject to human weaknesses, such as pride and fear. And it is more than probable, actually, expected, that each and every one of us will show some level of faithlessness at times.
I want to talk about this because too often when we deal with either other Believers or (especially) non-Believers if we show weakness or anger or any regular, human emotion, it will be used as a weapon against us to weaken our resolve or to denigrate God’s word.
How many times have you heard the accusation, “And you say you’re a godly person! Hah! If you’re so godly, why are you doing (whatever)?”
Those people who do not believe in God or want to prove that obedience to the Torah is wrong will use your weakness as their excuse for acting as they want to. If I curse or get angry, or do something wrong, they take that as proof that being obedient doesn’t work, because I did not do right.
The fact that I am always going to have iniquity (the innate desire to sin), no matter how “holy” I am, is no proof that being obedient is useless or wrong. It is simply proof that I am made of flesh, and no matter how spiritual I try to be, you can’t be a living, flesh-and-blood human being and not have weaknesses.
Yochannon the Immerser said of Yeshua, in John 3:31:
The One who comes from above is above all. The one who is from the earth belongs to the earth and speaks as one from the earth.
Therefore, since we are all of the earth, we will always belong to the earth, in one way or another. A leopard cannot change its spots or an apple tree give forth pears, so we who are born of a woman and are of the earth will always be of the earth. No matter how spirit-filled we want to be or try to be, we can never escape who we are.
Perhaps this is why Yeshua, when (in Matthew 19:24) speaking of the rich man, said that when it comes to entering heaven, it is impossible for men to do so, but with God, all things are possible. Even though Yeshua was specifically talking about rich people, the fact is that entering heaven as a spotless lamb, as Yeshua was, is impossible for humans because we are made of flesh, and heaven is of spirit.
It is not useless to try to do as God instructs, and when you backslide or slip, do not chide yourself. That is what the Enemy wants you to do- the Accuser wants you to accuse yourself of being a failure, and to give up trying to be what you can never be. It is true that we can never be sinless, but that is why Shaul told the Corinthians in his second letter to them that in our weakness, God’s strength is made manifest!
That’s the point! We are weak, we cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven from our own power, and only because of God’s grace given through his Messiah are we able to enter heaven. That is why we will have resurrected bodies- bodies that are not from the earth but from above, spiritual beings no longer fettered with flesh.
Don’t let your weaknesses or failures dishearten or depress you, but use them as building blocks to build up a better you. The most effective and lasting lessons are the ones we learn the hard way; when we sin and, because of the Ruach HaKodesh inside of us, feel the pain of doing so, we can better overcome what our flesh desires.
After all, why do you think security firms hire hackers? It is the ones who have been sinners and now choose not to sin who are best qualified to teach and protect others.
When I went to college and grad school, the best teachers were the ones who taught the night classes because they were working in the industry during the day- they’re the ones who had real-life experiences to share, not just book-learning.
When you go to take self-defense courses, you look for the school with the trophies in the window because they have experienced in the real world what they are teaching in the Dojo.
Let’s finish with this: if, and when, someone accuses you of being a hypocrite because you preach about sinlessness but you, yourself, sin, tell them that is the reason why you can preach about being sinless. It takes one to know one and being a sinner you are best qualified to tell others about it. Remember that Shaul called himself the number one sinner! And now, having accepted Yeshua as your Messiah, you know that you aren’t the one who will eventually overcome sin, but it will be God’s spirit within you that gives you the victory.
We can never be sinless, but we can always sin less.
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Until next time, L’hitraot and Shabbat Shalom!
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God’s Punishment Proves His Love
We all know there are more than one or two proverbs about how we should not avoid disciplining our children, which means that punishment is mandatory for raising a child correctly.
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But if we punish them, it causes them pain and can even traumatize them, so if we harm and traumatize our children does that mean we don’t really love them?
Of course not!
All God’s creatures need to be taught what is good and what is bad for them, whether it be a mother lion teaching her cubs to avoid the cobra or a human mother teaching her child to stay away from strangers. All youngsters need to learn what is useful and good for them, and what is harmful, and since humans are, by nature, rebellious and curious, the lessons often need to be accentuated with a slap on the tuchas to demonstrate that doing wrong hurts.
God loves his children more than any human ever could, and being God, his punishments can be more terrible than any human could come up with.
The main difference between human punishment and God’s punishment is that humans almost always punish when they are frustrated and angry. Too often, because humans are self-absorbed and prideful, parents will punish as much because the child isn’t listening to them as because of what the child is doing, and often we punish others as a means of “getting back” at them.
God punishes us for disobedience, as well, but he has no prideful desire to get back at us, and when he punishes it is usually after a long and drawn-out period of him putting up with our rebellion and sin. Humans punish pretty much right away, but God waits a long time before issuing his punishment because he loves us so much, he wants to give us more than enough time to repent before we have to suffer the consequences of our actions.
And when we repent, we are forgiven. But, although we have forgiveness through Yeshua the Messiah, that fact is not going to save you from the consequences of what you do while you are alive. Forgiveness of sin through the Messiah is on an eternal plane, and is meant for our spiritual beings; while we are on the earth, we will suffer for our sins.
Another thing about God’s punishment, which is usually referred to in the Tanakh as God’s curses, is that he doesn’t really do anything to us; he will simply leave us alone. The world is a cursed and fallen place and when you separate yourself from God by sinning, he will simply stop protecting you from the world. Without God’s kippur (covering) of protection, it is you against the world, and I don’t have to tell you who will win that battle.
However useful punishment can be, it is a two-edged sword: it can humiliate us to the point where we stop doing what we want to do and realize that God’s way is best, or we can become angry and more rebellious, blaming God for the problems we have (which we caused) and turn further away from him.
Humility and knowledge of the Bible are things, in my opinion, which will help us choose to have the right reaction to God’s punishment, and believe me, it is always our choice how we react. Whether we obey or reject God, it is always our decision, and even if you are following the teachings of another, it is your decision to accept those teachings as valid.
“I was just following orders” did not save anyone at the Nuremberg Trials, and it certainly won’t save you from God’s judgment.
If you feel you are being punished by God, be grateful that he loves you enough to try to steer you back into communion with him, and for your own sake, humble yourself and listen to him. God has told us in his Torah all we need to know in order to worship him correctly and treat each other as he wants us to do; and, when we do that, we will be blessed- that is his promise, and he always keeps his promises.
Read Deuteronomy 28 and see what wonderful blessings you can have for simply living your life as God instructs; and, while you’re there, after the blessings read the punishments that will follow if you choose to ignore God.
Punishment is necessary for learning- that’s just the way it works. If you ever have to punish someone, do so using God’s example, and don’t punish from anger or spite or a need for revenge, but do so with love and desire to help the one you are punishing; if you can do that, then you may just save their life.
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Are Man-Made Holidays Bad?
As we come closer to Christmas, we will begin to see the numerous postings about this holiday, about how it is pagan, and about how no “real” Christian should celebrate it.
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We will also see postings to justify Christmas, saying just because it is celebrated on the same day as an old pagan holiday, that doesn’t make it a pagan celebration.
We will see the same spurt of nonsense come April regarding Easter.
I say it is all nonsense because I know that anything being done in Yeshua’s name or which honors Yeshua and/or God is OK by him.
How do I know that? Simple: Yeshua said so.
Both the Gospels of Mark and Luke relate how the Talmudim (students) of Yeshua told him of a man that was driving out demons in Yeshua’s name, and they told him to stop doing that because he wasn’t one of them. Yeshua told them they were wrong to do that.
This is what he told them:
Mark 9:40– For whoever is not against us is for us.
Luke 9:50– Yeshua said to him, “Don’t stop such people, because whoever isn’t against you is for you.
Yeshua understood that whatever was done for good in his name or that brought glory to God was something that confirmed he is the Messiah, and as such, could never be used against him, meaning to deny God’s power and authority.
In plain English, whatever we do that gives honor and glory to God (or his Messiah, Yeshua) is a good thing.
So what’s this have to do with Christmas and Easter?
I’m glad you asked
These Christian holidays, which (for the record) being Jewish I never really cared about, anyway, are man-made, they are not biblical, and they are, essentially, a rebranding of an old, pagan holiday. But they do not celebrate the pagan gods; they celebrate, respectively, the birth and resurrection of the Messiah of God, and as such they bring glory to God.
And, because Yeshua said that whatever is done for him is not against him, i.e. it is a good thing to do, then these holidays must be acceptable to Yeshua.
And what is acceptable to Yeshua is acceptable to God.
Despite the modern-day commercialization of, or the original reason for those days to be celebrated, Christmas and Easter are good things, and celebrating them to honor and glorify Yeshua and God is also a good thing.
And, for that matter, any man-made holiday created to glorify God or the Messiah is a good thing.
Now, if you still feel that because these are man-made holidays or because they were originally celebrations to glorify pagan gods, therefore they shouldn’t be celebrated, then go ahead and reject them. That’s fine- they aren’t required celebrations according to God’s instructions in Leviticus 23, and choosing not to celebrate them is not a sin or condemnable.
But telling others that they shouldn’t celebrate is no different than what the disciples did when they tried to stop the man expelling demons in Yeshua’s name, which Yeshua said was a wrong thing to do.
Whoever is not against is for, so anything we do in order to honor and glorify God or Messiah is a good thing.
And that comes straight from Yeshua, himself!
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Until next time, L’hitraot and Baruch HaShem!
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Parashah Lech Lecha 2020 (Get thee out) Genesis 12 – 17
This parashah introduces us to Abraham. We are told how he was called out of Ur and traveled to a place he did not know, trusting in the Lord to guide him. His travels led to Egypt during a famine, where Sarah was taken as wife to the Pharaoh but not shamed because God intervened (this happened twice during Abraham’s travels, mainly because to protect his life he had Sarah say she was his sister. )
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Having taken his nephew, Lot, with him they found their individual possessions intermixing and so, in order to maintain peace between them, Abraham asked Lot to choose which way he will go, and Abraham would go in the opposite direction. Lot chose the better land near to Sodom. Later, when Sodom and Gomorrah are attacked, Lot and his family are taken captive, but Abraham rescues them and returns them, as well as the other captives, to their homes.
God makes a covenant with Abraham, telling him that he will have a son and that his descendants will be a blessing to the world.
Sarah, still childless, tells Abraham to have a child for her through Hagar, her handmaiden, which he does and Ishmael, the father of the Arab nations, is born.
Ishmael is 13 years old, and Abraham 99 when God again comes to Abraham and says that at this time next year he will have a son through Sarah, and orders Abraham to circumcise all the men as a sign of the covenant between God and Abraham’s descendants, forever, which Abraham does that very day.
There is too much in this parashah to cover in a single message, and as I was thinking of what to say, what message God might give to me, I looked at the haftorah reading.
The haftorah, for those who may not be familiar with it, is a reading from the other books of the Tanakh which is related to the Torah reading. It is read after the Torah reading and before the Rabbi gives his drash.
Today’s haftorah is from Isaiah 40:27 – 41:16. In this section of Isaiah, he gives comfort to the exiled Jews, reminding them that God’s promises are forever and trustworthy, so even in the despair of their exile, they can be confident that God has not forgotten them and has plans for their return to Israel.
From this reading, I think I know what I am supposed to talk about today.
God doesn’t work on a timetable that we design: his timing is always perfect, his rescue is always just when it is needed, and he knows best what we need. We, for our part, must maintain faith and trust in God, despite the horrific events that may be occurring in the world.
God promised Abraham that his descendants would be a blessing to the world, and that promise has been fulfilled, many times.
The Jewish population throughout the world is roughly 2 out of every 1,000 people, yet nearly 28% of all Nobel prizes ever awarded have been awarded to Jews!
Israel, today, is a world leader in all types of technology, from cyber safety to agriculture to medical advancements. In the midst of the current Coronavirus pandemic, which is causing people to wear protective facemasks, did you know that Israel has developed a mask that is guaranteed to kill the coronavirus? It is reusable and guaranteed for an entire year (if you are interested, go to sonoviatech.com.)
Did you know that Israel has developed a system for agriculture that gets water from the air? They have turned a desert into a garden, for Pete’s sake! They have also developed systems for communication, computers, mathematics, energy (a solar rooftop system for heating water), fish farming without needing to be near water, drip-irrigation system for growing in a water-less environment, military defense systems, a bionic walking assistance system that allows paraplegics to stand, walk, and even go upstairs!
Did you know that the instant messaging system now used by AOL was first developed by an Israeli?
And there are many, MANY other inventions developed by Israelis, in and out of Israel, which have been helpful to humanity.
And let’s not forget the greatest blessing ever delivered to any peoples or nations: the Messiah! That’s right- he was a descendant of Abraham, too.
When we go through tsouris (troubles), as we are going through right now with COVID, elections in the USA, and world-wide invasion of satanic influence and terrorism, we can take comfort in knowing that no matter how hard the world (meaning Satan) tries to destroy the Jews, God will not allow that to happen. And as long as there are Jews in the world, there will be blessings for the world.
For those who hate Jews and want to see Israel destroyed, not only will that be like killing the goose that lays the golden eggs, but God also told Abraham that those who curse his descendants will, themselves, by cursed (Genesis 12:3), so maybe you should think twice before planning to destroy Israel.
Look at all the mighty nations throughout history that have attacked and tried to destroy God’s chosen people: the Assyrians (gone); the Babylonians (gone); Greece, during the time of Alexander the Great tried to destroy Judaism, and look at Greece now; Europe sent the Crusaders and now look at it; during the Spanish Inquisition Spain was a world power which slaughtered hundreds of thousands of Jews who refused to convert, and now they are a poor and impotent nation; the Nazi’s tried to kill off the Jews and although they are not all gone, they are pretty much destroyed; and despite the many attempts by Syria, Jordan, and Egypt (not to mention the other Arab nations surrounding little Israel), every time they come against Israel they get their tuchas beat. The only reason, if you ask me, that these Arab nations are still around is because of God’s promise to Hagar and because they are Ishmael’s descendants and thereby, also descendants of Abraham.
Who knows? Maybe if the Arab’s would stop trying to destroy their Jewish brothers and work with them, then the Arabs would also be a blessing to the world. As it is now, they are a bane to humanity, giving birth to Hamas, ISIS, Al Quaida, and other terrorist organizations that are invading and causing trouble throughout Europe and the United States.
God’s promises are 1000% trustworthy and dependable, and when we maintain our faith in God, we will be blessed. Maybe not always in this plane of existence, but certainly throughout eternity, which (after all) is what I look forward to: don’t you?
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Until next time, L’hitraot and Shabbat Shalom!