A while back I wrote on the Hebrew word elohim and how its meaning can differ depending on its surrounding context. Sometimes the word can refer to the one and only true G-d of Israel and at other times it refers to the false gods of the pagan nations. Along similar lines, today we are going to explore the meaning of the Hebrew word mal’ach that also depending on its surrounding context can undergo alterations in its meaning.
First of all, as a direct translation, the word mal’ach (plural form is mal’achim) simply means a messenger. In Scripture it can sometimes refer to human messengers like a normal mail carrier for the king or even prophets who have been commissioned to deliver a message from G-d or it can refer to angels. In the Bible, the word is used 103 times concerning human messengers and 111 times concerning heavenly messengers (King James Version).
Unfortunately, sometimes this word is incorrectly translated into angel when it should have just been translated as messenger. When the word is specifically referring to heaven-sent angels, there will be an accompanying spiritual reference next to the word such as Malach elohim or Malach adonai or one will be able to tell from the context that the type of “malach” in question is actually a spiritual being. For example, the messengers that were sent to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah in the original Hebrew are only called “malach” but given the supernatural powers they exhibited, we know that indeed they were angels. However, in more cases than not, when malach is used by itself, it usually means a human messenger.
Let’s take a look at Genesis Chapter 32, verses 1 through 3.
“Jacob also went on his way, and the angels of God met him. When Jacob saw them, he said, “This is the camp of God!” So he named that place Mahanaim. Jacob sent messengers ahead of him to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, the country of Edom.”
Now in the original Hebrew, the words are translated as follows:
Angels of God→Malachim Elohim
Messengers→Malachim
Note: im is added when one wants to pluralize a noun.
For today’s closing inspirational thought, I would like to stress that as Christians, in a sense we have been called to be malachim for G-d and be brave and bold witnesses when it comes to taking a stand for a Biblically-ordained holy life and the messianic credentials of Jesus. L-rd, help us to be faithful malachim for your Word and your kingdom.
Amen.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Man and Woman איש-ish and אשה-ishah
In the beginning G-d created Adam, the first man from the dust of the earth and breathed His life into him. He then placed Adam in the Garden of Eden where he had an abundance of food to eat. However, there was a problem. Sensing Adam’s loneliness, G-d creates a variety of animals from the dust of the earth. It seems to do the trick for a while as Adam keeps himself busy naming the different wildlife. Nevertheless, there is still something wrong. There is a void in Adam’s heart as none of the wild creatures he finds himself surrounded by will ever prove to be suitable partners for him.
So G-d puts Adam in a deep sleep, takes a rib out of the man and creates a woman. When Adam awakes and encounters this new creature G-d has made for him, he exclaims the following as related in Scripture:
“"This is now bone of my bones, And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man." 24 For this cause a man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.”-Genesis 2:23
The Hebrew word for man is “ish” and for woman is “ishah”. The “ah” ending of ishah literally means “out of”. Hence, while man was created directly from the dust of the earth, woman was different. She was taken directly from man. While there is nothing wrong with feeling a sense of companionship with animals, which is the reason why people keep pets, it is a far cry from entering into an intimate relationship with a significant other from the opposite sex.
Here we are given the Biblical model of what constitutes a perfect marriage. One man and one woman joined together as one flesh. Another interesting point that needs to be made is that “ishah” is also the same word used for “wife”. In other words, from a Biblical Hebrew perspective, a wife can only be a female! Not a man! Or even a woman that used to be a man (prior to her operation). Furthermore, in spite of the polygamy prevalent throughout scripture, one man marrying many females is also not condoned by G-d. One need go no further than Genesis to find the perfect prescription for a perfect marriage.
“Therefore shall a ish leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his ishah: and they shall be one flesh.” –Genesis 2:24
L-rd, let us not be swayed by the increasing evil ways of this world that would have us believe that pre-marital fornication, multiple divorces or even a marriage between two men is a suitable alternative.
Amen.
So G-d puts Adam in a deep sleep, takes a rib out of the man and creates a woman. When Adam awakes and encounters this new creature G-d has made for him, he exclaims the following as related in Scripture:
“"This is now bone of my bones, And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man." 24 For this cause a man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.”-Genesis 2:23
The Hebrew word for man is “ish” and for woman is “ishah”. The “ah” ending of ishah literally means “out of”. Hence, while man was created directly from the dust of the earth, woman was different. She was taken directly from man. While there is nothing wrong with feeling a sense of companionship with animals, which is the reason why people keep pets, it is a far cry from entering into an intimate relationship with a significant other from the opposite sex.
Here we are given the Biblical model of what constitutes a perfect marriage. One man and one woman joined together as one flesh. Another interesting point that needs to be made is that “ishah” is also the same word used for “wife”. In other words, from a Biblical Hebrew perspective, a wife can only be a female! Not a man! Or even a woman that used to be a man (prior to her operation). Furthermore, in spite of the polygamy prevalent throughout scripture, one man marrying many females is also not condoned by G-d. One need go no further than Genesis to find the perfect prescription for a perfect marriage.
“Therefore shall a ish leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his ishah: and they shall be one flesh.” –Genesis 2:24
L-rd, let us not be swayed by the increasing evil ways of this world that would have us believe that pre-marital fornication, multiple divorces or even a marriage between two men is a suitable alternative.
Amen.
Friday, July 8, 2011
Breath נְשָׁמָה-neshemah
One interesting characteristic of Hebrew is that it is a root-based language. It takes a base word and via some slight vowel sound alterations or the addition or subtraction of a consonant, it expands on the original meaning. However, no matter how much transformation the word undergoes, its original essence is never lost. For example, this is sort of similar to the connection between the words “water” and “wet”. Although different in meaning, spelling and pronunciation, the etymological similarity between these two words is very apparent.
So keeping that in mind, let’s take a look at an interesting Hebrew word that appears frequently in Scripture. In Genesis 2:7, the Scripture states that G-d breathed the breath of life into the man he had made. The word for breathed in Hebrew is “naphach” and the word for breath is “neshemah”. Do you notice the root word similarity? In other words, “G-d naphach the neshemah of life into the man he had made.” Incidentally, do you remember what the Hebrew word for life is? It is “chai” (singular-life) or “chayyim” (plural=lives). Now what is interesting is that the Hebrew expression for a living being is “chai nephesh”. So we can see that the biblical definition of a living creature is one that has the G-d-originated breath of life breathed into it.
Now another point that is absolutely astounding is that the Hebrew word for “soul” comes from this same word “nephesh”. So man is not just flesh and blood but there is an invisible spiritual force that is part of his makeup. Furthermore, this intangible thing that gives humans and animals life comes from outside the physical universe. Life could not have originated from some biological chemical soup. Without the “neshemah chayyim”, life is just not possible.
Let us thank our L-rd for the “neshemah chayyim” he has breathed into us.
Amen.
So keeping that in mind, let’s take a look at an interesting Hebrew word that appears frequently in Scripture. In Genesis 2:7, the Scripture states that G-d breathed the breath of life into the man he had made. The word for breathed in Hebrew is “naphach” and the word for breath is “neshemah”. Do you notice the root word similarity? In other words, “G-d naphach the neshemah of life into the man he had made.” Incidentally, do you remember what the Hebrew word for life is? It is “chai” (singular-life) or “chayyim” (plural=lives). Now what is interesting is that the Hebrew expression for a living being is “chai nephesh”. So we can see that the biblical definition of a living creature is one that has the G-d-originated breath of life breathed into it.
Now another point that is absolutely astounding is that the Hebrew word for “soul” comes from this same word “nephesh”. So man is not just flesh and blood but there is an invisible spiritual force that is part of his makeup. Furthermore, this intangible thing that gives humans and animals life comes from outside the physical universe. Life could not have originated from some biological chemical soup. Without the “neshemah chayyim”, life is just not possible.
Let us thank our L-rd for the “neshemah chayyim” he has breathed into us.
Amen.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Life חַיִּים-chayyim
In the Genesis account of G-d’s creation of man, verse 7 states that “the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.”
An important principle is established here. YVHW and only YVHW alone is capable of creating life. All of the scientists in the world with their wacky and wild Frankenstein experiments are never going to get anywhere. It is the L-rd alone who gives life and as the author of life He also reserves the right to end life as we see it happen many times in scripture such as when Onan was killed by G-d for attempting to subvert the line of Shem or Aaron’s sons when they offered unholy fire at the tabernacle.
The word chayyim also has other interesting uses that we see throughout Scripture. For example, the expression “living water” is “mayyim(water) chayyim”. In terms of the modern evolution of the word, it is also now a common Hebrew name. Gene Simmons’ (bassist for the rock band Kiss), original Israeli name is Chaim Witz. Another interesting tidbit is that Hebrew letters are also used as numbers and since the root form of chayyim which is “chai” comes to a value of 18, in Jewish culture this number is considered to represent good fortune. Hence, monetary gifts or contributions made to charity are usually in multiples of $18.
Finally, if you recall from the lesson on “elohim”, whenever you want to pluralize a word, all you have to do is add the two letters “im”. So actually rather than meaning “life”, chayyim means “lives”. If that’s the case, why do our English Bibles say “breath of life” instead of “breath of lives”? Well, just as the word “elohim” in reference to G-d gives us a clue concerning the plural nature of G-d, “chayyim” is also a clue that we have more than one type of “life” in us. Could this be referring to the body, soul and spirit dichotomy? Well, possibly.
L-rd, thank you for infusing us with your wonderful chayyim and thank you for the mayyim chayyim provided by your Son Jesus.
Amen
An important principle is established here. YVHW and only YVHW alone is capable of creating life. All of the scientists in the world with their wacky and wild Frankenstein experiments are never going to get anywhere. It is the L-rd alone who gives life and as the author of life He also reserves the right to end life as we see it happen many times in scripture such as when Onan was killed by G-d for attempting to subvert the line of Shem or Aaron’s sons when they offered unholy fire at the tabernacle.
The word chayyim also has other interesting uses that we see throughout Scripture. For example, the expression “living water” is “mayyim(water) chayyim”. In terms of the modern evolution of the word, it is also now a common Hebrew name. Gene Simmons’ (bassist for the rock band Kiss), original Israeli name is Chaim Witz. Another interesting tidbit is that Hebrew letters are also used as numbers and since the root form of chayyim which is “chai” comes to a value of 18, in Jewish culture this number is considered to represent good fortune. Hence, monetary gifts or contributions made to charity are usually in multiples of $18.
Finally, if you recall from the lesson on “elohim”, whenever you want to pluralize a word, all you have to do is add the two letters “im”. So actually rather than meaning “life”, chayyim means “lives”. If that’s the case, why do our English Bibles say “breath of life” instead of “breath of lives”? Well, just as the word “elohim” in reference to G-d gives us a clue concerning the plural nature of G-d, “chayyim” is also a clue that we have more than one type of “life” in us. Could this be referring to the body, soul and spirit dichotomy? Well, possibly.
L-rd, thank you for infusing us with your wonderful chayyim and thank you for the mayyim chayyim provided by your Son Jesus.
Amen
Monday, July 4, 2011
Day יוֹם-Yom
We usually consider the start of our day to be in the early morning once the sun begins rising. However, the Hebrews’ concept of day was different. For them, the day began once the sun began setting in the evening and ended at the sunset of the next day. That is why in Genesis, G-d says there was evening first. And then there was morning and that this equaled the first day.
“And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.”-Genesis 1:3-5
In the above verses, we can see that G-d also called the light (owr) he had created “day” or “yom”. As with most ancient peoples, given that there weren’t any mechanical timekeeping gadgets in biblical times, the Israelites had to rely on the physical manifestations of nature to keep track of time and the seasons. Of course, in terms of precise clockwork timekeeping, the sun did not always rise and set at the exact set time. Depending on what part of the year it was, it would have been “give or take a couple of hours” here or there.
Nevertheless, it is here in Genesis that the global one week standard was established with the seventh day to be set apart as a day of rest. We get a glimpse of the organized nature of the awesome mind of G-d and it is also impressed upon us how important He views time and that it is not a commodity to be wasted.
How we use our time more than anything in this world will determine our future, whether it is prosperous or riddled with disappointment and regret. G-d cares very much about how we use our time. It is one of the few equalizing factors in this world. We may not be born into wealth or gifted with the talents and skills that others have. But no matter who we are, we are all given the same 24 hours in a day. Let us pray that YHVH will guide us daily in the proper use of our time on this planet before we are finally called home.
Amen.
“And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.”-Genesis 1:3-5
In the above verses, we can see that G-d also called the light (owr) he had created “day” or “yom”. As with most ancient peoples, given that there weren’t any mechanical timekeeping gadgets in biblical times, the Israelites had to rely on the physical manifestations of nature to keep track of time and the seasons. Of course, in terms of precise clockwork timekeeping, the sun did not always rise and set at the exact set time. Depending on what part of the year it was, it would have been “give or take a couple of hours” here or there.
Nevertheless, it is here in Genesis that the global one week standard was established with the seventh day to be set apart as a day of rest. We get a glimpse of the organized nature of the awesome mind of G-d and it is also impressed upon us how important He views time and that it is not a commodity to be wasted.
How we use our time more than anything in this world will determine our future, whether it is prosperous or riddled with disappointment and regret. G-d cares very much about how we use our time. It is one of the few equalizing factors in this world. We may not be born into wealth or gifted with the talents and skills that others have. But no matter who we are, we are all given the same 24 hours in a day. Let us pray that YHVH will guide us daily in the proper use of our time on this planet before we are finally called home.
Amen.
Saturday, July 2, 2011
The Sabbath שַׁבָּת-shabbat
The Jewish people only assign a name to one day of the week. Although we say Sunday, Monday and so on, in Hebrew Sunday is referred to as the first day”, Tuesday is the second day and so on. However, G-d has designated one day out of the week as special. That day is the seventh day (our Friday evening to Saturday evening) and is known in Hebrew as the Shabbat. The literal dictionary definition of Shabbat means to “cease”, “desist” or “stop”.
Now the first fundamental point that needs to be stressed is that only G-d has the authority to designate something as being holy. We humans do not have that authority. To think that we can take some principle or commandment that G-d has lain down and just somehow change it is outrageous.
"Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy" (Ex 20:8-11).
While it is perfectly okay to congregate on a Sunday, this day is NOT the Sabbath. The Sabbath should be honored. Many Christians reason that since the Sabbath was specifically given to Israel we are not obliged to honor it. But as can be seen by reading Genesis, the Sabbath was established long before the first Israelite came into existence. The Sabbath is a Holy Day designated by the Creator of the universe. Sunday is not.
The decision to change the day of worship from Saturday to Sunday occurred over several meetings presided over by Emperor Constantine in the middle part of the 4th century AD. Here is an excerpt from the Council of Laodicea document, Canon # 29.
“Christians must not judaize by resting on the Sabbath, but must work on that day, rather honoring the Lord’s day; and, if they can, resting as Christians. But if any of them be found to be judaizers, let them be anathema from Christ.”
And on March 7th, 321AD, Constantine set down the following decree:
“Let all judges and town people, and the occupation of all trades rest on the venerable day of the Sun.”
Do you know why we call Sunday, Sunday? It is because this was the day that the whole Roman empire met to worship the widely accepted Roman sun god, known as Mithras.
In closing, I reiterate that only G-d can has the authority to set something apart as holy. A bunch of gentiles in their anti-Semitic zeal have no right to change a G-d-ordained principle, a principle that G-d has affirmed is eternal and is to be followed for all generations. Second, this flagrant use of the term “judaize” is really grating on my nerves. Think about it for a second. If Jesus is the long-awaited Messiah of Israel, then Christianity is nothing less than completed Judaism. We are grafted into Israel, not vice versa! So as a believer in Messiah, I guess I am a Judaizer. And if you have accepted Jesus as your Savior, so are you.
When it comes to Sabbath worship, let us accept the undiluted and pure commands of G-d with joy, neither turning to the left, nor to the right in obeying them.
Shabbat Shalom!
Now the first fundamental point that needs to be stressed is that only G-d has the authority to designate something as being holy. We humans do not have that authority. To think that we can take some principle or commandment that G-d has lain down and just somehow change it is outrageous.
"Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy" (Ex 20:8-11).
While it is perfectly okay to congregate on a Sunday, this day is NOT the Sabbath. The Sabbath should be honored. Many Christians reason that since the Sabbath was specifically given to Israel we are not obliged to honor it. But as can be seen by reading Genesis, the Sabbath was established long before the first Israelite came into existence. The Sabbath is a Holy Day designated by the Creator of the universe. Sunday is not.
The decision to change the day of worship from Saturday to Sunday occurred over several meetings presided over by Emperor Constantine in the middle part of the 4th century AD. Here is an excerpt from the Council of Laodicea document, Canon # 29.
“Christians must not judaize by resting on the Sabbath, but must work on that day, rather honoring the Lord’s day; and, if they can, resting as Christians. But if any of them be found to be judaizers, let them be anathema from Christ.”
And on March 7th, 321AD, Constantine set down the following decree:
“Let all judges and town people, and the occupation of all trades rest on the venerable day of the Sun.”
Do you know why we call Sunday, Sunday? It is because this was the day that the whole Roman empire met to worship the widely accepted Roman sun god, known as Mithras.
In closing, I reiterate that only G-d can has the authority to set something apart as holy. A bunch of gentiles in their anti-Semitic zeal have no right to change a G-d-ordained principle, a principle that G-d has affirmed is eternal and is to be followed for all generations. Second, this flagrant use of the term “judaize” is really grating on my nerves. Think about it for a second. If Jesus is the long-awaited Messiah of Israel, then Christianity is nothing less than completed Judaism. We are grafted into Israel, not vice versa! So as a believer in Messiah, I guess I am a Judaizer. And if you have accepted Jesus as your Savior, so are you.
When it comes to Sabbath worship, let us accept the undiluted and pure commands of G-d with joy, neither turning to the left, nor to the right in obeying them.
Shabbat Shalom!
Friday, July 1, 2011
The Evil Inclination versus the Good Inclination הרע צרי-Yetzer Hara versus טוב צרי-Yetzer Tov
Before I begin this posting, I must say I am greatly indebted to Mr. Tom Bradford of the Torah Class (www.torahclass.com) for his enlightened teachings on a subject that has been a basic staple of Judaism since its inception. In following Mr. Bradford’s line of thought, I am going to get a little scientific here, so please bear with me.
Okay, first let me start off by stating that our universe has been created in such a way that everything in it must have its own opposite. For example, if there is an up, there must be a down, if there is black, there must be white. In the field of electro-magnetics, if there is a positive charge by default there must be a negative charge. Or if there is day, there must be light etcetera. This phenomenon is called “The Principle of Opposites.”
Hence, given this immutable principle of opposites woven into the very fabric of the universe, if there is good, there has also got to be evil. No two ways about it.
So are you saying that G-d created evil?
Let me first answer that question with the following portions of Scripture:
“I form the light, and create darkness; I make peace, and create evil; I am the LORD, that doeth all these things.” Isaiah 45:7
“Out of the mouth of the Most High proceedeth not evil and good?”-Lamentations 3:38
“Shall the horn be blown in a city, and the people not tremble? Shall evil befall a city, and the LORD hath not done it?”-Amos 3:6
So in a nutshell, yes. G-d did create evil but not in the way you maybe think he did. If you recall from previous teachings concerning light and darkness, darkness is simply what results when G-d’s light is absent. It is not manufactured in the way that light is. The creation of good and evil works the same way. Evil was the default result of good being created. It wasn’t manufactured.
Okay. Now that that has been established, let’s move on to the next point. When G-d created man, He gave him “freewill”. In other words, He gave man the capacity to make moral choices. If he hadn’t, if he had just programmed man to follow G-d’s rules minus any choices, we would all simply be robots. Think about it, the only reason something becomes a moral choice is because the opportunity to make an immoral choice also exists. Therefore, this brings us to the following conclusion:
When G-d gave man the ability to make positive moral choices, by default the ability to make negative moral choices also had to exist. That was the risk G-d in His wisdom had decided to take or we would all have been made mindless robots.
Hence, residing within all of us is a good inclination, the “yetser tov” and an evil inclination, the “yetser harah”. And those two natures are constantly at war with each other and will be until the end of this age.
So how can we ensure that our evil inclination doesn’t get the better of us? By walking in the Spirit provided to us via Y’shua’s sacrifice.
“So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of your yetser harah.” Galatians 5:16
Amen
Okay, first let me start off by stating that our universe has been created in such a way that everything in it must have its own opposite. For example, if there is an up, there must be a down, if there is black, there must be white. In the field of electro-magnetics, if there is a positive charge by default there must be a negative charge. Or if there is day, there must be light etcetera. This phenomenon is called “The Principle of Opposites.”
Hence, given this immutable principle of opposites woven into the very fabric of the universe, if there is good, there has also got to be evil. No two ways about it.
So are you saying that G-d created evil?
Let me first answer that question with the following portions of Scripture:
“I form the light, and create darkness; I make peace, and create evil; I am the LORD, that doeth all these things.” Isaiah 45:7
“Out of the mouth of the Most High proceedeth not evil and good?”-Lamentations 3:38
“Shall the horn be blown in a city, and the people not tremble? Shall evil befall a city, and the LORD hath not done it?”-Amos 3:6
So in a nutshell, yes. G-d did create evil but not in the way you maybe think he did. If you recall from previous teachings concerning light and darkness, darkness is simply what results when G-d’s light is absent. It is not manufactured in the way that light is. The creation of good and evil works the same way. Evil was the default result of good being created. It wasn’t manufactured.
Okay. Now that that has been established, let’s move on to the next point. When G-d created man, He gave him “freewill”. In other words, He gave man the capacity to make moral choices. If he hadn’t, if he had just programmed man to follow G-d’s rules minus any choices, we would all simply be robots. Think about it, the only reason something becomes a moral choice is because the opportunity to make an immoral choice also exists. Therefore, this brings us to the following conclusion:
When G-d gave man the ability to make positive moral choices, by default the ability to make negative moral choices also had to exist. That was the risk G-d in His wisdom had decided to take or we would all have been made mindless robots.
Hence, residing within all of us is a good inclination, the “yetser tov” and an evil inclination, the “yetser harah”. And those two natures are constantly at war with each other and will be until the end of this age.
So how can we ensure that our evil inclination doesn’t get the better of us? By walking in the Spirit provided to us via Y’shua’s sacrifice.
“So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of your yetser harah.” Galatians 5:16
Amen
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