3.27.25

Good morning!

Passover is rapidly approaching! It's a time to leave the Egyptian mindset of this world and experience true liberation that is provided through the blood of the Lamb. As with Shabbat, the week of preparation determines the fullness you'll receive on that set apart day. So too will it be for the person who remains faithful/samar, the one who guards, watches, and follows with fidelity and trust (Isa. 26:2).

"Open up the gates, that the righteous nation which keeps/shamar the truth/emet may enter in." (Isa. 26:2)

What does that mean in plain English? Freedom! Liberation! A lack of faithfulness/shamar emet, guarding the truth, causes a stagnant, enslaved and addicted lifestyle to persist; which we see in this week's Torah portion of Pekudei (Ex. 38:21-40:38).

The Exodus story, aka Passover, is more than a historical event. (Ex. 12) It's about liberation from our fantasies. It's about escaping the bondage that the world system holds over our minds and hearts;  even the daily routine holds sway over our actions because slaves prefer the fantasy of control over the freedom of an uncertain future.  In Egypt, knowing what will happen, because it has already happened again and again, is better than not knowing what will happen next, even if this knowing requires giving up the freedom to choose.  Ouch!

Talk about slavery!! Every godless government system throughout history has leveraged the human fear of the unknown as a means to acquire power by whispering the lie, “Tell them that if they follow what we say they will be safe” is all that’s necessary to initiate humanity’s voluntary relinquishing of choice.  The rigidity of guaranteed routine offsets the terror of choosing (aka idolatry).

By choosing the Egyptian slave mentality, we reject God's sovereignty, placing some human or human institution in the position of ultimate power. This enslaved mindset denies the essential characteristic of choosing to rely on God with the choice in uncertainty.  Wherever men attempt to control the future, through whatever means, idolatry lies in the wait to replace the dependence on God.

Not only does God hold the key to 'vengeance', he holds and determines the outcome of every event in the future.  The reason the Exodus is a constant theme of the biblical narrative is that we all must experience an Exodus from our fantasies about control.  The people who remain faithful are not simply those who meticulously adhere to the Torah.  They are those who have been released from their need to control life.  Exodus is liberation, freedom, from an addiction to being in charge, even if only in our dreams....and I've been dreaming a lot :-)

Have a great 5th day of the week as you prepare your hearts and minds for Passover!

Shalom

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

11.22.24 ~ The Lack of Emotional Intelligence

Good morning! Happy Preparation Day! When I was a child, I was taught to say thank you. And if I did something wrong, I was told to say, 'I'm sorry'.  Which begs to ask the question: "why are there so many poorly trained adults? Why do so many adults find it hard to say I’m sorry? or even thank you enough? Enquiring minds want to know! Recently, a research project was released from Carnegie Mellon University that answers the question. Let me summarize the findings. The paper introduces a framework to explain what is called the responsibility exchange theory. It is used to explain why giving thanks and apologizing, as well as bragging and blaming others matters so much, and why we have such a hard time exchanging the right words at the right time. Here’s the conundrum, while thank you and I’m sorry, makes the speaker appear caring or generous, and I’d add not raised in a barn by barbarians, they fear it is at the cost of seeming incompetent or weak.  Then there is the o...
Read more

4.10.25

Good morning! The offerings/korbanot were indeed a source of joy and favor every time they were brought to the Temple or Tabernacle. For instance, when the Temple was being dedicated under Solomon's kingship, they had this incredible feast. The nation feasted on these thanksgiving and peace offerings; 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep and goats (2 Chron. 7:5; 1 King. 8:63) and the glory of the Lord, as with the Tabernacle in Exodus 40, filled the Temple (2 Chron. 7:2). There was great joy in the presence of the Lord! And we have this covenantal intimacy because the offerings/korbanot expressed love, joy, loyalty and gratitude.  Let me speak very briefly to one common objection, particularly in a modern sense. Yeah, OK, fine, but still weird! OK, Solomon's dedication doesn't seem consistent with blood and guts, splashing blood, limbs cut off and burning on an altar to appease an angry god for the sinful disobedience of mankind; it is so barbaric. It's disgusting. How could G...
Read more

12.4.24 ~ She's worth it!

Good morning! Part of our dust bunny dysfunction comes from our growing up days and the coping mechanisms we learned to survive. In this week's Torah portion, Vayetze/and he left, we see the results of a divided house where there was favoritism and the 'dust bunny' coping mechanisms that develop as a result. We'll make a comparison between the two 'ladders that reach to heaven (tower of babel and the Ladder in Jacob's dream) and the reason why Jacob wept when he saw the woman of his dreams; in search of his own bosom and tent, a wife (Deut. 13:6); A wife is a man's bosom.  Sarah is Abraham's bosom.   Sarah's Tent comforts those who dwell in Abraham's bosom with bread, light, and the Presence of the Lord (Gen. 24:67). For those, after death, who have the privilege of waiting for the resurrection in Abraham's bosom, there is the comfort of Sarah's tent (Lk. 16:19-31).  Yeshua, through His own life, demonstrated all three signs of Sarah'...
Read more