Joseph F. Dumond

Isa 6:9-12 And He said, Go, and tell this people, You hear indeed, but do not understand; and seeing you see, but do not know. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn back, and be healed. Then I said, Lord, how long? And He answered, Until the cities are wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land laid waste, a desolation, and until Jehovah has moved men far away, and the desolation in the midst of the land is great.
Published: Feb 16, 2019

News Letter 5854-048
The 2nd Year of the 4th Sabbatical Cycle
The 23rd year of the 120th Jubilee Cycle
The 17th day of the 12th month 5854 years after the creation of Adam
The 12th Month in the Second year of the Fourth Sabbatical Cycle
The 4th Sabbatical Cycle after the 119th Jubilee Cycle
The Sabbatical Cycle of Sword, Famines, and Pestilence

February 23, 2019

 

Shabbat Shalom to the Royal Family of Yehovah,

For those of you who will be reading this on the iphone, I apologize. the word wrap did not work and many parts of this article are not readable. I am working on fixing it and need more time. SO do come back later as I update once I get each section corrected. I have to rewrite the whole article to fix this. So please give me time as I work on it again.

Ezra’s Great Assembly of 120

I have been struggling with my prayers lately. And knew I was in need of a checkup from the neck up. So I began to restudy this subject and would like to share it with you. None of these prayers were meant to be recited over and over and over. That is no different than when I was Catholic and saying the rosary over and over. No the Prayer of Yehshua was meant to be an outline as to how to pray. The same with the Shemoneh Esrei that we are going share with you. Yes, by all means, recite it until you know it. But then take it and make it yours. Make it personal between you and Yehovah. Imagine you are Yehovah. Would you like to hear the same prayer all the time? Would this help Him to get to know you? No, it would not. So make it personal.

Everyone reads what Matthew says about how we are to pray.

Matt 6:5 “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
“And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. Pray then like this:
“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
When we come to the book of Luke we learn how this prayer came about.

Luke 11:1 Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” And he said to them, “When you pray, say:
“Father, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread,
and forgive us our sins,
for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
And lead us not into temptation.”
But what was Yehshua showing us?

As I looked into this I am blown away by just how simple an answer He gave for a much bigger and more involved subject.

I hope this teaching this week will be a blessing to you as much as it was and is for me.

Click on each word to hear it in Hebrew. This is the payer Yehshua said above. Here is the link for it.

avee-noo she-ba-sha-mai-yeem, yeet-ka-desh sheem-cha, ve-yeet-ba-rech mal-choot-cha, re-tson-cha yee-h’-ye a-suiba-sha-mai-yeem oo-va-a-rets, ve-tee-ten lach-me-noo te-mee-deet, oo-me-chol la-noo cha-to-tay-noo ka-a-sher a-nach-noo mo-cha-leem la-chot-teem la-noo, ve-al te-vee-ay-noo lee-day nees-sa-yon, ve-shom-ray-noo mee-kol rah, a-men.

 

What Yehshua said here is so profound. This prayer actually began hundreds of years before Yehshua was born by a group of wise sages who began The Great Assembly.

The Men of the Great Assembly—in Hebrew, Anshei Knesset HaGedolah—was an unusual group of Jewish personalities who assumed the reigns of Jewish leadership between 410 BCE and 310 BCE. This time period follows the destruction of the First Temple, and includes the early decades of the Second Temple, up until the invasion of the Greeks, led by Alexander the Great.

Realizing that the Jewish people were growing weaker spiritually, a group of wise leaders came together—expanding the Sanhedrin, the Jewish Supreme Court, from 70 to 120 members—with a special aim of strengthening Judaism. Initially gathered together by Ezra, they defined Judaism in this tumultuous time when prophecy and kingship were all but gone from the Jewish people.

(Today’s Israeli Parliament, which is called “the Knesset,” also has 120 members in imitation of the Great Assembly although the Knesset of today serves an entirely different function of the Great Assembly of 2,500 years ago.)

Among them we count the last of the prophets Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi, as well as the sages Mordechai, (of the Purim story), Yehoshua, (the High Priest), Nechemia (the chief architect of rebuilding of Jerusalem), Shimon HaTzaddik (also a High Priest).

Keep in mind that at this time the Talmud has not yet been compiled.

ACCURATE TRANSMISSION

The destruction of the first Temple and ensuing exile were incredibly traumatic experiences for the Jewish people: The Temple and its daily service were gone as was the monarchy. The Jews found themselves in an alien land with none of the normative institutions fundamental to Judaism. (Ironically, the Jewish world is still in the same situation. The difference is that after 2,500 years the exile is so comfortable that what is really an abnormal situation is now accepted as totally normal) As the Jewish people struggle with the aftermath of exile, accurate transmission of this oral tradition becomes essential. And here is where the Men of the Great Assembly make the greatest contribution.(1)

As we see in history, to the extent that the Jews stop living according to Jewish law and tradition (i.e. that which makes them Jewish), to that extent they assimilate and disappear. Therefore, the contributions of these men can be said to account to a large measure for Jewish survival.

The Mishna pays them great homage:

Moses received the Torah from Sinai and conveyed to Joshua, Joshua to the Elders, the Elders to the Prophets, and the Prophets to the Men of the Great Assembly … Shimon HaTzaddik was one of the remnants of the Great Assembly. He used to say, “The world stands on three things: on the Torah; on the service of God, and upon acts of loving-kindness…” (Ethics of the Fathers, 1:1)

THE CONTENTS OF THE BIBLE

In addition to insuring the accurate transmission of the Oral Torah, the Men of the Great Assembly decide which of the multitude of Jewish holy writings should be in the Bible. The Jewish people have produced hundreds of thousands of prophets (both men and women). Which of their writings should be preserved for future generations and which had limited applicability?

The Men of the Great Assembly make this decision and give us what is known as the Hebrew Bible today—or the Tanach. (Tanach is a Hebrew acronym which stands for Torah, Prophets, Writings.)

This is what the Christians call the “Old Testament” but traditionally Jews never call it that. “Testament” is derived from the Latin word testari meaning “to be a witness.” The Hebrew Bible was named the Old Testament by the Christians because of their belief that God cancelled the covenant he made with the Jews and made a new covenant, “New Testament,” with the followers of Jesus. As Jews deny that God would ever “change His mind” after promising the Jews they would be His “eternal nation”, they find that term insulting.

The Hebrew Bible consists of the five books of the Torah, eight books of the prophets (the last of which consists of twelve short books) and 11 books of various writings, which include the Psalms (largely attributed to King David), the writings of King Solomon (Song of Songs, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes), the books of Job, Ruth, Esther and Daniel etc.

PRAYER

The last thing that the Men of the Great Assembly do is formalize prayer. They actually begin a process which is not finished until the 2nd century CE, after the destruction of the Second Temple, but they lay down the key principles and basic structure of formalized prayer.(2)

During the First Temple period, there was no need for formalized Jewish prayer liturgy, because God’s presence was more manifest. It was much easier for the individual to have a close, intense, personal relationship with God. Additionally, a great deal of what is now the object of prayer was formally accomplished through the offering of sacrifices and the Temple service. Of course, when the Second Temple was rebuilt, sacrifices resumed, but most of the Jews had not returned to the land of Israel and therefore had no access to this medium of connecting to God via the Temple. In addition, as mentioned previously, even with the Temple rebuilt, the connection during the Second temple period was much weaker.

Therefore, the times of the formalized prayer are designed to correspond to times when things were done in the Temple: the morning prayer is designed to correspond to the Shacharit Service in the Temple; the afternoon prayer corresponds to the Mincha Service; a the evening prayer, Ma’ariv, corresponds to the nightly duties (as there were no sacrifices as night).

The centerpiece of each selection of prayers (repeated three times a day) is the Shmonei Esrai, “The Eighteen Blessings.” Each “blessing” is stated in the plural, to underscore the interdependency of the Jewish people, and each blessing is rooted in Torah and Kabbalah.

The mystical depth of this prayer—a masterpiece of writing by the Great Assembly—is astounding. For example, the blessing for healing is composed of 27 words, corresponding to the 27 words in the verse in the Torah (Exodus 15:26) where God promises to be the Healer of the Jewish people. It is said (Nefesh HaChaim 2:13) that the text of the Shmonei Esraiis so spiritually powerful that even when recited without intention, feeling or understanding, its words have a great impact on the world.

Through Divine inspiration and sheer genius the Men of the Great Assembly were able to create out of the ashes of a physically destroyed nation, a spiritually thriving people. Their work defined and anchored Jewish religious and national identity and created focus, unity and uniformity for the Jewish people, no matter where in the world they might be scattered.

The last surviving member of the Great Assembly was Shimon HaTzaddik. Under him, according to the ancient historian Josephus (Contra Apion1:197), the Jews of Israel prospered and Jewish population in the land reached 350,000.

It helped the Jews physically (if not spiritually) that the Persians were such benevolent dictators. But the picture was about the change with the growing power of the Greek Empire looming on the horizon.

 

The Shemoneh Esrei ­

Reciting the Weekday Amidah Prayers

The Sehmoneh Esrei is perhaps the most important prayer of the synagogue. Among observant Jews it is referred to as the Ha Tefilah or “the Prayer” of Judaism. The prayer is also sometimes called the Amidah (“standing”) because it is recited while standing and facing the Aron Kodesh (the ark that houses the Torah Scrolls).

The basic form of the prayer was composed by the 120 Men of the Great Assembly in the fifth century B.C.E. Some scholars surmise that the LORD’s Prayer of Jesus is a concise restatement of the Amidah. Toady the Amidah is a main section of all Jeiwsh Prayer books.

Next to the Shema, the Amidah is the most widely recited Hebrew prayer in the world.

The meaning of the word Shemoneh Esrei literally means “eighteen” (8+10), and originally there were eighteen blessings divided into three general types:

Praise-The first three blessings; Avot, Gevurot, and Kedushat HaShem.

Petitions-The next thirteen blessings (middle section); Da’at, Teshuvah, Selichah, Ge’ulah, Refu’ah, Birkat Hashanim, Kibbutz Galuyot, Birkat HaDin, Birkat HaMinim, Tzaddikim, Binyan Yehushalayim, Malkhut bet David, and Kabbalat Tefilah.

Thanks-The last three blessings; Avodah, Hoda’ah and Sim Shalom

Notice that this adds up to nineteen, not eighteen. The reason for this was that an additional “blessing” was added later, but the name Shemoneh Esrei was retained. For this reason it is more straightforward to refer to the Shemoneh Esrei as the “Amidah” (Standing) or “the Tefilah” (The Prayer). After reciting all of these berachot, there is a concluding prayer said for the entire ceremony.

Two Basic Versions

There are two basic versions of the Amidah.

  1. The weekday version consists of the full nineteen blessings of praise, petition and thanksgiving to Yehovah.
  2. The Sabbath and Holiday versions are abbreviated to just seven blessings (the first and last three blessings are the same the weekday versions, but the middle thirteen blessings are reduced to the a single blessing appropriate for the Holy Day).

Reciting the Amidah

Most Jews face the Aron Kodesh and take three steps backward, and then three steps forward before (quietly) reciting the Amidah. Note that the blessings should be recited while standing, with quiet devotion and without interruption. When ever there is a minyan (group of ten) present, the Amidah will be repeated aloud (by the cantor) in the synagogue, and the congregant responds “Amen” after each blessing has been recited.

Part I: Blessings of Praise

  1. 1. Blessing One ­ Avot (Fathers)
  2. 2. Blessing Two ­ Gevurot (God’s Might)
  3. 3. Blessing Three ­ Kedushat HaShem (Holiness of God’s Name)

Part II: Blessings of Petition

  1. 4. Blessing Four ­ Da’at (Knowledge)
  2. 5. Blessing Five ­ Teshuvah (Repentance)
  3. 6. Blessing Six ­ Selichah (Forgiveness)
  4. 7. Blessing Seven ­ Geulah (Redemption)
  5. 8. Blessing Eight ­ Refuah (Healing)
  6. 9. Blessing Nine ­ Birkat Hashanim (Prosperity)
  7. 10. Blessing Ten ­ Kibbutz Galuyot (Ingathering of Exiles)
  8. 11. Blessing Eleven ­ Birkat HaDin (Restoration of Justice)
  9. 12. Blessing Twelve ­ Bikat HaMinim (Against Heretics)
  10. 13. Blessing Thirteen ­ Tzaddikim (Righteous Ones)
  11. 14. Blessing Fourteen ­ Binyan Yerushalayim (Rebuilding of Jerusalem)
  12. 15. Blessing Fifteen ­ Malkhut beit David (Kingdom of David)
  13. 16. Blessing Sixteen ­ Kabbalat Tefillah (Acceptance of Prayer)

Part III: Blessings of Gratitude

  1. 17. Blessing Seventeen ­ Avodah (Worship)
  2. 18. Blessing Eighteen ­ Hoda’ah (Gratitude)
  3. 19. Blessing Nineteen ­ Sim Shalom (Grant Peace)

20. The Amidah Recited

 

The LORD’s Prayer

This week we will be taking many notes from Hebrew 4 Christians, as we study into this prayer of Yehshua.

You can read the transliterated Hebrew and listen to how each would be pronounced and you can practices this as many times as you like by going to this link.

 

““Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:9).

The first three blessings of the Shemoneh Esrei are covered right here by Yehshua. Now let’s look at the Shemoneh Esrei to see just how much they reflect each other.

Part I The Blessings of Praise
Avot

Now compare what you have just read in the Prayer to Our Father with the Avot, Gevurot and Kedushat HaShem Prayers that are done in each Synagogue each day.

Blessing One: Avot Praising the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob

The first blessing of the weekday Amidah is called Avot (Patriarchs), and offers praise to Yehovah as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.

You can again listen to this in Hebrew and practice saying it in Hebrew at this link.

 

Gevurot

Praising the One who Revives the dead

The second blessing of the weekday Amidah is called Gevurot (“mighty deed”) and offers praise to Yehovah as the ultimate Power in the universe as demonstrated by the resurrection from the dead.

Again you can hear this in Hebrew at this link.

And I do encourage you to listen the Hebrew and pay attention as it is spoken. Then you will learn what you are missing by not knowing the Hebrew. I am talking about Yehshua and Salvation. This is so powerful to me as we come into the season of Passover. Who was revived from the dead?

Your, Yehovah are mighty forever. You are the Reviver of the dead. You are greatly able to save.* You sustain the living in the loving kindness. You revive the dead with great compassion. You support the falling, heal the sick, set free the bound and keep faith with those who sleep in the dust. Who is like you O Master of Mighty deeds? Who compares to you, a King who puts to death and restores to life, and brings forth salvation? And your are faithful to revive the dead. Blessed are you, Yehovah who revives the dead.

From the end of Sukkot until the eve of Passover, the phrase; “You cause the wind to blow and the rain to fall” is inserted here.

John 11:25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

One Brother sent me this as I was rewriting this Newsletter and felt it should go in here.

In the newsletter this week, you mentioned several occasions in which there were resurrections; one of them was the story of Jarius’ twelve year old daughter. I feel compelled to share some more insight into this particular story that you may or may not know. I realize this may end up lengthy but pray it resonates in your soul and brings healing to your body. This will make more sense in a minute.

Mark’s version of the “Jarius story” can be found in Mark 5:21-43. What’s interesting is that this story gets interrupted by the “woman with the issue of blood” (verses 25-34). Why? If this book is inspired writing (and I believe it is), then there must be a reason, right?

 

So, let’s chase this rabbit for a minute and see what this story of the “woman with the issue of blood” is trying to teach us. Verse 27 says she touched his “garment”. What part did she actually touch? Some translations say “the hem of His garment” but is that accurate? I say no. The woman touched one of the tzitzits (more correctly called tzitziot) on His garment (tallit). Now comes the questions. How did this woman know to do this? Why did this woman take this risk? After all, it was forbidden to touch holy garments while being unclean. This would get you stoned to death! She was either going to die by the issue of blood or by stones. The difference in her choice came down to this one familiar Messianic prophecy she knew from Malachi 4:2 which speaks of the coming Messiah who “will rise with healing in His wings”. Our English translation of wings comes from the Hebrew word kanaph which means wings, extremities, edge, border, and the corner of one’s garment. Each corner of a tallit has a tzitzit. So, the Messiah will “rise with healing in His tzitzits”. The woman with the issue of blood knew that if Yeshua is the Messiah, then there was healing in His tzitzits, and all she had to do was touch them. That’s faith! Since the purpose of the tzitzits are for our eyes to look upon them and remind us to keep Yehovah’s commandments (from Numbers 15), it’s no coincidence that two verses later (Malachi 4:4) we are told to remember the Torah of Moses (i.e. the Commandments). Healing is obviously connected to us being focused on keeping the Commandments, the ones tied (pun intended) to Yeshua’s tallit. Again, the woman with the issue of blood knew this and believed it!

 

After this brief interruption about the “woman with the issue of blood”, the story now returns to Jarius. Remember, Jarius is a ruler of the synagogue so, we know he’s very studied in the Tanak. Jarius would also know the passage in Malachi 4:2 which says the coming Messiah will “rise with healing in His tzitzits”. Now we will get to the revelation that comes to Jarius. The 12 year old girl is dead (we know this from verse 35 and from 39-40). When Yeshua resurrects her, He speaks to her directly and says “Talitha Qumi” which means “little girl, arise”. But, is there a deeper meaning? Yes, absolutely!

 

Many times in the Hebrew study of scripture, we find a play on words in which there is a literal meaning and also a deeper meaning. This is just one example. Talitha Qumi could be said, using a play on words, as “tallit ha qumi” which would mean “tallit (tzitzits) that rises/stands”. With this play on words, Yeshua just told them and proved He is the Messiah that is connected to the prophecy in Malachi 4 that they would be very familiar with! Jarius had just witnessed healing flow from Yeshua’s tzitzits when He healed the woman with the issue of blood. This “interruption” occurred so that moments later he could witness and connect his own daughter’s miraculous resurrection to Yeshua’s when He said “tallit ha qumi”.

 

On a side note to the ending of this story, specifically in verse 43, why did Yeshua command for food to be given to this little girl? Answer: to prove this little girl was healed. Sick people don’t feel like eating. Why did Yeshua charge them to keep this situation quiet? Answer: Yeshua wasn’t ready for this news (that He is the Messiah) to get out publicly. In John 11, when Yeshua raised Lazarus (later chronologically), the news got out to the leaders of the Sanhedrin and they had an “emergency meeting” to figure out what to do because He did many miracles (that only the Messiah could do), and if they didn’t do something everyone would believe He is the Messiah and then they’d lose their place to the Romans

 

One could take the understanding of this story several different ways from here but I think it’s important to notice some scripture associated with Yehovah or Yeshua arising or standing up.

 

  • Qumi ori! Arise, shine! (Isa 60:1)
  • Dt 18:15 – Yehovah your Elohim will raise up unto you a Prophet (Yeshua) from among you (Israel), of thy brethren, like unto Me (Yehovah); unto Him (Yeshua) ye shall listen (shema);
  • What is Yeshua doing now? He is sitting at His father’s right hand until His enemies are made His footstool. Are there any verses that speak about God arising or standing up? Yes, tons!
    • Num 10:35-36 – “Rise up, Yehovah! And let Your enemies be scattered”
    • Zech 14:4 – The Messiah will “stand” on the Mount of Olives
    • Yeshua “rose up” from the dead

 

 

Kedushat HaShem ­

The Holiness of God’s Name

The third blessing of the weekday Amidah is called Kedushat HaShem (“the holiness of the Name”) Kedushat HaShem is also a technical term for “sanctifying God’s Name,” which is extreme cases, may require the giving of our life. The following is recited when you are by yourself, reciting the Amidah:

 

You are Holy and your name is Holy and your Holy ones praise you everyday. Blessed are You, Yehovah, the God, who is Holy.

Again you can hear this spoken in Hebrew at this link.

With a Minyan

With a Minyan (a group of ten), Kedushat HaShem is recited responsively:

Reader: We sanctify your name is this world just as it is sanctified in the highest heavens, as it is written by your prophet: “And they call out to one another and say:

Minyan “Holy, holy, holy is Yehovah of Hosts. The whole earth is full of His glory” (Isaiah 6:3)

Reader: And those facing them praise Yehovah Saying:

Minyan: “Blessed be the presence of Yehovah in His Place” (Ezekiel 3:12)

Reader: And in your Hoy Word is is written, saying:

Minyan: “Yehovah reigns forever, You God, O Zion, throughout all generations. Hallelujah” Psalm 146:10).

Reader: Throughout all generations, we will declare your greatness, and to all eternity we will proclaim your holiness. Your Praise, Yehovah shall never depart from our mouth, for you are a great and Holy God and King. Blessed are you Yehovah, the Holy God. You are Holy and your name is Holy and your Holy Ones praise you Daily. (selah) Blessed are you Yehovah, the God who is Holy.

I like to see this as Judah and Levi as the reader and the other Ten Tribes of Israel as the Minyan who respond.

Now as we read the rest of Shemoneh Esrei notice just how much they resemble the rest of the Prayer of our Father.

Mat 6:11 Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.

Part II The Blessings of Petition

Blessing Four: ­ Da’at (Knowledge & Insight)

The fourth blessing of the weekday Amidah is called Da’at (knowledge”) and function as a prayer for understanding from Yehovah. Note that this part of the Amidah is only recited during the weekdays (the Sabbath and the Holy Days versions skip this prayer).

Da’at

You show favour to a man of knowledge, and you teach understanding to a mortal man. Be gracious to us: a mind of understanding and intellect is from You. Blessed are You Yehovah, who favours us with knowledge.

You can listen to this prayer in Hebrew at this link.

Blessing Five Teshuvah ­
(Repentance)

The fifth blessing of the weekday Amidah is called Teshuvah (“turning”) and functions as a prayer for us to return to Yehovah and His Torah. Note that this part of the Amidah is only recited during the weekdays (the Sabbath and Holy Day versions skip this prayer).

Return us, our Father, to your Torah: draw us near our King to serve you. restore us to your presence in complete repentance. Blessed are you Yehovah who desires repentance.

You can listen to this prayer in Hebrew at this link.

Blessing Six Selichah
(Forgiveness)

The sixth blessing of the weekday Amidah is called Selichah (“forgiveness”) and functions as a confession of sin before Yehovah. Note that this part of the Amidah is only recited during the weekdays (the Shabbat and Holy Day versions skip this prayer).

 

Forgive us, Our Father for we have sinned; Pardon us our King, for we have rebelled; For you are a pardoner and a forgiver. Blessed are you Yehovah the gracious one who abundantly forgives.

You can listen to this prayer in Hebrew at this link.

Blessing Seven Geulah
(Redemption)

The seventh blessing of the weekday Amidah is called the Ge’ulah (“redemption”) and appeals to Yehovah for redemption and deliverance. The Talmud stated that this blessing’s position as seven in the Amidah points to the future advent of the Messiah, which will be preceded by seven year of travail (the time of Jacob’s trouble). In the seventh year, the upheaval will reach its climatic stage and the world will totter on the brink of total destruction. Then the Mashiach will appear and the end of the horror to usher in the era of unsurpassed shalom.

Geulah

Behold our affliction and champion our cause and redeem us speedily for the sake of Your Name. Blessed are you Yehovah, the redeemer of Israel.

You can listen to this prayer in Hebrew at this link.

Blessing Eight Refuah
(Heal us, Yehovah and we shall be healed)

The Refuah (heling) is the eighth blessing of the Amidah where in an appeal is made to Yehovah as the faithful and compassionate Healer.

Heal us Yehovah and we shall be healed: save us and we will be saved, for the one we praise is you. Bring complete healing for all our sicknesses* for Yehovah you are our faithfull and compassionate Healer and King. Blessed are you Yehovah the Healer of the sick of Israel.

*At this point, you may interject a prayer for the one who is ill: May is be your will Yehovah my God, and the God of my forefathers, that you quickly send refuah Sh’lemah (complete healing) from heaven, spiritual healing and physical healing to the patient (Name) son/daughter of (Parents name) among the other patients of Israel.

You can listen to this prayer in Hebrew at this link.

Blessing Nine Birkat Hashanim
(Prosperity in coming year)

The Birkat Hashanim (blessing of the years) is the ninth blessing of the Amidah wherein an appeal is made to Yehovah to prosper us for the years needs.

Bless for us, Yehovah our God this year and its crops. Grant us a blessing on the earth. Satisfy us from your bounty and bless our year like other good years. Blessed are you Yehovah, who blesses the years.

You can listen to this prayer in Hebrew at this link.

Blessing Ten Kibbutz Galuyot ­
(Ingathering of Exiles)

The Kibbutz Galuyot (gathering of exiles) is the tenth blessing of the Amidah wherein an appeal is made to Yehovah to return all of Israel from the affliction of Galut.

Sound the great shofar for our freedom and raise a banner to gather our exiles and unite us together from the four corner of the earth. Blessed are you Yehovah who regatehrs the scattered of His people Israel.

You can listen to this prayer in Hebrew at this link.

This great shofar blast is representing the Jubilee year when everyone returns to his own possessions. It is my belief this process will begin in the year 2030 as we prepare for the Jubilee year in 2045.

 

Blessing Eleven Birkat HaDin ­
(Restoration of Justice)

The Birkat HaDin (restoration of justice) is the eleventh blessing of the Amidah wherein an appeal is made of Yehovah to restore righteous rule upon the earth.

Restore our judges as at the early times, and advisor as there once were. remove our sorrows and trouble: we want you, Yehovah, to rule over us with kindness and compassions and to justify us in justice. Blessed are Yehovah, the King who loves righteousness and justice.

You can listen to this prayer in Hebrew at this link.

Blessing Twelve Birkat HaMinim ­
(Against Heretics)


Be very CAREFUL before just following the herd and reciting this prayer. I include it here for your knowledge and understanding. You can pray for our enemies to be destroyed but not those brethren who have another view of the Torah. The way it is now written is OK. But in some Synagogues, it may be changed just that little bit.

This “blessing” originally the nineteenth of the Amidah, was instituted as the council of Yavneh sometime after the destruction of the second Temple, and was composed in response to the Essenes and the early Messianic believer in Yehshua as the Messiah.

Note that in its present form, this blessing does not seem to target Messianic Believer (the key word lamalshinim is normally rendered “for the slanderers”) But the talmud (B’rakhot 28b-29a) state that the original form of this blessing had the term laminim, which is rendered “for the sectarians”, which was generally understood to be the Essenes and Messianic believers of that time. “If the chazan makes a mistake in any other of the blessings they do not remove him, but if he makes a mistake when saying the Birkat HaMinim they remove him because he is suspected of being a min himself. (B’rakhot 28b).

In short, “the blessing” was used as a sort of litmus test by the Rabbinics: a Messianic Believer could faithfully recite the other eighteen blessings of the Amidah but could hardly invoke  curse on followers of Yehshua the Mashiach. IN this way, persons not reciting the Birkat HaMinim were suspected of heresy and subject to cherem (excommunication).

And for slanderers (sectarians) let there be no hope and may all the evil in an instant be destroyed and all the your enemies be cut down swiftly: and the evil ones uprooted and break the destroy and humble them soon in our days. Blessed are you Yehovah who breaks down and humbles the sinners.

You can listen to this prayer in Hebrew at this link.

Blessing Thirteen Tzaddikim ­
(Righteous Ones)

The thiteenth blessing of the Amidah is called Tsaddikim (“righteous ones”) and is an appeal to Yehovah to show compassion and grace toward the righteous.

Upon the righteous, upon the pious, upon the elder of your people of the house of Israel, upon the remnant of the scholars, upon the righteous converts and upon ourselves, may your compassion arise, Yehovah our God and give good reward to all who sincerely believe in your Name. Include us with them and let us not be ashamed, for we put our trust in you. Blessed are Yehovah, the stronghold and assurance of the righteous.

You can listen to this prayer in Hebrew at this link.

Blessing Fourteen Binyan Yerushalayim ­
(Rebuilding Jerusalem)

While in Galut (exile), Jews will never stop mourning for and praying to return to Jerusalem. This sentiment finds its expression in Zionism; the worldwide movement of the Jewish people to return to their ancient homeland as the chosen people of God. (Zionism comes from the word Tsion, one of the Jewish names for the Holy City of Jerusalem).

In fact, the Amidah prayer itself the quintessential prayer recited three times a day by Orthodox Jews is recited facing to the east, towards Jerusalem. The fourteenth blessing of the Amidah is called Binyan Yerushalyim (rebuilding Jerusalem) and expresses the Jewish dream of being restored to the rebuilt City of Jerusalem as the City of Yehovah upon the earth.

 

Return in compassion to your city, Jerusalem, and rest within it as you ahve said. Rebuild it speedily and in our days, a structure forever. And may you establish the throne of David within Jerusalem, speedily. Blessed are you Yehovah, the builder of Jerusalem.

You can listen to this prayer in Hebrew at this link.

Let Us Go to the House of the Lord

Psalm 122:1 A Song of Ascents. Of David.
I was glad when they said to me,
“Let us go to the house of the Lord!”
Our feet have been standing
within your gates, O Jerusalem!
Jerusalem—built as a city
that is bound firmly together,
to which the tribes go up,
the tribes of the Lord,
as was decreed for Israel,
to give thanks to the name of the Lord.
There thrones for judgment were set,
the thrones of the house of David.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!
“May they be secure who love you!
Peace be within your walls
and security within your towers!”
For my brothers and companions’ sake
I will say, “Peace be within you!”
For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,
I will seek your good.

 

Malkhut beit David

(The Kingdom of David)

Blessings ten through fifteen of the Amidah emphasize Yehovah’s redemption of national Israel. With blessin fifteen, Malkut beit David, the appeal is made for the “Branch of David” (Tzemach David) to arise and bring about Israel’s salvation (Yehshua).

May the Seed of David your servant flourish speedily and may you exalt your Salvation (Yehshua). For in your salvation (Yehshua) do we hope all the day. Blessed are you Yehovah, who brings forth the Horn of our Salvation (Yehshua).

You can listen to this prayer in Hebrew at this link.

 

Kabbalat Tefillah ­

(Acceptance of Prayer)

Blessing sixteen of the Amidah prayer, Kabbalat Tefillah, is an appeal to Yehovah for pity, mercy, and acceptance of the foregoing petitions and thereby closes the petitionary (middle) section of the foregoing sequence of prayers.

Hear our voice Yehovah our God and have pity and mercy upon us and accept in mercy and in favour of our prayer, for you are a God who hears prayers and supplications. Don not turn us away from before you empty, for in mercy you hear the prayer of your people Israel. Blessed are you Yehovah who hears prayers.

You can listen to this prayer in Hebrew at this link.

Part III The Blessing of Gratitude
Blessing Seventeen Avodah ­
(Worship)

The Avodah (worship, labour, service) is the seventeenth blessing of the weekday Amidah and the fifth blessing of the Shabbat Amidah. According to the Rabbis of the Talmud, the Avodah prayer was said by the priest in the temple just after they had offered the sacrifices (Mishneh Tamid 5:1)

Accept your people Yehovah our God and receive their prayer. restore the most holy service of your house and accept in love the offerings and prayers of Israel. May it please you always to want to accept the service of your people Israel. May our eyes see you return to Zion in mercy. Blessed are you Yehovah, who restores His Presences to Zion.

You can listen to this prayer in Hebrew at this link.

Blessing Eighteen Hoda’ah ­ (Thanksgiving to the LORD)

Hoda’ah ­

Thanksgiving to the LORD

The eighteenth blessing of the weekday Amidah is composed of two parts: the Hoda’ah portion, expressing thanks to Yehovah, and the concluding section. Hoda’ah means gratitude, and is considered the most basic of attitudes toward HaShem.

 

Modim Anachnu Lakh

Traditional Jews bow at the word “Modim” and straighten up when the name of Yehovah is said.

 

 

We thank you, for it is you alone who is Yehovah our God and the God of our Fathers, forever and ever. You are the Rock and Shield of our salvation: you alone, from generation to generation. We thank you and tell of your praise, for our lives are in your hands and our souls are trusting in you. Everyday your miracles are with us: Your wonder and favours are at all times evening, morning and afternoon. O Good One, your compassions are never exhausted and your kindnesses are continual. We put our hope in you.

Blessing Eighteen; Concluding section in the closing portion of the blessing, traditional Jews bend the knees at “Barukh,” bow at “attah,” and straighten up when “Adonai” is said.

You can listen to this prayer in Hebrew at this link.

 

Blessing Nineteen Sim Shalom ­
(Establishing Peace)

The final blessing of the weekday Amidah is called Sim Shalom which means “Create Peace”, and anticipates the Birkat Kohanim, “May He grant you Peace” (Numbers 6:24-26).

Grant peace, goodness, blessing, grace, kindness, and compassion upon us and upon all of your people Israel. Bless us, Our Father, all of us as one, with the light of your face, for with the light of your face you gave us, Yehovah our God, the Torah of life and love and kindness, righteousness, blessing, compassion, life, and peace. And may it be good in your eyes to bless your people Israel at every time and at every hour with your peace. Blessed are you Yehovah, who blesses His people Israel with peace.

This blessing ends with the following ritual: Bow to the left for the phrase

This blessing ends with the following ritual: Bow to the left for the phrase

Oseh Shalom Bimromav,

Bow forward for during

hu ya’aseh Shalom Aleinu,

and straighten up for

ve’al kol visrael. Veimnu amen.

May He who makes peace in His high places make peace for us, and for all of Israel. And say you. Amen.

You can listen to this prayer in Hebrew at this link.

You can hear this entire Amidah section in Hebrew at this link.

Kedushat HaShem

This week’s teaching is taken from Hebrew4Chrisitans

The Shema ­

Hear, O Israel, The LORD is our God, The LORD is one

The SHEMA is the central prayer in the Jewish prayerbook (siddur) and is often the first section of the Scripture that a Jewish child learns. During its recitation in the synagogue, Orthodox Jews pronounce each word very carefully and cover their eyes with their right hand. Many Jews recite the Shema at least twice daily: once in the morning and once in the evening. PArts of the Shema are written on s small scroll which is then rolled up and put inside a mezuzah.

Hear it Sung (by Sharon Wilbur)

The Complete Shema

The Shema is actually more than just the famous six words Shema Yisrael, Yehovah Eloheinu, Yehovah Echad, but is composed of three parts linked together into a unity:

 

The First Part: 1.

Shema Deuteronomy 6:4-9; The core Hebrew Prayer.

Special emphasis is given to the first six Hebrew words of this passage Shema Yisrael, Yehovah Eloheinu, Yehovah Echad, and a six-word response is said in an undertone, baruke shem kevoid malkhuot le’aolam va’ed. After a pause Deuteronomy 6:59 is then recited which stress the commandment to love your God with all of your heart soul and might.

Deut 6:4-9 Hear, O Israel: Jehovah our God is one Jehovah: and thou shalt love Jehovah thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be upon thy heart; and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thy house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thy hand, and they shall be for frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the door-posts of thy house, and upon thy gates.

Enlarged Letters

The two letters Ayin Dalet d are enlarged in the first sentence of the Shema. Together, these letters form the word ‘ed du, which means “witness,” Suggesting that the Shema is a testimony of the sovereignty of God and our primary duty to love Him with our whole being.

The following was sent to me by one of our readers and I have inserted it here.

Jot and tittle lesson

  • 34:14 has an enlarged/bolded resh, r , in the word echar, rha, which means other, as in other gods.

“For thou shalt worship no other (echar) god: for YHVH, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:”

  • 4:24 has an enlarged/bolded kaf, k, in the word Elohecha, kyhla, which means your God.

“For YHVH thy God (Elohecha) is a consuming fire, even a jealous God.”

  • Deut 6:4 is what is known as the Shema which says

“Shema (hear and obey) O Israel, Yehovah is our God, Yehovah is echad (as in a unified one and not an absolute one)”.

  1. If you take these two large/bolden letters, ayn and dalet, they form the Hebrew word for “witness or testimony”, dx.
    1. Who are the “witnesses”? Acts 1:8 says “but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”
  2. The letters Ayn and Aleph both have the “ah” sound. If we replaced the “ayn” in shema with an “aleph”, it would sound exactly the same but would change the meaning to “perhaps”. Also, if we replaced the “dalet” in echad with a “resh”, it would almost look identical but we get the word echar which means “other gods” (like in Ex. 34:14). With these two replacements, the meaning would become “Perhaps, O Israel, YHVH our God is another god”. Not surprisingly, the replacement letters “resh aleph” make up a new Hebrew word, ar, which is pronounced “ra” and means “evil”. In other words, our witness/testimony becomes evil when we consider there are any other gods besides YHVH.

dx means witness or testimony                

(change the order and you get the next word)

xd means know                                       

(change the dalet to a resh to get the next word)

xr means evil                                         

 (change the ayn to an aleph to get the next word)

ar means see

As we change/mix our witness dx, what we now know xd can easily become evil xr in how we see ar

Do you see how a little bit of mixing around (the teaching of Baalam) can change our witness to evil!

What is the witness/testimony of Islam/Muslims? “Bla-bla is our god. There is no other god besides Bla-bla”.

How close is their witness/testimony to our witness/testimony? Almost identical.

I want to point out to all of you who are reading this the word here YHVH and is to be translated as Yehovah and not Adonai. Everyone does as the Jews say in not pronouncing His Sacred Name. But the actual translation of this verse is;

Hear, O Israel: Yehovah our God is one Yehovah:

Hear Israel Yehovah Our Elohim Yehovah (is) one

 

The Second Part: 2.

Vehayah (Deuteronomy 11:13­-21)

This moving passage stresses the blessings that come through obedience to Yehovah and the consequences that come through disobedience.

Deut 11:13-21 And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day, to love Jehovah your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, that I will give the rain of your land in its season, the former rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy grain, and thy new wine, and thine oil. And I will give grass in thy fields for thy cattle, and thou shalt eat and be full. Take heed to yourselves, lest your heart be deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them; and the anger of Jehovah be kindled against you, and he shut up the heavens, so that there shall be no rain, and the land shall not yield its fruit; and ye perish quickly from off the good land which Jehovah giveth you.
Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul; and ye shall bind them for a sign upon your hand, and they shall be for frontlets between your eyes. And ye shall teach them your children, talking of them, when thou sittest in thy house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt write them upon the door-posts of thy house, and upon thy gates; that your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land which Jehovah sware unto your fathers to give them, as the days of the heavens above the earth.

Mezuzot Scrolls

The first two parts of the Shema are written in STA”M script on a small scroll which is then rolled up and put inside a mezuzah;

The Mezuzah Blessing

Guardian of the Doors of Israel

Introduction

A Mezuzah hzwzm is a kosher parchment scroll with Deuteronomy 6:4-9 and 11:13- 21 on one side and the word Shaddai on the other side. It is then rolled up and inserted into a decorative case. The case is then affixed to the doorway in fulfillment of the commandment in Deuteronomy 6:9,

“And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”

The word mezuzah is used as a noun 18 times in the scriptures, the same numerical value as the word for “alive” (i.e. chai;yj.) Note that the gematria of the verse “And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” (Deut 6:9) equals 2468, which is the same value found in the account of the final plague in Egypt, where is it written, 

“Thus said ????, ‘About midnight I am going out into the midst of Mitsrayim, (Exodus 11:4)

Therefore the sages infer that just as the Israelites applied the blood of the lamb to the Mezuzah of their homes at the time of their deliverance from Egypt, so we should affix the mezuzah to the doors of our homes. As believers in the Messiah Yehshua, the mezuzah reminds us that we too are bought with a price and that our homes are dedicated to Yehovah.

Many Mezuzah are beautiful pieces of artwork and are often given as housewarming gifts. The letter Shin c that is often inscribed on the outside of the mezuzah case stands for the Name of Yehovah. Shaddai, the All-Sufficient One. The three letters of the word Shaddai ydc, are said to be the initials taken from the phrase “Guardian of the Doors of Israel.” larcy twtld rmwc (i.e. shomer daltot Yisrael)

Using the Mezuzah

Whenever you enter or leave the house, it is customary to touch the mezuzah (some Jews will kiss the mezuzah by touching it and then touching their lips.) This reverence acknowledges the “Shema” and the duty of loving and serving Yehovah with all or our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Touching the mezuzah reminds us that are bought with a price. Namely the blood of Yehshua our High Priest, and that our homes are dedicated to Yehovah.

Joshua 24:15 And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

The Third Part: 3.

Vaiyomer (Numbers 15:37-­41):

This section concerns the sue of the tallit; a rectangular prayer shawl with four fringes, called Tzitzit. One Tzitzi is attached to each corner of the tallit. The reason for wearing the tzitzi is to remind oneself to observe all the commandments of Yehovah.

And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and bid them that they make them fringes in the borders of their garments throughout their generations, and that they put upon the fringe of each border a cord of blue: and it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of Jehovah, and do them; and that ye follow not after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to play the harlot; that ye may remember and do all my commandments, and be holy unto your God. I am Jehovah your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I am Jehovah your God.

If you would like to hear the Shema read in Hebrew and would like to practice it here is a link to do so.

The Lord’s Expanded Prayer

Here is the entire prayer with the name Yehovah returned to its proper worship

Avot

Blessed are You, Yehovah our God and God of our Fathers, The God of Abraham, The God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the Great and Mighty and Revered Yehovah, The Most High who bestows loving kindness, The Creator of all, who recalls the good deeds of the fathers and who brings Redemption to the children’s children for His name’s sake, in love. O King, Helper, Savior, and Shield, Blessed are You Yehovah, the Shield of Abraham.

Gevurot

You, Yehovah are Mighty forever. You are the Reviver of the dead. You are Greatly able to save. (From the end of Sukkot until the eve of Passover, the phrase; “You cause the wind to blow and the rain to fall” is inserted here). You sustain the living in loving kindness, you revive the dead with great compassion, You support the falling, heal the sick, set free the bound and keep faith with those who sleep in the dust. Who is like You, O master of Mighty Deeds? Who compares to You, a King who puts to death and restores to life and brings forth Salvation?-(Yeh Shua). And you are faithful to revive the dead. Blessed are You, Yehovah who revives the dead.

Kedushat HaShem

You are Holy and Your Name Yehovah is Holy and Your Holy Ones praise You every day. Blessed are You Yehovah, the God who is Holy.

With a Minyan

With a minyan (a group of ten), Kedushat Hashem is recited responsively;

Reader:

We will sanctify Your name in this world just as it is sanctified in the highest heavens, as it is written by Your prophet; “And they call out to one another and say:

Minyan:

“Holy, holy, holy is Yehovah of hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory.” (Isaiah 6:3).

Reader:

And those facing them praise Yehovah saying;

Minyan:

“Blessed be the Presence of Yehovah in His place” (Ezekiel 3:12).

Reader:

And in Your Holy Word, it is written, saying,

Minyan:

“Yehovah will reign forever, your God, O Zion, throughout all generations. Hallelujah” (Psalm 146:10).

Reader:

Throughout all generation, we will declare Your greatness, and to all eternity we will proclaim Your Holiness. Your Praise, Yehovah, shall never depart from our mouth, for You are a Great and Holy God and King. Blessed are You, Yehovah, The Holy God. You are Holy, and Your name is holy, and your holy ones praise You Daily. (Selah.) Blessed are You Yehovah, the God who is Holy.

Da’at Petition for Knowledge and Insight

You show favour to a man of knowledge and You teach understanding to a mortal man. Be gracious to us. A mind of understanding and intellect is from You. Blessed are You Yehovah, Who favours us with knowledge.

Teshuvah Return Us Our Father to your Torah

Return us, our Father to Your Torah; draw us near our King to serve You. restore us to your presence in complete repentance. Blessed are You Yehovah, who desires repentance.

Selichah Forgive us Our Father for we have Sinned

Forgive us, our Father, for we have sinned; pardon us, our King, for we have rebelled; for You are a pardoner and a forgiver. Blessed are you, Yehovah, the gracious One who abundantly forgives.

Geulah Redeem us for the sake of thy Name

Behold our affliction and champion our cause and redeem us speedily for the sake of Thy Name. Blessed are You, Yehovah, the Redeemer of Israel.

Refuah Heal Us Yehovah and we shall be healed

Heal us Yehovah, and we shall be healed; save us and we shall be saved, for the one we praise is You. Bring complete healing for all our sicknesses, (*at this point you may interject a prayer for the one who is ill,) May it be Your will, Yehovah, my God, and God of my forefathers, that You quickly send Refuah Sh’lemah (complete healing) from heaven, spiritual healing and physical healing to (name of those you are praying for) O Yehovah, You are our faithful and compassionate Healer and King. Blessed are You, Yehovah, the Healer of the sick of Israel.

Birkat Hashanim ­An Appeal for a Prosperous Year

Bless for us, Yehovah our God, this year and its crops. Grants us a blessing on the earth. Satisfy us from Your bounty and bless our year like other good years. Blessed are You Yehovah, who blesses the years.

Kibbutz Galuyot Ingathering of Exiles

Sound the Great Shofar for our freedom and raise a banner to gather our exiles and unite us together from the four corners of the earth. Blessed are You, Yehovah, who regathers the scattered of His people Israel.

Birkat HaDin Restoration of Justice

Restore our judges as at the early times and advisors as there once were. Remove our sorrows and troubles; we want You, Yehovah, to rule over us with kindness and compassion and to justify us in justice. Blessed are You Yehovah, the King who loves righteousness and justice.

Birkat HaMinim ­ Against Heretics

( I am changing this section for myself) Our Father Yehovah, call those who are now persecuting us, open their minds to your truths and call them as you called us out of our sins. They are the same as we once were and still may be, all of us are deceived and do not know the truth. The truth that only comes from you. We pray for you to open our eyes and to open their eyes to your truths that we all may serve you.  But if they refuse to obey you then let them be destroyed. Blessed are You Yehovah, who breaks down the enemies and humbles sinners.

And for slanderers let there be no hope, and may all the evil in an instant be destroyed and all the Your Enemies be cut down swiftly and the evil one uprooted and break and destroy and humble soon in our day. Blessed are You Yehovah, who breaks down the enemies and humbles sinners.

Tzaddikim ­Righteous Ones

Upon the righteous, upon the pious, upon the elders of your people of the House of Israel, upon the remnant of the scholars, upon the righteous converts and upon ourselves, may Your compassion arise, Yehovah our God and give good rewards to all who sincerely believe in your Name. Include us with them forever, and let us not be ashamed, for we put our trust in You. Blessed are You Yehovah, the stronghold and assurance of the righteous.

Binyan Yerushalayim ­ Rebuilding Jerusalem

Return in compassion to Your City Jerusalem, and rest within it as You have said. Rebuild it speedily, and in our days, a structure forever. And may You establish the throne of David within Jerusalem speedily. Blessed are You, Yehovah, the builder of Jerusalem.

Malkhut beit David The Kingdom of David

May the Seed of David Your Servant flourish speedily and may You exult Your Salvation. For in Your Salvation, Your Yehshua do we hope all the day. Blessed are You, Yehovah, who brings forth the Horn of our Salvation, Yehshua.

Kabbalat Tefillah ­ Acceptance of Prayer

Hear our voice, Yehovah, our God and have pity and mercy upon us and accept in mercy and in favour of our prayer, for You are a God who hears prayers and supplications. Do not turn us away from before You empty, for in mercy You hear the prayer of Your people Israel. Blessed are You, Yehovah who hears our prayers.

Avodah ­ Worship

Accept Your people, Yehovah, our God and receive their prayers. Restore the most Holy service of Your House and accept in love the offerings and prayers of Israel. May it please You always to want to accept the service of Your people Israel. May our eyes see You return to Zion in mercy. Blessed are you Yehovah, who restores His presence to Zion.

Hoda’ah ­ Thanksgiving to Yehovah

We thank you, for it is you alone who is Yehovah our God and the God of our Fathers, forever and ever. You are the Rock and Shield of our salvation: you alone, from generation to generation. We thank you and tell of your praise, for our lives are in your hands and our souls are trusting in you. Every day your miracles are with us: Your wonder and favours are at all times evening, morning and afternoon. O Good One, your compassions are never exhausted and your kindnesses are continual. We put our hope in you.

Sim Shalom ­ Establishing Peace

Grant peace, goodness, blessing, grace, kindness, and compassion upon us and upon all of your people Israel. Bless us, Our Father, all of us as one, with the light of your face, for with the light of your face you gave us, Yehovah our God, the Torah of life and love and kindness, righteousness, blessing, compassion, life, and peace. And may it be good in your eyes to bless your people Israel at every time and at every hour with your peace. Blessed are you Yehovah, who blesses His people Israel with peace.

This blessing ends with the following ritual: Bow to the left for the phrase

Oseh Shalom Bimromav, – May He who makes peace in His high places

Bow forward for during

hu ya’aseh Shalom Aleinu, – make peace for us,

and straighten up for

ve’al kol visrael. Veimnu amen. – and for all of Israel. And say you. Amen.

May He who makes peace in His high Places make peace for us, and for all of Israel. And you say Amen.

Shema

Deuteronomy 6:4-9: The core Hebrew Prayer. Special emphasis is given to the first six Hebrew words of this passage.

Shema Yisrael, Yehovah Eloheinu, Yehovah Echad

And a six-word response is said in an undertone (barukh Shem kevod malkhuto le’olam va’ed). After a pause, Deuteronomy 6:5-9 is then recited which stresses the commandment to love Yehovah your God with all your heart, soul, and might.

Shema

Deut 6:4-9 “Hear, O Israel: Yehovah our God, Yehovah is one. You shall love Yehovah your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Deut 11:13-21 “And if you will indeed obey my commandments that I command you today, to love Yehovah your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, he will give the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the later rain, that you may gather in your grain and your wine and your oil. And he will give grass in your fields for your livestock, and you shall eat and be full. Take care lest your heart be deceived, and you turn aside and serve other gods and worship them; then the anger of the Lord will be kindled against you, and he will shut up the heavens, so that there will be no rain, and the land will yield no fruit, and you will perish quickly off the good land that Yehvoah is giving you.

“You shall therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land that the Lord swore to your fathers to give them, as long as the heavens are above the earth.

 

6 Comments

  1. David R Smith

    Greetings Joseph,
    In this weeks letter I read.
    ”The word echad in Hebrew can imply a unity in diversity (the word for one and only one, i.e., unique, is more often rendered as yachid).”
    This is not accurate. The word for unity is yachad, for example.
    Ps 133:1 Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity (yachad).
    Gen 49:5-6 (Jacob said) “Simeon and Levi are brothers; Instruments of cruelty are in their dwelling place. Let not my honor be united (yachad) to their company.
    H3162 yachad (yakh’- ad) Definition: union, unitedness, together.
    The Hebrew word echad always means ‘one’ and never, ever carries the idea of unity. It is identical to our English word one.
    Strong’s H259 echad Definition: one (number) each, every, a certain, only, once, first. Translated “one” 901 times. Adjective
    Brown-Driver-Briggs: echad – one (number) each, only, once, one by one, first.
    Ge 2:21 Yahweh took one (echad) of Adam’s ribs, and closed up the place with flesh
    Ex 25:36 The menorah shall be one (echad) beaten work of pure gold.
    De 19:15 One (echad) witness shall not prevail against a man ..only on the evidence of two witnesses, or of three witnesses, shall a charge be sustained.
    Ec 4:9 Two are better than one (echad), because they have a good reward for their toil.
    So some people try to play word games to convince us ‘one’ means three. Some of the verses they use to do this.
    Ge 2:24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one (echad) flesh.
    Ex 26:6 “And you shall make fifty clasps of gold, and couple the curtains together with the clasps, so that it may be one tabernacle.
    Nu 13:23 …and there cut down a branch with one (echad) cluster of grapes
    Eze 37:17 And join (Judah & Joseph) one to another into one (echad) stick.
    Gen 2:24 How many ‘flesh’ are they? One fleah!
    Ex 26:6 How many tabernacles? One tabernacle!
    Nu 13:23 How many clusters? One cluster!
    Eze 37:17 How many sticks? One stick!
    In our English language does one only mean one if something is made of a single substance? For example: I ate one sandwich today. Does one in English now mean unity since the sandwich had bread, butter and jam? Or is the sandwich a Trinity? Would I have to add other adjectives like single, solitary or only to the word one or people might think I had 3 sandwiches? The same applies in Hebrew.
    Be careful and study for yourselves folks for Yahshua said, “Take heed that no one deceives you” (Mt 24:4).
    Shalom,
    David Smith

    Reply
  2. Steven Smith

    Shabbat Shalom Sightdmoon.com family,
    Your on a roll Mr Dumond. Keep it coming. Teachings been awesome. Thank you and James and everyone working behind the scenes
    Have a blessed week everyone.
    Love out to the brethren from NS, Canada
    Psa 119:98 Through Your Commandments You make me wiser than my enemies, for they are ever with me.
    Psa 119:99 I have more understanding than all my teachers; for Your testimonies are my prayer.
    Psa 119:100 I understand more than the old men, because I keep Your Commandments.
    Quote taken from Hebraic;Biography of Y,shua
    “From the Sages
    Accustom your tongue to say “I do not know?.
    (Berachos 4a) Iyar 6
    ?While no human being can know everything, some people cannot admit any ignorance about anything. For them, any admission of lack of knowledge threatens their fragile egos. Although they try to impress others with their omniscience, they accomplish the reverse, because the more they try to conceal their ignorance, the more prominent it becomes.
    Furthermore, the only way we can acquire knowledge is by accepting that we do not have it. People who claim to know everything cannot learn. Therefore, many opportunities to learn pass them by, and their denying their ignorance actually increases their ignorance.
    We do not have to know everything, and no one expects us to. Today, more than ever, with the unprecedented amount of information available, no one can be a universal genius. The simple statement, I don’t know‘, is actually highly respected.
    We should also open ourselves to acquiring knowledge from every source. Learning from someone whom we consider to be inferior to ourselves should not be demeaning. As the Psalmist says, ‘I became wise by learning from all my teachers’ (Psalms 119:99). A willingness to learn from everyone is a sign of greatness, while affecting omniscience actually betrays ignorance?.
    May we all admit that there are many things that we do not know, and may we all be willing to learn from anyone and everyone. (From page 216 of;’ Growing Each Day, by Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski, M.D., pub. Mesorah Publications, Ltd., New York, 1992.)”
    I

    Reply
  3. Liviu Cormos

    Shabat Shalom . Iosif thank you for your insights .I notice that the Disciples Prayer from hebrew4christians.com and the prayer from Neemia Gordon are different in spelling the Hebrew. Witch one is right.

    Reply
    • Joseph F. Dumond

      Shabbat Shalom Liviu, each prayer is a personal conversation with Yehovah. Your prayer will not be the same as mine. The LORD’s prayer that Yehshua gave was an example of the Amida prayer. I have presented the entire Amida prayer to help everyone to learn to pray in this example. Yesterday and each day before I have been reciting the actual prayer reading it from the printout I made of it. Which is at the bottom of the article. Today I used it as a guideline to my own prayer that offered up. It was different and similar to the Amida Prayer. It was different and similar to the LORD’s Prayer.
      So both the Hebrew4christians and Nehemia’s prayer are both right even if they use different words. Praise Yehovah and His glorious name, and all that He has done for you. Petition Yehovah as He is the only one who can make them come about. Give thanks for Government system He has set up and will soon restore under King David.

      Reply
  4. Ross

    Shalom,
    Is the complete Amedah available in English? If so, where?

    Reply
    • Joseph F. Dumond

      At the end of this article is the complete Amidah in English.

      Reply

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