The Soul goes “Down” to be Lifted “UP”.

The Soul goes “Down” to be Lifted “UP”.


This line was brought up in Torah Study on the 26th of December 2009, as a midrash(Rabbinical Story) on Abram's trip to Egypt and then back to Canon. The paraphrase of the idea goes like this –Abram had to go down into the evil of Egypt to be test his soul and then come back “up” to the Promised Land, having survived the test. I will state now that this, to me is a load of leavings by cows, at least in the form used regarding Abram.


Don't get mad, I will tell you that the statement regarding the soul, I believe to have merit. For me there has always been a number of troubling questions about the reason we exist. H'shem created the Heavens and the Earth with all that is in them, evaluated appropriate condition of the created, judged the quality to be GOOD, Blessed it, then created the next in the series. Excellently done, but then H'shem created Man, in HIS image and breathed a soul into him. Why?

We were not judged GOOD, although WE were given CHOICE. The ability to choose between Good and Evil, Life and Death, Right and Wrong, this was given to us, but WE desire to act like the Dirt or Animal part of us, not the Holy part. Why should H'shem decide to make us choose?

He actually created the Earth (HIS Garden) for US and our choice. Why?

I look for the clues regarding the “Whys”. Is it because H'shem is expecting US to be better than anything else in creation? Did Geppetto(the puppet maker) in Pinocchio want a child when he created Pinocchio?, I would say yes, but Geppetto is not G-D, although the thought might not be far off the mark. An amount of evidence can be presented to indicate that H'shem is alone, NO OTHER gods, none before, none beside and none after. H'shem is a jealous G-D, and will not share HIS GLORY. H'shem put the Breath Of Life(Holy Spirit as a Soul) in Man formed from dirt and then said be Holy, for I, your G-D am Holy.


So G-D creates man and placed a tiny speck of Holiness in that man, gives him a choice, then tests mankind. The Soul goes “Down” from H'shem, to be tested and if GOOD, Lifted “UP”. The tests include everything where you or I are presented with a choice of Right or Wrong. Seems like some kind of “Weeding Out” of those souls, for some purpose we are not told about. Why?


Last, it is pointed out throughout the Tanach, that H'shem knows/knew the END of time at the Beginning, and told US about it. For me this was also a revelation, regarding the depth and breath of My G-D's KNOWLEDGE. Consider then: To know what the end actions of all people, their deeds, words, and choices they made, what the results from each and every interaction whether directly or indirectly inflicted by any set of events on a person. The variables involved with just trying to point out how complex this is idea is overwhelming. I have enough trouble thinking over a ten minute conversation with friends and all of the ramifications and input data about each perception recorded, that is hard to grasp. Also consider then: that G-D would be aware of maybe 18 billion people in 6,000 years and all of the choices each would make. That is really hard for me to grasp the idea and hold on to.

Oh, you might ask “How is it possible that any being could know all of a persons thoughts?” Remember that G-D put a little Holy Spirit in each one of us. It is not possible to do or think anything which G-D would not Know, no matter where you went, H'shem is always there with you and your thoughts. You still must choose, it is just that HE already knows what you chose, as if it has already happened for HIM, because knowing from the Beginning to End before saying "Let There Be . . .", all outcomes are already known. We still must live and make the choices, we are not forced to choose anything, so it is not predestined –just pre-known.

So back to the original thought, G-D set a soul into each of us, and then tests it, for HIS purposes. It really could be something beyond our comprehension, this reason and benefit for passing the test so our Soul can be lifted "UP" again.


Shalom(Peace)


Yaakov

What If . . . .?

What If . . . . has started so many statements, I doubt that there is a means to estimate the usage of that phrase. What if G-D is not real? What if people wrote the Books of Moses in order to give power to ...? What if the Torah and Tanach are just lies?

My response is, What if . . . .it is TRUE, all of it? What if G-D IS and the Books of Moses were dictated to Moses?

So how can we know the Truth? --I know that Man Kind cannot write a book or series of books without flaws in them. Even after writing, re-writing, and again re-writing, then editing, checking and editing then, . . . . Using computers we create huge documents, but not with out errors. In the Torah (Five Books of Moses), written more than two thousand five hundred years ago with skin, ink and quill. Copied with such a demand for correctness that even one dot on the page out of place, the page is removed and re-written for accuracy of the texts. This document has been read, studied, re-studied again and again by hundreds of thousands of scholars.

Where is the mistake that can be used to declare the TORAH is a lie? Okay, that is harsh, but if dictated by G-D, over seen by HIM, it is then to HIS Glory or failure. I have not been able to find the flaw myself, and I have looked for them most of my life. Do you know where the flaw is? Can you prove it to me? Will you prove it to me? Other wise...moving on.

This leads me to this: What if you cannot prove the Torah is a lie, would it then be to your benefit to assume there is truth there? If it is true, then G-D is true. Maybe we should find out what HE wants and what we need to do and DO IT?

Shalom,
Yaakov

Interpretation, is it required to read the Tanach?

Interpretation, is it required to read the Tanach?

The answer is: a multi-layered maybe. What Interpretation can I bet my soul on? Or my children’s souls? Or my family’s souls? If I follow, why do I follow? What am I being told to do? Why am I being told this? IS IT RIGHT?  

Like so many things in life, the perspective makes all of the difference when attempting to understand, anything. For example, I am not able to read and understand the meaning of the biblical hebrew found in the Torah. Therefore I must use many different translations of the five Books of Moses, also know as the Torah. Add to those translations, Hebrew/English and English/Hebrew, Greek/English and English/Greek(for New Testament) dictionaries and a couple of concordances. This gets me closer to each individual word as well as the possible variations of that word. The next step for me is to read the entire passage to make sure that I have the best meaning/fit for the words in question. Last and of course not the least of these steps is to open my heart to the word of G-D, after all HE is the author of its meaning. Now, read the Old Testament(Tanach)(and the New) this way over and over again for years. What I get is a different perspective with more refinement and understanding, from each reading, each study session, coupled with prayer and contemplation. All of this is interpretation. The interpretation that I am betting my soul on. 

The last is probably this most important piece to keep in mind, You Are Betting Your Soul on what every decision you make. For example, the worse thing Adam did in as related in Genesis 3:17, was not eating of the tree of Knowledge. It was that he listened to his wife, when the L’RD instructed Adam, Himself. Adam chose to listen to his wife, and for this the Ground was cursed.... I have listened to many different INTERPRETATIONS of that story, but I have never heard that presented as the reason for being forced to the fields and hard labor. By the way, why did the snake know that we (even now) would mis-interpret the meaning of Death? (Gen. 3:3..4 verses Gen. 2 17.) 

It seems that much of what has happened, is do to our thoughts being on something less important than what we should be thinking about –my commentary.

I have not found anything in the Torah(Written Books of Moses), which is a mistake or without value. It is only our lack of understanding and lack of desire to gain that understanding, that keeps us from knowing. However, if a child of six or seven can sit down and read the word of G’D, and learn what they should and should not do, why do we not question what we are told? We just accept it as being correctly stated. Each of us is required to seek understanding of Right and wrong and perform that which is Right. 

G’d wants us to do that which is RIGHT, to seek HIS forgiveness and stop doing that which is wrong. Ezekiel 18:21 “Moreover, if the wicked one repents of all his sins that he committed and keeps all of My Laws and does what Is just and right, he shall live;....”

Last statement today: 

Deuteronomy 30:11" Surely, this Instruction which I enjoin upon you this day is not too baffling for you, nor is it beyond reach. ......14: No, the thing is very close to you, in your mouth and in your heart, to observe it.” This statement from Moses has been twisted by most religious leaders I have ever heard(with more that 50 years of listening). In Exodus 20 the L’RD G’D came down from the mountain, to the those who escaped from Egypt. He came with thunder, lighting, a blaring of horn, a smoking mountain which scared the people so badly that in Ex. 20:16 “You speak to us” they said to Moses, “and we will obey; but lot not G’D speak to us lest we Die.” They send Moses to hear G’D and report what they promise to DO! At the end of Moses life, Moses is pointing out that he has told you and noone needs to go get it for you.

You must choose. You must love the L’RD our G’D, with all of your heart, with all of your soul and with all of your being.  

Shalom,

James