The Netzarim Cause

July 24, 2016

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The Netzarim Cause

Introduction: Since generally all of us in the Netzarim or Nazarene movement have strong Christian backgrounds it is significant to consider what our divine purpose is. We have come to understand a greater depth to the faith with a passion to return to our early roots devoid of the trappings of our former Roman/ Greco heritage. This is by no means an easy journey since we are sure to be criticised as being too Jewish or legalistic or not in conformity with the thinking of the Christian Church with its Doctrines. We have even been called a cult by many so it is vital for us to understand our purpose in the World we live. On the other hand from a Rabbinical prospective we are also alienated since we believe in Yahshua of Netzareth & therefore are not accepted in Synagogues so we need to be sure of our Mission.

Surely the journey of refinement that we are on relates to Yahshua, his death & resurrection and how he relates to the Torah as well as our responsibilities to both Yahshua and the Torah (Law). The Cause that we have been drawn to therefore is that we display Yahshua (Jesus) in us combined with our desire for faithfulness to Yahweh’s Torah both of which will make us his true light to the Nations.

We therefore all have a unique call on our life and to see that call fulfilled should be the greatest desire of our life. It could be said that we stand between Orthodox Judaism who reject Yahshua (Yeshua) and Christianity who see Jesus or Yahshua as fulfilling the requirement of the Law for us. This has caused Christianity to neglect Torah apart from the fundamental moral commands presuming a false understanding of the Brit Chadashah or New Testament as they call it not understanding that Yahshua came rather to Renew the Covenant that was broken & therefore to re-establish it and not to replace it. Therefore our Mission as I see it is to bring these two together and by so doing we fulfil also the call to the lost sheep of the House of Yisrael.

You may say that being an Emissary or Missionary is not my skillset but is for the Hudson Taylors, Billy Grahams or the Navy seals of the Movement and that we are just normal everyday people & all we can do is to endure life with all its challenges and just try to hold onto our faith. Is that however the limitation to the requirement that the Master wants from us or does he expect more diligence and passion.

The Mission of Yisrael and believers however has always been to bring the knowledge of YAHWEH and his Salvation to a Lost World. We see that Yisrael were called to reveal Yahweh’s righteous requirements to the world but we know they often failed in their calling since they were called to be a Kodosh (Holy) Nation that would clearly reveal Elohim and be Priests before Yahweh for the World.

The role of the early believers was therefore to reveal what had been hidden and was now revealed through Yahshua that repentance unto life has been given to the Goyim (Nations) as well since we read how the Yahudim believers respond after Kepha (Peter) returns from the house of Cornelius where the Ruach Ha Kodesh (the Holy Spirit) fell on all those present who had come to hear Kepha (Peter) though they had not even entered the Covenant of Yisrael:

Acts 11:17-18 “So if Elohim gave them the same gift as He gave us when we believed on the Master Yahshua the Messiah, how was I able to withstand Elohim?” 18 And having heard this, they were silent and praised Elohim, saying, “Then Elohim has indeed also given to the Goyim (gentiles) repentance to life.”

It must be noted that before this incident even the Sh’liychiym (Apostles) had believed that their message was only for the Yahudim but this incident began to change things.

It is noteworthy however that the verses following say that those who were scattered through the persecution only brought their message to the Yahudim (Jews) as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch. This suggests it was only brought to those who knew the writings of the Tanakh (the Old Testament) who had long awaited the coming King of Yisrael to bring Salvation to his people.

Therefore like the Sh’liychiym (Apostles) we need to understand that we have not been called to be a separatist group but to be in the World but not of the World. Not to isolate ourselves from the World but to reach out to the World.

Before we even begin it is important that we understand that Elohim from the very beginning had a plan to reach the World he created. This is aptly revealed through the Words of Yahweh spoke directly to Abraham in:

Bereshith (Genesis) 12: 3 And in you all the families of the Earth shall be blessed.

The Prophet Isaiah also says it this way:

YeshiYahu (Isaiah) 11:9b For the Earth shall be full of the knowledge of Yahweh as the waters cover the sea.

This is a promise from the Almighty that the earth will be filled with his knowledge and we have been given the great privilege of partnering with him to see the wonderful knowledge of his Salvation through Yahshua Ha Moshiach (the Messiah) fill the Earth. Could there be anything better than to be called to bring the True message to the World because by doing it surely we bring joy to the heart of our Heavenly Father & by being faithful, Yahshua will one day say “well done you good & faithful servant.”

Keys to Fulfilling the Cause:

We need to be Transformed and not conformed

If we look to the world we will discover that the cause the World would have you strive for is to obtain happiness through a “Cause” built on greed, self-centeredness and pride. The thinking of the world is “if only I would succeed in business or become a Celebrity with much wealth then I will obtain happiness but this type of cause does not produce a love for Elohim or his Cause since we read what he says about a love built on the thinking of the World

1 John 2: 15- 16 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.

This however does not mean we cannot have the things that are in the world but that our priorities must be Different. Since the ways of Elohim are contrary to the ways of man we need to observe how the early believers’ responded not only to the Message but also to the subsequent persecution that followed.

One of the most powerful examples of the power of the Ruach Ha Kodesh (the Holy Spirit) in the lives of the early believers is that of TsephanYah (Stephen) a Hellenistic Yahudim (Jew) chosen with others to oversee the Hellenistic widows. His testimony therefore filled the scattering believers with a wonderful picture of strength through the Ruach Ha Kodesh (the Holy Spirit) in the face of persecution or even death.

The question for us is the same question Yahshua put to Kepha on the shore of Lake Galilee.

This is the same call that is on the lives of all believers but the Master gives us the choice to take up his “Cause” so he says to us as well:

“Do you love me more than the things of this World.”

When the Cause of Yahshua becomes central to our lives above the comfort of a good life and our pride satisfied, then we will find ourselves sharing the full truth to those around us, and further we will develop a heart for the Assembly and for Missions something often not thought of as leading to supporting it or even to go places where we can make a difference to people’s lives. In fact when the fire of the RUACH (Holy Spirit) fills us we will not be able to remain silent so we need to be a people that constantly keeps fuelling that fire or we will quench the RUACH Ha Kodesh (the Holy Spirit) in us.

The Disciples also needed to believe that Yahweh would guide and provide for them as we do too:

Mission to South Korea: In 2012 Silver felt that YHWH desired us to go to South Korea. We then even visited a Korean Congregation who told us clearly not to go as many Koreans could not speak English. Unperturbed by this we booked a guest house and though we visited local Congregations the advice appeared correct. We however prayed and meditated and my wife felt a clear direction to go two streets and turn left. We found a Korean Church and entered & though the Pastor spoke poor English she introduced us to a young man who had good English who was a Mission Pastor from a Mission in an Industrial Area and we were invited there. This turned out to be such a blessing as they had a Congregation of Filipinos who spoke English, a Vietnamese Congregation and my Wife speaks Vietnamese and finally we met a Cambodian Congregation and since Silver speaks Cambodian we discovered that YHWH had a grand purpose for us coming to South Korea which we would never have experienced if we had not stepped out in faith.

The Need for Oneness of Mind & Heart:

Since we as Netzarim (Nazarenes) have been given a unique call to bring the full message to the world we have great responsibility. The early believers clearly showed their true faith especially after persecution began when Kepha (Peter) & Yochanan (John) had been arrested stood trail were beaten and then were reunited with the Assembly resulting in them all raising their voices with one accord and crying to the one who alone is Elohim:

Acts 4:24- 26 “YHWH, You are Elohim, who made the heavens and the earth and the sea and all that is in them 25 who by the mouth of Your servant Daviḏ have said, ‘Why did the gentiles rage and the people plot ruin? 26 ‘The sovereigns of the earth stood up and the rulers were gathered together against YHWH and against His anointed one.

These believers were so filled with purpose & oneness that this attempt to stop the Good News of Yahshua Ha Moshiach (the Messiah) was met by them with cries for boldness and complete unity for the Cause which resulted in a powerful move of the Ruach Ha Kodesh (The Holy Spirit) not unlike what happened at Shavuot (Pentecost):

Acts 4:31 And when they had prayed, the place where they came together was shaken.

And they were all filled with the Set-apart Spirit and they spoke the Word of Elohim with boldness.

If we as Netzarim can catch this same fire then surely the Ruach Ha Kodesh will infuse us with the same Boldness and Passion. This will empower us to bring the beauty of his message to a world that has not seen the fullness of the truth.

Mission in the Philippines that changes lives including our own: Batayan Island.

On our last trip to the Philippines we had the joy of ministering to many people. One Island however was supremely a blessing and that was our visit to Batayan Island just above Cebu where we hired Vans to collect mainly young adults from five Congregations. To see the joy & hunger that these poor people had to worship and receive the Word and prayer truly astounded us. We saw them crying under the power of the Ruach and the atmosphere was so charged that it brought such joy to us that we know both them and us experienced that day a greater presence of Yahweh that we all need if we are to grow to be a people of Elohim or Ha Tzadik the righteous filled with the Ruach Ha Kodesh (the Holy Spirit).

The Promise of Power:

From the Days of Shavuot (Pentecost) we see a new dimension of the Ruach Ha Kodesh (the Holy Spirit) in operation. Firstly we see through the name of the Master supernatural Miracles being done by the Sh’liychiym (Apostles)causing many to believe but more than that we see this dimension of power extending to those outside the circle of the directly chosen as we read with regards TsephanYah (Stephen) and then Philip:

Acts 8:4-8 Then those who had been scattered went everywhere preaching the Word! 5 And going down to the city of Shomeron (Samaria) Philip proclaimed Messiah to them.

6 And the crowds with one mind heeded what Philip said, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. 7 For unclean spirits came out of many who were possessed, crying with a loud voice and many who were paralysed and lame were healed. 8 And there came to be great joy in that city.

What I want us to observe is that throughout the spreading of the Good News of Yahshua the Ruach Ha Kodesh (Holy Spirit) was doing mighty signs and wonders through his servants but though we do not read much about the believers who also spread the Besorah or the Good News I am sure these believers also saw great signs which appear to always be associated with bringing the Good News. In these verses there is also a clear indication that when Kepha (Peter) came to see the believers he imparted the Ruach Ha Kodesh the Set Apart Spirit upon them with a clearly visible manifestation.

This too is something clearly lacking among us today and I believe it is a promise that we should pray for and desire. When we believe for this promise with all our heart I believe that YHWH will fulfil his word to us as he did to them according to what Kepha said:

Acts 2:38- 40 Then Kepha (Peter) said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be immersed in the name of Yahshua Ha Moshiach (the Messiah) for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Ruach Ha Kodesh (Holy Spirit). 39 For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as Yahweh our Elohim will call.”

This tells us that we all can be filled with the Ruach Ha Kodesh (the Holy Spirit) and we can all believe that he can use us to touch lives and even do the same works as the believers did from Shavuot (Pentecost) since Elohim will work through anyone who has been redeemed by the blood of Yahshua. This is further promised by these Words that if we can believe we will experience:

Acts 1:8 But you shall receive power when the Set-Apart Spirit (Holy Spirit) has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

That should be a cause for rejoicing. One thing we must note however is that the RUACH (Holy Spirit) only began to work when the disciples left the security of their upper room and stood in the Temple and preached, a very dangerous act but one that the RUACH Ha Kodesh (Holy Spirit) so powerfully used since many of the people were cut to the heart and came to the faith. When we desire this and leave the comfort of our “Upper Room” our comfortable gatherings places or Synagogues then we too surely will experience his Supernatural Power seeing YHWH confirm his word through Signs and Wonders. The challenge is ours if we will take it. When we begin to believe in the power of Elohim like the Sent ones did we will experience great things? What then are we waiting for?

Cebu- healing of Man with bowel Cancer/ Young Man on Crutches

After our message at the Filipino Church we ministered to a Young man who was on crutches after an operation to both knees. Silver with her great confidence in the anointing of YHWH after we prayed for him pressed him to exercise his faith by walking unaided. He commented that he no longer felt pain so Silver continued to press him to walk faster. Finally I noticed that even when Silver was not around he was walking rather briskly around the Sanctuary and getting some amazed looks. Faith is an amazing thing and combined with the promises of YHWH nothing is impossible if we can believe according to the Words of the Master.

1 Cor 4:20 For the kingdom of Elohim is not in word but in power.

We need Faith to believe He is with us:

Now that we can see that Yahshua has promised to empower us to fulfil his purpose in the world we need to make the decision to put our trust in Him and allow our faith to be stretched. If we truly love the Master then our heart should be captivated by His Mission to reach the World with the complete message of truth without compromise. This can only begin with us doing our best to represent his truth worked out in our life that we might be the Light of the World as he has called us. This is always the best representation or his Truth much greater than any knowledge we may profess to have. No other purpose in our life should supersede that.

The Purpose for which we gather therefore is so we would be equipped to fulfil the special cause we have been given:

A most powerful rendering of this truth is given in the Hidden Truth Scrolls of:

Yochanan (John) 1:17 For the Torah (Law) was given by Mosheh prophesying of the favour and truth that would come to fulfilment through Yahshua the Messiah.

We have now been given the great honour of bringing that complete truth that Messiah came to fulfil and not to destroy and our message to the world is what it means to truly love our Master which he clearly told us in:

Yochanan (John) 14:15 If you truly love me guard and do my commandments.

It is for us to teach that, but more than that we must be the example of those who are faithful to him and that is best shown by the way we also love each other, honour his Shabbat, keep his feasts and love his Name:

Just like the early believers when our heart is totally captivated by the joy of the Master our Adonai and his love for all mankind we will not be able to pass by an opportunity to share his love for those who need his touch. We need to be infused once again with this sort of Fire which comes from intimacy firstly with him and then with his people or we will simply quench the Ruach Ha Kodesh within us.

When you walk through a crowd do you feel sad when you think of the many that do not know the love of YAHWEH through his son Yahshua? If you do, then that Mission heart is beginning to burn in you and I guarantee that the Ruach Ha Kodesh (the Holy Spirit) will undoubtedly give you divine opportunities for sharing his Good News.

Applying Ourselves to His Promises:

The entire book od Acts is a great tale of people believing in the promises of Elohim for guidance, provision, power and faithfulness right to the end as we see in the lives of the Apostles, Stephen, Philip, Paul and I am sure in the lives of countless faithful believers not mentioned but we know it was not primarily the Leaders that brought the Good News far and near but the ordinary born again believers.

The Questions for us therefore are:

Do we desire Transformation to his Cause?
Will we do something today to see the Ruach Ha Kodesh move in our life?
Does Adonai (the Lord) desire me to go or do something greater than I am currently doing?

“When we are ready the Ruach Ha Kodesh (Holy Spirit) will do the rest” Amein.

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The Obligations of the Student – Part 6

July 17, 2016

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The Obligations of the Student – Part 6

The Obligation to Endure Suffering

How does a righteous man live? Scripture is replete with holy men and women. We see many aspects of their lives, their conduct is open for scrutiny. Scripture does not whitewash these standout individuals. We see them in a multitude of situations, at their best and at their worst.

How do we respond to holy men and women of Scripture who sin? There are so many mistakes recorded right from the first humans, all the way to the seven congregations in Asia in the Book of Revelations. Hava erred in her encounter with the serpent, Adam gave in when he too ate the forbidden fruit, Cain slew Havel, Noach got drunk on wine, Avraham insisted on bringing Lot and acquiesced in laying with Hagar, Ya’akov deceived Yitzchak, Yehuda threw Yoseph into a pit and sold him into slavery, Yoseph begged the Cupbearer to put in a good word for him, Moshe murdered and struck the rock, A’aron orchestrated the Golden Calf, Sampson chased Philistine women, King Saul succumbed to jealousy, David sinned with Beth Sheva and committed murder, Solomon submitted to his desires taking many foreign women as wives, which led to him building pagan places of worship, Thomas wouldn’t believe unless he saw the wounds, Kepha denied Messiah three times and the list goes on. No-one accept one is free of having their shortcomings and weakness clearly shown in the Sacred Writings.

Mankind learns from seeing the consequences of error much better than he learns from seeing the consequences of success. This is evident the ratio of blessing and curses in the Book of Leviticus.

Parshat Bechukotai (by my decrees) contains a series of blessings and curses. Surprisingly, only 11 verses are dedicated to blessings or which there are 13 (Leviticus 26:3-13), while a full 36 verses are dedicated to curses making a total of 98 curses (Leviticus 26:14-46). The contrast is absolutely striking.

"The one whom Elohim desires is smitten with illness. (Isaiah 53:10)” We also find a support to this idea in Proverbs; "Elohim chastises the one He loves, like a parent who desires the child. (Proverbs 3:12)” and in Psalms; "Fortunate is the one whom Elohim afflicts with pains and suffering (Psalms 94:10)”

When the doctor addresses a patient he is not personally invested. Of course he wants the patient to be healthy and will work to ensure it, but if the patient falls ill the doctor’s world won’t shatter. When the doctor speaks to his own child he is personally invested; he doesn’t only inform; he pleads and begs. Remember, the doctor says, if you keep up your health you will be healthy and my world will be complete, but if you don’t you will fall ill and my world will shatter. He’ll even describe the horrific consequences to his own child so that the child will pay special attention to him.

So is Yahweh trying to scare us into following Him? If it works, sure He is!! “When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance and said to Moshe, ‘Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have Elohim speak to us or we will die. (Exodus 20:18)’”

Generally speaking, people who are rich in life feel as though they are less in need of a Creator, whereas a poor person generally speaking feels more of a need. So I ask you, which station is better, generally speaking?

There are more righteous men among the poor and downtrodden than among the rich. Wickedness flourishes more in the home of a rich man than a poor man. Why, because the distractions of wealth rob him of his life’s true mission.

During Job’s travails he says the following: (Slide) “Why do the wicked live on, growing old and increasing in power? They see their children established around them, their offspring before their eyes. Their homes are safe and free from fear; the rod of Elohim is not on them. Their bulls never fail to breed; their cows calve and do not miscarry. They send forth their children as a flock; their little ones dance about. They sing to the music of timbrel and lyre; they make merry to the sound of the pipe. They spend their years in prosperity and go down to the grave in peace. Yet they say to Elohim, 'Leave us alone! We have no desire to know your ways. Who is the Almighty, that we should serve him? What would we gain by praying to him?' But their prosperity is not in their own hands, so I stand aloof from the plans of the wicked. ‘Yet how often is the lamp of the wicked snuffed out? How often does calamity come upon them, the fate Elohim allots in his anger? How often are they like straw before the wind, like chaff swept away by a gale? (Job 21:7-18)”

From David’s Levitical Music Director, Asaf, we read the same theme carried through.

“…But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold. For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong. They are free from common human burdens; they are not plagued by human ills. Therefore, pride is their necklace; they clothe themselves with violence. From their callous hearts comes iniquity; their evil imaginations have no limits. They scoff, and speak with malice; with arrogance they threaten oppression. Their mouths lay claim to heaven, and their tongues take possession of the earth. Therefore, their people turn to them and drink up waters in abundance. They say, “How would Elohim know? Does the Most High know anything?” This is what the wicked are like—always free of care, they go on amassing wealth. Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure and have washed my hands in innocence. All day long I have been afflicted, and every morning brings new punishments. If I had spoken out like that, I would have betrayed your children. When I tried to understand all this, it troubled me deeply till I entered the sanctuary of Elohim; then I understood their final destiny. Surely you place them on slippery ground; you cast them down to ruin. How suddenly are they destroyed, completely swept away by terrors! They are like a dream when one awakes; when you arise, Adonai, you will despise them as fantasies. When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered, I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before you. Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but Elohim is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Those who are far from you will perish; you destroy all who are unfaithful to you. But as for me, it is good to be near Elohim. I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds. (Psalm 73:2-28)”

Yahweh rewards the wicked with prosperity in this world for any good deeds they may have done, but this is so they will be removed from their share in the World to Come. (Slide) “Senseless people do not know, fools do not understand, that though the wicked spring up like grass and all evildoers flourish, they will be destroyed forever (Psalm 92:6-7)”

In many ways success can be likened to a full stomach after a fine meal. The body is sated of its hunger and satisfied. The mind is happy and the desire to acquire and eat food is gone. The conquest has been achieved and there is nothing like success to cause one’s guard to lower.

“…when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget Yahweh your Elohim, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. He led you through the vast and dreadful wilderness, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock. He gave you manna to eat in the wilderness, something your ancestors had never known, to humble and test you so that in the end it might go well with you. You may say to yourself, ‘My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.’ But remember Yahweh your Elohim, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today. (Deuteronomy 8:12-18)”

In the Shema we read, “So if you faithfully obey the commands I am giving you today--to love Yahweh your Elohim and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul—then I will send rain on your land in its season, both autumn and spring rains, so that you may gather in your grain, new wine and olive oil. I will provide grass in the fields for your cattle, and you will eat and be satisfied. Be careful, or you will be enticed to turn away and worship other Elohim and bow down to them. Then Yahweh’s anger will burn against you, and he will shut up the heavens so that it will not rain and the ground will yield no produce, and you will soon perish from the good land Yahweh is giving you. (Deuteronomy 11:13-17)”

We have to be warned how we handle success more than we need to be warned how to handle failure. In the midst of failure, hardship, pain, exile, torment or loss, we are immediately drawn to how we might remedy the situation. We look for a solution. We are on a mission. We don’t finish the mission when we have our heart’s desires met. We finish the mission when we are dead. A Yeshiva student observed a Rabbi studying Gemara for three days straight. At the end of the three days he went over and asked the Rabbi for a bracha. The Rabbi said, ‘What type of bracha do you want?” and the Yeshiva student said, ‘I’d like to become a Torah scholar and I’d like you to bless that it will be easy.’ The Rabbi said ‘No!’ ‘Why?’ replied the student. ‘Because it’s supposed to be difficult. If it’s not difficult, it’s not worth it.’

The Scriptures show us all the difficulties and failures of holy people. You would think that it would be better to show it in a bit more of a positive way, glossed over way, but no! We need to see how difficult it was for our ancestors to acquire righteousness. The Torah is easy, in that it is equally acquirable from any station in life, but to become great in it, one has to experience challenges. The Creator wants to see how much you want it.

“For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. They were all immersed into Moshe in the cloud and in the sea. They all ate the same spiritual food. and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Messiah. Nevertheless, Elohim was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: ‘The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.’ We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did--and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died. We should not test Messiah, as some of them did--and were killed by snakes. And do not grumble, as some of them did--and were killed by the destroying angel. These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come. So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! (1 Corinthians 10:1-12)”

Prosperity is a by-product of living for Messiah, working each day on a new angle of your relationship. Even so, prosperity is a big responsibility, so few people can really handle it long term, so the best state to be in is to have enough.

The Sage Hillel writes, “[Hillel] used to say: The more flesh, the more worms; the more property the more worry; the more wives the more witchcraft; the more maidservants the more lewdness; the more slaves the more thievery….…The more Torah the more life; the more study the more wisdom; the more advice the more understanding; the more charity the more peace. One who acquires a good name acquires it for himself; one who acquires words of Torah has acquired himself a share in the World to Come.”

Without struggles, without strife, without pain, and without hardship there is no true appreciation. Suffering is about constraint. What is the Hebrew word for restriction? In Hebrew, Egypt is called Mitzrayim derived from m’tzarim, meaning “narrow straits” (mi, “from,” tzar, “narrow” or “tight”). Egypt was a restraining existence. So suffering is the same as tzar, which means narrow place. However, if we rearrange the letters we get Zohar which means “splendour.” Also, we can only receive salvation if we enter into the Narrow Gate!

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. (Matthew 7:13)”

“For it has been granted to you on behalf of Messiah not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him, since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have. Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Messiah, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Messiah Yahshua: Who, being in the very nature of Elohim, did not consider equality with Elohim something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. (Philippians 1:29-2:1-7)”

A righteous man deals with suffering by alleviating the suffering of others. The greater the suffering a person has experienced, the greater the rescuer of others he will be.

There is an orphanage in Israel. It’s called the Rubin-Zeffren Children’s Home in Netanya, and was founded in 1961 by the late revered Rebbe of Sanz-Klausenburg when one evening, a desperate widower abandoned his five small children at the Rebbe's doorstep.

The Founding Father of the Children’s Home was a “Father” to orphaned girls many years before even thinking about establishing an orphanage in Israel. The late revered Grand Rebbe of Sanz-Klausenberg, Rabbi Yekusiel Yehuda Halberstam, was still reeling from the horrific losses of his wife and 11 children in the Holocaust on the Eve of Yom Kippur, 1946 when a newly-orphaned young girl ran up to him crying “Rabbi, who will bless me this Yom Kippur?!”

On this holiest day of the Jewish year, in the holiest moments of the Kol Nidrei service, when the Rebbe was normally enveloped in such fear of the Almighty that people were afraid to approach him, the Rebbi dropped everything to hear the pleas of this young orphan. He turned to her lovingly and said “don’t cry, my child, I will be your Father and bless you this Yom Kippur!”

With tears streaming down his face, the Rebbe proceeded to place his hands atop a scarf upon the head of the girl and gave her a most heartfelt and sincere blessing for the coming New Year, in memory of the holy souls who had perished in the Holocaust. After the girl dried her own tears and thanked the Rebbe, she went back to her room and whispered her good fortune to her friends. In turn, they lined up to receive their own blessing and the Rebbe calmly blessed every girl who came to him that Yom Kippur Eve.

Thus, were the seeds of the Children’s Home planted that Yom Kippur Eve, of 1946.

The living Torah, King Messiah Yahshua, lived a life of suffering. He was betrayed, deserted, mocked, tortured and murdered. “He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed (Isaiah 53:3, 5).”

“But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Messiah, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. (1 Peter 4:13)”

If every moment you suffer, you don’t think you will be getting more reward than millions of dollars for each moment of it, then you’re wasting your suffering, you’re wasting your life. “I consider that our present sufferings are not comparable to the glory that will be revealed in us. (Romans 8:18)”