tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17150506571469414862024-03-07T22:51:17.429-08:00The New Messianic Jewish LearningUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1715050657146941486.post-68998429634920106242011-05-19T11:50:00.000-07:002011-05-19T11:50:33.907-07:00Future Posts on Learning and TeachingFor the sake of simplicity, I'm going to post future thoughts about learning and teaching on my <a href="http://midrashetc.com/">Midrash, etc.</a> blog. They fit nicely in the "etc." category. Here's one on <a href="http://mjti.blogs.com/midrash/2011/05/the-shortest-way.html">The Shortest Way</a> as the best way.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1715050657146941486.post-16821764522170317372011-05-13T10:17:00.000-07:002011-05-13T10:17:14.226-07:00Midrash and Torah Technology<div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-U8vcjUD4LBQ/TZPi-1JDxYI/AAAAAAAAAC0/w_IUJqmT3pQ/s1600/Dead+Sea+Scroll+Multi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-U8vcjUD4LBQ/TZPi-1JDxYI/AAAAAAAAAC0/w_IUJqmT3pQ/s200/Dead+Sea+Scroll+Multi.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">These photos show a fragment from the Dead Sea scrolls photographed with two very different processes. The photo on the left was taken with standard equipment. Many words and letters were obscured (and even thought to be lost) to the effects of age.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The photo on the right was taken with a process called multispectral imagining technology developed by NASA. It uses ultraviolet and infrared light to increase image resolution. Previously obscured or apparently invisible text appears. Now, every letter of every word on the fragment could be understood. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">My point is this: It is possible for a new technology to reveal what was always there, but obscured. </span><br />
<a name='more'></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The song of Songs is a song of love and longing between God and Israel. This is the consistent interpretation by Hazal—the sages of early Rabbinic Judaism—and the entire tradition of the Jewish people. In midrash Song of Songs Rabbah (at 1.1.18), Rav Nachman, a fourth century C.E. sage, compared the Torah </span></div><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">to a large palace with many doors. And whoever would enter within would wander from the path leading back to the door and get lost. An ingenious man came along and took a coil of string and hung it along the path leading back to the door. Then everyone would enter and exit by means of the string. Thus, until Shlomo arose, no man was able to understand the words of Torah, but when Shlomo arose everyone began to comprehend Torah. (Songs Rabbah 1.1.8)</span></blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">According to Rav Nachman, whatever words of Torah were transmitted—narratives, mitzvot, and halakhic applications—something so profound was missing that <b>no man was able to understand</b> them. And then, after Shlomo arose, <b>everyone began to comprehend</b>. Like multispectral imagining technology, this was a new Torah technology. Shlomo saw what had previously been obscure. He then spoke it in public (as Rabbi Yudan tells us) and enabled everyone to begin to comprehend the words of Torah. They didn't become Torah scholars, but they began to get it</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px;">—</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">every word, phrase, sentence, portion, and the whole of Torah has to be seen in the light of the unique love relationship between God and Israel. Otherwise, no matter how the narratives are discussed and the mitzvot are analyzed, explained, and applied, the words of Torah will remain obscure.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Rav Nachman's words are as sweet as can be<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;">—the Torah can be grasped by everyone. A</span>nd yet they taste bitter to some. Later commentators had to remove </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">that bitterness in order to make Rav Nachman's words palatable. An example of approach is found in Ettelson’s 1876 commentary on Songs Rabbah. He writes,</span></div><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It is possible to say that before Shlomo there was no man able to understand anything on the basis of his own thinking, except whoever received from his rabbis, one [directly] from the other. Thus, after Shlomo came and taught a way, everyone was able to understand words of Torah a little” (Ettelsohn 1876, 18). </span></blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">But Rav Nachman's midrash (and the five similar ones found in the same passage) say nothing about rabbis. And the sense of "began to comprehend" isn't restrictive (as if their understanding went no farther) but implies that their understanding could increase from that point on. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Song of Songs Rabbah is not against study or halakhah. Other portions commend those who are dedicated to learning and the place of Torah scholars in the community of Jews. But learning must take place within the all-encompassing narrative and lived experience of the love relationship between God and Israel. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This is the essence of Torah that gives meaning to its wisdom and instruction. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Likewise, the <i>besorah </i>(gospel) can only be rightly understood as an overflow of that love to the nations. When that is left out, the identity and mission of Yeshua is obscured. It becomes impossible to understand how the one who "was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel" (Matt. 15:24) was also "sent" to be "the savior of the world" (1 Jn. 4:14). </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">(Cross posted at <a href="http://www.midrashetc.com/">Midrash, etc.</a>)</span><br />
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</span></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1715050657146941486.post-34650155545075258772011-05-09T21:27:00.000-07:002011-05-09T21:27:00.328-07:00Turn It Over<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: #181818; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 8px; margin-right: 8px; margin-top: 8px;"><div style="color: #181818; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This well-known saying of Ben Bag Bag says a lot about Torah on the one hand and the practice of learning on the other.</span></div><div mce_style="text-align: right;" style="color: #181818; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: right;"><blockquote style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Ben Bag Bag says: Turn it over and turn it over, for everything is in it. Look deeply into it, and grow old with it, and spend time over it, and do not stir from it, because there is no greater portion. (Pirkei Avot 5:22)</span></blockquote></div><div mce_style="text-align: right;" style="color: #181818; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span mce_style="font-size: 120%;" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span></div><div style="color: #181818; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The statements that "everything is in it" and "there is no greater portion" relate to the Torah. Torah is established at Sinai, confirmed in Yeshua, and worked out in tradition. Everything is in it. Especially understood in its Brit Hadashah renewal. </span></div><div style="color: #181818; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The rest of Ben Bag Bag's saying is about close reading as a lifelong practice:</span></div><div mce_style="padding-left: 30px;" style="color: #181818; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-left: 30px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1. Turn it over</span></div><div mce_style="padding-left: 30px;" style="color: #181818; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-left: 30px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2. Turn it over again</span></div><div mce_style="padding-left: 30px;" style="color: #181818; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-left: 30px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">3. Look deeply into it</span></div><div mce_style="padding-left: 30px;" style="color: #181818; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-left: 30px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">4. Grow old with it</span></div><div mce_style="padding-left: 30px;" style="color: #181818; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-left: 30px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">5. Spend (lots of) time with it</span></div><div mce_style="padding-left: 30px;" style="color: #181818; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-left: 30px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">6. Do not stir from it</span></div><div style="color: #181818; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">There's no room here for superficial or episodic study. Ben Bag Bag urges us to be all in for a lifetime. He envisions a loving, repetitious, lifelong engagement with the words of Torah which are deep enough, rich enough, to reward a life study. Old age may be a time of physical decline, but it also offers the potential to be an especially rewarding time, culminating a life of study.</span></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1715050657146941486.post-45313573474852050642011-04-09T18:45:00.000-07:002011-04-10T04:40:15.768-07:00A Passion Worth CultivatingI just posted on "<a href="http://mjti.blogs.com/midrash/2011/04/a-passion-worth-cultivating.html">A Passion Worth Cultivating</a>" at Midrash, etc. It's a passion to work for the benefit of others.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1715050657146941486.post-73140357182371752742011-04-03T18:25:00.000-07:002011-04-04T05:20:48.123-07:004 Repetitions<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">A reader who prefers to remain anonymous on this blog reminded me of the following passage from Bavli Eruvin 54b. Here's the whole passage, taken from Jacob Neusner's translation:</div><blockquote style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Our rabbis have taught on Tannaite authority: What is the order of Mishnah teaching? Moses learned it from the mouth of the All-Powerful. Aaron came in, and Moses repeated his chapter to him and Aaron went forth and sat at the left hand of Moses.</blockquote><blockquote style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> His sons came in and Moses repeated their chapter to them, and his sons went forth. Eleazar sat at the right of Moses, and Itamar at the left of Aaron. R. Judah says, “At all times Aaron was at the right hand of Moses.”<br />
<a name='more'></a></blockquote><blockquote style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Then the elders entered, and Moses repeated for them their Mishnah chapter. The elders went out. Then the whole people came in, and Moses repeated for them their Mishnah chapter. So it came about that Aaron repeated the lesson four times, his sons three times, the elders two times, and all the people once. </blockquote><blockquote style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Then Moses went out, and Aaron repeated his chapter for them. Aaron went out. His sons repeated their chapter. His sons went out. The elders repeated their chapter. So it turned out that everybody repeated the same chapter four times. </blockquote><blockquote style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">On this basis said R. Eliezer, “A person is liable to repeat the lesson for his disciple four times. And it is an argument a fortiori: If Aaron, who studied from Moses himself, and Moses from the Almighty —so in the case of a common person who is studying with a common person, all the more so!”</blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Readers will understandably gravitate toward the question of how this passage is to be understood historically. I'm quoting it, though, because of the reader's comment that "The emphasis on the number 4 and teaching disciples through repetition is clear, and struck me as interesting to the conversation you have been having on your blog." I agree completely. The idea of transmitting words of Torah over four generations, the dynamic of teaching four groups that radiate outward to all Israel, and the importance of repetition are all tied together. Without the outward radiation, words of Torah become esoteric mysteries that remain unknown to Israel as a whole. Without repetition, words become fuzzy are forgotten.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Another thought about the rabbinic concept of repetition. Historically, there were two distinct groups of repeaters, both called Tannaim (the Aramaic word for repeaters). The first had extremely developed abilities to memorize. Although there is no way to know exactly how accurate such memorization remained over the course of centuries, memorization by a group of gifted Tannaim was a safeguard against substantial loss.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">The second group of Tannaim may not have had the same ability to memorize, since their function was to repeat the meaning and application of the tradition. It is just as important to learn the meaning as it is to know the words in which it is expressed. </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1715050657146941486.post-72915193987192786662011-03-30T08:26:00.000-07:002011-03-31T01:05:25.437-07:00Learning with a Rabbi<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">My first hevruta (study partner) tried out four different yeshivot before finding the right one. In each case, the learning approach of the rosh yeshiva was the determinative factor. The learning approach that most suited my hevruta was a very deliberative and careful working through the gemara, not moving on until the material had been thoroughly grasped.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It was no accident that he and I learned together the same way. We didn't cover a lot of ground, but the ground we covered was <i>really </i>covered.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I wonder what would have happened to my hevruta if he had never found that rosh yeshiva? More relevant for us now, what about Messianic Jews who wish to learn seriously in a traditional setting or privately from a rabbi? How do MJs find a rabbi whose approach to learning is compatible with theirs?</span></div></div><a name='more'></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p></o:p><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">As I read MJ books and blogs, I notice that there is rarely any mention of rabbis as mentors in our own stories. Most seem to have learned from a pastiche of formal and informal leaning and, especially, through reading.</span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In a very real sense, Yeshua is our Rebbe, our mentor. No one can take his place. However, it's also clear that very few Yeshua-followers are discipled directly by the Messiah. I.e., Shaul was the exception, not the rule.<o:p></o:p></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This lack of Messianic Jewish rabbinic mentors—men and women who are saturated with the Tradition and an able to transmit it with chesed and with no strings attached—has been a major weakness in our formation and reformation as a distinct Jewish sub-community. Even now, few ordained MJ rabbis have the depth of learning and the chesed necessary to transmit the Tradition, which includes going "back to the sources" and teaching the words of Hazal, in gemara and midrash, as the foundational words and thought of Judaism, and then to build on that foundation with later Jewish halakhah and hashkafah.<o:p></o:p></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So, many Messianic Jews who want to learn look elsewhere, to Orthodox Judaism or to books and digital media. Books and recorded teachings are a rich source of knowledge and encouragement. But they aren't a fit substitute for human teaching and mentoring. As for Orthodox rabbis as mentors, both the benefits and the problems are obvious. <o:p></o:p></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I'd like to suggest a partial solution. Although there are few MJ rabbis who are capable of transmitting the full Tradition, there may be a number who have a very solid grasp on a portion of the tradition. As long as that portion is foundational, he or she may effectively transmit it (in a 4 generations process). <o:p></o:p></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Humility is an extreme necessity in this particular situation. First, rabbis and other mentors who are not masters of the full Tradition need to be honest about it. Second, they need to be aware that their approach to learning may not be a good match for everyone—they need to be able to refer students to other teachers. Third, they should fervently desire that their students surpass them in their grasp of the Tradition.<o:p></o:p></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">At the same time, those they teach must be humble. First, recognize the state of MJ and be willing to own that you are part of it and not simply a critic of it. Second, be deferential to your mentor even though you are aware of his or her shortcomings. Finally, don't assume that you will surpass your mentor. If you are fortunate, you will learn how to stand on their shoulders and see a bit farther than they do.</span></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1715050657146941486.post-40431396422336750392011-03-24T20:20:00.000-07:002011-03-25T07:37:45.242-07:00Four Generations - Part 2<blockquote>You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Messiah Yeshua. And the things you have heard me say among many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others. (2 Tim. 2:1-2).</blockquote><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">I previously blogged about the trans-generational aspect of this verse. Now I want to look at it from another angle, one that’s equally important in passing it on through “four generations.” </div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The translation I’m using here is a bit different from the one I used last time. In that post I used a translation of a certain phrase that isn’t exactly right. The idea that Shaul taught Timothy “in the presence of many witnesses,” which I used last time, sounds as if a bunch of people were standing by and watching the scene. Now, does this make sense?</div><a name='more'></a><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">The Greek word δια which <i>can</i> mean “in the presence of” is better translated here as “<i>among</i>” many witnesses. “Among” is a perfectly normal translation of δια and the picture—Timothy <i>among</i> a number of people who could report to others what Shaul said to <i>all </i>of them—makes more sense. Especially when we see what follows.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Timothy was supposed to entrust these words to “reliable people (plural) who would be qualified to teach others (plural) also.” In other words, just as Shaul taught many, Timothy among them, Timothy was supposed to pass it on to others (not just one disciple), who would teach others, etc.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">This reminds me of a passage in the midrash collection <i>Song of Songs Rabbah</i>. Compiled in Tiberias in the sixth century C.E., it has a lot to say about the importance of Torah being spoken and learned in community. This is taken from <i>Song of Songs Rabbah</i> 1.1.10—</div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><blockquote>Rabbi Yudan said, “. . . everyone who speaks words of Torah in public (<span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="font-family: David, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">ברבים</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>, lit., “among many”) merits that the Holy Spirit rest on him.</blockquote><div class="MsoNormal">Rabbi Yudan expresses the strong rabbinic emphasis on the open declaration of the words of Torah rather than private or, especially, secretive communication. This doesn’t mean that there’s no place for words of Torah to be spoken between individuals. I hope not, since I do that on a regular basis. But it does mean that the <i>primary</i> place of Torah teaching and learning is with others. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The heart of the matter is that there is a particular power in passing on words of Torah, which include the words of the Brit Hadashah, to <i>many</i>. And to pass them on with the intent that those who hear will pass them on to others, etc. Shaul isn't writing about four generations of <i>individuals</i> but four generations of learners, <i>plural</i>. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Words of Torah cry out to be taught and learned in public, in communities, in groups and small groups—wherever those who teach and learn can gather.<o:p></o:p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1715050657146941486.post-64890314795611127542011-03-18T05:22:00.000-07:002011-05-16T06:02:40.172-07:00A New MJ BlogCheck out a new MJ blog, "<b>The Jewish Carpenter</b>: An exploration of the weekly parasha from a Messianic perspective. We delve into ancient and modern Jewish sources to bring out hidden meanings within the text and how to apply them to our life." Check it out at <a href="http://thejewishcarpenter613.blogspot.com/">http://thejewishcarpenter613.blogspot.com/</a>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1715050657146941486.post-62008889851098707742011-03-16T07:38:00.000-07:002011-03-25T07:38:09.431-07:00Four Generations<div class="MsoNormal">My first mentor used to say, "If what we learn isn't passed along to others, we're like the Dead Sea—rich in minerals, but can't support life." (This was long before I read Avot 1.1.) So I suppose it was no accident that when I first read 2 Timothy, these words jumped off the page:</div><blockquote>You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Messiah Yeshua. And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others. (2 Tim. 2:1-2).</blockquote><div class="MsoNormal">Shaul envisions four generations passing on the apostolic mesoret (tradition): (1) Shaul, (2) Timothy, (3) those whom Timothy will teach, and (4) those who would be taught by Timothy's students.<br />
<a name='more'></a><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Let me tell you, when you teach (formally or informally) with the idea that those you teach need to pass it along, your teaching will acquire a dynamic that can come from no other source. It acquires a unique intensity and momentum that emanates from Messiah Yeshua.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Here's the key: teaching has to be permeated with a forward-moving dynamic that impels students to pass it on to others who, in their turn, will pass it on to still more. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">This doesn’t imply only rote transmission, though that has its place as well. What you give to others should be integrated with their own learning from all sources and with what they develop themselves.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Shaul has a large vision. He is thinking of four generations. He urges Timothy to envision (at least) three. He’s not suggesting that Timothy’s students only envision two, then one, then none! At each step, there must be a vision for at least three generations: never teach with the idea that it ends with your students. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Shaul is writing about the formation of tradition. It takes generations to establish a tradition, and each generation has to own the responsibility to pass it on.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">These instructions have guided me during several decades of teaching and mentoring followers of Yeshua. I won’t go into details here, but thanks to my first mentor and the grace of the Messiah, I’ve seen this dynamic work for several decades now.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1715050657146941486.post-12736795049208786782011-03-13T03:53:00.000-07:002011-03-16T07:02:01.600-07:00New Learning Circles<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;">Jweekly.com has article about Keva, a new non-profit in the San Franciso area. The article touches on three distinct trends: disaffection with current institutions, yearning for community, and a focus on Jewish texts. These trends are thoroughly relevant to Messianic Judaism. Here’s an excerpt:</span></div><blockquote><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;">A number of studies indicate that unaffiliated 20- and 30-something Jews . . . are turned off by conventional Jewish institutions and want to create their own Jewish vision of community.</span><br />
<a name='more'></a></blockquote><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Instead of fighting against this increasingly common tendency, Kevah leans on it. This means it does not recruit for its learning circles. It also doesn’t choose the curriculum, offer class signups or charge a fee.</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span></blockquote><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Instead, Kevah relies on existing social networks to grow a learning group organically. This means that a person interested in starting a Jewish learning group is the one who assembles the group and finds people to participate and commit to attending.</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span></blockquote><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px;">“We don’t convince [people to join]. Their friends convince them,” Bamberger said. “We don’t have to do anything. The group organizer says, ‘Just come to my house for dinner, just once, and if you find it interesting, come again.’ It’s a very informal and organic process.”</span></blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;">Once a group of eight to 12 is formed, the participants decide what they want to learn and how often they want to meet. That determines which educator — all volunteers at this point — Kevah assigns to the group.</span></blockquote><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">Read more </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><a href="http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/58695/a-new-spin-on-torah-new-learning-circles-are-perking-up-jewish-study-around/">here</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px;">So, what do you think--Would study groups like this (and an organization like Keva) would be good for Messianic Judaism? </span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1715050657146941486.post-50563009906104370432011-03-07T05:09:00.000-08:002011-03-16T07:00:15.191-07:00Halakhic Learning/Living<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px;">Ben Ehrenfeld at the Living Torah blog, posts about the need for halakhic learning in our movement:</span><br />
<blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px;">I have to confess that, by and large, the Messianic Jewish community is lacking in its pursuit of halakhic thinking/living (I am including myself in this critique...I have a long way to go). Even among those Jewish Yeshua followers that engage Jewish life in the context of our people's developed tradition, it normally stops shy of transforming our largely non-halakhic culture. So, I suggest we begin where this way of thinking began, where our sages began: Learning. We need to develop learning cultures that transform the way we think and live. there is much more to do than this, but I want to do my part in promoting this.</span></blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Read more <a href="http://torahayyim.blogspot.com/2011/02/halakhic-learningliving.html">here</a>. and start your learning <a href="http://torahayyim.blogspot.com/2011/03/ii-adar-halakha-of-month.html">here</a>.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1715050657146941486.post-32231033116860821752011-03-06T11:23:00.000-08:002011-03-16T06:59:50.793-07:00"The future of Jewish life . . .<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;">". . . is dependent upon Jews - not just rabbis - taking hold of the rich, challenging, surprising, and inspiring heritage that makes up our texts and traditions," Yes! Read more at </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><a href="http://yinonblog.blogspot.com/2011/03/quote-of-day.html">Yinon</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;">. </span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1715050657146941486.post-50212985183287404462011-03-04T12:42:00.000-08:002011-03-25T07:38:28.703-07:00Learning Communities<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">One of Hillel’s most famous sayings is, "If I am not for myself, who will be for me? And when I am [only] for myself, what am 'I'? And if not now, when?"(Perkei Avot 1:14). His three questions have great relevance for the new Messianic Jewish learning.</span></div><a name='more'></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> “If I am not for myself, who will be for me?” Learning by oneself is usually more laborious than learning with others, but without this personal commitment to one’s own spiritual growth, there is no foundation for learning. You don’t have to be a genius or a prodigious self-learner to get started, just willing to take one step at a time. In this matter of learning, no one can be “for you” if you are not already for yourself. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> “And when I am [only] for myself, what am I?” If my commitment is <i>only</i> to my own growth, what exactly am I? For one thing, I’m obviously not a contributing member of a community of any kind. Whatever I have learned and experienced dies with me. Shaliach (apostle) Shaul wrote, “The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” Shaul envisioned four generations of receiving and giving—himself, Timothy, Timothy’s students, and the students of Timothy’s students. The key to the passing on a heritage is not only to give it to others, but to pass it along to those who will pass it on to others. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> <span class="Apple-style-span">Let me rework the question: “If <i>only </i>I am for myself, what will become of me?” We all need teachers, mentors in the disciplines of learning. Whether locally or via technology, such mentors are becoming available now.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> <span class="Apple-style-span">“And if not now, when?” While this question is apt any time and any place, it is crucial right now. As I see things, the Messianic Jewish movement is at a critical juncture. We are beginning to see the establishing of Messianic Jewish learning communities. One of these is MJTI’s online <a href="http://sjs.mjti.org/">School of Jewish Studie</a>s, founded in 2006; it is the first Messianic Jewish graduate school that isn’t affiliated with a Christian seminary.* It is by and for our movement. Last year, the <a href="http://rivertonmussar.org/">Riverton Mussar</a>, an outgrowth of <a href="http://www.shofar.org/">Beit HaShofar Synagogue</a>, began to offer a program in the tradition of mussar, which combines learning and accountability to promote ethical change. Another promising development is the upcoming schedule of classes and other educational offerings at <a href="http://tikvatdavid.com/Tikvat_David/Classes.html">Hope of David Learning Center</a> in Atlanta.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p> </o:p><span class="Apple-style-span"> These learning communities do not only merely to transfer knowledge but to effect change. For them, study is more than the acquisition and mastery of facts and their interconnections. Since Yeshua (Jesus) directs us to love God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength, our learning involve more than acquisition and mastery. It involves all four faculties—heart, mind, soul, and strength—and becomes for us a consuming act of love and worship.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> “And if not now, when?” The time, it seems, is now.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>*Full disclosure</b>: I have been involved in MJTI from the beginning of the online program. I am also involved in the planning of a new school that will offer interactive seminars around the country and one-on-one rabbinical mentoring to students around the world.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1715050657146941486.post-24530701532682629132011-03-01T13:42:00.000-08:002011-03-03T12:16:41.155-08:00Studying With Carl<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;">(I asked my friend and hevruta Peter if he'd like to respond to yesterday's post. Here it is:)</span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;">One of the nicest things about studying with Carl is that we can say anything to each other, ask any question, without offending the other person, because we both respect each other. This is key. Another nice thing, is that Carl has never tried to impose his own beliefs on me. Yet we can speak frankly and honestly about our own faith experiences and struggles.</span></div><a name='more'></a><o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"> As a writer, I'm particularly interested in the difference between fact and fiction, how we know what we know, the role of language and the "word" in our lives, the relationship of literal to figurative interpretations of religious texts and traditions, mythical thinking versus scientific thinking, and the claims of every religious tradition to a special knowledge of God. Midrash is about all these things! Which is why it's so rich and challenging. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> I've come to realize, everyone definitely needs a study partner. It keeps you honest and the rusty mind active.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">(Carl, here's a poem for your readers. Honen was the founder of the Japanese Pure Land sect of Buddhism.)<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">After Honen</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;">by Peter Ramon</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Spring</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">In mists of spring everything is beautiful and bright.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Can they hide the true, imperishable light?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Summer</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I gaze on a geranium sweet<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I hope someday to meet.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Autumn</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Beautiful bough with crimson stained<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">From my heart its coloring gains.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Winter</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">In the winter call<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">And warm rays will fall<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">On the snow and all.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The Exclusive Practice</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">That work is bad<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">That doesn't help.<o:p></o:p></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1715050657146941486.post-56869226368074944132011-02-28T07:30:00.000-08:002011-03-03T12:16:05.221-08:00My Hevruta, My Friend<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">I promised to tell you about my experience with Peter, my “other” hevruta (the word refers both to learning in pairs and to your partner in that learning).<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"> Anna (my wife) met Peter and Linda soon after she arrived in the U.S. from her native Netherlands. Fast forward a few years and the four of us had become friends. But after Anna and I had our encounter with Yeshua, things became awkward and the two couples drifted apart. We had little contact for about <i>thirty-five years</i>. In the meanwhile, they’d moved to Austin for work purposes. Then Anna and I moved to Austin a few years ago for family reasons, and we began to get together.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"> Of course, Peter and I had both changed over the years. The very thing that had distanced us all those years ago was now a point of common interest. Though Peter has characterized himself as an agnostic, my impression is that God and Peter are playing hide-and-seek.<br />
<a name='more'></a><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"> Peter is a poet and well-read and interested in spiritual things (he’s learned enough about Buddhism to be familiar with its many schools and diverse philosophies and practices). When we re-connected here in Austin, he was reading a book edited by Sid Roth about Holocaust survivors who became Yeshua believers. At about that time, he was also reading a book by Jacob Neusner, probably the most well-known academic rabbinics scholar in the world. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"> As best I can remember, about a year and a half ago Peter expressed interest in midrash I was telling him about, so I asked him if he’d like to study (meaning <i>learn</i>) together. Since Peter had long ago forgotten his Bar Mitzvah Hebrew, he would be my first hevruta that could only learn in translation. I was not brimming with confidence about the viability of a havura consisting of a Messianic Jewish rabbi learning midrash with an avowed Jewish agnostic who doesn’t read Hebrew. May I tell you, my friends, that this is not a typical hevruta pair?<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"> But it does work because of the kind of person Peter is (and I suppose he could comment from his perspective about my contributions). As a poet, he’s very sensitive to language. Being well-read and thoughtful, he’s been exposed to and pondered the big issues of life. His response to new thoughts, even some that probably seem pretty strange to him, is to consider them seriously. Peter reads midrash, these intense writings about God and Israel, seriously and deeply. (We’ve learned Talmud together, too.) He seems to have no problem accepting my insights from the Hebrew text. I think it’s fair to say that nearly every time we’ve poured over these writings together we’ve both come away with a larger and deeper grasp of the midrash.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"> Just about everyone who writes about hevruta learning mentions that the word hevruta is based on the same root as <i>haver</i> (friend). In our case, learning together has arisen from our friendship and has deepened it. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1715050657146941486.post-7991771651772344402011-02-26T10:57:00.000-08:002011-03-02T04:40:30.045-08:00Kavanah – Directing the Heart<div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;">I bring along a compass when I travel. If I pray</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><sup>1</sup></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"> without a compass or some other way of being certain which way is east, I am not permitted to guess the way. If I am not certain which direction is east, I must opt </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">for the backup plan: praying directly to my Father in Heaven.</span></div><a name='more'></a><blockquote><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Our rabbis taught: A blind man or one who cannot tell direction should direct his heart toward his Father in Heaven, as it says, <i>And they will pray to the Eternal </i>(1 Kings 8:44). If he is standing outside the Land, he should direct his heart (</span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="font-family: David, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">כיון לבו</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>) toward the Land of Israel, as it says, <i>And pray to you by way of (</i></span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="font-family: David, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">דרך</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>)<i> their land</i> Ibid. v. 48). If he stands in the Land of Israel, he should direct his heart towards Jerusalem, as it says, <i>And they pray to the Eternal by way of (</i></span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="font-family: David, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">דרך</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>)<i> the city that you have chosen </i>(Ibid. v. 44). If he stands in Jerusalem he should direct his heart toward the Sanctuary, as it says, <i>If they pray toward this house</i> (2 Chron. 6:32). If he stands in the Sanctuary, he should direct his heart toward the chamber Holiest Place, as it says, <i>They pray toward this place</i> (1 Kgs 8:35). If he stands in the chamber of the Holiest Place, he should direct his heart toward the ark cover. If he stands behind the ark cover, he should see himself as if he were in front of the ark cover. Consequently if he stands in the east he should turn his face toward the west; if in the west he should turn his face toward the east; if in the south he should turn his face toward the north; if in the north he should turn his face toward the south. [In this way] all Israel are found directing their (</span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="font-family: David, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">מכוונין לבם</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>) heart toward one place. (Bavli Berachot 30a; my translation.)<o:p></o:p></span></blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;">Prayer is directional. Those who are not capable of telling direction should direct their heart to their Father in Heaven. Those who are capable should direct their heart to the Land of Israel, Jerusalem, and so on to the ark cover, where on Yom Kipper all the sins of Israel are atoned for (see Lev. 17). Those who pray “toward one place” are surely praying to the Eternal. The content of Jewish prayer makes that perfectly clear. But they are praying “<i>by way</i> of the Land”and “<i>by way</i> of the city.” We may say “our Father in Heaven” but our heart and face are directed to a certain place on earth. It is good for Jews to do this so that our prayer is all in one direction.<sup>2</sup> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> But why not direct our heart and face directly toward our Father in Heaven—then, too, we’d all be facing in one direction? Why does the Talmud, admittedly rooted in Scripture, tells Jews that only those who are blind or incapable of determining which way is correct should pray directly to our Father?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> The issue is <i>orientation</i>. The prayer spoken of in this passage is the thrice-daily communal prayer. (Messianic) Jewish communal prayer is <i>oriented</i> toward the Eternal <i>by way of</i> holy places on earth. Jewish communal prayer and Jewish life are oriented in certain ways, and this orientation concerns things on the earth. Otherwise, Jews and Jewish prayer are <i>disoriented</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> In this passage, the Talmud preserves the Hebrew of the Tosefta (compiled in the Land of Israel circa 275 CE). Only the Western Wall of the Temple still stood, as it does today, and so the situation envisioned here was already obsolete. Or so it would seem. In fact, Jewish prayer had already become an act not only of heart and sight but also imagination. I use the word “imagination” in the most positive way. By means of our imagination, the Holiest Place still stands (and will stand) as we direct our heart toward it. <o:p></o:p></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;">The</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"> Land, Jerusalem, and the Holiest Place, are saturated with the fragrance of Messiah. It is easy for Messianic Jews to direct our heart there because these places evoke Yeshua's life in Galilee, his times in Jerusalem, and ultimately his death. H</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;">e gave himself there for the lost sheep of the house of Israel so that the world could receive God's mercy.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;">The same Baal Shem Tov who restored personal prayer that is directed toward our Father in Heaven also prayed three times daily, directing his heart, and facing, toward the Land. He certainly understood that communal Israel would become </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;">disoriented</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"> if our prayer lost its earthly anchor in the Land, the Temple, and the Holy of Holies. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Footnotes</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">1 </span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">That is, when I pray the set prayers morning, noon, or evening.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">2</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Truth in labeling: I am not a <i>posek</i> (halakhic decisor). This post should not be used for halakhic purposes.<o:p></o:p></span></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1715050657146941486.post-77213186940434117302011-02-24T08:32:00.000-08:002011-02-24T08:34:50.304-08:00Hevruta - Learning in Pairs<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 18px;">The </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 18px;"><i>hevruta</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 18px;"> is a traditional Jewish model of two learners studying a text together. It isn’t a teacher-student relationship but a truly collaborative effort of exploration, discussion, and a lot of creativity. Your study-partner is also called a </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 18px;"><i>hevruta</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 18px;"> and I have two of them here in Austin. One is a local rabbi and the other is an old friend who moved here years before I did.</span><br />
<a name='more'></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: .25in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">It’s hard to describe the rabbi (I’ll call him Dan to protect his privacy). So I’ll just say that he has a yeshiva background, left the Orthodox world long ago, and appreciates the various expressions of Judaism, including mine. Dan and I meet weekly at one of the large restaurant-grocery stores here in Austin and together we learn from the Song of Songs Rabbah. We allow each midrash (interpretation) to lead us, like a tour guide, through the linked Scripture references that fill the pages. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: .25in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: .25in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Dan and I can learn together not because we are similar but because we are so different and we respect each other. He views things from a mystical perspective—not the mysticism of the Zohar, but an earlier form. I bring out literary and spiritual aspects of the midrash; he brings out the mystical. Dan has a deep grasp of the significance of individual words and how they connect to larger ideas. He is also sensitive to the work of the Holy Spirit in the text and in life. (FYI, few Jews use the term <i>ruach</i> to describe the Holy Spirit.) We don't accept everything the other says, and at times our disagreement is vigorous, but we both learn. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: .25in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: .25in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">We've been learning together for over a year now, our discussions ranging well beyond the text and into areas of life that concern us both. We've had numerous conversations about our Jewish beliefs and communities. Our times together are always satisfying and sometimes spectacular. My learning experience—that is, the quality of worship—has been enhanced. Slowly, slowly over time, the give-and-take of <i>hevruta</i> learning has changed us both. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: .25in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: .25in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Next time, I’ll write about Peter, my other <i>hevruta</i>, <o:p></o:p></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1715050657146941486.post-19222731972653875542011-02-21T17:00:00.000-08:002011-02-24T08:33:32.230-08:00Changing the Culture<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Learning is integral to Messianic Jewish spirituality, but it does not stand alone. “The world stands on three things—Torah learning, prayer, and acts of loving-kindness" (Avot 1:2). These are the primary components of a Jewish spirituality that seeks the best possible world for all people. The New School does not advocate that we teeter the world on one pillar or try to balance it on two. We need all three—Torah learning, public and private prayer, and overflowing acts of kindness—to bring wholeness to our community and our world.</span></div><a name='more'></a><o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 18px;"> In our context, “Torah” is understood broadly as the study of the entire Tanakh (Old Testament), the Brit Hadasha (New Testament) and the writings of our sages. Learning involves work and spiritual engagement, and it is sweet to the taste. And weakness in this Torah learning breeds weakness in our communities. Sadly, it's not uncommon for self-taught novices to assume the posture of great expertise—and to get away with it simply because we Messianic Jews have so little knowledge of our own texts, traditions, and spirituality.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> But please do not blame congregational leaders for this shortfall. They are expected to be one-man bands—each a gifted preacher, teacher, pastor, counselor, organizer, etc. – and to work for peanuts. A one-man band may be very impressive in its own way. But we don't expect it to play the individual instruments like a virtuoso. The same holds true for congregational leaders who, for the most part, can't establish learning communities either because they didn't have the opportunity to learn deeply, or aren't gifted to pass it on, or they're just overwhelmed with all the other responsibilities they bear.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> Messianic Jewish culture will not be changed just by educating leaders, as crucial as that is. The new Messianic Jewish learning will open doors for all to learn. Our culture will change as Messianic Jews are touched and transformed by positive, spiritually-impacting learning experiences. It will change as Messianic Jews engage in learning that is accessible yet challenging, difficult yet so rewarding, learning that involves the activity of the God’s Spirit and interaction with other learners. We have seen changes like this take place again and again in a variety of learning environments. It’s time to embrace the change. <o:p></o:p></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1715050657146941486.post-67177675925669747862011-02-18T11:53:00.000-08:002011-02-24T08:35:39.932-08:00Learning as Worship<div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 18px;">The concept of learning as worship may not be self-evident, but it’s opened up when we start by looking at worship itself.</span></div><blockquote><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The small group has journeyed toward the mountain—an old man, his thirty-something son, and two servants. It’s the third day of their journey and the old man hasn’t told the others what is on his mind, the horrific deed God had commanded him to carry out. Finally, the old man sees their destination on a far-off mountain. He stops and tells the servants to stay put while he and his son go and worship there. After that, they would return (Gen. 22:5)</span></blockquote><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I used to think that “we will worship” was an odd way for the old man to describe tying up his son and plunging his knife into him. The promise to return was also a mystery. I read somewhere that the old man believed that his son would be raised from the dead. By why call it worship? I didn’t get it until I dug deeper. Abraham knew what he was talking about. Slaying his son, his son’s willing sacrifice, was going to be their joint worship of God, the Holy One of Israel.</span><br />
<a name='more'></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 18px;"> The Scriptures use words like singing, thanking, dancing, playing instruments, twirling, leaping, etc. as ways of expressing ourselves verbally and bodily toward God. There are other words, like bowing down and kneeling, that seem to touch on something deeper, something involving more of the whole person. But there’s one word that stands alone as the deepest expression of human awe and adoration of God.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> In Hebrew, that word is <i>hishtakh’vei</i> (</span><b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="font-family: David, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">הִשְׁתַּחֲוֶה</span></b><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>). It means prostrating oneself before someone. Various forms of this word are used in Genesis 22:5 and over 170 times in the Tanakh, but you don’t often see it translated as “prostrated himself” because it’s usually translated simply as “worship.” In the Brit Hadashah (New Testament), a similar Greek word is <i>proskuneo</i>, which refers to bowing down and is usually translated as “worship.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> Sometimes this worship doesn’t involve an outward prostration, one that can be seen by others, but it <i>always</i> involves an inner prostration, one that can be seen by God. This inward-outward prostration before God the Holy One is the deepest, most profound act of which human beings are capable. It is the essence of worship.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> Three doors that open wide to worship are prayer, verbal expression of adoration, and Torah learning. Torah <i>study</i> becomes Torah <i>learning</i> as we inwardly prostrate ourselves before the Holy One while we explore the words of Torah with others and on our own. Learning as worship flows from a spiritual engagement with the writings, an engagement that expresses a radical dependence on God. It involves a process of inner transformation that can take place no other way.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> Let me be quick to say that Torah learning is not somber and it certainly isn’t dull. It includes—in my view it <i>must</i> include— the joy of discovery, the joy of God’s presence, and the joy of learning with others. The blend or balance of awe, adoration, and joy will vary according to the Torah writings being learned and the personality and circumstances of the learner(s). Our experience of the Holy One isn’t uniform or monotonous.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 18px;"> One of our sages, Rabbi Hama ben ‘Ukba said: “Just as water makes plants grow, so the words of Torah make everyone mature who labors over them as they require” (Song of Songs Rabbah 1.9). Labor (elsewhere it’s called “much labor”) is the work that is necessary to learn words of Torah. Elsewhere, Rabbi Hama said the same thing, but used the word “engages” instead of “labors” (Song of Songs Rabbah 5.16). Engagement signifies the inner connections that are required to learn words of Torah, and engagement that must involve worship.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> Torah learning is very ancient. It’s been around since the first oral and written accounts of the interactions between God and human beings. Our sages understood that Torah learning is worship, but it's a new thought for Messianic Jews, who are beginning to discover that spiritual learning is not the gathering of facts and concepts—though that’s an essential part of it—but much labor and a worshipful engagement with the writings of our sages.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1715050657146941486.post-31043148681633148122011-02-14T13:32:00.000-08:002011-02-24T08:36:02.464-08:00Jewish Learning as a Spiritual Practice<div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 18px;">In order to begin describing the new Messianic Jewish learning, let me distinguish between learning and study. Study involves the acquisition and mastery of facts and their interconnections. Because followers of Yeshua (Jesus) are directed to love God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength, our learning involves more than acquisition and mastery. It involves all four faculties—heart, mind, soul, and strength—and becomes for us a consuming act of love and worship. Learning is an embodied spiritual practice that enables us to cleave to God and one another.</span><br />
<a name='more'></a> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 18px;">Learning is worship. While this is no truer for Messianic Jews than for others, our years of involvement in Jewish life taught us that this view of learning is particularly Jewish. It has been carried forward by Jews for about two thousand years now. Sadly, it is not yet embedded in Messianic Jewish life, where learning is more like study, an acquiring of information (even revelation) that is necessary to walk closely with God—but not worship. The new Messianic Jewish learning insists that these writings of our people—the Tanakh, the Brit Hadashah (New Testament), midrash, Talmud, and more—are not valuable only for what they contain and describe but because they enable us to worship God specifically as Jews.</span><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> I realize that the concept of learning as worship may not be self-evident. So we’ll follow up on this post with more on how the two connect. <o:p></o:p></span></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com11