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What is Torah

THE MESSAGE IN THE LETTERS OF TORAH, Part 3, the reish

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3 Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees.

4 Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you.           Isaiah 35:3-4

Today, we will continue with our exploration of the meaning of the letters that form the word, torah.

Today we examine the spiritual meaning of the reish, (pronounced ray’sh).

We are getting into the deeper things of GOD. At the deeper end of the pool you have to let go and float. If you start thinking too hard and begin to struggle with the physicality of it all, you will drown yourself. Nobody has to drown you. You can do it all by yourself.

I need to give you a disclosure here, before we continue…

The Bible is not directed to our physical nature. It was never meant to communicate with the flesh. The flesh can’t comprehend it anyway. For all intents and purposes, the only help we need with the flesh, is to tame it with the spirit.

The Bible was NOT given for the purpose of helping us to figure out, how to maneuver in the physical realm.

The Bible/torah was given to teach us how to maneuver in the spiritual realm, to teach us spiritual matters.

The Bible/torah was given to strengthen the weak hands. To teach us torah. Isaiah 35:3-4

3 Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees.

4 Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you.

We are studying torah, so that we can wield both hands with equal strength and power, in the spirit. The power of what we learned from our Christian Heritage and what we are learning from our Hebrew Heritage, will make us a triple threat!

I pray that you become Mightier Men and Women of Valor through your torah heritage!

RECAP:

Above are the 4 Hebrew consonants that create the word, torah. The modern Hebrew letters lay directly beneath the Paleo Hebrew Letters that give the impression of a halo above.

Torah is spelled with the, tav (t), vav (v), reish (r), hei (h).

THE VAV FUNCTIONS AS A CONSONANT AND A VOWEL:

The vav represents a consonant and the sound of 2 vowels in Hebrew, the ‘o’ as in doe, and the ‘u’ as in blue. The vav in torah has the ‘o’ sound. That little dot above the vav is our indication that the vav is pronounced with the ‘o’ sound as well. That little dot is called a nikkud.

The 3rd letter in Torah, is the reish, (pronounced ray’sh –roll the ‘r’ a little)

In the Ancient Paleo Hebrew , the letter reish takes the shape of the head, the back of a man’s head.
It is acceptable to pronounce it reish or rosh. Both pronunciations refer to the ‘R’ in Hebrew. But, why does the Hebrew Language use the back of a man’s head to express the ‘R’ sound?

There are many ways to see this. The curve at the back of the head symbolizes turning your back to the word of GOD, fighting against the things of GOD. With your back to GOD, there’s a willingness to accommodate the world, allowing one’s evil inclinations to run rampant and unrestrained. In this mode, man bends toward idolatrous values, he becomes a reish – dalet. (Remember: dalet is a Door, and the Door represents access in and out /in or out).

Seeing RED in Scripture

The reish – dalet (pronounced ‘red’) is an actual word in Hebrew. (Ref: Strongs #3381, yaw-rad). ‘red’ in Hebrew means, to go down, to descend.

“And the LORD said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves“

“Get thee down” is the word, ‘red’ in Hebrew. Red, is when your evil inclinations have taken over and man has succumbed to his baser instincts. Red, is a spiritual descent into a lower level. A descent from greatness.

Turning Your Back to GOD

Do you remember when Orpah showed Naomi the “back of her head”? (Ruth 1:14, 16) [This has also been referred to as ‘the back of her neck’]. Verse 16 employs the word, shuv, which means to turn back, or return. Orpah returned back to her country, her kindred and her fathers house, back to the ways of Moab. Ruth, on the other hand, implored Naomi to let her stay with her. Ruth attached herself to GOD and rejected the ways of Moab.

Going back to Moab was a spiritual descent. Staying connected to the GOD of Heaven, The GOD of Ruth, was a spiritual ascent. The word ‘red’ in Hebrew indicates that spiritual descent.

While speaking of this, I can’t help but think of that expression we have , “He/She was seeing red.” It just connects with what is going on spiritually with an angry person...seeing red. I think most of us have known this place, and for the most part, nothing good is happening spiritually! Clearly, seeing red, is a spiritual descent into darkness.

ROSH is the Head

Symbolically, Rosh represents the head, a person, being first. Reish is the Highest, the Repentant Man, The Beginning, a moral choice, Right or Wrong/ or Wickedness.

Remember, the word is a 2 edged sword. We make choices. Reish is a choice between greatness or degradation. Between, standing before GOD as the Head, the Leader, or being comfortable in compromise.

In the Ancient Hebrew, the reish asks the question, “What is the Highest?, What is the Most Important?” The scripture asks, that we do more than it is our duty to do! “If it is in your power to do good, do it!” (Ref: Eph 3:20, behavior in the image and likeness of GOD, Micah 6:8, Prov 3:27). This is the duty of the reish. Lead.

When reish is operating in it’s authority and headship, the reish draws strength from the covenant. The covenant has your back! (look at the word picture). The reish is the 20th letter of the aleph-bet and as you are learning, the letters carry numerical value, i.e., in this case, a gematria of 20.

Earlier, I said that the reish means beginning. Reish understands and thrives in beginnings and knows how to begin again. The reish is going to bring torah to the world. The 1st word in scripture is beh’rey’sheet, Genesis 1:1, In the Beginning. The word ‘Rey-sheet’ contains the reish. (reish is the root word in rey-sheet).

TORAH BEGINS WITH THE LETTER BEIT –b

Look closely and see, that GOD began the torah with the letter beit (B), which is the Hebrew word for ‘In’. (In (beh) – rey-sheet, = in the beginning).

GOD could have begun the torah with any word He wanted, any letter. He could have began the torah with an Aleph, representing who He is. Nevertheless, He chose a beit and GOD stands outside of the beit, before it, but hidden. In Hebrew, the beit represents the tabernacle. Let’s see what GOD is doing here behind the scenes.

GOD begins the very 1st teaching with the letter beit, with the tabernacle. If we are looking at this with our spiritual eyes, we see all of torah beginning with the tabernacle. And the beginnings of everything, the rey-sheet, flowing out of the tabernacle. (In (beh) – rey-sheet, = in the beginning).

GOD, THE TABERNACLE AND THE REISH

The rey-sheet is born by the Tabernacle. The rey-sheet is formed by the tabernacle. Only a reish can step out of the tabernacle. When we look back at the word torah, we see a similar pattern.

tav – vav- reish – hei

THE COVENANT, THE MESSIAH AND THE REISH

The vav is symbolic of the man, who steps out into the earth, in covenant with GOD and becomes the reish, the leader, the Head and not the tail, the Repentant Man, who is no longer willing to accommodate the world or his/her evil inclinations. The reish takes his/her position of authority and headship, and the reish leads us to…. the hei.

Amen.

God Bless You,

Posts Included in This Series:

In order to access more teachings of this kind on the Hebrew Letters:

Copyright 2019, Rev. S. Madison, torahisteaching.blog All Rights Reserved.

Students/Subscribers have permission to print and share this information provided you do not use any of the teachings for profit or monetary gain of any kind. Please do not alter the material in any way. These conditions are subject to the additional term of giving full credit to torahisteaching.blog or Rev. S. Madison. Just send me an email to advise of your use of this material: torahbythesea@gmail.com Thank You.

MY HEBREW HERITAGE, torah studies, What is Torah

THE MESSAGE IN THE LETTERS OF TORAH… Part 2, the vav

Today, we will continue with our exploration of the meaning of the letters that form the word, torah.  Today we examine the spiritual meaning of the vav.

RECAP:

Above are the 4 Hebrew consonants that create the word, torah. The modern Hebrew letters lay directly beneath the Paleo Hebrew Letters that give the impression of a halo above.

Torah is spelled with the, tav (t), vav (v), reish (r), hei (h). 

THE VAV FUNCTIONS AS A CONSONANT AND A VOWEL:

The vav represents a consonant and the sound of 2 vowels in Hebrew, the ‘o’ as in doe, and the ‘u’ as in blue. The vav in torah has the ‘o’ sound.  That little dot above the vav is our indication that the vav is pronounced with the ‘o’ sound as well.  That little dot is called a nikkud.

The 2nd letter in Torah, is the vav (V). In this instance, in the word ‘torah’, the vav carries the ‘O’ sound.

The Hebrew letter vav takes the shape of the tent peg or hook. In it’s Ancient Paleo Hebrew form, it resembles our letter Y. Although, I believe it is more accurate to say, that our letter ‘Y’, took the form of the Ancient Hebrew Letter vav.

If you were to visually, connect the two upper stems of the Y with a straight horizontal line, you would create a very nice picture of an ancient tent peg!

Symbolic Meaning of the vav

Vav is the word, ‘AND’ in Hebrew. The vav is a symbol of connection, a nail used to join something together. The vav means continuation; to add, to secure. The vav connects Divinity to Humanity, and our connection to God and each other.

The vav is a symbol of conjunction, completeness and timelessness. As you learn more about each Hebrew letter, you will see that the vav unites opposing concepts, people and ideas.

The Assignment of the vav Reflected in the aleph

Take another look at the word Adam. We discussed this word in great detail in the blog entitled; The Undiscovered Adam and the Unexplained Man, Part 2.

You will recall, the Aleph, the first letter in Adam is made of a vav (the slanted bar in the center with two yod’s on either side). Both yod’s are connected to the vav. One yod reaches upward toward the Heavens, and the other reaches downward towards the earth.

In the picture of the aleph, you see the work of the vav, connecting Heaven and Earth, the spiritual realm to the physical realm.

  • The vav connects the upper heavens to the lower heavens, connecting Heaven to Earth. In the aleph, we can see that the vav connects the spiritual realm to the physical realm.

Vav is the 6th letter of the Hebrew aleph-bet…

…and carries the Gematria of 6, (numerical equivalency of 6). Man’s connection to the number 6 is very important in the Hebrew. (See the list below)

  • God ceased His work of creation on the 6th day
  • Man was created on the 6th day.
  • When the Children of Israel left Egypt, they were six hundred thousand in number (Ex 12:37)
  • Christ hung on the cross for 6 hours (Mark 15:25, Luke 23:44)
  • The 600 thousand letters in the torah equivalent to the 600K children of Israel leaving Egypt. A letter of torah for each person delivered out of bondage.

The above examples reveal physical completion, redemption and transformation.

Many Infallible Proofs of the Significance of vav

  • The absence or presence of the vav determines the meaning of the verse. Ref Ex 18:1, Jether becomes Jethro when a vav is added at the end of his name, creating the ‘o’ sound.
  • Absence of the vav can signify a lack of virtue, character faults, etc.
  • The Addition of the vav can indicate pleasing character traits, indicate virtue and overcoming personal trials/tests.
  • There are 5 times in scripture when Jacob’s name is spelled with an extra vav. (Lev 26:42, Jer 30:18, 33:25-26, 46:27, 51:19) In each instance, Israel/Jacob is being redeemed.
  • In the Hebrew Bible (written in All Hebrew Letters) at the very center of the torah, called the belly (gachon), there is an enlarged vav. Lev 11:42. Appropriately enough, the word found in the very center of the torah is the word, gachon, (which means belly). The vav, which translates to our ‘o’ in English, is the letter in the center of the torah. Let me repeat that another way: At the belly of the torah, is the word gachon, which means belly and the ‘o’ in gachon marks the center of torah.
  • i.e. the first half and the last half of the torah is connected by a vav!

tav – vav- reish – hei

Torah begins with the tav, covenant. The 2nd letter, vav stands for connection.

The covenant which is connected to man by the nail. The man who bears the nail, He is the One that connects Heaven to Earth, the spiritual realm to the physical realm.

The vav is the symbol of the man that connects Heaven to Earth, whether that be Christ, by Himself… or Christ in you, the Hope of Glory!

Every believer, has the power to bring God’s Glory down into the Earth Realm. The vav is the symbol of mankind’s power to draw what we need from the Heavens and deposit it into the Earth. That’s torah.

Amen.

God Bless You,

Posts Included in This Series:

In order to access more teachings of this kind on the Hebrew Letters:

Copyright 2019, Rev. S. Madison, torahisteaching.blog All Rights Reserved.

Students/Subscribers have permission to print and share this information provided you do not use any of the teachings for profit or monetary gain of any kind. Please do not alter the material in any way. These conditions are subject to the additional term of giving full credit to torahisteaching.blog or Rev. S. Madison. Just send me an email to advise of your use of this material: torahbythesea@gmail.com Thank You.

What is Torah

THE MESSAGE IN THE LETTERS OF TORAH… beginning with tav

In English, our letters have no meaning beyond the role they play to indicate the specific sounds that we apply to our language and to build and form our words.  In Hebrew, the letters retain a history and legacy of sound, ideas, concepts, thoughts and symbols, even number.  

Today, we will explore the meaning of the letters that form the word, torah.

Above are the 4 Hebrew consonants that create the word, torah. The modern Hebrew letters lay directly beneath the Paleo Hebrew Letters that give the impression of a halo above.

Remember, we move from right to left when reading in Hebrew.

Torah is spelled with the, tav (t), vav (v), reish (r), hei (h).  The vav is represents the sound of 2 vowels in Hebrew, the ‘o’ as in doe, and the ‘u’ as in blue. The vav in torah of course, takes the ‘o’ sound.  That little dot above the vav is our indication that the vav is pronounced with the ‘o’ sound as well.  That little dot is called a nikkud.

For those that are a bit more curious about the Hebrew letters, you may be asking yourself what that little dot is inside the letter tav.  That dot is called a dagesh and it tells us that the tav is to be pronounced with a hard ‘T’ sound.  Yes!  tav has 2 sounds, one hard and one soft.  The soft ‘T’ is similar to our ‘Th’ in English.  The little dash underneath the reish is also a nikkud, which represents the ‘a’ sound.

IMPORTANT: You don’t need to memorize any of the rules of grammar/diacritics, and I am being very generic in transmitting them because I feel it’s more important to reveal the concepts about the letters themselves, than it is right now, to speak in terms of rules of grammar.  You will hear me repeat this type of information so often, that you will absorb it by relationship rather than rigid teaching methods.  Let’s just have fun learning about the letters!

The slide below, has been adapted to retain the names of the letters, to make it easier for those who are new to Hebrew to follow along.

Let’s begin with the letter tav on the far right. As you can see, the tav originated in the form of a cross. The tav in Hebrew represents the covenant and the cross.

The cross you see there above the modern Hebrew letter for tav, also carries the meaning of, mark, sign, and seal. Torah begins with a ‘tav’, because torah is about keeping covenant with GOD. Even the word in Hebrew for truth, emet (which we must examine as well), begins with the aleph and ends with the tav.

There is your truth, my truth and GOD’s Truth. If the truth we tell, does not begin and end with GOD, and His Covenant, then that truth is incomplete, imperfect and flawed, like us. So, you see the truth as we define it in our dictionary and how GOD even spells it with His aleph-bet, are 2 completely different things.

I Am the Aleph and the Tav…

The tav is also the LAST Letter in the Hebrew aleph-bet. You will recall, the Aleph is the FIRST.

I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. –Rev 22:13

When Christ made this statement He was bearing witness/testifying that He was indeed, the messiah. This is one of the primary reasons a great majority of the Pharisees, Sadducees and Scribes, so vehemently came against Him. He was claiming to be the one spoken of in the torah, in the Book of Isaiah.

The Book of Isaiah:

Who hath wrought and done it, calling the generations from the beginning? I the Lord, the first, and with the last; I am he. –Isaiah 41:4

Thus saith the Lord the King of Israel, and his redeemer the Lord of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God. –Isaiah 44:6

Hearken unto me, O Jacob and Israel, my called; I am he; I am the first, I also am the last. –Isaiah 48:12

Additional Testimony Recorded by John

Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea. –Rev 1:11

And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last. –Rev 1:17

And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive; –Rev 2:8

Also Note: That the acts of the Kings as listed in the book of Chronicles, are listed from first to last.

A Greek/Western Mindset vs. Torah Mindset

From reading our KJV Bibles, naturally, we have learned this verse from the Greek perspective. Although I am aware that we have been taught for generations, that the New Testament was written only in Greek, I want you to bear with me a moment. I am also completely aware, that we were also taught for generations, that the Jews had lost their native language by the first century. This has been proven false as well, but I know the understanding is still out there, and that it is very difficult to shed false teachings.

With that in mind, let us just acknowledge and agree with documented history, which confirms that Jesus was a Jew. I have no doubt that He spoke both Aramaic and Hebrew. That being the case, it is not logical to assume that He abandoned His native language completely when He spoke. After all, He is born to Jewish parents, lived as a Jew, His ministry was to the Jews and He taught the torah from torah scrolls. He was not Roman or Greek, this we know as well.

I have studied and spoke many different languages over the years, but I still think in English. It is natural and instinctive to speak in your native language, even when you are in the presence of those who speak another language. It is particularly natural, to speak English when you are with the English, and Hebrew when you are with Hebrews.

Shifting from Alpha/Omega to aleph and tav

Jesus is speaking to His own people here, so it’s important for us to know, that He did not say that He was the, “Alpha and Omega”. Jesus was Jewish. What He said was, “I am the aleph and the tav, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.”

What we wrote down was the opposite, or rather a piece of the truth of what He said.

Our Alphabet runs from A to Z. The Hebrew Aleph-Bet runs from aleph to tav. Allow me to pause a moment and explain, why I have a tendency NOT TO capitalize when transliterating the Hebrew. There are no capital letters in Biblical/Modern Hebrew. All the letters are written in block format and there are no form of the letters that would be considered capital. In Modern Hebrew script, the same situation exist.

I like to think, that since the entire foundation of the Biblical Hebrew Language that was given to us by GOD, that every letter has equal footing and significance. Considering that character refinement, i.e., humility, is one of the foundational principles of GOD’s message, I don’t think that I am far off. Character is key and humility is the Essence of GOD.

Having said that, let’s add to the understanding that, the Hebrew language flows from aleph (ELOHIM) to tav (the CROSS). Every letter in between, reveals our prophetic journey that begins with GOD and ends at the Cross, by way of the Covenant. So, when Christ says, He is the aleph and the tav… He is identifying Himself (in the first century)as He is identified throughout the pages of the scriptures (Book of Isaiah), as the beginning and the end, the aleph and the tav.

To say, torah… the word must begin with a tav, as the covenant is the beginning and end of the torah. Torah is about Covenant. Torah is teaching us how to gain access to the Covenant. Torah must begin with the tav, because there is no access to GOD, His Thoughts, His Ways, His Wisdom, His Knowledge, His Son, without the Covenant.

Acceptance of the Covenant is our sign and seal that GOD is with us. “And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you…” –Gen 9:9

Suffice it to say, the even the word covenant in Hebrew (ber-eeth; 1285), begins with the letter beit (B) and ends with the tav (T). You can’t even say the word ‘covenant’ in Hebrew, the Language of GOD, without ending with the tav on the tip of your tongue!,

God Bless You,

Posts Included in This Series:

To access more teachings of this kind on the Hebrew Letters:

Copyright 2019, Rev. S. Madison, torahisteaching.blog

The Journey Back

MAKE A WINDOW IN THE ARK…

Genesis 6:13 “And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth”.

6:14  “Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch”.

6:15  “And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits”.

6:16  “A window shalt thou make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it”.

Before Noach (Noah) was finished, he had to make sure that he had placed a window in the ark. Makes perfect sense. God commanded a flood. It would be raining for quite some time.

As you can see from the chart below, the Hebrew word for ark is teivah. As with all the words in Hebrew, there is depth and height. The Word of God contains such rich luxurious texture, streaming with meaning, purpose, treasure and insight. In English, ark means ark. In the Hebrew, the LORD’s language, is a 2 edged sword.

Psalms 119:30 says, “The entrance of thy Word brings light, and gives understanding to the simple!”  King David, (Prophet, Priest & King) connected with the revelation of this message. David recognized that God was not just talking commanding Noach to make a window for the ark in some mundane, mechanical sense.  Noach is commanded to make ‘one’ window, singular. Whatever he needs to see, when he needs to see it, will be facing him head on.

Yes, Noach makes a literal window. But scripture is not just teaching us literal concepts. There are revelations to be found in the Word. Noach builds an ark, based solely on the Word of God. Noah will look out of that window when he in instructed to, at the Word of God. When the storm is over, it will be through that window that the light will come.

 King David, (Prophet, Priest & King) connected with the revelation of this message. David knew that every instruction of God has purpose. So, when he tells Noach to make a window in the ark, a detail we easily read over like we are reading a fariytale story, David is paying attention to detail.

David’s experience with GOD, tells him to ask a few questions. For instance, it makes common sense to make a window. Why is GOD giving such detailed instructions for something that I know. Of course, I’ll make a window.

However, on the heels of that same instance, instance that he ask himself the question, the next instant he has to just smile and say, OK GOD, I get it.

David, understood something we will never see without the Hebrew. He understood that ‘teivah’ also means, ‘Word’. Yes, Noah, make a literal window for the ark, but in doing so he understood the message behind the message. He knew that he had another job to do. He also was charged with bringing forth light with the Word, that is in the ark!  

Our entire spiritual survival will depend on how we utilize our power to speak the Word and bring light into the darkness. The ‘light’ from the sun will not be available for a little while. You need to tap into another level of light!

When Noah made that window, he was doing it on faith that the light would come. Making that window was equivalent to Moses saying, “I believe you Lord, and I trust You”. If GOD was not going to keep His word to Noah, and destroy him and his family in the flood, there is absolutely no need for a window. So Noah makes a window in the ark, knowing that on a completely higher level, he is making a window for the Word.

Just as Noah had to make a window for the purpose of bringing light into the ark, we have to learn how to bring forth light with the Word.  Again, our entire spiritual survival will depend on how well we can follow the instructions and make a window for the Word, despite the trials and tributions, the problem or the situation, the circumstances, or the complications… despite the 40 dark days, make a window for the Word!

Can we bring forth light with the Word of GOD? What will we create, with the Word?

As you increase your knowledge of the Hebrew, and begin to pray with the Hebrew tongue (even a few words); every utterance will take on the creative force imbued within the Word, at the dawn of creation.  When I say, you begin to pray with a Hebrew tongue, for now, I’m speaking of praying with a torah mindset, meaning you are now praying with a more intimate knowledge of the Word.

Genesis 7:1, “You and all of your household shall enter into the ark”. 

What if we dared to understand this at a higher level?  What can happen when you are no longer satisfied with a superficial knowledge and understanding of the Word?

When we study torah, we are pursuing, d’resh (investigation), remez (comparing scripture with scripture) for the purpose of a sod level of knowledge (revelation).

Let’s read this again, but this time let’s insert the revelation,  “You and all your household shall enter into the Word” – 

The Baal Shem Tov taught that this means that we must put our entire self, into the words of our prayers. The brightest light we will ever create, will be the light we create with our words. With this one, tiny bit of torah knowledge we find, that the ‘teaching’ about the making of the ark, is more than a bible story. God didn’t give us stories, He gave us teachings, instructions and directions. I hope our biblical vocabularies will eliminate the words, bible story, from our vocabulary for a while. I encourage everyone to try. We need to elevate the kedusha (Holiness) on our words, and the way in which we speak about the Word of GOD. We are the experts on spiritual matters, not the world. The world, will take their lead from us.

Our words have work to do. The Hebrew Letters are known as the Letters of Fire. When we pray, we have access to the Fire of God through his Word. When passion, compassion and love are the very foundation of our prayers; When we speak with kindness, honoring every soul, When the words we speak have only one agenda; to build up, edify and encourage, then our words are doing the work we were called to do.  We are creating, (creating is the Hebrew word, ‘asah’), a window in the Ark. 

As we go about our daily lives, and look out of our windows through the vision of all of our circumstances, speak light and look for the light to come. Call it into existence. When our words and prayers infuse the light of God into the world and into another’s soul…We are creating light, from every Word of God!

Make a Window for the Word!

© 2019, Rev. S. Madison, torahisteaching.blog

Image provided by Unsplash.com

Uncategorized

YOU ONLY NEED 4 STEPS TO GET STARTED….

“Torah is not education, it’s transformation.”—Rebbitzen Dena Weinberg

For our Blog Style Bible Study, these are the initial supplies you will need, plus suggestions on how to prepare your atmosphere for torah!

Let me begin with a disclosure: The Bible Study Lessons that I will present are atypical. Together, we will examine little known passages, trace down common threads and patterns that are hidden in plain sight, and connect the dots. In short, we will examine the torah from many different angles and our reward will be extracting honey from the rock. Lets get started!

Step 1:

1. King James Study Bible. Online or Book format. I typically pull my quotes on scripture from King James only.

2. A Bible Concordance. I recommend the Strong’s Concordance, to begin with. As huge as it is, you can always find one at a reasonable price.

Option B to the Strong’s is to learn how to use search engines online that provide an easily accessible alternative with the same information. i.e., BibleHub.com, Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance Online, etc. With practice you will quickly learn how to use them. Experiment with similar apps to see which one you prefer.

As you plan to follow along with the blog, I want you to be able to check everything that I teach you, which is why I cite sources.

As we progress on our journey, I will recommend other books, materials and resources that will be of advantage to you to acquire or access. I continuously recommend books, so please don’t let that overwhelm you. More than likely, I will create a Book List Tab to track all the books and materials I recommend as they become relevant to where we are in our studies.

KEEPING YOUR CONSECRATION:
STEP 2:
Determine the best place for you to concentrate when you study.
Find the best time of day, to consecrate to your study time. Be consistent. However, if your selected time of day is not working for you, tweak it.

You may find that once you make a consecration time for study, every imaginable issue will rise up to interfere with it. Don’t worry and don’t get frustrated. Anticipate hindrances and plan ahead! Shift around your time until you find one that works best for you.

Even if it turns out that you need to get up and study at 3AM in the morning, to have some peace and quiet in order to gain the advantage, do it! The only thing you need to ask yourself is, “How bad do I want this knowledge for myself?” What are you prepared to do to make this work?

If it is not that serious, then it is not that serious, and this is your decision to make. Circle back another time, or let it go.

HOW TO CONSTRAIN THE ANOINTING OVER YOUR STUDY TIME:
Step 3:
In your selected study area, place flowers or scented candles. Boil cinnamon or incense in a pot of water– warm up the atmosphere with fragrance. It helps you concentrate when you study. Scents can also help you recall information. Pleasant odours just make you feel good, and they get you in the mood for study!

No cell phones or emails, or self-inflicted distractions of any kind. This exercise is about consecrating time to the LORD, as a sacrifice and love offering. For example, your attendance in the study time you set is a statement to GOD saying, “I plan to be here at 3AM in the morning, every M-T-W-Th, whether you show up or not. In fact, I am going to be here UNTIL you show up in my study time, and reveal your wisdom to me”.

This is an example of what I meant earlier when I spoke of placing a demand on Heaven. You will find yourself smack dab on the pages of scripture. On several pages of scripture in fact, including my personal favourite, “I will not let you go… until you bless me!” (Gen 32:26).

BE ON TIME FOR YOUR BLESSING!
Step 4:
If you are getting up at 3AM, or some other equally daunting or stressful time in your schedule, freshen up and wake up. This improves your ability to concentrate.

Whether you have designated 30 minutes, or 60 minutes– be on time for your own blessing! Use the entire time you allotted. Keep the promises that you made to yourself.

Please use the comments tab below to submit your questions or send a reply. Thank You.

I will post the 1st Study Session this Week!
[When I find typo’s that I did not see before I published and/or I re-read and know that I could have stated something better for clarity, I will make corrections and place brackets around the changes, like so. I want your final product to be as pristine as possible. Also, you have noticed that I do not include the scripture reference when I am quoting or paraphrasing something from the New Testament. I do that intentionally. We know this material and I believe it is already a part of our regular dialogue. We may have the impulse to look them up and that’s good. I want to provoke us to do that. It’s good for the soul 🙂 Your a good student! God Bless You].

The Journey Back, What is Torah

THE JOURNEY BACK TO A TORAH MINDSET BEGINS…. Part 1.2

Q&A Continued…
Below are a few questions that were submitted to me via email that did not come through the posts. I am going to answer a few of them here for the benefit of all participants.

Q#3: Will your articles typically take 10-15 minutes in length to read?

Yes indeed! I am really very impressed with myself that they are that short! It is my teaching style to be at length. Generally speaking, I struggle in class to contain my lectures to 50 or 110 minutes. I try to squeeze every drop, out of every minute with my students and I am not ashamed to hold them captive. Learning is a scientific process. You have to be meticulous in every detail. I demand a lot out of my students, and I have no sympathy for the amount of time it takes to study to show yourself approved.

The Hebrew letters are called the raw materials of creation. I agree. I think every student is like the raw materials of creation. In my class, every student carries a Hebrew Letter over their head, like a crown of torah. They are going to create something powerful with it. Every time they absorb new information, they have the power to create, edify, encourage. They have the power to build. Some in 7 minutes, some in 6 minutes, some in one hour, some in a year. In reading, studying, learning….they are the masters of time.

Imagine my surprise and delight to have written something in a blog that only takes a few minutes to read. I might mess around and find this enjoyable!

So, why am I writing this, if it is such a foreign concept to me?
Earlier I told you that I am going for my graduate level degree in humility. Humility 101 is a marathon. It is all day, every day, and last a lifetime. This is my primary reason.

Secondary to that… I am doing this because my students are making me do it! They have suggested, implored, cajoled, questioned, fussed and looked at me strangely. They have asked me to do this for years, and I have just smiled and said, “one day, maybe”.

This is me, surrendering and being obedient to their request. They obviously have something else to teach me. So I am taking the course.

The most excellent truth of the matter is, teachers can only excel in their particular skill set, as long as they are willing to be students at the same time that they are teaching. My students have probably taught me more than I have ever taught them. I don’t know how many teachers actually share that thought out loud, or even if we share it with each other. However, ask a teacher and find out if they agree.

Students are not learning in a vacuum. Your teacher has just as much to learn from you, as you do from them. It is a symbiotic relationship. I have come to know it as, iron sharpening iron!

Technically speaking, we are just about 20-25 minutes into our first class!

I think this is a good place to introduce you to a few of your classmates. There is Ruth. Her code name is Ruth. I call her that because she is tah-meem. That is Hebrew for blameless. She has such a pure, innocent spirit and is so genuine in prayer.

You will hear me speak of David. That is his code name. I call him David because he is so sold out to God. David is one of the tzaddikim (righteous ones). His children are aware of his spiritual identity, and they see God in him. He is a rare one. He is a man, who has honour in his own country, and his own house.

You will hear me speak of one person, as the Beloved of John. She is a master torah scholar in Christ Jesus. She is the librarian, historian, record keeper par excellance. Although she would never agree with me commending her with praise. In the area of humility, kindness and joy, she is a savant. They are truly her areas of expertise. She operates in a highly specialised skill set in the body of Christ.

Then there is Shamar. shamar in Hebrew means to guard, to protect. She is hungry for the Word. She is a soldier, fearless in spiritual battle. She detests stagnation, apathy, and confusion, and she knows how to stand her watch in the service.

David, Shamar, Ruth and the Beloved of John are like the sons of Thunder in prayer. They each have an-already-been-done kind-of-spirit in prayer, and nothing is impossible with God. They know their names and each of them will recognise their description when they have read it. One day, when their identities are revealed, their families will see that I have made no exaggeration about their spiritual character.

They will attend every class and every lecture with you. They will read what you read, and hear what you hear. They are ministers of the gospel, students, teachers and intercessors. It’s what they do.

Now we’re learning torah!

Quick Links to Previous Post:  

The Journey Back To A Torah Mindset, Part 1

The Journey Back To A Torah Mindset, Part 1.1

[When I find typo’s that I did not see before I published and/or I re-read and know that I could have stated something better for clarity, I will make corrections and place brackets around the changes, like so.  I want your final product to be as pristine as possible.  Also, you have noticed that I do not include the scripture reference when I am quoting or paraphrasing something from the New Testament.  I do that intentionally.  We know this material and I believe it is already a part of our regular dialogue.  We may have the impulse to look them up and that’s good.  I want to provoke us to do that.  It’s good for the soul 🙂  Your a good student!  God Bless You].

Copyright 2019, Rev. S. Madison, torahisteaching.blog