Wednesday, January 26, 2011

The Evil Tongue

One of the biggest problems among Messianics, including me, is our mouth. We like to talk, and we like to talk about eachother. We like to talk about Christians. We like to talk about Jews. We like to talk about everybody in the worst possible way. The Torah tells us “Do not go about as a slanderer among your people” Lev. 19:16.

It doesn’t matter if what you say is true, if you talk badly about any person at all, that is slander, according to R. Israel Meir Kagan (ztz”l). Often we excuse slander by saying “But it’s true!” It doesn’t matter if it’s true or not. I’m sure we all have embarrassing secrets that we don’t want spread around, and the fact that they’re true only makes it worse.

This is not a minor commandment, and we need to take it very seriously. The Mishna tells us that evil speech is actually punished more harshly than doing a deed (Mishna, Arakhin 3:5), and Peter indicates that slander is the exact opposite of the word of God (I Pet. 1:24-2:2).

Gossip is a plague. It destroys friendships and families, it destroys communities and turns brothers against eachother. Slander is such a serious issue that a man who slanders his wife is actually punished more than a man who rapes a virgin, according to the Torah (cf. Deut. 22:19, 28-29), and according to Deuteronomy Rabba 5:10, gossip murders three people, the person who tells it, the peson who listens, and the person it is about.

This may be the most harmful thing one person can ever do to another, and it’s something all of us are guilty of at one time or another. We need to learn to be very careful about what we say and what we listen to.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Violent Lives Ending Violently

“I hate you” is something we say all the time to express jealousy, without really meaning that we hate the person we’re talking to. It would be good for us to remember that hate is not to be taken lightly. “You shall not hate your brother in your heart. You should rebuke your neighbor, and not bring sin on him.” (Lev. 19:17)

This is the commandment that R. Yeshua refers to when he says “But I tell you that everyone who hates his brother without a reason will be in danger of judgment, and one who says to his brother, ‘Raka’ will be in danger of the council, and anyone who ‘You godless one,’ will be in danger of the fire of Gehenna.” (Matt. 5:22). Here, R. Yeshua even compares hating to murder to emphasize how high the stakes are. It is extremely important for us to watch what we think and what we say. This goes back to not doing to others what we don’t want done to us. If you would rather someone didn’t say it about you, don’t say it about them.

That’s pretty straightforward, but there is an important part of this commandment that gets ignored. The second half of the verse in Leviticus 19 is part of the same law. Instead of holding onto anger with your brother for something, you should go to him and tell him why you’re angry with him. This is what R. Yeshua goes on to talk about in the next verses, if you bring an offering to God and remember that you have a grudge against someone, go to them and make it right, etc. R. Israel Meir Kagan (ztz”l)* says that this is a commandment (Sepher HaMitzvoth HaKetzer, negative commandment 78).

R. Yeshua tells us exactly how to do this. If someone sins against us, we go him alone and tell him. If he doesn’t listen, then we take one or two friends with us to convince him. If he still doesn’t listen, we take him before the whole congregation. If he still doesn’t listen, then we disown him. (Matt. 18:15-17)

R. Meir even uses this commandment to say that we should release people from unreasonable promises, because holding them to their word in some cases would be the same as holding a grudge (Mishna, Nedarim 9:4).

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Justice for the Poor


According to Deuteronomy 15:8, it is a commandment to give charity to the poor. Technically, the commandment is to lend to the poor, but this is a high-risk loan, and R. Yeshua tells us to lend without expecting it back (Luke 6:34-35). So, this boils down to a command to give charity.

Also according to R. Yeshua, “Give to him who asks you, and don’t turn away him who desires to borrow from you,” Matt. 5:42 (HNV). R. Yeshua does not allow us to turn down anyone who asks for charity. This may not be a popular idea, since we are often skeptical about whether or not beggars actually need to be begging, but it is not our job to make that judgment.

R. Israel Meir Kagan (ztz”l)* says that we only have to give to Jews and Noahides who beg from us. This is based on the fact that Deuteronomy 15:7 says that this is for our “brothers.” We should remember, though, R. Yeshua’s statement that anyone who follows God is our brother (Matt. 12:50). We should be careful, then, and it is better to give when we are not required to than to keep from giving when we are. Always give the benefit of the doubt.

I should point out that R. Yeshua does not say that we have to give exactly what a person asks for, and R. Kagan (ztz”l) says that we should give him what he is lacking. If he needs food, give him food. If he needs clothes, give him clothes. This can also be applied to the amount that we give, but don’t be selfish.

In Hebrew, the word “charity” is the same as the word “justice.” We shouldn’t think that charity is something we give because we’re good. It is our duty. When you give to a beggar you haven’t gone beyond your duty, you have given him what he deserves. You have given him his right, because he has as much right to eat and be clothed as we do.

*(ztz”l) is an abbreviation for the Hebrew phrase “of blessed memory,” a respectful way of referring to the dead, similar to the English R.I.P. for “rest in peace.”

Saturday, January 8, 2011

The World We Live In: New Years Resolutions

Before most of us were around, Genesis performed a song called “Land of Confusion.” Just a few years ago, Disturbed did a cover of that iconic 80’s song. Like any true metalhead, I think Disturbed did it a lot better. Disturbed does everything better. “Land of Confusion” talks to Messianics in a very real way. There is no land of confusion to compare to the Messianic community.

Every time I listen to it I think about how we have too many people, all making our own rules as we go along. In one Torah study or synagogue the rules are completely different from the rules in another one. In some groups there are no rules at all, just chaos. While some communities are essentially orthodox, which gives them some stability, others seem to have adopted the same attitude as most five-year-olds, that no one is the boss of them.

Too often, there’s not enough love to go around. We either poke fun at Christians, or at Orthodox Judaism, or at other Messianics. People can be ignored or attacked for the slightest offense, or perceived offense. Too often we talk behind eachother’s backs. I don’t mean that everyone or every congregation is this way, and I can’t talk about anyone without including myself in this. Along with all of this there doesn’t seem to be much of a drive to help people outside of our own little, insulated groups.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. Our generation can make a change. We do not have to continue this chaotic, destructive, downward trend. One journalist argues that ours could be a new Greatest Generation[i]. It will require us to be firm. It will require us to make compromises so that we can work together. It will require us to be willing to admit when we’re wrong, and to follow some kind of structure and leadership.

It’s a new year, and it’s time for a new era. Let’s make resolutions to think for ourselves, to take initiative, and speak up when we see something wrong, or something that doesn’t make sense. This new year can be the year that we go from scattered anarchy to something that we can maintain, something we can be proud of, a group of people who stand up for truth and justice in the world, instead of waiting for the end of the world. This year, let’s start working together, instead of splintering. This year, let’s take a bold, insane, revolutionary step into orthodoxy and unity, and get back into the real world.

Let’s take the new year to take what we’ve been given and use it to improve the world around us. Let’s use the time we have in the real world to build a better world



[i] Andersen, Kurt. Reset: How this Crisis Can Restore Our Values and Renew America. p. 54

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Honor Your Father

“Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be lengthened on the earth that HaShem your God is giving to you” Exodus 20:12. This is a touchy subject, especially in our world. The pressure from our culture is to make your own way without a lot of regard for previous generations. It’s also difficult for Messianics in particular, often our parents aren’t Messianic, or if they are, we feel they’ve gone off the deep end. Understanding what it really means to “honor” our parents will help with this.

In Matthew 15:4-6, R. Yeshua disapproves of a practice that was common in his day, wherein someone would swear to give everything they owned to the Temple. This meant that they couldn’t support their parents, and R. Yeshua says that that is violating the command to honor your parents. Basically, R. Yeshua says that honoring your parents means providing for them. The Talmud says the same thing in Kiddushin 31, and so does Rabbi Israel Meir Cohen (ztz”l)*, in Sefer HaMitzvot HaKetzer. In other words, that is how this commandment is understood throughout Judaism.

It is important to understand that when R. Yeshua argues with the tradition in Matthew 15, the Mishnah actually agrees with him. In Mishnah, Nedarim 9:1 Rabbi Eleazar says that if someone makes an oath to donate something, but then realises that he can’t keep the oath and take care of his parents, the oath is nullified. That is how important it is to provide for our parents. Remember, they took care of us when we were too young to take care of ourselves, and so it’s our job to return the favor when they can no longer take care of themselves.

There is an exception. A very important exception. In Luke 14:26 the Messiah reminds us that we should follow God first, and parents second. R. Cohen (ztz”l) makes the same exception by saying that if a father tells his child to break any commandment, the child is obligated to ignore their father. We have to strike a balance between respecting and taking care of our parents and following our own consciences. Remember that our parents are the only reason we’re alive today, but we still have to make decisions based on our own best judgment.

**(ztz”l) is an abbreviation for the Hebrew phrase “of blessed memory,” a respectful way of referring to the dead, similar to the English R.I.P. for “rest in peace.”