{"id":6310,"date":"2017-02-13T21:30:50","date_gmt":"2017-02-13T21:30:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.matsati.com\/?p=6310"},"modified":"2017-02-17T01:25:14","modified_gmt":"2017-02-17T01:25:14","slug":"bits-torah-truths-parashat-yitro-mean-consecrate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.matsati.com\/index.php\/bits-torah-truths-parashat-yitro-mean-consecrate\/","title":{"rendered":"Bits of Torah Truths, Parashat Yitro, \u05e4\u05e8\u05e9\u05ea \u05d9\u05ea\u05e8\u05d5, What does it mean to Consecrate Yourselves?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[youtube url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Z7Vz-IZLKqw&amp;feature=youtu.be&#8221;]<\/p>\n<p>In Parashat Yitro, the Lord descended in the cloud, and we are told, \u05d9\u00a0\u00a0 \u05d5\u05b7\u05d9\u05bc\u05b9\u05d0\u05de\u05b6\u05e8 \u05d9\u05b0\u05d4\u05d5\u05b9\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d0\u05b6\u05dc-\u05de\u05b9\u05e9\u05c1\u05b6\u05d4 \u05dc\u05b5\u05da\u05b0 \u05d0\u05b6\u05dc-\u05d4\u05b8\u05e2\u05b8\u05dd \u05d5\u05b0\u05e7\u05b4\u05d3\u05bc\u05b7\u05e9\u05c1\u05b0\u05ea\u05bc\u05b8\u05dd \u05d4\u05b7\u05d9\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05dd \u05d5\u05bc\u05de\u05b8\u05d7\u05b8\u05e8 \u05d5\u05b0\u05db\u05b4\u05d1\u05bc\u05b0\u05e1\u05d5\u05bc \u05e9\u05b4\u05b9\u05de\u05b0\u05dc\u05b9\u05ea\u05b8\u05dd: \u05d9\u05d0\u00a0\u00a0 \u05d5\u05b0\u05d4\u05b8\u05d9\u05d5\u05bc \u05e0\u05b0\u05db\u05b9\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd \u05dc\u05b7\u05d9\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05dd \u05d4\u05b7\u05e9\u05bc\u05c1\u05b0\u05dc\u05b4\u05d9\u05e9\u05c1\u05b4\u05d9 \u05db\u05bc\u05b4\u05d9 | \u05d1\u05bc\u05b7\u05d9\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05dd \u05d4\u05b7\u05e9\u05bc\u05c1\u05b0\u05dc\u05b4\u05e9\u05c1\u05b4\u05d9 \u05d9\u05b5\u05e8\u05b5\u05d3 \u05d9\u05b0\u05d4\u05d5\u05b9\u05b8\u05d4 \u05dc\u05b0\u05e2\u05b5\u05d9\u05e0\u05b5\u05d9 \u05db\u05b8\u05dc-\u05d4\u05b8\u05e2\u05b8\u05dd \u05e2\u05b7\u05dc-\u05d4\u05b7\u05e8 \u05e1\u05b4\u05d9\u05e0\u05b8\u05d9: <em><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">19:10 The Lord also said to Moses, \u2018Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments; 19:11 and let them be ready for the third day, for on the third day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. (NASB)<\/span><\/em>\u00a0 The Lord tells Moshe to <em><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">\u201cconsecrate\u201d<\/span><\/em> (\u05d5\u05b0\u05e7\u05b4\u05d3\u05bc\u05b7\u05e9\u05c1\u05b0\u05ea\u05bc\u05b8\u05dd) the people using the root word \u05e7\u05d3\u05d5\u05e9 meaning to make them <em><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">\u201choly\u201d to \u201cset them apart.\u201d<\/span><\/em>\u00a0 The Lord called for the people <em><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">\u201cto purity\u201d<\/span><\/em> themselves.\u00a0 What does this mean to purify yourself?\u00a0 Based upon the Scriptures, this is related to cleansing and purifying the body, the mind, the heart, and the soul.\u00a0 To consecrate (set apart) the body is synonymous to conquering the flesh which means as a child of God, we must serve the spirit as opposed to the desires and wants of the flesh.\u00a0 This related to walking in God\u2019s ways of righteousness, justice, and truth, to serve the Lord God of Israel, and to overcome the earthly desires. Paul wrote in Galatians 5 that serving the Lord God is to put in our hearts love, faithfulness, gentleness, peacefulness, joy, self-control and righteousness.\u00a0 The consecration of the body therefore is related to the Torah command and to overcoming the flesh, conquering the desires of the flesh, which Paul lists in Galatians 5 as greed, envy, lust, deceit, pride and immorality.\u00a0 To consecrate or make holy your mind, is having the ability to make righteous judgments based upon our knowledge and understanding of God\u2019s Word.\u00a0 Here we are called to discern the differences between the Yetzer HaRa and the Tetzer HaTov.\u00a0 The idea here is godly wisdom which comes from the Lord God of Israel is pure and powerful, while earthly wisdom is lowly and wicked.\u00a0 Therefore it is our goal to seek the wisdom which is from above.\u00a0 In order to do this, we study God\u2019s Word on a daily basis.\u00a0 In the studying of God\u2019s Word, we receive His instruction in wisdom which purifies, sets apart, sanctifies our minds, and the way we think.\u00a0 The next step in the concentration process, is to put God\u2019s Word into practice (that which comes forth from the heart).\u00a0 The act of consecration does not come simply by purifying our minds.\u00a0 We need to value and stand for righteousness, justice, and truth in our lives.\u00a0 The point is we will not understand the things of God if we do not practice them.\u00a0 It is unfortunate how the theologies today have spiritualized God\u2019s word.\u00a0 To purify our hearts means that we must <em><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">\u201cdo\u201d<\/span><\/em> acts of love towards others and towards God, which is what it means to be faithful, humble, and repentant.\u00a0 This means that we need to actually depart from evil and turn from the practice of sinning, lying, immorality, and iniquity.\u00a0 This is what it means to perform Teshuvah (repentance) and to live a life of repentance daily.\u00a0 We are called as His people to leave the evil things so that we can gain spiritual understanding.\u00a0 This understanding is coupled to practicing God\u2019s Word and testifies to the Spirit of God in our hearts where we bear His testimonies by the way we live our lives. Consequently, studying God\u2019s Word and putting it into practice purifies our heart and the way we feel.\u00a0 These things are possible only with the help of the Lord which lead us to be changed from the inside out, to have a pure soul in the sense that we are to have a pure life and a pure personality, where our entire being is holy (both in what we think and in what we do).\u00a0 We are called to purify our ways of thinking and feeling, that is coupled to purifying the way we live.\u00a0 i.e. What we decide in our minds is futile if it is not coupled to our actions.\u00a0 Therefore, we must not just temporarily do godly things we must also practice them continually.\u00a0 Was this what the Lord meant when He told Moshe to \u201cconsecrate\u201d (\u05d5\u05b0\u05e7\u05b4\u05d3\u05bc\u05b7\u05e9\u05c1\u05b0\u05ea\u05bc\u05b8\u05dd) the people using the root word \u05e7\u05d3\u05d5\u05e9 meaning <em><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">\u201cto make them holy\u201d<\/span><\/em> or <em><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">\u201cto set them apart?\u201d<\/span><\/em>\u00a0 This purity the Lord is looking for, is to have a pure spirit within, and a pure mind that is coupled to holy actions.\u00a0 We are told <em><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">19:14 So Moses went down from the mountain to the people and consecrated the people, and they washed their garments. (NASB)<\/span><\/em>\u00a0 Note the cloths we wear are analogous to how we live our lives in righteousness, holiness, justice, and truth (<em><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Revelation 19:8<\/span><\/em>) putting on the testimonies of God in our lives.\u00a0 Let\u2019s discuss what it means to consecrate our lives further in this week\u2019s Torah portion.<\/p>\n<p>This week we are looking at <em><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Shemot \/ Exodus 19:1-14<\/span><\/em>.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><em><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Shemot \/ Exodus 19:1-14<\/span><\/em><\/strong><br \/>\n<em><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"> 19:1 In the third month after the sons of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on that very day they came into the wilderness of Sinai. 19:2 When they set out from Rephidim, they came to the wilderness of Sinai and camped in the wilderness; and there Israel camped in front of the mountain. 19:3 Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain, saying, \u2018Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob and tell the sons of Israel: 19:4 \u2018You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles\u2019 wings, and brought you to Myself. 19:5 \u2018Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine; 19:6 and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.\u2019 These are the words that you shall speak to the sons of Israel.\u2019 19:7 So Moses came and called the elders of the people, and set before them all these words which the Lord had commanded him. 19:8 All the people answered together and said, \u2018All that the Lord has spoken we will do!\u2019 And Moses brought back the words of the people to the Lord. 19:9 The Lord said to Moses, \u2018Behold, I will come to you in a thick cloud, so that the people may hear when I speak with you and may also believe in you forever.\u2019 Then Moses told the words of the people to the Lord. 19:10 The Lord also said to Moses, \u2018Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments; 19:11 and let them be ready for the third day, for on the third day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. 19:12 \u2018You shall set bounds for the people all around, saying, \u2018Beware that you do not go up on the mountain or touch the border of it; whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death. 19:13 \u2018No hand shall touch him, but he shall surely be stoned or shot through; whether beast or man, he shall not live.\u2019 When the ram\u2019s horn sounds a long blast, they shall come up to the mountain.\u2019 19:14 So Moses went down from the mountain to the people and consecrated the people, and they washed their garments. 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\u05d1\u05bc\u05b0\u05d3\u05b7\u05d1\u05bc\u05b0\u05e8\u05b4\u05d9 \u05e2\u05b4\u05de\u05bc\u05b8\u05da\u05b0 \u05d5\u05b0\u05d2\u05b7\u05dd-\u05d1\u05bc\u05b0\u05da\u05b8 \u05d9\u05b7\u05d0\u05b2\u05de\u05b4\u05d9\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc \u05dc\u05b0\u05e2\u05d5\u05b9\u05dc\u05b8\u05dd \u05d5\u05b7\u05d9\u05bc\u05b7\u05d2\u05bc\u05b5\u05d3 \u05de\u05b9\u05e9\u05c1\u05b6\u05d4 \u05d0\u05b6\u05ea-\u05d3\u05bc\u05b4\u05d1\u05b0\u05e8\u05b5\u05d9 \u05d4\u05b8\u05e2\u05b8\u05dd \u05d0\u05b6\u05dc-\u05d9\u05b0\u05d4\u05d5\u05b9\u05b8\u05d4: \u05d9\u00a0\u00a0 \u05d5\u05b7\u05d9\u05bc\u05b9\u05d0\u05de\u05b6\u05e8 \u05d9\u05b0\u05d4\u05d5\u05b9\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d0\u05b6\u05dc-\u05de\u05b9\u05e9\u05c1\u05b6\u05d4 \u05dc\u05b5\u05da\u05b0 \u05d0\u05b6\u05dc-\u05d4\u05b8\u05e2\u05b8\u05dd \u05d5\u05b0\u05e7\u05b4\u05d3\u05bc\u05b7\u05e9\u05c1\u05b0\u05ea\u05bc\u05b8\u05dd \u05d4\u05b7\u05d9\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05dd \u05d5\u05bc\u05de\u05b8\u05d7\u05b8\u05e8 \u05d5\u05b0\u05db\u05b4\u05d1\u05bc\u05b0\u05e1\u05d5\u05bc \u05e9\u05b4\u05b9\u05de\u05b0\u05dc\u05b9\u05ea\u05b8\u05dd: \u05d9\u05d0\u00a0\u00a0 \u05d5\u05b0\u05d4\u05b8\u05d9\u05d5\u05bc \u05e0\u05b0\u05db\u05b9\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd \u05dc\u05b7\u05d9\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05dd \u05d4\u05b7\u05e9\u05bc\u05c1\u05b0\u05dc\u05b4\u05d9\u05e9\u05c1\u05b4\u05d9 \u05db\u05bc\u05b4\u05d9 | \u05d1\u05bc\u05b7\u05d9\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05dd \u05d4\u05b7\u05e9\u05bc\u05c1\u05b0\u05dc\u05b4\u05e9\u05c1\u05b4\u05d9 \u05d9\u05b5\u05e8\u05b5\u05d3 \u05d9\u05b0\u05d4\u05d5\u05b9\u05b8\u05d4 \u05dc\u05b0\u05e2\u05b5\u05d9\u05e0\u05b5\u05d9 \u05db\u05b8\u05dc-\u05d4\u05b8\u05e2\u05b8\u05dd \u05e2\u05b7\u05dc-\u05d4\u05b7\u05e8 \u05e1\u05b4\u05d9\u05e0\u05b8\u05d9: \u05d9\u05d1\u00a0\u00a0 \u05d5\u05b0\u05d4\u05b4\u05d2\u05b0\u05d1\u05bc\u05b7\u05dc\u05b0\u05ea\u05bc\u05b8 \u05d0\u05b6\u05ea-\u05d4\u05b8\u05e2\u05b8\u05dd \u05e1\u05b8\u05d1\u05b4\u05d9\u05d1 \u05dc\u05b5\u05d0\u05de\u05b9\u05e8 \u05d4\u05b4\u05e9\u05bc\u05c1\u05b8\u05de\u05b0\u05e8\u05d5\u05bc \u05dc\u05b8\u05db\u05b6\u05dd \u05e2\u05b2\u05dc\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea \u05d1\u05bc\u05b8\u05d4\u05b8\u05e8 \u05d5\u05bc\u05e0\u05b0\u05d2\u05b9\u05e2\u05b7 \u05d1\u05bc\u05b0\u05e7\u05b8\u05e6\u05b5\u05d4\u05d5\u05bc \u05db\u05bc\u05b8\u05dc-\u05d4\u05b7\u05e0\u05bc\u05b9\u05d2\u05b5\u05e2\u05b7 \u05d1\u05bc\u05b8\u05d4\u05b8\u05e8 \u05de\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea \u05d9\u05d5\u05bc\u05de\u05b8\u05ea: \u05d9\u05d2\u00a0\u00a0 \u05dc\u05b9\u05d0-\u05ea\u05b4\u05d2\u05bc\u05b7\u05e2 \u05d1\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9 \u05d9\u05b8\u05d3 \u05db\u05bc\u05b4\u05d9-\u05e1\u05b8\u05e7\u05d5\u05b9\u05dc \u05d9\u05b4\u05e1\u05bc\u05b8\u05e7\u05b5\u05dc \u05d0\u05d5\u05b9-\u05d9\u05b8\u05e8\u05b9\u05d4 \u05d9\u05b4\u05d9\u05bc\u05b8\u05e8\u05b6\u05d4 \u05d0\u05b4\u05dd-\u05d1\u05bc\u05b0\u05d4\u05b5\u05de\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d0\u05b4\u05dd-\u05d0\u05b4\u05d9\u05e9\u05c1 \u05dc\u05b9\u05d0 \u05d9\u05b4\u05d7\u05b0\u05d9\u05b6\u05d4 \u05d1\u05bc\u05b4\u05de\u05b0\u05e9\u05c1\u05b9\u05da\u05b0 \u05d4\u05b7\u05d9\u05bc\u05b9\u05d1\u05b5\u05dc \u05d4\u05b5\u05de\u05bc\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d9\u05b7\u05e2\u05b2\u05dc\u05d5\u05bc \u05d1\u05b8\u05d4\u05b8\u05e8: \u05d9\u05d3\u00a0\u00a0 \u05d5\u05b7\u05d9\u05bc\u05b5\u05e8\u05b6\u05d3 \u05de\u05b9\u05e9\u05c1\u05b6\u05d4 \u05de\u05b4\u05df-\u05d4\u05b8\u05d4\u05b8\u05e8 \u05d0\u05b6\u05dc-\u05d4\u05b8\u05e2\u05b8\u05dd \u05d5\u05b7\u05d9\u05b0\u05e7\u05b7\u05d3\u05bc\u05b5\u05e9\u05c1 \u05d0\u05b6\u05ea-\u05d4\u05b8\u05e2\u05b8\u05dd \u05d5\u05b7\u05d9\u05b0\u05db\u05b7\u05d1\u05bc\u05b0\u05e1\u05d5\u05bc \u05e9\u05b4\u05b9\u05de\u05b0\u05dc\u05b9\u05ea\u05b8\u05dd:<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>According to this week\u2019s Torah portion (Parashat Yitro) when the people of Israel arrived and camped at the foot of the mountain of Sinai, Moshe ascended the mountain to speak with the Lord.\u00a0 The Lord then met with Moshe and said the following, \u05d3\u00a0\u00a0 \u05d0\u05b7\u05ea\u05bc\u05b6\u05dd \u05e8\u05b0\u05d0\u05b4\u05d9\u05ea\u05b6\u05dd \u05d0\u05b2\u05e9\u05c1\u05b6\u05e8 \u05e2\u05b8\u05e9\u05b4\u05b9\u05d9\u05ea\u05b4\u05d9 \u05dc\u05b0\u05de\u05b4\u05e6\u05b0\u05e8\u05b8\u05d9\u05b4\u05dd \u05d5\u05b8\u05d0\u05b6\u05e9\u05bc\u05c2\u05b8\u05d0 \u05d0\u05b6\u05ea\u05b0\u05db\u05b6\u05dd \u05e2\u05b7\u05dc-\u05db\u05bc\u05b7\u05e0\u05b0\u05e4\u05b5\u05d9 \u05e0\u05b0\u05e9\u05c1\u05b8\u05e8\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd \u05d5\u05b8\u05d0\u05b8\u05d1\u05b4\u05d0 \u05d0\u05b6\u05ea\u05b0\u05db\u05b6\u05dd \u05d0\u05b5\u05dc\u05b8\u05d9: \u05d4\u00a0\u00a0 \u05d5\u05b0\u05e2\u05b7\u05ea\u05bc\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d0\u05b4\u05dd-\u05e9\u05c1\u05b8\u05de\u05d5\u05b9\u05e2\u05b7 \u05ea\u05bc\u05b4\u05e9\u05c1\u05b0\u05de\u05b0\u05e2\u05d5\u05bc \u05d1\u05bc\u05b0\u05e7\u05b9\u05dc\u05b4\u05d9 \u05d5\u05bc\u05e9\u05c1\u05b0\u05de\u05b7\u05e8\u05b0\u05ea\u05bc\u05b6\u05dd \u05d0\u05b6\u05ea-\u05d1\u05bc\u05b0\u05e8\u05b4\u05d9\u05ea\u05b4\u05d9 \u05d5\u05b4\u05d4\u05b0\u05d9\u05b4\u05d9\u05ea\u05b6\u05dd \u05dc\u05b4\u05d9 \u05e1\u05b0\u05d2\u05bb\u05dc\u05bc\u05b8\u05d4 \u05de\u05b4\u05db\u05bc\u05b8\u05dc-\u05d4\u05b8\u05e2\u05b7\u05de\u05bc\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd \u05db\u05bc\u05b4\u05d9-\u05dc\u05b4\u05d9 \u05db\u05bc\u05b8\u05dc-\u05d4\u05b8\u05d0\u05b8\u05e8\u05b6\u05e5: \u05d5\u00a0\u00a0 \u05d5\u05b0\u05d0\u05b7\u05ea\u05bc\u05b6\u05dd \u05ea\u05bc\u05b4\u05d4\u05b0\u05d9\u05d5\u05bc-\u05dc\u05b4\u05d9 \u05de\u05b7\u05de\u05b0\u05dc\u05b6\u05db\u05b6\u05ea \u05db\u05bc\u05b9\u05d4\u05b2\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd \u05d5\u05b0\u05d2\u05d5\u05b9\u05d9 \u05e7\u05b8\u05d3\u05d5\u05b9\u05e9\u05c1 \u05d0\u05b5\u05dc\u05bc\u05b6\u05d4 \u05d4\u05b7\u05d3\u05bc\u05b0\u05d1\u05b8\u05e8\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd \u05d0\u05b2\u05e9\u05c1\u05b6\u05e8 \u05ea\u05bc\u05b0\u05d3\u05b7\u05d1\u05bc\u05b5\u05e8 \u05d0\u05b6\u05dc-\u05d1\u05bc\u05b0\u05e0\u05b5\u05d9 \u05d9\u05b4\u05e9\u05b0\u05b9\u05e8\u05b8\u05d0\u05b5\u05dc: <em><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">19:4 \u2018You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles\u2019 wings, and brought you to Myself. 19:5 \u2018Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine; 19:6 and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.\u2019 These are the words that you shall speak to the sons of Israel.\u2019 (NASB)<\/span><\/em>\u00a0 The Lord tells the people how He delivered them in a powerful way, and that if they would obey His voice and keep His covenant, they would be a treasured (\u05e1\u05b0\u05d2\u05bb\u05dc\u05bc\u05b8\u05d4) possession from among all the nations.\u00a0 They would be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.\u00a0 This was the point of the Lord coming down to dwell among His people, and of the Lord showing Himself to His people that is related to what is written in Shemot \/ Exodus <em><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">19:10-11, \u05d9\u00a0\u00a0 \u05d5\u05b7\u05d9\u05bc\u05b9\u05d0\u05de\u05b6\u05e8 \u05d9\u05b0\u05d4\u05d5\u05b9\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d0\u05b6\u05dc-\u05de\u05b9\u05e9\u05c1\u05b6\u05d4 \u05dc\u05b5\u05da\u05b0 \u05d0\u05b6\u05dc-\u05d4\u05b8\u05e2\u05b8\u05dd \u05d5\u05b0\u05e7\u05b4\u05d3\u05bc\u05b7\u05e9\u05c1\u05b0\u05ea\u05bc\u05b8\u05dd \u05d4\u05b7\u05d9\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05dd \u05d5\u05bc\u05de\u05b8\u05d7\u05b8\u05e8 \u05d5\u05b0\u05db\u05b4\u05d1\u05bc\u05b0\u05e1\u05d5\u05bc \u05e9\u05b4\u05b9\u05de\u05b0\u05dc\u05b9\u05ea\u05b8\u05dd: \u05d9\u05d0\u00a0\u00a0 \u05d5\u05b0\u05d4\u05b8\u05d9\u05d5\u05bc \u05e0\u05b0\u05db\u05b9\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd \u05dc\u05b7\u05d9\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05dd \u05d4\u05b7\u05e9\u05bc\u05c1\u05b0\u05dc\u05b4\u05d9\u05e9\u05c1\u05b4\u05d9 \u05db\u05bc\u05b4\u05d9 | \u05d1\u05bc\u05b7\u05d9\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05dd \u05d4\u05b7\u05e9\u05bc\u05c1\u05b0\u05dc\u05b4\u05e9\u05c1\u05b4\u05d9 \u05d9\u05b5\u05e8\u05b5\u05d3 \u05d9\u05b0\u05d4\u05d5\u05b9\u05b8\u05d4 \u05dc\u05b0\u05e2\u05b5\u05d9\u05e0\u05b5\u05d9 \u05db\u05b8\u05dc-\u05d4\u05b8\u05e2\u05b8\u05dd \u05e2\u05b7\u05dc-\u05d4\u05b7\u05e8 \u05e1\u05b4\u05d9\u05e0\u05b8\u05d9: 19:10 The Lord also said to Moses, \u2018Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments; 19:11 and let them be ready for the third day, for on the third day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. (NASB)<\/span><\/em>\u00a0 The Lord tells Moshe to <em><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">\u201cconsecrate\u201d<\/span><\/em> (\u05d5\u05b0\u05e7\u05b4\u05d3\u05bc\u05b7\u05e9\u05c1\u05b0\u05ea\u05bc\u05b8\u05dd) the people to make them <em><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">\u201choly\u201d<\/span><\/em> to<em><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"> \u201cset them apart.\u201d<\/span><\/em>\u00a0 The Lord called for the people <em><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">\u201cto purity\u201d<\/span><\/em> themselves because He was going to draw near.<\/p>\n<p>In the one sense, we find the Lord coming down to meet with His people.\u00a0 On the other hand, we also read of Moshe going up to meet the Lord on the mountain.\u00a0 The Scriptures describe a certain amount of responsibility on our part before God in order to meet with Him.\u00a0 The rabbis have the following to say concerning this idea of Moshe telling the people to sanctify themselves\u00a0 in order to meet the Lord as He descends upon the mountain of Sinai.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><em><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Sforno on Shemot \/ Exodus 3:4 Part 2<\/span><\/em><\/strong><br \/>\n<em><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"> \u05d5\u05d9\u05e7\u05e8\u05d0 \u05d0\u05dc\u05d9\u05d5 \u05d0\u05dc\u05d4\u05d9\u05dd \u05dc\u05d4\u05d5\u05d3\u05d9\u05e2\u05d5, \u05db\u05d0\u05de\u05e8\u05dd \u05d6\u2019\u2019\u05dc \u05d1\u05d0 \u05dc\u05d8\u05d4\u05e8 \u05de\u05e1\u05d9\u05d9\u05e2\u05d9\u05df \u05d0\u05d5\u05ea\u05d5 \u05db\u05e2\u05e0\u05d9\u05df \u05d5\u05de\u05e9\u05d4 \u05e2\u05dc\u05d4 \u05d0\u05dc \u05d4\u05d0\u05dc\u05d4\u05d9\u05dd \u05d5\u05d9\u05e7\u05e8\u05d0 \u05d0\u05dc\u05d9\u05d5 \u05d4\u2019 \u05de\u05df \u05d4\u05d4\u05e8: \u05d5\u05d9\u05e7\u05e8\u05d0 \u05d0\u05dc\u05d9\u05d5 \u05d0\u05dc\u05d5\u05e7\u05d9\u05dd, to explain the phenomenon to him, in accordance with the well known principle of \u05d4\u05d1\u05d0 \u05dc\u05d8\u05d4\u05e8 \u05de\u05e1\u05d9\u05d9\u05df \u05d0\u05d5\u05ea\u05d5, \u201cwhen someone wants to purify something impure one extends a helping hand to him \u201c A well known example of this is Exodus 19:3 where we find that as soon as Moses ascended the mountain G\u2019d descended toward him.<\/span><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Sforno comments on <em><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Shemot \/ Exodus 3:4<\/span><\/em> may be interpreted as the process of purification is something the Lord does with a helping hand, helping us because we fall short of the commands.\u00a0 The commands are meant for the separation and hallowing of our lives before the Lord.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><em>Tur HaAroch Shemot \/ Exodus, Chapter 19:10 Part 1<\/em><\/span><\/strong><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><em> \u05d5\u05e7\u05d3\u05e9\u05ea\u05dd, \u201cyou will sanctify, etc.\u201d according to Rashi the word here means: \u201cyou will make preparations.\u201d According to Ibn Ezra the meaning is that the people are to wash themselves with water. According to Nachmanides the meaning is that the men should refrain from sexual intercourse with their wives, and should also refrain from contact with anything else that confers ritual impurity upon them. Any person who makes a point of refraining from contact with ritual impurity is described as \u201choly.\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Tur HaAroch writes quoting Rashi, the meaning of <em><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">\u201csanctify\u201d<\/span><\/em> is to make preparations, quoting Ibn Ezra the meaning is to wash, and quoting Nachmanides, the meaning is to refrain from sexual intercourse or anything else that may cause ritual impurity.\u00a0 Sex with one\u2019s wife does not imply ritual impurity, but that which comes from within, the lusts of the heart does.\u00a0 Nachmanides comments are significant because this kind of impurity is not something that is seen by others.\u00a0 The idea of refraining from contact, may also be a reference to Niddah, but it is not stated explicitly according to in Part 1 of the commentary.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><em><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Rashbam on Shemot \/ Exodus 19:10<\/span><\/em><\/strong><br \/>\n<em><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"> \u05d5\u05e7\u05d3\u05e9\u05ea\u05dd, a way of saying \u201cprepare them.\u201d You have the same word in the sense of preparing for an event which did not require ritual purity as prerequisite in Numbers 11:18 before the people would receive meat.<\/span><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Rashbam states the preparation did not require ritual purity as a prerequisite before people eating meat (<em><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Bamidbar \/ Numbers 11:18 \u2018Say to the people, \u2018Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat; for you have wept in the ears of the Lord, saying, \u2018Oh that someone would give us meat to eat! For we were well-off in Egypt.\u2019 Therefore the Lord will give you meat and you shall eat. NASB<\/span><\/em>)\u00a0 This blessing the Lord brought in their midst (manna and meat) was done so according to the mercy of God.<\/p>\n<p>Taking these commentaries into consideration, the idea here is that there were no specific commands (mitzvot) that were given for the people to see the Lord descend, as indicated by the variation on the interpretations according to the rabbis.\u00a0 The absence of a \u201cspecific\u201d command alludes to the difficulty of following the command to achieve justification before God, as opposed to the importance of focusing upon the Lord, upon Yeshua, and the mitzvot that follows as a result of our faith, love, and hope in the Lord.\u00a0 The covenant relationship begins and depends upon faith, and the preparation of our hearts before God.\u00a0 This seemed to be the idea behind the Lord having Moshe consecrate the people three days prior to His descending on the mountain without giving them a specific command except to wash their cloths and to remain pure from sexual relations prior to the meeting.\u00a0 These two things have deep meanings from the Torah context as it is related to righteousness, holiness, justice, and truth.<\/p>\n<p>In <em><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Tehillim \/ Psalm 111:5-6<\/span><\/em>, David says the covenant of God brings His blessing in the form of, \u05d4\u00a0\u00a0 \u05d8\u05b6\u05e8\u05b6\u05e3 \u05e0\u05b8\u05ea\u05b7\u05df \u05dc\u05b4\u05d9\u05e8\u05b5\u05d0\u05b8\u05d9\u05d5 \u05d9\u05b4\u05d6\u05b0\u05db\u05bc\u05b9\u05e8 \u05dc\u05b0\u05e2\u05d5\u05b9\u05dc\u05b8\u05dd \u05d1\u05bc\u05b0\u05e8\u05b4\u05d9\u05ea\u05d5\u05b9: \u05d5\u00a0\u00a0 \u05db\u05bc\u05b9\u05d7\u05b7 \u05de\u05b7\u05e2\u05b2\u05e9\u05b8\u05b9\u05d9\u05d5 \u05d4\u05b4\u05d2\u05bc\u05b4\u05d9\u05d3 \u05dc\u05b0\u05e2\u05b7\u05de\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9 \u05dc\u05b8\u05ea\u05b5\u05ea \u05dc\u05b8\u05d4\u05b6\u05dd \u05e0\u05b7\u05d7\u05b2\u05dc\u05b7\u05ea \u05d2\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05d9\u05b4\u05dd:\u00a0\u00a0 <em><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">111:5 He has given food to those who fear Him; He will remember His covenant forever. 111:6 He has made known to His people the power of His works, In giving them the heritage of the nations. (NASB)<\/span><\/em>\u00a0 The food on our tables, the cloths on our back, the roof over our heads, these are given as a blessing from God.\u00a0 If you have these things, know for certain the Lord \u201chas\u201d blessed you greatly.\u00a0 Note how the Lord brought the manna and the meat as a result of His mercy according to the covenant blessings, and not as a result of the people having properly prepared themselves.\u00a0 The people were very unclean in the inner recesses of the heart.\u00a0 These things remind us of the Torah context of God\u2019s blessing according to Parashat Ekev, <em><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Devarim \/ Deuteronomy 8:1-20<\/span><\/em>.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><em>Devarim \/ Deuteronomy 8:1-20<\/em><\/span><\/strong><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><em> 8:1 \u2018All the commandments that I am commanding you today you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the Lord swore to give to your forefathers. 8:2 \u2018You shall remember all the way which the Lord your God has led you in the wilderness these forty years, that He might humble you, testing you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. 8:3 \u2018He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord. 8:4 \u2018Your clothing did not wear out on you, nor did your foot swell these forty years. 8:5 \u2018Thus you are to know in your heart that the Lord your God was disciplining you just as a man disciplines his son. 8:6 \u2018Therefore, you shall keep the commandments of the Lord your God, to walk in His ways and to fear Him. 8:7 \u2018For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, flowing forth in valleys and hills; 8:8 a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey; 8:9 a land where you will eat food without scarcity, in which you will not lack anything; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills you can dig copper. 8:10 \u2018When you have eaten and are satisfied, you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land which He has given you. 8:11 \u2018Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments and His ordinances and His statutes which I am commanding you today; 8:12 otherwise, when you have eaten and are satisfied, and have built good houses and lived in them, 8:13 and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and gold multiply, and all that you have multiplies, 8:14 then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 8:15 \u2018He led you through the great and terrible wilderness, with its fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty ground where there was no water; He brought water for you out of the rock of flint. 8:16 \u2018In the wilderness He fed you manna which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do good for you in the end. 8:17 \u2018Otherwise, you may say in your heart, \u2018My power and the strength of my hand made me this wealth.\u2019 8:18 \u2018But you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who is giving you power to make wealth, that He may confirm His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day. 8:19 \u2018It shall come about if you ever forget the Lord your God and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, I testify against you today that you will surely perish. 8:20 \u2018Like the nations that the Lord makes to perish before you, so you shall perish; because you would not listen to the voice of the Lord your God. (NASB)<\/em><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Based upon the Torah, taking possession of what the Lord has for us is dependent upon our obeying His commands.\u00a0 Our physical needs are designed to lead us to seek the Lord God of Israel.\u00a0 Moshe writes concerning the food and clothing relating this to knowing the Lord disciplines His children, saying, <em><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">8:6 \u2018Therefore, you shall keep the commandments of the Lord your God, to walk in His ways and to fear Him. (NASB)<\/span><\/em>.\u00a0 He also gives a warning to not forget the Lord to be disobedient when the blessing does come.\u00a0 The key verse is <em><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">8:18 \u2018But you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who is giving you power to make wealth, that He may confirm His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day. (NASB)<\/span><\/em>\u00a0 The Lord provides us with what we need, and this perspective should not be forgotten.\u00a0 Forgetting and becoming lazy to continue in sin in unrepentance, leads to serving and worshiping the sinful way, just as Moshe writes, <em><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">8:19 \u2018It shall come about if you ever forget the Lord your God and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, I testify against you today that you will surely perish. 8:20 \u2018Like the nations that the Lord makes to perish before you, so you shall perish; because you would not listen to the voice of the Lord your God. (NASB)<\/span><\/em>\u00a0 The sin itself may become a god to you in the sense of giving one\u2019s life wholly to the sin and forgetting about what the Lord wants for us, which is freedom from sin and to walk in His ways.\u00a0 In context to what Moshe is writing in Parashat Ekev, this reminds us of the relationship of faith to the manner in which we serve the Lord as Paul wrote in <em><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Romans 3:30-4:22<\/span><\/em>.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><em>Romans 3:30-4:22<\/em><\/span><\/strong><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><em> 3:30 since indeed God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith is one. 3:31 Do we then nullify the Law through faith? May it never be! On the contrary, we establish the Law. 4:1 What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has found? 4:2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 4:3 For what does the Scripture say? \u2018Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.\u2019 4:4 Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due. 4:5 But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness, 4:6 just as David also speaks of the blessing on the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works: 4:7 \u2018Blessed are those whose lawless deeds have been forgiven, And whose sins have been covered. 4:8 \u2018Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will not take into account.\u2019 4:9 Is this blessing then on the circumcised, or on the uncircumcised also? For we say, \u2018Faith was credited to Abraham as righteousness.\u2019 4:10 How then was it credited? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised; 4:11 and he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while uncircumcised, so that he might be the father of all who believe without being circumcised, that righteousness might be credited to them, 4:12 and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also follow in the steps of the faith of our father Abraham which he had while uncircumcised. 4:13 For the promise to Abraham or to his descendants that he would be heir of the world was not through the Law, but through the righteousness of faith. 4:14 For if those who are of the Law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise is nullified; 4:15 for the Law brings about wrath, but where there is no law, there also is no violation. 4:16 For this reason it is by faith, in order that it may be in accordance with grace, so that the promise will be guaranteed to all the descendants, not only to those who are of the Law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, 4:17 (as it is written, \u2018A father of many nations have I made you\u2019) in the presence of Him whom he believed, even God, who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist. 4:18 In hope against hope he believed, so that he might become a father of many nations according to that which had been spoken, \u2018So shall your descendants be.\u2019 4:19 Without becoming weak in faith he contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah\u2019s womb; 4:20 yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, 4:21 and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform. 4:22 Therefore it was also credited to him as righteousness. (NASB)<\/em><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>While reading Romans, due to the church theologies that we have been taught over the centuries, it is difficult to understand how Paul\u2019s words are not in stark contradiction to the Torah.\u00a0 Paul writes of the ones to whom the Law was given and says, <em><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">3:30 since indeed God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith is one. (NASB)<\/span><\/em>\u00a0 Note how he is writing, he speaks of the circumcision, God justifies <em><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">\u201cby faith\u201d<\/span><\/em> whereas for the uncircumcision God justifies <em><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">\u201cthrough faith.\u201d<\/span><\/em>\u00a0 What does it mean to be justified \u201cby faith\u201d as opposed to being justified \u201cthrough faith?\u201d\u00a0 He writes this way in the sense that we establish God\u2019s Law (<em><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">3:31<\/span><\/em>) by the way that we live our lives.\u00a0 Notice how he is speaking of justification before God and of the commands of God.\u00a0 The Lord saves those who were not given the Law (the gentiles) in the same way that He saves those who were given the Law (Israel).\u00a0 The idea is that those who were given the promises to be heirs of the world, was not accomplished through the Law but through the righteousness of faith.\u00a0 He says the Law brings wrath, and for those who have faith, who repent, and turn from their sins seeking the Lord God of Israel, they will receive mercy.\u00a0 Paul\u2019s entire argument is related to the non-Jewish person (gentiles) entering into the covenant relationship with God through faith, and beginning to live their lives by their new found faith, where the proof text is from Parashat Lech Lecha, in the promise the Lord had given Abraham, his body being dead (his and Sarah\u2019s bodies being old).\u00a0 It was not by the works of the flesh which caused their son to be born, but by a miracle and the power of God.\u00a0 His faith was credited as righteousness, meaning that he kept the commands of God because of his faith and love for God.<\/p>\n<p>Now when thinking on all of these things, I have been told the following, <em><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">\u201cThought should be given as to why non-Jews are so eager to observe a law never intended for them.\u201d<\/span><\/em>\u00a0 This is an interesting and deeply theological statement.\u00a0 The idea that the Law was only given to Israel, and that Israel are the only ones who are responsible to keep the commandments is deeply rooted in the minds of Christians today.\u00a0 As we have studied in the past, this is not the perspective of the rabbis.\u00a0 The rabbis believed the Torah was offered to all of mankind on the mountain of Sinai.\u00a0 The point of the Torah, as Paul wrote, is <em><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">4:15 for the Law brings about wrath, but where there is no law, there also is no violation. (NASB)<\/span><\/em>\u00a0 He is not advocating that the Torah is done away with in the Messiah.\u00a0 He is speaking of the weakness of the body to keep the commands (see <em><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Romans 7:23-26<\/span><\/em>), just as his example of Abraham and Sarah demonstrate (<em><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">4:19<\/span> <\/em>Without becoming weak in faith he contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah\u2019s womb).\u00a0 The weakness of the body leads to death when keeping the commands for the purpose of justification before God.\u00a0 The reason being, we always fall short and are weak, which is why Paul is emphasizing faith and righteousness.\u00a0 The whole point Paul is trying to make is in relation to the gentiles receiving the promises of God and how that is achieved in the Messiah Yeshua.\u00a0 We are not to remain unfaithful due to our sins.\u00a0 We are to be built up in our faith to get back up and try again, to turn from our sins (Teshuvah \/ Repentance), and to seek the mercy of God.\u00a0 The Apostolic Writings speak of the Lord sending His Messiah Yeshua for that specific purpose, to believe by faith in the mercy of God.\u00a0 Therefore, Yeshua is the end goal of the Torah, because He is related to our Teshuvah \/ Repentance and turning from sin.\u00a0 He is the bedrock of our faith.\u00a0 If we continue to study the book of Romans, Paul writes in <em><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Romans 11<\/span><\/em>, clearly stating that non-Jews are grafted into the covenant, the olive tree, and the remnant of Israel by their conversion from paganism to faith in the God of Israel.\u00a0 Therefore, part of being Yeshua\u2019s disciple is walking in God\u2019s ways (following the Torah that God gave to Israel) and recognizing that the Torah does not save and never could.\u00a0 Thought should be given as to why Christians always miss this point over and over again.\u00a0 The reason being are the theologies that have been, are, and continue to be taught in churches today without a Torah centric understanding of First Century life.<\/p>\n<p>Many contemporary Christians today feel disconnected when considering the vibrant ministries of the prophets and apostles as described in the Tanach and the Apostolic Writings.\u00a0 The Tanach describes the Lord God taking the people of Israel through miraculous event after miraculous event.\u00a0 The important thing to note is these events occurred over the span of 1400 years until the time when Yeshua come upon the earth in the Apostolic Writings.\u00a0 So the work of God in our lives takes patience that is coupled to diligently seek of the Kingdom of God.\u00a0 Those who watched the ministry of Yeshua were seized with amazement at the miracles he performed (<em><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Luke 5:25<\/span><\/em>), and the apostles in the early church regularly performed signs and wonders among the people (<em><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Acts 5:12<\/span><\/em>).\u00a0 Today however, these miraculous events seem rare, at the very least, the feeling one gets is that there is something different about the way the Lord God worked in the Tanach and New Testament periods as compared to the way He works today.\u00a0 This has lead to many theologies (i.e. Dispensationalism) This raises a valid question: \u201cWhy don\u2019t we experience the miracles today like we read about in the Bible?\u201d\u00a0 The reason is due to the theologies that are being taught that do not lead one to seek the kingdom of God in the sense of taking upon the testimonies of God according to the commands.\u00a0 The point of the commands of God is to bring things out into the light, the inner rebelliousness to the Word of the Lord, the unwillingness to seek Him in His ways, and to be set free from bondage and the darkness that we have gotten ourselves into.\u00a0 You see, the Torah command brings to light all of the wretchedness of our lives.\u00a0 The commands lead us not only to seek the Lord God our Father in heaven, but also to seek Yeshua His Messiah.\u00a0 This is why Paul wrote what he did in Romans (<em><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">4:15<\/span><\/em>) that the Law brings death, and that we are the children of the light and life, and we are to seek the God of all creation.\u00a0 The commands reveal the secret and hidden intentions of our hearts.\u00a0 This is what the author of the book of Hebrews meant in Hebrews chapter 4.\u00a0 Hidden shame due to horrific sins that one has committed in secret or in public, the Lord never intended us to live in the shame of sin.\u00a0 This is the message of Yeshua, to deliver us from sin, and to empower us to overcome sin to live in God\u2019s ways of righteousness, holiness, justice, and truth.\u00a0 Shame is crippling, and we are not called to live in shame, He wants to set us free.\u00a0 If you are living in a secret sin and feel shameful about it, talk to the Lord about it, and then maybe someone else in your life that you trust.\u00a0 I am not saying that one needs to post their current or past struggles for all to see shouting from the rooftops, but that we need to examine our hearts.\u00a0 It is these things that hold back the power of God in our lives, and is the reason we do not see the Lord working the kinds of miracles that He did in the past.\u00a0 This should be our focus, and this speaks against the theologies which has crippled the church from since its inception following the death of the disciples.<\/p>\n<p>This is why Parashat Yitro is so important for us this week, \u05d9\u00a0\u00a0 \u05d5\u05b7\u05d9\u05bc\u05b9\u05d0\u05de\u05b6\u05e8 \u05d9\u05b0\u05d4\u05d5\u05b9\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d0\u05b6\u05dc-\u05de\u05b9\u05e9\u05c1\u05b6\u05d4 \u05dc\u05b5\u05da\u05b0 \u05d0\u05b6\u05dc-\u05d4\u05b8\u05e2\u05b8\u05dd \u05d5\u05b0\u05e7\u05b4\u05d3\u05bc\u05b7\u05e9\u05c1\u05b0\u05ea\u05bc\u05b8\u05dd \u05d4\u05b7\u05d9\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05dd \u05d5\u05bc\u05de\u05b8\u05d7\u05b8\u05e8 \u05d5\u05b0\u05db\u05b4\u05d1\u05bc\u05b0\u05e1\u05d5\u05bc \u05e9\u05b4\u05b9\u05de\u05b0\u05dc\u05b9\u05ea\u05b8\u05dd: \u05d9\u05d0\u00a0\u00a0 \u05d5\u05b0\u05d4\u05b8\u05d9\u05d5\u05bc \u05e0\u05b0\u05db\u05b9\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd \u05dc\u05b7\u05d9\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05dd \u05d4\u05b7\u05e9\u05bc\u05c1\u05b0\u05dc\u05b4\u05d9\u05e9\u05c1\u05b4\u05d9 \u05db\u05bc\u05b4\u05d9 | \u05d1\u05bc\u05b7\u05d9\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05dd \u05d4\u05b7\u05e9\u05bc\u05c1\u05b0\u05dc\u05b4\u05e9\u05c1\u05b4\u05d9 \u05d9\u05b5\u05e8\u05b5\u05d3 \u05d9\u05b0\u05d4\u05d5\u05b9\u05b8\u05d4 \u05dc\u05b0\u05e2\u05b5\u05d9\u05e0\u05b5\u05d9 \u05db\u05b8\u05dc-\u05d4\u05b8\u05e2\u05b8\u05dd \u05e2\u05b7\u05dc-\u05d4\u05b7\u05e8 \u05e1\u05b4\u05d9\u05e0\u05b8\u05d9: <em><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">19:10 The Lord also said to Moses, \u2018Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments; 19:11 and let them be ready for the third day, for on the third day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. (NASB)<\/span><\/em>\u00a0 If we are to meet with the Lord, we need to consecrate ourselves in preparation for such an event.\u00a0 If we are a people in whom the spirit of God dwells, how significant do you think these things are for us today in the midst of an increasingly wicked generation?\u00a0 As God\u2019s children, we are called to hallow our lives for His glory.\u00a0 This purity the Lord is looking for, is to have a type of purity that is through and through.\u00a0 Something that permeates our entire being, mind, body, and soul.\u00a0 This is who we are called to be, and the kind of people we are to look like, a people within whom the Lord God dwells.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.matsati.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/BTT_Parashat-Yitro-2017.pdf\">BTT_Parashat-Yitro-2017<\/a>  <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[youtube url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Z7Vz-IZLKqw&amp;feature=youtu.be&#8221;] In Parashat Yitro, the Lord descended in the cloud, and we are told, \u05d9\u00a0\u00a0 \u05d5\u05b7\u05d9\u05bc\u05b9\u05d0\u05de\u05b6\u05e8 \u05d9\u05b0\u05d4\u05d5\u05b9\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d0\u05b6\u05dc-\u05de\u05b9\u05e9\u05c1\u05b6\u05d4 \u05dc\u05b5\u05da\u05b0 \u05d0\u05b6\u05dc-\u05d4\u05b8\u05e2\u05b8\u05dd \u05d5\u05b0\u05e7\u05b4\u05d3\u05bc\u05b7\u05e9\u05c1\u05b0\u05ea\u05bc\u05b8\u05dd \u05d4\u05b7\u05d9\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05dd \u05d5\u05bc\u05de\u05b8\u05d7\u05b8\u05e8 \u05d5\u05b0\u05db\u05b4\u05d1\u05bc\u05b0\u05e1\u05d5\u05bc \u05e9\u05b4\u05b9\u05de\u05b0\u05dc\u05b9\u05ea\u05b8\u05dd: \u05d9\u05d0\u00a0\u00a0 \u05d5\u05b0\u05d4\u05b8\u05d9\u05d5\u05bc \u05e0\u05b0\u05db\u05b9\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd \u05dc\u05b7\u05d9\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05dd \u05d4\u05b7\u05e9\u05bc\u05c1\u05b0\u05dc\u05b4\u05d9\u05e9\u05c1\u05b4\u05d9 \u05db\u05bc\u05b4\u05d9 | \u05d1\u05bc\u05b7\u05d9\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05dd \u05d4\u05b7\u05e9\u05bc\u05c1\u05b0\u05dc\u05b4\u05e9\u05c1\u05b4\u05d9 \u05d9\u05b5\u05e8\u05b5\u05d3 \u05d9\u05b0\u05d4\u05d5\u05b9\u05b8\u05d4 \u05dc\u05b0\u05e2\u05b5\u05d9\u05e0\u05b5\u05d9 \u05db\u05b8\u05dc-\u05d4\u05b8\u05e2\u05b8\u05dd \u05e2\u05b7\u05dc-\u05d4\u05b7\u05e8 \u05e1\u05b4\u05d9\u05e0\u05b8\u05d9: 19:10 The Lord also said to Moses, \u2018Go to the people and consecrate them [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6314,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-6310","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-bits-of-torah-truth"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.matsati.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6310","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.matsati.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.matsati.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.matsati.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.matsati.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6310"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.matsati.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6310\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.matsati.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6314"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.matsati.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6310"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.matsati.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6310"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.matsati.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6310"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}