Blessing for the Torah:
Bar’chu et YHVH ha-m’vorach, Baruch YHVH
ha-m’vorach l’O’lam va-ed! Baruch ata YHVH
Eloheinu melech ha-olam asher bachar banu
m’kol ha-amim, v’na-tan lanu eht Torah-to.
Baruch atah YHVH, noteyn ha-Torah. Ameyn.”
(Bless YHVH the blessed One; Blessed is YHVH,
the blessed One for all eternity. Blessed are you, YHVH, our Elohim, King of
the Universe, you have selected us from among all the peoples,and have given us
your Torah. Blessed are you, YHVH, giver of the Torah. Ameyn.)
“the actions of the fathers
are a sign to the children” (Sotah 34a)History is His Story recounted for our
benefit.
Isa 8:20 To the Torah and to the witness! If
they do not speak according to this Word, it is because they have no daybreak.a
Footnote: aOr light.
The sages believe the
words of this parashah were spoken on the last day of Moshe’s life.
Parashat
Nitzavim.
Deu 29:10
“All of you are standing(nitzavim – (niphal participle) today before יהוה your Elohim: your leaders, your tribes, your elders and your
officers, all the men of Yisra’ĕl,
ט אַתֶּם נִצָּבִים הַיּוֹם
כֻּלְּכֶם, לִפְנֵי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם: רָאשֵׁיכֶם שִׁבְטֵיכֶם,
זִקְנֵיכֶם וְשֹׁטְרֵיכֶם, כֹּל, אִישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל.
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9
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nâtsab BDB
Definition: 1)
to stand, take one’s stand, stand upright, be set (over), establish 1a)
(Niphal) 1a1) to station oneself, take one’s stand
Ps
119:89- לְעוֹלָם יְהוָה-- דְּבָרְךָ, נִצָּב בַּשָּׁמָיִם.-
Psa 119:89 Forever, O יהוה, Your word
stands firm in the heavens.
These are standing “today” in Hebrew “ha yom” which means
a specific day. It is not just by chance that parashat Netzavim is always read
on the shabbat a week before Yom Teruah (Rosh ha shannah for the Jews).
We know that Yom Teruah points to the time when Yahshua
will meet His bride to be, just before the great marriage supper of the Lamb.
This is a time when the righteous dead will be raised.
They will stand before Yahshua (Netzavim) together with those who were caught
up in the air to meet the Messiah. The same image we see when a young Hebrew
couple are lifted into the air on their wedding day by the guests.
Today this is a word to those
who feel too weak to carry on – He says “Netzavim” you can stand because I will
help you stand and stay standing. In fact we will not only stand but we will
move forward. (the title and theme of our next parasha – “Vayelech” to
go, walk, come) We will stand and then proceed to move to a higher level
towards becoming one with the very essence of YHVH.
Once again this Torah portion gives us
critical eschatological insight concerning those who will stand and those who
will fall before the Messiah of YHVH in the end days.
Deu 29:11 your
little ones, your wives, and your sojourner who is in the midst of your camp,
from the one who cuts your wood to the one who draws your water,
Deu 29:12 so that
you should enter into covenant with יהוה your Elohim,
and into His oath, which יהוה your Elohim
makes with you today,
Deu 29:13 in order
to establish you today as a people for Himself, and He Himself be your Elohim,
as He has spoken to you, and as He has sworn to your fathers, to Aḇraham,
to Yitsḥaq, and to Yaʽaqoḇ.
Deu 29:14 “And not
with you alone I am making this covenant and this oath,
Deu 29:15 but with
him who stands here with us today before יהוה our Elohim, as
well as with him who is not here with us today.
Deu 29:16 “For you
know how we dwelt in the land of Mitsrayim and how we passed through the
nations which you passed through,
Deu 29:17 and you
saw their abominations and their idols, wood and stone, silver and gold, which
were with them,
Deu 29:18 lest
there should be among you a man or woman or clan or tribe, whose heart turns
away today from יהוה our Elohim, to
go and serve the mighty ones of these nations, lest there should be among you a
root bearing bitterness or wormwood.
Testing can make you better or bitter.
Wormwood,
Artemisia absinthium, has been used for centuries as a moth repellent, general
pesticide and as a tea/spray to repel slugs and snails. Before its toxicity was
known it was used as the name implies: a worming medicine for people and
animals.
You may have
heard of the alcoholic drink "absinthe" a green coloured beverage
that is illegal in some countries. Absinthe has a history in Eastern Europe and
France; it was used as a stimulant mainly by artists, for example painter
Vincent van Gogh. The story goes that he was imbibing of absinthe when he
lopped off his ear.
History - The name of this plant occurs in many old
writings; Egyptian, Roman and Christian. It's sometimes called a poison,
sometimes a medicinal herb of value. Its Latin name, Artemisa absinthium, tells
us that it was named after the goddess Artemis, who was the goddess of the hunt
in Greek mythology.
The
intensely bitter, tonic and stimulant qualities have caused wormwood not only
to be an ingredient in traditional medicinal preparations, but also to be used
in various liqueurs, of which absinthe is the chief. The basis of absinthe
being absinthol, extracted from wormwood. Wormwood, as employed in making this
liqueur, bears also the name 'Wermuth' - preserver of the mind - from its
medicinal virtues as a nervine and mental restorative. It was about twice the
strength of any other spirit (more than two-thirds alcohol). And the wormwood
in it not only provided part of its green colour and a characteristic bitter
taste, but also thujone, an hallucinogen that is a relative of the active
ingredients in cannabis. No wonder there was being told that it drove people
mad and it was banned in many countries early this century. Inferior absinthe
is generally adulterated with copper, which produces the characteristic green
colour.
Chemistry - The extracted essential oil, ranging from 0.5 to
1% of the fresh weight of the plant material, appears to be strongly influenced
by environmental conditions. Some volatile oil constituents include: thujone,
phellandrene, thujyl alcohol, cadinene, and azulene. The bitter principle in
wormwood comes from absinthin and anabsinthin. Thujone has also been shown to
have a very similiar molecular structure to THC.
Effects - Wormwood is a psychic stimulant. The effect of
wormwood is narcotic, lightly anaesthetic, giving a peaceful and relaxing
feeling. In combination with alcohol or in larger dosages hallucinations might
occur. Wormwood is suitable for making tea, which has a positive effect during
post-flu or post-infectious periods. It also increases the appetite.
Medical use - Wormwood has also been used to improve blood
circulation, as a cardiac stimulant, as a pain reliever for women during
labour, and as an agent against tumours and cancers. Folk remedies call for the
employment of wormwood against colds, rheumatism, fevers, jaundice, diabetes,
and arthritis. Furthermore its a nervine tonic, particularly helpful against
the falling sickness and for flatulence. It is a good remedy for enfeebled
digestion and debility.
Wormwood usage
- A wormwood
tea can be made by adding 1/2 to 1 teaspoon (2.5 to 5 grams) of the herb to 1
cup (250 ml) of boiling water, then steeping for ten to fifteen minutes. Drink
three times a day. You can mix it with peppermint leaves or anise. However
sweet can't be combined with bitter, so don't mix your tea with sugar.
Adverse Reactions - Thujone produces a state of excitement and is a powerful convulsant. Ingestion of wormwood may result in absinthism, a syndrome characterized by digestive disorders, thirst, restlessness, vertigo, trembling of the limbs, numbness of the extremities, loss of intellect, delirium, paralysis, and death.
Adverse Reactions - Thujone produces a state of excitement and is a powerful convulsant. Ingestion of wormwood may result in absinthism, a syndrome characterized by digestive disorders, thirst, restlessness, vertigo, trembling of the limbs, numbness of the extremities, loss of intellect, delirium, paralysis, and death.
http://azarius.net/encyclopedia/19/Wormwood/
The
effects of addiction to wormwood describe the condition of many living in our
days. People have become addicted to lawlessness, the more they are lawless
(Torahless) the more intoxicated they become. Intoxicated people have continual
hangovers accompanied by thirst. To quench the thirst (for more lawlessness)
they consume more of the “drug” and so the vicious circle continues.
Deu 29:19 “And it
shall be, when he hears the words of this curse, that he should bless himself
in his heart, saying, ‘I have peace though I walk in the stubbornness of my
heart,’ in order to add drunkenness to thirst.
He is adding more intoxicating deception to his pitiful
position. THIS IS THE TRAGIC MANIFESTATION OF A RELIGIOUS DELUSIONAL SPIRIT.
Karl Marx – ‘’Christianity is the opiate of the masses’’
The religious ideas of religious men must be one of the
most powerful forms of deceptive intoxication.
The deceptive notion that certain “New Testament”
doctrines and teachings have replaced the instructions of the Torah – causing
one to misrepresent YHVH His Messiah and His Covenant with mankind. This
included “replacement theology” and the demonic deception of “law verses grace”
teaching.
Deu 29:20 “יהוה would not forgive him, but rather, the
displeasure of יהוה and His
jealousy shall burn against that man, and every curse(alah) that is written in
this book shall settle on him, and יהוה shall blot out
his name from under the heavens.
Deu 29:21 “And יהוה shall separate him for evil, out of all
the tribes of Yisra’ĕl, according to all the curses of the covenant that are
written in this Book of the Torah. (curses – ‘’alot’’)
Deu 29:22 “And the
generation to come of your children who rise up after you, and the foreigner
who comes from a far land, shall say when they see the plagues of that land and
the sicknesses which יהוה has sent into
it:
Deu 29:23 ‘All its
land is sulphur, salt, and burning; it is not sown, nor does it bear, nor does
any grass grow there, like the overthrow of Seḏom and
Amorah, Aḏmah and Tseḇoyim,
which יהוה overthrew in His displeasure and His
wrath.’
Deu 29:24 “And all
nations shall say, ‘Why has יהוה done so to
this land? What does the heat of this great displeasure mean?’
Deu 29:25 “And it
shall be said, ‘Because they have forsaken the covenant of יהוה Elohim of their fathers, which He made
with them when He brought them out of the land of Mitsrayim.
Deu 29:26 ‘And
they went and served other mighty ones and bowed themselves to them, mighty
ones that they did not know and that He had not given to them,
Deu 29:27
therefore the displeasure of יהוה burned against
this land, to bring on it every curse that is written in this book.
Deu 29:28 ‘And יהוה uprooted them from their land in
displeasure, and in wrath, and in great rage, and cast them into another land,
as it is today.’ (enlarged ‘’lamed’’ in cast you out ‘’vayishlechem’’)
Deu 29:29 “The
secret matters belong to יהוה our Elohim,
but what is revealed belongs to us and to our children forever, to do all the Words
of this Torah. (11 dots above ‘’lanu ulevaneinu ad ..’’ to us and our
children..)
Deu 30:1 “And it shall be, when all these words come
upon you, the blessing and the curse(kalal) which I have set before you, and
you shall bring them back to your heart among all the gentiles where יהוה your Elohim
drives you,
Deu 30:2 and shall
turn back to יהוה your Elohim
and obey His voice, according to all that I command you today, with all your
heart and with all your being, you and your children,
Deu 30:3 then יהוה your Elohim shall turn back your
captivity, and shall have compassion on you, and He shall turn back and gather
you from all the peoples where יהוה your Elohim
has scattered you.
‘’veshav’’
means "he will come back or return." (This implies that he has already been here.)
Deu 30:4 “If any
of you are driven out to the farthest parts under the heavens, from there יהוה your Elohim does gather you, and from
there He does take you.
Deu 30:5 “And יהוה your Elohim shall bring you to the land
which your fathers possessed, and you shall possess it. And He shall do good to
you, and increase you more than your fathers.
Deu 30:6 “And יהוה your Elohim shall circumcise your heart
and the heart of your seed, to love יהוה your Elohim
with all your heart and with all your being, so that you might live,
the "circumcision of the heart" is the removal of any desire to want to
disobey Torah.
Deu 30:7 and יהוה your Elohim shall put all these curses on
your enemies and on those who hate you, who persecuted you.
Deu 30:8 “And you
shall turn back and obey the voice of יהוה and do all His
commands which I command you today.
Deu 30:9 “And יהוה your Elohim shall make you have excess in
all the work of your hand, in the fruit of your body, and in the fruit of your
livestock, and in the fruit of your ground for good. For יהוה turns back to rejoice over you for good as
He rejoiced over your fathers,
Deu 30:10 if you
obey the voice of יהוה your Elohim,
to guard His commands and His laws which are written in this Book of the Torah,
if you turn back to יהוה your Elohim
with all your heart and with all your being.
Deu 30:11 “For
this command which I am commanding you today, it is not too hard for you, nor
is it far off.
Deu 30:12 “It is
not in the heavens, to say, ‘Who shall ascend into the heavens for us, and
bring it to us, and cause us to hear it, so that we do it?’
Deu 30:13 “Nor is
it beyond the sea, to say, ‘Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it to
us, and cause us to hear it, so that we do it?’
Deu 30:14 “For the
Word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart – to do it.
These very same words are repeated by Shaul – who did not
change their meaning or applicaton – Shaul like Yahshua came to elevate the
true meaning of Torah.
Rom 10:4 For Messiah is the goal1 of the
‘Torah unto righteousness’to everyone who believes. Footnote: 1Or
end purpose; not termination.
Rom 10:5 For Mosheh writes about the righteousness
which is of the Torah, “The man who does these shall live by them.”
Rom 10:6 But the righteousness of belief speaks in
this way, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who shall ascend into the heavens?’ ” –
that is, to bring Messiah down; or,
Rom 10:7 “ ‘Who shall descend into the abyss?’ ” –
that is, to bring Messiah up from the dead.
Rom 10:8 But what does it say? “The word is near you,
in your mouth and in your heart” – that is, the word of belief which we are
proclaiming:
Deu 30:15 “See, I
have set before you today life and good, and death and evil,
Deu 30:16 in that
I am commanding you today to love יהוה your Elohim,
to walk in His ways, and to guard His commands, and His laws, and His
right-rulings. And you shall live and increase, and יהוה your Elohim shall bless you in the land
which you go to possess.
Deu 30:17 “But if
your heart turns away, and you do not obey, and shall be drawn away, and shall
bow down to other mighty ones and serve them,
Deu 30:18 “I have
declared to you today that you shall certainly perish, you shall not prolong
your days in the land which you are passing over the Yardĕn to enter and
possess.
Deu 30:19 “I have
called the heavens and the earth as witnesses today against you: I have set
before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Therefore you shall
choose life, so that you live, both you and your seed,
Deu 30:20 to love יהוה your Elohim, to obey His voice, and to
cling to Him – for He is your life and the length of your days – to dwell in
the land which יהוה swore to your
fathers, to Aḇraham, to Yitsḥaq,
and to Yaʽaqoḇ, to give them.”
Baruch atah YHVH, Eloheynu,
Melech ha-‘Olam, asher natan lanu Toraht-emet, v’chay-yeh o’lam nata-b’tochenu.
Baruch atah YHVH, noteyn ha-Torah. Ameyn.”
(Blessed are you Yahweh, our Elohim, King of the
Universe, you have given us your Torah of truth, and have planted everlasting
life within our midst. Blessed are you, YHVH giver of the Torah – Ameyn