SERIES O --- RETURN TO THE LAND --- LESSON 23

JOB RESTORED

JOB’S VICTORY

From Job 2:1-13; 42:10-17

Once again, the sons of YHVH came to present themselves before Adonai. And again, Satan came with them to present himself. [Where have you been?] Adonai asked Satan. [Roaming about the earth,] Satan answered. [Have you noticed My servant, Job?] Adonai asked him. [There is not another man like him on earth, a good man without fault, who honours YHVH and turns away from evil. He is still faithful to Me, in spite of all that you caused Me to do against him.] [Skin for skin,] Satan answered. [A man will give up everything he has to save his life. Cause Job to be sick, and he will curse You.] [You may cause him to be sick,] said Adonai. [But you must not let him die.] Satan left Adonai’s presence and struck Job with a severe case of boils from the bottom of his feet to the top of his head. Job sat on a heap of ashes and scraped his sores with a broken piece of pottery. [Why are you still faithful to YHVH?] his wife demanded. [Curse Him so that you can die.] [You talk like a foolish woman,] Job answered. [How dare we accept good from YHVH but refuse trouble when He sends it?] Job would not sin against Adonai. Three of Job’s friends came to see him. They had heard of his troubles, so each came from his own home to sympathize with Job and comfort him. But when they saw Job from a distance, they did not recognize him because of all the boils. When they realized that it was Job, they tore their clothes and sprinkled dust on their heads. Then they sat with him for seven days and seven nights without saying a word, for they knew how much he was suffering. [Job and his friends discussed his sickness and trouble with many speeches to one another. Job’s friends accused him of great sin and said YHVH was punishing him. But Job insisted that YHVH would judge him innocent. In his misery Job wished he could die. Elihu, another friend, appeared later and added his thoughts. Then YHVH spoke, rebuked Job’s friends and forgave Job of his sins. Job was finally restored to riches and power. Adonai gave Job health and wealth again after Job prayed for his friends. In fact, Adonai gave Job twice as much as he had before. His brothers and sisters and friends came to eat with him in his house, sympathizing with him for all the troubles he had suffered. Each of them gave him a piece of money and a golden ring. Job had much more now than ever before; fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand female donkeys. He had seven more sons and three more daughters. The first was named Jemimah, the second Keziah, and the third Keren-happuch. In all the land no women were more beautiful than Job’s daughters. Job gave them an equal inheritance with their brothers. Job lived a hundred and forty years after his testing; he lived to see his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. When he died at last, he was an old man who had enjoyed a rich and full life.

COMMENTARY

THE MEASURE OF A MAN’S WEALTH

Wealth largely depended on property in ancient societies. The word [property] here can mean both land and the number of things or objects owned. A rich man’s house was larger than a poorer man. Inlays of ivory and ebony graced furniture made of rare woods. Many-colored rugs of complex design cushioned the floors. Costly perfumes and spices scented the air. Slaves -- as many as possible -- were kept busy. A wealthy man travelled by chariot drawn by a horse or a mule. At the marketplace, his livestock commanded high prices. The harvests of his fields -- grain, wine and honey -- brought a good return. His clothes were made of white wool and embroidered linen, and they were extremely expensive and highly prized. The wealthy man wore jewellery, rings, bracelets, necklaces and armbands. Precious metals set in ornaments and vessels adorned his home; he kept his own stores of tools and weapons. Gold was used mostly in jewellery and ornamentation. Silver was the primary metal used as currency, but all metals -- precisely weighed -- were used in barter and as a form of currency. Gold, copper and silver circulated in the form of bars, wedges, tongues, metal dust and rings.

#bamidbar, the Hebrew name for the book of Numbers means "in the wilderness". The book isn't about counting, but about living in the wilderness, a metaphor for long transitions, the "times between times", growing up, and developing a relationship with YHVH.

https://davidwilber.com/

Blessings to everyone! I hope you are off to a great start to the week this morning! May Yah's abundant shalom be upon you.

Happy Mother's Day!

Chesed of Yesod

Bonding is the ultimate emotional connection. While the first five qualities (love, discipline, compassion, endurance and humility) are interactive, they manifest duality: the lover and the beloved. The emphasis is on an individual's feelings, not necessarily on mutuality.

Bonding, on the other hand, is a complete fusion of the two. Without bonding no feeling can be truly realized. Bonding means connecting; not only feeling for another, but being attached to him. Not just a token commitment, but total devotion. It creates a channel between giver and receiver. Bonding is eternal. It develops an everlasting union that lives on forever through the perpetual fruit it bears. Bonding is the foundation of life. The emotional spine of the human psyche. Every person needs bonding to flourish and grow. The bonding between mother and child; between husband and wife; between brothers and sisters; between close friends. Bonding is affirmation; it gives one the sense of belonging; that "I matter", "I am significant and important". It establishes trust - trust in yourself and trust in others. It instills confidence. Without bonding and nurturing we cannot realize and be ourse lves.

Bonding channels all five previous qualities into a constructive bond, giving it the meaning "foundation". Whereas all other human feelings are individual emotions, separate stories of a building, each a necessary component of human experience, bonding channels and integrates them all into one bond which creates a foundation upon which the structure of human emotions firmly stands. Bonding is giving all of yourself not just part; it is not one emotion but all of them. So Yesod completes the spectrum of the first six emotions.

The foundation of Yesod is different from an ordinary foundation. It does not just rest beneath the higher levels of the structure, but encompasses them all. An effective bedrock of the emotional psyche cannot remain separate but must include and permeate all the emotions. Only then can bonding be constructive and everlasting.

Day One of Week 6: Chesed of Yesod

Love is the heart of bonding. You cannot bond without love. Love establishes a reliable base which allows bonding to build on. If you have a problem bonding, examine how much you love the one (or the object) you wish to bond with. Do I try to bond without first fostering a loving attitude? Is my bonding expressed in a loving manner?

Exercise for the day: Demonstrate the bond you have with your child or friend through an act of love.

Matthew 23:13, “How terrible for you, teachers of the law and Pharisees! You are hypocrites! You close the door for people to enter the kingdom of heaven. You yourselves don’t enter, and you stop others who are trying to enter.” Yeshua/Jesus would have been speaking to the Pharisees in Hebrew. He quite literally called the Pharisees godless.

Here's a list of New Testament passages I recommend studying alongside #torah portion #bamidbar ("In the wilderness" #numbers 1:1-4:20), along with links to related commentary... https://www.americantorah.com/....2022/04/12/parsha-ba