FROM THIS WEEK’S TORAH PORTION – QORACH:

This letter was written to a Torah-observant congregation we visit regularly and teach which has been having some leadership problems. I thought it might be instructive for some of you to read. The names and location have been removed in order to avoid any lashon hara – evil speech about others.

Shalom, Chaverym.

I hope you are well and blessed of YHWH. We enjoyed the service last Shabbath and look forward to seeing you all next month again. When we finally returned home, we had our regular Torah study here with all the brothers and sisters who come over each weekend to celebrate the Sabbath. Afterward, our discussion turned to the community and the service there. We often speak of you and recap how things went to see how we all perceived it, to exchange ideas, and to decide how we might further help you improve. Everyone here heard how much we enjoyed the service and how much more unified many of you are becoming. It is a lovely thing to behold. All gave praise and thanks to YHWH for that.

We also spoke of some of the problems you still have, their causes, and what might be done about them. Those problems seem to revolve around a select few and not everyone, but do end up affecting the entire congregation. I suggested that there is one main perpetrator of dissent and disunity amongst you, and it is he who absolutely must either be reformed or else put out of the congregation. Do you think you might know who that is? I think you will be guessing in your mind right now, but you are probably wrong.

This person has a number of traits which are always the same in any problematic congregation, especially newer and less established ones, and they are always destructive. I have seen the same countless times in congregations I have served over the years. Remember: “What has been is what shall be, what has been done is what shall be done, and there is no new matter under the sun. Is there a matter of which it is said, ‘See, this is new?’ It was here already, long ago.” The traits I speak of are these:

- This person craves leadership and thinks he is the only one truly qualified to lead

- This person thinks others in leadership are usually wrong in what they think or do

- This person finds fault in others but not in himself

- This person demeans others in order to exalt himself, instead of standing on his own merits

- This person seeks to lift himself up, rather than act as a servant of all

- This person often stands apart from others in order to display his displeasure

- This person always brings confrontation and challenges existing leadership publicly

- This person sows dissent, division and discontent, rather than unity and repair

- This person’s main tool or weapon is lashon hara and rechiluth – (evil speech and gossip)

- This person insists upon the precepts of Torah, except when it applies to himself

- This person judges others outside the confines of the Beith Din, but will not submit himself to it’s judgement

- This person challenges the established written authority of YHWH, while saying He is on his side

- This person will leave the congregation if he does not get his own way

- This person enlists others to help his cause, and then will sacrifice them, not caring for their welfare

- This person has a lack of love for and cannot get along with others

- This person will ultimately cause a hurtful showdown that brings harm to everyone in the congregation

Do you think you know who this person is? Do you have any of these faults yourself or follow after anyone who does? Are you being honest with yourself in this assessment?

This person I am writing about is Qorach. He is the quintessential type of the villain who always comes to usurp authority in a congregation of the people of Yisrael. While Amalek is the quintessential villain who attacks from without and is easiest to see, Qorach is the one who attacks from within. Amalek is straightforward in his methods, seeking to blatantly destroy the people of YHWH, while Qorach usually seems reasonable and is harder to recognize because he is one of the people and deceitfully convinces the weak at heart that he seeks only fairness and their welfare. He promises better things to people if they will only join him and follow in his rebellion. Which of them is worst? I do not know, but Qorach is more likely to succeed than Amalek. Amalek can simply be destroyed in open battle, but Qorach, since he is one of the people of Yisrael, must first be offered a chance to repent and reconcile. Amalek is irredeemable, while Qorach can sometimes be reformed. This latter is always harder to do. The spirit of Amalek and the spirit of Qorach are both strong, and they are both dangerous. Neither can be allowed to persist. They must either be destroyed or put out of the congregation if they continually refuse to desist in their actions. In scripture, YHWH provides no other options.

Do you have any of the qualities of Qorach within you? Think about this hard and be honest with yourself. Ask your brothers in faith for counsel to see what they think, and do not wholly trust your own judgement in this matter. If you do have any of these traits, purge them from yourself and ask YHWH to help you do so with the power of His Spirit. Do you truly love your brothers? If so, these things will be of paramount concern to you, and not your pride, position or leadership in the congregation. A true leader is one who is the servant of all, putting others’ interests first always even if it subjugates their own, and who never compromises the commands of YHWH for their own profit. Does this describe you? Do your brothers say so, as well? If so, then maybe you should be one of the leaders of your community. If not, then you must either change or stand down from leadership. All of the most prominent and righteous figures in scripture, like Avraham, Moshe, and Yeshua were humble, loving and selfless leaders of their people, and they are who our own leaders should emulate. If you are not a leader with the traits of Qorach, yet join, follow or listen to any of them, you are complicit in their sins and guilty by association with them.

Please listen, all of you. The fire of rebellion, dissent and lashon hara cannot be fixed by any other means than starving it of fuel. It cannot be smothered with more lashon hara and rechiluth – sin added to sin will not stop it, and two wrongs can never make something right. Someone must be the first to say, ‘No, I will not listen to that,’ put up the hand and refuse to participate in further spreading the fire. Let it be you. Don’t worry about what other people are saying, but stand tall as a real man does in his righteousness and let YHWH deal with them and these problems. He can and He will.

“See how a little fire kindles a great forest! And the tongue is a fire, the world of unrighteousness. Among our members the tongue is set, the one defiling the entire body, and setting on fire the wheel of life, and it is set on fire by Gĕhinnom.”

“Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by his excellent behavior his works in meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast against and lie against the Truth. This is not the wisdom coming down from above, but it is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and self-seeking are, there is confusion and every foul deed. But the wisdom from above is first clean, then peaceable, gentle, ready to obey, filled with compassion and excellent fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.”

This week’s parasha is Qorach – קרח

Torah reading: B’midbar (Numbers) 16:1-18:32

Haftarah reading: Shemu’el Alef (1 Samuel) 11:14-12:22

Ketuvym Hatalmidym reading: Ivrym (Hebrews) 10:26-30

Vayishlach Moshe liq’ro l’dathan v’la’aviram, b’ney Eliyav vayimru, lo na’aleh ~ “And Moshe sent to call for Dathan and for Aviram, the sons of Eliyav, and they said, ‘we will not come up.’”

The sins of Qorach and his followers were manifold. They spoke evil of Moshe and Aharon, the servants of YHWH. They conspired and led others astray, seeking to subvert the people of YHWH, and remake things according to their own desires and ideas. Their most grievous sin, though, was open and public rebellion against YHWH.

The essential sin is to say, ‘No,’ to the Most High, and to attempt usurping His place. To hear His voice or read His Word, then deliberately and publicly refuse to do what He tells you to do, is open rebellion. No amount of singing and praise, or of praying “in Yeshua’s’ name” will save a person who deliberately refuses to turn back to YHWH and say, ‘Yes,’ to Him. This doesn’t mean that every commandment must be kept perfectly in order to attain salvation. On the contrary, He expects us to try and fail sometimes, then love Him enough to get up and try again. But we cannot say, “No,” to Him, “We will not come up.” If we do, all of our other words are proved false, and our sins will separate us from Him.

In the book of Ivrym (Hebrews), it says,

“For if we sin deliberately after we have received the knowledge of the Truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for our sins, but some fearsome anticipation of judgment, and a fierce fire which is about to consume the enemies.”

This was the lot of Qorach and his followers. They heard and saw the Truth, with their own ears and eyes, then willfully rebelled against it and against their kindred; that is, against YHWH Himself and his chosen representatives.

When you hear the voice of YHWH and read His words, brethren, don’t be like Qorach and his followers, but instead say, “Yes, we will come up,” – and may the Light and Salvation of Messiah shine upon you.

B’shalom, Ovadyah

I find it no coincidence that these thoughts and musings happen to come in the week that we study parshath Qorach. YHWH moves in mysterious and amazing ways. Please, read this letter as one of your lessons at this week’s Sabbath service for the benefit and consideration of all. It is a subject and a teaching we all need to learn and be watchful over. Give the brothers there our love in Messiah and let them know we look forward to seeing every one of them again soon.

Nehemiah 8:1 All the people gathered themselves together as one man into the wide place that was in front of the water gate; and they spoke to Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which Yahweh had commanded to Israel.

Nehemiah 8:8 They read in the book, in the law of God, distinctly; and they gave the sense, so that they understood the reading.

Nehemiah 8:18 Also day by day, from the first day to the last day, he read in the book of the law of God.

Luke 2:22-24 When the days of their purification according to the law of Moses were fulfilled, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”), and to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, “A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.”

Exodus 13:2 “Sanctify to me all the firstborn, whatever opens the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and of animal. It is mine.”

Leviticus 12:8  If she cannot afford a lamb, then she shall take two turtledoves or two young pigeons: the one for a burnt offering, and the other for a sin offering. The priest shall make atonement for her, and she shall be clean.’”

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060925
WORD FOR TODAY “this is the only opinion that matters…YEHOVAH’S”: Num 34:2 to give this order to the people of Isra'el: "When you enter the land of Kena`an, it will become your land to pass on as an inheritance, the land of Kena`an as defined by these borders.

WISDOM FOR TODAY "As for living in America and not paying into the system properly" : Mar 12:17 And YESHUA said to them, "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." And they were amazed at Him.

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Loneliness is becoming an increasingly problem for many people, especially with elderly people. But the younger generation, divorced people, welfare recipients, single mothers, rural students, housewives are not excluded. So, if you have time today, just engage in a conversation with a person you might feel is lonely. Just for 5 minutes stop talking and listen to them, making them also feel valued. It helps a lot. One day it might happen that you feel this way. “For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up.” (Ecclesiastes 4:10).

Loneliness is like a piano without keys,
like a violin without strings.
Loneliness is like a sanctuary without a congregation
or a choir where no one sings.
Loneliness is like a blade of grass
growing through a crack of cement.
Loneliness is like a camp ground
without a single tent.
Loneliness is like a mocking bird
that cannot sing a song.
Loneliness is a feeling
that one does not belong
Loneliness is like a pansy in a corn field
hidden where no one can see.
I know all there is to know about loneliness
because it lives inside of me.

I WILL BE WITH YOU

Secret Services, employs people to protect presidents or prime ministers and to safeguard nations money supplies. In order to give the president or prime minister constant protection, these agents stick extremely close to him wherever he goes. When he is walking, when he is riding in his armoured vehicle, when he is on vacation at a ski slope or a lake, the Secret Service is there surrounding him, constant following his car, skiing or fishing right beside him. If the president or prime minister goes scuba diving, agents put on masks and tanks and go with him under the water. Would it not be nice to have someone who would always be with you, protect you and help you, not out of duty, but because you were friends? Joshua knew YHVH to be just such an Elohiym as he stood at the border of Canaan, ready to lead the people of Israel into the Promised Land. YHVH makes the greatest Promise of all: [I will be with you.] Let us find out what YHVH means by this wonderful promise:

“Now after the death of Moses the servant of Adonai it came to pass, that Adonai spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ minister saying, Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel. Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses, from the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast. There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I swear unto their fathers to give them. Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the Law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest. This book of the Law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. Have not I Commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for Adonai thy YHVH is with thee whithersoever thou goest.” (Joshua 1:1-9).

1) YHVH’s Promise of Intimacy Brings us Strength and Courage:

YHVH tells Joshua that he needs to be strong and courageous. In fact, we find that this is a theme throughout the book of Joshua. Five times in this book YHVH repeats these words to Joshua. YHVH said the same thing to Moses in Deuteronomy 31:6: “Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for Adonai thy YHVH, He it is that doth go with thee; He will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.” The one important fact in YHVH's Commandment to be strong and courageous is that this Command is attached to YHVH's Promise to be with them and to never leave them or forsake them. What we learn from this is that we can be strong and courageous, not because we are strong and courageous people, but because we know that in our weakness YHVH is right there beside us and that He will never leave us. There are times in all of our lives when we need to be strong and courageous people. In the Moscow circus a beautiful woman lion tamer would have a fierce lion come to her meekly, put his paws around her and nuzzle her with affection. The crowd thundered its approval. All accept an Armenian who declared, [What is so great about that? Anybody can do that?] So, the ringmaster challenged him, [Would you like to try it?] The Armenian's reply came back, [Yes, but first get that lion out of there.] When is it that you need strength and courage?

A) For Joshua it was when he was called to take over as leader of the people of Israel and lead them into the Promised Land; you would need a lot of strength and courage for a job like that.

B) For Yeshua it was when He had to face the cross and in the Garden of Gethsemane, He prayed to YHVH.

C) For Yeshua' disciples it was when they had to face a hostile world with the message of the Gospel. But what about us, when do we need to draw strength and courage from YHVH's presence? When we have decided to do something great for YHVH, when we find ourselves with the opportunity to be a witness, when we are dealing with some sin that has taken control of our lives, when we are having marital problems and do not know where to turn to, when we have lost our job and do not know where our next pay check is going to come from. We need strength and courage in both the good times and the bad times. We need to understand that we can be strong and courageous in any and every situation because: Our strength and courage come from knowing that YHVH is with us. Joshua would not take the Promised Land, YHVH would. Joshua knew that it was only through a reliance on the presence of YHVH that he could be strong and courageous while facing the enemies of Israel.

Once a prison warden told a condemned man to order whatever he wanted for his last meal and he offered some suggestions: [Lobster, Filet Mignon, Beef Wellington, Caviar or Shrimp?] [No], the prisoner said, [I will just take a bowl of mushrooms]. [Why mushrooms?] the warden asked him. [Well, because I have always been afraid to eat them until now.] Oftentimes instead of being strong and courageous we find ourselves weak and afraid because we face the unknown. But know that YHVH makes us the promise, [I will be with you], helps us to know that no matter what comes our way YHVH is by our side.

2 – YHVH’s Promise of Intimacy Brings us Comfort:

“Whither shall I go from Thy Ruach? Or whither shall I flee from Thy Presence? If I ascend up into heaven, Thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, Thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall Thy Hand lead me, and Thy right hand shall hold me. If I say, surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not from Thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to Thee.” (Psalm 139:7-12.) David realized that no matter where he was and no matter what he was doing, YHVH was there with him, bringing him the comfort that he needed. A couple of weeks ago John was in the delivery room with his wife when their new baby was born. Leading up to the time of delivery he had a job to do. The way I understand it, his job was to try to bring comfort to his wife as she was experiencing the height of discomfort. Now, I am now sure how good of a job he did, I do not know how much comfort he gave her. But I do know that YHVH being with us brings us comfort in difficult situations.

“Adonai also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.” (Psalms 9:9). “Adonai is thy Keeper: Adonai is thy Shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. Adonai shall preserve thee from all evil: He shall preserve thy soul. Adonai shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.” (Psalms 121:5-8). YHVH's Promise to be with us is a comfort in our times of heartbreak. “Adonai is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.” (Psalm 34:18.) “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me.” (Psalm 23:4.) YHVH's Promise to be with us is a comfort in times of failure. “Though he falls, he shall not be utterly cast down: for Adonai upholdeth him with His Hand.” (Psalms 37:24).

3 – YHVH’s Promise of Intimacy Demands our Obedience:

On his 16th birthday the son approached his father and said: Dad, I am sixteen now. When I get my license, can I drive the family car? His dad looked at him and said: Son, driving the car takes maturity and first, you must prove you are responsible enough. One way you must do that is to bring up your grades. They are not acceptable. Second, you must read the Bible everyday and finally, I want you to get that hair cut; it looks outrageous. The son began the task of fulfilling his father's requirements knowing that the last might be impossible. When his grades came out, he came to his dad with a big smile. Look dad, all A's and B's on my report card! Now, can I drive the family car? Very good son, you are one-third of the way there, but have you been reading the Bible? Yes, dad, every day, the son said. Very good son, you are two-thirds of the way there. Now when are you going to get that hair cut? Thinking he could outsmart his dad, the son said, well, I do not see why I should get my hair cut to drive the car. Yeshua had long hair, did He not? The father looked at his boy and said, that is right son and Yeshua walked everywhere He went. YHVH expects obedience from His children. I am not saying He is not with us when we are disobedient, but I do believe the Bible teaches us that when we are obedient YHVH's Promise to be with us becomes an ever-increasing reality in our lives. In other words, YHVH is always with us, but when we are obedient to Him, we are much more able to recognize His presence than at times when we are disobedient. Looking back at Joshua it is clear that there are primary areas where YHVH expects obedience and they both are connected with His Word.

A) Firstly: We are to Obey His Word:

“Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the Law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest.” (Joshua 1:7). Joshua and the people of Israel's victory depended on their adherence to the Word of YHVH and this is just as true today. We have so much more of YHVH's Word than they had. They had only the five books of Moses and probably the book of Job. This is the entire Bible they had and YHVH said if they would be obedient to it, they would have no need to fear anyone, for YHVH would be with them. You and I have the whole Bible and YHVH calls upon us to search this Word, let it be the man who counsels us, the food of our souls and the sword with which we face our enemies. YHVH promises that if we will be strong and courageous and walk in obedience to His Word, we will never have to dread the conflict; we will not need to fear; we will be able to say with Paul “But thanks be to YHVH, which giveth us the victory through our Adonai Yeshua Moshiach.” (1 Corinthians 15:57). If you do not have victory through Yeshua Moshiach, I can tell you why. It is because you are neglecting reading and obeying your Bible. Read your Bible as you ought to and obey it and you will be able to live a life of victory.

B. Secondly: YHVH Expects us to Meditate on His Word:

This book of the Law, shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. -- Joshua 1:8. It is by meditation that we really make this Word our own. To read attentively is like eating the Word. Meditation allows us to digest the truth. Mere intellectual acquaintance with the letter of Scripture does us little good. It is only as we weigh carefully what YHVH has revealed to us that we obtain from it the spiritual power that enables us to rise above our difficulties and triumph by grace over all our foes.

C) Thirdly: YHVH makes both Joshua and us a promise in this regard:

In verse 7 He tells us that success comes to those who follow His Word. In verse 9 He says both success and prosperity will come to those who are obedient. I know that YHVH was promising Joshua success and prosperity in the matter of obtaining physical land and riches. But the greater application to both Joshua and to us is that if we obey YHVH's Word, He will grant us spiritual success and prosperity like we have never even dreamed of. We will begin to understand in a deeper way than we ever have before, that YHVH is with us in a real and personal way. YHVH's Promise to be with you is very real, He is just waiting for you to receive this Promise from Him

"He shall be tormented in fire and brimstone before the holy messengers, and before the Lamb."

Re 14

Thought for Today: Monday June 09

Just suppose you had terminal cancer, and one day you discover a cure for it. Would you not want other people who had the same disease to know what you have learned? Wouldn't you try to point them to the same discovery you had made? I definitely will! Now remember, we all – everybody worldwide – have a “spiritual cancer” – a terminal deadly disease called sin. Not only does it cripple us right now morally and spiritually, but it also destroys us for the future and keep us from the blessings YHVH has for us. Yeshua is the cure! He is the Truth, the Way and the Life!

My wife and I went to Jacob's tent today with some friends for Pentecost. It was a great service and Bill cloud had many good things to say. I did appear in the video a little bit during the waving of the bread. I was wearing a blue T-shirt with MessiahsLove.com on the back.
https://www.youtube.com/live/s....Gj3fBNXQXY?si=Ic11mM