“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
Matthew 5:3-9
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
What I wanted to do this morning was to rant about pencil-pushers and lawyers and mind-numbing bureaucracy and red tape and other annoying stuff that is driving me nuts when it comes to settling my mum’s estate…
But, instead, I’m going to share a deeply touching – at least to me, anyway – story I ran across in the news.
First, from a podcast I’m in the middle of listening to while walking Mr. Max. It’s from a Hidden Brain episode, “How We Live With Contradictions.” The psychologist being interviewed is Elliot Aronson.
Aronson tells a great story of how he stumbled into his interest in psychology, essentially wandering into an intro class and falling under the spell of Abraham Maslow.
He said something I had to stop on the side of the road and write down. He said that self-actualization is, “a process that never ends; and we become who we want to be by how we behave in crucial situations.”
Okay, simple enough. But I had to stop the pod and think. Crucial situations, challenging times, high-stakes moments in our lives do not shape us in and of themselves, but in response to – and this is so important to understand – “how we behave.” It’s about the decisions we make.
Or, to put it another way, people who avoid challenge, or simply walk away from difficulty, or hide in the first place, do not engage the opportunity to “become.”
I have often shared that the most dynamic times of growth I have experienced have been in response to crisis. Challenge is always a kind of crossroads. Not just what we think, but what we do, determines who we are. It’s interesting to me that Maslow and his protégé Aronson were, in a sense, behaviorists!
The War in Israel:
Hold that thought, and let’s jump to the news piece I heard on the radio. It was the end of an interview, but I caught the spirit of it. NPR journalist Ari Shapiro was talking with a man – in Israel – who is deeply devout in his Jewish faith and at the same time an advocate for Palestinians.
This man was very clear in his condemnation of the brutal terrorism of Hamas, and he is devastated by what has happened. Yet he understands that Hamas does not represent the majority of Palestinians, who simply want peace and the opportunity to make something good of their lives.
The interviewee talked about how dangerous it is for him to hold both views at the same time. As if caring for his fellow human travelers puts him at odds with Israel. And he is accused of disloyalty and treason even though Israel is the country he loves and is determined to defend.
They were talking on Friday afternoon. “It’s almost time for Shabbat,” the correspondent said. “What do you want the people you will share it with to understand? What do you want to tell them?” (I am paraphrasing from memory).
In response the man said, “Let’s be quiet. If you listen you can hear the Muslim call to prayer….” Both men stopped talking and, sure enough, we could hear it in the background….
I don’t know why, but when I shared this with Rebekah, just talking at dinner Friday evening, I cried. I could not help but just let the tears run down my face. The emotion of it all; the horrors, the pain, the devastation, the humanity. I felt overwhelmed with this sense of both futility and of hope.
Maybe I do know why. You see I am crying again now, just writing these words.
The psychologist I was listening to said, “We become who we want to be by how we behave in crucial situations.” These are crucial situations. This world is fraught with crucial situations. Not just in Israel but in our own backyard; in our communities; in our churches; in our schools; in the U.S. House of Representatives… We make choices in these pivotal moments. If enough of us choose humanity, and grace, and humility, and mercy, and peace, and light, and love… then we will be healed, we will become not just who we want to be but who God intends for us to be.
In love, and because love is stronger and more persuasive than hate; love wins – DEREK
My exact belief. Thank you ❤️
Joe Biden will save Isreal! What a great choice, what a great President! We need to send billions of more dollars to Isreael and Ukraine, right now!
Not sure what your comment has to do with the point of this post?!!
You don’t sound like you support Israel at all.
That’s not really what this post was about!
Both your comments (this one and on “Looking for a little good theology” seem carefully thought out, and your arguments are well constructed. You have a lot of passion in your thinking and writing. I did have to look up a lot of the words you used – so thanks for the education. At the same time, your contempt for alternate positions and for people who hold them does little to invite dialogue. Jesus – the “Prince of Peace” is – as you pointed out – hard to accept or to follow (especially, it appears, for many professing Christians!). But His way is the only way to peace – this is why The Father sent The Son. War and escalation and revenge and eradication only amplify and prolong conflict and violence and more hate. I pray that, one day, you are properly introduced to Jesus. Peace – in every way – Derek
As General MacArthur dictated the details of the post War Government of Japan, so too Israel must dictate the Constitution/charter of the new Gaza government that shall rule Gaza and the dhimmi Arab populations removed from E. Jerusalem and Samaria to Gaza.
The UN must leave Gaza. Jerusalem shall establish the Arab government that rules Gaza just as did the United States imposed the Japanese Constitution following the unconditional surrender of Japan to General MacArthur. The model of the post war peace established between the US & Japan shall serve as the model whereby Israel shall establish the government of Gaza.
Just as the US forced a 14 million population transfer of German populations in the Czech Republic and Poland, Israel shall likewise impose a forced population transfer of Arab refugee populations currently residing in E. Jerusalem and all of Samaria to Gaza. Jerusalem commits to open business and trade with the new Israeli established Gaza Government and significantly invest in rebuilding the economy of defeated Gaza like as did the United States did with Japan.
Israel must up-root the primitive caste/feudal culture which defines the Arab world. Israel rejects as a political fraud – the White-Wash forms of democratic elections – while a 2% elite of Arabs living within Gaza and PA territories, while 98% of the Arab common man exist as a Xtian-like serf banana republic feudal economy dominated by terrorist leaderships.
Feudal Arab dictatorships, which defines all Arab civilizations, Hezbollah serves as a clear example of this pathetic political insanity, defines the Arab world. Israel must ensure that no Caste system functions in any Arab government administration post the Oct 7th total victory over Gaza
Stop and consider: According to the Apostle Paul, Goyim not under the law. The Torah commandment of Moshiach, a key part of Jewish law. What distinguishes between Roman statute laws from Jewish common laws? No Xtian priest or pastor has ever asked or considered this fundamental question. Yet Xtianity assumes that its Gospels narishkeit holds a lock and key monopoly over the Torah commandment law known as Moshiach! LOL What a total joke. Can’t have your cake and eat it too. Can’t not be under the Law and at the say time declare absolute expertise over a key Torah commandment. Just that simple.
The Talmud by stark contrast learns the Torah commandment of Moshiach to the Baali T’shuva. What Torah commandment defines a Baali T’shuva? The commandment to shoo the mother bird from off sitting upon her eggs. How? Torah law delves primarily into tohor middot. Notice the noise new testament never once considers this key subject. For a Cohen to do service in the Mishkan the Cohen had to stand “tohor”. This word, a completely alien term to Goyim. Why? Goyim not under the Law.
To shoo the mother bird away from her eggs, a tohor middah. Another strange alien term to Goyim, for the exact same reason: Goyim not under the Law. Middah means “measure”. As in the judicial concept of justice: Measure for Measure. Judicial justice not important to Par’o of ancient Egypt and equally not important to any European courtrooms, who never held the Church accountable for its many war-crime guilts against Humanity.
The commandment of Moshiach qualifies as a tohor time-oriented commandment. Another alien term to Goyim for the same identical reason: Goyim not under the Law. All tohor time- oriented commandments stand upon the foundation of “fear of Heaven”. Meaning a person has to intend to dedicate holy to HaShem a tohor midda. In the case of shooing the mother bird from off her clutch of eggs, the midda dedicated holy to HaShem, the tohor midda of not inflicting unnecessary pain upon the mother bird.
What example of a rabbinic mitva/commandment perhaps best exemplifies this midda? Kosher slaughtering of animals. By the law learned in the Talmud kosher slaughter of animals learns from the slaughter of sacrificial animals dedicated unto the altar. What fundamentally separates the animal flesh burnt upon the altar in Jerusalem from butchering meats for consumer consumption? The first thing the Cohen throws upon the altar “the living blood” of the sacrificial offering. This means the Cohen had to cut the carotid artery which runs parallel to the thorax wind-pipe.
The common butcher does not require this ‘living blood’, which squirts out of the wound due to blood-pressure produced by that the beating heart of the sacrificial animal. Hence the Talmud on laws for butchering meat does not directly mention cutting the carotid artery, b/c the butcher does not require this ‘living blood’. Nonetheless, a sage in the Talmud, rabbi Yechuda, teaches that a person with “fear of Heaven”, ((the foundation of all tohor time-oriented commandments)), should cut the carotid artery. Why? Because not cutting this artery, the animal can live for some time there-after its throat gets cut. As a slaughter house rav, I personally have witnessed cattle getting up and walking around due to the failure to cut the carotid artery.
Not causing unnecessary animal suffering, a tohor midda learned from shooing the mother bird away from her clutch of eggs, this tohor midda defines the reason why Rabbi Yechuda of the Gemara warns butchers to, despite not requiring, needing, nor wanting the living blood of the slaughtered animal, nonetheless, to cut the carotid artery of the animal so that it dies immediately, like 2 seconds after, its throat being cut.
The concept “tohor time-oriented commandment” learns from Moshe going to Egypt. Recall that Moshe opposed going to Egypt! Moshe went to Egypt as a “baali t’shuva”. What defines a “baali t’shuva”? That a person arouses to address a current national crisis afflicting the Jewish people at that moment in time. The Torah anointed Pinchas “Moshiach of War” in the war fought against Moav and Midian & Bil’am the prophet.
The failure of the church abomination to learn the Torah commandment of Moshiach from Torah sources, proves that that false religion as an utter counterfeit of alien Roman origins. The Gospels, written after all in Greek – not Hebrew or Aramaic, the common languages spoken by the Jewish people at that time! The Romans, based their pantheon of Gods upon the Greek Gods of mount Olympus; Romans commonly spoke the language of the Greeks, something like Czar Peter the Great spoke French, as did all his court. The God-father of JeZeus and Hercules, an identical mythical story.
Hence, the tohor time-oriented commandment of Moshiach stands on the foundation of “fear of Heaven”; and “fear of Heaven” most essentially requires the dedication holy to HaShem of some specific tohor midda. Like as found in the tohor time-oriented commandment of shooing the mother bird away from sitting upon her eggs. The Torah commandment of anointing a baali-t’shuva Moshiach, the tohor time-oriented commandment of anointing a person dedicated to save Israel during a time of national crisis.
Hence Rabbi Akiva considered Bar Kochba as moshiach. Alas the Bar Kochba revolt collapsed. But this does not change the facts on the ground. Jews confronted the Romans in a national crisis and anointed a General to fight the Romans. Just as Moshe anointed Phinehas to fight the war against Moav and Midian/Bil’am. Phinehas anionted eish Moshiach milchamah, the messiah anointed for war.
Okay. So I have – respectfullly – allowed your responses to this post. However, enough is enough. You appear to be simply cut and pasting content from your own blog. Besides, refering to Christian ideas as “a total joke” is not respectful dialog. So this is going to have to be your last comment – unless you are interested in short, manageable, conversation.
Peace and blessings, in the name of the God we both worship – Derek
I will allow this comment.
Yes, YHWH is a living God – The Living God. Jesus is The Son (Homoousia – of one substance, one essence with The Father) “In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God.” John 1:1
Brother, we worship the same God.
Agreed. Our language is inadequate, and all our metaphors and analogies are terrestrially based. That’s why Jesus was always demonstrating rather than remonstrating. Peace in the New Year
Not sure what you are saying?
Happy New Year to you too!
But, our God is alive and well. Enjoy living into God’s light in 2024.
Ok. Lovely!