Why is the Lord concerned with the “little things.” Well, if He, the Creator of the heavens and earth is concerned with them, they are certainly not little things. In the Torah portion called אֱמֹר/say, the Lord commands the children of Israel concerning first-fruits, “When you come into the land that I give you and reap its harvest, you shall bring a sheaf of the first-fruits to the priest, and he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, so that you may be accepted” (Lev. 23:10-11).

When you enter the Promised Land that “I give you” (Lev. 23:10) and you become busy with life, sowing, tending and reaping, do not forget about Me, your covenant Lord, because when you do, you will find yourself enslaved once again.

Yet, by bringing the sheaf or omer of first-fruits of the harvest, as the Lord says: לִרְצֹנְכֶם, “that you may be accepted.” In this acceptance there is a favor, a joyful acceptance for fulfilling the will of the Lord concerning this “little thing.” We find this in the root of the phrase translated “that you may be accepted”: רָצוֹן/ratzon, will, acceptance, delight, pleasure.

Does bringing an sheaf/omer before the Lord really cause Him to accept us? Is there a delight from this small act of obedience? Imagine the tribes of Israel as they settled the Promised Land. In the busyness of life, the tasks of settling and building become numerous. Yet, the promise of God grows, out there in the field. The harvest is approaching. Preparations for harvest begin, laborers are arranged and they stand ready. First, however, a sheaf must be cut and taken before the Lord. Presented as a wave offering, lifted up before Him, the act itself is celebratory, even victorious: “Here is the fruit of Your promise O Lord!”

Now, there is liberty to harvest in earnest. But wait, we must still be careful, faithful, and attentive to “the little things.”

In Leviticus 23:22 we read, “And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, nor shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the Lord your God.”

What? Is this field not ours to fully harvest? No. The land belongs to the Lord, therefore the Lord’s portion, beyond the sheaf, shall be honored. Who receives of edges and the gleanings? The poor, the widow, the orphan, the stranger dwelling in the Promised Land as well. The Lord’s portion provides the means for the dignity of the disadvantaged to be preserved. They can take of the Lord’s portion, and continue to live in the covenant community of the Lord.

But do the “little things” really matter?

In the fullness of time, a widow returned to the Promised Land poor and responsible for her widowed daughter in law. Of course, this is the story of Ruth. Naomi directs Ruth to the field of a relative. Boaz was a prominent man, a leader in Bethlehem. Boaz, honoring the very words we are considering, directs his laborers to not reproach her, but rather allow her to glean the field, and help her do so by leaving bundles for her to find (Ruth 2:15-16). What was the result of the faithfulness of Boaz? He redeemed Naomi and marries Ruth. From this union came Jesse, and then David.

The faithfulness of Boaz regarding the “little things” changed two widows lives, and ultimately the lives of untold myriad’s who will be caught up in a later harvest. From Boaz, Jesse, and David would come the most important first-fruit: Messiah Yeshua/Jesus.

The apostle Paul writes, “But in fact Messiah has been raised form the dead, the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep … For as in Adam all die, so also in Messiah shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Messiah the first fruits, then at His coming those who belong to Messiah” (1 Cor. 15:20, 22-23).

In John 20:17, Messiah said to Mary Magdalene, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” The first-fruit from the grave, Messiah, had not yet been presented before the Father, as the fulfillment of what was happening in Jerusalem with the sheaf in the Temple. More on this in a later devotional.

When the Lord commands us to be mindful of those “little things” that seem to be insignificant, they can have immediate life impact on the “least of these my brethren” and ultimately the Lord’s plan of salvation. A stretch? No, Boaz obeyed, he showed kindness to those at his mercy. Did the Lord bless his obedience? Yes, he was included in the Davidic line that brought forth the Messiah Who will command the harvest of the redeemed at the end of the age.

Can we Him praise for the big and little things? It is all part of His plan. How might faithfulness to the “little things” in God’s promise change your family, friends, church, workplace and community? Let us pray with our hands and feet, and see the answer in lives changed.

Maranatha. Shalom.

In Leviticus 19:2, the Lord says to Moses:

דַּבֵּר אֶל-כָּל-עֲדַת בְּנֵי-יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵהֶם–קְדֹשִׁים תִּהְיוּ:

כִּי קָדוֹשׁ, אֲנִי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם

“Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say to them, ‘Be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy’”

The portion called קְדֹשִׁים/Kedoshim/“Holy ones” is at the very heart of the Torah scroll; and much of the instruction given in this portion pertains to how we are to live life in the human community with the Lord in our midst. The prominent and influential rabbinic sage, Rashi, Rabbi Shlomo Yitzhak, teaches that קָדוֹשׁ, holy, is separation from sin. It is not that sin is absent from our surroundings, but those sanctified by the Lord do not partake of the sin or respond in a sinful manner. Holiness is not lived in isolation, alone in a cave, but in everyday life.

The apostle Peter reminds us of Leviticus 19:2 when he teaches, “But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy” (1 Pet. 1:15-16). Because we are set apart to Him we will: consider the poor; we will not steal, lie or deceive one another; we will not withhold wages; curse the deaf or place a stumbling block before the blind; we will use correct weights and measures; we will love our neighbor and the stranger because we were once strangers in Egypt; we will show respect, and we will guard what He has called holy; living the Messiah’s command found in the Golden Rule (Matt. 7:12).

In Leviticus 19:14 the Torah records, “You shall not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block before the blind, but you shall fear your God: I am the Lord.” Here, just before the command to love your neighbor, we find a rather unusual command regarding the deaf and the blind. Rabbinic commentary suggests that there is a broader principle at work here, as the deaf and the blind represent all people who may be targets of abuse in society. Added to this, we find in Exodus: “You shall not revile God, nor curse a ruler of your people” (Ex. 22:28). Together, we find that we are not to “curse” the ruler, quoted by Paul in Acts 23:5, or the “least of these My brethren” (Matt. 25:40), and in this the Ramban finds that the entire community is included, as Paul writes, “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them” (Ro. 12:14).

While placing a stumbling block in the way of a blind person can potentially cause physical harm, cursing the deaf, a curse they would not be able to hear, focuses on disrespect evidencing a heart in need of repentance. Maimonides reaches this conclusion regarding cursing the deaf in his Mishneh Torah (Laws of the Sanhedrin 26:1): “You shall not curse the deaf.’ Why, then, does the Torah mention the deaf in particular? To teach that even though he does not hear the curse and is therefore not distressed by it, the one who curses is nevertheless punished.”

What is our disposition towards the defenseless in our society? Are the blind and the deaf mentioned in Leviticus 19:14 indicative of a broader category? Would the existence of this broad category of defending and not harming the defenseless open our eyes to them? Will they remain overlooked and invisible except in times of harassment? Or does the Torah remind us that they too are very much part of our community, and therefore worthy of respect and love? There is something deeper.

In Exodus 22:28, we are told not to “revile” the Lord. In Leviticus 19:14 we are told not to “curse” the deaf. The word translated as “revile” and “curse” is the Hebrew word קָלַל/qālal, meaning to make light, despise, insult, to be of little account. How are these two situations, reviling God and cursing the deaf, connected? Is not the deaf person created in the image and likeness of God? Would cursing the deaf person not be cursing or reviling the Lord Himself – the Imager? Our disposition toward all people who may be targets of abuse in society, the Torah teaches, is directly related to our disposition toward the Lord.

What is the opposite of קָלַל/qālal, revile, curse or lightly esteem? Simply, it is כָּבַד/kāḇaḏ, meaning respect, honor and glory. The opposite of revile, curse or lightly esteem is to treat others, especially those targeted for abuse, with respect, holding them in high regard and with great weight/esteem.

We so often make “holiness” or “holy” living something unreachable, even unattainable. Yet, in Messiah we are holy, set-apart from sin and unto Him (Heb. 10:10). Set-apart in Him, how then shall we live? At the heart of the Torah we find the centrality of consideration and compassion for the human other, which in itself is the hallmark of faithful living unto the Living God, in Messiah Yeshua/Jesus, enabled by the Holy Spirit. Let us, then, live the Gospel.

Be well. Shalom.

‎הָא לַחְמָא עַנְיָא דִי אֲכָלוּ אַבְהָתָנָא

“This is the bread of affliction that our fathers ate…”

The Seder opens with an odd invitation, come and eat the bread representing affliction with me if you are hungry, if you are in need. “Come and eat this bread that has been part of my affliction … Come and eat this bread that has been part of my pressed, hurried, and bondaged life.”

When we taste the matzah, we are transported in time: to the past and into the future.

The Passover Seder causes us to remember, live, and share in the still unfolding deliverance of a people. It is an event of sensory engagement: an eatable sermon.

While we reflect and remember, we are stirred by the narrative of the Haggadah, from a place of self-reflection: to compassion, gratitude, and sharing.

This matzah – the unleavened bread – has two meanings: 1) it is the bread of affliction that the children of Israel ate because they did not have time to allow the dough to rise, and 2) it is the bread of freedom that they ate in the days after they left Egypt.

How can this be?

When we are afflicted, the natural inclination is self-preservation. In affliction we do not say to our neighbor or stranger, and certainly not our enemy, “If you are hungry, come and eat.” But we know we are free, when filled and refreshed with gratitude, compassion, and without hesitation, we share what little we have.

This is freedom – when we can open ourselves, we are truly free.

When we recognize the gift of life given by the Lord, the most basic and relatable human condition, then דינו/Dayenu: “it is enough for us.”

The same unleavened bread, two meanings, and much to teach us. Here we see how the Messiah can be both afflicted and victorious, the Man of sorrows and Savior, the Suffering Servant and King. The afflicted, suffering servant, the man of sorrows Who sympathizes with us (Heb. 4:15); and the victorious, Savior King standing at the right hand of the Father in Heaven.

By eating this Matzah, this bread of affliction and bread of freedom, we balance between two spiritual realities in Messiah: afflicted humility and generous freedom.

We eat the bread of affliction: 1) to remember that Messiah died for us; and, 2) we eat the bread of freedom to show the greatest love, of giving ourselves completely to the other, just as He gave Himself completely for us.

Deliverance from Egypt demanded the life of a lamb. Deliverance from the power of sin and death demanded the life of the Lamb. And now we, as living sacrifices in Messiah, the Lamb, give ourselves over to His Will: connecting to those in suffering and bondage.

Yet, in His resurrection we connect to His victory, and His freedom; whereby, we connect with the victorious and the free in joyous praise.

This is why we need to be reminded, to remember, and share the words, year after year:

‎הָא לַחְמָא עַנְיָא דִי אֲכָלוּ אַבְהָתָנָא בְּאַרְעָא דְמִצְרָיִם כָּל דִכְפִין יֵיתֵי וְיֵיכֹל, כָּל דִצְרִיךְ יֵיתֵי וְיִפְסַח

“This is the bread of affliction that our fathers ate in Egypt, whoever is hungry, let him come and eat; whoever is needy, let him come and celebrate Passover.”

‎דינו, dayenu, what we have received at this season would be more than enough, but He has so much more to give us, and so much more for us to share. We are always blessed with enough, because we have Him.

Be well. Shalom.