R’eih

Shalom Chaverym; This Sabbath’s video Torah study at 4pm Central Time with the staff and friends of Sabbath Keepers Fellowship. Here is the Zoom Link: https://zoom.us/j/4731209848 This week’s parasha is: R’eih- פרשת ראה – “Behold” Torah reading: D’varym (Deuteronomy) 11:26-16:17 Haftarah reading: Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 54:11-55:5 Ketuvym Hatalmidym reading: Mattiyahu (Matthew) 7:1-29 Shalom aleykhem, achym, b’shem Yehoshua Hamashiach, Moshienu ~ Peace to you, my brothers, in the name of Yehoshua the Messiah, our Savior. V’hayah, y’viyaka YHWH Eloheyka el ha’aretz asher atah ba shamah l’rishtah v’nathatah, et hab’raka al Har Gerizym, v’et haq’lalah al Har Eyval ~ “ And it shall be, when YHWH Eloheyka shall bring thee unto the land wither thou goest to possess it, that thou shalt give the blessing from upon Mount Gerizym, and the curse from upon Mount Eyval.” Between Mount Gerizym and Mount Eyval is a small valley. The valley is about three miles long, but so narrow that it is said a man’s voice can be heard across it. Through this narrow strait, following Yehoshua ben Nun, all of the nation of Yisrael had to pass, if they wished to enter the Land of Promise. As they did, they all paused to hear the blessings and the curses they would now be subject to as YHWH’s chosen people, according to the Torah. The conditions under which they would receive either the blessing or the curse were very clearly stated: “For ye are to cross over the Yarden to go into possess the land which YHWH Eloheykem giveth you, and ye shall possess it, and dwell therein. And ye shall observe to do all the statutes and judgments which I give to you this day.” It was through this narrow passageway that the people of Yisrael crossed over from the wilderness into a new life with YHWH—and it was the only way. About 1,400 years later, another Yehoshua—our blessed Messiah—came out of his own time of trial in the wilderness and sat upon a mountain not far from Gerizym and Eyval. He also taught the people following Him about the blessings and curses for doing excellent deeds or evil ones, according to the Torah—and then He did a new thing: He elevated the standard of righteousness for His followers to a level that the curses could no longer even reach. In effect, He commanded them to walk in such a state of perfection, grace and love, that they would be above the simple commands of Torah, and thereby no longer subject to its penalties. He did not do away with the Torah in order to achieve this state of grace and perfection, but rather He brought it into its fullness—to completion. He said to them: “Do not think that I came to destroy the Torah or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy, but to complete.” Yehoshua then compared The Way into the kingdom of YHWH to a narrow passage, a way similar to the one between Mount Gerizym and Mount Eyval which led into the Land of Promise. He said, “Enter in through the narrow gate, because the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter in through it. But the gate is narrow and The Way that leads to life is difficult, and there are few who find it.” Finally, He stated the condition under which His followers would enter into the kingdom of YHWH and all of its blessings. He said, “Not everyone who says to me ‘Master, Master,’ shall enter into the kingdom of YHWH, but he who is doing the desire of my Father in the heavens. The Father has already clearly stated His desire time and again throughout the pages of scripture, that His people should follow The Way that He has prescribed for them. It is by this narrow Way that the followers of Messiah must pass, keeping the commands of YHWH in their fullness and having the testimony of Yehoshua, in order to crossover from death and curses to everlasting life and blessings with them—and it is still the only way. B’Shalom,  Ovadyah Ben Yisrael ‌ ‌ ‌

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Shalom Chaverym;This Sabbath’s video Torah study at 4pm Central Time with the staff and friends of Sabbath Keepers Fellowship.

Here is the Zoom Link: https://zoom.us/j/4731209848

This week’s parasha is:
R’eih- פרשת ראה – “Behold”

Torah reading: D’varym (Deuteronomy) 11:26-16:17
Haftarah reading: Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 54:11-55:5
Ketuvym Hatalmidym reading: 7:1-29

Shalom aleykhem, achym, b’shem Yehoshua Hamashiach, Moshienu ~ Peace to you, my brothers, in the name of Yehoshua the Messiah, our Savior.

V’hayah, y’viyaka YHWH Eloheyka el ha’aretz asher atah ba shamah l’rishtah v’nathatah, et hab’raka al Har Gerizym, v’et haq’lalah al Har Eyval ~ “ And it shall be, when YHWH Eloheyka shall bring thee unto the land wither thou goest to possess it, that thou shalt give the blessing from upon Mount Gerizym, and the curse from upon Mount Eyval.”

Between Mount Gerizym and Mount Eyval is a small valley. The valley is about three miles long, but so narrow that it is said a man’s voice can be heard across it. Through this narrow strait, following Yehoshua ben Nun, all of the nation of Yisrael had to pass, if they wished to enter the Land of Promise. As they did, they all paused to hear the blessings and the curses they would now be subject to as YHWH’s chosen people, according to the Torah. The conditions under which they would receive either the blessing or the curse were very clearly stated: “For ye are to cross over the Yarden to go into possess the land which YHWH Eloheykem giveth you, and ye shall possess it, and dwell therein. And ye shall observe to do all the statutes and judgments which I give to you this day.” It was through this narrow passageway that the people of Yisrael crossed over from the wilderness into a new life with YHWH—and it was the only way.

About 1,400 years later, another Yehoshua—our blessed Messiah—came out of his own time of trial in the wilderness and sat upon a mountain not far from Gerizym and Eyval. He also taught the people following Him about the blessings and curses for doing excellent deeds or evil ones, according to the Torah—and then He did a new thing: He elevated the standard of righteousness for His followers to a level that the curses could no longer even reach. In effect, He commanded them to walk in such a state of perfection, grace and love, that they would be above the simple commands of Torah, and thereby no longer subject to its penalties. He did not do away with the Torah in order to achieve this state of grace and perfection, but rather He brought it into its fullness—to completion. He said to them: “Do not think that I came to destroy the Torah or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy, but to complete.” Yehoshua then compared The Way into the kingdom of YHWH to a narrow passage, a way similar to the one between Mount Gerizym and Mount Eyval which led into the Land of Promise. He said, “Enter in through the narrow gate, because the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter in through it. But the gate is narrow and The Way that leads to life is difficult, and there are few who find it.” Finally, He stated the condition under which His followers would enter into the kingdom of YHWH and all of its blessings. He said, “Not everyone who says to me ‘Master, Master,’ shall enter into the kingdom of YHWH, but he who is doing the desire of my Father in the heavens.

The Father has already clearly stated His desire time and again throughout the pages of scripture, that His people should follow The Way that He has prescribed for them. It is by this narrow Way that the followers of Messiah must pass, keeping the commands of YHWH in their fullness and having the testimony of Yehoshua, in order to crossover from death and curses to everlasting life and blessings with them—and it is still the only way.

B’Shalom, Ovadyah Ben Yisrael

Office: 903-489-1930

https://sabbathkeepersfellowship.org/
info@sabbathkeepersfellowship.org
Min Hazaqen Torah Study Group

Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body. Hebrews 13:3

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Weekly Commentary on the Torah Portion

Vayyeishev – “And he dwelt” – וישו

Shalom Chaverym;
This Sabbath’s video Torah study at 4pm Central Time with the staff and friends of Sabbath Keepers Fellowship.

Here is the Zoom Link: https://zoom.us/j/4731209848
(If you can’t access that link, you may be able to join in a voice-only connection by calling 1-346-248-7799 and use the group code 473-120-9848.)

This week’s parasha is:Vayyeishev – “And he dwelt” – וישו
Torah reading: B’reishyth 37:1-40:23
Haftarah reading: Amos 2:6-3:8
Ketuvym Hatalmidym reading: Ma’asei (Acts) 7:9-16

Shalom aleykhem, achym, b’shem YHWH Tzidkeinu ~ Peace to you, my brothers, in the name of YHWH our righteousness.V’eyk e’eseh hapa’ah hag’dolah hazoth v’chatatiy Lelohym ~ “And how can I perform this great evil and sin against Elohym?”

The word “Torah” means teaching or instruction. Simply put, the five books of Moshe are basically divided into two distinct kinds of teachings: Aggadic and Halakhic. Aggadah is akin to teaching in the form of stories or parables. Halakah is teaching of method in clear-cut rules and laws. Both are required for complete understanding of a concept in scripture.

Nearly the entire book of B’reishyth is composed of aggadic teachings. Parshath Vayyeishev is, in its entirety, an instruction about contrasting personalities. Even the account of Yehudah and Tamar, which some say is a spurious insertion or simply an “interlude,” was carefully placed at this point in Torah to give an aggadic example of this theme: the difference between righteous and unrighteous behavior.

Some people might mistakenly think that Yehudah did right by trying to shield his son Shelah from the same fate as his two brothers. Torah comes to show that this was, instead, a lack of faith in YHWH which was ultimately accounted to Yehudah as unrighteousness. When he learned he was the father of her son, he said: “She is more righteous than I; forasmuch as I gave her not to Shelah, my son.” He should have trusted YHWH and sent Shelah to raise up seed for his dead brother, according to the commandment.

The rest of the brothers of Yoseph demonstrated unrighteous behavior, as well. In their envy and hate, they determined to do away with him, hoping to thwart the prophecies YHWH spoke through him, to their own gain. That this was on their minds is evident in the sarcastic words: “Behold, this lord of dreams cometh.” They, too, should rather have trusted YHWH and His expressed will for their lives, rather than taking matters into their own hands.Yoseph is the sole contrasting personality in this parasha. He alone behaved righteously, correctly understanding that his faith in YHWH was paramount, and insisting upon doing what was right at all times, regardless of what it might cost him personally. The psalmist states this concept thusly: “YHWH, who does sojourn in your tent? Who does dwell in your set-apart mountain? He who walks blamelessly and does righteousness and speaks the truth in his own heart… he who swears to his own hurt and does not change.”

Yoseph was willing to swear even to his own hurt. Furthermore, he understood that any compromise he might make with unrighteousness would ultimately be more than a trespass against another man, and would be sin against YHWH Himself, as he said, “And how can I perform this great evil and sin against Elohym?” Or as the psalmist says: “Against You, You alone, have I sinned, and done evil in Your eyes; that You may be proven righteous in Your words, and clear in Your judgment.”

This aggadic teaching adds a dimension to the lesson that a set of halakhic rules alone could not attain. Moreover, men have a tendency to find ways around the strict letter of the law, but the lesson from a parable is unavoidable and less easy to circumvent. The lesson in Parshath Vayyeishev is clear: Yoseph is an example of a real man, and righteous in the eyes of YHWH. In contrast, his brothers were not. Implicit in this is a question Torah is asking of you—which one will you be? May YHWH bless you with the strength to always choose righteousness.

B‘Shalom, Ovadyah Ben Yisrael

Comments

Do you think you are part of the Bride of Messiah? Do you know what scripture says is required to be a member of that special people? Do you understand the relevance of this weekends festival of Shavuoth to this subject?

Sabbath Keepers Fellowship & Prison Ministry will host a special live and interactive Shavu’oth (Pentecost) Zoom fellowship and study on 5/23/21 at 12 noon Central time, and will address some of these questions. Come learn with us about this holiday and the Bride of the Most-High. All are invited and welcome!

Here is the Zoom Link:
https://zoom.us/j/4731209848

We also host a scriptural study and fellowship via this same Zoom link on the 5th day of each week at 7pm Central time.No password is necessary. If you have any problems connecting, call: (903) 489-1930, and we will help you.

Shalom and Chag Shavu’oth Sameach from Sabbath Keepers Fellowship & Prison Ministry!

Visit us at: SabbathKeepersFellowship.org

We at Sabbath Keepers Fellowship & Prison Ministry know that you in the body of Messiah have many skills and gifts. This year we badly need your prayers and help. What we have been unable to do, you probably can.

Every year we purchase thousands of dollars worth of matzah, horseradish, grape juice, and pay high printing costs for the Haggadah (Passover Seder service booklet) we send to our inmate members in prison for their Passover celebrations. We have tried many ways to lower the cost of these items, with little success. We are hoping one you, our brothers and sisters out there, can help us do better.

Currently, we are paying these unit prices for each item:

~Box of Matzah (16oz./14 pieces) – $1.66
~Grape Juice (10 oz. plastic) –  $0.60
~Horseradish Packet (single serving) –  $0.22
~Haggadah Booklet (8.5”x11” folded) – $1.60
~Two Gallon Plastic Bag (zip-lock) – $0.12

Each package includes: one box of matzah, two bottles of juice, one horseradish packet, and one Haggadah, plus a bag for each and packaging materials. The Haggadah is 20 pages of plain white paper and black ink only, with an additional #110 weight heavy cover sheet, which folded in half and stapled is a 42 page booklet.

Our shipping expenses equal 60% of our total cost per inmate for the packages, which is just insane. It brings the net cost of the packages to an average of $12 each. We have a few volunteers here in Texas who deliver to a few local prisons, but most are going out by USPS. The containers range from a single package up to nearly a hundred of them, depending on the needs and requests of individual prisons. If anyone knows how we can save on shipping, or is willing to deliver a few of them for us, please let us know.

We know that someone out there is aware of or can help us find better prices than these. If you know of someplace or someone that can save us money on these items, we will be able to send out more packages to needy inmates this year. Or, if you have no contacts to help with this, give it a try on your own. We have tried our hardest to improve these numbers, and have failed. We have tried diligently to solicit more donations, but folks are just not opening their wallets this year, so it seems our only avenue is to get some savings.

Finally, if any of you wish to just send matzah,  juice or packing materials to us here directly at Sabbath Keepers Fellowship & Prison Ministry, please do! Or, maybe a few of you would like to sponsor an entire prison Passover celebration. Just call us and we will discuss that with you. We sure do need the help this year, and our deadlines for package assembly and shipping are looming quickly. We need to get this done now, or it won’t get done.

You can call us at: (903) 489-1930

Or, send cash, check, money order or Passover supplies to:

Sabbath Keepers Fellowship
P.O. Box 972
Malakoff, Tx. 75148

You can also visit our website to make a PayPal donation or to learn more about the annual Passover Package program: https://sabbathkeepersfellowship.org/…/passover-packages/

Please, please help us. You are, combined, the Body of Messiah. There is nothing you cannot achieve for his sake and in his name. Let’s use that power and prove it. Thank you.

Jeff Haufler – Asst. Director
Sabbath Keepers Fellowship & Prison Ministry

What would you do? There are nearly two million people in US jails and prisons. About 3,000 of those men and women are members of Sabbath Keepers Fellowship & Prison Ministry. We minister to all prisoners who come to us and keep the seventh-day Sabbath. If you or a loved one were in prison, and it was Passover, you would probably contact SKF for help in keeping the festival.

Among many other services to Sabbath-keeping inmates, we operate this nation’s oldest and largest prison Passover Package Program. It was created in 2011 and is designed to enable Sabbath and festival observant inmates across the USA to keep just the most basic of scriptural commands concerning Passover while in prison. Over the last few years, we have provided nearly 11,000 Passover packages to hundreds of prisons across the nation. But, we could and should have done many more than that. It is only for lack of funds that we cannot provide these packages for all inmates of our faith.  And the program is in trouble this year.

In one respect, it is going great – we have tons of requests for our packages, which contain matzah, juice, bitter herb and a Seder booklet. In another respect, it is going quite poorly – at present, we only have $1,000 of the $12,000 necessary to fill the requests of all our inmate members who have asked for one, and we need to make our final purchase of supplies within the next four weeks.

But why should you give to charity, and especially one that serves prisoners? Because it is a commandment of our Father in heaven (Leviticus 25:35, Deuteronomy 15:7-8). Is that the only reason? As if we need another! In fact, there is another reason. It is righteousness to you. In Hebrew, the word for righteousness is “Tzedek.” A similar word is used of a righteous person, which is “Tzadik.” The common Hebrew word for the giving of charity is “Tzedekah.” In Hebrew thought, the giving of charity is one of the highest forms of righteousness. In His Sermon on the Mount, our Messiah agrees and had this to say about righteousness:

“Let your light so shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven… For I say to you, that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven.”

He also spoke specifically about the necessity of everyone ministering to those in prison, telling us that if we neglect our incarcerated brothers and sisters, it will not go well for us in the end:

“He shall then also say to those on the left hand, ‘Go away from Me, accursed ones, into the everlasting fire prepared for the adversary and his messengers, for I was hungry and you gave Me no food, I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, was naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’ Then they also shall answer Him, saying, ‘Master, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not serve You?’ Then He shall answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, in so far as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ And these shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into everlasting life.”

Admittedly, the giving of charity to convicted criminals is not a very glorious task. It seems most people want nothing to do with it or them. There are many other more palatable expressions of giving, and so most people tend to give their tzedekah to more tasteful and high profile causes and charities. That is precisely the reason we need your help. The more acceptable charities are very well funded, and we struggle for every cent we get – which usually ends up not being enough to help all those in need of our services. Those we minister to are not some unknown people in far off countries with ways and religions foreign to you. They are your own broken and wayward brethren right here in the USA who have failed in life, and yet now are trying their best to mend their ways in order to serve our Father in heaven. We must not turn our backs on them and fail them! Our best and most perfect example in this is our blessed Messiah who ate with the tax collectors and sinners, who said that He came to heal the sick and not the healthy. He said, “Freely you have received, freely give!”  If you do not help these poor brethren of ours it is highly unlikely that anyone else will. 

It is SKF’s goal to make sure no Sabbath-keeping prisoner is forgotten at Passover. We cannot do this without your help. It is our hope that we can bring every one of our brothers and sisters in prison to our Father’s Passover table and, ultimately, into fellowship and His kingdom. Will you please join with us and help us reach that goal? Everything necessary is in place to do this service for the thousands of our brethren behind bars who have requested a Passover Package so they can fulfill the commandments of that observance, and all it needs is for you and other generous followers of Messiah to open your hearts and pocketbooks, and give so they can do so. 

You can send cash, check or money order to:
Sabbath Keepers Fellowship
P.O. Box 972
Malakoff, Tx. 75148

You can make a donation via PayPal using this link:
https://www.paypal.com/donate…

Or, visit our website to learn more:
https://sabbathkeepersfellowship.org/…/passover-packages/Thank you in advance for your kindness and generosity,

Lisa Haufler, Director
Sabbath Keepers Fellowship & Prison Ministry