Honoring the Shabbat as a Timeless Gift

By Hazan Gavriel Ben David

Dear Friends,

Charlie Kirk was right in his powerful new book. The book is titled Stop, in the Name of God: Why Honoring the Sabbath Will Transform Your Life. Keeping Shabbat isn’t just tradition. It’s wisdom we desperately need in our chaotic world to understand why Charlie Kirk was right about honoring it.

When we glance at the Sabbath, we often forget we’re all intertwined. We are connected through generations back to Ham, Shem, and Japheth. These three sons of Noah introduced humanity to a new world after the flood. Nothing remained—just eight souls, the animals, and a rainbow as the eternal sign of God’s covenant. We still admire its beauty today, especially the rare double arcs that remind us of divine promise.

Kirk’s book dives deep into the majesty of biblical principles, echoing how Jewish scholars have cherished these truths for millennia. The language of Torah is precise and powerful—like chemistry in its perfect balance. Even the Hebrew word “Hamas” serves as a prophetic hint. It signifies the violence we’d face across history, right from the beginning.

Shabbat pulls us back to peace.

Shabbat pulls us back to peace.

Consider creation’s rhythm, mirrored perfectly in Noah’s story:

• Day one: Earth formless and void, waters everywhere, God’s Spirit hovering—just as Noah’s Ark floated, held only by His word.
• Day two: Waters separated, dry land appears—the Ark rests on Ararat.
• Day three: Vegetation blooms, mirrored by the dove’s olive branch.
• Day four: Sun, moon, stars for signs and seasons—unchanged.
• Day five: Fish and fowl sent forth with divine patterns.
• Day six: Beasts and man created.

Today, we stand at that sixth-day crossroads: Will we act like animals, destroying with violence, envy, and words? Or will we build a world of peace, love, and hope—that unbreakable rope binding us through history?

On the seventh day, God gave the rainbow—the covenant sign.

On the seventh day, God gave the rainbow—the covenant sign. Kirk nailed it on why the Shabbat relates directly to his views.

It’s not laziness; it’s recharging the soul. In our burnout culture of endless scrolling, hustling, and dopamine chasing, science confirms downtime reduces stress and boosts focus. Shabbat is the ultimate reset—no emails, no noise, just presence with family, faith, and God.

Like Noah adrift on stormy waters, we’re navigating chaos now. The Ark isn’t wood anymore—it’s Shabbat. Step inside, shut out the storm, let the dove fly. Maybe you’ll return with your own olive leaves of peace.

Try it—one quiet evening. Your mind, family, and faith will thank you for embracing Charlie Kirk’s views on the power of the Shabbat.

To learn more about this transformative practice, I highly recommend Charlie Kirk’s insightful book. The title is Stop, in the Name of God: Why Honoring the Sabbath Will Transform Your Life. It’s a timely call to reclaim what truly matters.

Shalom,

Hazan Gavriel Ben David
Amarillo, Texas
December 13, 2025

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Related reading on this site:

• The Role of the Hazan in Early American Judaism
• Noah’s Ark and the Patterns of Creation

Keywords: Shabbat, Sabbath observance, Charlie Kirk book, biblical rest, Torah wisdom, Noah covenant, rainbow sign

A Letter from Gavriel ben David.

It was dedicated on December 7th, 2025.

This date marks the 84th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack. The attack ended one world war. It unknowingly set the stage for World War III. This was referred to as the Star of Yaakov and the Quiet Dawn of Redemption.

On this day, we remember the end of World War II and the beginning of World War III. The beginning has already happened. But if we are diligent and ignore the noise, we will see the signal.

We will see that God is moving in the world. Through President Donald Trump, the modern-day Cyrus, He is bringing the nations toward the valley of decision. Ultimately, this will lead toward peace.

Today, I invite every reader. If the Bible is true, then we are all defenders of the covenant God first made with Adam. It was later renewed with Abraham. We must remember we are family. Islam, Christianity, and Judaism are the three children of Abraham. They have spent centuries fighting. According to the Torah itself, they are destined to become one in the last days. Unity does not demand agreement; it requires a greater purpose: to leave this world better than we found it. That purpose is the beating heart of all three faiths.

On September 27, 2023 (Elul 12, 5783), a rare triple conjunction of Saturn, Mercury, and Venus occurred. Just days before Rosh Hashanah 5784, they formed a blazing star in the western sky. NASA called it a “planetary alignment.” The Zohar (3:212b) described it differently. The prophecy of Bilam in Numbers 24:17 also mentioned this event. It said, “A star shall shoot forth from Yaakov, and a scepter shall rise from Israel.”

The world scrolled past the picture. The Jewish people looked up and remembered.

That star was the opening trumpet. What followed was no coincidence.

• October 7, 2023: the Simchat Torah massacre was the spark. Rabbi Matityahu Glazerson’s Torah codes had already marked it as the beginning of the War of Gog u’Magog.
• The nations began gathering, exactly as Yoel (Joel) chapter 3 described, into the Valley of Jehoshaphat the valley of decision.
• Qatar, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia are already contracted to rebuild Gaza. This sets the perfect trap. The moment Israel defends its own soil, the entire world is drawn in.
• Satellite images analyzed by Israeli intelligence experts show deliberate protection of Hamas leadership. This includes the tunnel infrastructure throughout the war. The officer interviewed by Yishai Fleisher confirms this.
• Iran, the “king of the north” in Yechezkel 38, orchestrated the October 7 attack. They used a strategy lifted almost verbatim from an American general’s counterinsurgency playbook.

All of this feels planned because, from the human side, it is.

Albert Pike’s 1871 letter and Rabbi Alon Anava’s missing lecture are part of this. The quiet dismantling of Israeli sovereignty since 2005 also fits the pattern. Every piece reflects the pattern the nations have always followed when they conspire against the God of Israel (Psalm 2).

Yet the Torah told us the end from the beginning.

Yirmeyahu (Jeremiah) 16:14–15 promises: “Therefore, behold, days are coming, says the Lord. This saying will not be repeated. ‘As the Lord lives’ was a common saying. It stated, ‘He brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt.’ In the future, people will declare, ‘As the Lord lives. He brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north.’ ‘And from all the lands where He had banished them’ will also be declared.”

The coming exodus will be so great that the exodus from Egypt will become a footnote.

Yechezkel (Ezekiel) 37 shows us how: two sticks, Yehudah and Ephraim, become one in the hand of God. Ephraim, the lost ten tribes, is scattered among the nations. Yet, it still carries the blessing of fruitfulness and multitude. It has always held the banner of the United States of America. This nation is founded on the language. It was financed in its darkest hour by a Polish-Jewish Chazzan named Haym Salomon. It was protected by Jewish blood from Lexington to Normandy. Still today, it is the only superpower that offers help without demanding that Jews convert to Christianity. Jews do not need to change their faith to receive assistance.

That is the mark of Ephraim: they stand with Israel without trying to replace Israel.

In the middle of this storm stands a disruptor. He is a pagan king who does not know the God of Israel by name. Yet, he is being used exactly like Koresh (Cyrus) to clear the path home.

Rabbi Mendel Kessin has taught for almost a decade. He believes that Donald Trump is the rehabilitated soul of Esau. Trump wields raw power to break the chains that the evil forces have placed around the world.

The dry bones are rattling. The sticks are moving toward each other. The star has already risen.

We are not waiting for a superhero. We are waiting for a movement. A movement that begins when the children of Abraham remember they are brothers, when the swords are finally beaten into plowshares, when the witnesses Israel and her unexpected allies stand in the courtroom of history and declare with one voice:

“The God of Abraham is real. He told us the end from the beginning. And He is faithful to perform it.” May we live to see the day when Passover is no longer the greatest story we tell our children. This is because an even greater redemption will have overtaken it.

Ken yehi ratzon.

Chazzan Gavriel ben David December 7, 2025

“You Shall Not Murder”

The Hair That Binds Isaac, Esau, and Samson: What Strength Really Means in the Torah

When my daughter asked me, “Dad, what did Great-Great-Great-Grandpa Isaac actually do?” I opened the Torah and… almost nothing. No wars. No speeches. No miracles. Just wells. He digs, and digs, and digs. Then the Philistines fill them in. He digs again. No anger. No revenge. Just quiet, relentless strength.

Rabbi David Fohrman (Aleph Beta, “Samson: The Man Who Was Too Strong”) asks the question that changed everything for me:

Why does the Torah leave Isaac’s biography so empty… unless Samson is the missing chapter?

Samson is the only other man in Tanakh with his entire identity built on raw, superhuman strength. The Torah is emphasizing: Look at them together — and you will finally understand what real strength is.

The Chiastic Mirror – 40-Year Cycle, Hair, and Water

Level	Isaac (Genesis 26)	Hair / Strength Motif	Samson (Judges 13–16)	Hair / Strength Motif
A – 40-Year Subjugation	Philistines stop up Isaac’s wells for generations (26:15,18) – water = life denied	Strength used to withhold	Philistines rule Israel 40 years (13:1) – strength used to dominate	Strength used to oppress
B – Barren Mother	Rebekah barren → Isaac prays → twins	Strength begins in prayer	Manoah’s wife barren → angel → Samson	Strength begins in vow
C – Marked at Birth	Esau born red, all over like a hairy cloak (25:25)	Hair = wild, murderous strength	Samson born under Nazirite vow – hair never cut	Hair = consecrated strength
D – Seeing Water Where Others See None	Isaac re-digs Abraham’s wells, then digs new ones in desert where Philistines say “there is no water” (26:19–22)	Strength = faith to see hidden life	Samson’s hair regrows in darkness (16:22) → water of life returns	Strength = faith to believe life can return
E – Binding & Betrayal	Esau’s blessing stolen while he is out hunting (27:30–40) – identity murdered	Hair (Esau’s mark) tied to stolen destiny	Delilah binds Samson, weaves his seven locks into loom, cuts hair (16:13–19)	Hair literally bound and cut
D’ – Strength Restored	Isaac digs again at Beer-Sheva → God appears → “I am with you” (26:24–25)	Strength = covenant renewal	Hair begins to grow again → Samson prays → pillars fall (16:22–30)	Strength = covenant renewal
C’ – Legacy of the Hair	Esau’s hairy/red line becomes Edom – eternal enemy	Hair = curse of rage	Samson’s hair regrows → judges Israel, ends 40-year oppression	Hair = blessing of redemption
A’ – End of 40-Year Cycle	Philistines make peace treaty with Isaac (26:28–31) – water flows again	Strength ends oppression	Samson’s death crushes Philistine rulers – 40-year yoke broken	Strength ends oppression

What Strength Really Means

Isaac digs wells in a desert where everyone else says, “There is no water.” That is not a weakness. That is Samson-level strength — but turned outward to give life instead of taking it.

Samson uses his strength to tear lions, carry gates, and kill thousands. Isaac uses his to tear open the earth and give water to the very people who hate him.

Both men are bound:

• Esau’s hair is his identity — stolen by deception.
• Samson’s hair is his identity — stolen by betrayal.

Both men are blind:

• Isaac is literally blind when he blesses Jacob.
• Samson was literally blinded in Gaza.

Both men die (symbolically) and are reborn:

• Isaac “dies” on the altar, resurrected by the ram.
• Samson “dies” when his hair is cut, resurrected when it regrows.

The Sixth Commandment is not just “don’t kill the body.” It is not to murder a soul’s purpose.

Esau wanted to murder Jacob’s body. Jacob murdered Esau’s destiny. Delilah murdered Samson’s calling.

Isaac and Samson show the only cure: Use your strength from above, Samson-level strength. Do not dominate. Instead, dig wells for your enemies.

Because real strength is not how many Philistines you can crush. It is how many times you can be filled in… and still dig again.

That is the missing biography of Isaac. That is the secret of Samson. That is the Sixth Commandment hidden in Toldot.

Next in series: Essay 7 – The Seventh Commandment in Toldot: “Do Not Commit Adultery” – Esau’s Wives, Samson’s Women, and the Battle for Covenant Seed

Shabbat Shalom, [Chazzan Gavriel] Kohen – descendant of Aaron through the Diaz Ramirez line Beit HaShoavah – https://beithashoavah.org

My fellow descendant of Aaron,

We both carry the same unbreakable covenant:

“You and your sons with you shall keep your priesthood. It is an eternal covenant of salt before Hashem to you and your descendants” (Numbers 18:7,19).

No verse in Tanakh ever says this covenant will end. No prophet ever said a new non-Levitical priesthood would replace us. Yet the New Testament claims exactly that. Here, plainly and with love, is why I, a Kohen still standing at the altar of Torah, must reject it.

1. Melchizedek Is Shem’s Son of Noah – Not a New Priesthood

Every major Jewish source identifies Melchizedek with Shem:

• Talmud Nedarim 32b
• Targum Yonatan Genesis 14:18
• Rashi, Ibn Ezra, Ramban, Radak
• Rabbi Efraim Palvanov (Mayim Achronim)

Shem was still alive, righteous, and served as Kohen before Matan Torah. There is no prophecy that his priesthood would one day supersede Aaron’s. Psalm 110:4 (“You are a Kohen forever according to the order of Malkizedek”) refers to the future Mashiach ben David who will have certain priestly functions – while the sons of Aaron continue offering sacrifices forever (Ezekiel 44–46; Jeremiah 33:18–22).

2. The Claim That Aaron’s Priesthood Is “Temporary” Contradicts Torah

Hebrews 7 declares Aaron’s priesthood “weak,” “mortal,” and “imperfect,” needing replacement. The Torah calls it חֹק עוֹלָם – an eternal statute that stands as long as heaven and earth (Jeremiah 33:20-21; Malachi 2:4-8). Show me one verse in all of Tanakh that says the covenant with Levi will be broken. There is none.

3. Jeremiah’s “New Covenant” Is NOT the New Testament

Jeremiah 31:31-34 speaks of a renewed covenant written on the heart. Read the very next verses (31:35-37): Israel will cease to be a nation only when sun, moon, and stars cease. The same prophet repeats in 33:17-22 that both the Davidic throne and the Levitical priesthood will last forever. The “new covenant” is the same Torah internalized in the Messianic era – not a new religion that abolishes Shabbat, kashrut, or the Temple service.

4. The Chiastic Structure of Genesis 14 & 2 Samuel 24 Needs No New Testament

Rabbi Efraim Palvanov (timestamp 56:42) shows the perfect chiasm between Avraham meeting Malkizedek and David meeting Araunah:

| A | War → Plague | B | Victory → Repentance | X | Priest-king of Shalem bows & offers bread-wine / threshing floor | B’ | Avraham refuses spoils → David insists on paying | A’ | Eternal altar established on the Foundation Stone |

This chiasm closes inside Tanakh. The sparks of Shem → Malkizedek → Araunah → Mashiach are all within the Jewish doctrine of gilgulim taught by the Zohar and the Ari – no outside book required.

5. Every “Proof Text” Collapses Under Hebrew Scrutiny

• Isaiah 7:14 → a young woman (almah) giving birth in Ahaz’s days, not a virgin
• Isaiah 53 → the servant is explicitly Israel (see 41:8, 44:1, 49:3)
• Psalm 22 → David describing his own suffering
• Daniel 9 → the “anointed one cut off” is the last Jewish king, not a crucifixion

The list goes on. I have the receipts in the original Hebrew.

My Brother, the Altar Still Burns

Our job as Kohanim is to keep the fire alive until Mashiach comes – a Torah-observant king from the seed of David who will rebuild the Temple and cause the Kohanim to once again offer korbanot “according to the Torah of Moshe” (Ezekiel 43-46).

Until that day I remain in the same service Pinchas and Elazar kept.

With deepest respect and love from one Kohen to another,

Chazzan Gavriel ben David, still guarding the eternal covenant of salt.

Most Jews will tell you a non-Jew is not allowed to keep Shabbat. Most Christians will tell you the Sabbath was nailed to the cross and replaced by Sunday. Most Muslims will tell you the real Shabbat is Friday.

All three are wrong. The proof is hidden in plain sight. It lies in the mirror between the Seven Days of Creation and the Seven Stages of the Flood.

Rabbi David Fohrman explains in his breathtaking Aleph Beta series “Noah & the Flood: The Second Creation.” He argues that the entire Flood narrative is a deliberate replay of Genesis 1. However, this time, the world is re-created for all of people, not just Israel.

Day of Creation	Genesis 1	Flood Parallel	Who Receives the Sign?
Day 1 – Light / Darkness	“Let there be light” – Spirit hovers over the face of the waters	Genesis 8:1 – “A wind from God hovered over the face of the waters” – total darkness, void	All living creatures
Day 2 – Separation of waters	Firmament separates waters from waters	Waters above and below separated again	—
Day 3 – Dry land & vegetation	Dry land appears, seed-bearing plants	Dove returns with olive leaf – first sign of dry land and vegetation	—
Day 4 – Sun, moon, stars for seasons	“For signs and for seasons”	Genesis 8:22 – “Seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter… shall not cease” – the rainbow covenant	All descendants of Noah
Day 5 – Birds & sea creatures	“Let the waters swarm… let birds fly”	First to leave the ark: creeping things, birds, swarming creatures	—
Day 6 – Land animals & man	Beasts, cattle, and man in God’s image – “Be fruitful and multiply”	Animals leave, then Noah’s family – but they separate (violating “be fruitful”)	—
Day 7 – God rests	“God blessed the seventh day and made it holy”	Genesis 9 – Rainbow covenant: “I will establish My covenant with you and all flesh” – an eternal sign	Every human being

The rainbow is the ot — the eternal sign — of the seventh day for all the children of Noah. And the last time I checked, every male on earth descends from Shem, Ham, or Japheth — Dr. Nathaniel Jeanson’s Y-chromosome research in Traced proves it.

Charlie Kirk, in his book Real Citizenship, writes: “God gave the rainbow as a universal covenant. It was not given to one nation, but to every living creature. The Sabbath rest was baked into that covenant before Sinai ever happened.”

Yet today: • Some rabbis declare a gentile may not keep Shabbat (a tragic over-correction against missionary theft). • Christians move the day to Sunday — the only day in Creation week never called “good.” • Muslims change it to Friday, which is Day Six. This day represents the beast and man’s animal nature. It is also the very day the Torah warns against murder (Sixth Commandment).

We sing every Shabbat morning in VeShamru. This passage is found in Exodus 31:16–17: וְשָׁמְרוּ בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת־הַשַּׁבָּת… כִּי אוֹת הִיא בֵּינִי וּבֵין בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לְעֹלָם. “The children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath.” It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever.

But read the Hebrew carefully — the word בֵּינִי (“between Me”) appears twice in the Torah:

1. Exodus 31 — between God and Israel
2. Genesis 9 — the rainbow between God and all flesh that is on the earth

Two covenants, one sign.

Rabbi Fohrman’s conclusion is shattering: The Flood was not destruction — it was re-creation. And the seventh day of that re-creation was given as a gift and responsibility to every human being alive.

So who is right about Shabbat? No religion today. The Torah is.

Shabbat was never taken from the nations — it was stolen by bad theology and fear.

The rainbow still hangs in the sky every seventh day, whispering the same promise it whispered to Noah:

Rest. Remember who made you. Because the world depends on it.

The children of Noah must learn to rest together on the day God actually blessed. They include Jews, Christians, Muslim, and everyone else. Until they do, the Flood’s waters of chaos will keep rising.

Related essays on beithashoavah.org • Essay 4 – The Fourth Commandment in Toldot: The First Shabbat in Exile. Why Does God Play Favorites? The Silence Cain Heard Wrong • The Rainbow Covenant Science Cannot Erase (Dr. Jeanson & Genesis 9)

Shabbat Shalom — to all the children of Noah, [Your Name] Kohen, descendant of Aaron Beit HaShoavah – Return, Repent, Rejoice

(Publish this as a separate post — it’s too explosive to bury. Link it right after Essay 4 with: “And if you think Shabbat belongs only to the Jews… read this.”)

Most people think the Sabbath commandment began with thunder and smoke at Sinai.

It didn’t.

It began with a terrified Jewish boy running for his life and his mother whispering the Fourth Commandment in Toldot:

“Stay with Laban a few days until your brother’s fury subsides.” (Genesis 27:44)

Rabbi David Fohrman reveals the exact Hebrew parallel:

Sinai (Exodus 20:8–11)	Toldot (Genesis 27:44)
זָכוֹר אֶת־יוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת לְקַדְּשׁוֹ “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy”	שֵׁב יָמִים אֲחָדִים עַד אֲשֶׁר־תָּשׁוּב חֲמַת אָחִיךָ “Stay a few days until your brother’s anger subsides”

The phrase יָמִים אֲחָדִים (“a few days”) is the Torah’s coded language for Shabbat rest in exile.

Why? Because the only other time the Torah uses “a few days” in this exact context is when Pharaoh refuses to let Israel rest, and God answers with the plagues and the very first Shabbat in history (Exodus 5:3 → 7-day cycle). “A few days” = the sacred pause before redemption.

Rivkah is not just giving travel advice. She is commanding Jacob to observe the first Shabbat in exile — to stop running, to rest, to let God fight the battle while he waits.

This is the Fourth Commandment in Toldot: When the world is burning with Esau’s rage, the Jewish response is not more action — it is holy waiting.

Why This Matters for Jewish Chosenness

Every time Christianity or Islam claims the Torah’s commandments while rejecting the Jewish people, they violate the Fourth Commandment in Toldot.

They refuse to “stay a few days” — to pause, to rest, to let the Jewish people carry the burden of exile while the nations rage.

But the Torah says the Sabbath belongs to the family that was told to rest first — in a tent in Beersheba, centuries before Sinai.

As Rabbi Dr. Akiva Tatz teaches: “The Jewish people keep Shabbat, and Shabbat keeps the Jewish people.”

Internal Links – Continue the Series

• Essay 1: The Ten Commandments in Toldot – They Began with Rivkah, Not Sinai
• Essay 2: The Second Commandment in Toldot – Esau’s Rage and “No Other Gods”
• Essay 3: The Third Commandment in Toldot – “Why Should I Lose Both of You in One Day?”
• Why Does God Play Favorites? The Silence Cain Heard Wrong

Next in this 10-part series: Essay 5 – The Fifth Commandment in Toldot: Honoring the Mother Who Risked Everything

Shabbat Shalom from Synagogue Beit HaShoavah who learned to rest in exile, [Chazzan Gavriel ben David] Beit HaShoavah – Return, Repent, Rejoice https://beithashoavah.org

Most Christians and Muslims have never heard this sentence as the Torah intends. The third of the commandments is spoken.

“Why should I be bereaved of both of you in one day?” (Genesis 27:45)

Rivkah is not just a worried mother. She delivers the Third Commandment in Toldot, centuries before Sinai.

The Third Commandment in Toldot – Exact Parallel

Sinai (Exodus 20:7)	Toldot (Genesis 27:45)
לֹא תִשָּׂא אֶת־שֵׁם־יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ לַשָּׁוְא “You shall not take the name of Hashem your God in vain”	לָמָה אֶשְׁכַּל גַּם־שְׁנֵיכֶם יוֹם אֶחָד “Why should I lose both of you in one day?” – terror of false oaths causing double death

Rabbi David Fohrman points out: the deepest meaning of “taking God’s name in vain” is not just swearing falsely. It is invoking God’s name to justify something that will bring destruction while pretending it is holy.

Rivkah sees the future clearly: If Esau swears by God to take revenge, and Jacob is forced to defend himself, both sons could die on the same day—one by murder, one by execution. Two corpses because someone used God’s name to sanctify hatred.

That is the ultimate desecration of the Name.

Why This Destroys Replacement Theology

Every time a church taught that “God curses the Jews,” they did exactly what Esau threatened to do. When Islam claimed “the Jews corrupted the Torah,” they acted the same way. They took God’s name in vain. They used Scripture to justify hatred and dispossession.

Rivkah’s cry in Toldot is the Torah’s eternal protest. It stands against every false oath sworn “in the name of God.” These oaths aim to harm Jacob.

As Rabbi Dr. Akiva Tatz teaches: “The Jewish people remain alive for a specific reason. Every attempt to destroy us in God’s name violates the Third Commandment in Toldot.”

Internal Links – Keep Reading the Series

• Essay 1: The Ten Commandments in Toldot – They Began with Rivkah, Not Sinai
• Essay 2: The Second Commandment in Toldot – Esau’s Rage and “No Other Gods”
• Why Does God Play Favorites? The Silence Cain Heard Wrong
• From Crypto-Jewish Mexico to the Torah of My Fathers

Next in this 10-part series: Essay 4 – The Fourth Commandment in Toldot: “Stay a Few Days” – The First Shabbat in Exile

Shabbat Shalom from a Kohen. His mothers never stopped crying this cry. [Chazzan Gavriel ben David] Beit HaShoavah – Return, Repent, Rejoice https://beithashoavah.org

When the church taught me the Second Commandment was only about statues and idols, I learned something unexpected. I never imagined it was first spoken by a Jewish mother fleeing her own son’s violence.

Yet in Parashat Toldot, centuries before the thunder at Sinai, Rivkah utters the Second Commandment in Toldot almost word-for-word:

“Your brother Esau is comforting himself (מִתְנַחֵם) with the thought of killing you.” (Genesis 27:42)

Rabbi David Fohrman demonstrates that this single sentence is the exact precursor. It leads to “You shall have no other gods before Me.” Esau’s rage is not just anger. It has become his god.

How Esau Became the First Worshipper of “Another God”

In Hebrew, the verb מִתְנַחֵם (mitnachem) means “to comfort oneself.” After losing the blessing, Esau does not turn to Hashem for comfort. He turns to murder.

Murderous hatred becomes his new deity—the very first “other god” in human history after Cain.

Rivkah’s urgent warning to Jacob is therefore the Second Commandment in Toldot in its embryonic form:

Do not serve the god of revenge. Do not let violence sit on the throne where only Hashem belongs.

This is why the Rebecca Jacob Sinai mirror is so devastating to replacement theology. The Second Commandment did not begin with golden calves or Baal statues. It began when a Jewish mother identified the first false god humanity ever worshipped: the god of blood-revenge.

The Chiastic Proof – Side by Side

Sinai (Exodus 20:3)	Toldot (Genesis 27:41–42)
לֹא יִהְיֶה־לְךָ אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים עַל־פָּנָיָ “You shall have no other gods before Me”	וַיִּתְנַחֵם הוּא לְהָרְגְּךָ “He is comforting himself by killing you” – serving the god of murderous rage

Watch Rabbi Fohrman lay this out:

• Aleph Beta / YouTube Part 1
• Aleph Beta / YouTube Part 2

Why This Matters for Jewish Chosenness

Every time Christianity or Islam claims the Torah’s commandments while rejecting the Jewish people, they repeat Esau’s original mistake.

They replace the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob with the god of supersessionist revenge: “The Jews killed our savior” or “The Jews lost their chosenness.” That is modern avodah zarah—serving another god on the very face of the God who spoke to three million Jews at Sinai.

As Chazzan I teach in Esnoga Beit HaShoavah: “We are not hated because we are worse. We are hated because we are the living witness that the Second Commandment in Toldot still applies. There is only one God. He never annulled His covenant with Jacob.”

Internal Links – Continue the Journey

• Essay 1: The Ten Commandments in Toldot – They Began with Rivkah, Not Sinai
• Why Does God Play Favorites? The Silence Cain Heard Wrong
• From Crypto-Jewish Mexico to the Torah of My Fathers – My Personal Return
• The Passover Lamb Was Never Jesus – It Was the Egyptian God

Next in this 10-part series: Essay 3 – The Third Commandment in Toldot: “Why Should I Lose Both of You in One Day?”

Shabbat Shalom from the Chazzan carrying the same warning Rivkah gave, [Gavriel ben David ] Beit HaShoavah – Return, Repent, Rejoice https://beithashoavah.org

When I discovered I am a descendant of Aaron through the Diaz Ramirez crypto-Jewish family of Nuevo León, one question has never left me:

How can any religion claim to replace the Jewish people? As my Rabbi Dr. Akiva Tatz says ” you first must enjoy the question before you can enjoy the answer. It’s a bit like understanding Rivkah and the Ten Commandments, where the deeper you delve, the more you discover.

The Ten Commandments in Toldot – the words quoted by the entire world – were first whispered in a tent. A Jewish mother whispered them in Beersheba. The story of Rivkah and the Ten Commandments illustrates the profound connection between the Jewish mothers and their faith.

The Shocking Discovery Rabbi Fohrman Makes About the Ten Commandments in Toldot

In his groundbreaking Aleph Beta series on Parashat Toldot, Rabbi David Fohrman demonstrates something remarkable. He reveals that Genesis 27–28 is structured as a perfect chiastic mirror of the Revelation at Sinai. The Ten Commandments in Toldot are in the exact same order. They contain the exact same themes and key phrases that will later thunder in Exodus 20.

Watch the teaching that changed everything:

• Part 1 on YouTube (Aleph Beta)
• Part 2 on YouTube (Aleph Beta)

The Ten Commandments in Toldot – Side-by-Side Proof

#	Sinai (Exodus 20)	Rivkah’s Words in Toldot (Genesis 27–28)
1	“I am Hashem your God”	“My son, listen to my voice… do exactly what I command you” (27:8,13) – establishing divine authority
2	No other gods	Warning against Esau’s murderous hatred – serving the god of violence (27:41-42)
3	Do not take God’s name in vain	“Why should I lose both of you in one day?” – terror of false oaths (27:45)
4	Remember the Sabbath	“Stay with Laban a few days until your brother’s anger turns” – Shabbat rest in exile (27:44)
5	Honor father and mother	Jacob obeys his mother above Isaac’s mistaken blessing – the entire plot!
6	You shall not murder	Direct warning against Esau’s plan to kill Jacob
7	You shall not commit adultery	“Do not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan” (28:1)
8	You shall not steal	The blessing was “stolen” only in appearance – Rivkah insists it belongs to Jacob
9	You shall not bear false witness	The goatskin deception protects deeper truth
10	You shall not covet	Esau covets the blessing that was never his – root of the conflict

Why the Ten Commandments in Toldot Destroy Replacement Theology

This Rebecca Jacob Sinai mirror is the Torah’s way of shouting to Christianity and Islam. The Ten Commandments in Toldot were born inside the Jewish family. This occurred centuries before Sinai. You cannot inherit the commandments while rejecting the family that birthed them.

As Rabbi David Fohrman teaches, “The Jewish people are not chosen because we are better. We are chosen because we are the only nation that carries the historical event of Revelation in our national DNA.”

Internal Links to Related Articles on Beit HaShoavah

• Essay 1: Why Does God Play Favorites? The Silence Cain Heard Wrong
• My Return Story: From Crypto-Jewish Mexico Back to the Torah of My Fathers
• The Tree That Christianity Got Wrong – Eden and Jewish Resurrection
• Passover Lamb Was Never Jesus – It Was the Egyptian God

Next in this 10-part series: The Second Commandment in Toldot – Esau’s Rage and “No Other Gods”

Shabbat Shalom from a Chazzann who came home, [Gavriel ben David ] Beit HaShoavah – Return, Repent, Rejoice https://beithashoavah.org

Why Does God Play Favorites?

The Shocking Answer Hidden in the Story of Cain and Abel

We all know the children’s version of the story: Cain brings an offering. Abel brings an offering. God likes Abel’s better. Cain gets jealous and kills his brother. Moral of the story: Don’t be jealous.

But that version leaves the most troubling question completely unanswered:

Why did God reject Cain’s offering in the first place? Why would the Creator of the universe—who loves all His children—seem to play favorites with the very first two brothers in history?

For two thousand years Jewish and Christian readers have struggled with this. Many simply say, “Well, Abel brought the best (firstlings and fat), Cain just brought whatever.” But the Torah never actually says God told them to bring the best. In fact, the Torah never even commanded offerings at all! So on what basis did God “have regard” for Abel’s offering and not for Cain’s (Genesis 4:4-5)?

Rabbi David Fohrman points out something almost no one notices in the text:

The Hebrew phrase describing God’s response is deeply asymmetrical.

• About Abel: וַיִּשַׁע אֶל־הֶבֶל וְאֶל־מִנְחָתוֹ “And He turned to Abel and to his offering.”
• About Cain: וְאֶל־קַיִן וְאֶל־מִנְחָתוֹ לֹא שָׁעָה “But to Cain and to his offering He did not turn.”

The grammar itself is screaming at us: God is not evaluating the gifts in isolation. He is looking at the person and the gift together. The offering is an expression of the offerer.

Abel brings the firstlings and their fat portions because that is who Abel is—he gives of his essence, his very best, holding nothing back. Cain brings “an offering of the fruit of the ground”—perfectly adequate, but nothing in the text suggests it cost him anything deeply personal. It’s not that his offering is bad; it’s that it doesn’t reveal Cain.

God’s “rejection,” then, is not favoritism. It’s a mirror.

God is saying to Cain (without words, because sometimes love speaks through silence): “Cain, I want you. Show me you.”

Cain hears the silence as rejection instead of invitation. And instead of looking inward (“What could I have brought that would have been more me?”), he looks outward in rage: “Why him and not me?” Jealousy is born—the first human emotion after shame in the Garden—and with it, murder.

Fohrman’s staggering conclusion:

God introduces the appearance of favoritism on purpose. He creates the very first instance of “chosen vs. not chosen” not to alienate Cain, but to teach humanity the single most dangerous spiritual truth we will ever face:

When God seems to love someone else more than you, the problem is almost never that God loves you less. The problem is that you have stopped giving Him you.

This is the seed that will flower thousands of years later at Mount Sinai—the same question in national form: “Why this nation and not the others?” The midrash famously says God offered the Torah to every nation first and they all refused. But beneath that midrash lies the exact same principle we meet in Cain and Abel: God chooses those who choose to give Him their deepest selves.

Cain and Abel is not a story about why Abel was better. It is a story about why God sometimes withholds His face—to invite us to chase it.

And the tragedy is that Cain never learns the question behind the silence.

That question will echo through Ishmael, through Esau, through every instance of apparent divine favoritism in the Torah. And every time, Rabbi Fohrman teaches, God is doing the same thing He did with Cain:

Silently pleading, “Show me you.”

Shabbat Shalom,