Tag Archives: Israel

Daily Thoughts

The Torah never commanded offerings. It never said “bring the best.”

Why Do The Nations Conspire?

“And He turned to Abel and to his offering.”

The church taught me the Second Commandment was only about statues and idols. 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

Where is your offering? Cain and Abel chosen are pivotal figures in understanding divine favoritism. Why did God reject Cain’s offering in the first place? The Torah never commanded offerings. It never said “bring the best.” So why does God turn to Abel and his offering… but not to Cain and his? Rabbi David Fohrman notices something almost nobody sees. The Hebrew is asymmetrical. To Abel: “And He turned to Abel and to his offering.” To Cain: “But to Cain and to his offering He did not turn.” God is not judging the gift alone. He is looking at the person and the gift as one. Where is your offering? Cain and Abel chosen need to reflect this.

The offering is meant to reveal the offer. Abel gives the firstlings and fat—his very essence. Cain brings ordinary fruit. Nothing that costs him anything deep. It doesn’t reveal Cain. So God’s silence is not rejection. It is the most loving invitation imaginable: “Cain… I want you. Show me you.” Where is your offering? Cain and Abel chosen reveal insights into acceptance. But Cain hears silence as “I don’t want you.” Instead of looking inward, he looks outward in rage. Jealousy is born. Murder follows.

Here is Rabbi Fohrman’s staggering conclusion: God creates the appearance of favoritism on purpose. The very first “chosen vs. not chosen” is a mirror for all humanity. When it feels like God loves someone else more, the problem is almost never that God loves you less. It is that you have stopped giving Him the real you. Where is your offering? Cain and Abel chosen by God teach us this valuable lesson. This is the seed that will bloom at Sinai. The same question—“Why this nation?”—gets the same answer: God chooses those who choose to give Him their deepest selves. Where is your offering? Cain and Abel chosen exemplify this across history.

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 hears the question behind the silence. That question still echoes today. God is still whispering the same words He spoke to Cain: “Show me you.” Will we finally hear the invitation? How many words do you count in this reflection on where is your offering? Cain and Abel chosen?

Beit HaShoavah – Return, Repent, Rejoice https://beithashoavah.org

──

Key Takeaways

  • The story of Cain and Abel highlights divine favoritism and the importance of one’s offering.
  • God’s rejection of Cain’s offering reflects His desire for the true essence of the individual.
  • Rabbi Fohrman suggests that feelings of favoritism often stem from not giving God our authentic selves.
  • The silence of God serves as an invitation for deeper self-reflection and connection.
  • Ultimately, the question ‘Where is your offering?’ invites us to recognize what we truly offer to God.
Daily Thoughts

How Could The Word Of GOD be Untrue

Cultural and Religious Discrepancies in Mark 16:1: An Analysis Through the Lens of Jewish Tahara

The Gospel of Mark, Chapter 16, Verse 1, presents a narrative that has drawn scrutiny from scholars of religious studies due to its apparent divergence from established Jewish customs. The verse reads:

“When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body.”

This passage describes three women intending to perform a burial-related task—anointing the body of Jesus—following his crucifixion. However, this action conflicts with a fundamental Jewish practice known as Tahara, the ritual purification and preparation of the deceased for burial. Within Jewish tradition, Tahara is a gender-segregated process: men prepare male bodies, and women prepare female bodies. This segregation upholds principles of modesty and respect, deeply embedded in Jewish law (Halacha) and observed consistently across Jewish communities.

Given this context, the notion that Jewish women—Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome—would undertake the anointing of a male body, as depicted in Mark 16:1, appears culturally implausible. Such an act would contravene the norms of Tahara, raising significant questions about the narrative’s alignment with Jewish customs of the period. For a text regarded by many as divinely inspired or historically authoritative, such as the Christian Bible, this discrepancy prompts a critical inquiry: how could a document claiming to represent the “word of God” misalign with well-established religious practices of the culture it describes?

Reconciling Belief and Cultural Truth

This tension between the Gospel account and Jewish tradition invites broader reflection on the nature of the Christian Bible. If the text is intended to reflect historical events or divine will, the portrayal of women engaging in a male-specific burial rite suggests either a lack of familiarity with Jewish customs or an intentional narrative choice that prioritizes theological messaging over cultural accuracy. Scholars might argue that this reflects the Gospel’s audience—likely a Gentile or mixed community less familiar with Jewish law—rather than a strictly Jewish one bound by Halacha. Nevertheless, for those who view the Bible as an infallible source, this discrepancy poses a challenge to its credibility as a record of Jewish life and practice.

The Appeal of Jewish Tradition in the Abrahamic Context

This issue also resonates with contemporary shifts within the Abrahamic faiths. Increasingly, individuals are drawn to the Jewish tradition, as embodied in the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh), which emphasizes ethical living and communal responsibility over narratives of miraculous resurrection. Unlike the Christian New Testament, where raising the dead features prominently (e.g., Jesus’ resurrection), the Tanakh focuses on “raising the living”—offering a practical, verifiable framework for human conduct and societal cohesion. This distinction may account for the growing interest in Judaism among those seeking a faith grounded in observable truths rather than belief in supernatural events.

Conclusion

The depiction in Mark 16:1 of women preparing to anoint Jesus’ body highlights a significant departure from the Jewish practice of Tahara, where gender roles in burial preparation are strictly delineated. This anomaly challenges the Christian Bible’s consistency with Jewish customs and invites critical engagement with its historical and cultural dimensions. For scholars and lay readers alike, such discrepancies underscore the importance of approaching religious texts with an awareness of their cultural context and narrative intent. In this light, the Jewish tradition, with its emphasis on lived practice and ethical clarity, offers an alternative perspective—one that resonates with those prioritizing truth as a known, rather than merely believed, foundation for faith.

Daily Thoughts, HaShoavah Blog, Israel: Culture, Judaism, Oral Torah, Returning Israel, Torah

Jewish History

I once heard a teacher say, So, you call yourself Jewish?

Well, how do you call yourself Jewish if you do not know our history?

By the way, it is one of the 613 commandments.

To know our history will amaze you, and you will know that there is an Almighty.

The time of Chanukkah was right before the rise of Christianity and the rule of Edom/Rome/Christianity. I often ask people where was the third capital of Rome located. How can someone understand the influence of Rome today if you do not know the history of Rome and the Jewish people?

Devarim 32:7

Remember the days of old; reflect upon the years of [other] generations. Ask your father, and he will tell you; your elders, and they will inform you. זזְכֹר֙ יְמ֣וֹת עוֹלָ֔ם בִּ֖ינוּ שְׁנ֣וֹת דֹּֽר וָדֹ֑ר שְׁאַ֤ל אָבִ֨יךָ֙ וְיַגֵּ֔דְךָ זְקֵנֶ֖יךָ וְיֹֽאמְרוּ־לָֽךְ:
Daily Thoughts, Judaism, Literature, Tanach Study, Teffillah/ Prayer

END OF DAYS- BOOK OF DANIEL -CHATAM SOFER DATE –

IN BIBLE CODE -PROFESSOR HARALICK RABBI GLAZERSON

Psalm 43

1Avenge me, O God, and plead my cause against an unkind nation, from a man of deceit and injustice You shall rescue me. אשָׁפְטֵ֚נִי אֱלֹהִ֨ים | וְרִֽ֘יבָ֚ה רִיבִ֗י מִגּ֣וֹי לֹ֣א חָסִ֑יד מֵ֚אִ֥ישׁ מִרְמָ֖ה וְעַוְלָ֣ה תְפַלְּטֵֽנִי:
2For You are the God of my strength, why have You abandoned me? Why should I walk in gloom under the oppression of the enemy. בכִּֽי־אַתָּ֨ה | אֱלֹהֵ֣י מָֽעוּזִּי֘ לָמָ֪ה זְנַ֫חְתָּ֥נִי לָֽמָּה־קֹדֵ֥ר אֶתְהַלֵּ֗ךְ בְּלַ֣חַץ אוֹיֵֽב:
3Send Your light and Your truth, that they may lead me; they shall bring me to Your Holy Mount and to Your dwellings. גשְׁלַח־אֽוֹרְךָ֣ וַֽ֖אֲמִתְּךָ הֵ֣מָּה יַנְח֑וּנִי יְבִיא֥וּנִי אֶל־הַר־קָדְשְׁךָ֗ וְאֶל־מִשְׁכְּנוֹתֶֽיךָ: