Rabbi's Drash

Rosh Hashana

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Numbers 30:2-36:13
 

Rosh Hashanah 5770 Message from the Rabbi Our G-d, the G-d of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is the G-d of beginning again, of mercy and pure love. His Chesed is beyond anything we can understand. He is always telling us "I am here, make t'shuva-return to me." Many confuse religion with relationship. A true "baal t'shuva" is not someone who shows he is more religious or more righteous than anyone else but is in fact more humbled by the recognition of what G-d has done in his life. When you return to Him, He renews you and helps you grow into a new life. For the first time you become free to be yourself, free from the world and you can finally be free to do what He has called you to do. These are difficult days. One of the areas of medicine that has grown by leaps and bounds these days is in the area of psychology and psychiatry. So many more people need to find a professional to help them work things out in their minds and emotions. Why is that? I believe that it is simply because we have decided that we are smarter than G-d; we do not want to listen or be obedient to Him. We would rather do things our own way. Our prophet Jeremiah told us that the one who trusts in man is cursed while the one who trusts in G-d is blessed. We have forgotten G-d's ways and we are suffering the consequences. How many of us put our hopes in mere man and become disappointed when people or organizations don't deliver or meet up to our expectations. Patients with emotional or mental illness need to accept their own reality before they can start the healing process. It is the same with any of us who are looking for healing in our lives. We also need to make a simple decision to not complain about how bad we are but to see how good we can be one day at a time with the help of G-d. Most of us live in a state of denial about who we really are and prefer to wear a mask. We have become experts at hiding who we really are, even from ourselves. It is the most liberating things to finally know who we are, warts and all. It is here that the healing can begin. We do not need to defend ourselves to anyone. We simply need to give ourselves to G-d completely, to surrender to Him and allow Him to remake our lives. This is t'shuva. The true baal t'shuva gives his life to G-d without counting the cost. Believing in Yeshua is being baal t'shuva; it is not converting to another god. The 12th principle of Maimonides- xsmh taybb hmls hnwmab Nmam yna Ani maamin b'emunah shlema b'viat ha Mashiach …I believe with perfect faith in the coming of the Messiah…is central to Judaism. Many Rabbis have come to the understanding that Yeshua is the Messiah and that he came "to the Jew first". The problem that we are facing today is the confusion of terms, languages and the identity of the Messiah. He is not another god. If you truly search the Scriptures you will find him there. He is the reflection (Shekhina-hnks) and Glory - (Kevod-dvbk) of the G-d of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Hebrews 1:3) The true baal t'shuva learns what it means to live in community, how to serve others in the community and to lose their self-centeredness. Israel was not called for their own sake. We were not called because we were the best, the smartest, the strongest. We were simply called because decided to do so in order to be a light to the nations. It is a great responsibility to be chosen and we need to respond by asking him to show us why we are here. When you were a child you thought about what you would do when you grew up. As you got older even into your 50's or 60's there were times you still may not have been sure about what you wanted to do with your life. You may not have accomplished all that you wanted to over the years. Sometimes you feel that you wasted your life but when Adonai calls you, things change. You can no longer be self-centered trying to fulfill your own purpose in life. Now you start to live to serve others…this happens when you respond to G-d's call. This is t'shuva. Let us in this New Year, do true t'shuva by responding to His call on our lives remembering that Yeshua has written our names in the Sefer ha Chaim with indelible ink-.the blood of Mashiach's sacrifice. In Chazon (Rev. 20:11-15) Yochanan spoke about his vision of the Throne judgment. 11Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. 12And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. 13The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. 14Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. It is very real. We will one day stand in front of our Almighty G-d and make an account for our lives. Yeshua ha Mashiach gave his life for us. May we live for him in community living a life worthy of this important calling! May we serve one another in love! Let him who has ears hear. May you have a good year and may your name be sealed in the Lamb's Book of Life.      May G-d add blessings to His Word!      Rabbi Percy Johnson      Netanel ben Yochanan      [nxy [b lantn      © 2008 Use by Permission      Kehilat She’ar Yashuv

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