Congregation Beth Ha'Mashiach
(House of the Messiah) - Worshipping ADONAI
& His Messiah, Yeshua Ha'Mashiach
Living & teaching as our
Messiah taught us to Live
Messianic
Congregation serving Northeast Atlanta Georgia (Gwinnett, Barrow, Dekalb,
Rockdale, Walton)
Phone 770
554-2867 - email:
rabbi@cbhm.org
Beha’alotcha - בהעלתך : “When you set up” Torah : Numbers 8:1–12:16 Haftarah : Zechariah 2:10–4:7 Gospel : John 5, 6
Thought for the Week:
(An excerpt from Torah Club)
Manna was the perfect food provided directly from heaven. In actuality, there
was nothing wrong with the manna except that it wasn’t fish, cucumbers, melons,
leeks, onions and garlic. Because it was not what they desired, they spurned it,
even though it was given of God.
Commentary:
Nostalgia for the Familiar
(Based on Torah Club)
In Numbers 11:4–9, nostalgia for the food of Egypt sweeps over the camp of
Israel. “We remember the fish which we used to eat free in Egypt, the cucumbers
and the melons and the leeks and the onions and the garlic, but now our appetite
is gone. There is nothing at all to look at except this manna.” (Numbers 11:5–6)
The same often happens to us after we take on a life of discipleship. For a
while, it is fresh, new and exciting. It is invigorating, and each day is filled
with new discovery. But after a period of time, the novelty wears off. We begin
to miss the old vices and entertainments. We begin to feel nostalgic for ways of
life that we have turned our backs on. When this happens (and it is normal that
it does) we must press on all the harder in pursuit of our righteous Savior. It
is normal for the heart to yearn for straying, but it is not normal to stray
after the heart. We know better. If we will only press on, we will discover
further joys, greater depths and new thrills in the pursuit of God.
Believers who begin to keep the commandments of God come from a variety of
denominational and religious backgrounds. Typically, when they do, they commit
to a life of Torah which they pursue with a proselyte’s zeal.
Everything changes. Your calendar, your holidays, your day of worship, your
friends, your rhythm of life, the places you go, your style of worship, the
entertainment you watch—everything is different—even the food you eat. It is
normal to, at a certain point, long for some of the old things you have left
behind. Believers in the Torah movement often feel bewildered by the strangeness
of the new world they have entered. They reflect back on the simpler days when a
Sunday morning worship service was nearly the full extent of their expression of
faith. They long for the simplicity they once knew. “We remember the fish which
we used to eat free in Egypt, the cucumbers and the melons and the leeks and the
onions and the garlic…” (Numbers 11:5) But the manna on which we now feed is the
one who has descended from heaven. He is the bread of life, and He beckons us to
eat of Him alone, and to follow Him alone. This is the way to life.
