Life-with-or-without-Faith
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Please do NOT visit this
site on שַׁבָּת - Shabbat or on
the מוֹעֲדִים - Mo’a’dim - Feasts!
Re Tanakh versions:
Throughout this site I may use any of three versions of the Tanakh: 1. “Jewish
Publication Society” (JPS-1917), 2. “Mechon-Mamre.org” (MEC), and 3. “Sefaria.org” (SEF), three brilliant versions, However, the
JPS-1917 is my preferred version!
Colour coded
details of our beloved TaNaKh:
1. Torah = History & Law, 2. Nevi’im = The Prophets. 3. *Ketuvim = all other Writings.
*The Ketuvim - Includes, Poetical
books - Psalms, Proverbs, Job, the Megillot, or Scrolls - Song of Solomon, Ruth, Lamentations of
Jeremiah, Ecclesiastes, and Esther, prophecy of Daniel, and history
of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Chronicles I & II.
Please Note: Some
alterations or (additions) have been made relating to ‘Names’ and ‘Attributes’
of אֱלֹהִים - Elohim (God), having been corrected
like it once was pre the “Masoretic Text”.
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Remember the following truth from our beloved Torah!
“Ye shall NOT ADD TO THE WORD which
I command you, NEITHER SHALL YE DIMINISH FROM
IT, that ye may keep the commandments of אֱלֹהֵיכֶם יְהוָה - the LORD your Eloleichem, which I command you”. Davarim -
Deuteronomy 4:2. (JPS-1917).
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With Rabbi, Dr. Reuven Ben Avraham-Goossens, PhD.
Introduction:
There is no doubt, that
living a meaningful life is certainly an ongoing challenge for all of us. It is
easy for our brains to wander or our see priorities slip. However what is most
important that ‘faith’, ‘values’, ‘relationships’, ‘community, and family
remain vital in our lives!
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“Ani Ma’amin”
means “I believe” in Ivrit - Hebrew. Considering I am currently 81, and have
been writing studies since the early 1980, but during the past two years, even
though I am in a hospital bed, and sadly critically ill. But, I believe it is
vital to bring to us all, scriptural truths regarding our Hebraic faith!
Of course a strong faith is part of what makes us human. It
is a basic attitude of trust that always goes beyond the available evidence,
but without it we would be would not achieve anything special from our lives.
Our beloved faith in אֱלֹהִים יְהוָה - the LORD Elohim, who created the
Universe in love, who made every human being regardless of ‘colour’, ‘creed’ or
‘class’, in “His image”. And it is יְהוָה - the LORD who lifts us up, when we ‘fall’, and He
forgives us when we fail and asks us to place love at the very centre of our
moral world: ‘love of neighbour’, ‘love of stranger’, above all the love of יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ - the LORD our Eloheinu!
Without faith in our beloved אֱלֹהִים - Elohim, the Universe would without a doubt slowly
become’s completely meaningless. And our lives will cease to have an objective
purpose. These days, Human life is sadly no longer sacred, nor are ‘promises’,
‘duties’ and ‘responsibilities’ in the world! Cultures that sadly lose their
faith eventually become ‘individualistic’ and ‘relativist’. For as we know well
that so many people have become so ‘self-seeking’ and full of the; ‘I, me, and
myself’.
Amazingly, at first this seems to be like a great
liberation, but ultimately it lead to a breakdown of ‘trust’, and without
trust, ‘societies suffer entropy’: a loss of energy’ and ‘order’, leading to a
very sad state of mind and a decline and decay of oneself.
If faith in אֱלֹהִים - Elohim means anything, it should mean ‘humility toward
oneself’ and ‘love of thy neighbour’ and ‘the stranger’. However, having
travelled the globe for countless years, to over 70 countries, I have found
that sadly faith does not always lead to the things of ‘love of the neighbour’
and ‘stranger’. Personally I have seen it lead to ‘self-righteousness and
‘hatred of the stranger’. And that is so tragic!
Today in many parts of the
world I have seen religion confused with the pursuit of power, however, our
beloved Tanakh tells us that true power only belongs to אֱלֹהִים - Elohim. Faith has nothing to do with power and
everything to do with ‘the Holy’ and the ‘good’ and ‘the pursuit of justice’
and ‘compassion’. When religion and politics become confused, believe me, the
result is disastrous for both!
Today’s angry atheists, they are far from being ‘profound’,
for they are like ‘humourless individuals’ wondering why people believe in אֱלֹהִים - Elohim. Their attitudes have nothing to do with
‘science’ and everything to do with a failure of imagination. We need science to
tell us how the world is, and our beloved religion to tell us how the world
should be. Both are necessary.
Faith is understood in the living, and of course proved in
the doing. We encounter the Divine Presence in ‘prayer’ and ‘ritual’, ‘story’
and ‘song’. These lift us beyond ourselves toward the infinite. אֱלֹהִים - Elohim who teaches us to see His trace in the face of
human’s, leading us to acts of ‘loving kindness’ that make gentle the life of
this world. Living in faith and that binds us to יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ - the LORD our Eloheinu, blessed be He, and through Him to we reach out to ‘humanity’.
Faith is life lived in the light of love!
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Please Note: “hebraicstudies”
links are located down the page!
This site was
originally created, for those who desired to return to our blessed and
wonderful faith. Thus be wise and work on your faith and pray at least two or
three times a day (if possible) and always seek our beloved אֱלֹהִים -
Elohim’s guidance, for His love is always with us, especially when we seek Him,
blessed be He! However this site has become very much a teaching site with
hundreds of studies!
Remember what יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ - the LORD our Eloheinu, יְהוָה בָּרוּךְ
אַתָּה - Blessed
are You LORD, said the following through a number of our prophets...
“The More Torah, the More Life”,
For Elohim is the One who
gave us our ... “Life!”
May the שָׁלוֹם - Shalom = Peace
of צְבָאוֹת- יְהוָה= the LORD of hosts, be with
you, and please always uphold our blessed שַׁבָּת - Shabbat, as well as
the מוֹעֲדִים - Mo’a’dim -
Feasts, and continue saying your daily תְּפִלָּה - Tefeelah’s - Prayers and
regular בְּרָכָה - Be’ra’chah’s - blessings before food
and drinks, etc!
שָׁלוֹם
עֲלֵיכֶם - Shalom
Aleichem - Peace be with you!
Enter ...
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