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Day
by Day On Feasts,
Festivals or get-togethers, in general, where we are gathered together with
others who accept YHWH and His Torah, we tend to be on our best behavior. What about our day
by day life? Are we less careful in our obedience when the brothers cannot see
us? How, are we to know
what is pleasing to YHWH? Does obedience to YHWH always coincide with what the
brothers and sisters think? In the case of a disagreement, what are we to do?
Does arguing with one another always bring us to a place where we can both see
things the same? If what we see or hear from a brother appears to disagree with
Torah, what then? None of us are
perfect but we are to strive for perfection, being whole in the will of YHWH. Torah was read
yearly at Sukkoth and to whom was it read? The assembly (those who listened to
the Torah being read) was made up of men and women and all who were able to
understand. According to YHWH
Comforts or (Nehemyah) 8, it appears that this was a reading of Torah by Help or
(Ezra) the Cohen, the priestly Scribe rather than being a discussion. We are
told the Levi’iym instructed the people as to the meaning of the Torah. They read from the
Torah of the Mighty One, making it clear and giving the meaning so that the
people could understand what was being read. Day after day, from
the first day to the last, Help or (Ezra) read from the Torah of the Mighty One. Nehemyah (Neh)
8:1-18 1
all the people assembled as one man in the square before the Water Gate.
They told Help or (Ezra) the scribe to bring out the Torah given through Moshe,
which YHWH had commanded for Yisrael. 2
So on the first day of the seventh month, Help
or (Ezra) the priest brought Torah before the assembly, which was made up of men
and women and all who were able to understand. 3
He read it aloud from daybreak till noon as he faced the square before
the Water Gate in the presence of the men, women and others who could
understand. And all the people listened attentively to the reading of Torah. 4
Help or (Ezra) the scribe stood on a high wooden platform built for the
occasion. Beside him on his right stood a Leviiym ‘Gift of YHWH (Mattithyah), Hear
(Shema), YHWH has answered (Anayah), YHWH is my Light (Uriyah), My Portion is
YHWH (Chilqiyah) and Work of YHWH (Ma’aseyah) and on his left were YHWH has
Ransomed (Pedayah), Who is What El is (Miysha’el), My King is YHWH (Malkiyah),
Rich (Chashum), Considerate Judge (Chashbaddanah), YHWH
Remembers (Zecharyah) and Friend (Meshullam). 5
Help (Ezra) opened the book. All the people could see him because he was
standing above them and as he opened it, the people all stood up. 6
Help or (Ezra) praised YHWH, the great Mighty One; and all the people
lifted their hands and responded, "Truly! Truly!". Then they bowed
down and worshiped YHWH with their faces to the ground. 7
The Levi’iym—He is Saved (Yeshua), Bull (Bani), YHWH Has Scorched (Sherebyah),
Right Hand (Yamiyn), Insidious (Akkub), Sabbatical (Shabbethai), My Majesty is
YHWH (Hodyah), Work of YHWH (Ma’aseyah), Crippled (Qeliyta), YHWH has Helped (Azaryah),
YHWH has Endowed (Yowzaba’ad), He is Merciful (Chanan)
and YHWH Does Wonders (Pelayah)-- instructed the people in Torah while the
people were standing there. 8
They read from the Torah of the Mighty One, making it clear and giving
the meaning so that the people could understand what was being read. 9
Then YHWH Comforts or (Nehemyah) the governor, Help or (Ezra) the priest
and scribe, and the Leviiym who were instructing the people said to them all,
"This day is set apart to YHWH your Mighty One. Do not mourn or weep."
For all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Torah. 10
YHWH Comforts or (Nehemyah) said, "Go and enjoy choice food and
sweet drinks and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is set
apart to our Mighty One. Do not grieve, for the joy of YHWH is your
strength." 11
The Leviiym calmed all the people, saying, "Be still, for this is a
day set apart to YHWH. Do not grieve." 12
Then all the people went away to eat and drink, to send portions of food
and to celebrate with great joy, because they now understood the words that had
been made known to them. 13
On the second day of the month, the heads of all the families, along with
the priests and the Levi’iym, gathered around Help or (Ezra) the scribe to
give attention to the words of Torah. 14
They found written in the Torah, which YHWH had commanded through Moshe,
that the sons of Yisrael were to live in booths during the feast of the seventh
month 15
and that they should proclaim this word and spread it throughout their
towns and in Yerushalayim: "Go out into the hill country and bring back
branches from olive and wild olive trees, and from myrtles, palms and shade
trees, to make booths"-- as it is written. 16
So the people went out and brought back branches and built themselves
booths on their own roofs, in their courtyards, in the courts of the house of
the Mighty and in the square by the Water Gate and the one by the Gate of
Ephrayim. 17
The whole company that had returned from exile built booths and lived in
them. From the days of He is Saved or (Yehoshua) son of Nuwn whose name means
Posterity, until that day, the sons of Yisrael had not celebrated it like this.
And their joy was very great. 18
Day after day, from the first day to the last, Help or (Ezra) read from
the Torah of the Mighty One. They celebrated the feast for seven days, and on
the eighth day, in accordance with the regulation, there was an assembly. Why do I mention
this? When we behave one way in front of people and another when we are alone,
who are we trying to please? Much of the just
read verses concern themselves with Sukkoth and the gathering together of the
people but even when alone or away from the fellow Torah keepers we must be what
we truly are. Torah instructs us
in how to live, how to think, among other things. It does not focus on making us
socially acceptable to our friends, our family or our compatriots. It focuses on
our acceptance by YHWH. Who we are and how we ‘act’ counts for nothing if we
are one way before men and another way entirely, before YHWH. Despite what others
may say or do or may think of us, we must do what pleases YHWH. Day by day, let us
be guided by Torah. Let us strive to know what YHWH wants from us and when we
know…DO.
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