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Congregation Beth Ha'Mashiach
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Weekly Drash - Ki Tavo
Compliments of First Fruits of Zion Parasha: Ki TavoEnd of the CurseKi Tavo – כי תבא : “When you come” Thought for the Week:The blessings in this week’s Torah reading are not the ultimate reward for keeping God’s commandments. Rather they are consequences that may be enjoyed in this world, but the ultimate reward is reserved for the World to Come. Commentary:So all these curses shall come on you and pursue you and overtake you until you are destroyed, because you would not obey the LORD your God by keeping His commandments and His statutes which He commanded you. (Deuteronomy 28:45) It is true that the list of curses reads much like a history of the people of Israel. If Israel ever held any hope that Deuteronomy 28 contained merely idle threats, the record of history has dashed that hope. The curses of Deuteronomy 28 turned out to be accurate prophecies. But Christians must repent of the tendency to look at Deuteronomy 28 as evidence of the Jews’ everlasting “cursedness.” Christian interpretation has historically regarded the Torah’s curses as proof that God has rejected His people. The opposite is true. If God has visited these covenant curses upon His people, it is proof that His covenant with Israel still stands. The Jewish people are still His people. Christians should recognize that any curse that falls upon Israel also falls upon them since believers are actually grafted into Israel and made a part of the commonwealth of the nation. Therefore, rather than triumphing over the brokenness of the Jewish people, Christians should mourn along with them, sharing in their tragedies and suffering. All is not lost, though. Even the darkest and longest nights end with the dawning of a new day. With the reformation of the modern state of Israel, we have seen the first glimmer of hope that this long painful exile might be nearing an end. So long as Messiah is united with His people Israel in their suffering, Israel will also be united with Him in His glory. One day soon the long exile will come to an end. Light will dawn, and the longed for Messiah will return. Eyes blinded at noonday will be opened, as it says, “Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him.” (Revelation 1:7) The exile will come to a final end when the exiled King enters Jerusalem again to the glad shouts of “Blessed is He that comes in the Name of the LORD!” He will take up his throne, David’s fallen tabernacle will be rebuilt and He will gather in all the scattered of His people. Please consider supporting FFOZ with a financial contribution. Restoration Products
We are pleased to announce 3 different Restoration products, now available at the FFOZ Store (http://ffoz.com/store). The Restoration Book, the Restoration Workbook and the Audio Book. The new workbook contains fifteen chapters that correspond to the chapters in the book Restoration, written by D. Thomas Lancaster. Each chapter contains an introduction and questions to help the reader explore the concepts and ideas presented in the book in more detail. Ideal for Study Groups
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