Listening with our Eyes

    

       Many people who have known me over the years know that I do not enjoy talking on the phone.  They also have realized that I do not enjoy E-mailing, twittering, face-booking and all the other non-contact communicating media available today.   This is a primary factor in this little blog being such a challenge.  This behavior surprises even me.  When I was in the military, my primary function was communications.  Details are not necessary.  One of my duties was to communicate or enable communications with persons unseen.  Very exciting.  I could only imagine what the contact looked like.  When telling a plane to wave off, or screaming at a chopper he’s about to hit kingposts,  I could only imagine the reception I was receiving.   And I equated the one on the other end with me.  I could hear me and I could hear them.  But it was difficult to determine to whom I was talking.  Even more difficult to determine just who it was that was talking back to me. Without seeing the affect, watching the eyes, witnessing the smile or lack thereof, it was just another person.  Unless, by chance we arranged to meet some place to greet one another, the person on the other end was just a voice in the wilderness.  These events were surreal.

To truly hear someone, or even something, I believe we must be able to see what we are listening to. 

            [Note: when I read the previous sentence during proofing, I stopped and     researched how does a physically blind person really hear.  There is so much      involved but it all goes back to “seeing” what is being heard.  There are‘devices’ now available where a person without physical sight can listen to the sounds of the environment and learn to “see” that which is vital in the    hearing.  I have a lot to learn in this area, but I am convinced that the blind can “see” what they hear. The McGurk Effect    Click   or copy and paste in browser: http://homepage.ntu.edu.tw/~karchung/Phonetics%20II%20page%20seventeen.htm  for report

            In a report from Howard Hughes Medical Institute “Seeing, Hearing,             Smelling the World”,  c. 1995 Jeff Goldberg writes….in Quivering; the             bundles that hear:

            “There are only 16,000 hair cells in a human cochlea, compared to 100        million photoreceptors in the retina of the eye, and they are extremely           vulnerable. Life in a high-decibel society of pounding jackhammers,   screeching subway cars, and heavy metal rock music can take a devastating    toll on them. But whatever the cause—over exposure to loud noises,  disease, heredity, or aging—people tend to lose 40 percent of their hair cells by the age of 65. And once destroyed, these cells do not regenerate.”

     The above referenced data indicates that vision has a tremendous enhancement to our hearing.  A few years ago, I was involved in an exercise used for heightening effective listening capacity.  The protocol was to simply have the group just stop and listen.  The group was instructed to “inventory” all the sounds they heard.  After a few minutes, without notice, all lights were turned off.  The group was asked to continue taking inventory.  Then the AC was shut down, then the clocks, etc. The list grew in abundance.  When the noise making equipment was turned back on, the group was then asked what they heard.  Observation showed that as each person looked about the room, they began to hear more than the first two phases of the drill.  The result proposed that when we focus our hearing through vision, we fine tune our hearing to stimuli not noticed at first “glance”.  Human sensitivity tends to degrade over time and exposure. We do not use 100 percent of their senses. Which brings me to the point of this week’s blog: Listening with our eyes.   

Scripture tells us to listen with our eyes. 

In Deut 6:3 we are told “Hear (Strong’s H8085) therefore, O Israel and observe (H8104) to do (it) that it may be well with thee, and that ye may increase mightily, as the LORD God of thy fathers hath promised thee, in the land that floweth with milk and honey.

The word Hear (u-shmoth ) is Strong’s H8085: shama’  shaw-mah’;  to hear intelligently (often with implication of attention, obedience, etc; causatively, to tell, etc. ) 

The use of  ‘observe’  (u-shmrth)  is Strong’s H8104 shamar  shaw-mar’; properly, to hedge about (as with thorns), IE. Guard; generally, to protect, attend to, etc.

Please pay attention to the tightness (closeness) of hear and observe.

In Deut 6:4
 we read: Dta hvhy vnyhla hvhy larsy imw

Sh'ma Yis'ra'eil YHVH Eloheinu YHVH echad  

(Heb to Eng)   Hear (Strong’s 8085) you Israel Yahweh Elohim of us Yahweh one)

                                                           

Deut 11:13 says                     

                         ytvjm la vimwt imw ,a hyhv

                                                V'hayah im shamo'a tish'm'u el mitz'votai
                        (Heb to Eng)   and he becomes if to listen (Strong’s 8085) you shall listen to                                                           instructions of me

Store all that data and let’s read Numbers 15:37-40

rmal hwm la hvhy rmaYv

Vayo'mer YHVH el mosheh lei'mor
and he is saying Yahweh to Moshe to to say of   (Heb to Eng)

,hla trmav larsy ynB la rBD

Dabeir el b'nei Yis'ra'eil v'amar'ta aleihem
speak you to sons of Israel and you say to them (Heb to Eng)

ypnK li tjyj ,hl Vsiv

,trdl ,hydgb 

Tlkt lytP [nKh tjyj li Vntnv

v'asu lahem tzitzit al kan'fei vig'deihem l'dorotam
v'nat'nu al tzitzit hakanaf p'til t'kheilet
and they make for them tassel on hems of garments of them for generations of them and they give on tassel of the hem twine of amethyst  (Heb to Eng)

vTa ,tyarV tjyjl ,kl hyhv

hvhy tvjm lK ta ,trkzV
VrVtt alv ,ta ,tysiv 

,kynyi yrxav ,kbbl yrxa 

        ,hyrxa ,ynz ,ta rwa

V'hayah lakhem l'tzitzit ur'item oto uz'khar'tem et kol mitz'vot Adonai
va'asitem otam v'lo taturu acharei l'vav'khem v'acharei eineikhem
asher atem zonim achareihem

and he (Strong’s H1961: hayah  haw-yaw; to exist, ie. Be or become, come to pass [always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxillary]) becomes to you to tassel and you see him and you remember  (Strong’s H2142: zakar  zaw-kar’  properly, to mark [so as to be recognized], ie. To remember, by implication, to mention])  all of instructions of Yahweh and you do them and not explore you after heart of you and after eyes of you which you ones prostituting after them  (Heb to Eng)

 lK ta ,tysiv VrKzt ]iml

,kyhlal ,ywdq ,tyyv ytvjm 

L'ma'an tiz'k'ru va'asitem et kol mitz'votai viyitem k'doshim lei'loheikhem
so that you shall remember and you do all of instructions of me and you become holy ones to Elohim of you

     This all tells me that when we hear intelligently, when we combine that hearing with guarding and protecting, that when we see that which has been commanded, in this case, tzitziot, that we see Him and His Word.  This is about as close to His face we can get for the time being.  So. We must see to hear Him. 

Step outside and take a look.  He is everywhere.  See Him…Hear Him! 

That is what He asks of us. 

D’varim / Deuteronomy 4:1!!!

Shalom and shalom…

Pinchas a/k/a Frankly speaking all the time

Taking the "I" Out Of Me

We focus intently on what Torah says so as not to violate Torah, but sometimes, we overlook some things that are “permissible”  yet are worse than violating Torah. Torah encourages us to seek the truth of the Word and everyone’s word who speaks up for Torah.  We are permitted to disagree and openly discuss various concepts that may be disputed or in error by the Torah teachers. [Know more than the Torah teachers, especially since some are false prophets.] Yet, the Talmud teaches that “one who disagrees with, argues with, complains against, or suspects his rabbi is considered to be exhibiting”  sins considered more severe than sins that are explicit in Torah (from Aish.com Clinging to the Light).  This is what Korach did to muster up the 250 or so leaders to rise up against Moshe.

This ‘walking the fine line’ behavior sometimes can result in very strong discussions that stray from M’d’rash to outright argument.  This is the behavior that is witnessed by many who come to believe that all they do is argue!  And they, the witnesses, are not wrong!  The reason we study Torah, above all else, is to come closer with our Creator.  The closer we come, the more in step we must be.  Otherwise, He will wait to reveal more of himself until we reveal less of our self. When I speak of “self”, I speak of the sum total of my life’s experiences.  Everything that is within me.  All that is necessary for me to be in this moment.  Not balanced by good or bad, but balanced by each occurrence in my life that got me here.  Recognizing where I want to go, ie. to see the Face of YHVH, I realize that all future occurrences in my life, must be in alignment with what He wants.  I can no longer do what I want to do if I truly desire to reach my goal.  I must realize that I really have never done just what I want to do. I have followed guidelines from somewhere or someone other than my “self” ... even the dark moments.

We set goals for ourselves and from that, we chart the various steps we must take to achieve that goal. A simple example: Say we want to obtain employment as a jet engine mechanic. My goal: jet engine mechanic. I have no earthly idea how to fix or maintain a jet engine. I realize I must go to school.  The school has certain requirements for entry. I now establish sub-goals.  I must do everything required for entry into school. Upon graduation I may be required to be certified or licensed. More sub-goals to becoming a jet engine mechanic. You are probably getting the picture.  We are doing what we believe is our choice in all these sub-goals to reach the major goal of being a ‘mech’.  But reality is, we do what we do because someone else established the criteria for us to achieve our dream job.  This is not different in our goal of seeking His Face.  Someone else is directing each step.  The more steps we take by His direction, the closer we come to the ultimate goal.  The less we see of us, the more we see of Him.

Many years ago when I was busy achieving my goals, I took a course on self-actualization. Very interesting experience.  I felt like a phony beyond phonies but I had to make a super grade to move on to the next step. So I endured.  Little did I know that this was directed by my Heavenly Father for such a time as now.  I had to learn all I could about my “self” so that in my acquisition of my final goal, I would not be shocked, shaken, disbelieving or condescending of those whom “I am going to help restore to a positive mental attitude”. This was a very challenging and emotional experience.  I became “aligned with the cosmos…feet firmly planted on the ground and my head reaching to the heavens.”.  Sounds very Hippie’ish, for those who are old enough!  Now, it all makes sense.  Once I became aware of my total being (the sum total of my life’s experiences) I could accept my “self” without shame or embarrassment….as long as I was traveling on a path to see His face! 

This week I have learned that if my past could not be accepted by me in my present, then my Elohim could not accept me either.  Yahshua said, go and sin no more. And I also read that He would blot out our sins….as soon as we repent and go and sin no more.  Heavenly Father, I am striving for the ability to stop focusing on me, and focus only on You.  BHC, as I just wrote that, I realize I haven’t gotten very far.  Look at the trail of content this blog has followed. Goes back to the early blogs: Must take the “I” out of “me”.

Psalm 104:33-35 does not say sinners should perish; it says for us to eradicate the sin and Praise YHVH!  Halleluyah!  It also does not say that Yahshua has done all of that for us and we are free to do our own thing.  This is an ongoing endeavor and we must persevere to the end!  No report card until the course is completed! And remember, the teacher doesn't speak while the test is in progress!

Today Rabah. YHVH bless you one and all!

Love,

Pinchas / a/k/a  Frankly Speaking

Overcoming the Abominations of Man

After YHVH saw us polluted in our own blood, He demanded that we “live” and then he cleaned us up, covered us up, lifted us up and married us. (Ezekial 16:6-8) From what I can discern the marriage last about 500 years before we got rebellious.  Some have been rebellious ever since. We began breaking all aspects of the covenant.  When we married at Sinai, we said “I do” three times.

             Exodus 19:8  All the people answered as one, "Everything ADONAI has said, we will do." Moshe reported the words of the people to ADONAI.

Ex 24:3  Moshe came and told the people everything ADONAI had said, including all the rulings. The people answered with one voice: "We will obey every word ADONAI has spoken."

Ex.24:7  Then he took the book of the covenant and read it aloud, so that the people could hear; and they responded, "Everything that ADONAI has spoken, we will do and obey."

So what happened?  Well, YHVH got fed up!  He proffered the get he issued in Jer3:8 and declared the divorce as written in Hosea 1:9.  The only way any of this could have happened was for one party or the other of the covenant to not live up to the terms of the covenant.  The covenant He made with us is Torah!  Torah has not changed. So, logic tells me that we have changed! 

In Jer 31:31-33 YHVH gives us another opportunity.  He promises to make another covenant.  This covenant becomes more individualized and independent of the first covenant.  This covenant will be written on the hearts of each person who wants to be a Bride.  (Heb 8:7-13).

As I write this I am getting absolutely worked up because I have been reflecting for several weeks about what has this country done to infuriate our Father so very much.  So much that we can observe the slow destruction of land and resources.  He does not take away that which we believe we have created!  He takes away that which He has created!  It is all His.  We become very helpless and in despair when what we think we have created disappear as a result of “natural” consequences.  Then, bringing it closer to home, looking at my own community, I hear people expressing their fears that the abominable behaviors in some are influencing those who are good at heart.  The disgusting behavior is condoned because those who are fearful it may affect them or their loved-ones believe that people should have the freedom to do and say whatever they want.  But they are afraid it will influence they own kin.  They do not accept the tremendous magnitude of our Elohim.

Call it a judgmental statement or just an observation.  But as far as I am concerned, anyone who tells me that they are agonized for the disgusting behavioral practices in vogue today and in the same breath tell me they do not accept that there is a Creator of All, needs more help than I can offer.  These are the people who are not destined to be at the Wedding!  These are the people whose hearts are being passed by because they do not present themselves in a humble manner. Yahshua proposed to Israel and all Israel has to do is take the Cup of Redemption.  This is also called the Cup of Acceptance.  We do not have to wait for Pesach/Passover for this to happen.  We can offer with our hearts, via words from our mouth, a confession that we have been wrong, have turned to Yahshua, who will guide us to YHVH. If we truly believe with all our heart, mind, body and soul that Yahshua is the Messiah and the door to Salvation, as granted by YHVH, then we go and sin no more (Rom 10:9-10).  We profess the powers of our Father and walk away from the disgusting practices in vogue today.  Then, and only then, can we stop worrying ourselves how our family and friends are being influenced.  Then, and only then, will we have given up the notion that we have the power to overcome.  No one will overcome without permission from YHVH.

YHVH Bless you one and all, and

Bless YHVH

Pinchas a/k/a Frankly Speaking