|
----Original Message----- B"H Shalom Shomeir, I studied the book of Jonah this year and saw things I had never before seen. This is a book worth a very close look. I'm glad you've addressed it. Why was Jonah so reluctant? Why did he just want to die? Because when we encounter Jonah in this book, he's not at the beginning of his mission in the world, but at the end! He sees that Israel is not going to repent, that, indeed, they are going to go into captivity. And to add to his misery, HE is the one sent to prepare the instrument of their destruction. Too often Christians have looked at the book of Jonah as proof that non-Jews are more apt to repentance than Jews, that here this Jewish prophet was so bigoted and harsh that he didn't care about a whole nation. Jonah is chastised for that attitude. However, we have to understand that he KNOWS what will be the result of their repentance, and he grieves for the sorrows he knows are coming to Israel. The immorality of Nineveh has been compared to Sodom. There has been discussion on whether or not it was true repentance. Whatever, Hashem DID accept it--at least for that time being. There's much more; Jonah is a deeper book than I had ever first realized. I'd like to share more later. Shana tova, B"H Shalom Shomeir, I met Rick and Susan today at the seminar at the Mount Zion Hotel in Jerusalem. Shemuel and Rivka met them yesterday. It's very nice to make the connection in person. I hope we'll have the chance to meet you in person at some point. Rick gave me a copy of his book, which I'm now reading. I think he has a very balanced view, being careful not to be rigid against a change of the direction of the flow of the Spirit. I truly appreciate this. We talked for a while about the House of Israel returning. So many people have so many ideas of how this is supposed to happen. I'm glad he (and you) are open to the movement of Hashem in this and are wary of preconceived notions. I'm also glad to see the participation of rabbis in your effort--in fact this was something Shemuel and Rivka commented on, as well. One thing I've noticed is that there is a fear in the "Ephraim movement" of "becoming Yehudah". This is something that has to be considered. You do NOT want to repeat the sin of Ephraim in rejecting Jerusalem, Torah, and the authority of those who sit in the seat of Moshe. Jeraboam ben Nabat was so afraid of this that he set up an alternative holiday to Sukkot in the month of Cheshvan. (This is the same type thing the Christians did with Sunday, Christmas, and Easter.) Certain things are set by Torah and are not the private traditions of ANY tribe...rather they identify the WHOLE House of Israel. Hag sameach, |