I was driving down I75 yesterday admiring all the luxurious RVs and thinking about how most of them cost more than my house and five acres. One bumper sticker said, "Spending our kids' inheritance."

It irked me that while Alan and I still talk about when we can "re-retire," others coast across the Appalachians in land yachts. Yes, I was a little "Kor-achey" for a moment. But time-bound life is only a moment, and I was reminded of this week's Torah portion, Korach.

Life is more than what most people bother to think about. It isn't what tastes good, feels good, makes me laugh, or makes me feel smart. Death is more than a funeral. Eternity is behind those masks, and I want to see...and live...beyond the mask.

The daily prayer of the Amidah reminds me: " May it be Your will, Adonai, my God, and the God of my forefathers, that human jealousy may not rise up against me, nor my jealousy upon others..."
 

Human jealousy arises when one feels as though one deserved more than was delivered by human hands. We rise to seek the level that God should have given us. The truth, though, is that we are angry with God, the true Source. It is the Moses' and Aarons that become our scapegoats. Or Democrats, or Republicans, or rich people, or poor people, or, or, or.... "Who is Aaron that you murmur against him?"

Isn't it time to quit obsessing about the "devil" with many names (politicians, religions, anyone with whom I disagree, etc.)? Why not do our Kingdom work and study what the Father specifically has appointed us instead of becoming scholars of the day's headlines? Perhaps we envy the positions of those whom we excoriate as much as reject their policies, beliefs, and actions. Are we piggybacking (sorry) our own envy onto righteous indignation?
 

History is littered with the examples of justice-seeking revolutionaries who became what they hated once they came to power. The lines between the desire for justice and envy blur.

The Amidah follows the prayer to remove envy by pinpointing the source of the envy: anger. "May I not become angry today, and may I not anger You."

The Torah portion of Korach is beautifully addressed by this final section of the daily prayer that includes:

This prayer takes care of any worries we have about the headlines, and it focuses our attention on the most powerful force in our world, our Creator.

Why does anger lead to envy or jealousy? Even more importantly, why am I angry? People become angry when they are scared of something. Kain became angry with his brother when he feared that he had lost standing with Elohim. The fear blocked the logic of the respect that Elohim had for Abel's sacrifice. Because Abel held back nothing, it moved the Father's heart. Because Kain held back something by not offering firstfruits, it could not be received with the gladness, but sadness.

The offering was a Sukkot offering, miketz yamim, "at the end of days." Either livestock or produce were acceptable as long as they were the best! Each brother was gifted to bring forth firstfruits qualified for Sukkot offerings, but only Abel was able to return Elohim's portion to Him. Kain substituted only "the fruit of the ground" for the best. He didn't "max out" the blessing he could have received.

We are each gifted by Heaven with certain natural gifts and spiritual gifts. This is our portion in the Torah, and from those gifts we may produce much fruit, but the firstfruits are His. Physical gifts reflect the desire to render back to Him the best of the spiritual gift He gave us while we were formed in our mothers' wombs. Obedience to the Torah produces the fruit unique to us, fruit as unique as a snowflake or fingerprint. Max it out!

The Father desires "lamb gifts" from the one gifted with nurturing lambs. The Father desires "green gifts" (Hebrew for vegetables is " yerakot," meaning "greens") from children gifted with growing plants. The last thing He desires is for children to become jealous of one another's gifts and assignments in the Kingdom. Even worse, He does not want His children to covet the earthly rewards of those only apparently rich and successful people who squander the life He gave them by keeping the "best" for themselves.

The rabbis say that one who is content with what he has is truly rich. That is the kind of rich I want to be. Could I be content with a 2017 washer-and-dryer-and-dishwasher-three-slideout-indoor and outdoor entertainment system-500 horsepower Cummins-pullout pantry-DTV-equipped-shiny paint job RV?

Only if I am content with a 1999 donated-allergic to hills and engine misses during rainstorms-broken drawers-broken front air conditioning-leaky faucet-faded-RV. You know what? It's a mansion!  A blessing!
 

It's fine to ADMIRE what others have as long as it doesn't spark discontent with what one DOES HAVE. It can become incentive to work a little harder for better things within the capability of our gifts and talents, or it can become a decision point to accept what I have with gratefulness and to understand that the shiny things are masking true life and eternal living.

If Kain and Abel had joined in the Spirit of Sukkot, then the firstfruits offerings would have been shared. Together in the sukkah, Kain would have great lamb kabobs, and Abel would have great grilled eggplant and zucchini! The priests would have had great Levitical and tribal chief partners, and the Levites and chiefs would have had priests who labored in love for them without the sadness of dark clouds of accusation as to their motives.
 

I am not afraid that the Father loves me less than those with greater spiritual gifts or RVs. I am content with what I have, and I nurture those gifts He's given me diligently. I share, and I in turn benefit from the gifts He's given others. If I am not afraid, then I am not angry at God. If I am not angry, then I do not accuse human beings who have or do more. If I do not accuse, then we don't fight. If we don't fight, then no one has to die of envy.

Psalm 37 is a wonderful Psalm to pray when we feel as though others prosper while we work diligently for Yeshua and receive only distress, poverty, sickness, and bitter accusation. There is no need to envy.

" By envy of the devil, death entered the world."

I love the Blessing After Meals on Shabbat, for it highlights so many of these Psalm 37 passages, such as "I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread."

If Torah and Yeshua are the true Bread from Heaven, then our children should never go hungry any more than the Israelites' children did not go hungry for forty years. We are rich, for we are content with what we have, the Word.

Psalm 37 Exhortation to Patience and Trust Of David

Commentary on the Amidah is in

Creation Gospel Workbook Six: Hebrew Prayer and Worship Traditions.  It is the study guide and companion work to

Standing With Israel: a House of Prayer for All Nations. It is written for those who want a deeper examination of the text of the Amidah prayers.

LaMalah Children's Centre

 

Orphanage Update

Special thanks to our regular donors and our new donors.  Click on this Dropbox link for a special Powerpoint presentation giving the history of LaMalah Children's Centre.

If you have children's clothes or children's books (in English) to send, you can mail them to:   

 

Peter W Ndungu
P.O.Box 724
Limuru 00217
Kenya
East Africa

The children could each use a copy of the International Children's Bible in English, which serves a two-fold purpose, reading Scripture and learning to read in English.  We have ordered a couple of hardback copies for community use, but it would be awesome if each child could have his or her own copy.  If you can send a copy, send it to the above address.

Also, if you are traveling to Kenya and you would be willing to transport a suitcase of children's books for LaMalah, please notify us.  These are heavy items, and it costs a small fortune to mail them. 

 

If you can help toward this goal, as always, we welcome your assistance.  For those of you who send monthly support to the orphanage, we can't thank you enough for fulfilling Messiah's commission.