OUR PROMISE TO GOD ~ SHEMA - HERE O ISRAEL, GOD IS OUR GOD, GOD IS ONE ~ Deuteronomy 6 V 4-10

 

OUR PROMISE TO OTHERS IN THE.NAME OF GOD AND THE HOLY SPIRIT

 I will not take vengeance nor bear any grudge against the children of our people, but I shall love my neighbor as I myself would like to be loved and treated.

~Leviticus 19v18

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God, and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God, but those who do not love does not love God.

~ 1 John 4v7

THE LORD GOD'S PROMISE TO US ~ TIMSHEL/THOU MAYEST ~

 Why are you so angry? The Lord God said unto Cain, why do you look so dejected? You will be accepted if you do what is right; but if you refuse to do what is right; then watch out, for sin couches at your door eager to control you; but Thou Mayest subdue it  and be its master.

~Genesis 4v6-7

The Mindless Menace of Violence ~Robert F Kennedy.....This speech was made the day after Martin Luther King jr's murder in 1968, just months before he himself was to be killed...

 This is a time of shame and sorrow. It is not a day for politics. I have saved this one opportunity, my only event of today, to speak briefly to you about the mindless menace of violence in America which again stains our land and every one of our lives.

It is not the concern of any one race. The victims of the violence are black and white, rich and poor, young and old, famous and unknown. The are, most important of all, human beings whom other human beings loved and needed. No one - no matter where he lives or what he does - can be certain who will suffer from some senseless act of bloodshed. And yet it goes on and on and on in this country of ours.

Why?  What has violence ever accomplished? What has it ever created? No martyrs's cause has ever been stilled by an assassin's bullet.

No wrong's have ever been righted by riots and civil disorders. A sniper is only a coward, not a hero; and an uncontrolled, uncontrollable mob is only the voice of madness, not the voice of reason.

Whenever any American's life is taken by another American unnecessarily - whether it is done in the name of the law or in the defiance of the law, by one man or a gang, in cold blood or in passion, in an attack of violence or in response to violence - whenever we tear at the fabric of the life which another man has painfully and clumsily woven for himself and his children, the whole nation is degraded.

"Among free men," said Abraham Lincoln, "there can be no successful appeal from the ballot to the bullet; and those who take such appeal are sure to lose their cause and pay the costs."

Yet we seemingly tolerate a rising level of violence that ignores our common humanity and our claims to civilization alike. We calmly accept newspaper reports of civilian slaughter in far-off lands. We glorify killing on movie and television screens and call it entertainment. We make it easy for men of all shades of sanity to acquire whatever weapons and ammunition they desire.

Too often we honor swagger and bluster and wielders of force; too often we excuse those who are willing to build their own lives on the shattered dreams of others. Some Americans who preach non-violence abroad fail to practice it here at home. Some of us accuse others of inciting riots have by their own conduct invited them.

Some look for scapegoats, others look for conspiracies, but this much is clear: violence breeds violence, repression brings retaliation, and only a cleansing of our whole society can remove this sickness from our soul.

For there is another kind of violence, slower but just as deadly destructive as the shot or the bomb in the night. This is the violence of instuitions; indifference ad inaction and slow decay. This is the violence that afflicts the poor, that poisons relations between men because their skin has different colors. This is the slow destruction of a child by hunger, and schools without books and homes without heat in the winter.

This is the breaking of a man's spirit by denying him the chance to stand as a father and as a man mong other men. And this too afflicts us all.

I have not come here to propose a set of specific remedies nor is there a single set. For a broad and adequate outline we know what must be done. When you teach a man to hate and fear his brother, when you teach that those who differ from you threaten their freedom or your job or family, then you, then you also learn to confront others not as fellow citizens but as enemies, to be met not with cooperation but with conquest; to be subjugated and mastered.

We learn, at last, to look at our brothers as aliens, men with whom we share a city, but not a community; men bound to a common dwelling, but not a common effort.  We share only a common fear, o only a common desire to retreat from each other, only a common impulse to meed a disagreement with force. For all this, there are no final answers.e 

Yet we know what we must do. It is to achieve true justice among our fellow citizens. The question is not what programs we should seek to enact. The question is whether we can find in our midst and in our own hearts that leadership of human purpose that will recognize the terrible truths of our existence.

We must admit the vanity of our false distinctions among men and learn to find our own advancement in the search for the advancement of others. We must admit in ourselves that our own children's future cannot be built on the misfortune on others. We must recognize that this short life can neither be ennobled or enriched by hatred or revenge.

Our lives on this planet are too short and the work to be done too great to let this spirit flourish any longer in our land. Of course we cannot vanquish it with a program, nor with a resolution.

But we can perhaps remember, if only for a time, that those who live with us are our brothers, that they share with us the same short moment of life: that they seek, as do we, nothing but the change to live out their lives in purpose and in happiness, winning what satisfaction and fulfillment they can.

Surely, this bond of common faith, this bond of common goal, can being to teach us something. Surely, we can learn, at least, to look at those around us as fellow men, and surely we can begin to work a little harder to bind up the wounds among us and to become in our own hearts brothers and countrymen on again.

Spirit of God Descend upon my Heart

 Spirit of God descend upon my heart

Wean if from earth; through all its pulses move

Stoop to my weakness, mighty as thou art

And make me love as I ought to love

I ask no dream, no prophet ecstasies

No sudden rending of the veil of clay

No angel vision, no opening skies

But take the dimness of my soul away

Teach me to feel that thou art always nigh

Teach me the struggle of the soul to bear

To check the rising doubt, the rebel sighs

Teach me the patience of unanswered prayers

Teach meto love thee as thine angels love

One holy passion filing all my frame

The present of thy descended dove

My heart an alter, and thy love a flame

---George Crowly

Here, O, Israel, GOD is our GOD; GOD is one~ and its blessings~

Call to Prayer

 Bless Adonai is to be blessed.

Bless be Adonai who is to be blessed for ever and ever.

Blessed,  praised, glorified, exalted and extolled be the name of the king over the kings of kings, the holy one blessed be He. He is the first and H is last, and other than him there are no gods. Pave the way for the one who rides where there sun sets - his name being Yah - and rejoice before Him. His name is exalted beyond all blessing and praise. Blessed is the one the glory of whose kingdom is renewed forever. May Adonai's name be blessed from now until eternity.

Blessing on Creation

 Blessed are You, Adonai our GOD, ruler of the world, who forms light and creates darkness, makes peace creates eveything, illumining the earth and those who dwell there in mercy, in the goodness forever renewing daily the work of creation. How numerous are your works, Adonai! You made all of them in wisdom. The earth was filled with your creatures. The exalted ruler ever since, lauded, glorified and extolled for days immemorial, in your great mercy on us: lord, acting as our strength; rock, acting as our protector; defender, acting as our salvation, protector, acting on our behalf.

Almighty Blessed Great Diviner

The sun's lights' maker and designer

The Good One made his name divine and round his might set lights to shine.

In holiness his hosts ascend exalting GOD, telling without end of the holiness of GOD sublime.

Be blessed, Adonai Our GOD, for the excellent work your hands, and for the glowing lights that you created, they will glorify you. Blessed Be our Rock, our ruler and redeemer, creator of holy beings, your name be praised forever, our ruler, who formed his servants, the servants who all stand high above the world, reverently and with one voice reciting the words of the living GOD, the infinite ruler. They are all beloved; they are all pure; they are all mighty; they all carry out their creator's will with awe and reverence. They all open their mouths with holiness, and purity, with poetry, with poetry and song, and bless, praise, glorify and adore, sanctify and exalt the name of GOD, great mighty and awesome ruler, the Holy One. and from each other they all take the rule of the kingdom of heaven upon themselves, and give permission to each other to sanctify their creator. with calm spirit, with pure speech and with holy melody, they all answer as one.

Holy, holy holy is the lord of hosts.

the whole earth is full of his glory.

the ofanim and the holy creatures rise dramatically toward the sarafim

before them they praise GOD.

the glory of Adonai is blessed from his place.

To be blessed GOD they shall render songs, to the ruler; the living and eternal GOD . they shall sing hymns and proclaim praise for he alone is a worker of wonder, a creator of innovation ,a master of war, a sower of righteousness, a grower of salvation, the creator of healing, awesome in splendor, a lord of wonder, in his goodness forever renewing daily the work of creation.  As it is said....to the maker of great lights, whose mercy is everlasting. Shine a new light on Zion, that we aa might soon merit its light.

Blessed are You, Adonai, creator of the universe.

Blessing on Revelation

 Yo have loved us most lovingly, Adonai our GOD, cared for us greatly, even exceedingly caring. Our Father ; our ruler for the sake of our ancestors who trusted in You  and whom You therefore taught the laws of life, so be gracious to us and teach them to us. Our Father, merciful Father, show us mercy and inspire us to understand and to consider, to listen. learn and teach, to keep and do and perpetuate all teachings of your Torah in love.  Enlighten our eyes with your Torah and draw our minds near to You and your commandments and unite our hearts to love and revere your name, that we will never be shamed. Because we have trusted your great and awesome name, GOD, we will rejoice and celebrate with your salvation.

Bring us to peace from the four corners of the earth and lead us upright to our land. It is You who are the GOD who effects salvation. You have chosen us from among all peoples and nations and brought us closer to your great name with truth, to acknowledge You and declare your unity with love. Blessed are You, Adonai, who choses the people of Israel with love.

SH'MA - Accepting the Yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven - Deuteronomy 6:4-9

 Hear O Israel, GOD is our GOD, GOD is One

Blessed is the One the glory of whose kingdom is renowned forever.

I shall love Adonai my GOD with all my mind, all my heart, all my soul, all my body and all my strength. 

Keep these words which I command you today in mind. Instruct them to your children about them. Use them when you sit at home and when you walk about. When you lie down and when you stand up. Bind them to your hand and set them between you eyes as a symbol. Write them on your doorposts and on your gates.

Accepting the Yoke of the Commandment - Deuteronomy 11:13-21

If you carefully heed my commandments, the ones I command you today , to love Adonai your GOD and worship him with all your mind and body, then I will grant your land's rain in its season, in the autumn and in the spring. That you may gather your grains, wine and oil. I shall grant grass in your field for cattle, and that you may eat. your fill.

Take care less your mind tempt you to rebel by worshipping other gods and by bowing down to them.

For then the fire and fury of Adonai will turn against you. Adonai will stop the flow of the sky. There will be no rain. The earth will not grant its produce. You will certainly perish from the good land that Adonai gave you.

So put these words of mine in charge of your mind and body, bind them to your hand as a sign and set them between your eyes as a symbol; teach them to your children, using them when sitting at home and when you walk about, when you lie down and when you stand up. write them on the doorposts of your house and your gates - that your days and your children days in the land that Adonai promised to give to your ancestors may be as numerous as the sky overlooks the earth.

The section on Tassels - Numbers 15:37-41

Adonai said to Moses: Speak to the children of Israel, and tell them to make themselves a tassel on the corners of their clothes in every generation, and to put a blue thread on the tassel of each corner. Let it be a tassel for you. When you see it you shall remember all of GOD's commandments and do them and not follow in false worship. This you will remember and do all my commandments, and so be holy before your GOD, who let you out the the land of Egypt to be your GOD. I am adonai, your GOD.