5 years ago, when I married my wife, I read two verses from Psalms 137. This chapter is a mixture of past, present and future in the history of the Israelites. Today we are going to speak about the past and the present. The past is the destruction of the First Temple and the people that were in the exile explained their feelings in these words:

“עַל נַהֲרוֹת, בָּבֶל–שָׁם יָשַׁבְנוּ, גַּם-בָּכִינוּ:    בְּזָכְרֵנוּ, אֶת-צִיּוֹן.עַל-עֲרָבִים בְּתוֹכָהּ

תָּלִינוּ, כִּנֹּרוֹתֵינוּ.כִּי שָׁם שְׁאֵלוּנוּ שׁוֹבֵינוּ, דִּבְרֵי-שִׁיר וְתוֹלָלֵינוּ שִׂמְחָה:שִׁירוּ

לָנוּ מִשִּׁיר צִיּוֹן. אֵיךְ–נָשִׁיר אֶת-שִׁיר-יְהוָה: עַל אַדְמַת נֵכָר”

“By the rivers of Babylon, There we sat down and wept, when we remembered Zion. Upon the willows in the midst of it we hung our harps. For there our captors demanded of us songs, And our tormentors mirth, saying, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion.” How can we sing the LORD’S song in a foreign land?”(Psalms 137:1-4)

I always tried to imagine the feelings of this community, who had to leave the land that was promised to them, due to their sins. They were sitting on the rivers of Babylon, crying and weeping, depressed and hopeless. The Babylonians forced them to sing their songs in a foreign land.

However, this psalm continues with words that every groom, before he breaks the glass in a memory of the destruction in the past, says:

“אִם-אֶשְׁכָּחֵךְ יְרוּשָׁלִָם תִּשְׁכַּח יְמִינִי. תִּדְבַּק-לְשׁוֹנִי, לְחִכִּי-אִם-לֹא אֶזְכְּרֵכִי:אִם-לֹא אַעֲלֶה אֶת-יְרוּשָׁלִַם עַל רֹאשׁ שִׂמְחָתִי”

“If I forget you, O Jerusalem, May my right hand forget her skill. May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, if I do not exalt Jerusalem Above my chief joy”(Psalms 137:5-6)

Every wedding is not just a creation of a new house and observation to the future. We remember our past in the present. Some Jewish people when they paint their house leave one brick without color in order to remember the past.

Read Psalms 137:5-6 in Hebrew and publish them on our Facebook fan pages. You can also share your thoughts with us here. Have a blessed week, Eli

Hebrew- Transcription- Translation

לְשׁוֹנִי-ləšônî-My tongue

גַּם-gam- Also

שִׂמְחָה- śimchāh-Rejoice

צִיּוֹן-tsiyôn-Zion

בָּכִינוּ-bāchînû- We wept

יְרוּשָׁלִָם -yərûšālāyim-Jerusalem

biblicalsocial@eteachergroup.com

The book of Psalms ends with a beautiful psalm that is music to our ears. When I read these last words of this book, my heart is full of excitement, I can feel the Levites who were standing on the Temple’s stairs, when G-d was praised. Let’s enjoy the words, as written:

“ הַלְלוּ-יָהּ:
הַלְלוּ-אֵל בְּקָדְשׁוֹ; הַלְלוּהוּ, בִּרְקִיעַ עֻזּוֹ.
הַלְלוּהוּ בִגְבוּרֹתָיו; הַלְלוּהוּ, כְּרֹב גֻּדְלוֹ.
הַלְלוּהוּ, בְּתֵקַע שׁוֹפָר; הַלְלוּהוּ, בְּנֵבֶל וְכִנּוֹר.
הַלְלוּהוּ, בְּתֹף וּמָחוֹל; הַלְלוּהוּ, בְּמִנִּים וְעֻגָב.
הַלְלוּהוּ בְצִלְצְלֵי-שָׁמַע; הַלְלוּהוּ, בְּצִלְצְלֵי תְרוּעָה.
כֹּל הַנְּשָׁמָה, תְּהַלֵּל יָהּ: הַלְלוּ-יָהּ.”

“Praise the LORD!
Praise God in His sanctuary;
Praise Him in His mighty expanse.
Praise Him for His mighty deeds;
Praise Him according to His excellent greatness.

Praise Him with trumpet sound;
Praise Him with harp and lyre.
Praise Him with timbrel and dancing;
Praise Him with stringed instruments and pipe.
Praise Him with loud cymbals;
Praise Him with resounding cymbals.
Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.
Praise the LORD!”(Psalms 150:1-6)

The famous Israeli singer Eyal Golan has a beautiful performance for this Psalm and you can enjoy it, after you will answer this small question- What is your Favorite Psalm and why?

The best answer will get a small prize from me and I will post a Blog about the Psalm that was chosen. Share your thoughts with us here and also on our Facebook fan page.

Have a great week ,Eli

Eyal Golan singing this psalms

Hebrew-Transcription-Translation

שִׁיר- šîr-Song

כֹּל-kōl-All

מָחוֹל-māchôl-Dance

אֵל-’ēl-G-d

הַלְלוּ-halelû-Praise!

Biblicalsocial@eteachergroup.com

The destruction of the First Temple was a shocking event in the history of the Israelites. However, not everyone remembers that in the Promised Land stayed people who were very confused about the future to come. Jeremiah, who was the prophet in this period, was asked to help those people to reach an important decision, as written:

“וַיִּגְּשׁוּ, כָּל-שָׂרֵי הַחֲיָלִים, וְיוֹחָנָן בֶּן-קָרֵחַ, וִיזַנְיָה בֶּן-הוֹשַׁעְיָה–וְכָל-הָעָם, מִקָּטֹן וְעַד-גָּדוֹל.  וַיֹּאמְרוּ אֶל-יִרְמְיָהוּ הַנָּבִיא, תִּפָּל-נָא תְחִנָּתֵנוּ לְפָנֶיךָ, וְהִתְפַּלֵּל בַּעֲדֵנוּ אֶל-יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ, בְּעַד כָּל-הַשְּׁאֵרִית הַזֹּאת:  כִּי-נִשְׁאַרְנוּ מְעַט מֵהַרְבֵּה, כַּאֲשֶׁר עֵינֶיךָ רֹאוֹת אֹתָנוּ.  וְיַגֶּד-לָנוּ יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ, אֶת-הַדֶּרֶךְ אֲשֶׁר נֵלֶךְ-בָּהּ, וְאֶת-הַדָּבָר, אֲשֶׁר נַעֲשֶׂה”

“Then all the army officers, including Johanan son of Kareah and Jezaniah son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least to the greatest approached Jeremiah the prophet and said to him, “Please hear our petition and pray to the LORD your God for this entire remnant. For as you now see, though we were once many, now only a few are left. Pray that the LORD your God will tell us where we should go and what we should do.”

The clash sang a beautiful song: “Should I stay or should I go now?” These words describe exactly the feeling of the people who remained in the land of Canaan.

The problem is that they weren’t speaking about their G-d when they asked Jeremiah to solve their problems. They said to Jeremiah “your G-d”. If G-d is not with us, in our hearts, we won’t be able to listen to him. All we need to do is to listen!

Hebrew- Transcription- Translation

יִרְמְיָהוּ-yirməyāhû-Jeremiah

הַנָּבִיא-hannāvî’-The prophet

הַשְּׁאֵרִית-haššə’ērît-The remnant

עֵינֶיךָ-’ênekā- Your eyes

מְעַט-mə’at- Few

biblicalsocial@eteachergroup.com

In the book of Proverbs the good woman appears as a metaphor of wisdom.it was and still is customary for a woman to put necklaces or other jewelries around her neck. The passage that you are about to read is one of my favorites in the Hebrew Bible, as written:

” בְּנִי תּוֹרָתִי אַל-תִּשְׁכָּח; וּמִצְו‍ֹתַי, יִצֹּר לִבֶּךָ.
כִּי אֹרֶךְ יָמִים, וּשְׁנוֹת חַיִּים– וְשָׁלוֹם, יוֹסִיפוּ לָךְ.
חֶסֶד וֶאֱמֶת, אַל-יַעַזְבֻךָ:
קָשְׁרֵם עַל-גַּרְגְּרוֹתֶיךָ; כָּתְבֵם, עַל-לוּחַ לִבֶּךָ”

” My son, do not forget my teaching, But let your heart keep my commandments. For length of days and years of life .And peace they will add to you. Do not let kindness and truth leave you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart.”(Proverbs 3:1-3)

If every man and woman on this planet will look into their hearts, they would probably meet the idea of grace and truth. All we need is not just love, we need grace, we must believe in peace and we always should remember, that we can have a lot of jewelry on our necks, but this is not the important thing to have in our mind and in our heart.

Hebrew-Transcription –Translation

חֶסֶד-chesed- Grace

אֱמֶת- ‘emet- Trute

בְּנִי-bənî-My son

יָמִים-yāmîm-Days

חַיִּים-chayîm-Life

Biblicalsocial@eteachergroup.com