Can Religion Be Exciting?

Thursday, February 5, 2015

On My Experience: Hearing the Voice of G-d

Exodus 20:19. "...Moses would speak and God would answer him with a voice." I literally heard the amazingly resonant voice of the Lord G-d say, "I AM punishing you," meaning me in particular, ~2,000 CE.

My response was similar to that of David in Psalm 22:2 "My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?..." but I asked it in a different way. I said, "Why are you punishing me?" to the Almighty G-d.

Why was I so audacious before the Lord? Because I was as low as a worm! I couldn't remember to eat and bathe. If I was any lower, I would have been dead.

When the Lord spoke to me it was unlike anything I had ever heard before. Upon hearing the speech of the Lord, I instantaneously changed from atheist to believer. I oriented my entire life to give praise to G-d.

To seek out G-d, I transferred from Rutgers to Gordon College, a Protestant school, but I found myself trying to hide my actual beliefs, which are not Christian, but what Judaism teaches.

Monday, February 2, 2015

Three Favorite Ways I Think of Gd in Earthly Terms.

Granted, He Is Greater and Even Beyond These Things, but This Is a Start.

1. Mentally invoking the vastness of outer space, such as through viewing images recorded by the Hubble Space Telescope

2. Thinking of the sun’s energy and/or the energy that may be unleashed via Higgs Boson bombs

3. Realizing that the universe is continually created from nothing such that we are completely dependent on Him for provision at every instant

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Does Gd Love Women as Much as Men or Is He a Bigoted Bastard?

Firstly, I want for women to know Gd loves all of His people!

Hi! I am a gentile. Years ago I got really angry at a Rabbi for letting me know that I am Bnei Noach. It probably was rude, but forgivable. However, another Jew told me that he could guarantee the Jewish Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel would never ever act that way, and that helped me feel better.

I once thought similarly like so many women that Jews had placed me in what was essentially in a lower caste. I thought Jews idealized ideas such as never letting gentile slaves free, feeding people like me things that they found already dead, etc. However, I didn’t give up my pursuit of Hashem with the Torah as my guide. From what I found, I can tell women that given enough patience and in depth study, Torah guarantees us the “Thank Gd I am not a woman prayer,” or in my case the “Thank Gd I am not like the other man,” prayer won’t be bothersome.

What I don’t know is how each woman can find peace. I am not a woman, and even greater; women are not alike. I don’t claim to know how all men may find peace in Torah either! Gd created us as individuals, each with something different to offer. I don’t know how each person may find his or her inner peace from Torah study, but I can say with confidence that Gd loves it when people try to get to know Him better, and that inner peace is findable through unlocking the secrets of Torah.

In study, I too have reached incorrect conclusions. There is that prayer, “Thank you for not making me like the other man.” Can anyone empathize with my situation easier now? Once, I too was angry. I had misconceptions about how Jews were supposed to act toward gentiles. Through study I learned that I was wrong about Torah and that G-d never calls for bigotry. Instead, Jews are called to follow Abraham’s examples of lovingkindness and hospitality, and Moses’ example of compassion for animals.

I, myself, have found happiness as a gentile. IMHO, Noah is the epitome of the spine of Torah. The entire world laughed at him, and he had the spine not to assimilate! God cleansed the world for the sake of one righteous man, Noah. I won’t look down on him!

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Are All Men Created Equal?

From the best biology we know: the acquisition of traits (phenotype) is both a product of nature (genotype) and nurture. Is it racist to say that we should not expect a cat to do calculus? Is it racist to say a mouse may never be able to write a book? These are rhetorical questions, but as a bottom line I would say it is good to not expect complete uniformity of ability in all of Hashem’s created beings, which of course does not dictate license for bigotry.

G-d does not harbor excess in His creation. When something exists, it is supposed to be that way because Hashem has ordained for it to be as such. Thus, it is such that while I won’t deny anyone, even a different species of animal or a computer (maybe someday), proper education if aptitude is demonstrated, there does come a time when we should realize that it is cruel to hold onto expectations that the problem of dumbness be alleviated merely by endless hard work. Rather, we should give credit and encouragement where it is due.

Should we expect a human to run as fast as a cheetah? Should we expect humans to regularly give birth to as many offspring as mice? Some of our greatest strengths may be in our inherent differences because created species, nations, and beings are not meant to be completely alike.

Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Predicting Recessions via the Sabbatical Year (updated)

Original post in Red. Updated post in Black

More Financial Instability for 2015 Predicted Via the Last 7 Sabbatical Years

This is an update of an earlier blog.
In Judaism, the number 7 is very important. The Menorah in Torah has 7 candles. There are 7 days to each week, with Shabbat on the 7th day. The Sabbatical year, which for Jews occurs 1 in every 7 years, has often been a difficult year for financial markets. The financial difficulties the USA has been through show this trend to be true counting 7 Sabbaticals in a row; 2015, 2008, 2001, 1994, 1987, 1980, 1973.

In the Bible, the command to release debts in the seventh year is in Deuteronomy 15:2.

For Orthodox Jews, this is the year 5775. It is also a Sabbatical year, where according to the Bible at the end of this year debts are to be forgiven. That is 5775 / 7 = 825, meaning this is the 825th Sabbatical year since the beginning of creation. Also, please take note; the Hebrew calendar does not begin January 1st. The Hebrew year begins with Rosh Hashanah.

2015 is already following the Sabbatical year pattern financial difficulties. It is already my first example, and since August of 2014 the market has shown increased instability, where September was the time of Rosh Hashanah, the date of the Jewish New Year’s 5775 beginning.

This does not mean that Jews are to blame for anything. The Sabbatical is Gd’s way. Gd is sovereign. It is up to us to figure how to rule this world. This just happens to be the way Gd makes us work.

Let me illustrate: it is now 2015 according to the Gregorian calendar, a Sabbatical year, the 825th Sabbatical, and financial markets are already showing signs of correction. The pattern is as such, by subtracting 7 years from 2015, as the Sabbatical occurs every 7 years; we end up with the last financial crisis, the Great Recession of 2008.
2015 - 7 = 2008, the 824th Sabbatical and a year of recession.

A 3rd example of this market recession pattern is the “Early 2000s recession” that lasted from March 2001–Nov 2001.
2008 – 7 = 2001, the 823rd Sabbatical year, and a year of recession.

A 4th example of financial difficulty similar to this pattern was a bond market selloff of 1994.
2001 - 7 = 1994, the 822nd Sabbatical year, where there was a bond market selloff.

A 5th example is Black Monday (1987), where there was a historical stock market crash in the year 1987.
1994 - 7 = 1987, the 821st Sabbatical year, and a period of market instability

A 6th example is the “1980 recession” that lasted from Jan–July 1980.

1987 - 7 = 1980, the 820th Sabbatical year, and a year of recession.

A 7th example is the “1973–75 recession” that lasted from Nov 1973 – Mar 1975. 1980 – 7 = 1973 yet another number divisible by 7 that follows the pattern of Sabbatical years.

In Judaism, the number 7 is very important. The Menorah in Torah has 7 candles. There are 7 days to each week, with Shabbat on the 7^th day. The Sabbatical year, which for Jews occurs 1 in every 7 years, has often been a difficult year for financial markets. In the Bible, the command to release debts in the seventh year is in Deuteronomy (15:2).

For Orthodox Jews, this is the year 5775, and since it is a Sabbatical year, at the end of this year debts are to be forgiven. That is 5775 / 7 = 825, meaning this is the 825th Sabbatical year since the beginning of creation. Huh? Maybe there is something to these ancient teachings. Also, please take note; the Hebrew calendar does not begin January 1^st. The Hebrew year begins with Rosh Hashanah.

This does not mean that Jews are to blame for anything. The Sabbatical is Gd’s. Gd is sovereign. This just happens to be the way Gd makes things work.

Let me illustrate: it is now 2015 according to the Gregorian Calendar, a Sabbatical year, and financial markets are already showing signs of correction. It does appear that this year will follow the established pattern. The pattern is as such, by subtracting 7 years from 2015, as the Sabbatical occurs every 7 years, we up with the last financial crisis, the Great Recession of 2008. Thus, 2015 - 7 = 2008, a year of recession.

A 3^rd example of this market recession pattern is the “Early 2000s recession” that lasted from March 2001–Nov 2001. 2008 – 7 = 2001, a year of recession.

A 4^th example is the “1980 recession” that lasted from Jan–July 1980. 2001 - ( 7 * 3 ) = 1980, a year of recession. Thus, it is not only on Sabbatical years that recessions can occur, and more importantly the Sabbatical year does not mandate recession.

A 5^th example is the “1973–75 recession” that lasted from Nov 1973 – Mar 1975. 1980 – 7 = 1973 yet another number divisible by 7 that follows the pattern of Sabbatical years.

Monday, December 15, 2014

Syria and Russia - Not Our Allies, Not Even Close

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Syria and Russia - Not Our Allies, Not Even Close

I don't care who does what on whom in Syria because both the Regime and the Rebels are our enemies.

The whole deal with Russia is a distraction. Russia is not our ally, so what will Russia do during chemical weapons inspections; flip a quarter. The odds are 50/50 and not only that, they shouldn't matter.

It shouldn't matter because we shouldn't be the world's policeman when we are starkly in debt. We need to stop making excuses for ouselves to raise the debt ceiling, and get things under fiscal control.

I am surprised that President Obama is still pushing for war despite Russia's action. I would have thought that he was looking for a way to back out of the chemicals weapons corner that he put himself in.

One of my Facebook friends posted the following truth that I think is very important before we go into this war, and why we should not go to war, even for a short period.

Mish Shedlock notes the quote of the day goes to Abby Martin who says "We're killing Syrians to Show Syria that Killing Syrians is Wrong.". I (my Facebook friend) would modify the quote slightly to: "We're killing Syrians to Show Syria that IMPROPERLY Killing Syrians is Wrong."

Posted by CH Jazzman at 9:33 AM