Jehovah is righteous; the upright are the ones that will behold his face: The Righteous One is giving consideration to the house of the wicked ones, subverting the wicked ones to their calamity…

“The word of Jehovah that occurred to Mi’cah of Mo’resh·eth, in the days of Jo’tham, A’haz, Hez·e·ki’ah, kings of Judah, that he visioned concerning Sa·mar’i·a and Jerusalem:

“Hear, O YOU peoples, all of YOU; pay attention, O earth and what fills you, and let the Sovereign Lord Jehovah serve against YOU as a witness, Jehovah from his holy temple. For, look! Jehovah is going forth from his place, and he will certainly come down and tread upon earth’s high places. And the mountains must melt under him, and the low plains themselves will split apart, like wax because of the fire, like waters being poured down a steep place.

“It is because of the revolt of Jacob that there is all this, even because of the sins of the house of Israel. What is the revolt of Jacob? Is it not Sa·mar’i·a? And what are the high places of Judah? Are they not Jerusalem? And I shall certainly make Sa·mar’i·a a heap of ruins of the field, the planting places of a vineyard; and I will pour down into the valley her stones, and her foundations I shall lay bare. And her graven images will all be crushed to pieces, and all the gifts [made] to her as her hire will be burned in the fire; and all her idols I shall make a desolate waste. For from the things given as the hire of a prostitute she collected [them], and to the thing given as the hire of a prostitute they will return.”

On this account I will wail and howl; I will walk barefoot and naked. I shall make a wailing like the jackals, and a mourning like female ostriches. For the stroke upon her is unhealable; for it has come as far as Judah, [the] plague as far as the gate of my people, as far as Jerusalem.

“In Gath do not YOU men tell [it] out; positively do not weep.

“In the house of Aph’rah wallow in the very dust.  Make your way across, O inhabitress of Sha’phir, in shameful nudity. The inhabitress of Za’a·nan has not gone forth. The wailing of Beth-e’zel will take from YOU people its standing place. For the inhabitress of Ma’roth has waited for good, but what is bad has come down from Jehovah to the gate of Jerusalem. Attach the chariot to the team of horses, O inhabitress of La’chish. The beginning of sin was what she was to the daughter of Zion, for in you the revolts of Israel have been found. Therefore you will give parting gifts to Mo’resh·eth-gath. The houses of Ach’zib were as something deceitful to the kings of Israel. The dispossessor I shall yet bring to you, O inhabitress of Ma·re’shah. As far as A·dul’lam the glory of Israel will come. Cause baldness, and shear [your hair] off on account of your sons of exquisite delight. Broaden out your baldness like [that of] the eagle, because they have gone away from you into exile.”

“Woe to those who are scheming what is harmful, and to those practicing what is bad, upon their beds! By the light of the morning they proceed to do it, because it is in the power of their hand. And they have desired fields and have seized [them]; also houses, and have taken [them]; and they have defrauded an able-bodied man and his household, a man and his hereditary possession.

“Therefore this is what Jehovah has said, ‘Here I am thinking up against this family a calamity from which YOU people will not remove YOUR necks, so that YOU will not walk haughtily; because it is a time of calamity. In that day one will raise up concerning YOU people a proverbial saying and will certainly lament a lamentation, even a lamentation. One will have to say: “We have positively been despoiled! The very portion of my people he alters. How he removes [it] from me! To the unfaithful one he apportions out our own fields.” Therefore you will come to have no one casting out the cord, by lot, in the congregation of Jehovah. Do not YOU people let [words] drop. They let [words] drop. They will not let [words] drop concerning these [things]. Humiliations will not move away.

“‘Is it being said, O house of Jacob: “Has the spirit of Jehovah become discontented, or are these his dealings?” Do not my own words do good in the case of the one walking uprightly?

“‘And yesterday my own people proceeded to rise up as an outright enemy. From the front of a garment YOU men strip off the majestic ornament, from the ones passing by confidently, [like] those returning from war. The women of my people YOU drive out from the house in which a woman has exquisite delight. From off her children YOU take my splendor, to time indefinite. Get up and go, because this is not a resting-place. Because of the fact that she has become unclean, there is a wrecking; and [the] wrecking work is painful. If a man, walking by wind and falsehood, has told the lie: “I shall let [words] drop to you concerning wine and concerning intoxicating liquor,” he also will certainly become the one letting [words] drop for this people.

“‘I shall positively gather Jacob, all of you; I shall without fail collect the remaining ones of Israel together. In unity I shall set them, like a flock in the pen, like a drove in the midst of its pasture; they will be noisy with men.’

“The one making a breakthrough will certainly come up before them: they will actually break through. And they will pass through a gate, and they will go out by it. And their king will pass through before them, with Jehovah at the head of them.”  

Micah 1 & 2, NWT

The Lie: I Shall Let Words Drop to You Concerning Wine and Concerning Intoxicating Liquor

Impending Disaster for Jerusalem

6 Flee for safety, O people of Benjamin,    from the midst of Jerusalem! Blow the trumpet in Tekoa,    and raise a signal on Beth-haccherem, for disaster looms out of the north,    and great destruction. 2 The lovely and delicately bred I will destroy,    the daughter of Zion.[a] 3 Shepherds with their flocks shall come against her;    they shall pitch their tents around her;    they shall pasture, each in his place. 4 “Prepare war against her;    arise, and let us attack at noon! Woe to us, for the day declines,    for the shadows of evening lengthen! 5 Arise, and let us attack by night    and destroy her palaces!”

6 For thus says the Lord of hosts: “Cut down her trees;    cast up a siege mound against Jerusalem. This is the city that must be punished;    there is nothing but oppression within her. 7 As a well keeps its water fresh,    so she keeps fresh her evil; violence and destruction are heard within her;    sickness and wounds are ever before me. 8 Be warned, O Jerusalem,    lest I turn from you in disgust, lest I make you a desolation,    an uninhabited land.”

9 Thus says the Lord of hosts: “They shall glean thoroughly as a vine    the remnant of Israel; like a grape gatherer pass your hand again    over its branches.” 10 To whom shall I speak and give warning,    that they may hear? Behold, their ears are uncircumcised,    they cannot listen; behold, the word of the Lord is to them an object of scorn;    they take no pleasure in it. 11 Therefore I am full of the wrath of the Lord;    I am weary of holding it in. “Pour it out upon the children in the street,    and upon the gatherings of young men, also; both husband and wife shall be taken,    the elderly and the very aged. 12 Their houses shall be turned over to others,    their fields and wives together, for I will stretch out my hand    against the inhabitants of the land,” declares the Lord. 13 “For from the least to the greatest of them,    everyone is greedy for unjust gain; and from prophet to priest,    everyone deals falsely. 14 They have healed the wound of my people lightly,    saying, ‘Peace, peace,’    when there is no peace. 15 Were they ashamed when they committed abomination?    No, they were not at all ashamed;    they did not know how to blush. Therefore they shall fall among those who fall;    at the time that I punish them, they shall be overthrown,” says the Lord.

16 Thus says the Lord: “Stand by the roads, and look,    and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it,    and find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’ 17 I set watchmen over you, saying,    ‘Pay attention to the sound of the trumpet!’ But they said, ‘We will not pay attention.’ 18 Therefore hear, O nations,    and know, O congregation, what will happen to them. 19 Hear, O earth; behold, I am bringing disaster upon this people,    the fruit of their devices, because they have not paid attention to my words;    and as for my law, they have rejected it. 20 What use to me is frankincense that comes from Sheba,    or sweet cane from a distant land? Your burnt offerings are not acceptable,    nor your sacrifices pleasing to me. 21 Therefore thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, I will lay before this people    stumbling blocks against which they shall stumble; fathers and sons together,    neighbor and friend shall perish.’”

22 Thus says the Lord: “Behold, a people is coming from the north country,    a great nation is stirring from the farthest parts of the earth. 23 They lay hold on bow and javelin;    they are cruel and have no mercy;    the sound of them is like the roaring sea; they ride on horses,    set in array as a man for battle,    against you, O daughter of Zion!” 24 We have heard the report of it;    our hands fall helpless; anguish has taken hold of us,    pain as of a woman in labor. 25 Go not out into the field,    nor walk on the road, for the enemy has a sword;   ��terror is on every side. 26 O daughter of my people, put on sackcloth,    and roll in ashes; make mourning as for an only son,    most bitter lamentation, for suddenly the destroyer    will come upon us.

27 “I have made you a tester of metals among my people,    that you may know and test their ways. 28 They are all stubbornly rebellious,    going about with slanders; they are bronze and iron;    all of them act corruptly. 29 The bellows blow fiercely;    the lead is consumed by the fire; in vain the refining goes on,    for the wicked are not removed. 30 Rejected silver they are called,    for the Lord has rejected them.”

Kosher?

A short story. Two guys learn about what being kosher can mean.

“It’s still not right,” muttered Bob to himself as he stared at his sentence on his laptop screen.

 It is about eleven in the morning. Bob, a graduate student in philosophy, was in his apartment on the upper west side of Manhattan, a short walk to the Columbia campus.  He was sitting at the kitchen table holding a cup of lukewarm coffee and working on his dissertation. He put the cup down deleted the offending sentence and typed: “John Stuart Mill was not an academic in an ivory tower. He was a member of Parliament who fought for women’s rights and to relieve the suffering of the Irish. He applied his ethics to the real world.” Moving his lips, Bob read the new sentence slowly and thought: “It’s still dull. It misses Mill’s intensity.”

Robert (Bob) Goodman is in his fourth year at Columbia University. He has learned to do philosophy with originality and common sense. The philosophy faculty at Columbia considers Bob talented and a leader in the department. His fellow students admire his intellect, non-conformity, and sense of humor which often enlivens dull seminars. Bob is looking forward to a promising academic career, but first he needs to complete his dissertation.

A loud buzz of his apartment’s intercom yanks Bob away from his writing. Startled and annoyed by the interruption, Bob looked up from his computer said aloud: “Who the hell could that be?” He put his cup down and walked to the door and jabbed the intercom button:

“Who is it?” Bob barked.

 “It’s Marty.”

Marty Levy is Bob’s oldest friend. They were in the same class in Yeshiva from kindergarten through high school and were both members of Beth Israel, a modern orthodox synagogue. Modern orthodox Judaism synthesizes classical Jewish values with the contemporary world. Followers follow traditional Jewish practices: daily worship, kosher laws, traditional prayers, and study of the Torah, However, they try to integrate these practices with living in a society with secular values. Many Beth Israel congregants were students in their twenties.

 Marty has a gift for mathematics. He is a post doctorate in Columbia’s physics department working on computer systems for solving Einstein’s equations. Marty is happiest when he is absorbed in testing his algorithms. Lacking well developed social skills, he often seeks Bob’s advice on these issues. Irritated at the unexpected interruption, Bob says:

“It’s a drop-in. You know how I love drop-ins.” said Bob, in a tone that emphasized his irritation.

“Come on, let me in.” Marty said, raising his voice. We need to talk.”

“What’s so important?”

“Just buzz me in!”

Marty ran up the two flights to Bob’s apartment and punched the doorbell. Bob opened the door and showed Marty into the kitchen. They took seats opposite each other at the kitchen table. Bob closed his laptop and looked at Marty as if to say:” What’s up?” Without saying hello, Marty breathlessly said:

                “Did you hear. Kenny is going O.T.D and leaving Beth Israel.”

Orthodox Jews use O.T.D. to stand for Off The Derech (“Derech” is path in Hebrew.) to mean a Jew leaving traditional orthodox Jewish observance, i.e. “going off the path.”  Kenny Finkle was a member of the Beth Israel congregation for many years. Highly intelligent and articulate, Kenny was a graduate student in philosophy. Bob had long, philosophic conversations with Kenny about the Jewish idea of God. Bob remembered that Kenny mentioned he was considering going O.T.D. He found it difficult to reconcile the Jewish conception of a moral God in a world in which bone cancer in children exists. Bob picked up his coffee cup and said:

                “News to me, but I’m not sure I care. I know Kenny well, and it doesn’t surprise me.”

“It was troubling news to Rabbi Cohen. He would be upset about losing anyone, but he especially hates losing Kenny. He respects Kenny’s intellect.”

Rabbi Samuel Cohen had recently joined Beth Israel. Impeccably dressed, with a neatly trimmed beard, Cohen has a deep knowledge of the rituals and the spirit of the religion. Like most orthodox Jews he ranks going “O.T.D.” as one of the most pressing and difficult issues facing the Jewish community.

 Marty added: “Rabbi Cohen would like you to talk to Kenny. He thinks you might convince him to change his mind.”

Bob thought for a moment and said:

                “Why me? Does Rabbi Cohen think I could change Kenny’s mind? I have no power over him.”

Bob was not being totally honest with Marty. Bob was aware that he was a leader at Beth Israel. He was flattered that Rabbi Cohen acknowledged his social status by requesting his help. At the same time, he was uneasy about confronting Kenney, who was a student in his department. He looked directly at Marty and said:

                “Marty, why do you think Kenny shouldn’t go O.T.D.?”

 “No question.” Marty said raising his voice. “If he goes O.T.D., he will harm Beth Israel and the religion.

Bob absorbs Marty’s unthoughtful answer, and his Socratic training asserts itself. He looks directly at Marty and asks:

“Why do you think Kenny is harming anyone?”

“Isn’t it obvious.” Marty answered, shrugging his shoulders as if he realized his answer was inadequate.

Bob paused to phrase his next remark carefully, and answered:

“It’s not obvious to me. I think you need to get clear on harm.  John Stuart Mill’s Harm Principle may help you. You may not know it, but Einstein read Mill’s book on logic.” Bob chuckled and added. “Do you read Mill for your general relativity courses?”

Reacting to the good-natured slight, Marty replies: “I suppose you read general relativity for the ethics courses in the Philosophy Department.” Bob smiles, acknowledging that Marty has scored a point. He pauses for a moment gathers his thoughts and says:

“Marty, do you agree that although freedom in society can’t be limitless, we should strive for a society which gives citizens maximum freedom to speak and act.

“Definitely. I agree.”

“And do you also think a society will prosper if its citizens have maximum freedoms.”

Marty readily agrees to this as well. Bob concludes:

“Marty, whether you know it or not, you have accepted Mill’s famous Harm Principle: the actions and speech of individuals can be limited only to prevent harm to others. There’s no reason for Rabbi Cohen or me to pressure Kenny because going O.T.D. harms no one.”  

“Sounds logical. But there’s got to be something wrong with your reasoning. Kenny is harming himself.”

 “Do you think you are a better judge of what harms Kenny than Kenny himself,” and Bob can’t resist adding: “Don’t they teach you to reason in the physics department?”

“I still think Kenny shouldn’t go O.T.D.” said Marty, weakly. He was worrying about having to tell Rabbi Cohen that he couldn’t convince Bob to help.

Bob smiled and realized that there’s no changing Marty’s mind. In the real-world emotion and not reason wins arguments. Bob sensed that Marty was upset and thought that he should drop the issue. To keep the pressure on would be using his advantage in debating skills to embarrass his best friend.

Bob picked up a menu from the local deli and announced:

“Forget about Kenney. Let’s order lunch, I’m buying. The deli isn’t kosher, but they have great veggie salads. What do you want to eat?”

                “I’ll have a salad.”

                “I’ll have the same.”

Bob called the deli and ordered two large salads. While they were waiting, they argued about which was a better sports town, New York or Boston. Bob was trying to defend New York, but Marty kept bringing up the Patriots and Tom Brady. Bob was losing the argument when he was saved by the buzzer. Bob went down to the lobby to get the lunch bag and pay the delivery man. When he returned, he cleared the kitchen table and tore the bill off the bag:

“What the hell!” He shouted. “They sent us the wrong order. We got two sandwiches instead of salads. And Marty, you’re not going to believe this, but we got two BLT’s.”

“No salads?” Marty asked.

“No. Damn deli. They’re always screwing orders up. I’m not sure I should touch the bag.”

Marty said: “You can’t make this up! Two kosher guys with BLTs for lunch!”

Frustrated and annoyed, Bob said: “Very funny! I’ll call the deli.”

Bob picked up his phone and began to dial the deli. Before he punched the deli’s number, he was struck by an unexpected, outrageous thought: “The deli’s foul up is my chance to taste bacon. I’ve been curious about the taste of bacon for years. Why send them back?” He dismissed this thought as ridiculous, he had been strictly kosher for over twenty years. Then he thought: “This is my chance to see what I’ve been missing all these years.” He turned to Marty and blurted: “Let’s eat them.”

                “What!” exclaimed Marty.

                “Let’s eat the BLT’s. They smell great.

Marty has also been eating strictly kosher food for his whole life. Kosher laws are ingrained into his life. He can’t conceive of violating kosher laws. He says:

“Are you insane. The Torah says bacon is unkosher.”

“People crazy about bacon,” Bob replied. “In America, they even use it to garnish their salads. Wouldn’t you like to know why it’s so popular?”

“Look Bob, observant Jews have obeyed Kosher laws for thousands of years. Breaking these laws is against the Torah”

Recalling his reading of The Guide for the Perplexed, Bob replies: “The great Moses Maimonides, argued that the Torah’s dietary laws are not spiritual. They are for health only. Since Bacon isn’t unhealthy today the laws aren’t needed.”

Marty countered: “Following the law is a duty from God. Knowing that a Jew disobeyed God harms all observant Jews.”

“But we can eat our bacon in secret. We’re the only ones who know about it. If no one knows what we did, how can there be any harm? You just agreed with Mill’s harm principle. We’re free to eat the BLTs if there is no harm to an individual.

Marty was silent for about a minute. He knew some Jewish scholars argue that kosher laws have no explanation in reason. They are God’s commandments which people must obey without question. Kosher laws are a tradition that is over five thousand years old. He said:

                “We can’t disobey a command of the Torah, period. We don’t need to understand it.”

“Is it reasonable to expect intelligent beings to obey a rule with no reason? If a Torah command were found to be wrong, it couldn’t change unless people disobeyed it. Do you think we should obey the Torah command to stone adulterers?”

Bob stood up and walked away from the table and back. To emphasize his point, he sat down and said:

“Marty, you just agreed that it is right to maximize freedom. Don’t the kosher rules limit personal freedom. And since disobeying kosher rules in private hurts no one, don’t people imposing these rules violate the Harm Principle.”

“I see your point, but I’m still not convinced.” said, Marty indecisively.

Bob forcefully replied. “C’mon Marty. I can’t do it without you.”

AUTHORIAL INTETRVENTION

Our protagonists are at an impasse which I must resolve to end this story. I thought about finishing the story as did Frank R. Stockton in his famous short story, The Lady, or the Tiger. You may recall that the lover of a semi-barbaric princess must choose between two doors one concealing a lady and the other a tiger. The princess indicates one of the doors to her lover, and Stockton presents elaborate reasons why the princess might wish her lover to choose either door. Stockton ends the story with:

"And so I leave it with all of you: Which came out of the opened door – the lady, or the tiger?”

I originally thought I would end the story as did Stockton. But his story appears so frequently in anthologies that his ending has become a cliché. Besides, the drama of the prospect of a tiger tearing a young man apart is far greater than the possibility of eating a BLT.

Bob and Marty are at an impasse. Bob presents a solid rational argument for eating the BLT’s while Marty’s strong commitment to Judaism causes him to emotionally reject Bob’s arguments. I have no way of resolving these two incommensurable positions, so I must resort to something external to the argument. I hope you enjoy it.

END OF AUTHORIAL INTERVENTION

Bob finally understood that there could be no further argument, and he did not want to further embarrass his friend. He said:

“Marty, I realize that no argument will convince you to eat a BLT. Your commitment to Judaism prevents you from violating an ancient rule. Reason and the Harm Principle convinced me to eat the BLT. I can think of no argument that proves that my argument is better than your faithfulness. To quote a lame cliché: ‘We must agree to disagree.’”  

His mind made up, Bob unwrapped his sandwich and held it in front of his mouth as if he needed to work up his courage to take the first bite. At the same time, Marty unwrapped his sandwich, and lifted a corner of the bread. He smiled and began to laugh. Bob said:

“What’s so funny.”

“It’s vegetarian bacon. We have it at our house all the time.”

“What’s vegetarian bacon?”

“They make it from soy protein and other vegetables.” Marty answered, as he took a bite. “It’s a pretty good sandwich. Veggie bacon is good with scrambled eggs.” Channeling Hamlet, he adds: “There are more things in this world than dreamt of in your philosophy.”

Bob took a healthy taste of the sandwich, chuckled, and said: “There goes my rebellion. I’m still a bacon virgin.”

Bob got two cans of Coke from his refrigerator and returned to the table. The two friends ate their sandwiches and resumed the comparison of New York versus Boston sports. For this argument Marty presented cold facts against Bob’s appeal to Yankee tradition. Like the BLT debate, their argument was a standoff between reason and emotion, which philosophers have been debating since Plato.  

After Marty left, Bob returned to his dissertation. He refilled his coffee cup and reread the offending sentence. The BLT debate didn’t improve it. Bob thought and began to type.

https://amp.star-telegram.com/news/local/crime/article257360862.html

Everything you need to know about the hostage attack on congregation Beth Israel in Colleyvlle, Texas. Fair warning: it is an extremely long and detailed read. Worth it. I am so sad that the rabbi and his congregation had to go through this. I don’t really know how to talk about the situation but from what I have heard, this rabbi is an awesome person and a strong ally to anyone who needs him and so I want to say that I stand with this rabbi and this congregation and anyone who would hurt the Jewish people is not a friend of mine.

Both Antisemitic and anti-Asian hate crimes are on the raise. Yesterday four people including a rabbi where held hostage at Congregation Beth Israel in Texas. Thank G-d all hostages survived.

We stand against Jewish hate

We stand against Asian hate

On Wednesday, October 14 for #FreeFallBaltimore, we’re hosting a virtual screening of the short film "Reawakening" - we hope you'll join us.

This film shares the story of Congregation Beth Israel (the only synagogue in Charlottesville, NC) and their journey to fighting back against hate after the tragic “Unite the Right” rally in August 2017. The creators call this film “a call to justice,” documenting the journey Charlottesville’s Jewish community took from self-reflection to communal action. At its core, the community found that standing up for themselves meant standing up for justice in the broader world.

We know the best stories are told by the creators themselves, which is why we are thrilled to be joined by filmmaker Alexandra Horowitz and Congregation Beth Israel’s Senior Rabbi, Thomas Gutherz. They will discuss the creation of Reawakening along with the challenges and rewards of sharing this particular story with the world.

Register now: http://jewishmuseummd.org/single/fighting-back-against-hate/

I remember the first Dyke March, organized by the Lesbian Avengers in 1993 during the LGBT March on Washington. I was there, and I remember feeling that I was finally free — that we dykes could claim all of who we were — our full and complex identities, our bodies, our love, our commitments to equality and justice for all — and be utterly unashamed. It, and the subsequent marches since all over the country, have been profoundly liberating for so many people.

This month, the Dyke March is coming back to Washington, DC, after a 12 year hiatus. It’s claiming its grassroots feel and justice roots, standing with the oppressed and the displaced, and it should. But the DC Dyke March has decided to ban Jewish stars on flags, and that’s a big mistake.

First of all, as Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg demonstrates in these tweets, the Magen David has a history as a Jewish symbol that stretches back at least 1,700 years. Our people have claimed the Jewish star as a sign of pride and identity, and it also has been used against us for purposes of oppression and annihilation.

Banning Jewish stars on flags is not just anti-Zionist but anti-Semitic. Let’s not forget that we are living in a time of perilous anti-Semitism, in which two synagogues were subject to murderous anti-Semitic attacks. In Brooklyn, where I serve as a rabbi to a large congregation, we are in the midst of an epidemic of random and unprovoked assaults on Orthodox Jews by seemingly unrelated people of diverse backgrounds. Anti-Semitic violence only becomes possible in a climate of normalized anti-Semitism. This decision contributes to that climate.

But that’s not the only problem. A deeper, bigger, and more complicated problem is an overly-simplistic and misguided approach on the Left when it comes to Israel/Palestine. There’s an urge towards purity on the Left, a desire to split the world into good guys and bad guys. I know, I come from the Left.

The problem is, the real world is not that neat or simple. And in the case of Israel/Palestine, both peoples need self-determination, freedom, and safety. Both peoples have a valid claim to and history in the land. Both peoples have a history of trauma.

Choosing Palestinians over Israelis, seeing the humanity and narrative of only Palestinians adds to the conflict and delays a time when both peoples can live with self-determination, freedom, and safety. As Palestinian and Israeli leaders in groups like the Bereaved Parents Circle and Combatants for Peace say time and again, “If you are pro-Israel and anti-Palestine, or pro-Palestine and anti-Israel, you are not helping. We need people who are pro-Israel and Pro-Palestine, pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli. That is the only way you can help.”

Sometimes people oppose Israel’s right to exist by saying that they are against nationalism. But you can’t be against nationalism when it comes to the Jewish people and in favor of nationalism when it comes to the Palestinian people. In this line of thinking, DC Dyke March organizers say that they’ve banned the Jewish star on flags because it’s a nationalist symbol, but that they welcome the Palestinian flag. They say that they stand with the Palestinians because they are a displaced people. A cursory study of Jewish history would demonstrate that the Jewish people have been displaced over and over again, all around the world.

Let me be clear: Israel is abusing its power. Israel’s policies violate the human rights of Palestinians and threaten the future of the Jewish people, and must change. The occupation of the West Bank must end. There are many Israelis working every day to bring about that change. I just brought 32 people from my congregation to visit Israel and the West Bank, and we met amazing activists on the ground who are dedicated to a just, safe future for both peoples, groups like Breaking the Silence, the New Israel Fund, and so many more.

We Americans can relate to their struggle, as we work every day in this country to change the unconscionable policies and behaviors of our government. Israel is not a theory, and it is not monolithic. It is a real country, with people who disagree with the government and are struggling for a better life and future.

Dykes, we know what it is to hold complexity. Let’s stretch ourselves to embrace this complexity. Let’s be both pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli.

Rabbi Rachel Timoner is a renowned rabbi, author and activist. She currently serves as Senior Rabbi at Congregation Beth Elohim in Brooklyn, New York and previously served as Associate Rabbi of Leo Baeck Temple in Los Angeles, California.

Thursday: Preparation for the Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time

Roman Catholic Proper 21 Revised Common Lectionary Proper 16

Complementary Hebrew Scripture Torah Lesson: Numbers 15:32-41

When the Israelites were in the wilderness, they found a man gathering sticks on the sabbath day. Those who found him gathering sticks brought him to Moses, Aaron, and to the whole congregation. They put him in custody, because it was not clear what should be done to him. Then the Lord said to Moses, “The man shall be put to death; all the congregation shall stone him outside the camp.” The whole congregation brought him outside the camp and stoned him to death, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

The Lord said to Moses: Speak to the Israelites, and tell them to make fringes on the corners of their garments throughout their generations and to put a blue cord on the fringe at each corner. You have the fringe so that, when you see it, you will remember all the commandments of the Lord and do them, and not follow the lust of your own heart and your own eyes. So you shall remember and do all my commandments, and you shall be holy to your God. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I am the Lord your God.

Semi-continuous Hebrew Scripture from the Latter Prophets: Jeremiah 6:1-19

Flee for safety, O children of Benjamin,  from the midst of Jerusalem! Blow the trumpet in Tekoa,  and raise a signal on Beth-haccherem; for evil looms out of the north,  and great destruction. I have likened daughter Zion  to the loveliest pasture. Shepherds with their flocks shall come against her.  They shall pitch their tents around her;  they shall pasture, all in their places. “Prepare war against her;  up, and let us attack at noon!” “Woe to us, for the day declines,  the shadows of evening lengthen!” “Up, and let us attack by night,  and destroy her palaces!” For thus says the Lord of hosts: Cut down her trees;  cast up a siege ramp against Jerusalem. This is the city that must be punished;  there is nothing but oppression within her. As a well keeps its water fresh,  so she keeps fresh her wickedness; violence and destruction are heard within her;  sickness and wounds are ever before me. Take warning, O Jerusalem,  or I shall turn from you in disgust, and make you a desolation,  an uninhabited land.

Thus says the Lord of hosts: Glean thoroughly as a vine  the remnant of Israel; like a grape-gatherer,  pass your hand again over its branches.

To whom shall I speak and give warning,  that they may hear? See, their ears are closed,  they cannot listen. The word of the Lord is to them an object of scorn;  they take no pleasure in it. But I am full of the wrath of the Lord;  I am weary of holding it in.

Pour it out on the children in the street,  and on the gatherings of young men as well; both husband and wife shall be taken,  the old folk and the very aged. Their houses shall be turned over to others,  their fields and wives together; for I will stretch out my hand  against the inhabitants of the land,    says the Lord.

For from the least to the greatest of them,  everyone is greedy for unjust gain; and from prophet to priest,  everyone deals falsely. They have treated the wound of my people carelessly,  saying, “Peace, peace,”  when there is no peace. They acted shamefully, they committed abomination;  yet they were not ashamed,  they did not know how to blush. Therefore they shall fall among those who fall;  at the time that I punish them, they shall be overthrown,    says the Lord.

Thus says the Lord: Stand at the crossroads, and look,  and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way lies; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls.¹ But they said, “We will not walk in it.” Also I raised up sentinels for you:  “Give heed to the sound of the trumpet!” But they said, “We will not give heed.” Therefore hear, O nations,  and know, O congregation, what will happen to them. Hear, O earth; I am going to bring disaster on this people,  the fruit of their schemes, because they have not given heed to my words;  and as for my teaching, they have rejected it.

¹This passage is reflected in Matthew 11:28-30, where our Lord urges us to rest in him.

Complementary Psalm 103:1-8

Bless the Lord, O my soul,  and all that is within me,  bless his holy name.

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and do not forget all his benefits— who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the Pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good as long as you live so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's. The Lord works vindication and justice for all who are oppressed. He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the people of Israel. The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

Semi-continuous Psalm 71

In you, O Lord, I take refuge;  let me never be put to shame. In your righteousness deliver me and rescue me;  incline your ear to me and save me. Be to me a rock of refuge,  a strong fortress, to save me,  for you are my rock and my fortress.

Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked,  from the grasp of the unjust and cruel. For you, O Lord, are my hope,  my trust, O Lord, from my youth. Upon you I have leaned from my birth;  it was you who took me from my mother's womb. My praise is continually of you.

I have been like a portent to many,  but you are my strong refuge. My mouth is filled with your praise,  and with your glory all day long. Do not cast me off in the time of old age;  do not forsake me when my strength is spent. For my enemies speak concerning me,  and those who watch for my life consult together. They say, “Pursue and seize that person  whom God has forsaken,  for there is no one to deliver.”

O God, do not be far from me;  O my God, make haste to help me! Let my accusers be put to shame and consumed;  let those who seek to hurt me  be covered with scorn and disgrace. But I will hope continually,  and will praise you yet more and more. My mouth will tell of your righteous acts,  of your deeds of salvation all day long,  though their number is past my knowledge. I will come praising the mighty deeds of the Lord God,  I will praise your righteousness, yours alone.

O God, from my youth you have taught me,  and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds. So even to old age and grey hairs,  O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might  to all the generations to come. Your power and your righteousness, O God,  reach the high heavens.

You who have done great things,  O God, who is like you? You who have made me see many troubles and calamities  will revive me again; from the depths of the earth  you will bring me up again. You will increase my honor,  and comfort me once again.

I will also praise you with the harp  for your faithfulness, O my God; I will sing praises to you with the lyre,  O Holy One of Israel. My lips will shout for joy  when I sing praises to you;  my soul also, which you have rescued. All day long my tongue will talk of your righteous help, for those who tried to do me harm  have been put to shame, and disgraced.

New Testament Epistle Lesson: Hebrews 12:3-17

Consider him who endured such hostility against himself from sinners, so that you may not grow weary or lose heart.

In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as children—

“My child, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, ; or lose heart when you are punished by him; for the Lord disciplines those whom he loves, and chastises every child whom he accepts.”¹

Endure trials for the sake of discipline. God is treating you as children; for what child is there whom a parent does not discipline? If you do not have that discipline in which all children share, then you are illegitimate and not his children. Moreover, we had human parents to discipline us, and we respected them. Should we not be even more willing to be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share his holiness. Now, discipline always seems painful rather than pleasant at the time, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and ‘make straight paths for your feet’², so that what is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed.

Pursue peace with everyone, and the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springs up and causes trouble, and through it many become defiled. See to it that no one becomes like Esau, an immoral and godless person, who sold his birthright for a single meal. You know that later, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, even though he sought the blessing with tears.

¹Proverbs 3:11   Proverbs 4:26

Selections are from Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings copyright © 1995 by the Consultation on Common Texts. Unless otherwise indicated, Bible text is from New Revised Standard Version Bible (NRSV) copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Footnotes in the Hebrew Scriptures that show where the passage is used in the Christian Scriptures are based on information from the The Complete Jewish Bible (CJB) by David H. Stern, Copyright © 1998 and 2006 by David H. Stern, used by permission of Messianic Jewish Publishers, www.messianicjewish.net. All rights reserved worldwide. When text is taken from the CJB, the passage ends with (CJB) and this copyright notice applies. Footnotes in the Christian Scriptures that show where a passage from the Hebrew Scripture is used are from The New International Version Bible® ( NIV®), copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. When text is taken from the NIV, the passage ends with (NIV) and this copyright notice applies. Image Credit: Hands image by Gerd Altmann, downloaded from Pixabay, text added by Michael Gilbertson using Photoshop. Hands image used under Creative Commons 0 license. Combined image may be used under the same license. Please credit www.Lectionaryreadings.org.

Year C Ordinary 21, Catholic Proper 21, RCL Proper 16: Thursday

Shuls on the move!

How strange it is to see a synagogue drive down the street!

Back in January 2019, I was thrilled to witness as the original home of DC’s Adas Israel Congregation was driven a block and a half to its new home where it will become part of the forthcoming Capital Jewish Museum. This was actually the third time the building had moved. Dedicated in 1876 with President Ulysses S. Grant in attendance, it was sold in 1908 when the growing congregation moved to their new home at Sixth and I Streets. It was home to a succession of churches over the next few decades, and later housed a bicycle shop and a grocery store, among other retail businesses. When construction of the Metro headquarters would have led to it being demolished, the Jewish Historical Society of Greater Washington saved the building and moved it three city blocks to 3rd and G Streets where it became the Lillian & Albert Small Jewish Museum. It was moved again in 2016, this time just 60 ft. At the ceremony for the 2019 move, Representative Eleanor Holmes Norton joked she hoped this would be the last move. Here’s a video about the building made for the 2016 move.

This idea of saving a building by moving it is an interesting angle to Jewish traces. Occasionally a community will move their building when it makes sense, like First Hebrew Congregation of Oakland did way back in 1896. (An unfortunate example is Congregation Ahavath Achim in Portland, Oregon, which was damaged during its move in 1962.) B’nai Moshe in Los Angeles even moved in 1957 to prevent the building from becoming a church. But what makes a physical building that is no longer in use so valuable as to justify the expense of bringing it somewhere else? What does that say about how we celebrate the past?

Also moved to be a museum, the Montefiore Institute was built in 1913 or 1916 in Sibbald, Alberta, just west of the Alberta-Saskatchewan border. It served the Montefiore colony of Jewish immigrants who had settled in Alberta in 1910, one a number of pioneer colonies in the US and Canada. Severe drought led to the community disbanding in the 1920s and the building was sold and moved to Hanna, Alberta in the 1940 where it was a private home into the 2000s. It was tracked down, restored, and moved to the Heritage Park Historical Village in Calgary at a cost of over a million dollars in 2008, where it is now known as “The Little Synagogue on the Prairie,” where its mission is “the education and enjoyment of the park’s visitors, in order to build bridges of understanding among people of all cultures and religions.” 

Sometimes the building retains its original function. Possibly the first move of this kind for a synagogue was the San Leandro Hebrew Congregation in the Bay Area south of Oakland, also known as the Little Shul. The congregation was organized in 1881 and built the building in 1889, but by 1947 the renamed Temple Beth Sholom had outgrown it and built a new building. It was purchased by First Baptist Church in 1952, and then sold to the Judah Magnes Museum of Berkeley, who rented it out for church services. In 1970, Temple Beth Sholom purchased the building back and moved it to behind their new building, where it is again used for services and other functions. It may be the oldest standing synagogue building in the East Bay.

With a similar name and a similar story, we go to Texas. Built in 1883, repaired after a fire in 1893, the B’nai Abraham Synagogue served the community of Brenham, Texas and was the oldest synagogue in continuous use in the state. As its membership dwindled, as was true in many small towns in the South, regular services were last held in the 1960s. Leon Toubin, then 87, and his wife Mimi were the buildings only remaining caretakers in 2015. Meanwhile the Jewish community in Austin was growing. And so, in August 2015, the building was divided into thirds and driven 90 miles to Austin’s Dell Jewish Community Campus, where it now serves as the sanctuary for Congregation Tiferet Israel.

Madison, Wisconsin’s first synagogue, Gates of Heaven, was dedicated in 1863. The active congregation shrank quickly in the 1870s as families left the area, and by 1879 was renting the building to the Unitarian Society. They continued to rent the building to churches and other groups before selling it in 1916, after which it was a funeral home, a tearoom, a wartime storage facility during World War II, a church, a dental office, and ultimately the office of then Congressman Robert Kastenmeier. In 1970 plans were drafted by new owners Fiore Coal and Oil Company to sell it for commercial development, which would have had it replaced with an office building. Members of nearby Beth El Temple started the Gates of Heaven Synagogue Preservation Fund to buy, move, and restore the building. In 1971, the building was driven across the isthmus to James Madison Park, where it is now owned by the Madison Parks Department and is rented out for special events and weddings. Beth El Temple holds High Holiday services there as well.

The first Jewsh congregation in San Diego, Adath Yeshurun, formally incorporated as Beth Israel in 1887. They built a redwood building in 1889 at at Second Avenue and Beech Street. By 1923 they had outgrown the building and built a new one at 3rd Avenue and Laurel Street in Bankers Hill. The old building was sold and used as a bank and for other purposes before the Fraternal Spiritualist Church bought it in 1938. With downtown growing up around it by the 1970s, it was scheduled for demolition. A historic designation in 1973 delayed demolition, and Beth Israel's Rabbi Joel Goor and Beth Israel president Jim Milch, among others in the congregation, worked to purchase the building for $10,000 and preserve it. Beth Israel gave the building to San Diego County as an example of 19th-century religious architecture, with the condition that the county would move it to Heritage Park and restore the exterior. The structure was cut in half, moved, and reassembled. After a $450,000 restoration, it was rededicated in 1989 for its 100th anniversary. The County Department of Parks and Recreation rents the building for weddings, bar mitzvahs, and other events. (After moving to a third building in 2001, Beth Israel's second building was also saved from development by historic designation and was sold to another congregation, Ohr Shalom.)

Info and images (and for more info and images): 

Adas Israel: WAMU 2016 and 2019, Curbed (2016 move), DCist (2016) Reuters (2019-spot me in the background of some of the photos), WTOP (2019), Washingtonian. First photo is mine.

San Leandro: Patch

Little Synagogue: Jewish Calgary, Calgary Herald and, Calgary Sun, Little Synagogue

B’nai Abraham: Banner-Press, JNS, Shalom Austin (with a few videos about the building and the move), KWHI, Tiferet Israel

Gates of Heaven: Madison 365, Madison.com, Wisconsin State Journal

Beth Israel: SOHO, Samuel Gruber, Beth Israel, San Diego Parks and Recreation

Brenda Brown-Grooms: We are still working together to keep the American Dream alive

I was at the sunrise service at First Baptist Church on Main at 6 a.m. on August 12, with Cornell West, Tracy Blackmon, Osagyefo Sekou and various groups soon to be deployed to our respective stations (mine to First United Methodist Church, a designated safe space, prayer fortress, first aid station, food and water replenishing). We prayed, sang, read Scripture, counseled with those coming in for respite. We were tear gassed (it wafted up from the park across the sidewalk), were locked down more times than I can now remember, and watched Heather Heyer being killled and others injured in real time, via livestream, while hearing a helicopter hovering over our heads.

A little more than a month before the July 2017 gathering of the KKK in Emancipation Park (in protest of the city's approved plan to remove the statue of Confederate general Robert E. Lee) we all got word of this coming August gathering. Concerned citizens, rightly discerning this to be, above all, an issue of morality and not just policy, called on their faith leaders to lead Charlottesville's response. Indeed, they were crystal clear: if you don't lead, we won't follow.

We mounted prayer vigils, monitored KKK/alt-right social media, tried to work with various police departments in this area, and quickly discovered that they were not listening to us, which later bespoke their unpreparedness for the situation.

After the July protest, those of us in the faith community realized the enormity of the coming situation and sought to prepare ourselves and our congregations as best we could. Our biggest hindrance was the intransigence of the city government, university administrators, and Charlottesville's elite in convincing themselves that something like what did happen would never happen in beautiful, iconic, happy Charlottesville! THIS ISN'T WHO WE ARE!

However, beautiful Charlottesville has an ugly underbelly. If you have enough money, enough power, the right zip code, preferably no Jewish ancestry, and are not a person of color, you may well be able to position yourself, isolate yourself, so that none of what poor, powerless, native Charlottesvillians of color experience. I am an African American native of Charlottesville and a graduate of the University of Virginia. I remember and have always experienced the ugliness of this beautiful place.

To those who stubbornly thought it "couldn't happen here," I say: Are you insane? Of course this is Charlottesville. What planet do you live on? Yes, some Nazis and KKK and alt-righters came from out of town, but a lot more of them than you think live right here.

On August 11, I participated in a glorious worship service at St. Paul's, across the street from the Rotunda at UVA, where the tiki torch gathering happened and Nazis cried, "Jews will not replace us." I, along with about 500 people, was locked down in the church. I had a premonition that something would happen on Friday. They had to announce their presence some way.

Last summer crystallized for me, yet again, that America has yet to live out her creed (that all people are created equal, endowed by our Creator, with certain inalienable rights. That among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness). Everyone ever labeled a "minority" in this country knows America's failure, its original sin. And yet, each generation, we hope and work for the American Dream. The original sin that infects our republic, our religious practices and citizenship in the world is white supremacy. We must admit it. Rout it out. Begin again. We must talk about who benefits and who does not. We must admit that our institutions are shot through with unfairness, injustice and death. We must hear and include the stories that have been and are still being suppressed in order to perpetuate a false, an incomplete narrative--leaving out Native Americans, Asian Americans, South Americans, African Americans, Immigrants, Refugees and those left without homelands and others in any of the myriad ways we humans know to "other."

Since last year's open summer of hate, I have found brothers and sisters of all races, creeds, faith or no faith traditions, who have been willing to sit together, talk together, argue together, cry together, think together, plan together, walk together, to keep the American Dream alive, one more generation. We are working together to raise up another generation to follow us, who will do the same. Shalom.

Brenda Brown-Grooms is a pastor with the New Beginnings Christian Community and part of the Charlottesville Clergy Collective (CCC), a group of clergy and laypeople dedicated to dialogue about the challenge of race relations in Charlottesville and Albemarle County. She is also part of and Congregate Cville, an activist organization which grew out of CCC.

...

Rachel Schmelkin: I learned a lot that day about what it means to truly support and protect each other

On August 12, 2017, I took a few cautious steps out of First United Methodist Church, a designated "safe space" for anti-Nazi demonstrators, to survey the park where Nazis were screaming ugly white supremacist chants. "Jews will not replace us!," still rings in my ear as I recall that dreadful weekend. I'd never seen such hate up close, and for the first time I felt afraid to be a Jew in America.

A few days before the rally, I told my close friends, Reverends Phil and Robert that I was worried that I would be a target, but that it was important to be to be visible and present despite the risks. They promised me that they would watch out for me. They said "We will not let anybody get near you. In fact, we'll stay with you as long as you're out there. We will not leave you alone." I trusted them, and they held to their word.

That day, I continued further out of the door and did my best to project songs of love and peace that might drown out the hate. With my guitar in hand and my brother standing next to me, we sang out "This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine!"

I learned a lot that day about what it means to truly support and protect each other, and to have others support and protect me. A black friend confided in me that she's felt unsafe in her body her entire life. As a Jew, I felt that same visceral fear that August day in Charlottesville when neo-Nazis threatened to torch the Jews.

Anti-Semitism animates white supremacist ideology and is tightly integrated with its other racist and xenophobic views. Charlottesville's "summer of hate" taught me that alliances across faiths, across race, across all kinds of differences are the best way to combat racism, anti-Semitism, and all types of bigotry and hate.

Since August 12, courageous citizens of Charlottesville have consistently come together to make Charlottesville a miserable place to be a white supremacist; they're not welcome here.

Rabbi Rachel Schmelkin is with Congregation Beth Israel in Charlottesville.

See the full piece at CNN. 

TW: The top of page has a video that autoplays starting on a graphic image of car attack that killed Heather Heyer, Z’’L may her memory be a blessing, and also includes images and video from the white supremacists marching and chanting anti Black and antisemitic slogans.

In nineteen hundred sixty-six I happened on a girl, And spent two years a-pondering The value of that pearl. She has a face and has a heart All full of love and filling, And so I sold my singleness All fifty years, God willing. And I have never once looked back For fear of what I missed. If ever God was good to me It was the wedding kiss. Four years and happy were the first Without a child to bless, And so we cultivated joy And fields of faithfulness. Then, like a mighty “Let there be!” From Genesis page one, Another soul was born on earth, And we beheld a son. But I had eyes for something more, To watch God make another: Out of a girl, my college pearl, I watched him make a mother. A kind of revelation this, Just as the ancients say: How much of Christ there is to see In her maternal way! Eight years and two more happy sons All priceless to the minute, Are like an unrolled, open scroll With God’s own message in it: “Charm is deceitful, beauty vain, Though all the world has gazed, But when a woman fears the Lord She will be truly praised.” An Acrostic of Praise The text for my message this morning is taken from Proverbs 31:30: “Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” First, let’s notice its unusual context. You all know what an acrostic is, don’t you? M — is for the million things she gave me, O — means only that she’s growing old, T — is for the tears ‘twere shed to save me, H — is for her heart as pure as gold, E — is for her eyes with love-light shining, R — means right and right she’ll always be. That’s an acrostic. Why do people write acrostics? Because there is something in us that loves to praise what we enjoy. We like to pile up the praiseworthy attributes of people we love. Well, that is what was happening in Proverbs 31:10–31 are an acrostic. Every verse begins with a different letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Aleph — is for woman full of virtue, Beth — refers to trust her husband shares, Gimmel — is for work she does to help you, Daleth — stands for how she seeks her wares. And so on through all 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. This is helpful to know because it tips us off that the author is not building an argument like Paul does in Romans. Instead, he is stringing pearls. He has set himself the task, as he says in Proverbs 31:30, to praise the woman who fears the Lord. To do this he tries to think of 22 praiseworthy things to say about her. Therefore, I think a sermon based on this passage of Scripture should aim to accomplish three things. First, it should aim to inspire women to fear the Lord and be like this woman in the way she fulfilled her role (and that is possible for all women, married or unmarried). Second, it should inspire others, especially husbands and children, to praise women who fear the Lord. Third, it should contain praise for the godly woman. That’s why I began with my ode to Noël, the woman I know best and a woman who fears the Lord. Now, to help accomplish those other two goals I want to try to answer three questions about the text: What does it mean to “fear the Lord”? Why is it so important that we praise a woman who fears the Lord? How can you tell if a woman fears the Lord? What does it look like in action? What Does It Mean to Fear the Lord? “Charm is deceitful, beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” What does it mean in daily experience to “fear the Lord”? Let’s go back to the beginning of Israel’s national life. In Exodus 20:18, after the giving of the ten commandments, it says: Now when all the people perceived the thunderings and the lightnings and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled; and they stood afar off, and said to Moses, “You speak to us and we will hear, but let not God speak to us, lest we die.” And Moses said to the people, “Do not fear, for God has come to prove you, and that the fear of him may be before your eyes that you may not sin.” Oh, how we need to meditate on such perplexing texts. “Do not fear. You are being tested.” You pass the test only if you don’t fear. Yet God desires that the fear of him be always before your eyes. You pass the test by fearing the Lord. The text provides the distinctions necessary to make sense out of this. The fear that Moses was telling them to get rid of was the fear of coming close to God and hearing his voice. The fear that Moses wanted them to keep before their eyes was that God is fearfully powerful and opposed to sin. The fear of kindling God’s powerful wrath against sin ought not to drive us away from God but to God for mercy. “The fear of kindling God’s powerful wrath against sin ought not to drive us away from God but to God for mercy.” Tweet Share on Facebook Noël, the boys, and I went out to Dick and Irene Tiegen’s place last week. They have a big dog as tall as Benjamin, which greeted us with barks and growls from where he was chained. But after we were there and in the house with the dog, he was friendly. Then we went outside again and Irene gave the warning: Don’t run from him. But as Karsten was heading out to the car, the dog came trotting up behind, and instead of slowing down and petting the dog, Karsten started to run, and immediately the dog barked and growled. What a lesson in the fear of God. Irene was Moses and she says to us Israelites, the Piper family, “Do not fear to draw near, but keep the fear of the dog [the fear of the Lord] before your eyes, lest you try to run away [lest you start to fall into sin].” God is a joy to be near and a terror to those who flee. The comparison breaks down, however. Irene put the dog in the basement, but nobody puts God in the basement. If you are running from God because you are afraid of him, then you are not yet as afraid as you ought to be. In fact, your very flight is a mockery of God, presuming to think that you could outrun this German shepherd. If you really fear him and love your own life, stop running, turn around, and hug his neck for dear life, and he will lick your face. The fear of the Lord is fear of fleeing out of his fellowship into the way of sin. Therefore, the fear of the Lord is full of peace and security and hope. It keeps us near to the merciful heart of God, our fortress, our refuge, our sanctuary, our shield, our sun. Isaiah 8:13 says, “The Lord of Hosts . . . let him be your fear, and let him be your dread, and he will become a sanctuary.” A proper fear of the Lord keeps us under the shadow of his wings where we need not be afraid. Therefore the fear of the Lord is accompanied by tremendous blessing. Listen to the psalms. Psalm 25:14: “The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him; he makes known to them his covenant.” Psalm 31:19: “How abundant is thy goodness which thou hast laid up for those who fear thee, and wrought for those who take refuge in thee.” (Notice that fearing God and taking refuge in him are parallel. Those who keep the fear of God before their eyes will not run from him but take refuge in him.) Psalm 34:7: “The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him and delivers them.” Psalm 103:11: “As the heavens are high above the earth so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him.” Psalm 103:13, “As a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear him.” (Hug his neck and he will lick your face.) Psalm 145:19: “He fulfills the desire of all who fear him.” The promises God makes to those who fear him are so staggering that the summons to fear God and the summons to hope in God are inseparable. And so the psalmist puts them together, for example, in Psalm 33:18: “The eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his mercy.” Psalm 147:11: “The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his mercy.” A woman who fears the Lord will not run away from God to satisfy her longings and relieve her anxieties. She will wait for the Lord. She will hope in God. She will stay close to the heart of God and trust in his promises. The prospect of departing into the way of sin will be too fearful to pursue; and the benefits of abiding in the shadow of the Almighty too glorious to forsake. Why Should We Praise Such a Woman? “Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” Why? That is our second question: Why is this praise so important? I suggest three reasons for praising a woman who fears the Lord: It feels good to do it. It honors God. It strengthens her hand in the Lord. To Praise a God-Fearing Woman Is to Have Joy First, it feels good. David says in Psalm 37:4, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” By implication, this must mean, “Delight yourself in everything that delights the Lord,” and therefore, delight yourself in the woman who fears the Lord. Now what is praise? C.S. Lewis points out beautifully in his little book on the Psalms that praise is not merely the expression of joy, but the consummation of joy. A joy isn’t fully enjoyed until it comes to expression in praise. The joy I have in my wife mounts to its highest when I express it as well as I can in a poem and then praise her in the great congregation. Therefore, a strong and good incentive for praising a woman who fears the Lord is that it feels so good. It expresses and completes the joy that such a woman brings. “Praising a woman who fears the Lord feels so good. It expresses and completes the joy that such a woman brings.” Tweet Share on Facebook It might be helpful in passing just to mention the ugly alternative to praise so as to increase our desire to avoid it. Lewis said, “Praise is inner health made audible.” I have seen that verified over and over. It is the cranks, the misfits, the scrooges of the world who seldom praise. They have an inner sickness of soul that yields criticism, complaining, murmuring, grumbling, sarcasm, suspicion, and a general joylessness. I just want to take such people (and sometimes myself) and shake them and say, “Hey, wake up! Sure there is rottenness in the world, but Jesus Christ died and rose again precisely that the commands, ‘Rejoice always,’ and ‘For everything give thanks,’ would not be naïve, but profoundly realistic. Now open your eyes; there are natural and moral beauties to praise in this world because God made it and is at work in it. Break the habit of grumbling. Get yourself hooked on praise. It feels ten times better.” To Praise a God-Fearing Woman Is to Honor God Not only does praising the woman who fears the Lord feel good; it also honors God, which is most important of all. We must not think here that in praising the woman we are giving to her what belongs to God. There is a sense in which all praise, just like all boasting (1 Corinthians 1:31), should be in the Lord. But since the Lord has made the world and is at work in us fallen creatures, it is possible to praise him indirectly by praising something he made or praising something that exalts him. If you praise the table manners of my sons, Noël and I feel honored. So also God is honored through praises that come to his people for graces, which he has imparted and which by their very nature exalt him. Therefore, when we praise a woman who fears the Lord, we praise God. To Praise a God-Fearing Woman Is to Strengthen Her A third reason to praise these women who fear the Lord is to strengthen their hand in the Lord. Suppose when the dog started to growl at Karsten, he stopped running, stepped toward the dog, and put his arm around his neck, and then went slowly on toward the car. And suppose I called out, “Way to go, Karsten. Beautiful. That’s just the way to do it. I love it!” What would be the effect on Karsten? It would strengthen his hand and heart to keep on going and not give up. So it is with those who fear the Lord and hope in him. There are always temptations to allure us away from the fear of God: temptations to fear financial insecurity more than we fear God (see Proverbs 23:17), to fear rejection by our peers more than we fear God, to fear the loss of time spent in good deeds more than we fear God. We are tempted again and again to let go of our great German Shepherd and run after some silly poodle. Again and again, we must have our hand strengthened in God. We need to hear a saintly person say, “Well done. I love the way you fear the Lord.” And now listen husbands and children — a word especially for you: Proverbs 31:28: “Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her.” Children, young people, think seriously a minute. Suppose your mom was killed in a car wreck tomorrow and you had to go to her funeral on Thursday. What would you wish on Thursday you had told her today? Tell her. “Her children rise up and call her blessed.” Tell her, and you will strengthen her hand in God. And what about husbands? You know what I would say if I lost my wife this week? “Why did I get upset at her over such stupid little things? Why did I make an issue of such non-essentials? Why did I let criticism and nit-picking dry up my expressions of gratitude and praise?” Oh, how we need to live in the light of our dying. Like Glenn Ogren said to me Wednesday, “Death puts everything in perspective.” Her husband also, and he praises her. Praise her, praise her, praise her while you have her. And you will strengthen her heart in God, honor the Lord, and add great joy to your own life. What Does a Woman Who Fears the Lord Look Like? And now, finally, we ask: How can you identify a woman who fears the Lord? What does she look like in action? I think that is what the acrostic of Proverbs 31:10–31 intends to give us. What is a woman like who fears the Lord? What sorts of things can we praise her for? I’ll just mention four things that the wise man has chosen to celebrate about the woman who fears the Lord (and which I want to celebrate in my wife!). She Doesn’t Fear Tomorrow’s Troubles First of all, a woman who fears the Lord is not anxious about the future. Look at Proverbs 31:25. I love this line, and I praise all you women who are like this: “Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come.” Satan dangles in front of her the specter of tomorrow’s troubles, but she glances up at the almighty God at her right hand (her magnificent German Shepherd!) and laughs at Satan’s folly. She fulfills in her own life Proverbs 14:26: “In the fear of the Lord one has strong confidence, and his children will have a refuge.” “When a woman fears the Lord, she will not be anxious about tomorrow, she will do what God has appointed for her to do.” Tweet Share on Facebook Her fear of the Lord makes her fearless of man. But it doesn’t make her naïve. She knows that the Lord has appointed some means for our safety. For example, Proverbs 31:21, “She is not afraid of snow for her household, for all her household are clothed in scarlet.” Winter is a fearful thing in Minnesota, and God has appointed that we do more than pray that our feet not freeze. Clothing must be made or bought. When a woman fears the Lord, she will not be anxious about tomorrow, she will do what God has appointed for her to do and trust him in everything to show her mercy. She Has Practical Wisdom Second, the woman who fears the Lord has practical wisdom. Proverb 31:26, “She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.” We’ve been taught from grade school that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10) so it’s no surprise that the woman who fears the Lord “opens her mouth with wisdom.” And isn’t there a very close connection between a practical, gracious wisdom and freedom from anxiety about the future? The wisest people I know are the people who hope in the Lord and have quieted their soul like a child at its mother’s breast. But the people who are most anxious, most tense and fretful about tomorrow, are those whose counsel I bank on the least. Women, there is a wisdom that your family and friends and associates need that will only come from a heart that can laugh at the future because it fears the Lord. She Is Strong Third, the woman who fears the Lord is strong. Proverbs 31:25:“Strength and dignity are her clothing.” Verse 17, “She girds her loins with strength and makes her arms strong.” She will be morally strong. Proverbs 23:17 says, “Let not your heart envy sinners, but continue in the fear of the Lord all the day.” The woman who continues in the fear of the Lord will have power to resist all the allurements to envy, to desire what she shouldn’t have. The fear of the Lord will also increase her intellectual strength. The fear of the Lord is the impulse to wisdom, and rouses the mind to search for knowledge as for hidden treasure. And the fear of the Lord will even increase her physical strength. One of the reasons we let our bodies languish and get weak and out of tone is because we are bored and feel no excitement or hope about the future. But the woman who fears the Lord is confident and hopeful and eager to enter the future with God at her side. This kind of hope always gives us pep and vigor and increases the strength of the weakest among us. She Will Live for Others Fourth, a woman who fears the Lord will live not for herself alone, but for others, especially her husband, if she is married. Proverbs 31:11–12: “The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. She does him good and not harm all the days of her life.” A woman who fears the Lord will not squander the family’s livelihood on frivolous purchases, but will have the complete trust of her husband because she is for him and not against him. Wherever possible, she supplements his earnings rather than wastes it. But wives, far more important than this financial support is the moral support of your husband. Verse 23 seems out of place in a song of praise to women. It says, “Her husband is known in the gates, when he sits among the elders of the land.” “A wife who fears the Lord increases the esteem of her husband.” Tweet Share on Facebook How is that a word of praise to the wife who fears the Lord? Proverbs 12:4 gives the answer: “A good wife is the crown of her husband, but she who brings shame is the rottenness of his bones.” A wife who fears the Lord increases the esteem of her husband at the gates of the city. In twelve and a half years of marriage, my wife has never done or said anything in public that would have caused me to be ashamed. She has my absolute trust as a representative of what our family stands for. There is no place I might go where I would be ashamed to take Noël. She is a crown to my head and a signet ring on my right hand. She is for me 100 percent because she is a woman who fears the Lord. And I pray that every wife here will, under God, give that kind of support to your husband. She Cares for the Needy Now one last mark of the woman who fears the Lord: whether married or not, she lives for the good of the needy. Proverbs 31:20: “She opens her hand to the poor and reaches out her hands to the needy.” God has drawn near and secured her future in his care. Now she draws near to those who need most help. This woman in Proverbs 31 is well-to-do and esteemed, but she does not allow her station to hinder her association with the lowly. A Woman Who Fears the Lord Is to Be Praised “Charm is deceitful, beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” She keeps before her eyes the fearfulness of running away from God into sin and so stays close to God and his mercy. She should be praised by us all because that will strengthen her hand in God, honor the Lord, and make our own lives happier. And she can be recognized because she is confident and not anxious about the future, gracious wisdom is on her lips, she girds herself with strength, she brings her husband honor by her support, and she reaches out her hands to the needy. “A woman who fears the Lord is to be praised!”

The faithful ones Jehovah is safeguarding, but he is rewarding exceedingly anyone showing haughtiness & precious in the eyes of Jehovah is the death of his loyal ones...  

“Seven years old was Je·ho’ash when he began to reign, and for forty years he reigned in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Zib’i·ah from Be’er-she’ba. And Je·ho’ash kept doing what was right in Jehovah’s eyes all the days of Je·hoi’a·da the priest. And Je·hoi’a·da proceeded to get two wives for him, and he came to be father to sons and daughters.

Now it occurred afterward that it became close to the heart of Je·ho’ash to renovate the house of Jehovah. Accordingly he collected the priests and the Levites together and said to them: “Go out to the cities of Judah and collect money from all Israel to repair the house of YOUR God from year to year; and YOU, for YOUR part, should act quickly in the matter.” And the Levites did not act quickly. So the king called Je·hoi’a·da the head and said to him: “Why is it that you have not required an account of the Levites for bringing in from Judah and Jerusalem the sacred tax ordered by Moses the servant of Jehovah, even that of the congregation of Israel, for the tent of the Testimony? For as regards Ath·a·li’ah the wicked woman, her sons themselves had broken into the house of the [true] God, and even all the holy things of the house of Jehovah they had rendered up to the Ba’als.” Then the king said [the word], and so they made a chest and put it outside at the gate of the house of Jehovah. After that they issued a call throughout Judah and Jerusalem to bring to Jehovah the sacred tax ordered by Moses the servant of the [true] God upon Israel in the wilderness. And all the princes and all the people began to rejoice, and they kept bringing and casting it into the chest until they all had given.

And it came about at the proper time he would bring the chest to the care of the king by the hand of the Levites, and, as soon as they saw that there was plenty of money, the secretary of the king and the commissioner of the chief priest came and then emptied the chest and lifted it up and returned it to its place. That was the way they did from day to day, so that they gathered money in abundance. Then the king and Je·hoi’a·da would give it to the doers of the work of the service of Jehovah’s house, and they came to be hirers of the stonecutters and of the craftsmen for renovating Jehovah’s house, and also of the workers in iron and copper for repairing Jehovah’s house. And the doers of the work began operations, and the repair work kept advancing by their hand, and finally they made the house of the [true] God stand as it structurally should and made it strong. And as soon as they had finished they brought before the king and Je·hoi’a·da the rest of the money, and they proceeded to make utensils for the house of Jehovah, utensils for the ministry and for making offerings and cups and utensils of gold and of silver; and they came to be offerers of burnt sacrifices in the house of Jehovah constantly all the days of Je·hoi’a·da.

And Je·hoi’a·da got to be old and satisfied with years and gradually died, being a hundred and thirty years old at his death. So they buried him in the City of David along with the kings, because he had done good in Israel and with the [true] God and His house.

And after Je·hoi’a·da’s death the princes of Judah came in and proceeded to bow down to the king. At that time the king listened to them. And gradually they left the house of Jehovah the God of their forefathers and began serving the sacred poles and the idols, so that there came to be indignation against Judah and Jerusalem because of this guilt of theirs. And he kept sending prophets among them to bring them back to Jehovah; and they kept bearing witness against them, but they did not give ear.

And God’s spirit itself enveloped Zech·a·ri’ah the son of Je·hoi’a·da the priest, so that he stood up above the people and said to them: “This is what the [true] God has said, ‘Why are YOU overstepping the commandments of Jehovah, so that YOU cannot prove successful? Because YOU have left Jehovah, he will, in turn, leave YOU.’” Finally they conspired against him and pelted him with stones at the king’s commandment in the courtyard of Jehovah’s house. And Je·ho’ash the king did not remember the loving-kindness that Je·hoi’a·da his father had exercised toward him, so that he killed his son, who, when he was at the point of dying, said: “Let Jehovah see to it and ask it back.”

And it came about at the turn of the year a military force of Syria came up against him, and they began to invade Judah and Jerusalem. Then they brought all the princes of the people to ruin from among the people, and all their spoil they sent to the king of Damascus. For it was with a small number of men that the military force of the Syrians made an invasion, and Jehovah himself gave into their hand a military force of very great number, because they had left Jehovah the God of their forefathers; and upon Je·ho’ash they executed acts of judgment. And when they went away from him (for they left him with many diseases), his own servants conspired against him because of the blood of the sons of Je·hoi’a·da the priest; and they got to kill him upon his own couch, so that he died. Then they buried him in the City of David, but they did not bury him in the burial places of the kings.

And these were the conspirators against him: Za’bad the son of Shim’e·ath the Am’mon·it·ess and Je·hoz’a·bad the son of Shim’rith the Mo’ab·i·tess. As for his sons and the abundance of the pronouncement against him and the founding of the house of the [true] God, there they are written in the exposition of the Book of the Kings. And Am·a·zi’ah his son began to reign in place of him.

At the age of twenty-five years Am·a·zi’ah became king, and for twenty-nine years he reigned in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Je·ho·ad’dan of Jerusalem. And he continued to do what was right in Jehovah’s eyes, only not with a complete heart. And it came about that as soon as the kingdom had become strong upon him, he promptly killed his servants who had struck down the king his father. And their sons he did not put to death, but [did] according to what is written in the law, in the book of Moses, that Jehovah commanded, saying: “Fathers should not die for sons, neither should sons themselves die for fathers; but it is each one for his own sin that they should die.”

And Am·a·zi’ah proceeded to collect Judah together and to have them stand according to the house of the forefathers, by the chiefs of thousands and by the chiefs of hundreds for all Judah and Benjamin; and he went on to register them from twenty years of age upward, and finally he found them [to be] three hundred thousand choice men going out to the army, handling lance and large shield. Further, he hired from Israel a hundred thousand valiant, mighty men for a hundred silver talents. And a certain man of the [true] God came to him, saying: “O king, do not let the army of Israel come with you, for Jehovah is not with Israel, [that is,] all the sons of E’phra·im. But come you yourself, act, be courageous for the war. The [true] God could cause you to stumble before an enemy; for there exists power with God to help and to cause stumbling.” At this Am·a·zi’ah said to the man of the [true] God: “But what is there to do about the hundred talents that I have given to the troops of Israel?” To this the man of the [true] God said: “There exists with Jehovah the means to give you much more than this.” Accordingly Am·a·zi’ah separated them, namely, the troops that had come to him from E’phra·im, to go to their own place. However, their anger got very hot against Judah, so that they returned to their own place in the heat of anger.

And Am·a·zi’ah, for his part, took courage and proceeded to lead his own people and go to the Valley of Salt; and he went striking down the sons of Se’ir, ten thousand [of them]. And there were ten thousand that the sons of Judah captured alive. So they brought them to the top of the crag, and proceeded to throw them from the top of the crag; and they, one and all, burst apart. As for the members of the troop whom Am·a·zi’ah had sent back from going with him to the war, they began making raids upon the cities of Judah, from Sa·mar’i·a clear to Beth-ho’ron, and went striking down three thousand of them and taking a great plunder.

But it occurred after Am·a·zi’ah came from striking down the E’dom·ites that he now brought the gods of the sons of Se’ir and set them up for himself as gods, and before them he began to bow down, and to them he began to make sacrificial smoke. Consequently Jehovah’s anger became hot against Am·a·zi’ah, and so he sent a prophet to him and said to him: “Why have you searched for the people’s gods that did not deliver their own people out of your hand?” And it came about when he spoke to him that [the king] immediately said to him: “Was it a counselor of the king that we constituted you? Quit for your own sake. Why should they strike you down?” Accordingly the prophet quit, but he said: “I certainly know that God has resolved to bring you to ruin, because you have done this and you have not listened to my counsel.”

Then Am·a·zi’ah the king of Judah took counsel and sent to Je·ho’ash the son of Je·ho’a·haz the son of Je’hu the king of Israel, saying: “Come! Let us look each other in the face.” At that Je·ho’ash the king of Israel sent to Am·a·zi’ah the king of Judah, saying: “The thorny weed itself that was in Leb’a·non sent to the cedar that was in Leb’a·non, saying, ‘Do give your daughter to my son as a wife.’ However, a wild beast of the field that was in Leb’a·non passed by and trampled the thorny weed down. You have said to yourself, Here you have struck down E’dom. And your heart has lifted you up to be glorified. Now do keep dwelling in your own house. Why should you engage in strife in a bad position and have to fall, you and Judah with you?”

But Am·a·zi’ah did not listen; for it was from the [true] God for the purpose of giving them into his hand, because they had searched for the gods of E’dom. So Je·ho’ash the king of Israel went up, and they proceeded to look each other in the face, he and Am·a·zi’ah the king of Judah, at Beth-she’mesh, which belongs to Judah. And Judah came to be defeated before Israel, so that they took to flight each one to his tent. And it was Am·a·zi’ah the king of Judah, the son of Je·ho’ash the son of Je·ho’a·haz, that Je·ho’ash the king of Israel seized at Beth-she’mesh, after which he brought him to Jerusalem and made a breach in the wall of Jerusalem, from the Gate of E’phra·im clear to the Corner Gate, four hundred cubits. And [he took] all the gold and the silver and all the articles that were to be found in the house of the [true] God with O’bed-e’dom and the treasures of the king’s house and the hostages, and then returned to Sa·mar’i·a.

And Am·a·zi’ah the son of Je·ho’ash the king of Judah continued to live after the death of Je·ho’ash the son of Je·ho’a·haz the king of Israel fifteen years. As for the rest of the affairs of Am·a·zi’ah, the first and the last, look! are they not written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel? And from the time that Am·a·zi’ah turned aside from following Jehovah, they proceeded to form a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem. At length he fled to La’chish; but they sent after him to La’chish and put him to death there. So they carried him upon horses and buried him with his forefathers in the city of Judah.

Then all the people of Judah took Uz·zi’ah, he being sixteen years old, and they made him king in place of his father Am·a·zi’ah. He it was that rebuilt E’loth and then restored it to Judah after the king had lain down with his forefathers. Sixteen years old was Uz·zi’ah when he began to reign, and for fifty-two years he reigned in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Je·co·li’ah of Jerusalem. And he kept doing what was right in Jehovah’s eyes, according to all that Am·a·zi’ah his father had done. And he continually tended to search for God in the days of Zech·a·ri’ah, the instructor in the fear of the [true] God; and, in the days of his searching for Jehovah, the [true] God made him prosperous.

And he proceeded to go out and fight against the Phi·lis’tines and break through the wall of Gath and the wall of Jab’neh and the wall of Ash’dod, after which he built cities in Ash’dod [territory] and among the Phi·lis’tines. And the [true] God continued to help him against the Phi·lis’tines and against the Arabians that were dwelling in Gur·ba’al and the Me·u’nim. And the Am’mon·ites began to give tribute to Uz·zi’ah. Eventually his fame went even as far as Egypt, for he displayed strength to an extraordinary degree. Moreover, Uz·zi’ah built towers in Jerusalem by the Corner Gate and by the Valley Gate and by the Buttress, and made them strong. Further, he built towers in the wilderness, and hewed out many cisterns (for there was a great deal of livestock that became his), and also in the She·phe’lah and on the tableland. There were farmers and vinedressers in the mountains and in Car’mel, for a lover of agriculture he proved to be.

Moreover, Uz·zi’ah came to have a force engaging in war, those going out on military service in troops, by the number of their registration by the hand of Je·i’el the secretary and Ma·a·sei’ah the officer under the control of Han·a·ni’ah of the king’s princes. The entire number of the heads of the paternal houses, of the valiant, mighty men, was two thousand six hundred. And under their control the army forces were three hundred and seven thousand five hundred men engaging in war with the power of a military force to help the king against the enemy. And Uz·zi’ah continued to prepare for them, for the entire army, shields and lances and helmets and coats of mail and bows and slingstones. Further, he made in Jerusalem engines of war, the invention of engineers, that they might come to be upon the towers and upon the corners, to shoot arrows and great stones. Consequently his fame went out to a great distance, for he was helped wonderfully until he was strong.

However, as soon as he was strong, his heart became haughty even to the point of causing ruin, so that he acted unfaithfully against Jehovah his God and came into the temple of Jehovah to burn incense upon the altar of incense. Immediately Az·a·ri’ah the priest and with him priests of Jehovah, eighty valiant men, came in after him. Then they stood up against Uz·zi’ah the king and said to him: “It is not your business, O Uz·zi’ah, to burn incense to Jehovah, but it is the business of the priests the sons of Aaron, the ones sanctified, to burn incense. Go out from the sanctuary; for you have acted unfaithfully, and it is not for any glory to you on the part of Jehovah God.”

But Uz·zi’ah became enraged while in his hand there was a censer for burning incense, and, during his rage against the priests, leprosy itself flashed up in his forehead before the priests in the house of Jehovah beside the altar of incense. When Az·a·ri’ah the chief priest and all the priests turned toward him, why, there he was stricken with leprosy in his forehead! So they excitedly began to remove him from there, and he himself also hastened to go out, because Jehovah had smitten him.

And Uz·zi’ah the king continued to be a leper until the day of his death, and he kept dwelling in a house exempt from duties, as a leper; for he had been severed from the house of Jehovah, while Jo’tham his son was over the king’s house, judging the people of the land.

And the rest of the affairs of Uz·zi’ah, the first and the last, Isaiah the son of A’moz the prophet has written. Finally Uz·zi’ah lay down with his forefathers; and so they buried him with his forefathers, [but] in the burial field that belonged to the kings, for they said: “He is a leper.” And Jo’tham his son began to reign in place of him.

-2 Chronicles 24-26, NWT

Uzziah: Uncovering a King of Judah

October 23: Jeremiah 6–7; 1 Peter 5; Psalm 105:26–45; Proverbs 26:17

New Post has been published on https://loveofyhwh.com/october-23-jeremiah-6-7-1-peter-5-psalm-10526-45-proverbs-2617/

October 23: Jeremiah 6–7; 1 Peter 5; Psalm 105:26–45; Proverbs 26:17

Old Testament:

Jeremiah 6–7

Jeremiah 6–7 (Listen)

Impending Disaster for Jerusalem

6   Flee for safety, O people of Benjamin,     from the midst of Jerusalem!   Blow the trumpet in Tekoa,     and raise a signal on Beth-haccherem,   for disaster looms out of the north,     and great destruction. 2   The lovely and delicately bred I will destroy,     the daughter of Zion.Or I have likened the daughter of Zion to the loveliest pasture‘>1 3   Shepherds with their flocks shall come against her;     they shall pitch their tents around her;     they shall pasture, each in his place. 4   “Prepare war against her;     arise, and let us attack at noon!   Woe to us, for the day declines,     for the shadows of evening lengthen! 5   Arise, and let us attack by night     and destroy her palaces!” 6   For thus says the LORD of hosts:   “Cut down her trees;     cast up a siege mound against Jerusalem.   This is the city that must be punished;     there is nothing but oppression within her. 7   As a well keeps its water fresh,     so she keeps fresh her evil;   violence and destruction are heard within her;     sickness and wounds are ever before me. 8   Be warned, O Jerusalem,     lest I turn from you in disgust,   lest I make you a desolation,     an uninhabited land.” 9   Thus says the LORD of hosts:   “They shall glean thoroughly as a vine     the remnant of Israel;   like a grape gatherer pass your hand again     over its branches.” 10   To whom shall I speak and give warning,     that they may hear?   Behold, their ears are uncircumcised,     they cannot listen;   behold, the word of the LORD is to them an object of scorn;     they take no pleasure in it. 11   Therefore I am full of the wrath of the LORD;     I am weary of holding it in.   “Pour it out upon the children in the street,     and upon the gatherings of young men, also;   both husband and wife shall be taken,     the elderly and the very aged. 12   Their houses shall be turned over to others,     their fields and wives together,   for I will stretch out my hand     against the inhabitants of the land,”       declares the LORD. 13   “For from the least to the greatest of them,     everyone is greedy for unjust gain;   and from prophet to priest,     everyone deals falsely. 14   They have healed the wound of my people lightly,     saying, ‘Peace, peace,’     when there is no peace. 15   Were they ashamed when they committed abomination?     No, they were not at all ashamed;     they did not know how to blush.   Therefore they shall fall among those who fall;     at the time that I punish them, they shall be overthrown,”       says the LORD. 16   Thus says the LORD:   “Stand by the roads, and look,     and ask for the ancient paths,   where the good way is; and walk in it,     and find rest for your souls.   But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’ 17   I set watchmen over you, saying,     ‘Pay attention to the sound of the trumpet!’   But they said, ‘We will not pay attention.’ 18   Therefore hear, O nations,     and know, O congregation, what will happen to them. 19   Hear, O earth; behold, I am bringing disaster upon this people,     the fruit of their devices,   because they have not paid attention to my words;     and as for my law, they have rejected it. 20   What use to me is frankincense that comes from Sheba,     or sweet cane from a distant land?   Your burnt offerings are not acceptable,     nor your sacrifices pleasing to me. 21   Therefore thus says the LORD:   ‘Behold, I will lay before this people     stumbling blocks against which they shall stumble;   fathers and sons together,     neighbor and friend shall perish.’” 22   Thus says the LORD:   “Behold, a people is coming from the north country,     a great nation is stirring from the farthest parts of the earth. 23   They lay hold on bow and javelin;     they are cruel and have no mercy;     the sound of them is like the roaring sea;   they ride on horses,     set in array as a man for battle,     against you, O daughter of Zion!” 24   We have heard the report of it;     our hands fall helpless;   anguish has taken hold of us,     pain as of a woman in labor. 25   Go not out into the field,     nor walk on the road,   for the enemy has a sword;     terror is on every side. 26   O daughter of my people, put on sackcloth,     and roll in ashes;   make mourning as for an only son,     most bitter lamentation,   for suddenly the destroyer     will come upon us. 27   “I have made you a tester of metals among my people,     that you may know and test their ways. 28   They are all stubbornly rebellious,     going about with slanders;   they are bronze and iron;     all of them act corruptly. 29   The bellows blow fiercely;     the lead is consumed by the fire;   in vain the refining goes on,     for the wicked are not removed. 30   Rejected silver they are called,     for the LORD has rejected them.”

Evil in the Land

7 The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD: 2 “Stand in the gate of the LORD’s house, and proclaim there this word, and say, Hear the word of the LORD, all you men of Judah who enter these gates to worship the LORD. 3 Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Amend your ways and your deeds, and I will let you dwell in this place. 4 Do not trust in these deceptive words: ‘This is the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD.’

5 “For if you truly amend your ways and your deeds, if you truly execute justice one with another, 6 if you do not oppress the sojourner, the fatherless, or the widow, or shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not go after other gods to your own harm, 7 then I will let you dwell in this place, in the land that I gave of old to your fathers forever.

8 “Behold, you trust in deceptive words to no avail. 9 Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, make offerings to Baal, and go after other gods that you have not known, 10 and then come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, ‘We are delivered!’—only to go on doing all these abominations? 11 Has this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, I myself have seen it, declares the LORD. 12 Go now to my place that was in Shiloh, where I made my name dwell at first, and see what I did to it because of the evil of my people Israel. 13 And now, because you have done all these things, declares the LORD, and when I spoke to you persistently you did not listen, and when I called you, you did not answer, 14 therefore I will do to the house that is called by my name, and in which you trust, and to the place that I gave to you and to your fathers, as I did to Shiloh. 15 And I will cast you out of my sight, as I cast out all your kinsmen, all the offspring of Ephraim.

16 “As for you, do not pray for this people, or lift up a cry or prayer for them, and do not intercede with me, for I will not hear you. 17 Do you not see what they are doing in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? 18 The children gather wood, the fathers kindle fire, and the women knead dough, to make cakes for the queen of heaven. And they pour out drink offerings to other gods, to provoke me to anger. 19 Is it I whom they provoke? declares the LORD. Is it not themselves, to their own shame? 20 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, my anger and my wrath will be poured out on this place, upon man and beast, upon the trees of the field and the fruit of the ground; it will burn and not be quenched.”

21 Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: “Add your burnt offerings to your sacrifices, and eat the flesh. 22 For in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, I did not speak to your fathers or command them concerning burnt offerings and sacrifices. 23 But this command I gave them: ‘Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be my people. And walk in all the way that I command you, that it may be well with you.’ 24 But they did not obey or incline their ear, but walked in their own counsels and the stubbornness of their evil hearts, and went backward and not forward. 25 From the day that your fathers came out of the land of Egypt to this day, I have persistently sent all my servants the prophets to them, day after day. 26 Yet they did not listen to me or incline their ear, but stiffened their neck. They did worse than their fathers.

27 “So you shall speak all these words to them, but they will not listen to you. You shall call to them, but they will not answer you. 28 And you shall say to them, ‘This is the nation that did not obey the voice of the LORD their God, and did not accept discipline; truth has perished; it is cut off from their lips.

29   “‘Cut off your hair and cast it away;     raise a lamentation on the bare heights,   for the LORD has rejected and forsaken     the generation of his wrath.’

The Valley of Slaughter

30 “For the sons of Judah have done evil in my sight, declares the LORD. They have set their detestable things in the house that is called by my name, to defile it. 31 And they have built the high places of Topheth, which is in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire, which I did not command, nor did it come into my mind. 32 Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when it will no more be called Topheth, or the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter; for they will bury in Topheth, because there is no room elsewhere. 33 And the dead bodies of this people will be food for the birds of the air, and for the beasts of the earth, and none will frighten them away. 34 And I will silence in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, for the land shall become a waste.

Footnotes

[1] 6:2 Or I have likened the daughter of Zion to the loveliest pasture

(ESV)

New Testament:

1 Peter 5

1 Peter 5 (Listen)

Shepherd the Flock of God

5 So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: 2 shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight,Some manuscripts omit exercising oversight‘>1 not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you;Some manuscripts omit as God would have you‘>2 not for shameful gain, but eagerly; 3 not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. 4 And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. 5 Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. 10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 11 To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Final Greetings

12 By Silvanus, a faithful brother as I regard him, I have written briefly to you, exhorting and declaring that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it. 13 She who is at Babylon, who is likewise chosen, sends you greetings, and so does Mark, my son. 14 Greet one another with the kiss of love.

Peace to all of you who are in Christ.

Footnotes

[1] 5:2 Some manuscripts omit exercising oversight [2] 5:2 Some manuscripts omit as God would have you

(ESV)

Psalm:

Psalm 105:26–45

Psalm 105:26–45 (Listen)

26   He sent Moses, his servant,     and Aaron, whom he had chosen. 27   They performed his signs among them     and miracles in the land of Ham. 28   He sent darkness, and made the land dark;     they did not rebelSeptuagint, Syriac omit not‘>1 against his words. 29   He turned their waters into blood     and caused their fish to die. 30   Their land swarmed with frogs,     even in the chambers of their kings. 31   He spoke, and there came swarms of flies,     and gnats throughout their country. 32   He gave them hail for rain,     and fiery lightning bolts through their land. 33   He struck down their vines and fig trees,     and shattered the trees of their country. 34   He spoke, and the locusts came,     young locusts without number, 35   which devoured all the vegetation in their land     and ate up the fruit of their ground. 36   He struck down all the firstborn in their land,     the firstfruits of all their strength. 37   Then he brought out Israel with silver and gold,     and there was none among his tribes who stumbled. 38   Egypt was glad when they departed,     for dread of them had fallen upon it. 39   He spread a cloud for a covering,     and fire to give light by night. 40   They asked, and he brought quail,     and gave them bread from heaven in abundance. 41   He opened the rock, and water gushed out;     it flowed through the desert like a river. 42   For he remembered his holy promise,     and Abraham, his servant. 43   So he brought his people out with joy,     his chosen ones with singing. 44   And he gave them the lands of the nations,     and they took possession of the fruit of the peoples’ toil, 45   that they might keep his statutes     and observe his laws.   Praise the LORD!

Footnotes

[1] 105:28 Septuagint, Syriac omit not

(ESV)

Proverb:

Proverbs 26:17

Proverbs 26:17 (Listen)

17   Whoever meddles in a quarrel not his own     is like one who takes a passing dog by the ears.

(ESV)

Attorney General Merrick B. Garland Delivers Remarks at the U.S. Conference of Mayors

I admire the work done by mayors every day, for the work you're doing within your towns. In the course of American history the leadership of our mayors has been and will continue to be vital in addressing America's most difficult problems. The COVID-19 pandemic is without exception. It is not necessary to explain the problems this pandemic has brought to our cities or the strain it has put on the public servants that protect our communities and keep the streets spotless, offer healthcare services to the public, educate our children, who serve within our courts systems and perform all other essential services to the operation of our government.  We owe them an enormous thanksgiving. I am also aware that the pandemic isn't the only problem that your cities face. Before I get started before I begin, I'd like to say a few words regarding the antisemitic terrorist attack at Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas, last Saturday.  Saturday was the type of day that the mayors wish never to happen -- however, us here at the Justice Department constantly prepare for. FBI agents, operators negotiators, negotiators as well as team members supporting their logistics are trained rigorously; FBI and Justice Department supervisors frequently conduct crisis scenarios.  Joint Terrorism Task Forces run numerous exercises to build and enhance cooperation between the federal, state, and local police forces. I can't stress enough the importance of this last point is, for anyone who was watching the what happened be able to see. The hours officers from the FBI along with local police forces put into in preparing for these kinds of situations are essential to ensuring that lives are not lost when something that is unimaginable happens. I'd like to honor the extraordinary bravery displayed by Rabbi Cytron-Walker as well as his fellow congregants who used the knowledge they learned from active shooter courses in the wake of this tragic incident.  I would like to acknowledge the extraordinary courage of law enforcement officials from the local area and federal agents operating on their ground Texas as well as those from Hostage Rescue Team.  Hostage Rescue Team, who entered a structure knowing that there was someone with a gun , who claimed that he was carrying two bombs and was hoping to be killed. And I'd like be sure to let you know that even in this instance the work we have done isn't completed. The FBI is currently conducting a full-time investigation to determine whether the criminal did it on his own or with other people. In the early morning following the attack I briefed the President Biden regarding the justice department's reaction to the incident as well as the ongoing effort we are making to analyze the variety of threats that our nation is facing.  The President's stance was unambiguous: we will not stand by and allow this to continue. We will not accept attacks on synagogues and other religious institutions. We will not tolerate violence , or threats of violence that are fueled by hatred, antisemitism, bigotry, or racism of any sort. Making sure that our country is secure and keeping the American citizens protected is a top concern for the United States Department of Justice. The most crucial aspect of keeping our nation safe is to protect it from domestic and foreign terror. These are the dangers which Justice Department law enforcement components are constantly fighting every single day. As I've said these are risks which we must fight along with our local and state partners who are the only ones we can count on to be successful. Another crucial aspect of making sure our country is safe is working together with us to safeguard our communities from the threat of violent crime and, in particular, the menace of gun violence. The Justice Department, we stand side-by-side together in fighting crime that is violent and will make use of every tool we have to ensure the safety of our communities. In the last year, the department has launched a comprehensive anti-violent criminal strategy that aims to harness the resources from every departmental component that includes our American Attorneys Offices, our litigation divisions, the law enforcement departments as well as our grant-making offices. We recognize the value of strategies to combat crime which are specific to the needs of individual communities, we instructed every United States Attorney's Office to collaborate with local and state partners to tackle the crime problem within those communities. In the end, the FBI, ATF, DEA and U.S. Marshals Service partnered with state and local police departments to place agents in homicide teams as well as confiscate guns that were stolen from illegal gun dealers and stop drug trafficking that is violent and provide additional assistance where it is needed. We also increased our foundational initiative to curb violence at the community scale -- dubbed Project Safe Neighborhoods, which brings together police chiefs, and other local agencies , and the United States Attorneys to develop solutions to the most urgent violence-related crime issues facing communities. The department fully understands that it our mayors and police departments that do the majority of the burden to stop and stop violent crime within their own cities. In the last fiscal year, we announced $310 million of funding from our department's COPS Office to directly support our law officers. The amount included was more than $139 million for COPS Hiring Program. COPS Hiring Program, which grants money to municipalities and towns to employ more police officers and put additional resources to build trust in the community.

CJ current events 25jan22

Bari Weiss/Nellie Bowles write

→ No one rescued the Jews in Texas: The three men who remained hostage in Congregation Beth Israel as night fell were not rescued by some SWAT team or any special hostage negotiator. While negotiators worked hard to manage the terrorist, the Jews were held at gunpoint in the temple's sanctuary for 11 hours. They are alive today thanks to their own courage and the security training they received in years prior. As that night wore on and their captor grew agitated, he asked them to kneel. Jeffrey Cohen mouthed “no.” Then Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker threw a chair at the terrorist, and all three escaped.

***

Three Murders in Three Days

Michelle Alyssa Go, 40, was standing on a subway platform in New York City when a homeless man came up behind and shoved her into an oncoming train.

Sandra Shells, 70, a nurse on the edge of retirement, was waiting for a bus in Los Angeles when a transient beat her, causing her to fall and fracture her skull. She died of the injuries days later, cared for until the end by her colleagues of 38 years.

Nearby, Brianna Kupfer, 24, was working at a high-end furniture store when, in the middle of the afternoon, a man walked in, stabbed her to death, and calmly walked out.

Three murders in three days.

We’re told the solution is more of the same gentle, treat-in-place services that we have now. Just put more money into the homeless assistance programs, and the well-intentioned people will fix a problem that, so far, they’ve only watched grow. It can’t be that mentally ill people sometimes need to be forced to enter in-patient care. That image—forcing someone who is raving and suffering into a car—is too brutal for the public to stomach. Much better to let the homeless die slower deaths in public, overdosing on the sidewalk.

It can’t be about drugs, either. It can’t have anything to do with new, stronger meth circulating in homeless encampments. If that were the case, it would mean drug dealers needed to be arrested, and that’s a big no-no. Drug dealers are often victims themselves, as San Francisco’s District Attorney said in a town hall. Drug dealers need mindfulness training or meditation apps. Progressive district attorneys argue that jail doesn’t even work anyway.

Activists and city officials held a press conference in the subway saying we just need more conflict mediators, as though the man who shoved Michelle Go had some rational issue to discuss, some conflict he needed to work out with her. (The city’s mayor, thankfully, disregarded this and is adding more police to the subway.)

The New York City police are busy, of course. The night before she was being shoved into the tracks, the cops were right nearby dealing with some rowdy anti-vax passport protestors at an Olive Garden. They made four arrests.

At Brianna Kupfer’s memorial yesterday in Los Angeles, a crowd of more than one hundred stood in silence outside the upscale Croft House furniture store. In the center, a clutch of young women were sobbing and putting posters on the glass front of the store. The posters were decorated with pictures of Brianna dancing and smiling. The sidewalk was covered in bouquets. One of the owners of Croft House took a microphone and thanked everyone for being there. Then the mic started getting passed around.

“These kinds of things are happening more and more. We’ve been abandoned. He shouldn’t have been out. And he’s not alone,” a man said into the mic, as the downcast crowd lit up, roaring and whistling in approval. “We have to hold our politicians accountable.”

“The streets have gotten tougher,” another man said into the mic.

But it wasn’t a political rally. After that, the crowd fell back into silence and the speeches stopped.

***

Kyle Rittenhouse, who was acquitted of all charges in the shooting of three men during unrest in Kenosha, Wisconsin, is making moves to get his gun back — so he can destroy it.

Mark Richards, an attorney for the 19-year-old, filed a motion in Kenosha County court Wednesday asking for the return of the AR-style rifle used by Rittenhouse during the riots in the summer of 2020,*** https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/kyle-rittenhouse-moves-to-get-rifle-back-to-destroy-it

***

Just found this Union Pacific RR letter to LA County DA Gascon.

***

A federal grand jury in New York returned an indictment today charging four Belarusian state officials with conspiracy to commit aircraft piracy.

According to court documents, Leonid Mikalaevich Churo, Oleg Kazyuchits, Andrey Anatolievich Lnu and Fnu Lnu, all of Belarus, allegedly engineered the diversion of Ryanair Flight 4978 (the Flight) – which was carrying four U.S. nationals and more than 100 other passengers on board – while it was in flight on May 23, 2021, to arrest a dissident Belarusian journalist who was on board.***

“We allege the defendants carried out an elaborate scheme to fake a bomb scare which forced an airplane to make an emergency landing in their country so they could arrest a dissident journalist,” said Assistant Director Michael J. Driscoll of the FBI’s New York Field Office. “During the course of our investigation, the FBI identified a detailed operation that subjected passengers from many countries, including the U.S., to the realities of terroristic threats. Not only is what took place a reckless violation of U.S. law, it’s extremely dangerous to the safety of everyone who flies in an airplane. The next pilot who gets a distress call from a tower may doubt the authenticity of the emergency – which puts lives at risk. The FBI and our foreign partners will continue to hold perpetrators responsible for actions which directly threaten the lives of our US citizens and jeopardize the stability of our national security.”

Overview of the Plot

While on its regularly scheduled passenger route between Athens, Greece, and Vilnius, Lithuania, on May 23, 2021, the Flight was diverted to Minsk, Belarus, by air traffic control authorities in response to a purported threat of a bomb on board the aircraft. There was, in fact, no bomb on board the aircraft. Belarusian government authorities fabricated the threat as a means to exercise control over the Flight and force it to divert from its course toward the original destination of Vilnius, and instead land in Minsk.

The purpose of the Belarusian government’s plot diverting the Flight to Minsk was so that Belarusian security services could arrest a Belarusian journalist and political activist (Individual-1) – who was critical of the Belarusian government, living in exile in Lithuania, and wanted by the Belarusian government on allegations of fomenting “mass unrest” – as well as Individual-1’s girlfriend (Individual-2). The Belarusian government conspiracy to divert the Flight was executed by, among others, officers of the Belarusian state security services working in coordination with senior officials of the Belarusian state air navigation authority.

The Defendants

The defendants, all Belarusian government officials and critical participants in this conspiracy, are identified as: Leonid Mikalaevich Churo, Oleg Kazyuchits, Andrey Anatolievich Lnu and Fnu Lnu. At all times relevant to the indictment, Churo was the Director General of Belaeronavigatsia, the Belarusian state air navigation authority. As alleged, Churo personally communicated the false bomb threat to staff at the Minsk air traffic control center before the Flight even took off from Athens, and directed the control center to instruct the Flight divert to Minsk in response to the purported threat.*** https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/belarusian-government-officials-charged-aircraft-piracy-diverting-ryanair-flight-4978-arrest

***

Drywall won't stop anything; Newton's First Law of Motion

An English astrophysicist was killed by a stray bullet that travelled through a wall and hit him in his bed, US authorities have said.

Dr Matthew Willson, 31, from Chertsey, Surrey, was found with a single gunshot wound to the head.

Police were called to an apartment in Brookhaven, Atlanta, at 02:00 local time (07:00 GMT) last Sunday.

Sgt Jake Kissel, from the Brookhaven Police Department, said the shooting was believed to have been a random act.

There have been no arrests so far.

Sgt Kissel said the stray bullet that hit Dr Willson travelled less than 100 yards (91m) and entered through an exterior wall of the apartment.

"The two apartment complexes where the gunfire took place and where Matthew was staying, they're separated by a patch of woods, so they back up to each other," he said.***

Dr Willson was in the US visiting his girlfriend Katherine Shepard.

Aman Kar, who shared the flat with Ms Shepard, told BBC Breakfast "multiple rounds of gunshots" were fired in the opposite complex "about 20ft away" in the early hours of Sunday 16 January.*** https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-surrey-60098840

+++

In other dumb bunnies with firearms news,

A 6-month-old child was shot and killed in Atlanta on Monday, the third shooting of a young child in the first three weeks of the year, officials said.

The shooting occurred around 3 p.m. at a Food Mart on Anderson Avenue when two people were involved in an unspecified altercation. The baby was caught in the crossfire and was not the intended target, authorities said.*** https://www.foxnews.com/us/baby-shot-killed-atlanta

+++

If you didn't have enough dummies with firearms,

CHICAGO (CBS) — An 8-year-old girl has died following a shooting in Little Village Saturday afternoon.

Around 2:45 p.m. the girl was walking north on South Pulaski Road near 26th Street with a guardian when she was shot in the head. Neither she nor her guardian were the intended target of the shooting, police said.***

The girl, identified as Melissa Ortega, was taken to Stroger Hospital in critical condition but later died.

A 29-year-old man was also shot in the incident. Police say he was coming out of a store when unknown people started firing shots at him.

He was struck in the back and taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in critical condition.***

“This place is not safe because there’s gang bangers and stuff like that over here. It’s just scary,” said Angel Ocampo, who heard the gunshots. *** https://chicago.cbslocal.com/2022/01/22/chicago-little-village-shooting-child/

***

People have families

The widow of slain NYPD cop Jason Rivera posted a heartbreaking message to her late 22-year-old newlywed husband on Instagram on Sunday — calling him “my beautiful angel.”

Rivera was killed Friday when he and his police partner, Officer Wilbert Mora, were ambushed by 47-year-old career criminal Lashawn McNeil while responding to a domestic-violence dispute, cops have said.***

Mora remained at Harlem Hospital Center on Sunday after undergoing two surgeries for a bullet that lodged in his brain, sources said.*** https://nypost.com/2022/01/23/slain-cops-widow-posts-moving-tribute-my-beautiful-angel/

+++

The cop killer who shot two of New York’s Finest in a Harlem apartment kept firing at the wounded officers even as they lay helplessly on the ground — “a complete execution” caught on body-cam, sources say.

Career criminal Lashawn McNeil used an illegal Glock handgun with a “high-capacity magazine” to kill one of the officers and critically injure his partner — but also had a loaded AR-type weapon stashed under his bed at the time, law-enforcement sources told The Post on Sunday.

The suspect had been listening to extremist anti-government and anti-police podcasts before attacking the cops, sources said.

McNeil continued to shoot at his police targets even after they were down, based on officer body-cam footage and the victims’ wounds, sources said.*** https://nypost.com/2022/01/23/nypd-ambush-cop-killer-kept-firing-at-downed-officers-sources-say/

Malum in se or mala prohibitum?

DETROIT – Detroit police found a woman severely burned inside the basement of a home after her boyfriend used lighter fluid to set her on fire, according to authorities.

Officers were called at 10:41 p.m. Jan. 14 to a house in the 20000 block of Packard Street. When they arrived, they found a 35-year-old pregnant woman in the basement with severe burns.

Devonne Lamar Marsh, 41, of Detroit, was identified as the woman’s boyfriend, police said. He was arrested at the scene.

Police said Marsh got into an argument with his girlfriend, poured lighter fluid on her and then set her on fire.*** https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/local/2022/01/21/detroit-man-accused-of-pouring-lighter-fluid-on-pregnant-girlfriend-setting-her-on-fire/

***

Classic Walmart story

CROCKETT, Texas – A woman who authorities said attempted to buy another woman’s infant son as they stood in a Crockett Walmart checkout line is out on bond.

According to the mother, an unknown woman, later identified as 49-year-old Rebecca Taylor, approached her shopping cart, which had her two kids inside, as they waited to purchase their items.

Taylor allegedly started making comments about the smallest of the two children before asking the mom if she could buy him for $250,000.

The mother refused, causing Taylor to grow louder and up the ante, offering $500,000 while threatening that she would take the infant.

The mother was able to get her children safely away from Taylor, then reported the incident to authorities.*** https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2022/01/21/stranger-in-walmart-checkout-line-arrested-after-allegedly-offering-mother-500k-to-purchase-her-baby/

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Georgia police have arrested a couple after discovering multiple disabled people locked in the basement of a church building in mid-January.

The Griffin Police Department wrote in a press release that officers had arrested Sophia Simm-Bankston, 56, on Thursday, a little less than a week after the arrest of her husband, Curtis Bankston, 55, on Jan. 14. Both have been charged with false imprisonment after an investigation found the two had held up to eight disabled people in the basement of a church in Griffin, Georgia, where Curtis Bankston claimed to serve as a pastor.

After obtaining a search warrant on Jan. 13 for the One Step of Faith 2nd Chance church, Griffin police determined that the Bankstons had been leasing the building for about 14 months, operating the unlicensed facility under the appearance of a church, a press release from authorities revealed. It was also determined the couple were in control of the individuals' finances, benefits, and medications. The investigators also found the individuals were denied medication and, in some cases, medical care.*** https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/georgia-police-arrest-couple-held-people-locked-basement

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A blessing indeed

https://nij.ojp.gov/topics/articles/improving-collection-digital-evidence

By Martin Novak

Digital evidence can play a critical role in solving crimes and preparing court cases. But often the complexity and sheer volume of evidence found on computers, mobile phones, and other devices can overwhelm investigators from law enforcement agencies.During an investigation of suspected child sexual abuse materials, for instance, a computer forensic analyst will typically spend hours reviewing hundreds of videos from seized media. The analyst looks at whether a human is present in a particular image. Next, the analyst needs to determine whether the human in the image is an adult or a child. This process is time-consuming, stressful, and prone to error.This is just one example of the challenges facing law enforcement agencies when it comes to digital evidence. Departments around the country find themselves unable to keep up with rapidly evolving technologies and the quantity of digital evidence they produce. Many departments have limited budgets and lack proper equipment and training opportunities for officers. The result is often large backlogs in analyzing digital evidence.[1]To help address these challenges and improve the collection and processing of digital evidence, the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) provided funding to Purdue University and the University of Rhode Island. Purdue University created the File Toolkit for Selective Analysis Reconstruction (FileTSAR) for large-scale computer networks, which enables on-the-scene acquisition of probative data. FileTSAR then allows detailed forensic investigation to occur either on site or in a digital forensic laboratory environment, with the goal of ensuring admissible digital evidence.[2] The University of Rhode Island developed DeepPatrol, a software tool using machine intelligence and deep learning algorithms to assist law enforcement agencies in investigating child sexual abuse materials.***

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Pres Biden may sign an executive order on policing. https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/politics/senate-republicans-preemptively-blast-biden-police-reform-order As usual, the EO's only effect would be reducing or eliminating funding to police departments that don't comply.

harris: Texas synagogue attack: Kamala Harris says stand in solidarity with entire Jewish community

harris: Texas synagogue attack: Kamala Harris says stand in solidarity with entire Jewish community

WASHINGTON: The US stands in solidarity with the Congregation Beth Israel community and the entire Jewish community on the hostage incident at Texas synagogue, said US Vice President Kamala Harris on Sunday. “This morning, we are grateful that four people held hostage in a synagogue in Colleyville, Texas are safe and going home to their families,” Harris said in a statement on Sunday. Harris…

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