Article #346
Subject: Some Purim prayer thoughts and comments
Author: Andrew W. Harrell
Posted: 3/5/2014 03:45:57 PM

Two recent teachings on Purim prayer by Mr. Nachum Mohl, Mr. Avi Laverson,
and Mr. Mark Bloom, Mr. Manachem Levisohn of the Jewish Internet Magazine at
Jewishmag.com . Where Mr. Mohal, Mr. Laverson, Mr. Levisohn, and Mr. Bloom
say G-d I have added to their paragraph the name of God YHWH Sabaoth, our
Lord God of Hosts. This because I, like the Karaite Jews ( as also Jesus
Christ), believes in the importance and authority of the written Torah
teachings more than the Rabbinical Oral Tradition teachings. Also, enclosed
are some Purim sugar cookies we can eat together while we pray together for
these purposes.



A Whole Year of Joy!

By Nachum Mohl

One of the more traditional songs that are sung on Purim is a Yiddish
song, “A Ganz Yahr Freilach” which means “a whole year of joy”. The concept
being that not only should Purim be a happy day, but all the days of the year
should be happy – yet who can say that they know some one who is always
happy? Is constant happiness a realistic goal? The happy person, meaning
someone who is always in a state of happiness and joy, is an extremely rare
exception in our time.

Purim is really the key to achieving happiness and joy for the entire year.
We must look carefully at Purim to understand how we, too, can increase our
level of happiness and joy until we can banish sadness almost entirely from
our lives.

Let us look now at Purim and see what it teaches us:

Purim, along with many other interesting teachings, teaches us that G-d’s
(YHWH Sabaoth’s) presence is always with us. Even though we can not see His
interactions in the world, everything that happens, happens only because He
directs nature in a manner that it bring about that which He desires
to ‘happen’. Now we say something ‘happened’ but in reality, nothing
just ‘happens’ by chance; rather everything that seems to just ‘happen’ has
been directed to ‘happen’ in order to fulfill the will of G-d.

Like the story Purim, G-d (YHWH Sabaoth) caused first Achasverosh to rule
over the entire known world. He caused Achaverosh to kill his wife and then
marry Esther. Then he caused Hamen to ascend in importance in the court of
Achasverosh in order that he should have such power that he could make a
decree to have all Jews in the known world at that time killed. G-d (YHWH
Sabaoth) had a reason for all of this which has many facets to it. For us
what is important is to realize, like the Jews in Shushan at that time could
not understand why it was happening, we also can not understand why G-d (YHWH
Sabaoth) does what He does, but we can do is to realize that all that happens
only happens since He wills it to happen.

The second step is to realize that all that G-d (YHWH Sabaoth) does is only
for our good. We often can not perceive things being for our good or for our
benefit. We are like small children who do not understand why the parent
slaps their hand when they touch the gas knobs on the stove. We also can not
understand why G-d (YHWH Sabaoth) does what He does. We, like infants, look
at what we want as being ‘good’ and that which is against our desires as
being ‘bad’. But G-d (YHWH Sabaoth0, like a loving parent who only desires
for the best of his child and may have to give a slap on occasions, so too, G-
d (YHWH Sabaoth) must give us a ‘slap’ on occasion to keep us in line. We can
rarely understand G- d’s (YHWH Sabaoth’s) actions but if we realize all that
happens is only for our good, then we can accept that which we perceive
as ‘bad’ is really good even though we can not see the good in it.

The next step in attaining happiness and joy is to realize that we are
limited in our abilities to do anything. Our successes and failures are
really gifts from G-d (YHWH Sabaoth). When we succeed, we should thank G-d
(YHWH Sabaoth), for it is only because He decreed that we should succeed did
we succeed. When we have a certain ability that others do not possess we must
thank G-d, since it was He who decreed that we have this ability or talent.
The more one understands that every thing comes from G-d, the more contrite
and truly humble he will be. The more one thanks G-d for his successes, the
happier one becomes.

It is the person who believes in his own personal powers, talents and
abilities that is the egotist; and it is the egotist who suffers from
depression when his schemes do not work out successfully. The humble person
(and here we do not mean a person lacking in backbone or self-effacing nebach
but rather one who recognizes his particular talents as being gifts from G-d)
does not fall into depression for he knows that all comes from G-d (YHWH
Sabaoth) whether it be his particular talents or successes. He does not take
failure personally rather he attributes it to G-d’s (YHWH Sabaoth’s) with
holding success. He just needs to pray harder to G-d (YHWH Sabaoth) for
success.

The next step is to many people the most difficult. Many people will agree
with what we stated above but when it comes to everyday living somehow it
stays in the person as an intellectual concept never descending from the
brain as an intellectual value to the person’s body and actions and every day
life. We can not just believe that G-d (YHWH Sabaoth) is in charge, we must
act upon this belief. We must find a method of combining the thought with the
actions of the world. Purim give us this ability. How? By giving us the four
commandments on Purim.

The first thing we must do is read the Megillah. This is akin to the thought,
the idea penetrating into the brain. Secondly we must give alms to the poor –
take money out of our pocket and give it freely to those who ask or need it
since all of our wealth came from G-d (YHWH Sabaoth) He will make certain
that we will not become impoverished from giving charity. Thirdly we send
food presents to our friends and we are amazed that by our giving we end up
receiving. Then we come to the fourth step, the festive meal which includes
drinking until we can not tell the difference between blessed in Mordecai and
cursed is Haman*. (BTW drinking is only for the men, women should not get
drunk.) When we are willing to get really drunk for no other reason than it
is the will of G-d (as given to us through his sages) that we lose our
abilities to think and reason, we are reduced to being totally dependent on
Him.

This is the highest level that a man can reach. To realize that we are
constantly dependent on His good will, will bring us to real humility. We
then become overjoyed when we are the beneficiaries of His goodness.

This process must continue the entire year. Purim charges our batteries but
it is up to us to make certain that we have a ‘ganz yahr freilach’ – a year
of happiness.

For those interested in the current, as I write this, US foreign policy
decisions and how they relate to Purim here are some thoughts:

. If you go to the whitehouse.gov website there are some helpful foreign
policy position papers. But, it doesn’t have much on it about possible
government mistakes in foreign policy and serious problems caused by them in
the Ukraine and the Crimea. It doesn’t discuss one of the most important
lessons of Purim, that I had written you about Julius Caesar saying…“Whoever
starts it will lose”. One notable exception arguing against the validity of
this rule is our own American Revolution. In its case, however, there was a
large ocean separating the occupying power from the states it was trying to
colonize. This made in economically unfeasible for it to engage in a
protracted war with us. Even so, whether we have started the wars in Iraq
and Afghanistan or not, the US has found it economically harmful for us to
continue them for a long time. In the case of Russia and the Ukraine it seems
quite feasible to me for Mr. Putim to engage in a protracted war with them,
if they so choose to continue it, after him taking back the Crimea first.
From our point of view, however, since one of the stated fundamental
pillars of our foreign policy is to support human rights (even of ex-Nazi’s
if that’s who they are) for us to be helping them. But, we might be
successful advising them to hold back more on the revolution until what the
Communist’s used call, all the factors of military, economic, and political
power, as they affect warfare are more aligned in their favor. Engaging in
long term prayer with God and each other might work better, for now, in my
opinion.



• A further comment inserted here by Andrew It is important to note
here that if we already cannot see the difference between Mordecai and Haman,
then we don’t need to get drunk in order to fulfil the teaching.

Personally, although it is sometime good to teach things by letting others do
the opposite in order to help them learn from their mistakes… I think that
many people, who have hurt themselves and others while doing it, would agree
that refraining from drinking in general can be a good habit.



Secret of the Megillat Esther

By Avi Lazerson

The secret of the Megillat Esther is deduced from its name. The word
Megilla has two meanings and the word Esther has two meanings. Megilla
traditionally is interpreted to mean a rolled document such as the scrolls
that were rolled up in the ancient and medieval periods of history (before
the invention of paper). The second meaning of the word is to expose, from
the word in Hebrew, âìåé. The word Esther is traditionally interpreted to
mean a women's name. The second meaning of the word is concealment, from the
Hebrew word to hide, ìäñúéø.

Using the second meaning of each word Megilla Esther literally means
to expose the hidden.

In the Megilla itself we find a very interesting phenomena. This is
the only book in the twenty four books of the Bible, the five books of Moses,
the Prophets, and the Holy Writings which does NOT have in it, even one time,
the name of G-d (YHWH Sabaoth). Yet it is included as a Holy Book. Why is it
that not only the name of G-d (YHWH Sabaoth) is not mentioned, but even a
hint of the existence of G-d (YHWH Sabaoth) is not mentioned?

To understand why this is, it is necessary to understand miracles.
What is a miracle? Very simply speaking, we say that a miracle is a change in
the state of nature for a specific event. As an example, the splitting of the
Red Sea, when the Jewish People left Egypt was a miracle. Why? Simply because
the nature of the water is not to stand upright but to fall down until it
reaches the lowest place possible. When the Jewish People left Egypt, the sea
split in half. Each side stood like a wall, and the sea floor became a dry
path. This existed only as an escape route for the Jewish People at that
time. This is called a miracle. This was a suspension of the laws of nature
for a particular time and purpose.

Another example was the turning of the water of the Nile into blood.
A large body of water like the Nile (picture the mighty Mississippi) with all
it's tributaries suddenly turning into sickening blood! It's not natural. Yet
this was also a suspension of the laws of nature for a particular time and
place.

Now one of the most popular questions of today seems to be: If G-d
(YHWH Sabaoth) did miracles for the Jewish People then, why doesn't he do it
for us now? It's a good question. The answer is this: The truth is that there
are two types of miracles: the hidden miracles and the open miracles. What is
the difference between them? Simply, the open miracles are like the examples
above. The hidden miracles are different. A hidden miracle is one that
happens in the guise of nature. The event that G-d (YHWH Sabaoth) wants to
take place, takes place, but in a totally natural manner, in a manner that
can be called a "coincidence".

As an example of a hidden miracle. A person can need money and be
deeply in debt. Suddenly he is offered a high paying job that alleviated his
financial problems. This may look like an extra-ordinary coincidence, but in
reality, it is G-d's (YHWH Sabaoth’s) way of getting done what he wants to be
done.

Why do we need both types of miracles? There are several marked
differences betweenbetween the two miracles. First, from the eyes of the
person involved in the miracle. The open miracle is seemingly unrefrutable.
It is obvious to all. The hidden miracle is not clearly a miracle. It
requires much closer examination. It may become apparent to the person
involved only after investigation and contemplation, but the spectator is
rarely convinced. Even more important: The open miracle requires NO prior
belief in G-d (YHWH Sabaoth). Through the suspension of the laws of nature we
see that something supernatural happened and that can only be related to this
higher power that we call G-d (YHWH Sabaoth). The hidden miracle, on the
other hand is more subtle. It requires a prior belief in G-d ( YHWH Sabaoth).
It also requires a certain understanding and acceptance of situations as
being impossible and it also requires the ability to see the true hand of G-d
(YHWH Sabaoth0 in them.

Now we can begin to understand the secret of the Megilla Esther. The
whole story of Purim is that of a miracle in which the hand of G-d (YHWH
Sabaoth) was evident only through nature. It requires our investigative
qualities to uncover it. King Achasverous's anger and the subsequent
execution of his wife, Queen Vashti. The swift rise of Hamen to power. The
unexplainable hatred of Hamen towards the Jews and the subsequent decrees to
kill all Jews. Then the overturn of the decrees and the execution of Hamen.
All of these events, and more, as written in the Megilla Esther, are all
seemingly natural events. But that is the lesson of the Megilla Esther. Not
all miracles are obvious suspensions of nature. Miracles can be embedded in
nature. This is the lesson of Purim. It is for us to investigate into our own
lives to see the miracles that have come into our lives.

Why is it necessary to have hidden miracles? The truth is that all of
our life is bound up with G-d's miracles. We are blind and callous to the
true miracles around us. It is necessary for us to develop a spiritual
sensitivity to appreciate the working of G-d (YHWH Sabaoth). Open miracles
require no spiritual sensitivity, they require no effort on the part of man.
G-d does the work and man sits as a spectator at a football game. With hidden
miracles, man must play the active role. This develops in him a spiritual
side. He becomes aware of G-d (YHWH Sabaoth) in the world and in the every
day events and in his own personal life. This is of crucial importance. This
is the message of Purim. Don't think that miracles are the big earth shaking
events like the splitting of the Red Sea. True, that is a miracle. But the
life we live and the events that surround us are filled with miracles that
are waiting to be revealed by you!







Adar, Purim, Miracles, Happiness, and Passover

By Menachem Levisohn

The month of Adar is not special only because it hosts the holiday of Purim,
but rather it has a joyous characteristic of its own. The rabbis taught that
when the month of Adar comes in simcha (joy) increases. It is not just Purim
that is a happy day, but the entire month that is full of simcha.

Now we should understand that a Jew must be happy the entire year, not just
on Purim or during the month of Adar. The Torah brings punishment upon a Jew
for not serving G-d (YHWH Sabaoth) with simcha, as it is written "…that you
did not serve G-d (YHWH Sabaoth) with simcha and a happy heart" (Deut. 28:47)
or the Palmist who exhorts "…serve G-d (YHWH Sabaoth) with simcha" (Psalm
100:2). Therefore if simcha is an integral part of service to G-d (YHWH
Sabaoth), what is the simcha of Adar?

Rashi, the classical commentator explains that when Adar comes in joy
increases because it is the time of the miracles of (both) Purim and of
Passover (Talmud Taanit 29a). We must therefore understand what is the
connection between the two holidays?

The connection between Passover and Purim:

When we compare the two holidays we can see that there are several points
that stand out in comparison. Both months have miracles in them. But let us
see the differences between the two miracles.

The miracle of Passover was indeed a conglomeration of several gigantic
miracles from the ten plagues through to the exodus from Egypt via the
splitting of the Red Sea. The revelations of G-d (YHWH Sabaoth) were
absolutely apparent to all, from the simplest person to the greatest. It was
a time of many miracles that were beyond the realm of nature and in fact
shattered the laws of nature. In contrast, the miracle of Purim did not
manifest itself in a manner that was apparent to many, unless they considered
and analyzed the events that transpired at that time.

The miracle of Passover, culminating with splitting the Red Sea and drowning
the Egyptians clearly revealed G-d (YHWH Sabaoth)'s total control of life and
active participation and intervention in the world to the point of disrupting
the laws of nature. The water of the Red Sea stood like a wall on both sides
as the Jews crossed through the dry sea bed (which should have been wet!). It
was only after they safely emerged on the other side that the pursuing army
of Pharaoh was drowned. The oppressor was completed defeated, destroyed and
made irrelevant as nature itself changed to accommodate the will of G-d (YHWH
Sabaoth).

Purim, in comparison, was different. Nature was not changed; rather change
was brought about through nature. King Achasverous was not killed, but
changed from our enemy to our friend. We did not exit Persia, we remained
there as his citizens. It was a miracle that was brought forth within the
laws of nature, its revelation relied on our understanding and analyzing of
the situation to see how it changed 'miraculously'.

Yet although the miracle of Passover was greater and there is certainly a
mitzvah to be happy on Passover, it does not compare to the greater joy and
happiness that is felt on Purim – even though the miracle of Passover was
ever so much greater.

The reason is interesting:

The awesomeness of the open miracles of Passover were too lofty for us to
enjoy. They not just terrified the Egyptians, but they put us into an extreme
state of awe and trepidation. We were so frightened from them that we were
unable to be in a state of joy.

Purim's miracles, on the other hand, were not overbearing to us. Like the
Exodus from Egypt, we knew that we were in a state of danger, but unlike the
Exodus, it was the Jews who took the initiative and participated in our own
redemption. All of the Jews in Persia fasted to change the evil decree and it
worked! Our senses were working and we perceived our own success, we were
alive and delighted!

Passover on the other hand, we were not in charge of our fate. We were pawns
in a drama that G-d was playing with the Egyptians and we lived through it as
an anxious and horrified people.

What is the connection between the miracles and simcha?

Now simcha and miracles have something in common - both shatter barriers.
When a person is in a state of joy, he is capable of achieving more than when
he is depressed. He can go beyond the limitations that are imposed upon him -
such as liking a person he normally dislikes or doing a project that he did
not want to do.

Miracles are like that too, they shatter the existing barriers. The miracle
of Passover shattered the Egyptian's hold on the Jews and totally destroyed
any barrier that existed either from them or made by us. The miracle of
Purim, while working with in the laws of nature, also broke though existing
barriers and while it did not destroy our enemies, they were changed to a
state of being our friends instead of being our enemies.

We see that each type of miracle has a certain advantage. The Passover
miracle brings unbelievable changes in nature, obvious revelation of G-d
(YHWH Sabaoth) liness and puts everyone under tremendous fear, whereas the
Purim miracle is one that is almost imperceptible unless we employ active
contemplation, yet it is the type of miracle that we can enjoy.

Why do we need two types of miracles?

The future miracle that we are all waiting for, when our long exile will end
and the Third Temple will finally be rebuilt will have the best qualities of
both of these two types of miracles**. First, our enemies will not be
destroyed but will become our friends; all nations will give up their false
beliefs and turn whole heartedly to G-d (YHWH Saboath). Revelation of G-d
(YHWH Sabaoth) in this world will be greater than that revealed during the
Egyptian Exodus and yet our joy will increase to unlimited proportions even
to the point that the miracle of Passover will seem small in comparison.



Andrew comments: I am not sure that our God wants to rebuild the previous
Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. First of all, it had animal sacrifices, and
this, because they hurt both us and the animals, was probably never asked for
or prophecied to occur by him. Second, there is a better outcome as explained
in Dr. Drummond’s book (City Without a Church) and also the Book of
Revelations. It is a New Jerusalem, which is a democratic, without such a
theologically and rabbincally over defined set-up, and self-governing eg a
New World city on a hill society like many in the U.S.A.) where God’s temple
is Him dwelling as Spirit and Truth in all of us, and the yearly sacrifices
proscribed are to listen mindfully and deeply to each other’s problems and
pray with each other for long periods of time (even forever), one person at a
time, to forgive each other over and over again, and keep believing in Him
and Her as They do Their best to help us.





Happiness, Purim and Success

By Mark Bloom

When we consider each year and our life which we navigate through the year,
the Jewish holidays give us much guidance on which values to base our lives.
Each of us strives to have a happy and successful life. Yet how many of us
can truly say that we have achieved a successful and happy life. True there
are periods of time when we are happier and then there are those periods of
time when we are less happy. But who can really testify to us that they have
reached a state of happiness and success that is not marred with periods of
sadness and failure?

Purim is just that holiday that can instruct us on how to be happy and
successful on a continued basis. Purim is a holiday that requires us, amongst
other things, to get drunk. Not just tippy, but really blown out drunk. Now
you have to realize the strangeness of this custom. The Rabbis who came up
with the various Jewish laws and customs were certainly not the type to
approve of drunkenness. Yet this is just what they decreed upon us!! They
urged us to have a gigantic meal with our friends and family and to get rip
roaring drunk!

Now understanding this in the context under which the decree was made, will
enable us to understand better certain principles of happiness and success.

Purim is the holiday that commemorates the downfall of the wicked enemy of
the Jews, Haman, over 2500 years ago in ancient Persia. Haman plotted against
the Jewish people and tried to make a mass extermination. He was the highest
minister in the “cabinet” of the cruel king, Achasverous, who gave Haman
tremendous power. This power Haman tried to use to destroy the Jewish people.

The truth of the matter, as it is written in the book of Esther, is that
Haman did not succeed in carrying out his evil plans. Not because we Jews
prevailed through brilliant warfare and strategies, nor due to incessant
political bargaining, nor through bribery, but through a series of seemingly
totally unrelated incidents. Now each of the various incidents that are
related in the book of Esther, (and we recommend that you read it soon!) seem
unrelated and innocuous by themselves. None of these various incidents would
be called a miracle by themselves. Even the total sum of the individual
incidents that led up to the down fall of Haman and his family do not look
like a miracle, just a string of unrelated incidents – or as we might call
them “co-incidents”.

We do not always recognize the hand of G-d (YHWH Sabaoth) in the world.
Perhaps the opposite is true – we never notice the hand of G-d(YHWH Sabaoth)
in the world. But the truth of the matter is simple – G-d (YHWH Sabaoth) runs
the world. Try as much as we like, we can only accomplish what G-d (YHWH
Sabaoth) permits us to accomplish. We might put a lot of effort into some
business and it might fail so completely that we could wonder why we ever
started with it. Or, we may not put in much effort to accomplish something
and, walla, we reach success that we never even dreamed of.

Purim is a time for realizing that in reality it not that very much is up to
us, but, rather that very little is dependent on us. Purim is for realizing
that plan what we plan, strive though we strive, the outcome is always in the
hands of G-d (YHWH Sabaoth). If he has other plans, we certainly can not
prevail, and if we are destined for success, we will not fail.

Perhaps the closest we can come to the state of total dependency is
drunkenness. Especially those who do not imbibe on any regular base,
intoxication can be difficult. We no longer have total control over our
balance; we may lose full possession of our mental prowess. We may even make
some terrible blunders and error judgements. For certain we do not drive
automobiles. We might even get sick. Yet the Rabbis, being of good mind and
spirit, saw that this state can be beneficial to a person’s spiritual and
emotional development.

Most people base their happiness on their successes. If they succeed, then
they are happy. If they fail, they fall into a brooding that can border on
depression, if not becoming an actual depression. But why? Because they
consider the outcome of their striving to be an extension of their person, of
their egos.

The opposite may truly be the case. A truly happy person is a person who
realizes that his successes are not dependent upon his strivings. His
successes have to do with the desires of the One who guides with exacting
detail the minute events that befall us. Each event independently makes up
the whole. Each event carefully designed to fulfil the divine plan.

That we can not see the divine plan, that is our problem. Sometimes we may
have a glimpse, most of the time we can not understand it. But whether we
understand or not, that is not what is important. What is important is the
acceptance of the Divine plan.

If we can be accepting of the world being run by G-d (YHWH Sabaoth), then we
can accept our lack of successes. They are not “failures”, because it is not
us who caused it to fail but rather G-d (YHWH Sabaoth). These now
become “lack of successes” not due to our personal involvement, but due to
heavenly interference beyond our control. There is certainly no reason to
become depressed or embittered. We see that G-d (YHWH Sabaoth) has other
plans. What are they? We just have to wait. Perhaps some day we can
understand. Perhaps not.

This is the lesson of Purim. This is the reason we have the custom to get
drunk. Let us take this lesson to heart by doing three things. One is to make
sure that we read the book of Esther this Purim. Two, make sure that we get
drunk as the Rabbis prescribed for us on Purim. Three, live our life
cheerfully, realizing that it is G-d who runs the world.



My comments on the reasons for this Rabbanic Purim prescription is that,
despite the previous comments above, if we truly believe that “all things
happen for a reason” in some sense it is good to “get drunk on Purim” even if
we just mean to the point of allowing God inside of our subsconscious
feelings connected to the super-conscious divine mind that is connected to
our consciences to take over. But, we need to be careful not to take on more
guilt here for others than is necessary. God has already died on the cross
for us once in order that the divine substance of our faith in His
righteousness in us actually be realized as Truth and doesn’t want to have to
do it again. Here are some teachings I wrote back in 2006 in
ourprayergroup.blogspot.com on this:

Part I

A long time ago God inside of humankind was a man called Wisdom and a woman
called Understanding. Wisdom had to do with helping God generate the out
breaths of humankind and Understanding with the in breaths. And God (Wisdom
and Understanding) had two children who lived together as angelic spirits
like two birds (one named Love and the other Truth) in God’s eternal tree of
life. They sang a song of eternal life so full and free (with truth singing
and love listening). Then, one day, the male bird (Love) got tired of
listening all day to the female’s (Truth)



Some say Truth is Jacob* and Love Abraham as in the important High Holiday
prayer, “Grant Truth to Jacob and Kindness to Abraham”… or ”You will keep
faith with Jacob and give loyaltly to Abraham.” See Micah, chapter 7 for the
original Hebrew prayer corresponding to both of these translations. But, in
this story their spirits are living in the Garden of Eden and the high
heavens before this time.



song and decided he wanted to speak. He thought, since I was made by God I
will sing a song of God inside of us all (Wisdom and Understanding) and speak
prophecy in God’s name. But, Satan was listening and he said to God . Look at
this small weak spirit in your tree of life trying to speak for you.



“Who is this that darkens and obscures counsel [by words] without knowledge.”
The Book of Job, Chapter 42, verse 2. But also we know, “Not to have any
madness at all in your spirit is itself madness. And, to see the world as it
is instead of as it should be is the most madness of all.” Miguel Cervantes



He neither knows who he is or who you are. For, if he knew who he is, he
would know who you are (his creator). And, if he knew who you are, he would
know who he is (a being created by you). I will blow away the hopes and
dreams of these two birds. And, since things at that time were occurring on
an out breath, God (Wisdom and Understanding) let him. So, just then an eagle
soared above them and spotted the female bird singing in God’s tree of life.
Circling above them he made ready to swoop down and capture them both with
his sharp claws. He was there to take them away from their happiness in God’s
eternal tree of life and he was created by God as an illusion and an apparent
obstacle to the realization of their hopes and dreams. (to be continued)



* footnote written 7/24/07...From another point of view someone could ( if
they thought it would do us good) say that if Jacob was alive with us today
and didn't confess the tricks and deceits he previously used in order to
inherit the blessing from his family... that, then, he couldn't be a good
representative for us and be the truth for us all. One might argue that, in
this case, the truth is he who is Jesus Christ, or whoever is rational and
consistent in terms of a logic or logos inside of the Word of God.

* footnote added 5/4/2010 by fellow mathematician, amateur theologian, time
travellor Stephen Hawking

For the rest of what happened in this story see the rest of the 2006 blog
posted at http://www.ourprayergroup. blogspot.com