The weekly reading for the week of 6 Heshvan, 5764 - November 1, 2003 Parashah: Noach Genesis 6:9 to 11:32; Haftarah: Isaiah 54:1 to 55:5; Brit Chadashah: John 6:1-71


The Bagel: Lost horizon. The mighty Nimrod thought that by constructing a Migdal, a tower he could broaden his horizon of control. After all, the world was united in one tongue, by one leader, and now under one roof, that is under one tower. G-d was not only left out of the loop, but was defiantly rejected. Bamm! "And the walls came a tumblin down." G-d struck the people with instant confusion of speech. They quit the project and were scattered over the entire globe, the one, big horizon was smashed into many smaller and disparate horizons. Nimrod's vision of an eternal horizon without G-d turned into a lost horizon.

G-d's answer was to construct a new horizon in the person of Shem, the son of Noach, so from him would arise Abraham and an eternal covenant. G-d had already constructed a new horizon in the person of Noach and the new world that emerged from the flood was signified by the rainbow. Apparently, the old world lost its horizon through sin and corruption that was universal and widespread. Parashat Noach portrays two lost horizons in one reading. Equal to the world's defiance is Adonay's provision of two important person's, Noach and Shem, and two major promises: no more world-destroying floods and the forthcoming Abrahamic covenant by aegis of Shem.

In Isaiah's day, Judah's horizon was becoming increasingly clouded through growing apostasy and rising idolatry. Judah was just about a century away from losing their horizon, the glorious dynasty of David. But the Haftarah reading elucidates the promise of G-d's new world. That world will be filled with Chesed, the wonderful and gracious loving kindness of Adonay. These promises in the readings are all based Adonay as the Goel - the Redeemer/Deliverer who would feed His people with eternal life-giving food and drink.

In the First century of the Common Era, Judah once again was decades away from the long Galut, or exile from Ha Aretz, the Land. Another impending lost horizon was approaching. Where is the Isaiah, Jeremiah, or Ezekiel to bring good news of a new horizon to Israel of that era of two thousand years ago? Where is the Moses figure, the Prophet like Moses (Deut. 18:15-20)? Enter the reading from the Brit Chadashah, and the discussion of greater eternal-life giving food than that of the Manna. Yeshua's feeding of the crowd of 5000 people was a sign, that the new horizon was breaking into the world. Because Yeshua said "I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world (John 6:51 NIV), means that individual believers can have their lost horizon of eternal life restored now.

Cream Cheese: Faith a risin means a new horizon!


The weekly reading for the week of 6 Heshvan, 5764 - November 1, 2003 Parashah: Noach Genesis 6:9 to 11:32; Haftarah: Isaiah 54:1 to 55:5; Brit Chadashah: John 6:1-71