Text Box: Malachi speaks about our offerings to the L-rd and what it takes to make an acceptable offering.  Our offerings are to be of the highest quality.  Do we really bring our best to the L-rd as our offerings to Him?  Malachi compares this to what is brought to worldly rulers.  The people of his time would never dare to bring inferior offerings to the king for fear of punishment.  What do we bring to our worldly rulers?  I wanted to say that we wouldn't bring a blind or lame lamb as sacrifice to our leaders, but I'm not so certain we don't.    The taxes we pay and things we give are usually not the best we have to offer.  What we give, we give grudgingly.  Rarely do we think about the things given back to us by the government for the taxes we pay.  We are supplied with fire departments, police to keep anarchy in check, paved roads, water treatment oversight to ensure clean drinking water, parks, healthcare to various levels, a military to protect our borders, public broadcasting….and in return we give grudgingly what we absolutely have to and only to avoid being caught.  Maybe this isn't so different than at the time this was written.  Things given to the government were given to avoid being punished for not paying the taxes and king's levy.  Of course punishment then was much more severe if you didn't pay.  You were put into a prison, often tortured and mistreated….   We don't have a sacrificial system where we bring animal sacrifices to G-d today.  What sacrifices do we make?  I know some of my Christian friends are already thinking, we don't make sacrifices, the final sacrifice has already been paid.  But are atonement sacrifices the only ones we were told to offer? There are sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving, there are the offerings through which the priesthood is maintained.  What of those?  Our tithe; do we give it as grudgingly as we pay our taxes, or do we not give it at all?  And for my Jewish friends, when we pray at the Beit Knesset and review the offerings verbally, as we do until the temple is re-established, do we review it with reverence and forethought or do we just quickly repeat the words without any thought about what is being said?   What about the offering of how we present ourselves to the L-rd?  If you, as an American, were invited to appear before the president of the United States, or if an Englishman were invited to appear before the queen, or a similar situation for your particular country, what would you do?  Would you come in your everyday attire, or would you make special efforts to look your best?  I know, I have heard the argument that G-d doesn't care what we look like, He loves us and accepts us as we are.  This same attitude changed the way our homes have operated.  It used to be that when the breadwinner of the family came home his/her spouse was dressed for their arrival and doing their most to make a good impression.  Usually the person coming home has seen their spouse at their worse, fresh from doing some work that has left them unwashed, dirty, disheveled; and they still love them when seeing them in that state.  But, I have not heard a single person upon coming home and finding their spouse dressed nicely and greeting them at the door ever say, I love you so why don't you just come however you are, I'm not worth the effort you put in.  Therein lies the key word, effort.  Do we put any effort into what we bring to G-d, whether a tithe or sacrifice, or even just ourselves for service?    What bride doesn't want to look good for the bridegroom when they meet?  Who when going out with their special someone doesn't put on good clothes, perfume or aftershave, and pay special attention to what they look like?  Face it, do we get as well presented to enter the house of the L-rd as we do to go on a date? What would Malachi say to us if he saw the way we present ourselves and our offerings to the L-rd?    I know there are some who don't have an extra set of clothes and I would much prefer to see them in worship of the G-d of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob than staying home because they don't have more to wear.  I commit myself to not judge those I see and seek only to bring myself to conviction of my own lack of fulfillment of meeting Malachi's rebuke.  Maybe I am only speaking to myself this week.  If so, it is enough.     Selah.

This week’s Parasha and HafTorah

Standing Strong

A Messianic Jewish Congregation with an outreach to Believers in Israel

Nov 10, 2007- Generations

Gen 25:19-28:9

Malachi 1:1-2:7

Matt 1:1-21

Heb 11:1-40
Text Box: In 2006-7 / 5767 I wrote on the Parashot, Torah portions, on the ponderings and things revealed to me through research and prayer.  To access those writings click here or click on the title of the Parasha above to go to this week's portion  To access all past teachings click here. For 2007-8 / 5768  I will be writing on the Haftorah portions that are read in conjunction with the Torah portion for that week.  If you have a question you wish to have addressed, please write to us at mail@standingstrong.org.