Kag HaMatzoth (The Feast of Unleavened Bread) has ended and now we look forward to the days ahead working at our trades and working toward the completion of our assignments, until we heed the command to appear before HIM again for the second annual check in known as Kag Shavuot (The Feast of Weeks).
These M'odiym (appointed seasons) are Israelite "holidays" ("holy" days), but how many of us actually put all of our attention to these days as would a citizen, say, of the U.S., to the first of January, the fourth of July, the twenty-fifth of December, or the fourth Thursday in November? The fact that I need not say the name of the day and we’re clear on what I'm referring to[1] speaks precisely to the level of programming that we all have been by subjected to from the society we live in. This post is not intended to beat anyone up, because we all, to some extent, have some level of their programming on and in us, that we all must intentionally devote the necessary time for burning it off and draining it out of us. Prayerfully, the last seven days of the Kag (Feast) have been as good to you as they've been to me. I had the honor and privilege to be amongst family, and through that, had the opportunity to sit at the feet of some of the Chief men in YisraÉL. These are the opportunities naturally made available to us when we heed his command, keeping these days amongst those of our houses. By doing so, we're afforded the opportunity to be amongst those that are greater. In the truest sense, these are family reunions that are commanded as Everlasting statutes for us to observe...not for drunkenness or partying, but for receiving advice for realignment and constant reminders of the path forward. We recall our forefathers’ struggles. We draw strength from their perseverance and sacrifice. Then we use the lessons learned and awareness derived from their experiences to chart our path forward – as we make our own marks. This is not meant to be an extensive list. I’m only offering a few tidbits from the full well of takeaways gleamed from the gathering called Kag HaMatzot in 2022. 1. HIS Sheep know his voice Our blessings flow through our recognition of the Father's voice. We do what he says. And we are so good at obedience that we have “ears of expectation” - attentive for the next directive and awaiting further instruction. The key for us being able to hear HIS voice always is to stay connected to The Source. This entails recognizing authority; separating oneself mentally, physically, and spiritually, not only from other voices that compete with his authority (trying to get us to believe that we're not fornicating - by even giving ear to their voices), but also from space inhabited by those that try to get us to hear the voices of other authority figures (deities, systems, governments, men, women, etc…). Once we know HIS Voice we will recognize all that are in alignment with that voice, as well as all those that are not. 2. The Ways of The Land If a man has ears to hear the voice of HIS shepherd, he will also, by default, be able to clearly spot the voice of those that are not authorized by The Father. This is the key to delineating between HIS ways and The Ways of The Land. HE tells those that are HIS to consider the ant. The Ways of The Land prefers that those that hear its voice would ignore the ant and be like the sluggard, which is a classification for a type of man that is intimate with everything that he has not been authorized to be intimate with; including but not limited to ideas, environments, people, traditions, etc…. How a man becomes a sluggard and a lover of The Ways of The Land begins first by detachment - cutting off of that man from his head. Then, the next step for this headless man (Israelite culture identifies him as "uncovered"), is for him to accept the myth that he is operating independently (The Ways of The Land classify the sluggard as a "man"). Next, the sluggard will only mimic the “men” that either the popular culture, the voices of other sluggards, or the directives of the governing body over him (i.e. the ways of the land) has conditioned him to “see”. The thing about going after the Ways of The Land is that it’s a path to nowhere, filled with hurt, regret, and confusion. What also cannot be discounted is that The Ways of The Land have mechanisms in place for its subjects to ignore the contradictions, eventually seeing nothing wrong with the falsehoods. As long as a man questions his Father's authority...either by proclaiming that the father is not truly the father, or that The Father is a liar he will remain trapped in the paradigm of The Ways of The Land. The solutions will be no solutions – but merely possibilities as determined by those that want to get us to remain in the maze. The Ways of the Land, again, lead to nowhere fast.
During the time of Mosheh our forefather, this is what the Pharoah that knew not Yosef/Joseph represented; a force that attempted to supplant The Father's authority in our forefathers’ minds and hearts. His system became the Ways of The Land. All paths led back to him as The Father of All, so he thought. He, somewhat understanding the dark side to the universal law of ownership, was aware that the ways of Abraham (or Yosef – in his case) would lead to a turning back of the people to The Most High’s ways. In order for Pharoah to ensure that he held onto the power that he seized unjustly, he could not recognize The Most High. In order to ensure that Yisrael could be used by him as a man would use his son, he had to keep the minds and hearts from The Ways of The Father.
3. The Ways of our Father
The Ways of THE FATHER are the ways of our ancient forefathers. These are the ancient ways. These are the old standards. Abraham, when in Canaan, knew he was in a land that was his but he also knew he had to go through some trials and tribulations in order to prove himself necessary to acquire it. Before the trials and tribulations he had to BELIEVE. Belief is accepting the end result that HE has declared from above, without you seeing or knowing it, or in most circumstances without your physical presence required for confirmation of that thing. True belief stems from an expectation that what The Father says The Father will do. As a son of the father you do all that you can do to ensure that The Father’s word does not fall to the ground unfulfilled because you are him and He is you. The word will not fall – but will you do your part? Your very actions declare whether YOU believe HIM to operates in truth or falsehood.
Noone ever declared that doing the father’s will would be easy. In fact, to the contrary, one can expect chastisement or a bit of SUFFERING through the trials and tribulations. But as Abba Abraham, you continue to uphold your willingness to be as Yitzkhaq (Isaac), voluntarily offering your energy & attention & blood if necessary, so that your father’s fulfillment of his father’s desires may be done. One does this quietly, without complaint, and without judgment. Much too often, males, claiming to be men, and claiming to be the chosen of The Most High, amputate their own testicles, by complaining about something that they themselves could have done differently. Most often than not, their complaint is from their own shortcoming – having nothing to do with anything external. This willingness to remove oneself and one’s own will exemplifies one being sacrificial – as the lamb going to the slaughter. The lamb is quiet. It yields to the will of its shepherd. Because it is content with doing its part. And if its part is to give some blood – so be it!
As one endures sacrificially, they eventually grow in power and in life force. And the next step of that sacrificial stance is internalizing the saying “forgive them father, for they know not what they do” for those that may attempt to come up against the will of The Father – through attacking us. WE know more. We have more weapons at your disposal. We know how to destroy or make life harder for them. But we yield with HUMILITY…because by coming up against us they’ve already inherited spiritual enemies. And we know that irrespective of what we do, what they’ve sown they shall reap. So rather than squashing them – we forgive them. We encourage them. If given the opportunity we even dust them off and pick them up – after they’ve crashed into all that we represent. The key is not losing our stride. We still have a mission to fulfill. That force only represents an obstacle – but an obstacle when placed in a proper perspective can be another place to launch to new heights from. Know the times. Be aware of the season. Be like the lamb!
Just as we avoided food items that would cause a thing to be puffed up or not as it truly is - we must leave their “deities” completely and be bold enough to burn their power sources – first - in our minds. Mosheh’s encounters with the King of Mitzrayim were major meetings characterized by the leader of the oppressed labor force – essentially telling the king of the land that those that he represented were forming a union, leaving the workforce of the land, and effectively burning the King’s flag in the process. Mosheh’s assignment, in communicating with Pharaoh, was to send him a clear message that the people of Yisrael did not belong to the King of Mitzrayim. He had to RESET THE BOUNDARIES AND TERRITORIES in such a way that there was no doubt in Pharoah’s mind about who he owned and who he did not own. Mosheh’s goal, also, and probably most importantly, much like these feast days, was to replant the seed in the mind of the sons of Yisrael that their deity (YAH) REMAINS SOVEREIGN , answering to no man or no empire, no matter how great it appeared in the eyes of the people. No man, the scriptures say, shall live by bread alone but by HIS word, which is better and tastier than anything tangible. We have to believe. Believing causes us to be sacrificial, like the lamb.
If we are the seed of HE who is sovereign how can we be slaves too? Quite frankly, A SLAVE CANNOT BE A BOSS. But the only way one can be enslaved is if they become indebted to that which doesn’t already own them. Following the ways of the land will lead to our becoming slaves to those that own the land. We master our words. We master our actions. We master our thoughts so that we can resist the urge to want that which is not ours to have. The best way to avoid trespass is to BE GRATEFUL. Be thankful that we have been given what we’ve been given. The opportunities, the wells of wisdom, the good people we have access to. Gratefulness leads to one being content. Being satisfied with what we have received so much that we have no need for anything else. This gratitude is also manifested with persistence towards mastery over one’s job assignment. If one’s entire heart, soul, and might is focused on mastery over one’s task there is less of a chance for him to go astray as a sheep without a shepherd. These are some of the Ways of The Father that if followed will keep us walking straight.
4. Get back to work
Finally, and probably most important of the takeaways, after consuming and digesting the previous takeaways, is to get back to work. The most challenging part of the Feast Days is to be away from our homestead – but the Father is good, because while we’re away at the Family Reunion at the place that he designated – we are congressing with like minds, and experts in their fields. We should be eager to put the admonitions and tips into practice, so that when we make it to the next Feast Day we can declare how what we’ve implemented has expanded not only our knowledge but also our dominion.
Until that time… Peace be to you. Peace be to your house. And peace be unto all that is yours! Shalom Shalom!
[1] Compare this with the 10th , 14th , 15th, and 21st days of the 1st Kodesh, or the 1st, 10th, 15th , and 22nd days of the 7th Kodesh. Do we even know what’s being referred to?
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Bn Shmû ÉL is the the founder of HaDBR Media, Chief Editor at Bn Shmû ÉL Publishing House, and author of The Land Of Milk and Honey: The Heart Of The World. Order your copy now at https://www.bn-shmu-el.com/shop .
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