Musings

The Merriam-Webster Word of the Day for October 9th was indagate which means "to search into; investigate".

Although slightly different in meaning it brought to mind this passage in 1Thes 5:21-

But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good;

The Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for Friday 9/26/2008 was "prodigy":

1. something extraordinary : wonder 2 : a highly talented child

The Merriam-Webster word of the day for Monday, September 29th was exonerate:

1 : to relieve of a responsibility, obligation, or hardship 2 : to clear from accusation or blame

Merriam- Webster's word of the day for Sunday, September 14th, 2008 was "eponymous":

of, relating to, or being one for whom or which something is or is believed to  be named

That is the question.  But what is the answer?

Yes, that was a riff on Shakespeare's famous "to be or not to be... " line from Hamlet. Let me be fair and clarify the question:

The question I am trying to answer is whether or not the Talmud should serve as a guide regarding Torah observance.  One group in my congregation says "Yes!".  Another group in my congregation says "No!".  I wanted to jot down my thoughts about both sides of the issue.  I don't know if I will come to an answer any time soon (likely not!) but it's cathartic nonetheless.

Merriam Webster's word of the day for Tuesday, September 9th was circumlocution:

1 : the use of an unnecessarily large number of words to express an idea 2 : evasion in speech

Here are some passages from Scripture to consider in regard to Torah. I will update this blog entry from time to time with other passages as I find them:

"I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven, and will give your descendants all these lands, and by your descendants, all the nations of the earth shall be blessed; because Abraham obeyed Me and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes and My Torot [plural of Torah]." - Genesis 26:4-5

Bind up the testimony, seal the Torah among my disciples. - Isaiah 8:16

"The same Torah shall apply to the native as to the stranger who sojourns among you." - Exodus 12:49

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for Saturday, August 30th was exasperate:

1 : to excite the anger of : enrage 2 : to cause irritation or annoyance to

Merriam-Webster's word of the day for Tuesday 8/26/2008 is sophistry:

1 : subtly deceptive reasoning or argumentation 2 : an argument apparently correct in form but actually invalid; especially : such an argument used to deceive

"An argument used to deceive. "  Hmmm... that got me to thinking of the words of the serpent in the Garden:

"Hath God said...?"

Merriam-Webster's Word for the Day on Monday, August 11th was anathema.  I read the WOTD email and thought "Wow.  That's a word I haven't heard used outside of Scripture."

Here is how M-W defined it:

1 a : one that is cursed by ecclesiastical authority b: someone or something intensely disliked or loathed 2 a : a ban or curse solemnly pronounced by ecclesiastical authority and accompanied by excommunication b : a vigorous denunciation : curse

Merriam-Webster's word of the day for Tuesday August 5th was "steadfast" which they defined as such:

1 a : firmly fixed in place : immovable   b : not subject to change 2 : firm in belief, determination, or adherence : loyal

This brought to mind James 1:17.

OK... I recently wrote an article regarding "thinking about what you are saying".  Now for a different take on thinking and your mouth.

I was having a discussion with one of my coworkers when a guy on our team (who is an avid marathon and triathlon runner) walked by with a soft drink in his hand.  My coworker teased him: "All the sugar in those soft drinks is going to make you fat".  The soda drinker replied, "it's diet".  My co-worker's expression changed from a good-natured smile to outright horror as she replied "Aspartame can kill you".

I have posted several articles under the "Words For Thought" category.  Part of the purpose of writing those articles is to share fascinating insights into often unusual words.  Today I would like to focus on words from a different perspective: words that are common in our society but that we often use without fully considering the meaning of what we are saying.  I will hopefully add to this article as time goes on as I come across additional words to consider.

First up: romance

Words for thought. It's been a rather interesting week for words.  Merriam-Webster's word of the day for August 7th was plausible which they defined as such:

1 : seemingly fair, reasonable, or valuable but often not  so

2 : superficially pleasing or persuasive

3 : appearing worthy of belief

The Merriam-Webster word of the day for Monday, July 21st was epigone.  M-W defined the word as:

follower, disciple; also: an inferior imitator

America's founders apparently did not intend for there to be a separation of  God and state... at least in the sense it is being pursued by some today. This is shown by the fact that all 50 states acknowledge God in their state constitutions.

Alabama (1901), Preamble: We the people of the State of Alabama, invoking the favor and guidance of Almighty God, do ordain and establish the following Constitution ...

Alaska (1956), Preamble: We, the people of Alaska, grateful to God and to those who founded our nation and pioneered this great land ...

Arizona (1911), Preamble: We, the people of the State of Arizona, grateful to Almighty God for our liberties, do ordain this Constitution...

This past Shabbat, a question was asked: "Can we know what the faith walk of the believers in the first century was like?"

One group emphatically stated "Yes!"

Another group with equal vigor said "No!"

The thought of the "no" group was that we can know about the first century (through Scripture, historical accounts, and archaeology)  but we cannot intimately know the first century like we know our own time.  For better or (more likely!) for worse we are immersed in the culture and society in the time in which we live.  While I strongly agree with those in our congregation who desire to conform their lives to Scripture rather than our culture, I found myself in the "no" camp in this discussion.  The abundant minutia of daily living within American culture of the 21st-century shapes and colors our thoughts to varying degrees.

Fox News reports that satellite data has confirmed a theory that solar radiation colliding with the Earth's magnetic field generates a series of "chirps and whistles".  The story briefly explains the science behind the discovery and closes with the observation

Our planet is also known to hum, a mysterious low-frequency sound thought to be caused by the churning ocean or the roiling atmosphere.

About a month ago, I met with a group of men with whom I regularly study Scripture.  We were studying Romans 7:7-12

What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? May it never be! On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, "YOU SHALL NOT COVET." But sin, taking opportunity through the commandment, produced in me coveting of every kind; for apart from the Law sin is dead. I was once alive apart from the Law; but when the commandment came, sin became alive and I died; and this commandment, which was to result in life, proved to result in death for me; for sin, taking an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. So then, the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.  (NASB)

We discussed the word for "sin" in Hebrew (chata) and that it means to "miss the mark."  Initially, the discussion centered around an archery target with a bull's eye in the center and how we shoot and hit all around the bull's eye but never quite hit it dead-center.

There was a moment of revelation in our discussion when I realized there is another way to look at "missing the mark" is to "fall short." 

I put together this brief list of ten reasons I keep Torah:

10. My prayer would not be heard and would be a sin (Proverbs 28:9, Jeremiah 7:8-16).

9. When Messiah returns those who follow him will be obeying Torah and keeping the festivals (Ezekiel 45:16, Zechariah 14:16, Jeremiah 33:14-18).

8. There are over 1,089 commands from the Torah in the "New Testament".

7. If you obey one part of the Torah (such as "love your neighbor as yourself" or "Love the Lord your G-d with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind") you are required to keep the entire Torah (Galatians 5:3).

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for Monday, June 16th was obeisance.  They defined it as such:

1 : a movement of the body made in token of respect or submission : bow 2 : acknowledgment of another’s superiority or importance : homage

The Merriam-Webster word of the day for Saturday, May 31st was "impeccable" a word defined thusly:

1. not capable of sinning or liable to sin
2. free from fault or  blame : flawless

The Merriam-Webster word of the day for Saturday, May 17th was "incandescent" a noun which M-W defined as such:

• a : white, glowing, or luminous with intense heat  b : marked by brilliance  especially of expression  c : characterized by glowing zeal : ardent
• a  : of, relating to, or being light produced by incandescence b : producing light  by incandescence

The Merriam-Webster word of the day for Monday, May 12th was iconoclast, a noun which M-W defined as:

1 : a person who destroys religious images or opposes their veneration 2 : a person who attacks settled beliefs or institutions

The Merriam-Webster Word of the Day for Tuesday, May 13th was "attitudinize", a verb meaning to assume a certain posture. Here is what M-W had to say about it:

The English word "attitude" was first used in the 17th century to describe the posture of a sculptured or painted figure. The word was borrowed from French and formed from the Italian word "attitudine", meaning "aptitude" or "natural tendency". By the early 18th century, "attitude" was also being used for the posture a person assumed for a specific purpose. And by mid-century, "attitudinarians," people who study and practice attitudes, were being talked about. The verb "attitudinize" followed in 1784.

Rand Abdel-Qader, a 17-year-old Iraqi student, was beaten to death by her father.  Her crime?  Speaking to a young man whom her father did not approve of, a British soldier.

The local police? Rather than arresting him, they congratulated him.

His community? Rather than condemning him, they are providing support to "disappear" in Jordan for a few weeks "until the story has been forgotten".

This is the religion of peace?   That values honor over life?

Today I was reading through the secular news and nothing jumped out at me as particularly substantial and worthy of comment. So I turned to www.worldnetdaily.com to see what was news from a Christian perspective and this article on blood moon eclipses definitely piqued my interest.

Pastor Mark Biltz has studied solar and lunar eclipses and how they may play into end-times prophecy.

I disagree with many things taught in the Catholic church, but opposition to abortion is not one of them.  I received an email that pointed to these powerful videos.  I was sick to my stomach when I viewed this... not only by the procedure itself but by the number of people that have died in the manner described.

Here is a brief blurb from the page:

Jezebel was born a princess, and her name means "baal exalts" or "baal is a husband to".  Her father was King Ethbaal (whose name means "with baal") in the land of Sidonia (1 Kings 16:31).  When she grew up, she married an Israelite King named Ahab.

Why did Ahab not marry an Israelite (as commanded in Deuteronomy 7:3) and keep the commandments of God?  We do not know, however, 1 Kings 16:30 tells us that Ahab, the son of Omri, "did evil in the sight of the Lord more than all the kings who were before him".  After he married Jezebel, Ahab built an altar for Baal and made an Asherah pole in the house of Baal, which was built in Samaria (verse 32).

As the saying goes "Art imitates life" but it seems that recent events may put a new spin on that phrase with art imitating death.

Yesterday there was a significant uproar online surrounding reports that Aliza Shvarts, a Yale art student, artificially impregnated herself and then used an herbal "abortifacient" substance to cause abortions multiple times over a 9-month period for an art project.

Today, however, the NY Sun and other sources including the Yale Arts Library Blog are reporting that Yale officials are claiming that the horrific events never actually occurred but are part of the student's "performance art" and that the events described were simply "creative fiction".