Saturday, October 16, 2021

CHUCK KOLB

 Shabbat Shalom - Parasha Lech Lecha - Go Forth Crossing Over Into Destiny !!!


Previously posted ...  
Shabbat Shalom - Parasha Noach - the Merciful Salvation of God !!!
https://conpats.blogspot.com/2021/10/chuck-kolb_8.html
How You Will Become Holy
https://conpats.blogspot.com/2021/10/sermon-how-you-will-become-holy.html
Let's Go Brandon and The Usual Suspects !!!
https://conpats.blogspot.com/2021/10/chuck-kolb_15.html

 
These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world
ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. John 16:33
The war against Truth has been raging ever since
evil was expulsed from the realm of Heaven.  
God instructed Pharaoh, "Let my people go."
God instructs us, "Let my people know."
Shema Y'israel - Maranatha !
Na'aseh V'nishma   
✡ ✡ ✡
כבוד שם יהוה Baruch Hashem Adonai  
#ShabbatShalom - Welcome to Lech Lecha (Go Forth), this week’s Parasha (Torah Portion). We know you will be blessed as you follow along with us in this portion of Torah that will be read in synagogues around the world during the Shabbat (Saturday) service.  Enjoy!

Our last Torah reading, Noach (Noah), concluded with a genealogy of Shem, Noah’s son.  That genealogy ended with Terah, father of Abram, Nahor and Haran.  Terah took his son Abram and Abram’s wife Sarai, as well as Lot, son of Haran, who had died, out of Ur of the Chaldeans and headed toward the Land of Canaan. Instead of reaching their destination, however, they settled at Haran where Terah lived out the rest of his days. In this week’s Parasha, at God’s command, Abram carries on with his father’s unfinished mission — to reach the Land of Canaan, the name given to the Promised Land at this time.

You can view this Parasha on our website complete with embedded links ...
Paraasha Lech Lecha: The Everlasting, Unconditional Covenant

https://free.messianicbible.com/parasha/paraasha-lech-lecha-the-everlasting-unconditional-covenant-5782/

Constantine and the Foundations of Anti-Semitism
https://free.messianicbible.com/feature/constantine-foundations-of-anti-semitism/
Ah No Salvation and the 7 Noahide Laws
https://free.messianicbible.com/feature/can-salvation-come-through-the-seven-noahide-laws/
Are You a Jew? The Answer Might Surprise You
https://free.messianicbible.com/feature/are-you-a-jew-fname-the-answer-might-surprise-you/

Revelation and Na'aseh V'nishma
https://www.sefaria.org/sheets/11880
https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/do-first-understand-later/
We will do and we will listen to all that God has declared. Exodus 24:7

When to Celebrate Yeshua HaMashiach's birthday ...
The Joy of Tabernacles when Yeshua was Born
http://conpats.blogspot.com/2019/10/chuck-kolb-10142019.html
How Yeshua was born on the Feast of Tabernacles by Rabbi Yitzchak
http://www.calledoutbelievers.org/how-yeshua-was-born-on-the-feast-of-tabernacles/

English to Hebrew to English lookup
https://context.reverso.net/translation/hebrew-english/
https://www.doitinhebrew.com/Translate/default.aspx
https://yiddishkeit101.wordpress.com/category/hebrew-word-of-the-day
The Best Jewish Words You Need To Know: A Yiddish and Hebrew Glossary
https://www.joyofkosher.com/from-jamie/the-best-jewish-words-you-need-to-know/
https://hebrew4christians.com/Glossary/Hebrew_Glossary_-_Sh/hebrew_glossary_-_sh.html
A Living Library of Jewish Texts in Hebrew and English translation
https://www.sefaria.org/   https://dictionary.co.il/   https://www.hebrew-verbs.co.il/
https://www.mechon-mamre.org/

Torah Teasers Parshat Lech Lecha by Moshe Erlbaum
https://www.aish.com/tp/i/teasers/174093771.html

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All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine,
for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness 2 Timothy 3:16

Todah Rabah - beloved Rabbi Ralph Messer ...
Simchat Torah Beit Midrash - Joy of God’s Teaching and Instruction
What Does It Mean to Choose Life? Every decision you make can be made in a way that you are “choosing life.” The Torah is God’s constitution; it is His teaching and instruction; it is eternal and it is life. His Spirit is pure Light, abundant with untouchable, supreme, sovereign power.
God is the Source of all life.

ֶלֶךְ-לְךָ  Lech Lecha means “go to yourself” or “go forth within yourself.”
These are the words that God spoke to Abraham when He told him to leave his father’s house and go to a Land that He would show him. Abraham took the journey, pressed forward, and became a great nation. No one else prior to him did what he did. Like Abraham, when you experience tests or adversity, you will overcome and be rewarded, with God’s help. We all go through adversity. Adversity is meant to get your attention prior to your promotion. Don’t focus on what you are going through; focus on what you are going to. Accept with love the tests and tribulations you are going through. Happiness lies within.
https://stbm.org/lech-lecha/

Arrive a half hour+ early for starting lessons ...
Online> Saturday Shabbat (9:00am ET / 12:30pm ET) Services and Midrash  
Online> Monday Nights with STBM 8:30pm ET  / Thursday Afternoon> 3:00 pm ET
Learn more about special event streaming when you call our team! 866-867-2488
https://stbm.org/stbm-live-main/ - https://www.youtube.com/c/RalphMesser/videos
https://stbm.org/study-home/  https://stbm.org/rrm-subscriptions/  

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Todah Rabah - Dr. Gary Hedrick ...

Reaching the Jewish people with the Gospel
https://www.cjfm.org/about-us/who-we-are/history/
Charles Halff - What It Costs a Jew to Become a Christian
https://store.cjfm.org/product/146/what-it-costs-a-jew-to-become-a-christian

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Todah Rabah - beloved Rabbi Yitzchak ...

http://www.calledoutbelievers.org/sermon-topic/torah-parashot/
http://www.calledoutbelievers.org/free-downloads/
https://www.facebook.com/CalledOutBelievers/ at 10am PT
https://www.calledoutbelievers.org/events/shabbat-telegram-teaching/
https://www.youtube.com/c/AssemblyofCalledOutBelievers/videos
The Mark of the Beast is Coming Quickly Upon Us!
https://www.calledoutbelievers.org/news/the-mark-of-the-beast-is-coming-quickly-upon-us/
The Importance and Beauty of Tzitzit
https://player.vimeo.com/video/152885286
http://www.calledoutbelievers.org/tzitzit/
The Hidden Beauty of the Holy Name of God - YHVH
vid> https://youtu.be/dbb45zmkli4 (20:59)

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Todah Rabah - beloved Rabbi Chaim Richman ...

Weekly Torah Study: with Rav Gedalia Meyer
Temple Jam with Yitzchak Reuven and Rabbi Abba Horovitz
https://www.youtube.com/c/TheTempleInstitute/videos
https://www.facebook.com/The-Temple-Institute-22738684968/
https://www.instagram.com/thetempleinstitute/ - https://twitter.com/TempleInstitute
https://www.templeinstitute.org/ w Weekly Newsletter - 35 years
https://templeinstitute.org/red-heifer/

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Todah Rabah - beloved Rabbi Chaim Jachter ...

Kol Torah Academy of Bergen County  
Lech Lecha - Cheshvan 9, 5782 - October 15, 2021
https://www.koltorah.org/articles?category=Lech+Lecha
https://www.koltorah.org/by-parashah https://www.koltorah.org/about-us
https://www.koltorah.org/rav-jachters-halachah-files
TABC Parashat Lech Lecha (5 page pdf)
https://www.koltorah.org/s/KT-Parashat-Lech-Lecha-2021.pdf
Yeshiva - https://www.tabc.org/

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Parshat Lech Lecha

https://www.chabad.org/parshah/article_cdo/aid/3161/jewish/Lech-Lecha-in-a-Nutshell.htm
http://www.chabad.org/parshah/default.asp?tDate=10/16/2021  
https://www.chabad.org/calendar/view/month_cdo/jewish/Jewish-Calendar.htm

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Todah Rabah - beloved Rabbi Naphtali “Tuly” Weisz ...   

https://israel365.com/  https://www.israel365news.com/
https://www.israel365.com/about/  https://theisraelbible.com/
https://theisraelbible.com/bible/genesis/  

Three Things You Must Know About Genesis 12:3
https://theisraelbible.com/three-things-you-must-know-about-genesis-12-3/
The Portion of Lech Lecha
https://theisraelbible.com/portion-lech-lecha/

Vatican accused of tax evasion in Jerusalem
by David Sidman

That’s because the Vatican’s churches claim to be houses of worship exclusively even though it is well documented that many of them double as hotels, restaurants, stores, and schools.
https://www.israel365news.com/200247/vatican-accused-of-tax-evasion-in-jerusalem/

REPORT: Hamas building second front against Israel on Lebanese border, already firing rockets at Israel
by Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz

The report identified the principal senior political and military Hamas leaders active on Lebanese territory, the organization’s multiple military projects, and working plans. It also identified the locations of some of Hamas’s key Lebanese military sites. The report also analyzed Hamas’s complex relationship with the Iranian-led radical Shi’ite axis.
https://www.israel365news.com/200335/report-hamas-building-second-front-against-israel-on-lebanese-border-already-firing-rockets-at-israel/

Anti-Semitism is on the rise in the United States.
Stand with 100,000+ people who stand with Israel.

https://www.israel365.com/the-israel-covenant/

w vid Death toll in suicide attack on Shiite mosque in Afghanistan climbs to at least 37;
more than 70 wounded

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2021/10/15/afghanistan-mosque-bombed-suicide-attack/8465343002/

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President Donald J. Trump

https://www.45office.com/
https://gab.com/realdonaldtrump
https://t.me/real_DonaldJTrump
http://Instagram.com/realDonaldTrump  
https://www.donaldjtrump.com/alerts
https://rumble.com/c/DonaldTrump
https://www.instagram.com/ivankatrump/
DONALD DATES
Frederick Christ Trump (Drumpf) 10/11/1905 <<<
Ivanka 10/30/81 <<<
Tiffany 10/13/93 <<<

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Good News From Israel - Achievements and Heartwarming Stories

In the 3rd Oct 21 edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:
https://verygoodnewsisrael.blogspot.com/2021/10/israels-good-news-newsletter-to-3rd-oct.html
http://verygoodnewsisrael.blogspot.com/  

Mishpacha Jewish Family Weekly - https://mishpacha.com/  

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Israelis speak out - Do Not Get Covid Vaccine
The testimonies project - the movie

vid> https://rumble.com/vn212d-the-testimonies-project-the-movie.html (1:07:05) 9/28/21
ron9898 - https://rumble.com/user/ron9898
The Testimonies Project was created to provide a platform for all those who were affected after getting
the covid-19 vaccines, and to make sure their voices are heard, since they are not heard in the Israeli media.
We hope this project will encourage more and more people to tell their story.

Todah Rabah - beloved Ted Belman writing from Jerusalem, Israel for 20+ years ...  
THERE IS NO DIPLOMATIC SOLUTION  

ARE YOU A VAXXER OR AN ANTI-VAXER OR JUST PRO-CHOICE
by Ted Belman

Heinous crimes against humanity are committed in Israel under the disguise of a fake, invented pandemic. Our soldiers are being rapped in the middle of the night they are being rounded up and injected with poison shots, which amount to human experimentation strictly forbidden under the Nuremberg Code.
https://www.israpundit.org/63673907-2/

Patriots REVOLT Against VACCINE MANDATES All Over the WORLD!!!
vid> https://youtu.be/1Oxs7fU0xA4 (11:01) 10/13/21 Dr. Steve Turley
https://www.youtube.com/c/DrSteveTurleyTV/videos
Kim Iversen: VIOLENT Protests Show The World Is OVER Covid Mandates
vid> https://youtu.be/tHpZ2vqJbMA (10:27) 10/13/21 The Hill
https://www.youtube.com/c/thehill/videos
https://www.israpundit.org/patriots-revolt-against-vaccine-mandates-all-over-the-world/

The Treatment of Viral Diseases: Has the Truth Been Suppressed for Decades?
by Lee D. Merritt , M.D
https://www.jpands.org/vol25no3/merritt.pdf (4 page pdf)
COVID-19 and the War against Hydroxychloroquine
https://www.israpundit.org/the-treatment-of-viral-diseases-has-the-truth-been-suppressed-for-decades/

The Decision in Georgia was absolutely wrong
Boris Epshteyn updates AZ and GA audits and lawsuits
vid> https://rumble.com/vnras6-the-decision-in-georgia-was-absolutely-wrong.html (9:38) 10/14/21
https://rumble.com/c/BannonsWarRoom
https://www.israpundit.org/boris-epshtyne-updates-az-and-ga-audits-and-lawsuits/

The suddenly disappearing news about Florida Covid cases
by Jack Hellner - AM THINKER

What is increasingly clear is that most of the media and other Democrats haven’t cared about the truth for a long time, whether they are reporting on the climate, COVID, taxes or anything else. All they care about is power for leftists and their agenda. The greatest threat to our democracy, freedom, and prosperity is if the leftist agenda gets passed and America is destroyed.
https://www.israpundit.org/the-suddenly-disappearing-news-about-florida-covid-cases/
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2021/10/the_suddenly_disappearing_news_about_florida_covid_cases.html

The real reason for Western support of the Palestinian Arabs
by Melanie Phillips

What actually binds these groups together is an ultimately incomprehensible animus against Judaism and the Jewish people.
https://www.israpundit.org/the-real-reason-for-western-support-of-the-palestinian-arabs/
https://www.jns.org/opinion/the-real-reason-for-western-support-of-the-palestinians/

>> The Jordan Option, plain and simple
https://www.israpundit.org/the-jordan-option-plain-and-simple/
>> The Jordanian Option is the only game in town
https://www.israpundit.org/my-jordan-option-is-the-only-game-in-town/

Kindly donate to support the work I do
by Ted Belman

https://www.israpundit.org/please-support-the-work-i-do-2/
https://www.israpundit.org/my-half-yearly-appeal-for-donations/

♥♥ ♥♥ ♥♥

Quest For The Lost Tribes - Full Simcha Jacobovici Documentary

vid> https://www.bitchute.com/video/jbB2ELq4xPw/ (1:33:29) 8/18/19
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simcha_Jacobovici
12 Tribes of Israel: The Shevatim

https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/3798842/jewish/12-Tribes-of-Israel-The-Shevatim.htm
https://www.jewishvoice.org/read/blog/who-are-tribes-judah


This week’s parsha Lech Lecha is a story of faith and of secrets.
Hashem does not reveal the location of the Promised Land until after Abraham embarks on his journey. The beauty of Sarah is revealed to Abraham and he decides to hide the true identity of his wife from the Pharaoh. Abraham launches a clandestine operation to rescue his brother from the evil kings. An angel reveals the blessing of a son to a barren and distraught Sarah. Hashem is described as the “God of Seeing” because for Abraham and Sarah, at their age, it is almost impossible to imagine progeny numbering like the stars in the sky. This week seeing is believing as we reveal some of our favorite Fall flavored recipes that work perfectly in an easy Shabbat Menu. 
https://jamiegeller.com/holidays/easy-fall-shabbat-menu/

The Health Benefits of Apples and 21 Healthy Apple Recipes
https://jamiegeller.com/browse/the-healthy-apple/

How to Braise
https://jamiegeller.com/guides/how-to-braise/

Easing into Meatless Monday mode
https://jamiegeller.com/recipes/mediterranean-hummus-pizza/
https://jamiegeller.com/recipes/three-cheese-mac-and-cheese-with-garlic-roasted-tomatoes/
https://jamiegeller.com/recipes/potato-and-cheddar-frittata/

Live dangerously and plate directly from the pan at your table!
One-pot recipes, you don't even need to clean a platter.
https://jamiegeller.com/recipes/one-pot-spaghetti-with-super-meatballs/
https://jamiegeller.com/recipes/quick-one-pan-pasta-paella/
https://jamiegeller.com/recipes/one-pan-asian-veggie-pasta/

The Best Challah Bread
vids> https://jamiegeller.com/challah/the-best-challah-bread-recipes/
https://jamiegeller.com/challah/
The Lazy Cook's Challah In A Bag Recipe Is So Easy and Delicious
vid> https://cdn.jwplayer.com/players/zSLDbITD-FSMnt4zj.html (1:00) JewLish
https://jamiegeller.com/recipes/lazy-cooks-challah-bag-easy-delicious/
Amazing Kashrut olam haba

Jamie's Quick & Easy Shabbat Menu App
sign up 30% off - all your Shabbat meals in one convenient place
https://www.prepear.com/jamiegeller/cookbooks/quick-and-easy-shabbat-menus/
https://jamiegeller.com/from-jamie/exclusive-jamie-gellers-menu-plans/
LIVE Series: FEED YOUR SOUL
https://jamiegeller.com/from-jamie/feed-your-soul/

Simchat Torah Menus
https://jamiegeller.com/holidays/simchat-torah/
https://jamiegeller.com/holidays/simchat-torah-party-finger-food/
https://jamiegeller.com/holidays/  
Vegan Recipes
https://www.pinterest.com/JamieGeller/vegan-recipes/

This is Where You Can Find Me Most of the Time
JewLish - One People - Many Flavors
https://www.instagram.com/p/CLpomjPnHcZ/
https://www.instagram.com/jamiegeller/
https://www.facebook.com/jamiegeller
https://www.facebook.com/jewlishbyjamie/

Joy of Aliyah 
http://jamiegeller.com/tag/joy-of-aliyah/
https://jamiegeller.com/tag/joyofisrael/
Jamie Geller Welcome's You
vid> https://youtu.be/XO-owES713c (0:35)
Lots of 💕 Jamie - Until next week Shabbat Shalom from Israel ! 


The answer is, it's made with love from Israel ! 
https://jamiegeller.com/from-jamie/my-jewish-food-memories/
My Love Affair With Jerusalem

https://jamiegeller.com/from-jamie/my-love-affair-with-jerusalem/

The Jamie Geller Spice Collection: Now Available Worldwide!
Sending you love and my heartfelt wishes for peace, from Israel.
https://www.amazon.com/stores/Jamie+Geller/page/55E36343-CF6F-4E88-A4D5-D7C1C0274F7F
https://www.amazon.com/shop/jamiegeller  
Adding Israel Wildflower Honey to my Amazon collection
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09BN1985Q/

Babies, Books, and a Billion Views: My Decade in Review
https://jamiegeller.com/from-jamie/a-decade-in-review/

Best of the Best w Hubby - Family Heirloom Cholent ...
vid> https://youtu.be/Ae2-lQVFsGw (12:01) 8/11/11 JG classic
https://jamiegeller.com/recipes/family-heirloom-chulent/

Jamie at Aish - Chief Media & Marketing Officer
https://www.aish.com/authors/48868432.html
https://www.aishhatorah.com/
How You Can Make the Future Brighter
vid> https://youtu.be/fclstyB-1rA (2:48) Aish
https://www.youtube.com/c/Aishdotcom/videos

The Influence of the Hebrew Bible on America's Founding Fathers
vid> https://youtu.be/jE6Sqh-kezw (7:15) J-TV
https://www.aish.com/jl/h/h/The-Influence-of-the-Hebrew-Bible-on-Americas-Founding.html
Serpents of Desire: Good and Evil in the Garden of Eden. An Introduction
https://www.aish.com/jl/b/eb/ge/48966101.html

Jamie Hanala Geller
https://jamiegeller.com/author/jamie-geller/
Tamar Genger MA, RD
https://jamiegeller.com/author/tgenger/

The High Holiday Recipe Collection - free eBook
https://app.monstercampaigns.com/c/om8u2hvu10jwaeo5xuzi/
Beef Bacon 101 - free eBook
https://app.monstercampaigns.com/c/jeithgmmua2s7fpzrgzk/
A Passover for Everyone - Aish and Jamie - free eBook
https://app.monstercampaigns.com/c/sqyphcgmojgxtcq32ndx/
The Ultimate Challah - free eBook
https://koshernetwork.ac-page.com/pinterest-challah
Comforting Soups - free eBook
https://app.monstercampaigns.com/c/vp6jenajjphxppjobhib/
Rosh Hashanah Sides - free eBook
https://app.monstercampaigns.com/c/lmhvzqio815zbglkdar8/
Modern Israeli Kebobs - free eBook
https://koshernetwork.acemlnc.com/lt.php?s=a476321cee1a62660d5e43a07fe84c19&i=109A824A1A5341
Modern Israeli Summer - free eBook
https://app.monstercampaigns.com/c/myjxowbuybzbzl3de8zb/
https://app.monstercampaigns.com/c/qlxqz3dqauo76fhgwlfd/
The Perfect Turkey Guide - free eBook
https://app.monstercampaigns.com/c/g4ibbdtyf0mfdt5fudgu/
Join My WayBetter Cooking Class with Jamie Geller
https://get.waybetter.com/jamiegeller/
 
Adonai said to Abram, Go forth [lech lecha] from your country, your people and your father’s household
to the land I will show you ... 
and I will bless you. Genesis 12:1–2

Shabbat Shalom - Parasha Lech Lecha - Go Forth Crossing Over Into Destiny !!!



Shomron is the Hebrew word for Samaria, shown in the beautiful landscapes of this photo.
 
Shabbat Shalom
 
Welcome to Lech Lecha (Go Forth), this week’s Parasha (Torah Portion).
 
We know you will be blessed as you follow along with us in this portion of Torah that will be read in synagogues around the world during the Shabbat (Saturday) service.  Enjoy!
 
LECH LECHA (GO FORTH!)
Genesis 12:1–17:27; Isaiah 40:27–41:16; Matthew 1:1–17
 
“Adonai said to Abram, Go forth [lech lecha] from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you ... and I will bless you.”  (Genesis 12:1–2)
 
Our last Torah reading, Noach (Noah), concluded with a genealogy of Shem, Noah’s son.  That genealogy ended with Terah, father of Abram, Nahor and Haran.  Terah took his son Abram and Abram’s wife Sarai, as well as Lot, son of Haran, who had died, out of Ur of the Chaldeans and headed toward the Land of Canaan.
 
Instead of reaching their destination, however, they settled at Haran where Terah lived out the rest of his days
 
In this week’s Parasha, at God’s command, Abram carries on with his father’s unfinished mission — to reach the Land of Canaan, the name given to the Promised Land at this time.
 

Carrying the Torah at the Western (Wailing) Wall in Jerusalem
 
The Covenant of God and the Promised Land
“Abram passed through the land to the place of Shechem, as far as the terebinth tree of Moreh.  And the Canaanites were then in the land.”  (Genesis 12:6)
 
Abram and his wife, Sarai, become the first settlers of the Holy Land by packing up their belongings and homesteading in Elon Moreh, near Shechem (modern day Nablus) in Israel's heartland of Samaria.
 
God, the original Zionist, made an eternal promise to give the Land to Abram and his offspring: "To your offspring will I give this land.”  
(Genesis 12:7)
 
At that time, the Canaanites controlled the land; nevertheless, God reassured Abram that it would one day belong to his offspring
— the Jewish People.
 
We may see a clear correlation to the political situation
in the Middle East today. 
 
The Palestinians have gained control of large tracts of land within Israel, which leaves many Israelis wanting to see the Promised Land divided.  They believe that establishing a separate Palestinian state beside a Jewish state will create peace.
 

The Caravan of Abraham, by James Tissot

Many around the globe also think two states for two peoples is a fair solution because some of the Arabs that currently live in Israel have roots that go back several centuries.  Most, however, came in a massive wave of immigration from surrounding lands in the 19th and 20th centuries.
 
Therefore, some wonder if the Jewish People have returned
to the Land in vain.
 
Rivers of tears and pools of blood have been shed in order to reclaim our God-given land.  Did all those who risked and even sacrificed their lives to drain malaria-infested swamps, to re-plant the land, to re-build the cities, and to defend this nation against the hordes of enemies
do so in vain?
 
Have the Jewish People survived the threat of extermination throughout 2,000 years of persecution — pogroms and inquisitions and even the Holocaust — in the lands of their exile, finally to return to their Promised Land, just to be driven out once and for all by
hate-crazed, religious radicals?
 
Only if God breaks His covenant.
 
Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet My unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor My covenant of peace be removed,' says the LORD, who has compassion on you.  (Isaiah 54:10)
 

Two Jewish boys stand before the Torah scroll.
 
God made more than a promise to Abram.  In Genesis 15, God made a blood covenant with him that included giving this land to his descendants through Isaac and Jacob as an eternal inheritance:

“I will establish My covenant as an everlasting covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.  The whole land of Canaan, where you now reside as a foreigner, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God.”  (Genesis 17:7–8; also Genesis 15:57)

To Isaac:
 
“To you [Isaac] and your descendants I will give all these lands and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham [God changed Abram's name to Abraham in Genesis 17:5].”  (Genesis 26:3)
 
To Jacob:
 
“I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac.  I will give you [Jacob] and your descendants the land on which you are lying.  Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and ... all peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.”  (Genesis 28:13–14)
 

Abram Guarding His Sacrifice, by James Tissot

Abram did not have to do a thing to establish this covenant with God.  In chapter 15 of Genesis, God alone walked through the animals that Abram offered, indicating that the covenant he cut with Abram was unconditional.
 
God actually caused a deep sleep to fall on Abram when He made the covenant with him, probably to emphasize that God alone is making this unconditional promise and also to prevent Abram from walking through it (Genesis 15:8–20).  In ancient covenant practices, both parties would walk through the offering if it were conditional.
 
With so many Scriptures declaring God's everlasting promise, our claim to this land is not political, but by Divine right.
 
Of course, there is great opposition to God’s Word.  The Canaanites had their weapons and allies, and so do the enemies of Israel today; both gained some temporary victories in their efforts to claim the land as their own but, ultimately, God owns the land and can give it to whomever He wishes. 
 
His everlasting covenant with Abram will stand.
 

A father walks with his sons in Israel.
 
Walking the Land as the First Hebrew
“Arise, walk in the land through its length and its width, for I give it to you.” (Genesis 13:17)
 
When God commanded Abram to walk the length and breadth of the land, it was not just for a little sightseeing stroll; it fulfilled a legal custom in ancient times to claim ownership of a property by walking through it. 
 
Egyptian and Hittite kings would regularly leave their grand palaces to take a ceremonial walk through their countryside in order to confirm their ownership of the land.
 
In Mesopotamia, according to ancient records, the seller of a property would lift his foot off the land and purposefully set the buyers foot upon it.  This may further explain the cultural context of the Scripture in which God promises to give Joshua “every place the sole of his foot treads upon.”
 
“I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses.”  (Joshua 1:3)
 
Legally, then, when Abram walked the length and breadth of the land, he took possession of it for himself and his descendants as an eternal possession.
 

A Jewish man reads a Torah scroll at the Western (Wailing) Wall.  (Photo
by Etienne Valois)

Talmudic rabbis (ancient rabbinic commentators of Scripture) have compared Abram’s walk through the land to a vial of perfume that only gives off scent when moved, wafting the fragrance of faith throughout the Promised Land.
 
Whereas Noah walked “with” God; Abram walked “before” God, paving the way for the world to come to the knowledge of faith in the one true God.
 
Abram had an ability to cross over borders:  He not only crossed from Mesopotamia to Canaan, he courageously crossed from a world of idol worship to a world in which the one true God was worshiped, instead.
 
The world stood on one side and he stood with truth on the other.
 
He crossed over into his destiny, and his descendants inherited the reward and blessing as well as the characteristic of being those who cross over.
 
For this reason, Abram became the first person to be called an Ivrithe one who crossed over.  This word comes from the Hebrew verb la’avor (to cross over) and is transliterated into English simply as a Hebrew.
 
Lech Lecha, therefore, is one of the most exciting chapters in the Torah (first five books of the Bible), since it chronicles the adventures of the first Hebrew with God.
 
May we, too, come to this life-altering place where we “cross over” into a new, exciting adventure in our life with Him.
 

A Jewish man prays at the Western (Wailing) Wall in Jerusalem.
 
Abram Wins the War of the Kings
“And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock.”  (Genesis 13:7)
 
In chapter 13 of Genesis, Abram and his nephew Lot have become quite wealthy.  Their herds are so large that the land cannot support all of them.  (Genesis 13:6)

Consequently, strife breaks out between the herdsmen of Abram and Lot, and instead of diffusing the situation, they decide to part ways.

We may perhaps see a hint of the underlying source of strife through the choice that Lot makes.

When Abram offers him first choice of the area, Lot chooses the best for himself, instead of insisting that his uncle, who has treated him much like a son, take the best.
 
Lot chooses the green, fertile plains of the Jordan near Sodom and Gomorrah and Abram moves on to the plains of Mamre (Hebron).
 
“And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere (before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah) like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt as you go toward Zoar.  Then Lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east.  And they separated from each other.”  (Genesis 13:10–11)
 

Abraham and Lot Divided the Land (Bible Pictures
and What They Teach Us by Charles Foster, 1897)
 
Although the grass may be greener on the other side of the hill, that fact does not mean it is better, nor does it mean we should go there.  Greener pastures do not guarantee that God's blessing is there for the taking.
 
Soon after parting company, Lot needs Abram’s aid when four powerful kings capture all of Sodom, including Lot.  Abram rounds up a small army of 318 men and frees the captives: 
 
And he [Abram] and his servants deployed against them at n
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