Welcome to Voices from Zion. Together we'll explore the scriptures in their original Hebrew, wrestle with hard questions, and celebrate the beauty of what unites us. and the respect that deepens when we acknowledge what doesn't.
So welcome to the dialogue. Welcome to the wrestle. Welcome to Voices from Zion. Robbie and the Rabbi.
Well have fun today on Robbie and the Rabbi at Voices from Zion. Uh recently I was in Zion and I am Very interested as I was with this trip with Mike Evans. And the Friends of Zion. ministries uh to get rabbi hymns take on some of the things that i experienced And some of the concerns I really do have. Uh uh about um the political relationship between the United States of America and Israel.
And uh You know, just get your take on it, Rabbi, so to speak. And so, to begin with, I'm just curious: are you familiar with? Mike Evans, have you connected with him before, familiar with his ministry? I I've heard of him, but I don't have any connection with him, so no. Have you ever visited this museum?
That's the Friends of Zion Museum. Downtown. Truth is, there have been Over the years A handful of Events that took place there. To which I was invited.
So I've been there on just a handful of occasions, but it was always for a particular event.
Okay, so Fair enough. That gives me a little piece of information that obviously. Or maybe not, obviously, but it it would appear that It's a different circle of people that he walks in than you walk in, in his rule, he would think. That's for sure. That is, the circle.
that I occupy is Sincere students of the Word of God. I'm not saying anything pejorative with respect to him, but the people with whom I connect. are the ones who are really looking for that deep connection through God's Word. And I love that about you. I do.
And that's why I cherish this conversation and I cherish.
some of your insights based on Um What what took place while I was there? You know, to stay out of the political realm somewhat, because I know it's not of all that much interest to me, and I doubt if it's that much interest to you. This has a political overtone to it, but I don't mean it to. Um While I was there, I On my previous tour with Mark Blitz. We didn't go to some of the tourist spots in Jerusalem.
And so we didn't go from gate to gate and place to place. All over the Via de la Rosa and some of those things that a lot of Christians would come to visit while they were there. We didn't do that, but I did that certainly in this particular journey. And I started and when I came in the Jaffa gate. There was What appeared to me the most beautiful mezus, it was in a red-looking tube.
Are you familiar with what I'm talking about? You mean on the gate itself? Yeah. Yes, I it is Honestly, I don't think it's Red so much as a metal case that is. Coded in a layer of rot.
That may be what it is, but it It was there and it was prominent. And I'll it's a huge tube. Obviously, whatever I'm assuming that it is steel or iron on the outside, which is why it does have a layer of rust on it. But the essence of the Mezuzah, of course, is what's inside the tube, the parchment upon which the passages of Deuteronomy chapter six and chapter eleven are inscribed. And so that's absolutely beautiful to me.
And so, for those listening, and a lot of Christian listeners, I've spent my experience are not familiar with what that term is. or or that practice And you are exactly right. It's in Deuteronomy 6, which I think almost every Christian could quote as well. They certainly can quote. The part with love your Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength.
It's the hero-Israel part that. I find a lot of Christians don't realize it's such a critical part of the passage. And so Would you mind sharing a little bit about why that would be, why that would be in that gate? Sure, because of course As You rightly point out that the passage begins with Here, O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is one, and then goes on to emphasize the first of several occasions in Deuteronomy. the commandment of the loving God.
That is we encounter other commandments that pertain to love. Earlier on the Bible. In particular, in Leviticus chapter 19, the commandment of loving your fellow and the commandment of loving a stranger. But loving God appeared for the first time only at the end of the 40 years. beginning here in Deuteronomy chapter six Verse four and Then Excuse me, verse four is here, O Israel.
Then, verse five is you shall love God your Lord. with all of your heart, with all of your soul, with all of your might. And Th then there is The emphasis on the actualization of that commandment above. Through the word of God. That is These words which I command you this day shall be upon your heart.
You shall teach them diligently to your children. You shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, when you rise up, you shall bind them for a sign upon your arm, and they shall be as frontless between your eyes. And this is in our tradition quite literal. That is the phalactaries, the tephiline that we bind upon our arm and upon our heads when we pray, and the culmination, the last verse in the section, verse nine. and you shall write them upon the doorposts of your house and upon your gates upon your gates rather than just the doorposts of the hells.
So While every Home. in Israel has the Mezuzah not only on the entrance to the home but also on all the inner rooms. It's not only the homes. It's also the gates. Yeah, and actually a few minutes.
She was looking at the mm. Anywhere in Israel, I visited a hotel, every single room of every single hotel. You'll see a little angled. Piece that has the Contains in it the scripture that of which you describe, which is absolutely beautiful. And I I also loved You know, I had never actually seen with my own eyes.
Uh Is it called Tefilim? Am I saying that right? Yes, yes, the phylacteries. Yeah. Um I had never seen that.
Until I went to fly with Mark. I got on LAL Airlines, and this is actually one of the more beautiful things I've ever seen in my life. Um And it was a long flight. And the day before, because it was May, it was the middle of May 2025, the day before a missile piece or something hit. near the runway at Ben-Gurion Airport.
And so there was Quite a bit of debris all over the parking lot, et cetera, et cetera. And there was a lot of fear in my family, whatever, what are you doing going over there? They just bombed the runway of Ben-Gurion Airport, which is not the truth, but it had people pretty freaked out. And so As we prepared for that flight, I'll never forget as long as I live. We're in in in um the Newark airport.
And there had to be what I would say at least 200 practicing Jews in their prayer shawls. And we're The The whole phylacteries to fill them. I mean, the boxes on their head, and I'd never seen this with my own eyes. And they are facing what I would assume to the east. And they are dominating.
They're praying. I mean, Dylan, beautiful, amazing. And my wife and I are both like, are you seeing this? Like, look at these. This is prayer.
Like, this is awesome. It's absolutely beautiful. Then as we got on the plane. I noticed. That many of these, and I'd really never seen a Jewish prayer shawl before.
Firsthand, you know, I'd seen them on TV, that kind of thing. I saw people at the Western Wall, but I never saw one with my own eyes. On that plane, oh my goodness, they were very prevalent. And there were people. In the aisles in certain places in that plane and stations.
That were wearing those shawls, wearing the boxes on their head, and they were praying from books. throughout the entire flight and i ask I was sitting next to a Jewish man there and I that that that was Not as practicing a Jewish person as some of the other ones, I said. What is up, you know, why he said, oh, they have stations on this plane where they pray. And I was like, oh my goodness. I mean, this is beautiful.
This is wonderful.
Now, when the sun came up, on the plane that morning. I guarantee you the aisles were absolutely full. With Men in their prayer shawls, and many of them with those on their heads, and the flag trees, and the whole thing, and they were facing the sunrise, and they were praying as diligently as anything I've ever seen in my life. and i thought okay They weren't facing the sunrise, they were facing Jerusalem. It just so happens that when you're flying from Newark, after all, the sun is rising in the east, and Jerusalem is in the east.
Well, there I learned something, that's what I'm trying to do.
So I was not surprised that we landed safely because I felt like God was, if there was ever a journey that God was on. And You know, I felt like Man, we need to learn something about prayer. These folks are really, really, really diligent.
So You could imagine How amazing that was to me. Maybe you can't, but it was. It was beautiful. It was amazing. I'd never seen anything quite like it.
It made me curious about the prayer shawl. It made me curious about the telemetry. But I was aware of. the scripture very aware of the Shema. And so it was coming together for me.
Now it's a good one. As beautiful as that was. And it was. When I got on the plane in JFK. In October the same year, you know, I mean now this was December the 1st.
When I flew a couple weeks ago. And there might have been six or seven, maybe ten. Jews that gathered before the flight. To pray. Again, practicing I didn't see a prayer shawl.
I didn't see any. It depends which prayer. That is seriously. in the morning service. We wear the prayer shoals and we wear the phylacteries.
Yeah. The afternoon service, there really isn't any reason. Not to, but the common practice because people interrupt whatever it is that they're doing their workday for the afternoon service. Typically, it is prayed without the prayer of shorter phlacteries. And Although more so the evening service.
I don't know when when the flight was, but at night. We don't put on the clear show and the flag 3s because it's something that we bond with as something that we see in. Numbers In chapter 15, where we read about the prayer shoals, it's you shall see them. Uh you shall see the the the the seat seat. The fringes.
But you would see the prayer strolls and the phlacteries in the morning service. After all, there are three daily services every day.
So the prayer shells are the uh the phylacteries are the the morning service.
So the actual times of those flights, just to compare that, the The flight that left Newark that night, where all the people were gathered, which, again, to me, I just talked this up to like, There was a level of tension that was there in May that was not there. Yeah. December. But nonetheless, that plane, it was about... Quarter to 12 at night.
Okay, so that would that would not be with phylacteries and the prayer shelves. But the flight that left out of JFK in December, it was leaving at one in the afternoon. And so that would be the afternoon service, which would again be without the peripheral and the factories.
However, we are. Where I'm going with this is that the next morning on the one. flight that I just took in December. As the sun came up again. I just told a bunch of my colleagues because I was on this flight with a bunch of pastors that I know.
And I said, wait till you see this. It's going to blow your mind. These folks are going to be. In the aisles, they're going to be praying all over the plane. They'll be in prayer shawls.
You're going to be shocked. Unfortunately, I had mud all over my face because there was not a single. Not one. When we came in, I know your mouth dropped, my mouth dropped because I assumed that what I saw was a normal practice. But what I saw that day was quite different than what I saw.
Okay.
Well, how how much of the plane were Jews and hemorrhage of the plane were the pastors. I would say they were probably. On a plane full of maybe 300 people, there were about 70 pastors. And there were more than that. that I would say we're wearing black coats.
And black hats. And what I would Consider to be the people that would have had prayer shawls and flag. You know, that's me. I don't know. I mean, of course, I don't wear a black kind of black hat, but.
But people who are religious would certainly be be praying. I don't know. What the survey is? You know, I know I just, I just, but then I noticed the same thing when I came back. Because I really didn't anticipate that the sun would come up again.
On the flight back because it was in the afternoon the way it was. But when it came up again and on the flight back, I didn't see it again. I'm just the sun. If you took off in the afternoon, you wouldn't be seeing sunrise. on the way back to the United States.
Well, the crazy thing is, I guess based on the way that That's it. It went dark. about four in the afternoon on the flight back. Right. Because we had gone so far north, and this time of year it gets dark.
Right. And so as we came back into the I guess the hemisphere where New York is or whatever you want to say, whatever. Parallel, all of a sudden. It got light again. Whether you call that a sunrise or not, I don't.
Again, astronomically, it would have had to have been the same day.
Now, it could be that if one is far enough north, Then The sun is simply not visible. But the fact that one is coming back into a zone in which the sun is visible wouldn't constitute a new day. That is seriously, while unequivocally people feel the tension and feel need to turn to God, but what you are observing was not some extemporaneous turning to God on time turning that this is the uh the the routine, the holy routine. Of As we read in Daniel, Daniel turns to God three times a day in prayer. And we turn to God three times a day in prayer.
That is, there's the morning service, there's the afternoon service, the evening service. And these are times of communal prayer. Whether everything is going well or everything is going badly, this is the standard of the way we live.
So, again, it wouldn't be a question of what level of tension it was. It would be a question of whether they. Times of day that occasion these daily services The times of day when you're fine. I'll just note if you're flying on a low Um if you really wanted There's actually an app that you see on the screen in front of you. that lets you know about upcoming times of prayer.
Is it allowed? provide this as a service.
So The passengers to actually provide the information on considering the trajectory of the flight, where it is in terms of latitude, in terms of longitude, where the sun is relative to the flight path, when these times of prayer arise. Wow. I was flying with LL. I was not aware of.
So again, if you didn't see that, then it just wasn't one of the times of prayer. It wasn't because people were loafing about or relaxed because there wasn't any debris on the runway. Believe me, we pray every day, regardless. Yeah, it's just something that I didn't observe, and I knew that. I mean, there was no doubt there was a sunrise.
coming in that day. But I don't know. Yeah, and you don't know, you know, again, what What the percentage of certain And again, it brings out a wonderful point, I think. That If I could just note, it could also be that if the time of sunrise. was Close enough.
to the time of landing. Then The the people would have But Certainly justification on manifold planes updated to prey after landing and deplaning. To not clutter the aisles, to not be in a difficult circumstance that could inconvenience others.
So that could very well be that people were just simply wait waiting for The plane to land to the plane and pray. On the ground. It's still a beautiful thing. Regardless, I can tell you, when you see it, it's an amazing thing to see. I see it every day.
I see it in the digital every day, every morning. The other story, but I wanted to talk about the Mizusa because to me the Mizusa gives you that outline of the same thing that what we're seeing between the two incidents. And so Later that trip, I began to notice that Other gates don't have mesuses, or at least I can't see where they are. Which case? That is I can certainly tell you.
You'll see them Zuzar. On Jaffa Gate? on Dyingate and on the Dungate. Unfortunately, the current state of affairs The other gates in the Old City. Are areas In which There would be grave concern.
That the Mezuzah with God's holy word inscribed upon every good around me. would be desecrated by muscles.
So, I don't know what the fit of here is. I have to admit also. I don't frequent any of the other gates. for a very simple reason. For me as a Joe, to go through any gate other than the three that I just mentioned.
would be literally mortal danger. Literally, moral danger danger. A mortal. Yes. As someone with a Jewish appearance, I would be attacked.
And God forbid like they killed.
Well, therein lies the story. Yeah. Okay, so Later that day. No, again, I should just interject here just so there won't be any misunderstanding. That's not to imply that Muslims have any qualms about going through the gates that are frequented by Jews, because the Muslims know that when they go through these gates in Jewish areas, nothing's going to happen to them.
But Jews know that if they go through the areas that are predominantly Muslim. They will be attacked. and likely murdered. Yeah, which brings me to an interesting question that. which I'll relate with this story.
So I was, as I went through these gates, I was like, gee. There's no Mezuza in the Damascus gate.
So I'm coming. The Damascus Gate. And it's Sabbath morning, Shabbat morning, it's Saturday morning. Again, woefully, in my opinion, we didn't celebrate Shabbatner like we did on this trip, as we did with Mark Belitz. In fact, it wasn't.
hardly mentioned or Experienced, which was sad from my standpoint. There were several things on this trip that were sad. This was one of them, and this particular incident was Beyond Sat. Because part of what we had experienced when we went there was specifically they wanted to take us to the Novo Festival site, they wanted us to see how. They had been brutalized.
They wanted us to see the cars that that that people had burned alive in. They wanted us to go to Um Mount um to the to the cemetery where Um Their military heroes are buried like our Arlington Cemetery. It's Mount Mount Hipford. Not Russia, milk and planetary. Yeah.
And so we had seen More anti-Semitism than I really. And ever grasped in my life and it levels that were so brutal that were beyond my... That was just horror that I had experienced. And so I'd been experiencing it all week, and here I come. You know, they're they're Sort of touring us around, showing us the Via del A Rosa, and part of that is coming through the Damascus Gate, which is interesting.
And So as I come through this gate I see the Israeli Border Patrol, which are the really, from what I understand, the most elite group. And they are carrying like grenade launchers and they have AK-47s, which for somebody from America to see people that heavily armed is unusual.
So I'm seeing this and these people are that are that are the guards are standing at the gate and they can't be 10 feet from the incident that I'm going to describe. And so I see there is what I would call a practicing Jewish boy. This boy is by himself, and I would say he was between 9 and 11. He was young. Very young.
Had a baby face on like he was very young.
However, he had The long side burns and he looked very Jewish. And wearing black and all that stuff. And he is proceeding to come in that gate, just as you described, which is not a good idea, apparently. Because when he did. Several Muslim men, which I would say these men were in the neighborhood of 35 years old.
They started screaming at him. And one of them got right in his face. And again, I don't speak Arabic, or you know, I have no idea what he was saying to him, other than he was mocking him. He was screaming at him. He was in his face.
Fascinatingly to me, the guards standing right there are doing nothing, and neither is anybody else that is standing there in the gate.
So And so me being just mean who I am. I can't. you know, just watch this. And so I fix my eyes on the Muslim man who I consider to be the leader of the pack. And I began to walk straight at him, giving him a look like, dude.
Like Whatever it is you think you're doing, you need to stop like right now. And apparently, he decided he didn't want to take on a very tall American tourist right this minute or whatever. Because when I got about 10 feet from him and he saw that I was making a beeline for him, he backed off the child. And he went over to his friends and they began to. Just talk about.
And I kind of you know just turn to see the boy. And he turned to me as streams, tears pouring down his face. Yeah. Right. And I'm looking around to see if he's got any family.
Like, what's he doing here all alone? And I don't see anybody. And so I just like, okay, well, you're trying to get somewhere. And I don't think he understood English. Yeah.
And I said, let's go. I'll go with you. You know, I'll get you through the gate here. And off he seemed to go. you know very disturbed Uh in the direction um that that he was headed which was it was sad to me because he it was It was Shabbat morning.
This boy. being attacked for no reason other than clearly he was Jewish. He was probably going to pray at the Western Wall. I'm not, I wouldn't be surprised. Yeah.
But that's how sad it is. And that's just. What I experienced firsthand. Yeah. And more truth.
It's just, it's kind of. Just, it blows my mind. But I guess there are certain points, places in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, where I live, at certain times of day or night, you wouldn't want to go down there. It's just a place you wouldn't go. And so I guess in most big cities that that's just a fact of unfortunate life that we live in, right?
But such a certain locations that Is Unfortunately, everywhere where there is a predominantly Muslim population, Jews can't enter. including our most holy places. in the holy city of Jerusalem. Which I think. to some extent is why they brought us.
That I don't think Americans really have a sense of that. What it's like to be Um literally hated and and I'm not Like some of the things that I saw, unfortunately, you may know that. For whatever reason, the people of Hamas. When they came to brutalize those people as they came on October 7th, 2023. They videoed on purpose what they did to the people.
The Nazis in Nazi Germany tried to conceal their crimes. The Arab terrorists broadcast them. They're proud of their crimes. And that's saying that, of course, to exonerate the Nazis for. The crime that they perpetrated.
But He was dead. faintest glimmer of humanity that they felt that there's something they need to conceal. The faintest glimmer. The actions were monstrous. Don't misunderstand me, but But the faintest glimmer of humanity Well, we're behaving Like monsters, let's hide this.
And the airports, on the contrary. broadcast air crimes. There wasn't even that glimmer of humanity.
Now, that's not to imply in any way we are human beings. The other evenings, that's precisely the indictment. No one has created a monster. It's human beings who choose to become monsters. And and and The hate spreads like a virus that their parents had or the the the people around them or or infecting them um But here's the good news.
That God's been showing me through because I've prayed a lot about that incident. I've prayed a lot about my visit. Um No, Psalm twenty two says. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. One part easier.
Pardon me? 122. 122, yes, I'm sorry. Apologize. That's why I like the other.
It says, pray for the peace. The Shalom. Of Jerusalem. I don't think I've ever had a sense of how dire those prayers need to be. Right now.
Um J if if you don't mind, please complete the verse. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Yes, I'm not sure. Those who love you. Will experience tranquility.
They themselves. because of their praying for Jerusalem. will experience a peace themselves. Before I regard that as a wish, I would regard that as a declaration.
Well, let's finish that teaching. Yeah, by all means, let's go. That's why we're here. Because unfortunately, I can tell you, I must have heard 40 people quote that verse. Nobody added what you just added.
Obviously the second half of the birth. But we're speaking of Psalm 122. Verse six Now the truth is that The the more rigorous rendering is not even though most translations say praise for the peace of Jerusalem. It is More Literally seek or implore The Peace of Jerusalem. But again The continuation of the verse.
I Schleich or Meijer. I suppose Since we're going to be focusing on these this verse. We need to Consider etymology here. Yisla Comes from the root of Shavev, Shalva. which means tranquillity.
It is precisely in the same vein. That we Appreciate The conjoining in this verse of shalom. And so that which also appears in the following charts. There is a verse. Seven.
Ye shall long that I live. Let there be peace. within your walls How that? They have no type. and tranquility.
in your palaces.
So there's this conjoining, if you will, of Salva? Meaning tranquility? Together with Shalom. Meaning peace. But These additional new ones If we're going to focus upon This Expression Sauva.
demands further consideration. And That Inevitably, it guides us to considering the distinction between. Those two words. Shalva? And so long.
And I'm going to inevitably focus here. Upon the import of the underlying group. Shalom, which I'm sure is a very familiar word for everyone. Salom Is a word that derives from the. root letters, shalem.
Complete. And that's really what shalom signifies. Utter completeness As a result, We, of course, know very well we use Sharon as a word of greeting, but truth is, on a deeper plane, We also see shalom. As the name of God. Because true peace is indeed a reflection of.
Vac. utmost completeness.
Now simultaneously When We Consider the implications of Salva. complex Subtle Dynamism on occasion as in the two verses that we just cited. Shall thy juxtapose but shall.
So again, I'm rendering it as tranquility. But It took my has the positive connotation of something that supports that state of serenity. Yet. I'll just note This is something that we could discuss at greater length. Everywhere.
Where So that appears Not. In the context of so on. There's something of an underlying pejorative kind of valuation. That is As a case in point. And this is indeed one of the first places that Shauva.
appears in the Bible In Ezekiel chapter sixteen. In verse 49. This is a reflection upon the iniquity of Sodom. And describes Sodom as. of the city that is sated with bread.
And tranquility and quiet. But of course Is not supporting. the hand of the poor and the destitute. And we know what the fate of Sodom was. As a result.
Tranquility When it is not a reflection of Shalom. Of the completeness of true peace. Signals Walter. imminent destruction. And we can cite additional context.
in which Shelva appears In this pejorative sense, there are Um A couple of instances in which we encounter Shalva. in daniel and likewise There is unequivocally a negative connotation to the shalva. Of which He speaks. Um We encounter likewise in Chronicles. In similarly, a pejorative sense where there is quiet and tranquility.
In a way, foretending imminent doom. The calm before the storm, right? Very checkered. Association with Shavai. My proposition is very simple.
When Shada is justified with Shalom. that it's part of that completeness. What it isn't It's fake, shalom. This is something that should teach us volumes. I I have A couple of Etymological conjectures with respect to the etymology of Chauvin.
And they're both conjectures. I can't really definitively support either one. But nonetheless, I I think there is some credence to both of these conjectures. One There Is A bird. It's generally translated into English as quail.
about which We read. In particular. In Numbers In um Chapter 11. When the people are seeking meat to eat. And God says, I will give them so much meat that it'll be coming out of their noses.
And The meat. That God provides to them as an object lesson. in gluttony Is The quill. The Hebrew word for quail. Slove It's spelt the same way as the three loot root letters of Shalva.
And what relevance is the With respect to the identity of Shalva, what it signifies. I'll just note. The manner in which these birds are described in numbers Chapter 11, verse 31. They swarm over the indeterminate. Flying this way.
And that. two qubits over the ground. The whole point of this is. You didn't even have to reach very far in order to grab as many as you'd like. They fly a little bit this way, a little bit that way.
Only, how much is two qubits? Three feet, four feet, most? off the ground. They don't really get anywhere. A bird That Signifies in this passage.
I'm not going to say if it necessarily applies to quail generally. Heading nowhere. I'm thinking you're somewhere. That's tranquility when it is divorced from shalom.
Now, of course, I'm sure there are those who will propose, and they may be credited to this proposal. that birds were already sick and dying. And it was the consumption of this diseased meat that led to the grievous plague that smote Israel as punishment for their blood. But I'm just focusing on the name right now. Birds that don't really go anywhere.
My alternative proposal for the etymology of Shabbat. On a ladder. A rung of a letter. is Sliva. That's spelled the exact same way.
But there certainly is a phonetic link. And My point in a similar vein is A Shliva is just a wrong. It's not the destination. But if someone confuses The rung. with the destination And just as Those That birds have got nowhere.
He's in big trouble. Salvad is worked from Salon. It's a fake piece. of the forge group. It is a sense of tranquility.
Oh, everything is calm and quiet. Without Recognizing that it is Precisely the lull. before the devastating storm. Shall we? all well and good when it is juxtaposed with shalom.
Because then it's The authentic calm that is associated with a state of completeness. But when one is in a state of calm and one should not be in a state of calm, That's bad news.
So of course I emphasize this because in Psalm 122, Shalva is juxtaposed with Shalva. That is, when you implore God for the talom of Jerusalem. Can you experience a calm and tranquillity that is positive? And it's precisely the next verse that speaks of there being shalom. in your walls.
And Sholvania Palo is a positive then. But it's important for us to always be wary of Shalba. Because Salva can appear in both positive and negative senses. Right, and I think that when you say that, that a lot of people, when they think they're praying for peace, because peace is an English word. that they are really thinking they're praying for tranquility.
But not as you said, shalom, if that is. Which I would love for you to explore a little bit for me. You said it's actually sort of a name of God. Right. Explore that force again.
Well sure, because again God represents. The absolute completeness. Right. So inevitably, we appreciate that In They Greatest vistas of what we can envision. as completeness.
The apex, which is of course completely beyond our grasp, beyond our comprehension. as the absolute completeness of God. A kind of, if you will, Embassy. Representation. of that absolute completeness.
In this world Is Salom. It can be nothing more than that within the scope of, within the bounds of this world. precisely because of limited this is the limitedness that adheres in this world. But The next thing when we encounter Tru Shalom. It serves for us as the means through which We can strive, it can work.
What's completeness. that ultimately is only the Lord. Of course, inevitably, I Can't Note. This Without Citing The one Proper noun. That is indeed based upon this root of shalom.
And that is The proper noun The name Salem. We may have discussed this previously. But whether we did or not, it certainly is. critical for us to note here. And who or what is named Palem?
Well, of course, inevitably. to answer that question We turn to Genesis chapter 14. Um We read, I'm sure this is a familiar passage. to everyone you read about King Malkid seventh. In verse 18.
Malki Tedek. is the king of Shalem.
So it's a proper noun, it's a place name. And just where Is Shalem not reading?
Well, we definitely need to do an exhaustive search of every place. Where Shalem appears as a place name in the Bible.
Now, I emphasize the place name because Shalem indeed appears not as a noun that has an adjective meaning complete. Same root as Salon. But it's also used as a proper noun. On exactly how many instances?
Well, we saw What is this? Chapter 14 and how many other instances are there in which Salem appeared. as a place name in all the Bible. Just one. It's an exhaustive survey, but it's not just a long survey.
And Where is that all the chief things? In which Shalim appears. It is In Psalm 76. Verse three. In the Hebrew?
Vahi dishalem. Suko. Gods Sukka. which we can render as tabernacle or booth. is in Shalech.
But where is it? Ah, well, the structure of the public. Makes this clear. Because the second half of the verse is a restatement of the first half of the verse. Um and its habitation.
Didn't saw it.
So, just as habitation and sukak, of course, correspond to one another.
So shall then And Zion. Correspond to one another. Shall I miss Julia Scott? I think it's a good one. Because after all Jerusalem is that place.
that signifies God's completeness on earth. I know we've noted this before, but I think it's germane for us to note it here as well. In all the Bible, God refers to a city as Quote, my city. Only once. And we were that one be and with respect to which City?
Of course, the answer is Isaiah. Chapter 45, which is addressed So God's Messiah. Cyrus. Messiah means the anointed one. And this entire chapter is addressed.
To Mishicho, God's anointed one, Cyrus. And it is in the context of this prophecy that is addressed to Cyrus, who isn't going to be born. for centuries yet, but nonetheless, that's obviously not a living thing back there. In verse 13. Who Yivner Iri?
He will build my city. Cyrus will build Jerusalem, which of course is destroyed by the Babylonians. in their conquest.
So, of course, the only city that God refers to as my city is Jerusalem. And that level of confidence is something that is inherent in Jerusalem. From the outset. Genesis chapter 14. It's not just some reference to Jerusalem.
It's the first explicit reference to Jerusalem in the Bible. Not by that name. The name Jerusalem appears for the first time only in John. But The first place that Here is clear reference to Jerusalem as we can discern from Psalm 76. is Genesis chapter 14 verse 18.
So, again, that's completeness. And of course, makes the message all the more inevitable. The imperative In Psalm 122, verse 6. Implore, seek out. The Shalom.
of Jerusalem. Because that's the identity of Jerusalem.
So And I'm sure you're very familiar with this passage, and of course, every Christian is quoting it 40 times a day at this time of year. is in Isaiah 9. Uh Again, talking about the child that's born, right? He's referred to as A prince or tsar of Shalom? Um Isaiah 9:6.
Yeah. Well, that's why I'm interested in your take on that verse. And I would have to argue that. The Simple import. Um The verse is, if anything, one that tends to see.
Sar Shalom Not A reference to the child. The child, in context, the child is a child of Isaiah and his wife. But rather The name that is being bestowed upon that child By El Gibor Abi Ad Sau Shalom, which are apparitions of God.
So I don't. Necessarily, of course, see this as a description of the child. It could be read. It's okay. I'm not, I'm just, what I'm trying to get at is.
where it says the Prince of Peace and here we have Shalom as describing a person Or a prince. Which And I was interested in who that might be from your perspective. If it's not the child, who is it? Look, o we I mean, again, so as I reiterate that it could be referring to the child and it could be referring to God who named the child. If anything, Uh the latter would also Cohere With Someone else Whom God names.
Even though That name Is not the one that derives from the same three-letter root of shalem. I'm referring to King Solomon. Of course. The name Solomon never appears in the Bible. It never hears the Bible because the Bible wasn't written in English.
but is transliterated somehow some Reason into English as Solomon. is Shilomo. And of course, we appreciate that Shilomo. has the precisely the same root letters. of Sheen Rahmedman Shalem.
Shalom.
So the the the um the idea A person Being accorded a name that signifies this dimension of. Shalom Is something that certainly has precedent, in particular within the context of the Zavidic dynasty, of what. I'll inevitably know in this regard. Is The uh The context. in which That name first appears Yeah.
The second book of Samuel. In chapter 12. In Versus Describing after the death of the First child. Of That's Reba. with King David.
Um that She bore a son. And cold. His name Shalomo. And God loves him. And God sent through the hand of Nathan the prophet.
and called his name Yedid ya. Yeah. Um Straightforward, very literal Hebrew means. The beloved of the Lord. On behalf of God.
So, this interplay of God pulling the name, and even though the name of Chilomo. Is explicitly attributed to Bathsheba, but still, that diamism. is one that we certainly see with respect to King Solomon. And uh of course Perhaps I should note, and I think this is. Not at all incidental.
That um King Solomon is likewise prescribed as it were.
So to speak. Being seeded. upon the throne of God. Um in the first book of Chronicles. in chapter twenty-nine.
First Twenty-three the accession Oh. Shalomo, Solomon. is that um Slow multi. Again.
Solomon is seated Upon Kise Hashem the throne. of God As king. In the stead of David his father. It is perhaps Noteworthy, even though there are other ways of expressing this idea of the throne of God, but the expression literally, the throne of the Lord. Appears On exactly two occasions.
In all the Bible. Again, in the first book of Chronicles chapter 29, verse 23, with respect to Shlomoch, Solomon sitting upon the throne. And also in Jeremiah chapter three. Verse prophecy of consolation. At that time.
Jerusalem will be called the throne of God. And All the nations will be gathered There. Through the name of the Lord to Jerusalem.
So of course it's also part of the same theme. Um But um Identity of Jerusalem. Shalim, completeness. The City of Peace. Breath.
As you said, with tranquility that comes as... God is on his throne. Right, that is again, tranquility when it's associated with Jerusalem is juxtaposed with shalom.
So I would say the calm that is an authentic resonance with True shalom, true peace. as opposed to the frozen variety. They can't before this point. you know obviously We're kind of Running to the end of this. this particular episode and you know that is the whole Um Thing that certainly I feel like God's teaching me through this.
Is this opportunity that we all have. To not just pray for tranquility, obviously, as the rabbi has done so beautifully to explain. It's actually. The completeness of what God has planned. Because we're not there in case we're so far from there, it's mind-blowing.
Um How far from the completeness that that we that we reside. And so I look forward to. Many more of these discussions. And I and I think it's it's really critical to Give That last statement of yours a triple underline. That is There's so much talk being bandied about with respect to peace.
The vision which we earnestly pray should be actualized, and indeed, this is in all of our prayers. The new Middle East, the new world, the new world of fees. But we always have to be wary. That masquerading as peace can be This shalva that is divorced from peace. that is merely The fourth column.
That covers up.
Something in cities. And I think we've discussed this in the past, and it's something that I feel so Impelled The cheerful The Utmost vision of universal peace and brotherhood. Isaiah Chapter 2, verse 4. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spirits and their burning oaks. Nation shall not lift up the sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.
Inscribed in, I have, I haven't a clue how many languages, but many languages. On the Isaiah Wall next to the United Nations building in New York. What a fraud. They didn't just fail. They felt spectacularly.
And I will never tire of repeating this message. You know why they failed? They failed because they began in verse 4 and not in verse 3. Verse 3 Tells us And many people shall go up and say, come let us go up to the heaven of the Lord. The house the god of Jacob And he will teach us of his ways and we will walk in his paths, for that Zion goes forth teaching.
Torah. and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem, And he shall judge among the nations and reprove many peoples, and then. Only then. They will beat their swords into flashes and the spears and pony oaks. Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, and neither shall they earn more anymore.
The crucial prerequisite.
Okay.
It's wonderful to speak about the being swords into plowsheds and spirits of the twin hooks. How are you going to get there? As long as I want to get over here. You want to get over here. Either I have to knock you out of my way, you have to knock me out of your way, and there'll never be peace.
There'll be at most a ceasefire, even that will be deleted. Truth salon. becomes Only possible. and indeed not just possible but even inevitable. Only When we all realise there's just one goal.
Coming to God. We can have different missions. In order to advance that goal. Establishing God's kingdom on earth. But it's only once we recognize that we're all part of that same goal orientation of establishing God's kingdom on earth.
Then again. Shalom becomes not only possible but inevitable because I want you to advance in your mission, if you want me to advance in my mission, since both those missions are subordinated to the utmost goal of coming to God. I have filled the nations of the world. are prepared to acknowledge that. To acknowledge that you only get to Isaiah chapter 2, verse 4 through Isaiah chapter 2, verse 3.
There will not be shalom. And unfortunately, we see this. demonstrated over and over and over again with all uh the counterfeit peace initiatives So Endless varieties. They all end up coming to naught. Because it is a pseudo-shalom, it's really shalva.
And it certainly is not. God's holy name is shallow. And there therein lies the actual The last thing. which I know we're out of time, but I'm compelled to say it. And I've been compelled to think it ever since I've been.
that it almost appears to me And I'll just say it. that Israel's relationship with the United States is more likely a stumbling block to Israel. You're relying on God rather than the United States chariots and horses. I almost have this sense that we're manipulating all sorts of things to create this tranquility you're talking about. When actually What you described in verse 3 is what we all should be on the same goal to do.
And unfortunately, we are exactly tied up in this idea of. Creating tranquility without actually chasing after God, and that's impossible.
So if I can offer a provisional Alternative. Good. Do you think I'm all wet to begin with? No, unfortunately, I don't. I don't think you're all wet at all.
I wish I could say that, but I completely agree with you. The positive spins I'm going to. Submit is If the relationship a relationship of Real politic and machinations. Ultimately. In God's time, he was doomed.
And indeed it will be a stumbling block. And the consequences for everyone on both sides. God forbid. I'm not going to finish off that sentence. We'll just end with an ellipsis.
However, however, and this is a critical however. If we come together. As I may humbly submit. We're coming together. Through the word of God.
Through recognizing that God has a mission. For Israel and nations. And ultimately, it is precisely When as we read in Isaiah chapter 2 verse 2 The mountain of the Lord's house will be set of the hair of mountains and uplifted above hills, and all the nations will stream to it. And all the visions realization. of what that mountain signifies.
What a house is supposed to signify. If everyone comes to that realization Then This isn't really a partnership. in order to attain some worldly goal. This is A true partnership. In establishing God's kingdom on earth.
That's precisely what God's summons to us is. You know, and there are a lot of people who will say that Jews and Christians come together because we face. Existential threats and crises together, and that's undoubtedly true, but. I'd like to put a little bit of a different spin on that. Maybe God is giving us the existential threats and crises, so we'll stand together for his glory.
And if we stand together for his glory. That's a game changer.
So Yeah, and I could not, I mean, what you said was so absolutely beautiful and so absolutely true. But as God showed me through much prayer about my incident with the boy and the Muslims. was the Muslims Needed to know God. Horribly. They needed to know what the truth was.
They needed to be taking their point in their trying to make this the kingdom of God, which clearly was anything but that in that incident. That how cool will it be? Because inevitably we know God wins. But how cool will it be when they actually realize that this is oh? We can all we all really can.
Chase after God. together because we all really have the same mission. We all have the same position you know So I'll I completely, completely agree. And of course, it is my prayer that. Yeah, maybe if we can get Well God-fearing, Bible-believing Jews and Christians to stand together and broadcast this message to the world, then the Muslims will also come to stand with us, either because we'll be inspired, or maybe if necessary, they'll be shamed into standing with us.
But wow. What a message that will broadcast to the world. Yeah, absolutely, absolutely. Because I saw.
So many, I mean, the way Jewish people, when I was in Israel, they treat life, and not just their life. But the way they treated They're enemy. Um the The way they took care of them in the hospitals, the way that they tried to make sure to be as kind as they could be to the people. and continue to be. But at the same time, their own lives, they were so precious to them.
And it's absolutely a beautiful thing that we all really, really, really need to take a firm understanding. to see that You know, God loves my enemy as much as he loves me. I just want to Lord, give me wisdom to know how to share you with them so that they can understand it and they can see it so they cannot. That they're not under the bondage of the hate that what I saw. and and the bondage of the of the violence That just leads to so much destruction.
It's an amazing thing.
So I. I love your passion. I love your understanding of the word of God. That helps me so much. And believe me when I tell you what you shared.
Today, I don't know about other preachers that hear this, but man, if they don't take it to heart, they're missing out on a real, real treasure map that you shared with us today, Rabbi. Thank you so much. God bless you. God bless you for the opportunity to share it together with you and to stand together with you in broadcasting this message. Because This is the message the whole world.
Means not just a here. To be. To do that boat. Uh I know the prayer that We will share and and that we pray more and more will come to share with us. to broadcast this message.
to establish God's kingdom on earth. for all the dogs. speedily together. in our days.
Okay.
Amen.
Okay.
We are so honored that you would join us today on Voices from Zion, Robbie, and the Rabbi. For more information about Rabbi Haim, Go to his website, zionbible studies.org. That's zionbible studies.org. Or visit me, Robbie Domore. At the Christian Cargai website.
That's ChristianCargai.com. Once again, Shalom from Jerusalem, the Holy City, God's City.
