“True religion is real living; living with all one's soul, with all one's goodness and righteousness.” ~ Albert Einstein
“The values a man must cherish as his life-breath are, Truth, Righteousness, Peace, Love and Non violence.” ~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba
DOES PURSUIT OF THE THINGS THAT WE SO DESIRE RESULT IN LASTING HAPPINESS?"In my opinion it is a big ‘NO’ if there is no love and righteousness in our heart. Be warned therefore to rear children in love and righteousness and in which the spiritual and physical needs of the children can be met.
To understand better, let us start by looking at the Etymology of the Hebrew word Torah, so that we may better understand its true definition. The word Torah comes from the Hebrew root word "Yarah", a verb which means "to flow or throw something". This can be a flowing of an arrow from an archers bow, or the flowing of a finger to point out a direction. Nouns are derived from the verb by making one or two changes to the verb root. In this case the Y (yud) is replaced by an O (vav) and an M (mem) is added at the front of the word to form the noun "Moreh". A Moreh is "one who does the flowing". This can be an archer who flows an arrow, or a teacher who flows his finger to point out way the student is to go in the walk of life. Another noun is formed the same way except that a T (tav) is placed at the front of the word instead of an M and we have the word "Torah". Torah is "what is flowed by the Moreh". This can be the arrow from the archer or the teachings and instructions from the teacher.
A Hebraic definition of Torah is "a set of Instructions, from a father to his children, violation of these instructions are disciplined in order to foster obedience and train his children". Notice how the word "Torah" is translated in the New International Version translation in the following passages:
"Listen, my son, to your father's instruction and do not forsake your mother's teaching [Torah]." (Proverbs 1:8)
"My son, does not forget my teaching [Torah], but keep my commands in your heart". (Proverbs 3:1)
The purpose of a parent's Torah is to teach and bring the children to maturity. If the Torah is violated out of disrespect or defiant disobedience, the child is punished. If the child desires to follow the instructions out of a loving obedience but falls short of the expectations, the child is commended for the effort and counseled on how to perform the instructions better the next time. Unlike Torah, law is a set of rules from a government and binding on a community. Violation of the rules, require punishment. With this type of law, there is no room for teaching, either the law was broken with the penalty of punishment or it was not broken. God, as our heavenly Father, gives his children his Torah in the same manner.
Here are just a few of these passages. Verses 17 and 18 from Matthew 5 confirms: "Do not think that I (Yeshua or Jesus) have come to abolish the Torah or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill [live according to] them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Torah until everything is accomplished”.
The Torah is a way of life. From birth to death, God's Torah teaches his people how to live a holy life. The Torah covers such areas as; community, medicine, diet, health, clothing, housing, safety, morality, ceremonies, holy days, worship, relationships between family and neighbors and the list is practically endless. The Torah is not a book to be left on the shelf but a living word to guide, lead and direct the lives of God's people each day as mentioned in Romans 15:4: “For everything that was written in the past [The Torah and the Prophets] was written to teach us” and which was confirmed in an earlier chapter, Romans 3:31:“Do we, then, nullify [destroy, abolish] the Torah by this faith? Not at all; rather, we uphold [stand on, or establish] the Torah”.
One must also understand that Love and Torah are inseparable. If one keeps and obeys the Torah, he is showing his love to God. If one loves God he will keep and obey His Torah. We can see this concept in many passages if we understand Hebrew parallelism. Hebrew parallelism is a form of Hebrew poetry which is saying the same thing in two or more different ways. As an example let us look at Deuteronomy 11:1:
"Love the LORD your God and keep his requirements, decrees, laws and commands always."
When we read this as a Westerner of the 20th century we see two completely different statements. The first is "Love the LORD your God" and the second is "keep his requirements, decrees, laws and commands always." These are not two different ideas, but rather the same thing. But in our 20th century western culture we usually view "love" as an emotion. Love is not an emotion but rather an action. If I say that I "love" someone but never impart action into that relationship, there is no love. In the passages above we see action words like "keep, obey, walk, hold fast, and serve" being equated to the word "love".
We know that we have come to know and love God if we obey his commands. The man who says, "I love God," but does not do what He commands is a liar, and the truth is definitely not in him. But if anyone obeys His commandments, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in God: Whoever claims to live in God must walk and live righteously as Yeshua/Jesus did. (1 John 2:3-6)
The last line in this passage said we "must walk as Yeshua did". Do we really know how Yeshua/Jesus walked? Yeshua was a Jew who lived a strict life according to Torah, he walked that straight line perfectly and righteously and taught others to do the same. Those who claim to follow the steps of the Meshiyack (Messiah) but don't walk according to the Torah are a liar as the last passage states.
Righteousness comes from obedience to the Torah. The word righteous is a translation of the Hebrew verb "tsadaq" which means "to walk a straight line". From this root comes the noun "tsadiyq" which means "a straight line". This can literally mean a straight line, or figuratively "what is right" which is where we get the words "right" and "righteous". As discussed earlier, Torah is "a way of life" or "a way to walking". The Torah is a straight line and teaches God's children how to walk a straight line. Therefore, Torah is the "straight line" by which his children are to walk.
There are many things that we consider pursuing so that we get the most out of life that we can. We pursue things such as riches and fame, academic achievement, success in business and many others. Are these the right things to pursue after? Depending on what we decide to pursue, the end result doesn't always turn out the way that we planned it to be and we become unhappy. Pursuing anything Righteously with Love begets happiness. To be righteous means to have a moral character, genuine and honest, virtuous and fair. Taking this into perspective, we cannot accomplish righteousness on our own but we can if we are governed by the spirit of the Divine. The divine intervenes for our benefit only when we obey the Torah or the commandments that is laid for us. Pursuing love means to show kindness and compassion toward others, even if it is not returned. Love goes beyond our understanding, putting others before ourselves. In order to pursue righteousness and love we need to have both the right attitude and the right perspective.
When we choose to pursue the things in Divine order, we cultivate the right relationships and and the right things finding lasting benefits resulting in happiness. It gives us opportunity to build our character and humble our spirit. Peace, love, joy, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control shall exalt in our lives when we heed and obey the covenant as Jesus did while he walked this earth. When we choose to pursue the things in all its righteousness, we cultivate the right method and relationships in everything that we desire and find lasting benefits. We don't just become content with where we are but instead strive for more and want the things that abundant righteousness has for us.
Doesn’t this seem to be the right way to live a meaningful life devoid of any catastrophe for all mankind? Of course it is, for this the only way to live our life in harmony with the divine wisdom to attain lasting happiness in its fullest glory."
Sending love, lights, peace and warm hugs to you, my dear friends!
Anthony Sunny Kunneth.
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