No Frankincense ~ No Purity!
SHeMeN in the Torah – Naso (Numbers 5:11 – 31)
Watch the video here: http://www.livingstonestabernacle.org/video-naso-no-frankincense-no-purity-06-18-16/
Studying aromatherapy from a Biblical Torah perspective has given me a broader knowledge base in regards to SHeMeN (essential oils), particularly as they relate to a person’s spiritual and emotional condition. This is in contrast to using SHeMeN strictly for physical medicinal reasons for the body. Our soul and spirit need healing also, especially in a world that is rapidly decaying causing devastation to such.
This knowledge base is being used by the Ruach (Holy Spirit) to give me more insight to Scripture and to custom blend essential oils to minister to one’s body, soul and spirit. As part of my certification course, I’ve had the blessing and opportunity to study essential oils mentioned in the Torah in regards to their symbology – that is –what they represent. In fact, this has led to me formulate our new Torah blends Secret – Sod (sode) and Vital to Worship.
I hope to begin writing down the insights to SHeMeN in Scripture and put them in a book. However, for now, I’ll try to share some excerpts in our Remnant Ramblings Newsletter and blog @ Living Stones Tabernacle website.
While reading the Torah portion of Naso, I noted a few things I hadn’t before in regards to the bitter waters test for the wayward woman who had invoked jealousy in her husband. This caused me to search for more understanding and insight. I’ve always thought this portion of Scripture resembled a witch’s brew or voodoo curse! You may laugh; but, seriously, have you ever really read through this and considered how this supernatural and magical like concoction could indicate if a woman was lying or not? How could it determine her guilt and, if she was innocent, how did it cause her to conceive? Seriously, inquiring minds want to know – right?!!
Now, we know that Elohim forbids witchcraft and pharmacia; so, it must be that we just don’t understand the context and perhaps we don’t have all the details. After all, this would’ve had to necessitate knowing the trade secrets of being a cohen (priest) which the average person did not know.
Keep in mind, the cohenim were the mediators between the people and Elohim. This mediation included the healing arts for the mind, body and soul for the people of Israel. Interestingly, Native American Indian shamans have the same job of being a mediator and healer (medicine man) for their people. Note, the cohenim also used spices, herbs and essential oils (SHeMeN) for worship and healing.
According to Scripture (Genesis 11:1), the original language was the same for all the earth until the confusion at the Tower of Babel (Gen. 11:7). If that original language was Ancient Hebrew then the word SHaMaN may have been derived from SHeMeN and the only difference is the pronunciation of the vowel sounds of “a-ah” instead of “e-eh.” Further note that the purpose of the cohen was to mediate and heal which is the same for the shaman and their respective people and god(s). Furthermore, there is research which indicates that many of the Native American Indian Tribes may have been descendants from the Lost Tribes of Israel, particularly, the Cherokees who are known to have only one god. Thus, they may have the same cultural and linguistic roots as Israel. Both the cohen and the shamans used the pressed fluid of the seed or life of plants to heal which can be the Ancient Hebrew Pictograph definition of SHeMeN (shin, mem, nun), i.e. essential oils.
Now let’s get back to the sotah or wayward wife. The passage that was of particular interest to me, in regards to SHeMeN was Numbers 5:15:
Then shall the man bring his wife unto the priest (cohen), and he shall bring her offering for her, the tenth part of an ephah of barley meal; he shall pour no oil (shemen) upon it, nor put frankincense (lebonah) thereon; for it is an offering of jealousy, an offering of memorial (zikrone-record), bringing iniquity (avon) to remembrance (zachar).
Having learned the symbology of frankincense is purity, I thought it quite interesting that the woman who was suspected of being impure, defiled and/or unfaithful could not have the normally required frankincense put on her offering. The purity symbol of frankincense was also not allowed on the sin offering mentioned in Leviticus 5:11.
The Hebrew word for frankincense is lebonah which can mean white which represents purity. White consists of all seven colors of the rainbow and their frequencies coming together in perfect unity appearing as one or echad (Hebrew). A man and a wife come together as one/echad (Ephesians 5:31). White is the color of the linen wedding garment which represents purity and oneness, unity – being ECHAD.
We are to be echad or one as YeHuSHuWaH was echad with the Father Elohim (John 10:30, 17:21, Romans 15:6). When He returns and restores His Kingdom it will be called ECHAD! He even promises that we will speak a restored pure language causing us to be echad, in unity. This will be a reversal of the curse that caused disunity at the time of the Tower of Babel wherein unity was broken up by the giving of many different languages (Zep. 3:9)! I believe that even today, one of the main causes for disunity within the Body and amongst our family and friends, is the differences in our understanding of words and their definitions – that is – an impure language.
Additionally, the SHeMeN or oil (olive oil) which represents light and the Torah was not allowed to be put on the offering as was normally done. It seems, the reason is because it was an offering for sin or iniquity for someone who had committed an offense and who was not willingly, of their own accord, approaching Elohim for mercy or forgiveness. Rather, they were being brought before Elohim for Him to discern and to judge.
Thus, in this case, the symbols of purity and the light of the Torah were not allowed to be put on the offering when it was offered up due to impurity and when there was a need for determination and clarity of the impurity. Scripture tells us Elohim delights in the aroma of the spices in the ketoret (incense) which He formulated and of which contained Frankincense resin. However, it seems He does NOT want to smell its aroma when He is discerning and making a judgement. This particular meal offering was to be a memento or record (zikrone) and remembrance (zachar) of sin – not a pleasing aroma to Him!
This becomes even more interesting when we consider Scripture indicates, and the Jewish Sages believe, that when the Messiah returns He will judge us by our smell – the aroma we give off based on our works and obedience. Our obedience and works go up as a wave offering as a pleasing aroma to Elohim. Furthermore, we will KNOW the Messiah by His aroma! Our aroma will be brought together into one big beautiful bouquet with the Messiah’s to smell like the original Garden of Eden. Restoration with an aroma – ahhhh – I can’t wait to smell it! How about you? Are you wanting to be a pleasing aroma to the Father?
(Look for the 3 part series on Remnant Radio – SHeMeN in the Tabernacle, What Aroma are You Offering? scheduled to air on www.MessianicLAMBRadio.com and www.HebrewNationOnline.com soon!)
One of the definitions of zachar (usually translated as remember or remembrance) is “He will do!” We see that when the memento of impurity for the wayward wife is brought to Elohim, the people are waiting on Him to judge – that is – they are waiting to see what HE WILL DO?!
The jealous provoked husband and the people wait for the cohen to perform the proper protocol so Elohim may bring forth the judgement of innocence or guilt along with the consequences of the verdict. If guilty, she will be cursed and her body will rot and, if she is innocent, she will conceive and be fruitful.
As with the flood of Noah’s time, water was used to bring judgement and death to the unrighteous or it was the means for escape and life for the righteous. Noah had a relationship with Elohim in which he heard and obeyed His voice – He did the first and greatest commandment – SHEMA. Thus, Noah, being righteous, obeyed and built an ark so when the bitter waters came, they were a blessing of escape from judgement and a way to bring forth new life.
If the woman was guilty, the bitter waters would overcome her with death. If she had listened and obeyed her husband and hadn’t gone off into seclusion with another man, she would’ve not had to endure the bitter waters test. However, if she hadn’t actually committed adultery, then the water would not harm her and would, in fact, cause her to bring forth new life through a protective amniotic sac of life giving waters.
We see this same pattern again for the woman, Israel, when she made the Exodus from Egypt. There, before her, were overwhelming waters which Elohim judged to part for her so that she might have life and, yet, He used the same waters to destroy Pharaoh and his army.
Like the sota (wayward) wife, Israel was given a waters test. The verdict was that she would pass the water test and, indeed, she actually passed through the water to life. She escaped death and/or captivity. Truly and His-torically, it’s been demonstrated that Elohim knows how to deliver the righteous out of temptations and reserves the unjust for the day of judgement to be punished (2 Peter 2:9).
Prophetically, the future seems to hold, yet another water test for the woman, the Bride. Revelations 12 declares that she will flee to the wilderness to be nourished and protected from the serpent who will spew out of his mouth a flood in order to consume her. However, the earth swallows up the water with perhaps an earthquake chasm opening? This deliverance serves to only enrage the serpent even more so that he goes after the remnant of her seed. Nevertheless, she is delivered from the bitter waters test in this scenario.
Compare the water tests and the Naso Torah Portion with 1 Thessalonians 5:21 – 23 which tells us to hold onto what is good and to abstain from all appearances of evil. In fact, if we abstain from evil and the appearance of evil He will set us apart and preserve us as blameless without guilt of being a wayward Bride. He will zachar – He will remember and He will do it!
According to Jewish Sages, not abstaining from the appearance of evil (the opportunity to commit adultery in this case) was the wife’s first offense and the match which ignited the fire of her husband’s jealousy. Personally, I think her first offense was her turning away (sotah) that put her in the mindset to be unwise to find herself committing the appearance of evil.
Sadly, in our society today, we have lost so much of the understanding of godly Biblical discretion and modesty that we don’t even realize our appearances of evil. In fact, when reading this passage from an American Greco-Roman mindset, we may think it harsh to have a woman endure such a test just because her husband is jealous. Why doesn’t a husband have to endure a test if the wife is jealous? Can a man get jealous for any reason and have his wife sorely mistreated just to satisfy his emotions? Have we lost the concept of a holy righteous jealousy for our spouses, our families and our G-d?
My guess was that we truly do not understand the Ancient Hebrew culture and what all was entailed. So, I looked up a few sources and found information which may shed some light on the subject of purity vs. impurity, especially, in regards to the wayward wife. The information is enlightening and I believe we should apply it also to today’s betrothed Bride of the Coming Bridegroom. What have we done or what do we do that may be indiscreet and give the appearance of evil – that is — adultery? Have our actions of flirting with other gods and the world or spending too much time with them caused Elohim to be jealous? Will we, as a people – the Bride – have to endure the test of the bitter waters? It certainly seems so according to Revelations 12!
The wife in Numbers 5:29 had become “sotah” meaning she had “turned aside.” Sotah means she had turned away or deviated from her duties to her husband. I believe this indicated that she had removed herself from having emotional and/or physical intimacy with her husband. Whatever the case, she was not tending to the duties of a wife for her husband. By not being intimate and going aside or turning away from one’s husband could certainly and easily invoke jealousy. He would want her and long for her and the intimacy. Being a good and patient man, he would wait and perhaps consider that she needed some time alone for some good reason – UNTIL she went off with another man in a close secluded way which was to be reserved only for him. THEN, his jealousy and all warning flags would be raised!
Is this not how our intimate relationship is with Elohim? Sometimes, we go sotah or turn aside from being intimate with Him. In fact, we spend too much time away from His PRESENCE and long enough to be vulnerable and perhaps commit emotional, spiritual or physical adultery. He waits patiently for us even when we spend too much time alone with other gods or things. Our time and attention to these gods or things takes away from our time of intimacy with Him. In fact, they take us away – out of His loving arms. They take us away from being face to face with Him which is when we have His undivided focused care and attention. Our time away from Him takes us out from under His immediate strong arms and protection. Our mind, soul and body becomes weakened and then we become easy prey to fall into spiritual and physical adultery.
If we really considered this, wouldn’t it be foolish for us to NOT take the time to be intimate with Him daily? Wouldn’t we want to be right before Him, face to face, in an intimate way under His strong protective loving arms? And after our intimate time together, when we go about our daily chores and ministering to others on His behalf, the afterglow of that intimate time together would be ever before His remembrance. It would invoke Him to be even more caring and concerned about us; thus, His attention and thoughts towards us would be to fulfill our needs and desire.
Truly, our relationship with Elohim is much like the one between a man and wife, son and father, mother and daughter, sister to sister, brother to brother, etc. If we are intimate with those we love, we will stay connected and that connectedness will keep us when we are apart and when we walk through the valleys of life. We know someone loves and cares for us and we long to love and care for them – so we persevere until we can meet again for that time of intimacy.
If we didn’t turn aside and committed to the times of intimacy with Elohim, we would be walking in joy and a more positive attitude when we dealt with the issues of the day. There would be a lingering afterglow from our intimate time with Him and the excitement of knowing we could soon reunite. This afterglow of intimacy with our Husband would be the driving force that keeps us under His wings of provision, protection and brings us vibrant life and health.
Our Husband and Creator knows this and I believe this is why Elohim Himself, tells us that He is a jealous God and that we are to have no other gods (or husbands) before us (Exodus 20:2 – 6).
Below are some points to consider and/or reiterate which the Sages indicate about the procedure to test the sotah/wayward wife with bitter waters in Chapter 5 in the Book of Numbers:
1. This procedure was not just for when an immature husband had become jealous. The wife had actually behaved unseemly with another man and had allowed herself to be in seclusion with him. She was “sotah” and had “turned aside” and/or deviated from her duties to her husband. Perhaps those duties included having relations with him? Therefore, she had given her husband good reason to be jealous. In fact, there had been an impropriety and her husband had warned her not to be alone with the man indicated. Her intentions may have been naive and innocent. However, her husband may have discerned the other man had coveting intentions towards his wife; thus, his warning. It would’ve been wise to warn her in order to protect their marriage and her virtue. It would only be common sense and wise for her to heed her husband’s warning and honor his command. After all, he loved her and, more importantly, he was in covenant with her and his purposed duty was to protect and do what was best for her welfare.
This is no different from the commandments Elohim has given to us – His Bride in our love letter called the Torah. The purpose of the instructions in Torah is to protect His Bride and give her life more abundantly – to BLESS her!
In fact, in ReNEWed Testament terms, we are told to turn back or “repent” vs. turning aside or away (sotah). If we repent and return to His instructions and call upon His name, which entails His power, character and authority and if we will behave as though we were His, THEN because He is our Bridegroom — He will respond and come quickly! He will take us back out from under the other man’s overpowering authority who is the enemy of our soul. He will fight our enemies with His sword – that is – the Word or DaBaR of His mouth. His DaBaR can be frequencies and vibrations spoken to create and sustain life or be spoken as DeBeR to bring judgment and destruction. (Genesis 1:2, Mathew 21:9, Luke 13:35, and Revelations 2:16).
2. She had been with the man in such a way and long enough to have had the opportunity to commit adultery. There had been two or more witnesses to the meeting of opportunity but not of actual adultery (Deut. 17:6, 19:15). Therefore, someone could not have, just out of spite, brought an accusation against a woman and humiliate her with the bitter waters test had she not committed the offense of the appearance of evil and the opportunity of adultery.
3. She had not been kidnapped nor coerced into being alone with the man and she did not cry out for help. Had any of this occurred and she had been overpowered, she would have been considered innocent (Deut. 22:23 – 26).
Because of famine, Israel had ended up in Egypt which eventually led to her captivity wherein she came under the submission of another man, husband or owner (ba’al). In this case the other man was Pharaoh (Exodus). The widow who had a son whom Elisha healed had to go into the land of the Philistines for seven years due to famine (2 Kings 8:1). In both cases, the women (Israel and the widow) cried out and wanted to be back in their own house and homeland. Elohim heard their cry. Might we find ourselves in this same predicament currently and, even more so, in the future? Will we become sotah or turn aside and engage willingly with the other “men” of this world OR will we repent and CRY OUT for Elohim YHWH to deliver us, protect our honor and bring us back home to have intimate relations with Him!?!
It’s interesting to note that the Hebrew word for husband in Genesis 3:16 is ish (H376) which contains an alef, yod and shin. In the pictograph language, the alef is a strong ruling ox and almost always infers and is connected to the Divine Elohim. The yod is a hand “giving” and the shin is like teeth which “press together.” Thus, in this usage, Adam is the ish or husband of Eve and it could literally be translated as the two became one because they were DIVINELY GIVEN to each other and PRESSED TOGETHER to become and act as ONE/ECHAD/in unity.
Eve was the wife or ishah (H802) written with an alef, yod, shin and hey. “Hey” denotes behold, life, and/or breath. When added to the end of a Hebrew word, the “hey” may also make a Hebrew word feminine. Thus, “ish” is masculine and “ishah” is feminine meaning husband and wife respectively. Eve, as ishah, was DIVINELY GIVEN and PRESSED TOGETHER with her ish to BEHOLD and GIVE LIFE and BREATH – that is to give birth and multiply life.
We know pressing two things together can cause friction and even a fire. Both ish and ishah contain the word aysh (alef and shin) which can be defined as “fire.” Thus, we can see how a man and a woman can have a fire, passion, heat or desire for one another. In Elohim’s Kingdom, there is a DIVINELY appointed and approved fire of passion between a man and a woman who are in covenant with each other. The ketubah or covenant is purposed to bless both partners for their betterment. It’s based on love, giving and life itself. Thus, divinely appointed passion or fire does not consume nor destroy the couple. Rather it further ignites life spiritually, emotionally and physically for both parties and results in health, blessings and new life. Their covenantal union of passion or fire refines and blesses their community as well.
Conversely, a fire that is ignited between a man and a woman that is NOT DIVINELY appointed and given within a covenant is lust. The fire of lust consumes and destroys each partner spiritually, emotionally and physically. This is often manifested as depression, rejection, sexually transmitted diseases, and unwanted children. The child of such an unholy and unapproved pressing together is, often times, orphaned by a father who did not want anything but what he could take from their mother. A non-covenantal union results in curses including possible abuse, suicide, and abortion. Instead of their fire being a refining fire, the union of their fire of lust consumes and destroys their spirits, minds and bodies causing death and a burden to their community.
4. Because there were witnesses of only the appearance of evil with seclusion and opportunity and not actual adultery, the wayward wife needed a miraculous process to prove her innocence or guilt. She had committed an offense by appearing evil and secluding herself with another man which had rightfully caused jealousy in her husband and put the marriage into a breach of trust. If she was found guilty, she would die and if she was found innocent she would be restored to her husband and conceive a child. Some references indicate that she would even give birth without pain for her humiliation but innocent verdict.
5. Because the process of drinking the bitter waters would cause her to die if she was guilty, her fear of imminent death would usually cause her to confess. Her confession would result in the husband being able to rightfully divorce her and she would lose her Ketuvah rights (marriage contract). However, her life would be spared because there was no judicially acceptable evidence of her guilt because two or three witnesses were required for such (Deuteronomy 19:15).
6. If she did not confess and was determined to be guilty, she would die a painful death wherein her body would swell, her face would become ashen and her limbs would weaken. Additionally, her male adulterer would be sentenced to death.
7. It’s noted by the Sages that this was the only halachic procedure (way of walking out the commandments) from the Torah that depended on supernatural intervention!
Hmm, I’m thinking the water test of the parting of the Sea of Suf (Red Sea) during the time of the Exodus was a supernatural intervention! The spoken Word to instruct and warn Noah to be ready for the flood waters and the swallowing up of the flood that the serpent will spew out as the woman flees to the wilderness, also, are both dependent on supernatural intervention!! Furthermore, I think that every time a baby breaks the waters of the amniotic sac and is born through the narrow channel of a travailing mother, it depends on a supernatural intervention – it’s a MIRACLE!
In fact, the miracle of creation (Gen.1:2) and every miracle is BECAUSE of the vibrational frequencies of Elohim’s breath and His spoken or written Word – DaBaR!
The Schottenstein Interlinear Chumash of the Torah states: “. . . it was a miracle that occurred on a regular basis as long as the Jewish people (Israel) were preponderantly G-d fearing and deserving of God’s Presence in their midst . . . . it lost its effect and was discontinued by the Sanhedrin during the Second Temple era, when the nation was no longer worthy.
Again, we see that Elohim judges and delivers His people when they are righteous!
8. There were two main reasons for the test of bitter waters: 1) If the woman was guilty, it offered the verdict for her sin resulting in death which definitely was an example and deterrent for others to not commit adultery. At the same time, it released the husband from an unfaithful wife. 2) If the wife was innocent, it relieved the stress and heartache of the husband and helped to bring trust and restoration back to the marriage.
9. Personally, I loved the following point made by the Sages: The bitter waters ordeal was ONLY effective if the husband was faithful and upright. If he was guilty of sin, especially adultery, the waters would not affect his wife! Isn’t this just like our Bridegroom? He only expects holiness because He is holy (Lev. 11:44 – 45, 19:2, 20:26, 21:8, I Peter 1:16)!
10. I will conclude with an explanation given by A Year Through the Torah: A Week-by-Week Journey for Christians, John J. Parsons, page 199.
“ . . . A cohen would then take the offering and put it in the woman’s hand and the woman was required to make an oath of her innocence before the L-rd. After this, the cohen would prepare “bitter water” that the woman would be required to drink. The priest would take an earthen drinking vessel and fill it with water taken from the bronze laver or wash basin, mixing some dust from the Mishkan floor and stirring it into the water. The priest would write on a scroll a curse that described the woman’s punishment, written with the sacred Name of God, and immerse it in the water so that the words of the oath “rubbed off” (dissolved) into the water of the drinking vessel.”
She was then given the bitter waters to drink and, if she was guilty, she died and if not she would conceive and give life.
Having studied frequencies of color, light, water, linen, essential oils, etc. and knowing that the “Living Word” which, in Ancient Hebrew is DaBaR, can literally mean “frequencies or vibrations put in order in the beginning,” I find this process of preparing the bitter waters most fascinating.
The preparation with the bitter waters reminded me of 1) homeopathy medicine; 2) mineral or stone elixirs which are not a new thing but were studied and made by the Essenes as recorded by Josephus Flavius; and 3) the experiments done by Dr. Masaru Emoto as to the effects of written and spoken words on water.
Scriptures tell us that our tongue, which moves in conjunction with our breath to vibrate words, has the power and/or directs “life or death” (Prov. 18:21). We are instructed that man does not live by bread alone but by the “kol” (every, whole, completeness) which “motsa” (proceeds, goes forth, utterance) from the “peh” (mouth, blow, scatter) of YHWH (Deut. 8:3). We could render this as “we live by every utterance that is blown and scattered or spoken by the breath of the Living G-d of creation.”
The spoken words (DaBaR) of Elohim’s breath vibrated, fluttered or hovered over the waters in Genesis 1:2. Water conducts electricity – electromagnetic frequencies – light and He is the light and the Torah is light. Whatever He spoke over the waters, from that everything else was formed. The modern advent of computers and digitized technology has given us tools to measure frequencies and illustrate digitization. This has helped us to connect the unseen world of creation and reveal more insight to the literalness and truth of Elohim’s Word.
For decades scientists, including computer scientists, have tried to understand how water can act similar to a computer chip having the ability to memorize or store information. Some believe that various forms or types of water “resonate” at different frequencies. My response to such is, “Duh, go figure.” Isn’t it amazing that this could clearly be a demonstration as it relates to Elohim’s DaBaR (breath of spoken words) vibrating and hovering over the waters from which everything else was formed in Genesis 1:2?!
So, here’s my theory: The Hebrew words written on the scroll which dissolved into the water mixed with the minerals of dirt from the Mishkan floor EITHER resonated with the thoughts and frequencies that were held within the memory of the water within the cells of the wayward wife’s body OR they did NOT. If they resonated with the Word – DaBaR (frequencies of order and life) then she lived and conceived life; but, if they did NOT resonate then it became the contranym of the Word and was DeBeR (judgement and pestilence or frequencies of disorder and death).
We are to think upon what is good and upright and as a man thinks so he is (Phil. 4:8, Prov. 23:7). YeHuSHuWaH tells us that if a man looks at a woman with lust then he has committed adultery in his heart (Mathew 5:28). If our thoughts are electromagnetic frequencies of light and are imprinted within the water of the cells in our body, then how much more so are our actions imprinted within the waters of memory inside our body?
We are reminded in Matthew 12:36 that we will be held accountable for every idle or inactive useless word we speak which would be DeBeR (frequencies of disorder and not producing life). Then we are told in Luke 6:45 that man brings forth and speaks what is in his heart.
Evidently, it seems our heart receives the actions of our thoughts and has a memory too. Could it be that the water in the cells of our heart are issuing forth the stored vibrational frequencies therein? So – come Judgement Day, when we stand before the Throne, could it be that our thoughts and spoken words, whether they be DaBaR or DeBeR, which are recorded within the memory of the waters in our body, be what truly reveals who we are and what we have done with the life given us to serve Him?
Therefore, it seems the cursed words that were written in Hebrew by the cohen, along with the name of YHWH (yod, hey, vav, hey), was immersed into the water, which in turn, activated and proved the LIVING WORD of Elohim. It was proof and demonstration of Elohim’s promise as stated in Deuteronomy 11:26-28 wherein He told Israel that if she was innocent, obeyed and did not go after other gods (men) then she would not receive the curses. Rather, she would receive blessings and life.
This certainly seems to cause one to beg the questions, “Are my thoughts and actions pure or impure, righteous or unrighteous?
What memories am I storing up in my body?
Will they resonate with His Word – DaBaR of life giving frequencies put in order OR will they clash and not resonate resulting in frequencies of disorder, pestilence – DeBeR?
Do I truly believe my words and Elohim’s words are truly powerful?
Do I offer up a fragrance of purity such as Frankincense or do I offer up a stench of impurity?
More importantly, will the DaBaR of my thoughts, words and deeds resonate when I’m tested with the bitter waters?!!!
May we all endeavor to press into His bosom and not sotah or turn aside from having intimacy with Him in order that we might avoid the tests of the bitter waters. And, if we must be tested, may we overcome the waters and bring forth new life.
For His Kingdom,
Nitza Moshe