Being Near to God
I came across some amazing words in this week’s reading. In Deuteronomy 4:7, Moshe exclaims, “What nation is there that has God as near to them, as ADONAI our God, when we call on him?” Immediately, in my heart, I heard, “See, Hashem is near. He will answer. There is none like him. He never abandons his people, and you should not ever doubt him.” But what about my prayers, then I pondered? Not just me, but thousands like me are also praying every day to stop the bloodshed, to heal our people, restore us, and unite us… If Hashem is so near, why don’t we feel like he is right now? And that’s when I realized I needed to read the rest of that passage carefully.
Listen?
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The Living Torah by Aryeh Kaplan (Hebrew-English)
This edition of the Torah features a Hebrew text of the Five Books of Moses and a new English translation by Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan. As a translator, Kaplan leans quite a bit on Targum Onkelos, and uses Aramaic to elucidate the text better. The volume is supplied with traditional commentaries and notes, maps, tables, charts and more. This new updated edition features a better layout then the previous versions of the Torah. If anyone wishes to read the books of Moses and be exposed to an orthodox Jewish take on these ancient words this translation and commentary do a superb job.