Sefirat Omer- Week 3

Of all seven qualities that overlap each other during the Omer, compassion means the most to me. Last week, I talked about how I have written a list of goals. One of those goals was to be considered a nice, caring person. I phrased it this way for a certain reason. I can try to be a nice person, but my nice does not matter. People around me could think my nice, is devious. Compassion is simply not about ourself, but about everyone around us.

To be compassionate, we must love it. A love of compassion is a commandment in the Torah. We are supposed to welcome the stranger into our dwelling. Compassion is never forced on us. The good do good and the wicked remain wicked. Never do a good deed without a love and care. No completion is better than a sloppy completion.

Compassion is everywhere. Holding a door open and saying thank you take compassion. These simple tasks are great, but compassion should be bigger. Fundraising or donating take discipline. The money belongs to the donor. A bit of discipline helps cure the cause.

Compassion of compassion. The quality goes forever. Exceeding new limits. Discipline focuses compassion, but never stops us from expressing it. I attempt to live an everlasting compassionate life. Holding a door yesterday does not benefit anyone today.

Prevailing compassion means anywhere at anytime. My schedule is simple. On Tuesday, I always have Hebrew School. On Thursdays, there are drums lessons. Where does it say, "Be compassionate"? Never do we plan to take a stand. Are we ready to stand up for ourselves and others?

Humility is not always ripping your pants embarrassing. Humility lets us realize that a selfish reign always comes to an end. I feel sometimes we are only compassionate for ourselves. How horrible? Middle school is the perfect example. I see people who are kind and nice, but only when the cameras are rolling. Giving compassion should help the receiver. The giver does it out of the goodness of their humble heart.

Bonding is an important asset of compassion. Although the internet has made this a less significant aspect, kindness is never distant. Holding a door for a stranger can not be done six feet away. For instance, Holocaust victims in concentration camps had every disease imaginable. They stuck together! No one person was better than they other. A bond was formed.

Day seven is always the hardest to write about the Omer. Dignity and humility are opposite. Compassion is meant to make us feel good too. As long as we remember, why we LOVE to be humane. Did you know most bullies have low-self esteem? Their wicked deeds are a slight boost. Dignity really comes from compassion.

I worry today, where compassion has gone? Every day on the news we hear about Iraq and Afghanistan. 9/11 lowered our self-esteem. Instead of making an effort of peace, we bullied these countries. 99% of teenage boys play video games. (http://www.csmonitor.com/Innovation/Horizons/2008/0916/by-the-numbers-teens-and-video-games). How many play the ones with guns? The "compassion suckers". Violence is something that is common in our world. Compassion is not.

Sefirat Omer- Week 2

What is the purpose of counting 49 days? Why does God even tell us to do this in the Torah? Passover is a time when we commemorate the liberating of our people. Shavuot we celebrate God giving us the Torah and the Ten Commandments. The Omer is seven weeks of self-evaluation.

Unlike Yom Kippur, we are not atoning the sins we have committed. Instead, we look at our moral character and how it compares to the image God had in mind for humans. Each day is a moral fiber. The qualities form a decent being. During the second week, we discover discipline.

On day one, we discover the love of discipline. Now as I said last week, the same seven traits collaborate to make 49 combinations. What is the difference between discipline of love and love of discipline? Discipline of love focuses on how we stay loyal in any relationship. Love of discipline does not necessarily mean in a relationship. God gave us 613 mitzvot to respect in the Torah. Loving discipline is determination to follow them.

Next, we observe the discipline aspect of discipline. Life is not all work. After all, not even God worked a full week. Discipline should be orderly. God created us to be people, not robots. Too much discipline turns us into robotic scraps of humans. Too little discipline turns us into pigs. Although robots are worse than pigs, neither is kosher.

Discipline takes compassion. For example, a teacher needs to be strict, but compassionate. I once had a teacher who no one really liked when they had her. The next year I realized she may have been strict, but she really cared about the students and their education. It is easy to make a batch of cookies, but they are worthless if they are not sweet.

Today we observe how enduring discipline should be. About a year and a half ago, I set a list of goals. Though the path has been tough, I have kept up with those goals and continue in the direction of fulfillment of them. Athletics, academics, music, art,drama or anything else in life really takes practice. Practice comes from enduring discipline.

Too many times in life we make assumptions. Assumptions come from a large amount of discipline and a subordinate amount of humility. Sometimes we put our bad traits into another's personality. For instance, a person calls another a gossiper. The whole student body hears the accusation. The person who started the rumor was the true gossiper. Humility is a major aspect of processing productive discipline.

After that, we take the extra step to bond with others. We try to shed our discipline onto others. Being a student I understand that discipline includes honesty. When testing, the temptation to cheat is always available, but my discipline sets an example. Hopefully, potential cheaters follow the right path.

On our last day focusing on discipline, we explore the dignity it takes to have the trait. We examine how our spirit is weakened by discipline. Do we loose our childlike wonder? I feel that greed is the perfect example. Greed can destroy a person. We aim with our enduring discipline to be rich, but despite our perseverance we loose respect for others. Our dignity is destroyed and on the road another's usually is too.

In fact, the entire Omer takes discipline to count.

Sefirat Omer- Week 1

I hope that everyone is enjoying Passover and the beginning of springtime. Did you know that today is a special day in Judaism? And tomorrow is too? Actually the next 42 days are quite significant. There are exactly 49 days between Passover and Shavuot. These 49 days are called Sefirat Ha'omer or Counting of the Omer.

The Torah commands us to the count the Omer. The Omer is just a measurement. It is like a quart or a gallon. Rabbis have interpreted that each week is an attribute of the human heart. There is love, discipline, compassion, endurance, humility, bonding, and leadership. All the topics intertwine each day. Week 1 is all about love. Week 1 Day 1 is "Love; love. Week 1 Day 2 is "Love Discipline". It goes on each day. Week 1 is now coming to a close. By the conclusion of the Omer, the 49 aspects form into one heart.

Starting on Tuesday night, the heart is supposed to realize humans love to love. Our hearts hold the capacity to love as much as we want. There is no quota on the number of people to be friendly and loving to. Every person has their own story. By loving, the stories become a library.

Love then requires discipline. Respect is the basis of a healthy relationship. Knowing boundaries is a way of showing respect. Scandals of ignorance to the second day of the Omer are released constantly. For example, a certain golfer lacked discipline of love. Without discipline there is no love.

An average relationship has two friendly people put together. An extraordinary relationship has two COMPASSIONATE people put together. Love's roots are buried in compassion. To think of a loved one over ourselves is truly a mitzvah.

Love is enduring. We can all love to love, have discipline of love, and be compassionate for love, but to constantly love is a different story. Two friends are together. One is starving. Since they are by the stream, one friend catches a fish for the other friend. Tomorrow that friend will return to a starving state. An enduring love would teach the other how to fish. Love should never be turned on and off like a light switch.

When in love, we are confident. We feel like we are on top of the world. Unfortunately, confidence is the key to arrogance. To stop the path towards arrogance, we remember our humility. No one person in a relationship is always right. Being humble allows us to see that compromise is possible.

Of course, love requires bonding. Never rush into a relationship. Friendship is always the first step. Enjoy getting to know the person. On this day of the Omer, we try to find a new thing we can bond over to strengthen our love.

Finally, dignity. It is obvious a relationship needs two people. Two people can sometimes form into one person. Leaders stand their ground. Although, we are humble, we are strong. When something is wrong, we change it. Figure out what your contribution to the relationship is. True love requires dignity. Actually, true love require all of these qualities.

A Tulip in the Life

Photo by: Rachel Graubart

Last night, I was reading in the living room, I look at tulips my dad gave as a treat for my mother on her birthday. As I sat, I pondered about these tulips. My mind began to race. All week I had noticed these tulips. Then I had a burst of an idea.

Tulips are life, no the tribe's life. These tulips went through three stages. Tulips look different in these three stages. A Jew can deal with antisemitism three ways.

At first, my dad brought home young tulips. These tulips were new to the world. Drinking water for the first time. The tulips are closed. These Jews are the Jews who watch. Antisemitism is everyone, but if we say nothing, it just keeps happening. A closed tulip is beautiful, but no one remembers a closed tulip.

Then, as days passed, the sun shined on the flowers. The tulips open up. Our eyes could not help, but notice the beauty of the tulips. Being the outgoing person I am, I choose the open-tulip path. Fighting for the Jews is my style, people know I am Jewish. I carry a yarmulke and have a blog all about Judaism. Antisemitism is diminished by the brightness of the vibrant tulip.

Finally, yesterday. A Jew can join in antisemitism. I always relate antisemitism to a fire. People who are Jewish make jokes that do light the fire. Pedals on the drooping tulips looked burn. As the fell off the tulip, I knew the "burnt" tulip was dead.

Any conflict can be taken these three ways. Be a bystander. Be an upstander. Or be a putdowner. It is up to us to decide. Which tulip are you?

Bible Through Basketball?

When I thought about writing this, I thought, Adam, are you going insane? Then, my mind said "You're just being yourself." Tonight I felt God's presence through basketball. I learned about Shabbat, God, the Torah, my own faith, and of course how to play the game of basketball. It is a Friday night. Jewish families across the globe are lighting candles, blessing wine, and eating delicious challah. For the first time in the long time, my family was not one to enjoy the pleasure.

It is the playoffs. If we win this game, we advance to the finals. We lose, we go home with nothing. My team had a decent shot this year, but God does not appreciate the game being played on Shabbat. We lost that game. It was over for the team, but a new beginning for me.

The Torah hit me like a ton of bricks. Last week, God tells the Israelites the consequence of breaking the Sabbath laws. God proclaims, "Therefore, keep the Sabbath, for it is a sacred thing for you. Those who desecrate it shall be put to death, for whoever performs work on it, that soul will be cut off from the midst of its people" (Exodus 30:14). Literally, punishment of disobedience is death in this situation. With three minutes left, I the Torah and God spoke to me.

I had made up a blessing for basketball. It goes "Baruch atah Adonai, elohanu melech haolam, asher k'dishanu b'mitzvotav m'sahaek cadoor sal". That translate to "Blessed are you, Adonai our God, Ruler of the Universe, who sanctifies us with mitzvot to play basketball." Blessing are a give and take though. I had taken too much.

Today I was lazy. I did not plan to do this blog at a quarter of ten. School gave us the day off for a professional day and I did not bother to do any blog. I ignored Shabbat as the week came to a close. At dinner, no candles, no wine, no challah. The Sabbath is a sacred thing to me. I desecrated it and are part of me was put to death. I performed work on the Sabbath and cut myself off from all the other Jewish people. The Torah finally made sense.

Although the lesson was not pleasant to watch a good team fall hard, I am glad that I can now grow. Grow into a better, faithful, loyal Jew.

Exodus Ki Tisa 30:11-34:35

Moses has finally finished talking to God on top Mount Sinai. God has given him the Ten Commandments and a few extra guidelines to start the Israelites off as they head to the Promised Land. Unfortunately, the people below were impatient. Aaron led them in the construction of the Golden Calf. Of all the commandments, this is the ultimate commandment. There is only one God. Moses is enraged as he smashes the Tablets. Both side lost in the long run.

This parshat troubled me terribly. Idols? Bowing to other than God? Jews do not do that. We look at this as a dark spot on our history. Mistakes happen. How far should God let things slide?

Making mistakes proves that we are humans. Walking away from mistakes unattached is the blank trait a human can possess. When I make a mistake, I try to learn from it. If I were in Aaron's position, I would pray for God's forgiveness. Also, I would teach myself and the people who had followed me how to be loyal to God, the one and only. If I were Moses, I would also pray for forgiveness. I would learn to control my anger. Aaron was forgiven, but Moses had already let his anger get the best of him. In Egypt, he killed a man whipping the slaves. God never forgets, but God learns. People can be the same way.

Exodus Tetzaveh Verses 27:10-30:10

Tetzaveh continues the description of the Tabernacle. This week describes how the lighting and interior of the Tabernacle should appear. I found it peculiar that God kept mentioning 4 colors to be in the Tabernacle. These colors are gold, blue, purple, and crimson. I believe that the Torah has hidden one its many metaphors in Tetzavah. Everyone of us is a painting.

Gold is a regal, polite person. Golden people are confident and classy. For example, Steven Spielberg has the class that is on a golden level. He could live as one of America's greatest Hollywood legend and that only. Instead, Steven has continued to help the community by doing גמיולית חסדם-Acts of Love and Kindness. An eye for an eye makes the world go blind, but giving an eye stops the blindness.

Blue is a the calm side of a worthy character. A temper can spoil someone else's day. Going with the flow is how blue people roll. To be a blue person, we must remember to not be a bystander either. Bruce Springsteen is the perfect example of someone who is blue as a smurf on the inside, yet not another person's beanbag. During a performance, he is a rocker who follows the mood of the show. Bruce also is an active liberal Demacrats. Keep it relaxed, keep it blue.

Purple is the creative side of life. The color resembles that although we are classy and calm, we think outside the box. When I read about the Tabernacle, I had to be purple to interpret the very specific instructions of its construction. Without purple in our personality, music, art drama, and sports would never have existed. Having the color purple is proof all humans are truly unique. Why be someone's clone?

Crimson is the bold color. God turned the Nile red with ambition, ambition to free the Israelites slaves from bondage. Barrack Obama was a crimson person to run for president as an African American. With a purple point of view, a blue attitude, and plenty of gold with his staff and fellow politicians, his painting is forming into a work of art. Without the color red, the world will stop moving. Ambition is the drive, the drive of people.

According to my theory, God filled the Tabernacle with dignity, serenity, creativity, and ambition just as God filled everyone of us. I believes we should shine like the gold frames of the Tabernacle which God commanded were built. On the frames there are tons of red, blue, and purple yarns. Life is your painting. Why not make it look nice?

Exodus Terumah 25:1-27:19

In this week's portion, God sets up the plan for Tabernacle. God asks Israel to gather the materials necessary to begin building. The Tabernacle is traveling synagogue that is carried around as the Israelites continue their voyage across the desert. Then, God describes the whereabouts of everything in the Tabernacle. By the end, everybody is prepared to construct the holy building.

What should we think of when we walk into temple? Some think of it as a school. To others it is a home. A place of worship can even be a lounge. It is holy to most of us. When we go to temple, what are we looking for?

I am looking for confirmation of my faith. Synagogue is a place where I believe I can affirm that God is there, looking down at me. I can go there and think about life. The Tabernacle was really the first civilized synagogue, but I still feel intertwined with Moses and the Israelites. Whether it is a synagogue, church, or any other building, we should try to look into our hearts and feel at least something...anything

Olympics

It's that time of four years again when we gather as one world for the greatest competition of sports on the planet. For about a 115 years the Olympics has occurred in modern times. The ancient Greeks had practiced this tradition long before our time. Which is more important in modern times, the sports or the meaning?

The sports are amazing. Over the years a number of Jewish athletes have competed on this great stage. This coming year three Israelis will go from the Negev to "negevtive" zero in Canada. In my school, the gym teachers have decided to host an Olympics. I thought competitive drive would rear its ugly head, but just the opposite. People are being nicer to each. The Olympics is the most competitive there is, but all the athletes are good to each other.

To our world, the Olympics is a break. Tonight when the games open, blacks and whites, Arabs and Jews will be in the same place. No fighting whatsoever. Peace is finally achieved on a global scale. Unfortunately, after the games end it is all over. Why?

Everyone in the world can come together for two or three weeks. Our school has come together through the Olympics in gym class, but when that class ends it backs to business as usual. What if we channeled war into sporting events more often? One day Iran and the United States could be shooting hoops instead of shooting guns. How do we achieve this dream? Is the Olympics the way?





I want to here YOUR ideas! To comment, leave a comment below (if you know how) or email me at agraubart@msn.com.

Exodus Yitro Verese 18:1-20:23

Yitro presents us at the base of Mount Sinai with the Israelites. God contributes the Ten Commandments. This scene in the Torah depicts Moses as he begins climbing up the mountain. The winds are blowing, thunder is crashing, and the shofar is blowing. I picture a creschendo of creation and then all the sudden a melodramatic, dead silence. That is when Moses finally understands God. Finally, God gives Moses the Ten Commandments to share with all of Egypt.

Last year, I wrote about what each commandment stood for. This year I am asking why ten? There are 613 commandments in the Torah all together. Why did God choose these ten? It seems like God just wants these out there. The Israelites are driving God crazy in the desert and the Ten Commandments are like throwing water on a fire. The other 603 are rebuilding the foundation the fire destroyed.

My dad compared the Ten Commandments to the Bill of Rights. However, everyday though politicians are hard at work ammending the Bill of Rights. The Torah has not been ammended in a long, long tme. This especially includes the Ten Commandments. When I first learned about the Bill of Rights, some ammendments seemed more sensable in the 1800's. Although some messages apply more to biblical times, I find the Torah timeless. Just like the Bill of Rights, it started the foundation of a people's fire.

Exodus Beshalach Verses 13:17-17:16

This week the Israelites have finally crossed the Sea of Reeds. God has heard their cry and vanquished their slavery. Once they are out, the woman of Israel get up and sing and dance. What else should they do? They sing the Song of the Sea. The tune includes Mi Chamocha which is sung at every service. Mi Chamocha shares how Miriam and her colleagues felt being liberated after a lifetime of doing work for an evil man. The words literally translate to "Who is like You, God?" A nation at sea celebrates throughout the night.

Then, they start their voyage. Beshalach is all down hill from here. Every little thing was a cry against Moses, Aaron, or even God. They ask for tasty food, so God rains bread from the heavens. They ask for water, so God has Moses swing his rod at rock that provides for every Israelite. Nothing is enough. The Israelites are like the child in the backseat saying "Are we there yet?" when you pull out of the driveway.

Be greatful for what you have. Every morning I wake up in a country where I am free, and can be a proud Jew. The United States provides me with a stellar education and then I am free to do whatever I want after-school. In Beshalach, each Israelite takes a bread omer (counting) for their family. One man takes as much as he needs, but not too much. Another takes less, but not too little. If we all gave a little, the world would have it's omer.

Exodus Bo Verses 10:1-13:6

God has held a hand over the land of Egypt and proved to them that there is one God. Locusts, darkness, and death of the first born are the finale of the plagues. Each time a plague begins, Pharaoh begs Moses to plea to God to take it away. Unfortunately, everytime his heart is still stiffened by God. When death of the first born occurs, the Egyptians practically throw the Israelites out of Egypt. The Israelites are on the run and on the way they can not bake leavened bread, thus inventing matzah. Our people are still worried Pharaoh will change his mind. Bo leaves us with the Jews on the run.

This week I would like to talk specifically about the worst and most devastating of the plagues. God says to Moses that the tenth plague will set apart Egypt and Israel as he kills the death every first born. God demands him to declare to the Israelites that they must kill one of their lambs and put the blood on the door. God calls the meal from the lamb's meat, "the passover offering". As God conveys the tragic plague over Egypt, God passes over any house with the lamb's blood. Some call it unruly, but was there any other way?

My question is, where were the Egyptians? They did not notice this all going on. If they have not figured it out yet, God will radiate plagues until they are liberated. Was this not suspcious. This is what the Torah means when Egypt and Israel will distinguished. Pharaoh and his people could care less about their slaves' lives. The loss of community in Egypt is what could allow God to smite Egypt with one more plague.

In my own town,the community came together giving back to commemorate Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday. I felt welcomed as a resident alien: Yankee loving, Jewish kid born in New Jersey who wants to be a rabbi in a slimly diverse, Red Sox nation town where most of my friend's do not know what a rabbi is.

Another time, about a month ago, my cousin had us work at a homeless shelter for her Bat Mitzvah. The leader of the shelter told us that once we leave this shelter, we should not be scared of the homeless. If it was us out on the streets, we would like to be treated like a rat. When we see the homeless, we turn away. What if we were to say hello? What if Egypt did not turn on blind eye on the Israelites?

Exodus Vayera Verses 6:2-9:35

The ten plagues have arrived. Seven of them have struck and three have yet to come. Moses and Aaron confront Pharaoh in order to liberate the Israelites. God purposes stiffens Pharaoh's heart. God turns the Nile to blood, sends frogs, vermin, wild beasts, livestock illness, boils, and hail to reak havoc on the land of Egypt. Why does God purposely stiffen Pharaoh heart?

Does God want the Israelites to stay? Does God want Egypt to fall? The Torah says God want to proove to Egypt there is only one God. If we are saying God controls free-will, why did the centuries of oppression follow the Exodus? One of my sixth grade teachers said that most of us are visual learners. Is oppression our lesson?

To me this portion goes beyond the ten plagues. All the portions carry the actual story of the Torah along, but all of them have messages that only the heart can find. To me a God shows a stiffened heart does no one good. The first God control pharaoh's choice. After that, Pharaoh was being ignorant that the God, the one and only had come over Egypt.

A good leader needs to have an iron fist and a gentle heart. Abraham Lincoln fought for what he believed in and had the heart to free the African American slaves. Raamses II fought for what he believed in, but had no heart to free the slaves. Not only did these horrible things happen to him, but his land, people and future were castrophically altered. His dynasty ended, which in Ancient Egypt was horrible for a pharaoh. They say Egypt fell to Alexander the Great, but I wonder if every fall in history is because God has found a stubborn heart.

Exodus Shemot Verses 1:1-6:1

Welcome to Exdous! Exdous is the book about the Israelite's liberation in the land of Egypt. In this portion, Joseph and his brothers have been long gone. The new Pharaoh had no idea who Joseph was, and the Israelites were no longer this tiny bunch of Israelites living in the land of Egypt. Pharaoh thought the Israelites would fight with the enemy of Egypt and take them down.

Pharaoh ordered each Israelite boy born be thrown in the Nile. A Levite baby,Moses, went down a basket and saved by Pharaoh's daughter. One day he was out watching the Israelites work and saw an Egyptian strikng a slave. He struck the Egyptian down. Scared of Pharaoh, he ran away. He lived in Midian with Jethro, his father-in-law and his wife, Zipporah. He thought Egypt was no longer part of him.

One day God contacted him through a burning bush, but the as it burned there was no damage. God told Moses that he was chosen to lead the Israelites out of Egypt to the land of milk and honey where Abraham, Isaac and Jacob dwelled. Then, Moses and God went back and forth, for Moses did not want to do this task. After some holy persuasion, Moses packed for Egypt. Reunited with his brother, Aaron, he confronted Pharaoh. When Pharaoh heard of this, he gave the slaves more work.

This portion is extraordinarily the responsibily for the Holocaust. Hitler was not all that creative when he formed his plot. This portion told him how to convince people to hate Jews. By making them look as the "more powerful other". To take them down, kill them or work them to death. Unfortunately, no Moses stopped the Holocaust in time.

People say that the most important things taught are math and english. Math teaches you how to think, and english teaches you how to put those thoughts into words. If anyone would include another subject, science teaches us about what is going on around us. History is just as important.

History repeats itself just as it did in the 1930's and '40's. Today it is taught, but being a student I find there are two types of history. There is history with the dates, people, places, and events. Then, there are the lessons of history. The
Israelites of Egypt were not doing anything wrong, but ignorance betrayed them. The
Jews of Europe were not doing anything wrong, but ignorance of history betrayed them.

Genesis Vayehi Verses 47:28-50:26

Happy New Year! The really weird coincidence is I have now blogged through the whole Torah. Last "year", (although its not exact) I wrote my first interpetation on Parshat Yayehi. I think this portion is the perfect new years portion.

First, let me address Jews do celebrate New Years. New Years is "New Years by the numbers". We are going from the planet's 2009 to the planet's 2010. Rosh Hashana is the "Jewish Spiritual New Year" where we purify ourselves for a new year of Torah and a new year of Judaism.

To me, this is an incredibly dark parshat. Last week, Parshat Vayigash was the reuniting of Jacob in Joseph. In this portion, Jacob tells Joseph he is dying and makes him promise that he will burry his father in the land of Canaan. This is a right of passage to Jacob. Jacob passes his family blessing onto Joseph. Joseph makes sure he burries his father in Canaan. Then, Joseph dies. All the portion says is that he is burried in the land of Egypt, not Canaan like his forefather!

To me this shows a difference between Jacob and Joseph. Not that one is "more Jewish" than the other because to me that is meaningless. No Jew is "more Jewish" than another. The correct term would be "more traditonal" or "more observant". Anyways, to me this shows the difference between the 20th Century and the last decade.

The 20th Century that had its ups and downs, but changed the world. Jacob had his up and downs, but changed the world. Art, film, sports, politics, and just the way we live changed. Jacob resembles his traditional fathers. All three went to Haran to find a wife, lived in Canaan, blessed one of the children, and was burried near each other in Canaan. They changed our world by creating the fundamentals of Judaism.

Then, there is the 2000's. In 10 years, there was a lot of good like the innovation of technology. Joseph saved Egypt and his family. Unfortunately, we are in two wars, and the Great Recession. Jacob's nation will sadly soon be enslaved.

I believe God does everything for a purpose. If my analogy is right, what is God's purpose for making the Jacob-Joseph gap occur once again from the 20th to 21st Century?