Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] For those of you who have been around a while, you may have heard of Dolly the sheep, the first mammal to be successfully cloned from an adult somatic cell. After Dolly, other animals were successfully cloned cats, deer, dogs, horses, mules, oxen, rabbits and rats. Although the ethical debate over these creations was heated, the most troubling moral dilemma wasn't over cloning animals, but humans. Should man be permitted to clone another human being? Is there an ethical exemption that would ever allow for such a thing? Well, I actually think there is an instance that human cloning might not be only permissible, but preferable curious to know more? Let's take a look at this idea together in this week's five minute Torah.
[00:00:53] Welcome back to our tribe. You're watching the channel that connects disciples of Yeshua to the eternal Torah of God. It's great to be back with you here. This week. We are studying the portion of Vayera, genesis 18 one through 22 24. And here are the three things that you need to know about it. Number one, angels unaware Abraham's heavenly guests. Just days after Abraham had circumcised himself and Ishmael, he encountered angelic visitors in the heat of the day, disguised as bedouin travelers, abraham's hospitable nature overcomes his physical ailment, and he runs to meet them and serve them. Soon, however, he realizes that they are messengers sent from the Lord, and they tell Abraham and Sarah that they would have a child of their own in their old age. They also tell Abraham that they are about to head to Sodom to destroy it and the surrounding cities because of the wickedness. Abraham pleads on behalf of the cities that they would be spared if they find enough righteous people living within them. And the angels head out and Sodom and the surrounding cities are destroyed, but Lot and his daughters are spared. Number two, the promised child, the birth of Isaac. Just like the angels had said. Sarah gave birth to a baby boy a year later. Abraham circumcised him on the 8th day, just as God had commanded him in last week's Torah portion. He was called Isaac from the Hebrew word Sehok, which means laughter. It was a reminder that Sarah had laughed when the angel said she would bear a son after Isaac was born. She took it even further by saying, god has made laughter for me. Everyone who hears will laugh over me. God is truly a God of miracles. And number three, the Akeda, or the binding of Isaac. The word akeda means binding. When Isaac was in his mid 30s, god put Abraham through his most difficult test. He told Abraham to take his son and go and offer him on Mount Moria. And Abraham actually obeyed. And God provided a miracle. And you know the rest of the story. We will talk about that soon in the commentary. Hey, Hanukah is just a month away. If you want to have a great family experience for Hanukkah, be sure to pick up your copy of Eight Lights My Hanukkah How To and Devotional that will make each Night of Hanukah a Night to Remember. It has a five star rating on Amazon with over 105 star reviews. If you want to have fun and learn to be a better disciple of our master yeshua. Then be sure to check out my book Eight Lights in the link below. This week's Torah commentary is called Cloning from Abraham's DNA and comes from a book, Five Minute Torah, Volume Two. One of the most well known and riveting stories in the Torah is the binding of Isaac, found at the end of this week's Torah portion. In Hebrew, it's referred to, as I said earlier, as the Akeda or the binding. It's considered the final and most difficult of ten trials through which God tested Abraham, and we can learn many lessons from this single event. And I'll attempt to bring out a few important aspects here at the very beginning of this passage. The Torah tells us, after these things, God tested Abraham. This is Genesis 22 one. Why did God need to test Abraham? Doesn't he know everything about every person on Earth? Many times we tend to view the hardships of life as attacks from the adversary. However, just as Abraham, the father of our faith, was tested, we, the spiritual children of Abraham, should also expect testing. And we should not only expect testing, but we should also embrace it. The fact is that tests are not for God, but for man. When we pass our test, our faith in God is demonstrated to the world. And sometimes passing that test lets us know that we are capable of even more than we realize. When Hashem told Abraham to bring his beloved son to Mount Mariah to offer him up as an ola, a burnt offering, abraham's response was to rise early in the morning and make all of the preparations for the mission he had been given. Abraham demonstrated a character trait known in Hebrew as Zerzut or alacrity. When he had a job to do, even one as difficult as this, he did not delay, but took to it immediately with fervor, whereas anyone else with lesser faith would have hesitated or even delayed obeying Hashem's instructions. Due to their severity, abraham was eager to carry them out as quickly as possible. One thing that's remarkable about the entire event was Isaac's complete agreement with his father. According to tradition, based on the timeline of biblical events, isaac was around 37 years old at the time of the Akeda. Therefore, he had an acute awareness of what was about to happen. And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac, his son, and he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went, both of them together, and Isaac said to his father, Abraham, my father. And he said, Here I am, my son. He said, Behold the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? Abraham said, God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son. So they went, both of them together. Genesis 22 six through eight. The Hebrew expression vayalhul shaneham yakdav appears twice in this section. It's usually translated to mean that they simply journeyed together. However, the Hebrew connotes more than simply journeying together. It implies joining together in purpose. They were yahdav as one. The first time this phrase appears in this passage is after the wood is placed upon Isaac and they begin their journey. The second time it appears is when Isaac has the sinking realization that the missing lamb was intentional and that he would be the one placed upon the altar. Yet the two of them continued on as one. Isaac, bearing the greatness of his father's spiritual genes, was one with Abraham in purpose. This unity was so great that Isaac wanted to ensure that his sacrifice was carried out properly. The midrash relates that Isaac was so concerned that he would instinctively react to the knife approaching that he asked to be bound so that he would not flinch and invalidate himself as a sacrifice. This was the depth of his oneness with his father. Hebrew has an expression that says which means the actions of the fathers are the portents for the children. In this test, Abraham becomes not only a testimony of faithfulness and complete trust for all future generations, but also a pattern by which his children will be recognized. His spiritual DNA, so to speak, is passed down from generation to generation. This is why Paul says that Abraham is the father of all who believe. This is Romans 411. When our actions line up with Abraham, we become somewhat of a replica, a clone, so to speak, of the father of our faith. We are not only demonstrating our spiritual lineage, but also establishing a pattern of faithfulness for our children and grandchildren. As a parent, I want more than anything for my children to hold on to the values my wife and I have passed on to them, for them to cling to their spiritual heritage and live lives that glorify God, that they would pass on faith in yeshua, and submission to Torah to their children and grandchildren. But can it be done? Can we be united with our children in purpose to shine our light into the world? Well, it can if we realize our spiritual heritage, the spiritual DNA that has been passed down from our father Abraham. No, we will never be exact replicas of Abraham, but we should strive to represent his spiritual image as much as possible. May we all live in a manner that reflects the unwavering faith of our father Abraham to our children and all subsequent generations. Before I close out this video, I'd like to bring to your attention a couple of things. First, I have some exciting news I want to share with you in the coming weeks. So you'll want to stay tuned for that. It's something I'm going to try that should be a blessing to you and help the ministry as well. There are a few details I still need to work out, but like I said, keep your eye out for that in the weeks ahead. Second, please continue to pray for Israel. She needs prayer now more than ever, as the entire world has positioned itself against her. In last week's five minute tour, I asked for your prayers that I'd be able to get my thoughts together to create a video covering the situation between Israel and Hamas with your prayers. And God Tell By published that video earlier this week, and if you haven't seen it, please make sure that's the next video you watch and be sure to share it with others. I believe it's that important. I'll see you soon with another messianic insight into the eternal Torah of God. Blessings from Amet hatorah.
