Monday, August 10, 2009

Be Strong


Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest. Joshua 1:9


(Like the LDS who read through the standard works on a schedule, the Jews read through the first five books of the Bible on a yearly basis. The weekly scheduled verses are the same for Jews everywhere in the world.)

"According to Jewish custom, the completion of any of the first five books of the Torah [Bible] is marked in the Synagogue by the congregation exclaiming “Be strong, be strong, and let us strengthen each other”—an echo of the words of the ancient warrior, “Be of good courage, and let us prove strong for our people, and for the cities of our God” (II Sam. 10:12).

Be strong means to carry out the teaching contained in the book just completed."

(Hertz, Dr. J.H., The Pentateuch and Haftorahs, 2nd Ed., Soncino Press, London, 1992, pgs 190-191)

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