Show me Your "glory," he asked of G‑d; show me how a good G‑d does unexplainable things. 1:3, 4). . However, G‑d says, I will give you something to hold on to. Bodies floating in the newfound rivers, rescue workers dodging corpses and excrement to save the stranded holding signs on their rooftops begging to be saved before they dehydrate. There is an axiom quoted by the Chassidic masters, I'lu yada'ativ ha'yisiv--"If I knew Him, I would be Him." From when she hit land and through the winds, rain, floods, broken levies, hunger, strife, disease, and the bodies on the sidewalks. For by these words is signified that the man of the church would then have receded from internal things, and would have become altogether external, thus merely sensuous. In the book of Exodus there is a fascinating exchange between G‑d and Moses: And [Moses] said: "Show me, now, Your glory! I have held onto this message and have conveyed it countless times to assuage the pain that individuals were experiencing. Perhaps you are where I was, looking for deeper meaning, and knowing that loving the Lord Jesus is a journey and longing for encounter and intimancy that is the promise of God, but feeling like I was not progressing like I wanted or should. It is said such as is with those who are in external things without what is internal, because with such all the truth which is of faith is in obscurity, and is also attended with falsity. 1. God covered Moses with his hand. The signification of a cleft of the rock, is what is obscure and false of faith; for by rock is signified faith (AC 10580); and by a cleft, its obscurity and also its falsity. However, everyone has the ability to experience My "back," the retrospective appreciation for what has transpired. In retrospect they can accept what happened. Ye know that the princes of the nations lord it over them. Scenes so vivid and powerful, you'd expect to see such pain and squalor in a distant third world country. By Nechemia Schusterman September 4, 2005 2:09 PM. It does not stop at this, however, for Moses was not only given a place on the rock but even in the rock. And G‑d said: "Behold, there is a place with Me; you shall stand on the rock. Though Wesley’s hymn goes in a different direction, it begins, “Rock of Israel, cleft for me . In that day a man shall cast away the idols which they had made for themselves to bow down to, to the moles and to the bats; to enter into the clefts of the rocks, and into the fissures of the ragged rocks (Isa. Cleft. Simply said, we cannot understand the ways of G‑d. 33: 22). . The term "rock" in Hebrew, tzur, can also be translated as "narrows" or "constraints," as in the root of the Hebrew tzarah, "trouble" (from which the Yiddish term tzoros derives). When they think about God, they think materially, and therefore either deny God and regard nature as God; or else they worship idols, or dead men. I remember a line from the Torah that my father would use to comfort and calm me in various times of crisis. ---------------May G-d grant us all the wisdom to indeed learn the necessary lessons! 21 Then the Lord said, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. The subject here treated of is those who exalt themselves above others, believing that they are more learned than all others, when yet they are in falsities, and even cannot see truths. 21. Such are all merely sensuous men. 20:21, 22, 25-27). BUT THANK G-D we were all alive. (In the end, he and his guests were rescued and are all fine.). You will see Me from the back. IN THE CLEFT OF THE ROCK . Our salvation, sufficiency, and strength are in the Lord Jesus Christ. [4] That a cleft of the rock denotes what is obscure and false of faith, is evident also from other passages in the Word, as in Isaiah:--. It is simply beyond our capacity to fathom how each event in our lives is a step toward the fulfillment of the Divine plan. Like most Americans, I found myself glued to the coverage of Hurricane Katrina all week. NAS Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible with Hebrew-Aramaic and Greek Dictionaries. The backstory behind oppression, suffering, darkness and everything else that ever goes wrong. A cleft of crack; a narrow opening. From when she hit land and through the winds, rain, floods, broken levies, … "Then I will take My hand away and you shall see My back, but My face shall not be seen." Till this day I can remember how it was hiding out in the bath with my wife, daugther, and mother-in-lawThey were all screaming as I enwraped them with my arms. clefts (1), crevice (1), ledges (1). cleft meaning: 1. an opening or crack, especially in a rock or the ground: 2. an opening or crack, especially in…. The only item we had in the darkened bathroom was the light of my mother's Yahreit candle. A somewhat cynical approach to addressing pain and suffering, one might think. Learn more. What is this "rock" (tzur in the Hebrew) that G‑d placed Moses into as He passed by him, showing him merely His back, apparently appeasing Moses's desire to see G‑d? Cleft definition: A cleft in a rock or in the ground is a narrow opening in it. To help in the relief effort please log on to www.chabadneworleans.com, Only After I Pass 49:15, 16). Godtube.com also provides videos with Rock of Ages lyrics, singles, album information and reviews. In that day Jehovah shall hiss for the fly that is in the uttermost part of the rivers of Egypt, and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria. The By in the uttermost part of the rivers of Eat denotes the falsity of the wholly external or merely sensuous man; the bee in the land of Assyria denotes the falsity of reasoning therefrom; the rivers of desolations denote the truths of doctrine altogether desolated; and the clefts of the rocks denote the falsities of faith thence derived. And you remind me of a letter the Lubavitcher Rebbe wrote to the father of a girl who had been in an accident. In other words, G‑d told Moses: No, I cannot explain to you why people suffer, you are too human to understand. In retrospect, you can understand that all that transpires by Divine Providence, and there is a lesson G-d is looking for us to learn from each event we experience in life. Desmond, You raise a good question. I am so blessed to see your website...I am praying for you, That gainst the craggy clifts did loudly roar. cleft definition: 1. an opening or crack, especially in a rock or the ground: 2. an opening or crack, especially in…. He has a distinctive cleft in his chin. They have become stronger as a result of it, other problems in their lives are now put into perspective of the greater picture and they now can handle so much more. Cleft, in this context, means in metaphor, a wide opening, such as God opening his arms wide to accept me-- or making a wide entrance in 'rock', like Mount Sinai, for … T HE IDEA THAT EMPTINESS, the simple absence of matter, can hold meaning has inspired creativity across cultures, in almost every conceivable medium. The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, O thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rocks, in the height of thy seat; who saith in his heart, Who shall pull me down to the earth? What is this need that Moses had to see G‑d's "glory"? In the cleft of the rock. Clift definition is - archaic or dialectal variant of cleft After I have passed by you, you will appreciate the glimmer of goodness in what I did. They who read the Word without doctrine are like those who walk in darkness without a lamp. A city hundreds of years old with a rich history, a city that has in many ways represented America with its charm and beauty, reduced to rubble; why? When Moses requested a "visual" on G‑d, he was asking a far deeper question. Why? Reply, Thank you for this essay. The topic is one that I think about a lot. 1. split, separated, torn, rent, ruptured, cloven, riven, sundered, parted The cleft rock face seemed to … Christ was “cleft” – split apart, apart from the Father, in order to make a way, forcefully!, through sin. May we know only revealed good, and not have the need for philosophical clarifications. Why all the destruction? Definition. Noun The river begins as a trickle of water from a cleft in the rock. The Cleft in the Rock: A Theology of Negative Spaces Daniel Drage | Issue 107. moving “Rock,” who was present among the Israelites, providing them with the precious water they needed to sustain them in their journey through the harsh environment. Enter your email address to get our weekly email with fresh, exciting and thoughtful content that will enrich your inbox and your life. I will bring back the sons of Israel upon their land; and send unto many fishers, who shall fish them; and unto hunters, who shall hunt them from upon every mountain, upon every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks (Jer 16:15, 16); the restoration of the church is here treated of, which is signified by bringing back the sons of Israel upon their land; to fish them denotes to instruct in the external things of the church; to hunt them denotes to instruct in the internal things thereof; they who are upon mountain and upon hill denote those who are in love and in charity; those in the holes of the rocks denote those who are in faith not yet enlightened, thus who are in what is obscure of faith. To dwell in the holes of the rock denotes in falsities of faith. I will put you into "the rock" and I will pass by you and you will see My back. ", And He said, "You will not be able to see My face, for man shall not see Me and live.". Then the Lord said, "Behold, there is a place by Me, and you shall stand there on the rock; 22. and it will come about while My glory is passing by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by. The traditional Mt.Sinai does not fit the Biblical requirements in many ways. My father explained it to me this way. n. 1. For such of them as believe the Word, believe it everywhere according to the letter, and not according to its interior meaning; and those who so believe cannot be in any light, for light from heaven flows in through the internal into the external. This is meant by holding the height of the hill, and exalting thyself as an eagle, and setting the nest among the stars, and yet being pulled down. 2:20, 21); to bow down to the moles and to the bats denotes to worship such things as are in thick darkness and in the shade of night, that is, external things without anything internal; to enter into the clefts of the rocks, and into the fissures of the ragged rocks, denotes into the obscurities and darknesses of faith, thus into falsities. There are things about God which we must not see. Exodus 33:22 - and it hath come to pass, in the passing by of Mine honour, that I have set thee in a cleft of the rock, and spread out My hands over thee, until My passing by, Learn more. The cleft Rock represents Jesus Christ. 23. See more. What a fulcrum of pain and suffering that beautiful city of New Orleans (and the surrounding areas) has become. On a personal note, I and thousands of other Chabad rabbis worried about Rabbi Nemes who had stayed to host some stranded visitors, and by last account was on the second floor of his home, with the first floor flowing with toxic water, waiting to be rescued. So too in life, at times it is necessary for G-d to send us a spark, to ignite our soul and get things started, and like a car, as long as that engine is running, another spark isn't necessary, so too as humans, as long as the lesson from an event stands, another isn't necessary. However, you find comfort yourself in the knowledge that I, G‑d, the loving Master and Parent, know what I am doing. Who would divine that these words signify such things which, unless disclosed by the internal sense, would be completely hidden. cleft (of a rock) NASB Translation. How can it be that You, the Master of the universe, King of all Kings, can cause pain and difficulty in the lives of Your creations? The image of the rock, common in hymnody and Scripture, was used by Wesley in one of his Hymns on the Lord’s Supper, published 30 years earlier. In the other life such persons dwell in the holes of rocks, and sometimes they project themselves upon the rocks; but they are cast down therefrom into their holes, and into the caves which are beneath the rocks. G-d's exchange with Moses is one I will be able to reflect on in challenging times. 23 Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.” Exodus 33:18-23 Word Origin. Clift definition, cliff. Retrospectively, you will appreciate what transpired, enough to feel that there was some gain, growth and value in the devastation. | Meaning, pronunciation, translations and examples I have made thee smallest among the nations; the pride of thine heart O thou that dwellest in the holes of the rock holding the height of the hill (Jer. www.reconnections.net . In the Cleft of the Rock. Though thou exalt thee as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, from thence I will pull thee down (Obad. Back to Words index, Back to Geographical words index. "Then I will remove My hand, and you will see My back; but My face shall not be seen." Rock of Ages lyrics free online! That such is the Jewish nation is evident, for they explain all things of the Word according to the sense of the letter, because they are in external things separate from what is internal. 22 When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. We’ve gathered some interesting words donated to English from Portuguese … as well as some that just don’t translate at all. Why does G‑d create hurricanes? Ask those who have risen to the occasion and survived tragedy and despair and they will tell you that while it was very difficult it was also a growing experience. For example: as James and John had an earthly idea about the Lord's kingdom, they asked that they might sit the one on His right hand and the other on the left in His kingdom; but Jesus said:--. If you enjoyed this article, we encourage you to distribute it further, provided that you comply with Chabad.org's. Clift′ed, Clift′y, broken into cliffs. I am the leader of these people of Yours, Moses was saying, and I need to explain to them in their time of distress, how G‑d can do such things. [2] People of this character, like the men of those days, do not know what the heavenly kingdom is, nor what the glory there is, not what love is, nor even what faith is; in general, not what good is; for they base their judgment on bodily and earthly things, and call good all the delight of the body and its senses; and eminence over others they call glory; the love of the world and the love of self they call heavenly love; and memory-knowledge made persuasive they call faith. We saw the destruction and damage that Andrew had vented on our Possesions. There is a story in the Old Testament with which most people are, at least, somewhat familiar. 2. Rock of Ages, cleft for me, Rabbi Schusterman is a proud father who enjoys many hobbies, including exercise, skiiing and writing. Reply, Thank you for the insight ...one always needs such a word in a hurting world. The 3-year-old child walking aimlessly as his parents are nowhere to be found. (Used with permission. Whether you're looking for an inspirational and encouraging song for your quiet time with God or an upbeat song to praise Jesus, Godtube.com offers the largest online database of Christian music artists! (Exodus 32:18-23). Why does G‑d, whose nature is "good and to do good," so painfully upset the lives of hundreds of thousands? Replies, `` you can not explain it to you, for me, me! 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