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Wednesday, February 24, 2016

The Rainbow: Symbol of the Shekhinah, Symbol of the Torah of Moses





The Rabbis have said that the 7 colors of the rainbow represent the 7 Noahide laws, a set of laws that they claim derives from Scripture.

But Scripture actually says the rainbow represents the complete, indivisible Torah of Moses.

Allow me to explain.

First, the number 7 refers to completeness/perfection.  The 7 colors of the rainbow therefore tell us that the rainbow represents the complete/perfect light.

Next, the rainbow is connected with the Shekhinah (Divine Glory):
"And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it. And I saw as the colour of amber, as the appearance of fire round about within it, from the appearance of his loins even upward, and from the appearance of his loins even downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about. As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the HaShem. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake," Ezekiel 1:26-28
Here we see that the glory of HaShem, which is a perfectly complete light, can manifest as a rainbow with the seven colors representing this perfection and completion.  

Now consider that this complete/perfect, Divine Light of the Shekhinah also shines through the Torah (and through them who study and practice Torah):
"For this command is a fire, this Torah is a light, and correction and instruction are the way to life," Proverbs 6:23
"And those that understand shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and those that teach righteousness to the multitude as the stars in perpetual eternity," Daniel 12:3
"I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies are my meditation," Psalm 119:99
The light of Torah therefore cannot be divided because it represents the light of the Shekhinah--which is G-d Himself:
"The Lord is my light..." Pslam 27:1 
"3. Nahmanides:  Divine Immanence
What is Nahmanides' understanding of God's 'glory' filling the Tabernacle?  How did he conceive the presence of the shekhinah in the Temple?  Does he necessarily disagree with Saadia and Maimonides?  After all, he does not deny the principle of God's incorporeality.  From the passages of his introduction to Exodus and his commentary on Exodus 25 cited above, it would seem that he regards the 'Glory of the Lord' as something more inherently related to God Himself--and not simply a light that he created.  But this cannot be proven decisively from his words there.
     For clarification, we must turn to Nahmanides' commentary on Genesis 46, a long passage in which he vociferously attacks Maimonides' far-reaching abstraction of God's presence in the physical world--and his reinterpretation of biblical verses that speak in this vein.  In that context Nahmanides states his view regarding Maimonides' conception of shekhinah quite clearly:
'Heaven forbid that the matter called shekhinah or 'glory' is a created [entity] apart from God Himself, as the Master [Maimonides] has conceived here and in many chapters of his book.'
Speaking quite dramatically, Nahmanides denies the very possibility that the shekhinah or kavod--the 'Glory of the Lord,' is something is merely created by God, in other words, anything other than His very essence--as Maimonides had averred consistently.
     Nahmanides marshals proof for his position by citing the Targum of Ezek 3:12, the angels' praise:  'Blessed be the Glory of the Lord from His place'"
'Jonathan Ben Uziel's Aramaic said:  'Blessed be the Glory of the Lord from the region of His Divine abode' ...If one would say that the verse in Ezekiel refers to a 'glory' that was created (kavod nivra'), as is the opinion of the Master with respect to the verse 'And the Glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle,' and other similar verses, then how did the angels direct their words, 'Blessed, etc.,' toward it?  For he who blesses and prays to a glory that was created (kavod nivra') is as he who worshipped idols!
     The teachings of our Rabbis also contain many texts which indicate that the term shekhinah is [i.e., connotes] God, blessed be He.'
As Nahmanides observes, it seems clear enough from Scripture and from the authoritative Targum of Jonathan ben Uziel that 'the Glory of the Lord' refers to God Himself--even when it refers to a spatially confined entity,"  "The Temple of Jerusalem:  From Moses to the Messiah" Edited by Steven Fine
"All of the Divine commandments are One, a single unity. This idea finds expression in the verse, "A commandment is like a flame..." - i.e., each commandment is an individual flame. However, the Torah is not the mere sum total of many individual flames; rather, "the Torah is light." The Torah, which contains all of the individual commandments, is a single unified light. The flames unite to form one great light, for the Torah is a single unit..." Maharal of Prague, Commentary to Pirkei Avot
In conclusion, all Torah-pursuant Messianics should reclaim the rainbow as a symbol of the Glory of HaShem which shines through His perfect Torah.

Shalom,

Peter

50 comments:

  1. "In conclusion, all Torah-pursuant Messianics should reclaim the rainbow as a symbol of the Glory of HaShem which shines through His perfect Torah."

    Sorry to break it to you, bud, you can't "reclaim" the rainbow for Christianity. Engaging in idolatry of worshiping a dead man as god specifically precludes this. Worshiping an idol is the WORST possible violation of Torah.

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    1. Realized later that I didn't initialize variables at the beginning of the script. Glad you got it working :)

      Anything relevant to what Peter wrote? Thought surely "appearance of a man" or mention of from "his loins" upward and downward would ruffle your feathers even if Peter wasn't specifically calling attention.

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    2. Gene,

      So, according to Rabbinic Tradition (see above), the angels worshiped the glory of the L-rd and this Shekhinah was considered to be G-d. Note also that the one radiating this Shekhinah appeared "like a man" (Ezekiel 1:26).

      This comes not from Christianity but from the Jewish People.


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    3. "Ezekiel 1:26" In a vision...

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    4. Do Jews worship the Beit HaMiqdash for praying in it's direction? Do we make the Shekhina there a goddess to bow down to? No, we bow down to the invisible and infinite God, that's the intent, not to worship anything tangible in this world, not even places of great holiness.

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    5. In fact, at the BH"M, we couldn't bow down on the stone there without a rug (like how Muslims bow on rugs, they got this from us), because someone who doesn't know better might think they're bowing to the stones, since some bow to stones... like Muslims.

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    6. Aaron,

      Nachmanides, one of the greatest Rishonim, says that the Shekhinah is a visible manifestation of HaShem. So Nachmanides says that HaShem can manifest visibly; you say that HaShem cannot manifest visibly. To which opinion should I defer? Your opinion as a lay person? Or to the opinion of one of the greatest Rishonim?

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    7. The Shekhina is a tangible manifestation of God's Presence, yes. The Ramban never said you worship the Shekhina. You're reading that into it.

      I also never said God's glory doesn't manifest. Notice the Torah says "you saw no form" about ma`amad har Sinai.

      You really think God is a guy with a big white beard sitting on a cloud somewhere, don't you?

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    8. Aaron,

      Is it prohibited in Torah to bow before the Shekhina? Do you have a personal conviction about not bowing before the Presence of HaShem? What if that Presence had a form as is seen multiple places in Torah?

      There is no prohibition against bowing to a proper authority, whether man or HaShem. Messengers, however, are not proper authorities which is why they command humans not to bow to them when we read about their appearances in the scriptures.

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    9. In summary...

      Aaron wrote:
      "The Ramban never said you worship the Shekhina"

      Moses wrote:
      “...they fell on their faces. And the glory of the LORD appeared to them.”
      ‭‭Numbers‬ ‭20:6‬b ‭NKJV‬‬

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    10. You all need to read Malbim on Ezekiel 1.

      What you guys don't understand is that HaShem as He is, is infinite, unable to be contained or thought of. Not even in Ezekiel's vision, because that was yet in a created world.

      The Torah is the word and will of HaShem. A person is his desire, his thoughts, so if that is God's desire/will and thought, and wisdom - then it must be him. But no, uh-uh, that is incorrect. We kiss the Torah, we don't worship it as a God.

      You bow to an angel, but you don't worship him as God. You bow to a king, but don't worship him as God - unless the bow was to declare worship to him, then you couldn't bow. Like you couldn't bow to the statue Nevukhadnetzer set up.

      You guys are really into worshiping the finite as a god, and that's where you're wrong. Nothing finite is God, not even manifestations. Even though the Torah is infinite, it's ultimately intangible because the Torah scroll is just a core sacred text. In it contains infinite insights. Just like the whole Torah is boiled down into the 10 Commandments, it is further written out as the 613 commandments, and further into the details of each of the 613, AKA halakha. Upon the concepts of the Torah, an infinite number of things can be learned out. However, the Torah isn't God Himself, we don't worship it.

      "the glory of the LORD appeared to them", exactly!

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    11. What is the Hebrew word for worship and where is it used in the Torah? What is the Hebrew word for bow and where is it used in the Torah?

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    12. Learn Hebrew and find out yourself, so I don't have to keep teaching you guys everything, hehe. There are many words for praise, all describing different kinds of praise. You can search the Tanakh in Hebrew and English here: http://www.mechon-mamre.org/search.htm

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    13. Thanks for the link, Aaron.

      Let's not forget that A. Michael wrote:
      "'ll use עבודה זרה just for you, even though any idiot knows what we mean by "the Torah's definition of idolatry". Some more purposeful idiocy on your part."

      ... when עבודה זרה is not in the Torah!

      My point is that it's easy to think or say that the Bible says something when it does not. In that case the rabbinic writing obfuscated the Torah. My request for Hebrew words and verse references is an attempt to have a scholarly discussion.

      Where does the Torah prohibit worship in a way that the Apostolic Writings condone?

      וַיִּשְׁתַּחֲווּ = way·yiš·ta·ḥă·wū = prostrate, pay homage

      “They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them. They have made themselves a molded calf, and וַיִּשְׁתַּחֲווּ it and sacrificed to it, and said, ‘This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!’ ””
      ‭‭Exodus‬ ‭32:8‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

      ...and...

      “Then David said to all the assembly, “Now bless the LORD your God.” So all the assembly blessed the LORD God of their fathers, and bowed their heads and וַיִּשְׁתַּחֲווּ the LORD and the king.”
      ‭‭I Chronicles‬ ‭29:20‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

      προσκυνῆσαι = proskynēsai, "kiss toward", kiss the ground

      “saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to προσκυνῆσαι Him.””
      ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭2:2‬ ‭NKJV

      A. Michael wrote:
      "You bow to an angel, but you don't worship him as God."

      Bow to authority, not all messengers.


      A. Michael wrote:
      "Like you couldn't bow to the statue Nevukhadnetzer set up."

      You never bow to statues (commandment #2).

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    14. I already explained that עבודה זרה is one term that sums up the worship of gods/idols, which are called many names throughout the Tanakh. I already named several of the names for idolatry used in Tanakh.

      You're whole argument is whack, completely nonsensical, you're arguing nothing. And the burden of proof is NOT on me, it's on YOU to prove that God isn't one and that He actually is a man, two things the Torah contradicts in plain language.

      Not only is the burden of proof not on me, I'm not going to go out of my way to try to teach something basic to someone who doesn't want to actually learn.

      Bowing to authority isn't worship, unless the object or person is being bowed to with the intention that it is a god. This is common sense and any first grader could figure that out and give examples from the Bible.

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    15. Complex Unity of the Christian god(s) explained:
      Exodus 8:10
      Then he said, "Tomorrow." So he said, "May it be according to your word, that you may know that there is no one like the (group of three gods in one) our gods.

      Deuteronomy 4:35
      "To you it was shown that you might know that the (group of three gods), He is God; there is no other besides Him ( the group of three gods).
      Deuteronomy 32:12
      "The (group of three gods in one) alone guided him, And there was no foreign god with (that group).
      Deuteronomy 32:39
      'See now that I, I am He (that group of three gods), And there is no god besides (that group of three gods in one); It is I (the godhead) who put to death and give life. I have wounded and it is I who heal, And there is no one who can deliver from My hand (that's 6 hands I guess).
      Isaiah 44:6
      "Thus says the (group of three gods in one), the king of gentiles and his redeemer, the (group of three gods in one) of nothing: 'I am the first and I am the last, And there is no God besides that group of three gods.
      Isaiah 45:5
      "I am the (group of three gods in one), and there is no other; Besides (the group of three gods in one) there is no God. I will gird you, though you have not known Me;
      Isaiah 44:8
      Do not tremble and do not be afraid; Have I not long since announced it to you and declared it? And you are My witnesses. Is there any God besides (the group of three gods in one), Or is there any other Rock (jesus)? I know of none.'"
      Isaiah 45:6
      That men may know from the rising to the setting of the sun That there is no one besides (the group of three gods in one). I am the lords, and there is no other,
      18. Joel 2:27 " And ye shall know that I am in the midst of the gentiles, and that I am the (group of three gods in one) your gods, and none else: and my people shall never be ashamed.

      Deuteronomy 4:39
      "Know therefore today, and take it to your heart, that the (group of three gods in one), he is gods in heaven above and on the earth below; there is no other.
      Isaiah 43:10
      "You are My witnesses," declares the (group of three gods in one), "And My servant (Jesus) whom I have chosen, So that you may know and believe Me And understand that I am He. Before Me there was no gods formed, And there will be none after Me.
      Isaiah 45:14
      Thus says the (group of three gods in one), "The products of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush And the Sabeans, men of stature, Will come over to you and will be yours; They will walk behind you, they will come over in chains And will bow down to you; They will make supplication to you: 'Surely, God is with you, and there is none else, No other gods.'"

      Exodus 9:14
      "For this time I will send all My plagues on you and your servants and your people, so that you may know that there is no one like (the group of three gods in one) in all the earth.
      1 Samuel 2:2
      "There is no one like the (group of three gods in one), Indeed, there is no one besides You, Nor is there any rock like our (group of three gods in one).
      Isaiah 46:9
      "Remember the former things long past, For I am (the group of three gods in one), and there is no other; I am (the group of three gods in one), and there is no one like Me (us),

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    16. Aaron wrote:
      [Christianity violates Torah.]

      Jason wrote:
      [Were do the AW violate Torah? Need verse references for both AW and Torah.]


      Aaron wrote:
      "the burden of proof is NOT on me, it's on YOU"

      To prove what? Give me a Torah verse and an AW verse that violates it.

      Aaron wrote:
      "prove that God isn't one and that He actually is a man, two things the Torah contradicts in plain language."

      The Apostolic Writings teach that Yeshua and HaShem are unified not the same. Trinity is a doctrine some use to help them understand this. Trinity isn't mentioned in AW. AW doesn't say HaShem is human. You're really reaching.

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    17. "Yeshua and HaShem are unified not the same."
      Are you a polytheist? one upper case God sending his lower case god Jesus?

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    18. Do you reject that HaShem has sons that are gods?

      Psalms‬ ‭82:6-7‬ ‭NKJV
      I said, “You are gods, And all of you are children of the Most High. But you shall die like men, And fall like one of the princes.”
      ‭‭‬‬

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    19. Mighty humans are not literally gods. You know the difference don't you?

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    20. I can see this has rattled you. So Yeshua didn't know the scripture? Please inform us.

      ‭John‬ ‭10:34-36‬ ‭NKJV
      Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, “You are gods” ’? If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’?
      ‭‬‬

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    21. yes, it is the word elohim... Jesus did not get it wrong there. The difference is that those men (elohim) are not worshipped, are not your lord, are not semi-god by a virgin birth, don't control the weather and are not your saviour.

      You, on the other hand have two lords, the L-rd and Jesus.

      They worshiped the LORD, but they also served their own gods in accordance with the customs of the nations from which they had been brought.

      http://biblehub.com/2_kings/17-33.htm

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    22. I get that you think Elohim means men. Why?

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    23. Elohim can be translated as "angel" in Psalm 8, Judges, Mighty men and many other things...

      I said, "You are angelic creatures (elohim), and all of you are angels (elohim) of the Most High."
      http://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/aid/16303/jewish/Chapter-82.htm

      https://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/psa/8/1/t_conc_486005
      For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels (Elohim), and hast crowned him with glory and honour.

      But all your translations say gods, because Jesus said so.
      https://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=H430&t=KJV

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    24. Angel/mal'akh is a messenger; that is, a role not a type of creature.

      But you didn't say Ps 82:6 referred to angels or spirit beings, you said *mighty men*. Were you going to substantiate that (e.g. with the Tanakh)?

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    25. https://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=H430&t=KJV

      Elohim can mean mighty men, judges or messengers. Look throughout the Bible and even in any translations you will find that Elohim can mean mighty men. Chabad translated it as angels, I have not problem with that. Christian translate it as gods, I have not problems with that either. This refers to men, because of the rest of the verse. And yes, the Bible say that men are gods, but it's clear in the Hebrew bible that we are not to worship men. Your god, Jesus, you are worshipping, and that's where it crosses the line and becomes idolatry.

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    26. You asked if I was polytheistic because I said HaShem and Yeshua were unified but not the same. I pointed out that HaShem has sons, I didn't say I worshipped them. You claim He does not because Elohim in Ps 82:6 are men not gods. You refuse to substantiate your word choice, meaning that Elohim means whatever suits your personal preference for the verse. That's not how scholarship works.

      While I'm growing tired of asking for references over and over, I'm glad you, Gene, and Aaron are able to answer questions in a more, shall we say, *automated* way these days.

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    27. Verse 7:
      But you will die like mere mortals (adam); you will fall like every other ruler (Sar)." That's the NIV.

      Ben Adam, like Aaron said often means mortal.

      https://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/psa/82/1/t_conc_560001

      Then his master shall bring him unto the judges (elohim); he shall also bring him to the door, or unto the door post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an aul; and he shall serve him for ever.

      http://biblehub.com/exodus/21-6.htm
      See comments, they all agree that it means men. Because they will die like men...

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    28. So humans will die like men?

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    29. So, you still stand by Elohim being men in Ps 82?
      ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭82:1‬ ‭DARBY
      God standeth in the assembly of God he judgeth among the gods.

      Were these sons also men?
      ‭‭Job‬ ‭1:6‬ ‭NKJV
      “Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them.”

      And, these sons... men too?
      ‭‭Genesis‬ ‭6:2‬ ‭NKJV
      “that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose.”

      Sorry, remi. I think you'll have to admit that gods/spirit beings best describes the sons in Ps 82:6, just like Yeshua said.

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    30. and why would those gods/spirit should die? Are they references to demons?

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    31. Today, in the spirit realm, these beings influence human events by judging in a wicked way. One day, however, G-d will inherit and judge:

      ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭82:2, 8‬ ‭NKJV
      “How long will you judge unjustly, And show partiality to the wicked? Selah

      Arise, O God, judge the earth; For You shall inherit all nations.”

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    32. Question: Was there a Son assigned to Israel? Hmmm...

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    33. Why did it say "Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy." if G-d speaks to demons?

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    34. I didn't say they were demons, but either way these beings were wayward in their assignment and earned death (like us?).

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    35. Jason, don't be 'smart'. I already proved the Torah says God is One and not a man. Now it's your turn to say "no he's not". You can't, and have made that clear.

      Also, God rules via messengers (angels and demons), who have no free will of their own, they only do what He commands. So God does rule, the way He created the universes. He's omnipotent, it's not like He's in some struggle with the devil or some nonsense like that.

      -A. Michael

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    36. I didn't say G-d was 2, or that He was a man, or that He wasn't omnipotent, (or that I was smart).

      In fact, Jason wrote:
      "I didn't say they were demons..."

      It's almost like you're trying to change the subject :)

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  2. That might be a bite confusing... I know the other flag has only 6 colors, which is the number of imperfection... but that will be hard to see the difference.

    Also, this was not a covenant between Noah's descendant, but between Him and the earth. Finally I also agree with Gene that you are breaking one of the Noahide law, Idolatry.

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    1. Genesis 9 "Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him: “I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you"

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    2. Yes, stop worshiping another besides HaShem, you're breaking that covenant.

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  3. I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.

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  4. Yes mercy, there is a covenant between men and G-d, but the sign is between G-d and the earth...

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  5. Oh Please, are you seriously pretendng you do not know the the sign and the covenant go together? Get real!!!

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  6. Of course you see the sign, but it's between G-d and the earth. Seriously, read it yourself!

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  7. וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים אֶל־נֹחַ זֹאת אֹֽות־הַבְּרִית אֲשֶׁר הֲקִמֹתִי בֵּינִי וּבֵין כָּל־בָּשָׂר אֲשֶׁר עַל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃ פ

    Find the all flesh...

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  8. And Elohim said, This is the ot (sign) of the brit (covenant) which I make between Me and you and every nefesh chayyah (living creature) that is with you, for dorot olam (perpetual generations);
    13 I do set My keshet (bow) in the anan (cloud), and it shall be for an ot brit between Me and ha’aretz.
    14 And it shall come to pass, when I bring an anan over ha’aretz, that the keshet be’anan (rainbow) shall be seen;
    15 And I will remember My brit, which is between Me and you and kol nefesh chayyah of kol basar; and the waters shall no more become a mabbul (flood) l’shachat (to destroy) kol basar.

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