{"id":74101,"date":"2020-05-03T14:19:12","date_gmt":"2020-05-03T11:19:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=74101"},"modified":"2020-05-03T14:19:12","modified_gmt":"2020-05-03T11:19:12","slug":"the-singular-commandment-that-defines-our-relationship-with-god","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/the-singular-commandment-that-defines-our-relationship-with-god\/","title":{"rendered":"The Singular Commandment That Defines Our Relationship With God"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"entry-content\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[281],"tags":[],"acf":{"old_id":"74101","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":46656,"related_cahpter":"472","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content":{"description":"The one that symbolizes and heads up all the others\r\n\r\n","content":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The elders come to Ezekiel seeking guidance from God and God\u2019s answer, slightly paraphrased, is almost comically sarcastic: \u201cReally, you\u2019re coming to inquire about me? Well, I\u2019ve got something to tell you.\u201d And for the remainder of this chapter God enumerates the many times He tried to establish a relationship with the Jewish nation and was rejected. Each time they turned to idols and for each episode God reminds them that they \u201cdid not follow My decrees, they spurned My laws, and they desecrated my Sabbaths (20:13).\u201d Similar language is reiterated throughout this chapter.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Why, of all the decrees and laws that God could use as an example does he specifically invoke \u201cMy sabbaths\u201d? And why \u201csabbaths\u201d in the plural? Abarbanel comments that the pluralized sabbaths refers to the seventh day of the week as well as the seventh year \u2013 the sabbatical year in which fields are left fallow, and the year after the seventh cycle of sabbaticals \u2013 the jubilee year in which again, no agricultural work is done. All these rest periods are granted to the nation as times for setting aside the physical world and reflecting on and strengthening our relationship with God.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This unique status of sabbath is reflected in the ten commandments in which only one ritual practice is included: the fourth commandment, to keep the sabbath. Rabbi Yosef Kara explains that \u201cwhen Israel observes Shabbat, they testify that God created the world in six days.\u201d The Radak comments that the special nature of Shabbat transforms it into a symbol for all commandments.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That is precisely what God is trying to impress upon the nation when He repeatedly, throughout Tanach says, \u201cFollow My law, observe My rules and sanctify My sabbaths, that they may be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I the Lord am your God (20:19-20).\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is the breach of the sabbaths that signals to God that His people have pulled away from Him. If they cannot acknowledge God\u2019s providence, then ultimately, they will gravitate towards other transgressions, including idol worship. It is by the grace of God, quite literally, that the rejection is not reciprocal, and we are the benefactors of God\u2019s promise to bring us back \u201cto know that I am God when I act with you for My Name\u2019s sake, and not in accord with your evil ways (20:44).\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n","image":{"ID":74102,"id":74102,"title":"ez20-mitzva train","filename":"ez20-mitzva-train.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/ez20-mitzva-train.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/the-singular-commandment-that-defines-our-relationship-with-god\/ez20-mitzva-train\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"ez20-mitzva-train","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":74101,"date":"2020-05-03 11:18:35","modified":"2022-07-17 07:26:15","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":4608,"height":3456,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/ez20-mitzva-train-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/ez20-mitzva-train-300x225.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":225,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/ez20-mitzva-train-768x576.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":576,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/ez20-mitzva-train-1024x768.jpg","large-width":1024,"large-height":768,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/ez20-mitzva-train.jpg","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":1152,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/ez20-mitzva-train.jpg","2048x2048-width":2048,"2048x2048-height":1536,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/ez20-mitzva-train-1200x900.jpg","post_full_size-width":1200,"post_full_size-height":900,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/ez20-mitzva-train-560x420.jpg","home_baner-width":560,"home_baner-height":420}},"embedded_video":"","video_duration":"","show_fb_comments":true,"credit_media":""},"tile":{"top_caption":"","main_caption":"The 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