Indeed, in every instance of God remembering, we see in the Old Testament that it always includes an action. For example, God remembered Noah , then made the water recede. God remembered Rachel, then opened her womb. Raised in the faith, King David knew God brought mighty action when He remembered someone or something. This is a cry for help, for rescue, for deliverance — not just a cry for love. But God makes it clear that we, as His people, are to continue to cry out to Him with prayer and petition, with praise and thanksgiving.
You who call on the Lord, give yourselves no rest, and give Him no rest till He establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth. And in Luke , one of the criminals crucified with Christ Jesus begged Jesus to remember him in heaven.
He sought forgiveness — and received it. When we ask for forgiveness, talk with God in prayer, take communion, and otherwise engage with the Lord, we are in essence calling His attention upon us.
He sees all and knows all. And we must trust He will act on our behalf. Like this: Like Loading Leave a Reply Cancel reply Enter your comment here Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:. Email required Address never made public. Name required. Part 4 — Did Grace Abolish the Torah? What is Torah? Who Is Israel? Who is my neighbor? Who is Open to Receive Truth? Ancient Hebrew Word Pictures.
Follow Following. Light of the World Join other followers. Sign me up. Already have a WordPress. Log in now. The space is named Beit—El, the dwelling place of God, now seen in the light of day. Jacob is now aware of something he did not see before. Remembrance in Judaism includes this notion of awareness and realization, not just of the past but also what it means for the future.
Memory is not just a mere recollection of the past that preserves a sense of distance, but it is a re-actualization, a means to act in the present. The Pesach seder is the prime example of a ritual of an ancient remembrance that speaks to every age. Even in the messianic age, we are taught, we should still remember the Exodus from Egypt even if all are free. Ongoing history adds to but does not erase our memories.
Our acts of remembrance are important in our family lives, too, as we say kaddish on the yahrzeit, the annual commemoration, of the death of our loved ones, and insert the Yizkor prayers into our festival services and on Yom Kippur. But the idea of mentioning individual names as a memorial emerged only in the time of the Crusades, and the prayer recited for the dead at a funeral, El Male Rachamim , originated only in the 17th century. We do this as a nation on Memorial Day in the US, or Yom Hazikaron in Israel, as we remember those who laid down their lives so that we may live freely and with the liberties that we enjoy.
As Jews, we have recently commemorated both the 21st anniversary of the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin, and the 78th anniversary of Kristallnacht. These remembrances call us to to act for peace, tolerance, and justice, and stand up for the rights of those who are dispossessed and persecuted.
We must put into action for good our memories of the human spirit, establishing memorials of meaning and hope, and awakening to the need for a peaceful and just world.
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