Day 11- 40 Days Of Teshuvah To Yom Kippur

#10 For the sin that we have sinned before You through wronging a neighbor.

Mat 5:22But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
Mat 5:23Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;
Mat 5:24Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.

John Gills Exposition Of The Entire Bible

And whosoever shall say to his brother Raca, shall be in danger of the council, or "sanhedrim". The word Raca is expressive of indignation and contempt; it was used as a term of reproach. Some derive it from רקק to "spit upon"; as if the person that used it thought the man he spoke to deserved to be spit upon, and treated in the most contemptuous manner: but rather the word signifies "empty" and "vain", and denotes a worthless, empty headed man; a man of no brains; a foolish, witless, fellow: so it is often used in Jewish writings.

Have we "pretended" to like somebody just so we could get something we wanted?

Did we use people in order to climb up the ladder of success?

Mat 22:36 "Rabbi, which of the mitzvot in the Torah is the most important?"
Mat 22:37 He told him, " 'You are to love Adonai your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.'
Mat 22:38 This is the greatest and most important mitzvah.
Mat 22:39 And a second is similar to it, 'You are to love your neighbor as yourself.'

What kind of neighbor or friend should I try to be. Our example is Yeshua.

John 15:12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
John 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man laydown his life for his friends.
John 15:14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.

Pro 17:17 A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity. Are we fair weather friends, or are we a friend who is there at all times?

Pro 18:24 A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friendthat sticketh closer than a brother. Do I try to be friendly to people and smile or do you always have a frown on our face and a chip on our shoulder?

Pro 19:6 Many will intreat the favour of the prince: and every man is a friend to him that giveth gifts. Are we only friends with those who can give us things, or are we a friend to those who can give us nothing in return except friendship which is the the best gift of all.

Pro 27:6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful. A true friend will warn their brother if they are in danger or walking in sin, a phony friend will only say what they think people want to hear. A person who will only tickle your ear is no friend at all.

Mat 5:42 When someone asks you for something, give it to him; when someone wants to borrow something from you, lend it to him. Mat 5:43 "You have heard that our fathers were told, 'Love your neighbor - and hate your enemy.'
Mat 5:44 But I tell you, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!
Mat 5:45 Then you will become children of your Father in heaven. For he makes his sun shine on good and bad people alike, and he sends rain to the righteous and the unrighteous alike.
Mat 5:46 What reward do you get if you love only those who love you? Why, even tax-collectors do that!
Mat 5:47 And if you are friendly only to your friends, are you doing anything out of the ordinary? Even the Goyim do that!
Mat 5:48 Therefore, be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.

Do we only give to those who can pay us back, or can we lend to those who may not be able to pay us back as well? The Hebrew Idiom Good Eye, Bad Eye is used with regard to those who are generous or stingy. A person with a Good Eye is one who is a giver and has an open hand, a person with a Bad Eye is one who is stingy and has a tight fist and will not give to others.

Yeshua takes this even a stop further, it is easy to love a friend and give to a friend, but He says we are to love our enemies and pray for them! I think that is something that we all need to work on but it is the true love of Messiah at work when we can.

John Gills Exposition Of The Entire Bible

Mat 5:42 - Give to him that asketh thee,.... To every man, Luk_6:30 whether Jew or Gentile; friend or foe; believer or unbeliever; a good, or a bad man; worthy or unworthy; deserving or not, that asketh alms, whether food or money; give it freely, readily, cheerfully, according to your abilities, and as the necessity of the object requires: for such rules are always supposed, and to be observed; and though all are to be relieved, yet the circumstances of persons, and their relation to men, are to be considered, and special regard is to be had to the household of faith.

And from him that would borrow of thee, turn not away; refuse him not, turn not away from him with a frown, or without speaking to him, or with a denial; look upon him with a pleasant countenance, cheerfully lend him what he wants, whether he be a Jew, from whom it was not lawful to take usury, or a stranger, from whom it, was lawful to take it, yet take it not; lend him freely, "hoping for nothing again", Luk_6:35 which must not be understood of not hoping for the money lent, for then it would be giving, and not lending; but of not hoping for any reward for lending it: and indeed the money itself is not to be hoped for again, when the circumstances of the borrower are such, that he is not able to make a return.

*Journal - Food For Thought

"Friendship" is one of the highest forms of human activity.

Ask Yourself:

Did I strive to go out of my way to help friends, based on my commitment to be their friend?

Was I insensitive toward my friends' needs, or did I hurt their feelings?

Did I take advantage of someone who trusted my as a friend?

Have I made a conscious effort to learn how to be a better friend?

Exploring the "Al Chet" Prayer by Rabbi Shraga Simmons (Aish Hatorah)