In just hours from the writing of this newsletter, Yom Kippur will begin.  If one must weigh a Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) in contrast to other Yom Kippurs, I would say that this one is very weighty.  So much is having in the balance for both Israel and the Nations.  

With the second and third waves of COVID-19 looming, death tolls climbing, civil unrest burgeoning, and religious freedoms being squeezed on every side, understanding the weight of this Yom Kippur and the meaning of the decade 5780 cannot and must not allude us.

It must not be overshadowed by false paradigms that allocate Yom Kippur to an ancient Jewish Fast Day.  On the contrary, to understand the Ten Days of Awe and the sealing of the Next Year according to the Jewish Calendar is to understand G-D's accounting process!

And, if we want to see the plague of COVID-19 lift and be turned from curse to blessing, we must heed the words of the prophet Hosea who said, "Take with you words, and turn to the LORD: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips." (Hosea 14:2)  

The number 80 (Eighty) in Hebrew is connected to the Hebrew letter Pei פה, which means, "Mouth."  

Its first mention in scripture is Genesis 4:11 following Cain's slaying of his brother Abel. "And now thou art cursed from the earth, which has opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand."  

Proverbs 13:3 records, "He that keeps his mouth keeps his life: but he that opens wide his lips shall have destruction."  

How often have you read or heard, "Life and death is in the power of the tongue."  

Notice the contrast in the above phrases -- contrast always signifies "boundaries."  And boundaries, in G-D's kingdom, are what need to be set in order at the start of every New Year.

Consider the words spoken to Jeremiah the prophet, "And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put My words in thy mouth.  See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build and to plant."  

G-D's mandate to Jeremiah was to be accomplished through the use of Jeremiah's mouth.  

Therefore, as we enter into the first year of the Peh decade 5781, a year connected the letter Alef א, which signifies G-D in his totality as the Master of the Universe and Worker of Wonders, let us take a moment to draw near to G-D.  Let us take with us WORDS.

Let us use our mouths to speak with the Almighty, pour out our hearts, render the calves of our lips, request forgiveness for our wrongdoings, repent of our iniquities and return with the fruit of change!  Let us make the beginning of 5781 a season that G-D cannot ignore -- a season where we use our mouths to return to Him!

In closing, these is an inseparable link between our mouths and our manifest acts of right.  To bombard heaven for G-D's mercy, justice and equity means that we, in turn, have to exhibit such behavior.  And this my friends, is why Yom Kippur 5781 could be the most important Yom Kippur in human history.  With so much in the balance, how we speak and act toward the L-RD could turn the tide in G-D's favor! 

Note: In our tagline - The year and decade of the Mouth -- you will see the word "ear" in year.  One of the greatest attributes to possess when G-D speaks is, "to listen."  Decade has the word "deed" in it.  If you read Isaiah 58 - the Yom Kippur fasting chapter, and scroll through the prophets, you quickly learn that your actions or "deeds" are to accompany our words.  "We will do" was the response of Israel upon hearing the Ten Commandments.  And lastly,  in the word Mouth there is the three letter word out .  G-D's goal in every holy day is "freedom". He wants the outcome of your fasting to be enhanced communication coupled with action -- He wants to break habit and character yokes, set the oppressed free, and break you OUT of your comfort zone.