Yaakov 1-2

Orthodox Jewish Bible

1 Ya’akov, eved (servant) of Hashem and of Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach Adoneinu Yehoshua; To the Shneym Asar HaShevatim (Twelve Tribes) in the Golus, Shalom! [DEVARIM 32:26]

² Consider it all simcha, my Achim b’Moshiach, whenever you fall into various nisayonos (tests, trials),

³ Because you have da’as that the emunah you have, when it is tested, produces savlanut (patient endurance).

⁴ And let savlanut be shleimah in its po’al (work) in order that you may be mevugarim (mature, grown up) and complete, lacking in nothing.

⁵ But if any one of you is lacking chochmah (wisdom), let him direct tefillah (prayer) and techinot (petitions) to Hashem, the One whose matanot (gifts) are given generously and without grudging, and chochmah will be given to him. [MELACHIM ALEF 3:9,10; MISHLE 2:3-6; TEHILLIM 51:6; DANIEL 1:17; 2:21]

⁶ But let the tefillah be offered with much bitachon in emunah (faith), in no way doubting. For the doubtful man, wavering in emunah, is like a wave of the yam (sea) being tossed by the wind. [MELACHIM ALEF 18:21]

⁷ Let not such a one presume that he will receive anything from Adoneinu.

⁸ He is an ish (man) of double mind, in all his drakhim (ways), mesupak (uncertain, having doubts) and unstable. [TEHILLIM 119:113]

⁹ But let the Ach b’Moshiach of shiflut (lowliness) glory in the da’as that Hashem will exalt him.

¹⁰ And let the Ach b’Moshiach who has osher (riches) glory in his bizyoinos (humiliation), in the da’as that Hashem will bring him low, because KOL HABASAR KHATZIR ("All flesh is grass," YESHAYAH 40:6,7) and so he likewise will vanish. [IYOV 14:2; TEHILLIM 103:15,16]

¹¹ For the shemesh (sun) rises with its burning heat and dried the grass and its TZITZ NAVEL ("flower blossom falls" YESHAYAH 40:6-8) And the beauty of its appearance perished, so also the “oisher” (rich man) in his goings will fade away. [TEHILLIM 102:4,11]

¹² Ashrey is the one who stands up under nisayon (trial), because, having become approved, that one will be given the Ateret HaChayyim (Crown of Life), which Hashem gave as a havtachah (promise) to those having Ahavas Hashem.

¹³ However, let no one say, when he is tempted, "From Hashem I am being tempted,” for Hashem cannot be tempted to crave ra’ah (evil), and He Himself trips up no one with nisayon (temptation).

¹⁴ But each one is tempted by his own ta’avah (lust, yetzer hara), being dragged off by it and being allured. [MISHLE 19:3]

¹⁵ Then after her conception Ta’avah gives birth to Averah (Transgression) and Averah, once she has fully developed, gives birth to Mavet. [BERESHIS 3:6; IYOV 15:35; TEHILLIM 7:14; YESHAYAH 59:4]

¹⁶ Do not fall under a delusion, my beloved Achim b’Moshiach.

¹⁷ Every good endowment and every matanah shleimah (complete gift) is from above, coming down from Avi HaOhrot (the Father of Lights) with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. [TEHILLIM 85:12; BERESHIS 1:16; TEHILLIM 136:7; DANIEL 2:22; BAMIDBAR 23:19; TEHILLIM 102:27; MALACHI 3:6]

¹⁸ Birtzon Hashem (by the will of G-d), he gave birth to us by the Dvar HaEmes, that we might be a kind of bikkurim (firstfruits) of all he created. [YIRMEYAH 2:3]

¹⁹ Have da’as of this, my beloved Achim b’Moshiach. Let every man be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to ka’as (anger). [MISHLE 10:19]

²⁰ For the ka’as of Bnei Adam does not accomplish the Tzikat Hashem.

²¹ Therefore, having put away all filthiness and what remains of resha (wickedness) in shiflut (lowliness) and meekness receive the implanted Dvar Hashem which is able to save your nefashot.[Rev 3:20]

²² Now be Shomrei HaDvar Hashem and not Shomei HaDvar only, thereby causing yourselves to fall under remiyah (deceit, deception).

²³ Because if anyone is Shomei HaDavar and not Shomrei HaDavar, this one is like a man looking at his ponum in a mirror,

²⁴ For he observed himself and has gone away and immediately forgot what he looked like.

²⁵ But the one having peered into the Torah HaShleimah (the Perfect Torah), the Torah HaCherut (the Torah of Freedom), and there remaining, not as a forgetful listener but one who is shomer mitzvot and goes into action, this one will have a bracha on his head in all his acts. [TEHILLIM 19:7]

²⁶ If anyone considers himself to be one of the Charedim (Orthodox, G-dfearing Jewish religious ones), yet has lashon hora and does not bridle his tongue but instead causes his lev to fall under remiyah (deceit), this one’s chasidus (piety) is worthless. [TEHILLIM 34:13; 39:1; 141:3]

²⁷ Avodas Kodesh that is tehorah (pure) and tamimah (unblemished) before Elohim HaAv is this: to visit yetomim (orphans) and almanot (widows) in their tzoros and to be shomer against the defilement of the Olam Hazeh. [DEVARIM 14:29; IYOV 31:16,17,21; TEHILLIM 146:9; YESHAYAH 1:17,23]

2 My Achim b’Moshiach, you do not with your acts of maso panim (favoritism) hold to the [orthodox Jewish] emunah of the glorious Adoneinu Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach Yehoshua. [DEVARIM 1:17; VAYIKRA 19:15; MISHLE 24:23]

² For if there enter into your Beit HaKnesset (House of Assembly, shul, synagogue, shtibel) a man with gold rings on his fingers in expensive bekeshe (kaftan) and shtreimel, and there enters also an underpriviledged nebach, a kabtzen (poor person) in shmattes (rags),

³ and you pay special attention to the takif [influential man] wearing the bekeshe and shtreimel and say, "You sit here in the seat of kibbud (respect, honor), and to the kabtzen (pauper) you say, "You stand there." Or "You sit at my feet,"

⁴ did you not among yourselves differentiate with prejudice and became shofetim (judges) with machshavot re’sha (evil thoughts)?

⁵ Hinei! My beloved Achim b’Moshiach, did not Der Oybershter make the Aniyim of the Olam Hazeh in fact Bechirim of Hashem to be rich in emunah and also yoreshim of the Malchut Hashem, which Adoshem gave as a havtachah (promise) to those with Ahavas Hashem? [IYOV 34:19]

⁶ But you dishonored the ish evyon (poor man, pauper). Do not the oishirim (rich ones) oppress you and they drag you into the Batei Din (Bet Din courts)?

⁷ Do they not commit Chillul Hashem gidduf (blasphemy) against the Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach’s Shem Tov that has been named upon you?

⁸ If indeed you are shomer regarding the Dat HaMalkhut (Royal Decree), as it is written in the Kitvei Hakodesh, "V’AHAVTAH L’REI’ACHA KAMOCHA" ("And thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." [VAYIKRA 19:18]) you do well.

⁹ But if you show maso panim (favoritism), you are chote’im (sinners) committing averos (transgressions) against the Torah. [DEVARIM 1:17]

¹⁰ For whoever is shomer over kol haTorah but stumbles in one mitzvah, such is condemned as ashem (guilty) of averoh (transgression) of kol mitzvot.

¹¹ For the One having said, LO TINAF ("You shall not commit adultery") said also LO TIRTZACH ("You shall not murder"). Now if you do not commit adultery but you do murder, you have become a Poshei’a al mitzvot HaTorah (Transgressor of the Torah). [SHEMOT 20:13,14; DEVARIM 5:17,18]

¹² So let your dvarim (words) be and so let your ma’asim (deeds) be as those who are about to come under the judgment of the Torah HaCherut [1:25].

¹³ For the Din (Judgment) will be without rachamim (mercy) to the one not having shown rachamim. Rachamim wins the nitzachon (victory) over HaDin.

¹⁴ What is the revach (gain, profit), my Achim b’Moshiach, if anyone claims to have emunah but does not have ma’asim (deeds)? Surely not such "emunah" is able to bring him to Yeshu’at Eloheinu?

¹⁵ If an Ach b’Moshiach or an Achot b’Moshiach is dressed in shmattes (tatters) and lacking "lechem chukeinu" ("our daily bread," Mt.6:11)

¹⁶ and anyone of you says to them, "Go in shalom! Be warmed and fed!" but you do not give to them the physical necessities, what is the revach (profit)?

¹⁷ So also Emunah, if alongside it there is not in its company Ma’asim, is by itself niftar (deceased, dead).

¹⁸ But someone will say, "You have emunah and I have ma’asim." You make known to me the Hisgalus haSod (the revelation of the mystery) of your emunah without your ma’asim, and I’ll show you, Chaver, from my ma’asim, the Emunah.

¹⁹ So you’re impressed with yourselves that with your emunah you can recite the kri’at Shema, nu? O you do so well...why, even the shedim have your da’as and emunah! But they shudder! [DEVARIM 6:4]

²⁰ Are you willing to have da’as, O hollow man, that Emunah unharnessed to Ma’asim, stands idle?

²¹ Avraham Avinu, was he not YITZDAK IM HASHEM (justified with G-d) by his ma’asim when he performed the akedah (binding) and offered up Yitzchak Bno (Isaac his son) upon the mizbe’ach? [BERESHIS 22:9,12]

²² Hinei! While Avraham Avinu’s Emunah was working, working right alongside was Avraham Avinu’s Ma’asim, and by Ma’asim the emunah was made shleimah!

²³ And the Kitvei Hakodesh was fulfilled, Avraham Avinu V’HE’EMIN BA’HASHEM VAYACHSHEVE’HA LO TZEDAKAH ("believed Hashem and it was accounted to him for righteousness," BERESHIS 15:6). He was even called "Ohev Hashem" ("Friend of G-d"). [BERESHIS 15:6; YESHAYAH 41:8; DIVREY HAYOMIM BAIS 20:7]

²⁴ You see that from Ma’asim [of Emunah] a man is YITZDAK IM HASHEM and not from [sterilely unpartnered] “Emunah” alone. [i.e., mere intellectual assent]

²⁵ And likewise also Rachav the Zonah—was she not made YITZDAK IM HASHEM from Ma’asim, having received the messengers and having sent them out a different way?

²⁶ For just as the guf (body) without the neshamah is niftar (deceased, dead), so also is Emunah without Ma’asim.