Read the New Testament in 24 Weeks
11 Become imitators of me as I also am an imitator of Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach.
2 Now, I commend you that in all things you have remembered me and you hold fast to the masoret torat haShlichim just as I transmitted and handed them over to you.
3 But I want you to have da’as that Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach is the rosh (head) of every one of the Bnei Adam, and the rosh of an isha is the ben Adam (Man, Ba’al) [BERESHIS 3:16], and the rosh of Moshiach is Hashem. [BERESHIS 3:16]
4 Every ben Adam davening or speaking forth a nevu’ah (prophecy) having anything hanging down over his rosh brings bushah (shame) upon his rosh.
5 But every isha davening or speaking forth a nevu’ah (prophecy) in shul, begile rosh (with head uncovered), brings bushah (shame) upon her rosh, for it is one and the same thing to uncover the rosh as it is for the rosh of the isha having been shaved. [DEVARIM 21:12]
6 For, if an isha is not covered, also let her be shorn. But als (since) it is in fact a thing of bushah (shame) for an isha to be shorn or to be shaved, let her be covered.
7 For a ben Adam indeed ought not to be covered on the rosh, being the demut HASHEM (BERESHIS 1:26) and the kavod Hashem, and the Isha being the kavod (glory), the glorious reflection of Adam. [BERESHIS 1:26; 5:1; 9:6]
8 For Adam is not out of the Isha but Isha out of Adam (Man) [BERESHIS 2:21-23].
9 Indeed, Adam was not created because of the Isha, but the Isha because of Adam (Man) [BERESHIS 2:18].
10 Because of this, the Isha ought to have a kesut rosh (head covering) of marut (authority, discipline) on her rosh because of the malachim.
11 However, neither is Isha without Adam (Man) nor Adam (Man) without Isha in Hashem.
12 For just as the Isha comes out of Adam (Man) [BERESHIS 2:21-23], so also the ben Adam (Man) comes through the Isha [Gn 3:15-16] but all things are of Hashem [BERESHIS 1:1; TEHILLIM 24:1; 50:12; 89:11].
13 You yourselves be the dayan (judge): is it fitting for an isha to offer tefillos to Hashem [in shul] begile rosh (with head uncovered)?
14 Does not teva (nature) itself give you the shiur (lesson) that if a ben Adam wears a long hair-do of a lady’s coiffure, it is a dishonor to him?
15 But if an isha wears a long hairdo of a lady’s coiffure, it is her kavod (SHIR HASHIRIM 4:1)? Because the long hair has been given to her instead of the sterntichel (kerchief) or kesut rosh (head covering).
16 But if anyone presumes in his thinking to be contentious, we have no such minhag, nor do the kehillot of Hashem [throughout the world].
17 But in giving the divrei Torah that follows I give no commendation [11:2], because when you assemble as the shul of Moshiach, it is not for the better that you assemble, but for the worse.
18 Ershtins (first of all), indeed when you come together as the kehillah [SHEMOT 12:6] (I hear) there exist machlokot (divisions 1:10) and schisms among you, and partly I believe it.
19 For it is necessary also for kitot (sects) of minut (heresy), of kefirah (heresy, denial) to be among you that also the approved ones may become manifest among you [DEVARIM 13:3].
20 Therefore, your farbrengen gatherings in one kahal (community) are not for the purpose of having Moshiach’s Tish.
21 For each one rushes ahead with his own seudah (meal). One is hungerik (hungry), one has passed out in his schnapps.
22 Hey, you people, do you not have houses in which to eat and to drink? Or do you despise the Kehillah (congregation) of G-d? And do you bring bushah (shame), even humiliation, on the ones having nothing? What should I say to you? Will I commend you? In this I do not commend you people!
23 For I received from Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach Adoneinu that which also I transmitted and handed on to you, that Adoneinu Yehoshua, on the very lailah (night) in which he was betrayed, took the Pesach matzoh,
24 And, having made the HaMotzi, Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach offered the betzi’at halechem (breaking of the bread) and said, "ZEH HU VESARI HANNIVTZA BA’ADCHEM; ZOT ASU L’ZIKRONI. ("This is my flesh, which is broken on your behalf. Do this in memory of me.")
25 In like manner, after eating the [Pesach] seudah, also [after the bracha over] the [Kiddush] Cup, Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach said, "This [Kiddush] Kos (Cup) is the BRIT CHADASHA [YIRMEYAH 31:31; 32:40] in my DAHM (blood SHEMOT 24:6-8; ZECHARYAH 9:11). This do, as often as you drink, in ZIKARON (remembrance YEHOSHUA 4:7) of me."
26 For as often as you eat this Pesach matzoh and drink from this Pesach Kiddush Cup, you do proclaim the mavet [YESHAYAH 53:8 9; DANIEL 9:26] of Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach Adoneinu until the Bias HaMoshiach.
27 Therefore, whoever eats the Pesach matzoh or drinks the Kiddush Cup of [Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach] Adoneinu unworthily will be guilty and answerable for the basar and the dahm of [Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach] Adoneinu.
28 But let a ben Adam apply cheshbon hanefesh to himself and in that manner let him eat of the Pesach matzoh and let him drink of the Pesach Kiddush Cup.
29 For the one eating and drinking is the one eating and drinking mishpat to himself when not discerning the basar (body).
30 Because of this, many among you are weak and there are cholim (sick) and a number are sleeping the sleep of the mesim.
31 But if we were judging ourselves [in teshuva], we would not be brought into mishpat (judgment). [TEHILLIM 32:5]
32 But, being brought into mishpat (judgment) by Hashem, we are being disciplined, that we may not be condemned [to Onesh Gehinnom] with the Olam Hazeh. [TEHILLIM 115:5; 118:18; MISHLE 3:11,12]
33 Therefore, Achim b’Moshiach of mine, when you have your farbrengen gatherings and you gather for Tish, wait for one another.
34 If anyone is so hungerik (hungry 11:21) [that he cannot wait], in his home let him eat, lest for mishpat you have kehillah. And as far as the hemshech (remaining part) is concerned, whenever I come I will set b’seder (in order).
12 Now I do not want you to lack da’as concerning the things of the Ruach Hakodesh, Achim b’Moshiach.
2 You have da’as that when you WERE Goyim [T.N. i.e., you are no longer heathen pagans], somehow you were influenced and led astray to the ELILIM ILLEMIM ("Dumb idols, idols incapable of speech" CHABAKUK 2:18-19).
3 Therefore, I make known to you that no one speaking by the Ruach Hakodesh of Hashem says, "Al Yehoshua ki Cherem hu" ("a curse of the ban of destruction is on Yehoshua"), and no one is able to say, "Yehoshua hu HaAdon" except by the Ruach Hakodesh.
4 There are different kinds of matanot (gifts), but the same Ruach Hakodesh.
5 There are different avodot hakodesh (ministries), but the one Adonoi.
6 And there are a variety of activities [of the Ruach Hakodesh], but the same G-d working all in all.
7 But to each is given the disclosure of the Ruach Hakodesh for benefit:
8 To one through the Ruach Hakodesh is given a dvar chochmah (a dvar of wisdom Ac 16:7); to another, according to the same Ruach Hakodesh, a dvar da’as (word of knowledge Ac 5:3);
9 To another, by the same Ruach Hakodesh, emunah (Mt 17:20-21); to another, by the one Ruach Hakodesh, matanot harippuy (gifts of healing [refuah]) Ac 3:6-16);
10 to another those of cholel niflaot ("accomplishing miracles" SHEMOT 4:21; Yn 11:42-43) And to another divrei hanevu’ah (words of prophecy MELACHIM ALEF 17:1), and to another discernings (being about to make a nafka mina distinction) of ruchot (spirits MELACHIM ALEF 22:22), to another kinds of leshonot (tongues Ac 2:4), and to another, pitronim (interpretations) of leshonot (tongues—1C 14:13).
11 All these things are activated by the one and same Ruach Hakodesh, distributing individually to each one as He determines.
12 For even as the body is echad, and has many evarim (members), and all the evarim (members) of the body, though many, are one body, so is Moshiach.
13 For also in one Ruach Hakodesh we were all given a tevilah into one body, whether Yehudim or Yevanim (Greeks), whether avadim (slaves) or bnei Chorin (freedman), and all were given to drink, as it were, from one Ruach Hakodesh.
14 For the body is not one, but many, evarim (members).
15 If the regel (foot) says, "Because I am not a yad (hand), I am not of the body," that would not make it any less one of the evarim of the body.
16 And if the ozen (ear) says, "Because I am no ayin (eye), I am not of the body," that would not make it any less one of the evarim of the body.
17 If the whole body were an ayin (eye), where would be the hearing? If the whole body were hearing, where would be the smelling?
18 But now Hashem set the evarim (members), each one of them, in the body according to His ratzon (will), as He wanted.
19 And if all were all one evar (member), where would the body be?
20 As it is, though there are many evarim (members), there is but one body.
21 And the ayin (eye) is not able to say to the yad (hand), “I do not have need of you.” Or, again, the rosh (head), speaking to the raglayim (feet), is not to say, “I have no need of you.”
22 Just the opposite, the evarim of the body appearing to be weaker are vital.
23 And those evarim of the body which we presume to be dishonorable, on these we clothe with even more honor, and our parts with lesser kibbud (respect, honor) are treated with greater.
24 Whereas, our evarim with greater kibbud have no need of more. However, Hashem has so composed the achdus yichudim (unit, harmony of unifications) of the body, giving the superior kibbud to the inferior,
25 lest there be schisms (1:10; 11:18) in the body. But the evarim should have the same gemilut chasadim (deeds of lovingkindness and caring) for one another.
26 And when one evar (member) has tza’ar (pain and suffering), all the evarim (members) have tza’ar with it; or one evar has the aliyah of kibbud, all the evarim has simcha with it.
27 Now you are Moshiach’s body (BERESHIS 47:18-19) and individually evarim of it.
28 Now Hashem placed some in the Adat HaMoshiach (community of Moshiach), in the Kehillah, rishon (first): shlichim, second, nevi’im, third, morim (teachers), then those of cholel nifla’aot (“accomplishing miracles—Ex 4:21), then matanot harippuy (gifts of healing), then matanot of helps, then manhigut ruchanit (spiritual leadership, administration), kinds of leshonot.
29 Surely not all are shlichim? Surely not all are nevi’im? Surely not all are rabbinical morim? Surely not all are those cholel nifa’ot (accomplishing miracles”)?
30 Surely not all have matanot harippuy (gifts of healing)? Surely not all speak in leshonot (cf 1C 14:23, 26)? Surely not all have the pitron (interpretation) of leshonot?
31 But earnestly desire the greater matanot (gifts) [of the Ruach Hakodesh]….And yet now I show you a more feste derech. T.N. Rav Sha’ul now turns to the need for balance. Not that he is trying to terminate the miraculous in Moshiach’s Kehillah [a futile endeavor!], but that he is showing the need for the fruit of the Ruach Hakodesh to balance His gifts, especially in an environment where pride and carnality have quenched ahavah, which is the Yn 3:16 center of Moshiach’s saving histalkus (passing, the death of Moshiach in midst of his Redemptive mission on the analogy of Moses dying before he crosses into the Promised Land.)
Copyright © 2002, 2003, 2008, 2010, 2011 by Artists for Israel International