For the last twelve years I have been on a journey in my personal study time. A journey that has opened the eyes of my understanding with a beauty that can only be seen in the study of Biblical Hebrew. There are four levels of study and teaching in Judaism. Jesus used all these in the gospels.
In my devotional time this morning, I came across a study on the Hebrew word for trouble: TSaRaH (צָרָח). It means to be in straits, or in distress.
Painful times in our lives often produce the opportunity for a greater good. It’s in hind sight, after the trouble has subsided that we often see this. George Bernard Shaw once said, “The desert is a desert because the sun always shines there. Without rain there can be no growth, without storm there can be no creativity. In his drash teaching, 1 Rabbi Blech noted that when you rearrange the letters (which is an esoteric style of teaching or study linking shared letters to shared meanings)2 it reads TSoHaR (צהר) … the word for window. He noted, “Through pain one can see farther, through grief one can gain vision. The pain of trouble and sorrow can become the pane of insight.” 3
Are you going through a time of grief or sorrow? Is there trouble in your life? Take consolation in this; God will never waste your sorrows. He works all things together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purposes. Give Him the chance to turn your sorrows into joy, your mourning into dancing.
“For the Leader. A Psalm of David. The LORD answer thee in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob set thee up on high: Send forth thy help from the sanctuary, and support thee out of Zion…” (Psalm 20:1-2)
The Lord richly bless your week.
- There are four levels of study and teaching in Judaism. Jesus used all these in the gospels. The first level is called pashat which is looking at the literal meaning of a passage or verse. The second level is called remez which is a hinting, or alluding to a certain passage by mentioning a word or a phrase of that passage. The third level is called drash which is deep interpretation of a passage, thoroughly searching it out by comparing it with other scriptures. And lastly, the fourth level is called sod, which means hidden or secret, deep interpretation.
- Chaim Bentorah, Lesson Five, Hebrew Word Plays, Pg. 47, para. 2, Beyond The Hebrew Lexicon Manual Workbook
- Rabbi Benjamin Bech, The Opposites of Life, Pg. 90, The Secrets Of Hebrew Words.