Torah Reading and Pittsburgh shooting

The recent shooting in Pittsburgh at the Tree of Life synagogue again is another tragedy that has unmistakable coincidences with the daily Torah reading for that particular day. The Torah reading for Saturday, October 27th, was Genesis Chapter 18, verse 1, through Chapter 22 verse 24. This section of the Torah deals with the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, circumcision, and attempted slaughter.

There are a number of key passages, but for the sake of brevity, here are a couple that really are prominent:

Genesis 19:24: "And the Lord caused to rain down upon Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire, from the Lord, from heaven." And later, Genesis 21:4: "And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him."
Genesis 22:10: "And Abraham stretched forth his hand and took the knife, to slaughter his son."

Key elements: Complete destruction of a city and its inhabitants for its depravity, circumcision, and directives regarding slaughter.

The Pittsburgh shooting was in a house of prayer - a synagogue - where this was the Torah reading for that particular day.

It was reported that the liturgy included a bris - a circumcision - for a gay couple's adopted son.

As I made a post several months ago about the Torah reading for the events on Sept. 11th, 2001, this reading too has very unusual similarities to what actually transpired on the day of the shooting. Some might call this coincidental. Read the entire Torah reading for yourself and make your own judgments. The similarities are unusual to say the least.

a reply to: CookieMonster09

Do you really think so, maybe
But there are thousands of othe verses in the OT that could have been considered even more relevant

Lucky they were not reading an Major Prophets warning, hey?

Gotta be pretty awkward when they read the part about homosexuality being an abomination but ok

a reply to: dashen


It's a common misconception that Sodom and Gomorrah were supposedly destroyed because of homosexuality. But, that's not Hebrew history, that was King James's input.

Ezekiel 16:49

Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy. 50 They were haughty and did detestable things before me. Therefore I did away with them as you have seen.

None of it had to do with Homosexuality. It all had to do with selfish perversion of vulnerable people.

Jasher 19

34 And they took Paltith and brought her before their judges, and they said to them, Thus did she do, and it is she who supplied the poor man with bread, therefore did he not die all this time; now therefore declare to us the punishment due to this woman for having transgressed our law.

35 And the people of Sodom and Gomorrah assembled and kindled a fire in the street of the city, and they took the woman and cast her into the fire and she was burned to ashes.

41 And the judge said, The judgment of death must pass upon this woman because she transgressed our law, and this therefore is the decision concerning her.

42 And the people of those cities assembled and brought out the young woman, and anointed her with honey from head to foot, as the judge had decreed, and they placed her before a swarm of bees which were then in their hives, and the bees flew upon her and stung her that her whole body was swelled.

43 And the young woman cried out on account of the bees, but no one took notice of her or pitied her, and her cries ascended to heaven.

44 And the Lord was provoked at this and at all the works of the cities of Sodom, for they had abundance of food, and had tranquility amongst them, and still would not sustain the poor and the needy, and in those days their evil doings and sins became great before the Lord.

45 And the Lord sent for two of the angels that had come to Abraham's house, to destroy Sodom and its cities.

46 And the angels rose up from the door of Abraham's tent, after they had eaten and drunk, and they reached Sodom in the evening, and Lot was then sitting in the gate of Sodom, and when he saw them he rose to meet them, and he bowed down to the ground.

47 And he pressed them greatly and brought them into his house, and he gave them victuals which they ate, and they abode all night in his house.

48 And the angels said to Lot, Arise, go forth from this place, thou and all belonging to thee, lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of this city, for the Lord will destroy this place.

49 And the angels laid hold upon the hand of Lot and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hands of his children, and all belonging to him, and they brought him forth and set him without the cities.

50 And they said to Lot, Escape for thy life, and he fled and all belonging to him.

Nothing about homosexuality.

More on the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah: www.sacred-texts.com...

a reply to: Sookiechacha

Actually, Sodom and Gomorrah were well known at that time to rape and pillage outsiders. If you read the Torah reading, Abraham's nephew, Lot, was trying to prevent the wicked townspeople from raping the angels ("men" in the text) that had come to his house. It is interesting that you quote the book of Jasher, because the book of Jasher actually has very descriptive verses describing the perversions of Sodom and Gommorah, even morseo than the Torah reading itself.

Yes, they also persecuted the poor and needy. Sodom was a very rich, wealthy area, and there were a lot of poor people that were attracted to moving there for economic reasons. The townspeople hated outsiders, and would purposely rape them to detract other poor people from moving there as well. Homosexual rape. Not trying to be blunt, but this is the truth.

But, I think you are missing my point. Regardless of your own personal thoughts about the matter, the point is that there is a clear and direct correlation (in metaphor and analogy) between the events of that particular day and the Torah reading. This is also true regarding the 9th of the Hebrew month of Av, and other recurring dates.

Here's a challenge: Take a look at the Torah reading for Tuesday, November 6th, the day of the U.S. mid-term elections this coming week. Tell me what you think it means, and how it might potentially relate to that day's events. Genesis 26:13 through 26:22.

a reply to: CookieMonster09

Homosexual rape. Not trying to be blunt, but this is the truth.

Homosexual rape is a byproduct of warfare and was commonly practiced world wide, to punish, degrade, emasculate and subdue their captives. You see it all the time in prisons today. I have no doubt that Sodom and Gomorrah also employed the practice.

Hebrews were forbidden to use the practice. But, they didn't mind accruing piles and piles of cut off male members.

But, Sodom's people were psychopaths that enjoyed torture and watching people suffer. That was their crime, not the sexual enjoyment of homosexual relationships.

The reason I bring that up is because, I think in pointing out a perceived omen hidden within the weekly Torah reading, you're correlating the fact that a gay couple's adopted child was being circumcised, with the fateful shooting. Not because of the circumcision, which is required of all Jewish male babies, but because of the adopted parent's apparent sexual expression. But, I want to point out that loving sexual expression was not the reason Sodom was destroyed. It was for the depraved enjoyment of torturing poor people, and the people who aided them, to death.

Here's a challenge: Take a look at the Torah reading for Tuesday, November 6th, the day of the U.S. mid-term elections this coming week. Tell me what you think it means, and how it might potentially relate to that day's events. Genesis 26:13 through 26:22.

But the herders of Gerar quarreled with those of Isaac and said, “The water is ours!” So he named the well Esek,[c] because they disputed with him. 21 Then they dug another well, but they quarreled over that one also; so he named it Sitnah.[d] 22 He moved on from there and dug another well, and no one quarreled over it. He named it Rehoboth,[e] saying, “Now the Lord has given us room and we will flourish in the land.”

Quarrels over water rights are as old as civilization, and are still going on today. I guess it's a decent topic for election day.

a reply to: Sookiechacha

Not because of the circumcision, which is required of all Jewish male babies, but because of the adopted parent's apparent sexual expression.

a reply to: Sookiechacha

Put yourself in the Creator's shoes. It's His book, after all. He is communicating to us directly through his Torah. What is His opinion of homosexual relations?

He anoints a holy house of prayer and a holy people. The holy house of prayer is desecrated by promotion and acceptance of homosexual acts. On full display, in front of everyone, and entirely permitted by societal norms. No one bats an eye. But this was supposed to be His people, set aside for holiness, as a light and beacon to the rest of the world. They have a strict duty to follow His commandments.

And, if you say, that's a heavy price to pay - You are correct. The Torah is replete with very severe consequences for refusing to obey.

Quarrels over water rights are as old as civilization, and are still going on today. I guess it's a decent topic for election day.

There's much more to the reading than the quarrel over water rights. Relevant verses:

13: "And the man became great, and he grew constantly greater until he had grown very great."
14: "And he had possessions of sheep and possessions of cattle and much production, and the Philistines envied him."

Who does that sound like today? What national figure is very great, and will grow even greater after Tuesday, assuming events fall in his favor? Does he have lots of material possessions? Do certain segments of society hate him, perhaps even envy his power base and possibly his material wealth?

15: "And all the wells that his father's servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father the Philistines stopped them up and filled them with earth."

Who is blocking this powerful man today? Again, think in metaphors and analogies.

16: "And Abimelech said to Isaac, "Go away from us, for you have become much stronger than we.""

Think divisions, and divisiveness. Think the coasts of this country versus "flyover country". Who is telling the powerful man today to go away? Is that powerful man stronger than his adversaries?

22: "And he moved away from there, and he dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it; so he named it Rehoboth, and he said, "For now the Lord has made room for us, and we will be fruitful in the land.""

The whole gist of the passage relates to a very powerful, rich man, and those that envy him. That man grows exponentially in power, and others quarrel with him and want him to "go away".