"May you be covered in the Dust of your Rabbi"

Isaac Newton said, "In the absence of any other proof, the thumb alone would convince me of God's existence." – A sage over 3k years ago put it like this: We are fearfully and wonderfully made

Do you ever sit and consider what you CAN do. The thumb alone, the human eye – sight, smell, touch hearing taste.

It’s easy to sit down and think what we lack, what we can't do, struggle to do, what others can do which we cannot - but to just sit and consider – what we can. Even the repetitive stuff day in day out, a thousand times a day.

Our thoughts, our feelings, our senses. Just think about them for a second.

I had one of those moments recently - where a rush of senses caused me to stop - and ponder.

Well it was more like a couple of instances - but maybe that’s where this story starts.

I used to enjoy tinkering with old cars. I've recently had a big birthday so Helen & I discussed me maybe getting a banger in the garage I could tinker with. It’s a way I destress - but with the small size of this there were only a couple of options and they were out of budget.

So, I looked at a motorbike. My Dad was brought up with them, and they were around me growing up - and I had always wanted to get one, but I sort of passed straight through Bicycles to my car test and aside to taking my CBT a couple of times - I'd never owned one myself.

Long story short, I ended up seeing this electric motorbike that was in a poor state and needed some work, so snapped it up.

I'm told that of all the senses, the one most closely linked to memory is smell.

Seemingly the areas of the brain that deal with smells, memories and emotions are very much intertwined.

I got the bike and I managed to take it out a bit before I started stripping it down - but on ONE of the occasions going to take it out - I was stopped. Something wasn't tracking. The visual and the olfactory - what I saw and smelt were not matching up.

I couldn't understand why at first - I paused and stood until I could. I could see a motorbike and I was used to what came with that picture from memories - and this was incongruent - it didn't match.

As I said its electric. There was no smell of petrol, of two stroke, or oil or all the usual things that come from storing a motorbike in a confined place that I remember.

And I think that’s what set me up for the second thing. It started with that awareness.

I started stripping the frame down. It had rust and needed blasting and power coated amongst other jobs.

I worked for a bit then left it for the next day.

And it’s when I returned - that’s where I was stopped again.

My Dad was an aircraft ENGINEER in the RAF, then an aircraft fitter for British Aerospace. I have loads of tools - overnight I had unusually left some of the cases open.

The smell and the memories were overpowering - as the air was perfumed with 50ish years of tools handled and manipulated by his hands. The embedded grease, the oil, HIS sweat. I was literally just taken back in time to helping him work on his motorbike or car.

I couldn't have imagined myself doing this, but I walked over and picked up a tool and brought it close - and with that the memories flooded back even more.

The smells, the memories and emotions intertwined - we are fearfully and wonderfully made.

But more than that, the smell had now transferred. I washed my hands a few times that day WELL! - singing happy birthday a couple of times - and yet the residue still lingered - and with it the memories.

If I am honest – its times like this I am still learning what to do with them, to be more emotionally aware and connected, but I’m seeking how the Holy Spirit is wanting to influence and guide through them – I’ve consistently found – He does.

It was as I was pondering and reflecting my mind went back to a phrase, I had heard Rabbi Wallace teach on years ago - but I know others have spoken about and written of.

“MAY YOU BE COVERED IN THE DUST OF YOUR RABBI”

The Jewish Educational system in Jesus’s day went something like.

From age 4-6 you would be enrolled into a local Yoshiva/school and would learn to read and write in Hebrew. ABC’s

And then at around 6, your parents would choose a school in a local synagogue under a particular Rabbi they respected. From 6-10 you would study in BET SEFER – The House of the Book – and you would learn & memorise the whole of the Torah.

At the age of 10 – the ones who had learned best would be chosen to continue to the next level.

But those NOT chosen - would be dismissed with a blessing

“Bless you my son, go learn your fathers trade and pray that your children are smarter than you are” – ouch!

SO - from 10-14 – those BEST students would be enrolled into BET TALMUD – House of learning/rules.

They would learn the commonly held beliefs of their people, the history and law. The art of reasoning – not Greek reasoning like 2+2=4

But Jewish reasoning is more like answering questions with questions. What is 2+2 – what is 25% of 16? Bet Talmud – House of learning.

AS AN ASIDE – in Luke 2:41 we find this story about Jesus at age 12 and he’s been taken to the Temple – Mary and Joseph lost him (for three days) then find him IT SAYS he is “sitting among the religious teachers, listening to them and asking questions. WHY – because he would have been in Bet Talmud

“47 All who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers.” – it’s no wonder is it – he had been there taking part in writing the scriptures they were NOW studying.

Anyway - at the end of Bet Talmud (13-14) – the students would present themselves to a Rabbi they wished to become a disciple of / a tamudim / to ASK if they could be their apprentice.

They would be quizzed/questioned to see if they were good enough.

If they were not – they would be released with the blessing “Bless you my son, go learn your fathers trade and pray that your children are smarter than you are”

But for those good enough – the Rabbi would answer “Lech Achari” – come follow me and then bless them with this phrase “May you be covered with the dust of your rabbi”

If this was you, you would leave you family home and follow that Rabbi into BET MIDRASH – The House of Study.

Learning and understanding how this Rabbi interpreted the law and the scriptures.

There were of course the 10 Commandments, but within the OT there are lots of other laws and rules – some 613 of them – and there would always be situations where 2 or more commandments came into conflict with something you HAD TO do – so the Rabbis would put them in order. 1 to 613 so you knew which supersedes another.

How THAT Rabbi interpreted the rules, what order, whether harsh or soft, easy or hard was called his yolk – and as his disciple, his tamudim – you were learning HIS YOLK, his interpretation – so when Jesus later says in Matt 11 “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest... 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” - doesn’t that make more sense.

So – THE STUDENT would approach the Rabbi, would be quizzed and if he passed - Rabbi would answer “Lech Achari” – come follow me and then be blessed with this phrase “May you be covered with the dust of your rabbi” – WHY?

You would be so privy to ALL your masters ways of doing things, so close that on your walking around, learning on the dusty roads – you would be so close to your rabbi, that the dust from HIS steps would be kicked up and cover YOU and that itself would be a blessing.

Now it always troubled me growing up – Jesus walks into Bethsaida – this little fishing village, some 6-800 people, 10-12 extend families - it’s this backwater and he sees Simon Peter and Andrew in THEIR boat – and James and John working with their father Zebedee – all Jesus has to say is “Come Follow me” and they drop everything – why?

Well – if they have or still are learning their fathers trade – it stands to reason at some point they will have had THAT blessing said over said over them:

“Bless you my son, go learn your fathers trade and pray that your children as smarter than you”

A blessing which effectively says “you are NOT good enough”

And if like me you ever wondered why Zebedee had let them go, not pleaded with to stay – well at some point he would have had the same blessing said over him in his life – and here were HIS children being chosen by the Rabbi – the answer to that prayer.

And now – a Rabbi has COME TO THEM & is saying “Lech Acharai” – Come follow me.

He is not answering THEIR approach - the Rabbi is ASKING them.

If you play football, can you imagine going through trials and eventually being rejected and going to get a ‘normal’ job – but then the England manager comes looking for you – in your workplace and asks you to join the team – Wouldn’t YOU drop everything??

So, when Jesus says in John 15:16 “You did not choose me – I chose you” it wasn’t an expression of his Calvinistic or Arminian tendencies. (you might need to google that little theological reference)

He is saying I LOOKED FOR YOU and chose YOU.

Which is what the New testament tells us he did for us. Jn 3:16, Eph 1:4, 2 Tim 1:9…

Luke 19:10 “The son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost” – That ‘lost isn’t – “I’ve lost the humans – where did I leave them’ – it means “broken beyond repair” THAT is me. THAT is you?

I wonder if in the course of today, these next few days you can remember this – Jesus, today - by his spirit is saying to you “Lech Acharai” - Come follow me

Are you walking close enough to be covered in the dust of your Rabbi?

Are you close enough that the fragrance of his work-tools – HIS Word, HIS spirit is permeating and lingering on you??

May you today, this week truly be covered in the dust of your Rabbi.