Tikkun America RESTORE Magazine Elul | September 2024 | Page 14

Yochanan the Beloved picks up on similar imagery in the introduction to his gospel :
In the beginning was the Word , and the Word was with God , and the Word was God . He was in the beginning with God . All things were made through Him , and without Him nothing was made that was made . In Him was life , and the life was the light of men . And the light shines in the darkness , and the darkness did not comprehend it . ( John 1:1-5 )
Yochanan helps us to imagine that the Word , the Torah , is with God in the beginning before the creation of all things . And Yochanan lets us know that Torah is the agent of creation – it is the source of life and light . And that light is shining in the darkness but not everyone can see it . Yochanan also tells us :
And in their discussion , the Torah told Him that man would sin violating the Torah ’ s standard . God ’ s response to the Torah was that since He is loving and compassionate , He would create repentance before man as a remedy for sin ( J . I . Shochet ). When confronted with this idea , we can say that repentance is part of the framework of Creation ; it is a necessary attribute to life in service to the Creator .
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us , and we beheld His glory , the glory as of the only begotten of the Father , full of grace and truth .
The Torah became a person , it was begotten , born , of the Father – and His Name is Yeshua ! The Name of the Messiah , Yochanan says , is now known to us . And as the Torah made flesh , He shows us not only the image of the Father , that is God Himself , but He shows us grace and truth . The strength of the Torah to demonstrate justice and righteousness is married together with grace and truth in Yeshua the Messiah
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