613 Mitzvot
Positive Mitzvah # 9
Sanctifying the Name of YHVH
613 Mitzvot
Positive Mitzvah # 9
Sanctifying the Name of YHVH
Vayikra 22.32
Velo techalelu et-shem kodshi venikdashti betoch beney Yisra'el ani YHVH
mekadishechem.
You shall not profane my holy name; but I will be made holy among
the children of Yisra'el: I am YHVH who makes you holy.
We sanctify His name in our actions. People are watching us. Our actions are our testimony. Do our actions sanctify Him or do they cause others to blaspheme His Name?
There is a prayer in the Shacharit (morning) prayer service that goes like this:
Kadesh et Shimcha al makdishey sh'mecha, v'kadesh et shimcha
b'olamecha
Sanctify Your Name through those who sanctify Your
Name, and sanctify Your Name in Your universe… Blessed are You, YHVH, Who sanctifies
Your Name among the multitudes (The Complete Artscroll Siddur - Nusach Ashkenaz).
The commentary in the The Complete Artscroll Siddur states,
When originally composed, this referred to the Jewish Martyrs who had sanctified the Name through unyielding loyalty. In later times, it came to refer also to those who cling to the commandments despite hardship and temptation. May a time come when no Jew need ever fear to express his Jewishness openly.
Therefore, we should be able to express our love for YHVH openly without fear of what others think. We must even be willing to die than to disobey Him.
Therefore thus says YHVH, who redeemed Avraham, concerning the house of Ya‘akov: "Ya‘akov shall no longer be ashamed, neither shall his face grow pale. But when he sees his children, the work of my hands, in the midst of him, they will sanctify my name. Yes, they will sanctify the Holy One of Ya‘akov, and will stand in awe of the God of Yisra’el." (Yeshayahu/Isaiah 29:22-23)
Mattityahu/Matthew 10:39
Whoever finds his own life will lose it, but the person who loses his life for
my sake will find it.
Revelation 2:10
Don’t be afraid of what you are about to suffer. Look, hasatan is going to have
some of you thrown in prison, in order to put you to the test; and you will
face an ordeal for ten days. Remain faithful, even to the point of death;
and I will give you life as your crown.
2 Timothy 2:11-13
Here is a statement you can trust:
If we have died with him, we will also live with him.
If we persevere, we will also rule with him
If we disown him, he will also disown us.
If we are faithless, he remains faithful,
for he cannot disown himself.
1 Peter 4:16
But if anyone suffers for being Messianic, let him not be ashamed; but let him
bring glory to God by the way he bears this name.
We should not be ashamed for walking in His mitzvot
A perfect example of this is Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, when Nevuchadnetzar forced people to bow down to His idol. Everyone else did it, even most of the b'nei Yisrael (children of Israel). Everyone else was afraid, so only these men sanctified YHVH.
Shalom v'brakhot v'simcha,
Moreh Chizkiyah Shlomo (Carl)