- LETTER FROM YA'AKOV TO THE KEHILLAH
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1 Come now, you who have osher (riches), weep, howling over your miseries coming upon you.*Isa 13:6; Ezek 30:2 2 The osher of you has rotted and your malbush has become moth-eaten.†Job 13:28; Ps 39:11; Isa 50:9 3 The gold of you and the silver has been corroded and the corrosion of them will be for a solemn eidus against you, and will eat the basar of you as Eish. You stored up otzar (treasure) in the Acharit Hayamim! 4 Hinei, the wages of the po'alim (workers) who cut your fields, the wages you fraudulently withheld, those wages cry out, and the cries of the harvesting po'alim have reached the ears of Adonoi Tz'vaot.‡Lv 19:13; Jer 22:13; Mal 3:5; Dt 24:15 5 You lived in indulgence upon ha'aretz and lolled in a life of luxury, you fattened your levavot as in a Yom Tivchah (Day of Slaughter).§Jer 12:3; 25:34; Isa 53:7 6 You condemned, you killed the tzaddik, who does not resist you.
7 Have savlanut (patience), therefore, Achim b'Moshiach, until the Bias HaMoshiach, the Coming of Moshiach Adoneinu. Hinei, the ikar (farmer) awaits the precious p'ri haAdamah (fruit of the earth), having savlanut (patience) for it until it receives the Yoreh (first autumn rain) and the Malkosh (spring rain).*Dt 11:14; Jer 5:24; Yoel 2:23 8 You must also have savlanut. Strengthen your levavot, because the Bias HaMoshiach, the Coming of Moshiach Adoneinu, has drawn near. 9 Do not murmur, Achim b'Moshiach, against one another, lest you be judged. Hinei, haShofet is standing before the delet!†Ex 15:24; 16:2; 17:3; Num 14:2,29; 17:6; Ps 94:2 10 Achim b'Moshiach, take as an example, of yissurim (suffering) and of savlanut (patience) the Nevi'im who spoke b'Shem Adonoi. 11 Hinei, we call me'ashirim the ones having endured: the enduring orech ruach (patience) of Iyov you heard of, and the toitzaa (outcome) from Hashem you saw, that Eloheinu is full of rachamim and channun Hashem.‡Job 1:21,22; 2:10; 42:10,12-17; Ex 34:6; Num 14:18; Ps 103:8
12 But, above all, my Achim b'Moshiach, do not swear shevuot (oaths) neither by Shomayim nor by ha'aretz nor any other shevu'ah, but let your “ken” be “ken,” and your “lo” be “lo,” for fear that you fall under HaDin (the Judgment).
13 If anyone is suffering among you, let him daven. If anyone has simcha, let him sing niggunim.§Ps 50:15 14 Are there any cholim (sick ones) among you? Let the choleh (sick person) summon*for Bikkur Cholim (Visiting the Sick) the Ziknei HaKehillah (Elders of the Congregation) and let them daven tefillos over him, having applied the shemen mishchah (anointing oil), b'Shem Adoneinu.†Ps 23:5; Isa 1:6 15 And the tefillah of emunah will deliver the choleh (sick person), and Hashem will raise him up. And if he may have been committing peysha'im, he will be given selicha (forgiveness). 16 Therefore, make vidduy (confession of sin) to one another, and daven tefillos on behalf of one another, so that you may have refuah sheleimah (complete healing). The tefillah of a tzaddik is powerful and effective. 17 Eliyahu [HaNavi] was a man of like nature to us, and with tefillah he davened for it not to rain, and it did not rain upon ha'aretz for shalosh shanim and shishah chodashim (three years and six months).‡1Kgs 17:1 18 And again Eliyahu [HaNavi] davened, and Shomayim gave GESHEM (rain) and ha'aretz caused its p'ri to sprout.§1Kgs 18:45
19 My Achim b'Moshiach, if anyone among you wanders vait (astray) from HaEmes and someone turns a choteh (sinner) to become a ba'al teshuva, 20 You should have da'as that the one having helped a choteh (sinner) to become a ba'al teshuva and to turn from the toyus (error) of his derech, and from setiyah HaDerech Hashem(turning aside or deviating from the Way of Hashem), will save the neshamah of him from mavet and will cover a multitude of chatta'im.

- LETTER FROM YA'AKOV TO THE KEHILLAH
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*5:1 Isa 13:6; Ezek 30:2

†5:2 Job 13:28; Ps 39:11; Isa 50:9

‡5:4 Lv 19:13; Jer 22:13; Mal 3:5; Dt 24:15

§5:5 Jer 12:3; 25:34; Isa 53:7

*5:7 Dt 11:14; Jer 5:24; Yoel 2:23

†5:9 Ex 15:24; 16:2; 17:3; Num 14:2,29; 17:6; Ps 94:2

‡5:11 Job 1:21,22; 2:10; 42:10,12-17; Ex 34:6; Num 14:18; Ps 103:8

§5:13 Ps 50:15

*5:14 for Bikkur Cholim (Visiting the Sick)

†5:14 Ps 23:5; Isa 1:6

‡5:17 1Kgs 17:1

§5:18 1Kgs 18:45

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