Yad: Revisiting the HAND

I’m on day 11 without the full use of my right hand (after thumb reconstruction surgery). It’s been an interesting challenge. You don’t recognize how important your dominant hand is, until you’re restricted from using it.

My Mum came from the neighbouring province of New Brunswick to help me out. She’s been cooking meals, shoveling the snow, feeding the cats, tying my shoes, washing my hair. She’s been a gift to me and I’m so grateful to have her in my life. 

The Hebrew root word for hand is YAD, and the first time we come across the word in the Hebrew Bible it’s associated with taking. We see, we desire, we take. Eve and Adam had just disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden and now their eyes were open to sin. The desire for power and the greedy disposition to gain wealth had seeped into their being. With the darkness of that knowledge, they could no longer stay in YHWH’s perfect Garden without the risk of chaos contamination:

Genesis 3:22-23

Then YHWH God said, “Behold, the human has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might reach out with his hand [yadow], and take fruit also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”— therefore YHWH God sent him out of the Garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken. 

This was the beginning of the seeing-desiring-taking common-thread theme which would weave its way throughout the Bible. In a short period of time, that desire for power and influence resulted in taking a life. Cain, the son of Adam and Eve, killed his brother, Abel:

Genesis 4:10-12

Then He [YHWH] said [to Cain], “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying out to Me from the ground. Now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand [mi-yadeka]. When you cultivate the ground, it will no longer yield its strength to you; you will be a wanderer and a drifter on the earth.” 

Cain’s hand took his brother’s life-blood. This was not okay with YHWH. Humans were not created to kill; we were meant to partner with God to support life and help life flourish on earth. But only a few generations after Cain we read about the first war recorded in the Bible. In this event Abram found himself on the winning side. The king of Sodom, also victorious in war, offered the spoils to Abram:

Genesis 14:21-23

The king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the people, but take the goods for yourself.”

But Abram replied to the king of Sodom, “I have raised my hand [yadi] to YHWH God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, that I will not accept even a thread, or a strap of a sandal, or anything that belongs to you, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich.’” 

Abram raised his hand to YHWH. He would take what God would freely give him, but he would not take from the spoils of war; he would not profit from death and chaos. Also, Abram would not give anyone else the right to say, “I provided for you” or “I saved you” . Only God could save and Abram knew it to be true.

There’s a beautiful image, that is repeated throughout the Tanakh, where YHWH takes us by the hand and leads us out of the darkness:

Psalm 139:5-14

[David to YHWH:] You have encircled me behind and in front, and placed Your palm upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is too high, I cannot comprehend it.

Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?

If I ascend to heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there. If I take up the wings of the dawn, if I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, even there Your hand [yad’ka] will lead me, and Your right (hand) will take hold of me.

If I say, “Surely the darkness will overwhelm me, and the light around me will be night,” even darkness is not dark to You, and the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike to You.

For You created my innermost parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to You, because I am awesomely and wonderfully made; wonderful are Your works,  and my soul knows it very well.

YHWH offers light, not darkness; He offers life, not death. Let’s raise our hand to YHWH and receive the blessing He freely gives us!

Psalm 63:4

So I will bless You as long as I live; I will lift up my hands (palms) in Your name.

To read the earlier posting on this subject, click below:

YAD/HAND

Next week: MELTING