Part #3 Matthew 5-7 (Finding The Gospels in The Weekly Torah Portions)

What do citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven look like? Jesus said that they are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness; they are the merciful; they are the pure in heart; they are the peacemakers. But we’re also surprised to learn, that they are the poor in spirit, the meek, the mourning and the persecuted!
As we begin to work through Matthew 5, we are immediately confronted by a language barrier, which almost seems to make several seemly contradictions. For example:
In what way are the poor in spirit, the mourners, the downtrodden and the persecuted to be understood as The Blessed? It certain sounds like a contradiction! But by reading the Beatitudes with a Hebrew perspective while using Hebrew glasses instead of Greek glasses, all the contradictions disappear making the point of Jesus’ discipleship message, loud and clear!