Good examples, thanks.

> Once these verses are known, the question is not, or should not be, "Are these for today?", as God Himself has clearly answered that. The question for each person is, "Are these for me?"

I agree completely; that has to be the question.

> Well, are you part of Israel? Notice that I've said nothing about "spiritual" and "physical" Israel, or "New Israel", inventions devised to abscond with the blessings while leaving the curses and responsibilities for Israel.

I don't know anything about any of this stuff, but I agree; one is either a part of Israel or not.

> And no, the Jews are *not* all there is to Israel any more than, say, New England is all there is to America.

Agreed. There are plenty of scriptural references to people and groups who became a part of Israel. Ruth is an excellent example, simply because of her descendents and how important some of THEM were to Israel. :-)

> And if you still don't see yourself as Israel, then these aren't *necessarily* for you, although they're not prohibited *to* you.

Again, agreed. I suspect that much in the same way as people can become part of Israel, I think that even those with the right bloodlines can fall away from Israel and become Gentiles -- after all, if blood isn't required to become a part of Israel, I can't see why it would prevent one from becoming disconnected from Israel.

As for keeping the Law, I think I would find it very difficult, but I would be interested in trying to do it more. After all, it can't hurt, so long as I keep in mind what really matters, and I could probably benefit from it. Someday, perhaps...

> Nyperold

Don Monkey