Beit HaMishkan-Blog-articles

Once a Jew, Always a Jew?

2009-08-12T15:38:00.000-07:00

Once a Jew, Always a Jew?

by Jerusalem Institute of Justice
http://www.jij.org.il/index.php

“Even if a Jew were to (renounce his Judaism), and even if every Christian priest in the world were to baptize such Jew into Christianity, he would remain a Jew”

Interestingly, the above quote is taken not from Messianic Jewish literature, but from a ruling handed down by a rabbinic court in Israel. The rabbinic court system has a reputation for being all over the map regarding many issues, and there is no matter which brings this phenomenon to light more clearly than the issue of conversion to Judaism. A new report recently issued by the “Itim” NGO has shed new light on the flawed nature of the orthodox-dominated conversion process in Israel – according to the report, conversions dropped some twenty percent in 2008; moreover, the conversion system is marred among other things by conflicting rabbinic opinions and unjust conversion annulments.

The statistics paint an interesting picture. Just 5,321 conversions were performed in 2008, as opposed to 7,280 in 2007. The crucial demographic of new immigrants from the Former Soviet Union saw a drop of some twenty percent, with less than 1,000 people successfully completing conversion in 2008. This may set back by several centuries the hopes of fully integrating the hundreds of thousands of Soviet Jewish descendents who are not recognized as Jews in Israel. Similarly, almost thirty percent less immigrants from Ethiopia converted during the same period.

During 2008, rabbinical courts attempted to annul a number of completed conversions for unjust and even ludicrous reasons. For example, a court in Jerusalem invalidated a conversion because the convert’s father was a Reform rabbi. In another case, a court in Ashdod unilaterally decided that certain rabbis in the rabbinic conversion establishment (of which said court is a part) were “unqualified” to perform conversions and consequently annulled a conversion previously conducted.

Perhaps most outrageous of all, however, are the conflicting rabbinic opinions cited in the report. Even though conversion annulments are regular, several justices at the highest rabbinic level believe that a conversion can never be annulled. According to a decision of Justices Brali, Tzarfati, and Bass:

“In the world of Hebrew jurisprudence there is no force capable of changing a Jew…into a gentile. Even if the Jew were to desire this, and even if every Christian priest in the world were to baptize such Jew into Christianity, he would remain a Jew. Moreover, if a convert to Judaism wishes to deny his Judaism, he will not be able to do so and return to his previous faith. He is and will always remain a Jew, and there is no way in the world to take this away from him.”

Many Messianic Jews would undoubtedly concur.

Ironically, Orthodox parties in the Knesset have consistently ignored rabbinic opinion when it suits their purposes – in other words, when they lobby for legislation aimed at delegitimizing those who do not conform to their radical worldview. The Law of Return, for example, was amended in 1970 by a coalition of religious parties to state that a Jew who has “changed his religion” may not immigrate

The Lamb of God

2009-04-07T07:15:00.000-07:00

The Land and Scripture in History

14 Aviv| Master is tried, executed on cross, and buried (Matthew 26:57-27:61)

15 Aviv | Barley sheaves harvested in evening (Leviticus 23:3)

15 Aviv / 21 Aviv | Meal of Messiah (Traditional)

The Lamb of God

In this, the beginning of months, we will have many opportunities for practically living out the words of the Scripture. We will be able to prepare for Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and to begin the counting of the omer. We are also able to recount the time when the Lamb of God was sent to take away the sin of the world.

As stated above, there is so much that could be written about the month of Nissan (a.k.a. Aviv, which literally means ripe and by extension springtime). This eRosh will speak mostly of one aspect of the Passover Seder meal. Specifically, the four "I will" statements that the Holy One made as recorded in Exodus 6:6-7 will be mentioned.

Remember, in the book of Exodus, the children of Israel had cried out to the Holy One because they had become slaves in Egypt. Not only were their freedoms taken from them, but they were being brutally mistreated and abused. This was the normality for the kingdom in which they were in forced servitude.

The account continues to describe that despite the horrid treatment the descendants of Jacob held to a hope in the promise of deliverance. They knew that God would not forsake his promise to the patriarchs. At the appointed time, the Holy One would deliver them. He told Moses to tell Israel the following, which are listed by the corresponding cups in the Seder meal.

First Cup - I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. Second Cup - I will deliver you from slavery to them. Third Cup - I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment. Fourth Cup - I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the LORD your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians

Just as the Israelites were in bitter bondage to Egypt and its wicked king, we find ourselves enslaved to a more fiercely cruel tyrant and the world. This makes the redemption even sweeter and more rich. If we look at each of the cups, we can catch the beginning glimpse of what our atonement through Messiah has produced for our eternal lives.

Looking specifically at the fourth cup, we can see that the Holy One has done all to ensure a relationship with His people. To be certain, this is not just a casual relationship, but an intimate relationship as close as a husband and wife (Hosea 2:19-20). As such, the Holy One has called for us to live as called and brought out people.

So as you partake of the Passover Seder this month, may you call to remembrance the deliverances and great calling that Hashem has done on your behalf and may you be blessed in the grace and knowledge of our redemption through Messiah Yeshua, the Lamb of God that took away the sin of the world.

Finally, those in Messiah are blessed to join with John, the beloved, and offer praise "to him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen" Revelation 1:5-6.

Chag Pesach Sameach!

[FFOZ] Shabbat Chol HaMoed of Passover

2009-04-07T06:52:00.001-07:00

Parashat Hashavuah

Shabbat Chol HaMoed of Passover
Torah : Exodus 33:12-34:26
Haftarah : Ezekiel 37:1-14

Spiritual Matzah

Thought for the Week

Passover is an opportune time to break with our past and start over as new creatures in Messiah. Passover is an annual reminder that we must leave the old culture behind. Every Passover is a chance to start over. At Passover we remember that we have left our spiritual Egypt. We are free from the past, and we need to set aside those things in our lives that continue to enslave us. After all, starting over is what it means to be born again.

Commentary

The Torah explains the significance of unleavened matzah bread in that the children of Israel did not have time to let their bread rise before they had to leave Egypt. They were in such a hurry that they only had time to bake the dough before leaving. To commemorate the exodus, leaven is removed at Passover and unleavened matzah bread is eaten for seven days.

Matzah refers to a special type of flat, cracker-like bread. In order to be Passover matzah, the bread dough must be baked less than eighteen minutes after the flour is moistened with water. If the dough is not baked within eighteen minutes of being moistened, it begins to ferment from the naturally occurring leavening agents in the atmosphere.

In ancient times, there were only two ways to leaven bread dough. One way was to mix the flour with water and let it stand until it began to ferment naturally. More typically, a small batch of already leavened starter dough left over from the previous day's batch was tossed in with the flour and water. The old culture of leaven in the starter dough quickly spread through the new batch of dough. As the saying goes, "A little leaven leavens the whole lump" (1 Corinthians 5:6). By means of this method, a single culture of leaven was passed on from loaf to loaf to loaf, day to day. This is how sourdough bread is still made today.

The commandment to remove all leaven prior to the festival makes this second method of leavening impossible. The starter dough would have to be disposed of prior to the festival because it is already leavened. This is the imagery that the Apostle Paul is referring to when he says, "Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened. For Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed. Therefore let us celebrate the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth" (1 Corinthians 5:7-8). The old starter-dough leaven represents our old way of life. It is sin, godlessness, bad company, bad habits and all the things that taint our lives. Like an old culture of leavened starter dough, those things continue to leaven our lives from day to day, conforming us to our past. Paul urges us to make a clean break with the old culture and to start over as a new batch, like unleavened bread.

When the children of Israel left Egypt, they were leaving behind their old culture. While in Egypt they had absorbed much of the wickedness and idolatry of Egyptian society. The unleavened bread symbolized a new beginning. They were starting over.

Biblical Aviv Calendar for 5769-2009

2009-04-07T06:49:00.000-07:00

Biblical Aviv Calendar 5769 - 2009

http://www.seedofabraham.net/06days.htm

1. March 27th
The Biblical New Year begins with the sighting of the new moon after sunset. Itâ€™s the First of Aviv (Ex. 12:2). This is not a Sabbath.

2. April 10th
The 14th of Aviv. In ancient times the Passover lamb was slain in the afternoon. This is not a Sabbath.

3. April 11th
The first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The 15th of Aviv. The first annual Sabbath (Lev. 23:7). The Passover Meal is eaten the evening before on Friday night the 10th of April.

4. April 12th
First Sheaf. This is not a Sabbath but the day that the High Priest waved the barley grain (Lev. 23:9-11), and the day of Yeshuaâ€™s ascension (Jn. 20:17).

5. April 17th
The 7th day of Unleavened Bread. The second annual Sabbath. The 21st of Aviv (Lev. 23:9).

6. May 31st
Shavuot (Feast of Weeks/Pentecost). The third annual Sabbath (Lev. 23:15-21; Acts 2).

7. September 21st
The Feast of Trumpets. The first day of the 7th month. The fourth annual Sabbath (Lev. 23:24).

8. September 30th
The Day of Atonement. The 10th day of the 7th month. The fifth annual Sabbath (Lev. 23:27-32).

9. October 5th
Sukote. The 15th day of the 7th month. The sixth annual Sabbath (Lev. 23:34-35).

10. October 12th
The Eighth Day. The 22nd day of the 7th month. The seventh annual Sabbath (Lev. 23:39).

We celebrate Hanuka and Purim at the same time that the traditional Jewish community does because both of these festivals arenâ€™t holy days or times, but holidays. Therefore, thereâ€™s no biblical need to have their dates line up with the new moon sightings.

Tetzaveh - תצוה : "You shall command" Kohenim

2009-03-02T14:40:00.000-08:00

Parashat Hashavuah

Tetzaveh - תצוה : "You shall command"
Torah : Exodus 27:20-30:10
Haftarah : Ezekiel 43:10-27
Gospel : Mark 12

Kohenim (Priests)

Thought for the Week

"For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices; so it is necessary that this high priest [i.e. the Messiah] also have something to offer. Now if [Messiah] were on earth, He would not be a priest at all, since there are those who offer the gifts according to the Torah; who serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things." (Hebrews 8:3-5)

Commentary

Then bring near to yourself Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, from among the sons of Israel, to minister as priest to Me—Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron's sons. (Exodus 28:1)

Not long after separating from Judaism, Christianity developed a clerical class responsible for shepherding the people, officiating at services and conducting the sacraments. The clerical class of presbyters came to be called priests. However, the various priesthoods of Christendom are different from the priesthood of the Bible. The biblical priesthood is unrelated to the priesthood that operates within Christianity.

What is a biblical priest?

The Hebrew word for "priest" is kohen (כהן). If you are Jewish and have a last name like Cohen, Kowen, Kahan or Koen, you are probably a descendent of Moses' brother Aaron and his sons. Your ancestors served as priests in the Tabernacle and in the Temple in Jerusalem.

In the Bible, only the descendants of Aaron could be priests. They were born into the position. Priests did not undertake vows of celibacy. Instead, priesthood was passed on through families. The descendents of Aaron have attempted to preserve their family lineage through the generations. The priests are a special family group within the Jewish people. Most Jewish communities have several families that belong to the priesthood.

Priests and rabbis are not the same. A rabbi is someone who has gone to rabbinical school (yeshivah) and received rabbinic ordination by an official ordaining body within Judaism. Any Jew can become a rabbi, and a single Jewish community often has many rabbis.

To this day, the priests retain their priestly status in Judaism. Descendants of the Aaron are still subject to special restrictions and laws of Torah that applied to the biblical priesthood. Moreover, the priests enjoy special privileges in the synagogue and serve in certain ritual functions. For example, if a priest is present on Sabbath, he is given the first opportunity to read from the Torah scroll. At the end of the Sabbath prayers, he is called up to offer the priestly blessing over the congregation. Priests are also responsible for ritual functions in the community like the redemption of firstborn sons.

Despite these modern functions, the Aaronic priesthood isn't what it used to be. In the days when the Tabernacle (or Temple) stood, the priesthood was a crucial component in the service of God. They were responsible for worship services. They handled the sacrifices and took care of the altar fires, lit the menorah, burned the sacred incense, baked the bread of the Presence and did all the service of the Tabernacle. They carried out the divine service on behalf of the entire nation of Israel. Moreover, they were responsible for teaching the people Torah.

The priesthood illustrates our relationship to God. Like the common Israelite in the days of the Tabernalce, we are unable to enter directly into the presence of God. Instead, we need a go-between—an intermediary. In the Tabernacle and the Temple, the intermediaries were called priests. They facilitated the relationship between God and the people of Israel. In a similar way, we disciples of Yeshua regard our Savior as our intermediary with God. He is the go-between who acts as a priest for us in the heavenly Temple. However, the priesthood of our Master is a spiritual one, and does not supplant the worldly, eternal priesthood promised to the sons of Aaron.

The priests have been out of work since the destruction of the Temple, but they could be called back to work if the Temple was ever rebuilt. The priests today await the rebuilding of the holy Temple in Jerusalem, when they will be called up for duty. One day they will be. According to the prophet Jeremiah, God's promise to restore the Aaronic priesthood is inseparably linked with his promise to send the Davidic Messiah:

Thus says the LORD, "If you can break My covenant for the day and My covenant for the night, so that day and night will not be at their appointed time, then My covenant may also be broken with David My servant so that he will not have a son to reign on his throne, and with the Levitical priests, My ministers." (Jeremiah 33:20-21)

[DVRH] Observing the Shabbat is

2009-01-22T16:19:00.000-08:00

Observing Shabbat (the Sabbath) is a central aspect of living a Torah Observant life. As there are an increasing number of believers in Yeshua HaMashiach who are learning and trying to follow His example. Some of the most obvious things that Yeshua did were observe the feasts and holy days that YHVH commanded all to keep and observe.

There are several days that are commanded in Torah, but the first and foremost is the Shabbat, also known as the Sabbath. This day is not only the most popular, but it is also the day of observance that is celebrated more than all others. The Shabbat happens on the seventh day of every week, starting from the Gregorian Friday evening at sundown to the following Saturday evening at sundown.

There are those that have gone full-blown into celebrating the Sabbath within a matter of a week to a month, while many others for various reasons take their time. Both are acceptable; YHVH knows your heart and your capacity. And as long as one is looking to Him and obeying Him in all things including how, when and to what degree each holy day be observed, then all is heading in the right direction.

DVRH

Shemot “Names” – Shemot (Exodus) 1:1 – 6:1

2009-01-13T14:48:00.000-08:00

21 Tevet 5769 – Jan. 17, 2009

The rejection we experience when we try to do HaShem’s will is difficult to overcome. Even the mature believer finds it difficult to overcome the pain of rejection that comes when his or her desire to do HaShem’s will is not accepted by friends and family. Clearly Moshe also experienced rejection. For example, Moshe was continually fighting the Children of Yisrael’s resistance to the will of HaShem. Moshe became so discouraged in this struggle that He became disobedient. Bamidbar 20:11-13 states “Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also. The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, because you believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, from now on you will not bring this congregation into the land, which I have given them. This is the water of Meribah; because the children of Israel strove with the LORD, and he was sanctified in them.” Moshe’s disobedience caused him to forfeit leading the Children of Yisrael into the Promised Land. We can also become disobedient when we respond hastily to the rejection that we receive from others. Anytime HaShem is actively involved in our lives, we will encounter resistance from other individuals that makes us fell rejected. Understanding, how other people use resistance to prevent us from fulfilling HaShem's will in our lives is crucial if we are going to avoid feeling rejected and responding inappropriately. Shemot makes it clear that when HaShem is moving in the midst of Yisrael the Yisraelites experienced resistance to the will of HaShem. In Shemot the resistance the Yisraelites experienced can be categorized as internal and external.

Internal resistance is the personal struggle that occurs between HaShem and an individual. Moshe experienced this type of resistance. Shemot 4:1 states “Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor listen to my voice: for they will say, The LORD has not appeared to you.” Moshe was afraid to speak to the Children of Yisrael, because he thought they would not believe that he had spoken to God. This resistance to HaShem’s will, came from Moshe’s personal fear of what people might think. Moshe had no physical reason to be afraid. Moshe was basing his fear on what might happen. As a reassurance HaShem gave Moshe signs and wonders to convince the Children of Yisrael that he was truly sent by HaShem. Even with the signs and wonders Moshe was still afraid. Therefore, Moshe tried to convince HaShem he was not a good speaker. Shemot 4:10-11 states “Moses said unto the LORD, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue. And the LORD said unto him, who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? Have not I the LORD?” This internal struggle prevented Moshe from using HaShem's strength to overcome. As a result, HaShem became angry and replaced Moshe as the primary speaker to Yisrael. Shemot 4:15-16 states, “the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses, and he said, Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well. And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet you: and when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. And you shall speak to him, and put words in his mouth: and I will be with your mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what you shall do.” HaShem replaced Moshe as the primary speaker, because Moshe succumbed to the internal resistance, he faced. As a result, Aaron completed part of the mission that was originally given to Moshe.

The other type of resistance to HaShem’s will is external. External resistance always manifests its self in group situations. This is because any individual externally resisting a movement of HaShem desires company. In other words, people chose up sides to justify their positions. This type of resistance to HaShem fractures the body. The Pharaoh mentioned in Shemot is a good example of this type of resistance. HaShem’s promise was manifesting as fruitfulness in the Yisraelites. As a result, the Yisraelites were growing in numbers as Shemot 1:6-7 states “Yosef died, and all his brethren, and all that generation. And the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them.” Seeing HaShem bless the Children of Yisrael angered the Pharaoh. Therefore, the Pharaoh tried to get the midwives on his side. To accomplish this he applied pressure by ordering the midwives to kill all newborn Hebrew males. Shemot 1:15-16 states “the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, of which the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah: And he said, When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon the stools; if it be a son, then ye shall kill him: but if it be a daughter, then she shall live.” Through murder Pharaoh intended to intimidate the Children of Yisrael and destroy their ability to fulfill HaShem’s promise. However, the midwives feared HaShem more than Pharaoh as Shemot 1:17 states “But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive.” As a result, the Pharaoh's plan would not succeed through the midwives. Therefore, Pharaoh made his threat publicly, thereby trying to convince all the people to be on his side. Shemot 1:22 states “Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, Every son that is born ye shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall save alive.” However, Moshe's parents feared HaShem more than they feared the Pharaoh. Shemot 2:2-3 states “the woman conceived, and bare a son: and when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months. And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein; and she laid it in the flags by the river’s brink.” If Pharaoh’s resistance to HaShem's will succeeded the newborn Moshe would have been murdered. As a result, HaShem’s plan of deliverance would not have been fulfilled, and the Children of Yisrael would not have been led to the Promised Land. The midwives and the parents of Moshe displayed a strength of character seldom seen. The midwives and the parents feared HaShem more then they feared the repercussions of the Pharaoh. Therefore, HaShem was able to use them to fulfill his promise and deliver Yisrael.

When HaShem moves in our congregations or our lives it is inevitable that resistance will come. As believers we need to understand that this resistance comes internally and externally. Internal resistance is when we desire to put our will ahead of the will of HaShem. As a result, we do what we want and not what HaShem wants. External resistance is from an outside source that wants to stop HaShem from fulfilling His plan. Yeshua warns us that overcoming resistance will not be easy. In fact, when we make Yeshua Lord of our lives it is guaranteed that we will encounter resistance. We can see this in Mt 10:33-37 which states “whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven. Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household. He that loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” To overcome we must learn to place the will of Yeshua above our will and we must fear HaShem more than we fear the resistance. To overcome we must be bold in Yeshua and focus on His strength and not on the resistance that we encounter.

Rabbi Yaakov benYosef - ABOUT Torah

Hannukah - Should we or shouldn't we? by Avram Yehoshua

2008-12-18T08:13:00.000-08:00

Shalom Dear Brothers and Sisters

Hanuka
Should We or Shouldn’t We?

by Avram Yehoshua
www.seedofabraham.net

Hanuka is kind-of-like a mini July 4th (Independence Day). For God’s people Israel, there is more than one time where He delivered us from slavery and oppression, and Hanuka is one of those times. Purim (the book of Esther) is another time. They both commemorate God’s deliverance of His people.

The greatest deliverance is Passover, both in Egypt and in Jerusalem; one with Moses and the other with Yeshua our Messiah.

Hanuka and Purim are holidays, not holy days (or holy times) like Passover. There are no Sabbaths associated with either Hanuka or Purim (except for the weekly 7th Day Sabbath that will fall in any eight day celebration of Hanuka). Neither Hanuka or Purim are found in the Torah, but Purim is found in the Tanach (Old Testament).

If you’ve not read Maccabees, it’d be good to do so, as some of it is truly inspiring. I love the accounts where the Jews were greatly outnumbered, but the leader would pray to God, and God would give them the victory. Some of those prayers are recorded and they’re just beautiful. I center in on just the first book, as it’s the historical reality of the battles and conditions of the Jewish people. There are at least two books of Maccabees, and some divide it into four, but the first is a tale of biblical heroism against all odds, grounded in faith toward Yahveh.

Hanuka celebrates the mighty deliverance of God through the Maccabees, who fought against an evil Syrian king called Antiochus IV Epiphanes. He wanted all the Jews to worship Greek gods and goddesses, and murdered the Jewish people who wouldn’t. Anyone who kept the Sabbath, or anything of the Torah, was sentenced to death.

Outnumbered by trained armies, the priests and people of Judah fought and won many a battle, due to their faith in God. They were able to re-take the Temple and cleanse it from the idol stature of the Syrian king Antiochus IV. He had erected a statue of himself and wanted everyone to worship him as Zeus incarnate.

DID YESHUA CELEBRATE HANUKA?

It’s very interesting to see that Yeshua was in Jerusalem at the time of Hanuka:

‘At that time the Festival of the Dedication took place in Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the Temple, in the portico of Solomon.’ (John 10:22-23, NRSV)

When we realize that Yeshua’s main area or territory of ministering, was one hundred miles north (160 kilometers) of Jerusalem, around the Sea of Galilee, it’s interesting to see Yeshua in Jerusalem for a non-Sabbath holiday. The only times we see Him in Jerusalem is at the Feasts of Israel (Mt. 26:2, 17; Lk. 2:41; 22:15; Jn. 2:23; 6:4; 11:55; 13:1, etc.), where Yahveh commands all Israeli males to appear before Him (Ex. 23:17; 34:23; Dt. 16:16). Why was Yeshua in Jerusalem at Hanuka time? Why would Yeshua leave the relatively warmer climate of the Sea of Galilee area, for the mountainous, windy, cold and rainy city of Jerusalem December, in the middle of the winter?

That Yeshua was there, indicates that He came for the Feast of Dedication. Why? Because there’s no reason for Him to be in cold and wet Jerusalem in the dead of winter other than He went there to celebrate God’s mighty deliverance of the Maccabees, with other Jews. Now, I realize that this is not definitive ‘proof’ but it is a strong indication that Hanuka was seen by Him (and all the Apostles), as ‘good.’ He was there to make a point. It’s good to celebrate Hanuka!

(I’m indebted to Margaret of San Antonio, TX, USA for these next two paragraphs. Her email spoke of the blasphemy that began Hanuka, and the blasphemy of Yeshua’s Hanuka. My thoughts springboard off of that.)

When we look at what John writes, and what transpired at Yeshua’s Hanuka, we can’t help but see a parallel between it, and the reason for Hanuka. The King of Syria, Antiochus the Fourth, who called himself Epiphanes, had control of Judah before the Maccabees rose up. Into the Temple he had placed a statue of himself, to be worshipped as God. On the Altar, he had many pigs sacrificed to himself and other gods. Epiphanes means, ‘the appearing of God.’ The Maccabees put an end to that demonic intrusion, destroying the Altar (because it had become polluted by pigs), and building another (1st Mac. 4:38-47). They took out all the pagan objects of worship. Once cleansed, the Temple was then dedicated for the eight days of Hanuka.

With Yeshua, God the Son, coming into the Temple, we have the Living God manifest, just the opposite of the perversion of the statue of the King of Syria proclaiming himself as God. Unfortunately, there were Jews there that wanted to stone Yeshua because He was telling them that He was one with God (Jn. 10:22-39). These Jews were more like the Jews in the days of the Maccabees that bowed down to the false image and ate pig (as a sign of allegiance and friendship to Antiochus). Yeshua told those Jews that they weren’t His sheep. But later we see other Jews that did believe that Yeshua was the Messiah (Jn. 10:40-42). Yeshua’s Hanuka is quite a significant event. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that it parallels the reason for Hanuka. The Maccabees fought so they could worship the One True God. With the appearance of Yeshua, we see the One True God (John 14:1-11).

TRADITIONS

There’s no reference to the one day’s worth of Temple oil lasting for the eight days of Hanuka. That’s purely a rabbinic legend, but there is reference to Hanuka being celebrated for eight days. Why eight days? Some think it was a substitute for the fact that they hadn’t been able to observe the previous Sukote (Feast of Tabernacles) in October. So, in December, when the Maccabees cleansed the Temple of the pagan things and tore down the Altar, they may have incorporated Sukote’s eight days as a way of celebrating their victory. Eight days for Hanuka is mentioned in First Maccabees:

‘Then Judas (Judah) and his brothers and all the assembly of Israel determined that every year at that season, the days of dedication of the Altar should be observed with joy and gladness for eight days, beginning with the twenty-fifth day of the month of Kislev’ (1st Mac. 4:59, NRSV).

There is another reason why Hanuka lasts for eight days, and this I believe, is closer to the truth. When Moses consecrated Aaron and his sons for the priesthood, and the Tabernacle was dedicated for service, there’s an eight day period (Lev. 8-9). Seven days were the days of consecration and dedication of the priests and the Tabernacle, and the eighth day was the first day of official service. This was most likely on the minds of the Torah observant Maccabees and the reason for the eight days as the very word ‘hanuka’ means ‘dedication.’ As such, Hanuka becomes for us an eight day period of re-dedication of ourselves to Messiah Yeshua, asking Him to cleanse us of our idols, that we might be fully consecrated and dedicated to Him!

Turning to the actual practice of Hanuka, as well as Purim, Ruti and I take it not as holy days, but as a holiday, commemorating historical times in Hebrew history that God moved to deliver His Jewish people from certain death. They are mini-deliverance times or, mini-Passovers (Passover being THE day of deliverance).

What’s the difference between a holy day and a holiday? Holy days and holy times are commanded by God and have annual Sabbaths within them. These can all be seen in Leviticus 23. Holidays like Hanuka, are not ‘holy’, and fall into the category of something like the Fourth of July, or Presidents Day, etc., for America.

Much on Hanuka is culturally Jewish, like eating potato latkes in commemoration of the Temple’s pure olive oil for the Temple’s Menorah (seven branched candle-stick), that allegedly lasted eight days, when there was only enough for one day. Some things can be non productive though, like the giving of gifts for the eight nights. This is in competition with Christmas. As nice as gifts are to receive, Hanuka is not about gift giving, but about God’s deliverance of Judah that they could walk in Torah, and the re-dedication of the Temple, and so, it’s about our re-dedication of ourselves (the Temple of Yeshua), to the Lord.

There are many Jewish traditions that surround both Hanuka and Purim but Ruti and I generally don’t follow them. One we do follow is the lighting of the ‘lights.’ We use either candles, or small oil lamps for the eight days. It’s a visual reminder for each of the eight days, about God’s ability to deliver. The tradition is that one lamp is lit for the first night, and grows to eight as the nights progress. By the sixth, seventh and eighth nights, the lights are a wonder to behold. The ninth ‘light’ or candle is the light that lights all the others, and is put out on every night except the last. This is the reason for the nine branched Hanukia (distinguishing it from the seven branch Menorah or Lampstand of the Tabernacle and Temple).

When we had our congregation in Tulsa, OK, USA, we’d meet every other night (as every night was very taxing on us and the people), and everyone would bring food. We’d read some from the First Book of Maccabees, light the lights for the night and say prayers. Then we’d sit down to eat and fellowship together.

Then, having rented a Jewish video and a TV for the screen (as we didn’t own a TV), we’d sit and watch something like Fiddler on the Roof, or Yentl, or The Chosen, or Exodus with Paul Newman, for thier ethical and cultural Jewish content. This year we may watch Jesus of Nazareth, which I consider to be the best ‘Jesus’ film, in spite of some flaws (like Joseph wearing payot [long side-curls of the very Orthodox Jews today], and many Jews wearing the yarmulke or kipa, etc.). We may also see The Rabbi From Tarsus by Phil Goble (again some flaws, like the wearing of the kipa, and the fact that Paul was never a rabbi and never no one ever spoke of him as such, not even he, but the content is exceptional). In Tulsa we’d have ‘Happy Hanuka’ decorations, and sometimes balloons, which always gave it a festive atmosphere.

Hanuka is a holiday commemorating a time when Yahveh moved mightily for the salvation of His Jewish people. It’s a real historical event.

Make up your own traditions for Hanuka. It’s allowed : ) But remember that the core of the celebration is dedication to Yeshua. You might also want to read a portion of a book every night like, A Tale of Three Kings by Gene Edwards, or The Cross and the Switchblade by David Wilkerson, or Hudson’s Taylor’s Spiritual Secret by Dr. Howard Taylor, etc.

IS HANUKA THE JEWISH ANSWER TO CHRISTMAS?

Hanuka is nothing like Christmas, so it can’t, and shouldn’t, be compared to it. Christmas is very pagan. It celebrates the birth of the pagan Christ or savior, from the stump of an evergreen tree, in the dead of winter. This symbolizes the pagan Christ’s victory over the darkness of winter, as Dec. 25th is the first day that ancient man could determine when the amount of light in the day increases (having decreased from mid-summer). The god of Christmas was called ‘the Christ’ (what we would call the false Christ or Messiah), and was also seen as the son of the sun god. The sun was the greatest object of veneration.

Hanuka is an historical time that remembers when the God of Israel delivered the Jewish people from annihilation. The only thing the two celebrations have in common, is that they are both in December.

As for the giving of ‘Hanuka gifts’, I discourage this, as it’s only a recent Jewish custom that has bled over into Hanuka because it’s so close to Christmas. The Jewish children would tell their parents of all the toys that the Christian children got for Christmas, and so the Jewish parents began to give their children gifts for each night of Hanuka. But it’s not part of Hanuka proper, and we should steer ourselves away from that. It’s not only expensive and unnecessary, it’s pollutes and corrupts a Jewish holiday. If you want to give gifts to your children, you can do it on any day of the year. Please don’t tie it into Hanuka, the Feast of Dedication to Yeshua. It’s a time of giving ourselves to Yeshua, not giving gifts to our children.

CONCLUSION

Hanuka is an historical event that we Jewish people (and all those grafted into Israel too), can celebrate as another time when God delivered His people. It’s in recognition of this that the celebration takes place. Hanuka means dedication and points to the re-dedicating of the Temple after it was taken back from the hands of the wicked Syrian king. It has absolutely nothing to do with Christmas.

For us, the major theme of Hanuka is our re-dedicating ourselves to Yeshua, to His purpose for our lives. In this we see the cleansing of the Temple in the days of the Maccabees as an apt picture for what Yeshua wants to do with us, the temple of the Living God (1st Cor. 3:16). And with Yeshua declaring at Hanuka, in the Temple in Jerusalem that day, that He was the visible manifestation of the Living God, we see Yeshua authenticating Hanuka for all of us and our children.

Maccabees can be read in the New Revised Standard Version, etc., or on-line.

Why is the kipa wrong in these films? Because no Jew back then even heard of a kipa, let alone wore one. The kipa is of relatively modern origin, first appearing around the 16th century. What the Jews wore in the days of Yeshua was a head-covering to protect their hair from the sun and the dirt in the air.

For more on why Christmas is pagan, see http://www.seedofabraham.net/christmas.html.

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Hannukah

2008-12-16T07:40:00.000-08:00

Hanukkah reminds us of the victory won by the Maccabees in 165 B.C.E to insure the purity of the worship of HaShem and to preserve the distinctiveness of Israel and Jewish identity. After HaShem granted this tremendous victory, the people cleansed and rededicated the Temple. The Syrian ruler Antiochus had defiled the Temple and turned it into a heathen shrine, hence the need for cleansing. Therefore, Hanukkah originated as the festival of the dedication or cleansing of the Temple.

Yeshua used the Feast of Dedication (John10:22) to proclaim himself as the Good Shepherd (John 10:1ff). In Jewish writings shepherds frequently represented the leaders of Israel, both good and bad. (The Macabees, for example, would have been considered among the good shepherds). Yeshua therefore announced himself as the good shepherd par excellence.

The book of Daniel predicted the rise of Antiochus and his defiling of the Temple (Dan 8 & 11). Daniel also used Antiochus to represent a figure in the future whom Christian theologians call the Antichrist (Antimessiah), who will also defile the Temple (in this case, the Third Temple which is not yet build). The Antimessiah will cause great persecution for the Jewish people, a time known as Jacob’s trouble (Jer 30:4-7, Zech 13:8-9). At this time Yeshua the Messiah, as the great shepherd-leader (Zech 12-14, 1 Peter 5:4), will come and win a tremendous victory, greater than that won by Yehudah the Maccabee. He will save Israel and establish his worldwide rule.

Hanukkah looks back to a victory and the preservation of the Jewish people when they were in the land. For us it also looks forward to a time when our Jewish people will be preserved despite intense suffering. This preservation, again while the Jewish people are in the land, will culminate in the victory won by the Great Shepherd, Yeshua.

Dvrh

Vayera "And appeared"- B'reisheet (Genesis) 18:1- 22:24

2008-11-09T21:59:00.000-08:00

Vayera "And appeared"- B'reisheet (Genesis) 18:1- 22:24
17 Cheshvan 5769 - November 15, 2008

Many people are convinced that because of HaShem's grace they are not accountable for their actions. As a result, of this false understanding, a new believer will often live exactly as he or she was living before accepting Yeshua. The problem with this type of thought is that it does not require accountability. This desire to replace accountability with grace, has caused many to deny the fact that serving the L-rd requires obedience. Believers who feel Yeshua's sacrifice of grace replaced accountability will never live a Torah observant life. Despite this rejection of accountability, the scriptures specifically teach that HaShem requires accountability from His people. When HaShem's people are accountable they become a symbol of accountability to the world. This is extremely important in an age where accountability no longer matters. To emphasize His desire for the accountability of His people HaShem requires all His followers to abide by the same set of rules. Shemot 12:49 states “One law shall be to him that is homeborn, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you.” One law for the stranger and one law for the native born, implies that HaShem will not have one judgment for the Christian and another judgment for the Jew. To be fair and just, HaShem judges all groups with the same judgment. However, the judgment first begins with the House of G-d. 1Peter 4:17 states, "it is the time of the beginning of the judgment from the house of God, and if first from us, what the end of those disobedient to the good news of God?" This equality in judgment demonstrates to the world HaShem is not a respecter of persons. Romans 2:5-11 states, "But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasures up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; Who will render to every man according to his deeds: To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life: But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; But glory, honor, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile: For there is no respect of persons with God." A believer's hope is not in avoiding the accountability of judgment. A believer's hope should be founded on the understanding that HaShem's people are protected from the consequences of judgment. Protection from the consequences of judgment is not the same as denying that all people are accountable to the same law. Protection from the consequences of judgment requires action. Denying accountability justifies a person's lifestyle. Therefore, all followers of HaShem should seek protection from the consequences of judgment and not deny that HaShem even requires accountability from believers in Yeshua. In Vayera, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah are good examples of judgment and accountability.

The warning HaShem issued to Lot and his family before the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah is a good example of judgment and accountability. Before the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah HaShem gave Lot and His family the opportunity to leave. B'resheet 19:12-14 states "And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides? Son in law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this place: For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the LORD; and the LORD hath sent us to destroy it. And Lot went out, and spoke unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the LORD will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law." Giving Lot the opportunity to leave made lot accountable for his actions. In other words, if Lot refused to believe that HaShem was planning to judge Sodom, and stayed in Sodom, Lot would have been judged. Part of Lot's family did not believe that HaShem would hold them accountable for their actions. Therefore, they rejected HaShem's warning. As a result, Lot's sons in law passed up the only opportunity that they were given. Lots sons in law perished when Sodom and Gomorrah was destroyed.

Rejection of accountability can also be seen in the Brit Hadashah. Revelation 11:3-10 states "And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. And if any man will hurt them, fire proceeded out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed. These have power to shut heaven that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will. And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves. And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth." As a result of the rejection of accountability people will not listen to the two prophets. Therefore, the prophets are killed and the people miss an opportunity to be protected from the coming judgment. Revelation 11:13 states "the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven." The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and the loss of seven thousand lives in the tribulation are similar because in both instances people refused to be accountable for their actions.

The ultimate rejection of accountability is the proclamation that you are HaShem. In fact, rejection of accountability to this degree will proceed the judgment. 2Thessalonians 2:3-4 states “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.” Yeshua makes it clear that when the anti Christ proclaims himself to be God the judgment will start as Mathew 24:15-18 states "When you see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) then those in Judea-let them flee to the mounts; he on the house-top-let him not come down to take up anything out of his house; and he in the field-let him not turn back to take his garments."

The anti-Christ's self elevation above God, is a manifestation of societal problem that occur when individual's refuse to be accountable for their actions. Unfortunately, individuals who refuse to be accountable are in danger of facing the same punishment that the world will receive. Protection from the judgment occurs when an individual accepts accountability and repents. The only way to understand accountability is to live by God's set of rules, and allow Yeshua to be the Lord of our life. This is because without the Torah there is no accountability and without the spirit there is no ability. This means that we must walk in the spirit and live a Torah centered life. When this is accomplished we are protected from judgment because we are walking in “Spirit and in Truth”.

Rabbi Yaakov benYosef - ABOUT Torah

[Beit-Ha-Mishkan] Is Halloween Harmless?

2008-10-31T03:52:00.000-07:00

Is Halloween really harmless?

Who and what’s behind this bizarre holiday?

Why is it so widely celebrated?

Where did Halloween originate?

The Encyclopedia of Religion explains:

“Halloween is the name for the eve of …Samhain, a celebration marking the beginning of winter as well as the first day of the New Year within the ancient Celtic culture of the British Isles. The time of …Samhain consisted of the eve of the feast and the day itself (31 Oct to 1 Nov). On this occasion, it was believed that a gathering of the supernatural forces occurred as during no other period of the year. The eve and day of …Samhain were characterized as a time when the barriers between the human and supernatural worlds were broken.

Otherworldly entities, such as the souls of the dead, were able to visit earthly inhabitants, and humans could take the opportunity to penetrate the domains of the gods and supernatural creatures. Fiery attributes and sacrifices of animals, crops, and possibly human beings were made to appease supernatural powers who controlled the fertility of the land …Samhain acknowledged the entire spectrum of nonhuman forces that roamed the earth during the period” (1987 ,pp 176-177, :Halloween”)

YHWH is giving a wake-up call to professing believers in Messiah Yeshua as it was with those the prophet Elijah addressed in his day, so it is with us: “How long will you falter between two opinions? If YHWH is EL follow Him: but if Baal, follow him.” But the people answered him not a word.” 1 Kings 18:21

What will it take for believers to accept and stand for YHWH's truth rather than harmful traditions that originated in paganism?

Devorah

The rejection of Torah

2008-10-30T20:25:00.000-07:00

Dvrh,

You are absolutely right. Praise God for your wisdom.

Israel was God's vessel to the nations. Surely God intended to be inclusive rather than exclusive just for the Jews alone.

I personally believe that because Christendom rejected a lot of God's commands and laid down in Torah, God allowed the rise of Islam as a counterweight to Christianity because in terms of style, Islam is a lot closer to Judaism than Christianity.

I'll give you one example. There are many young women in places like America and Singapore who call themselves Christians but dress like sluts and have no hesitation in offering their bodies as sex symbols. But this runs contrary to the modesty called for in the Bible which Islam tries to emulate but goes overboard on. The Bible does not call women to hide their beauty but only to be modest about it.

Also Christianity repudiates the dietary principles that were laid down in Torah for all believers of YHVH to follow, not just the physical descendants of Avraham. Again Christianity failed but Islam has taken up those principles.

So Christianity is not perfect and neither is Islam pure evil so we cannot judge who is going to heaven or hell at the end of the day as all monotheists who believe in the one God may have a righteous place at the end of the day. I have deep respect for Islam, seeing in as imperfect but in some ways tying to embody the principles and values of Torah.

What I can say is if Christians truly believe in the Old Testament, then they should take up on their cross, the laws that have been laid down by YHVH. After all if they claim to follow Jesus, Jesus after all was a reforming Jewish rabbi that came to reform Judaism and not start a new religion. As you know, his original followers didn't even have a name for their "new religion", they just called it the Way. Simply because there wasn't a new religion, the only departure from the "old" was the repudiation of man made rules that were laid down by the Pharisees. Jesus himself was schooled in the thought of the Pharisees and was intimately familiar with what they taught.

Please feel free to publicize this email widely.

Clrnce

Why do we meet and celebrate Sabbath, New Moon and the feast of YHWH as a group or community?

2008-10-30T16:41:00.000-07:00

Anyone or a local community can assemble together for worship at any time. However as believers in Messiah Yeshua, there are certain specific times at regular intervals YHWH has appointed for community worship. He has scheduled an appointment for us to meet with other believers on the Sabbath, on Passover, and at all other appointed times listed in Leviticus 23. If He is truly our YHWH than mark our calendar these appointed times well in advance.

When we plan other activities, we will schedule them around YHWH's appointed times. Unless something is very urgent, we will not cancel our appointed time with YHWH to do something else. We will view our appointments with YHWH as a very high priority. “But I ‘m not a Jew” some believers think that the appointed feasts of Leviticus 23 were just for Jews. However, please note that YHWH calls them "The Feasts of YHWH" and My Feasts" It is true that they are sometimes called “the feasts of Israel” (or even “the Jews’ feast of tabernacles” in John 7:2)

However, this is only because the feasts were appointed for the people of Israel: Israel is the nation with whom YHWH schedules these appointments. Some believers or Christians might say “Then that lets me off the hook, because I’m not an Israelite!” Yes, we are, we may or may not have physical Israelite ancestry but when we believe in Israel’s Messiah, we are a part of Israel. Read Ephesians 2 and Romans 11, you will see that we are now a part of the commonwealth of Israel and the olive tree of Israel just like Rahab , Ruth and other Gentiles who left their pagan ways behind and joined themselves to YHWH of Israel. If Israel’s Messiah is our YHWH than remember to mark His appointments and guard them cos they are precious!

Devorah-Lim

Rosh Chodesh : Cheshvan (חשון)

2008-10-28T12:07:00.000-07:00

Rosh Chodesh : Cheshvan (חשון)

Rosh Chodesh : Cheshvan (October 30th, beginning October 29th at sundown)

Get ready for the month of Cheshvan

Learn more about the significance of the new moon and the new month. Read this article!

If you agree this is a great new resource, please forward it to a friend.

This month at FFOZ...

On a recent Sabbath my family walked to a friend's home a couple of miles from our house. While walking down the road, I read aloud the book of James. We entered into discussion on various points throughout the reading. Something different stood out to each person. Each person was convicted in a different area as the Word was read.

There is something powerful in simply hearing and reading the Word. The Lord has the opportunity to speak to each of us, where we are at, and with what He desires teach us.

I am pleased to announce a new resource that we have developed to help spread the message found in God's Word using the weekly Torah reading schedule. The website is called Torah PORTIONS (www.torahportions.org). At this time, the site has one simple goal-to get people to simply read and listen to the Word of God.

Let's let God do the work. Let's simply read and hear the Torah, the Prophets, and the Gospels. God will do the Work of convicting, prompting, and revealing his Torah to those of us that will simply listen.

Please work with us to share the word about this new website resource. May the Lord bless you!

Boaz Michael
FFOZ Founder and Director

The Land and Scripture in History

October 30/Cheshvan 1 - Death of Jewish believer Rabbi Isaac Lichtenstein (1909CE)

November 5/Cheshvan 7 - Last pilgrims arrive home from Sukkot in Jerusalem (Traditional)

November 13/Cheshvan 15 - Jeroboam makes an imitation festival (1 Kings 12:32-33)

The Provision of Cheshvan

Cheshvan is the eighth month according to the biblical calendar. The name "Cheshvan" is the Babylonian name of the month. The older biblical (or Canaanite) name of the month is "Bul" as it says in 1 Kings 6:38, "And in the eleventh year, in the month of Bul, which is the eighth month, the house was finished..."

As the previous verse stated, it was during the month of Cheshvan that King Solomon completed his seven-year construction of the First Temple. Because of this, the sages say that Cheshvan should have had a festival. Yet, the Temple stood empty for 11 months and was not dedicated until the following Tishrei (see 1 Kings 8). According to the sages, since the month of Cheshvan did not receive a feast and lost it to Tishrei, one day it will receive a festival, just as Kislev gained a feast (Hanukkah) during the days of the Maccabees.

More transpired during Cheshvan in the time of the kings. In the generation following Solomon, King Jeroboam set up two golden calves in Bethel and Dan. He instituted a feast on the fifteenth day of Cheshvan. (Needless to say, this is not the feast that the sages said Cheshvan was to receive.)

Also in the days of Noah, 17 Cheshvan may have been the day that the Great Flood began. Genesis 7:11 says, "In the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the deep burst forth, and the windows of the heavens were opened." The sages debated whether this referred to Iyyar (the second month counting from Nisan) or Cheshvan (the second month counting from Tishrei). It was determined that this second month was Cheshvan, due to the fact that Nisan was not considered the beginning of the months until the time of the Exodus (see Exodus 12:2).

Similarly, Cheshvan is the beginning of rainy season in the land of Israel. This change is reflected in the second benediction of the Amidah prayer. During Cheshvan, the phrase "who causes the wind blow and sends down the rain" is added to this benediction. With it, we extol HaShem as the Powerful One who resurrects the dead, heals the sick, sets captives free, and brings forth salvation.

So whether remembering the Temple, the Great Flood, or the everyday blessings of rain, Cheshvan teaches us about the might of God. He is awesome and powerful. We depend on him for our every need. "For us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist" (1 Corinthians 8:6). Though there may not be any festivals in Cheshvan, we can rejoice and be thankful for the constant provision that God provides for us through our Master Yeshua.

May you have a blessed Cheshvan.

The Joy of Torah - Simchat Torah

2008-10-21T07:06:00.000-07:00

Immediately following Sukkot, is a day celebration in which the annual Torah (Gen—Deut) reading cycle is completed with the last verses of Deuteronomy, and is immediately restarted with the first verses of Genesis. It is not a biblical feast, but one not to be missed, as the people rejoice over the Word of YHWH.

On this special day, one can walk into a synagogue anywhere in the world and find a joyous scene. All the scrolls of the Torah are taken from the ark, an ornate cabinet, and carried in procession around involving the entire congregation with happy songs of praise and dance to YHWH. It is in this celebrated Torah that we find YHWH’s appointed feasts. If you have never celebrated these feasts, we suggest you to consider reading Leviticus 23 and ask YHWH if this is something He would like you to begin doing.

Since Torah occupies a central place in the Scriptures (including the Apostolic Writings) it is very appropriate to set aside a day to celebrate Torah although one can celebrate Torah all year round. But how many of us does it? The Psalmist said, “I have rejoiced in the way of Thy testimonies, as much as in all riches. I will meditate on Thy precepts, and have respect for Thy ways. I will delight myself in Thy statutes; I will not forget Thy word….Open my eyes, that I may behold wonderful things from the Torah. I am a stranger in the earth. Do not hide Thy commandments from me.”

As we know Yeshua did not come to abolish Torah, as He made clear in Mathew 5:17-19. Torah remains a very important part of the New Covenant as promised in Jeremiah 31: 31-33 and repeated by the author of Hebrews (who we believe to be Rav Sha’ul-that is Paul, the ‘Author of Liberty’) The Law does brings liberty. Torah isn’t used to ‘get redeemed.’ Torah is YHWH’s instructions for those who are already redeemed. If we use the LAW lawfully, it should be to put away our lawlessness, not to abandon Torah