Tisha B’av
Tisha B’Av means “Ninth of Av.” Tisha B’Av is Hebrew for the Ninth of Av, meaning the ninth day of the Jewish month of Av. Though not a biblically mandated…
Shavuot
Also known as: Feast of Weeks, Feast of First Fruits, Shavuot means “weeks.” Shavuot is also called the Feast of Weeks because it occurs seven weeks after the first Passover Sabbath.
The Clues of God’s Passover
I hear many people, Jews and Christians alike, calling the festivals and assemblies of Leviticus 23 “Jewish Holidays.” And while I agree it is the Jews who reverently honor these Holy days, it is the voice of the Lord, who poignantly declares; “These are my feasts.”
Julie Levey is a 12th grader at the Spence School in New York.
Unexodus — a story of freedom
The smell of albondigas — Sephardic meatballs with peas and artichoke hearts — diffuses through our kitchen but not through our home, as it usually does. This year, the single pot my mother is cooking will suffice. One pot will feed six, with leftovers for tomorrow’s lunch. Four pots feed 18 people, leaving a few Tupperwares to freeze.
Chanukah
Chanukkah ( חנוכה ) means “dedication.” The Feast of Hanukkah is the Feast of Dedication. The events behind the festival of Hanukkah are found in the apocryphal book of 1 Maccabees. Therein the story is told of how Judah Maccabee and his heroic band of freedom fighters overthrew the tyrannical Seleucid forces that had subdued Judea and defiled the Jerusalem Temple. The Hanukkah Story In the time of Alexander the Great’s empire, the land of Israel found itself buffeted between world powers that sought to use her as a natural land bridge between Africa and Eurasia. The people of Israel were the victims of great political upheavals. War was never far from their land. In the meantime, another war was being waged among the people of Israel. Alexander’s conquests had introduced the world to Greek language, thought, custom, and philosophy.
Passover and Non-Jews
If there are aspects of the Passover Seder from which all people can learn, how much more so is this true for believers in Messiah? After all, our Master Yeshua chose the wine and the matzah of a Passover Seder to represent his body and blood. More than just learning about and celebrating the concept of freedom from oppression and exile, for disciples of Messiah, the seder celebrates Yeshua’s atoning death and resurrection while remaining firmly grounded and centered on God’s deliverance of the Jewish people from Egypt. Gentiles being drawn to the God of Israel is a significant and beautiful part of this grand plan of redemption as we long for the even greater exodus that will come in the Messianic Era (Jeremiah 16:14-15). Rabbi David Fohrman writes: The Exodus, as it actually happened in history, did not accomplish everything it might have. There is work yet to do to complete its unrealized vision. The procession that departed Egypt was a shadow of what it might have been. It will be the destiny of Jew and Gentile to one day realize the promise of that journey as it should have taken place: to march side by side and join hands, proclaiming in unison the oneness of a Father they both share.
Moedim (Holidays)
Why do we celebrate Jewish holidays, those in the Torah? Because Yeshua - Jesus - did! What a great opportunity to experience the joy, the rich relationship that G-d offers…
Fire on the Mountain
BY D. THOMAS LANCASTER The festival of Shavu’ot superimposes the giving of the Spirit in Jerusalem over the giving of the Torah at Sinai. The two events are forever inseparably linked.…
Israel Trip Fall 2016 – Day 16 Yom Kippur in Caesarea
We made it to the Synagogue! For our day of fasting, we decided to go to the water and rest in the peace of the…
To find our little hotel we had to look for a red door...
Israel Trip Fall 2016 – Day 23 Sukkot with Barry and Batya Segal, Morning Speaker, Dr. Victoria Sarvadi
Each street in the section has its own theme for decor above. Such fun! Early in the morning, we walked ten minutes to the location of the Sukkot Celebration, with…