Friday
Hanukkah (Chanukah) coming up December 12, 2009
Read all about the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah at this page of the blog!
Why Should Israel Exist?
Psalm 122:2-3 says, "Our feet are standing in your gates, O Jerusalem. Jerusalem is built like a city compacted together, where the tribes go to praise the name of the Lord."
Some people say Israel does not deserve to exist on the plot of land where it stands. Do you know the story of Abraham's two sons, Ishmael and Isaac? Do you know that these two sons are ancestors to two different peoples? The conflict in Israel and the rest of the Middle East up to this day has to do with the story of Sarah and Abraham's impatience for a son. You can see this entire story, and learn all the reasons why Israel should indeed exist on the very land where it stands today. Order the book by clicking at the red cover on the right. Not decided yet? Read the excerpts below, starting with the book's Overview.
Some people say Israel does not deserve to exist on the plot of land where it stands. Do you know the story of Abraham's two sons, Ishmael and Isaac? Do you know that these two sons are ancestors to two different peoples? The conflict in Israel and the rest of the Middle East up to this day has to do with the story of Sarah and Abraham's impatience for a son. You can see this entire story, and learn all the reasons why Israel should indeed exist on the very land where it stands today. Order the book by clicking at the red cover on the right. Not decided yet? Read the excerpts below, starting with the book's Overview.
Monday
More Jewish Holidays, 2009:
(This is taken from the book in the right-hand column, "What Every Christian Should Know About the Jewish People." It would be beneficial to read the Overview first, here.)
The Jewish "High Holiday" season begins at sundown September 18th with the eve of the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah (pronounced rush ha-sha-na and sometimes spelled Rosh Ha’Shanah). Synagogues will herald in the Jewish New Year with the blowing of the shofar, a trumpet-like musical instrument made from a ram's horn. Thus, Rosh Hashanah is also known as The Feast of Trumpets (“Yom Teruah”). The command from God to observe the Jewish New Year can be found in Leviticus 23:23:
The LORD said to Moses, "Say to the Israelites: 'On the first day of the seventh month you are to have a day of rest, a sacred assembly commemorated with trumpet blasts’.”
This year will be 5770 on the Jewish calendar, dating back to the beginning of Jewish recorded history.
Following Rosh Hashanah ten days later is the Jewish Day of Atonement – Yom Kippur (pronounced yome ki-poor'), from sundown on September 27th to sundown the next day. Every Jewish person who is “of age” (thirteen and over) is required to fast and refrain from any work for the entire twenty-four hours. Jewish people who observe this holiday may spend some of this day at a synagogue praying for God's forgiveness of sins, and approach people whose forgiveness they seek.
God's original command for Yom Kippur was this: "This is to be a lasting ordinance for you: On the tenth day of the seventh month you must deny yourselves and not do any work…because on this day atonement will be made for you to cleanse you. Then, before the Lord you will be clean from all your sins….” (Leviticus 16:29-30, excerpts, NIV).
From Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur are the “Ten Days of Awe”. Leading up to Yom Kippur, Orthodox Jews recite the “slichot”, prayers of repentance.
Can Christians commemorate Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur?
Christians and “Jewish believers in Jesus” should agree that all people who believe in God need confession and repentance. The Jewish observance of Yom Kippur is a serious thing not to be taken lightly.
Although Christians believe that Jesus Christ was the ultimate sacrifice for all sins (Romans 6:10) , we can still commemorate the Jewish Day of Atonement as a reminder to be truly repentant. Our attitude in demonstrating to our friends of Jewish and other faiths that we know the difference between right and wrong, is a good witness, a picture worth 1000 words.
Now, say to your Jewish friends "Shanah Tovah" (have a great Jewish New Year)!
(To order this book, go here. Or read more excerpts below first).
The Jewish "High Holiday" season begins at sundown September 18th with the eve of the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah (pronounced rush ha-sha-na and sometimes spelled Rosh Ha’Shanah). Synagogues will herald in the Jewish New Year with the blowing of the shofar, a trumpet-like musical instrument made from a ram's horn. Thus, Rosh Hashanah is also known as The Feast of Trumpets (“Yom Teruah”). The command from God to observe the Jewish New Year can be found in Leviticus 23:23:
The LORD said to Moses, "Say to the Israelites: 'On the first day of the seventh month you are to have a day of rest, a sacred assembly commemorated with trumpet blasts’.”
This year will be 5770 on the Jewish calendar, dating back to the beginning of Jewish recorded history.
Following Rosh Hashanah ten days later is the Jewish Day of Atonement – Yom Kippur (pronounced yome ki-poor'), from sundown on September 27th to sundown the next day. Every Jewish person who is “of age” (thirteen and over) is required to fast and refrain from any work for the entire twenty-four hours. Jewish people who observe this holiday may spend some of this day at a synagogue praying for God's forgiveness of sins, and approach people whose forgiveness they seek.
God's original command for Yom Kippur was this: "This is to be a lasting ordinance for you: On the tenth day of the seventh month you must deny yourselves and not do any work…because on this day atonement will be made for you to cleanse you. Then, before the Lord you will be clean from all your sins….” (Leviticus 16:29-30, excerpts, NIV).
From Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur are the “Ten Days of Awe”. Leading up to Yom Kippur, Orthodox Jews recite the “slichot”, prayers of repentance.
Can Christians commemorate Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur?
Christians and “Jewish believers in Jesus” should agree that all people who believe in God need confession and repentance. The Jewish observance of Yom Kippur is a serious thing not to be taken lightly.
Although Christians believe that Jesus Christ was the ultimate sacrifice for all sins (Romans 6:10) , we can still commemorate the Jewish Day of Atonement as a reminder to be truly repentant. Our attitude in demonstrating to our friends of Jewish and other faiths that we know the difference between right and wrong, is a good witness, a picture worth 1000 words.
Now, say to your Jewish friends "Shanah Tovah" (have a great Jewish New Year)!
(To order this book, go here. Or read more excerpts below first).
Tuesday
Thought for the Day...
In Genesis 12:3, the Lord tells Abraham (paraphrased): I will bless those who bless you (the Jews), and curse those who curse you.
Friday
Overview: How Much do Christians Know About the Jewish People?
- How can Christians gain a fresh, love-filled perspective toward the Jewish people today?
- What makes a person consider him or herself Jewish?
- Why are Jewish people hesitant to accept the Gospel message of Christ as Messiah?
- How can "The Church" speak up for Israel's existence?
- And the often-debated question: "Do Jewish people really need to be “converted”?
Even if you don’t know any Jewish people, maybe you've wondered why it's so hard for them to accept the Gospel. Or you want to know how our two religions can work together in these times of renewed anti-Semitism and anti-Christianity. AND you want to be prepared as a witness should you befriend a Jewish person...
This book isn't a gift to give to a Jewish friend. It's for Christians to learn more about the Jewish faith, the "Jewishness" of Jesus, how to help Jewish people believe that the Whole Bible is Truth, and many more topics. Inside my book, you can discover the key to building bridges between the only two faiths who believe in the one true God. Who better to explain all this than a Jewish person who has found Jesus as her Lord and Savior? That's me!
When my husband rediscovered Jesus after many years, I thought, "How can I, a girl from a Jewish family, be married to a Christian?" I set out to prove the Gospel wrong. But the moment I really studied the Old Testament and dared to compare it with the New, everything changed. I fell in love with my Messiah, saw my Jewish heritage with new appreciative eyes, and realized the two could fit perfectly together.
Over the years, so many Christians have asked me for information on the Jewish people. So I began writing. Then, I saw whole Christian denominations - well-meaning though they were - go off to "evangelize the Jews" without knowing a thing about them or their sensitivities to the Gospel message. And with the escalation of events in the Middle East and a rise in anti-Semitism and anti-Christianity, I knew I had to finish it.
Come take this journey with me! You can order this book here. Want to see a sample first? Continue reading this Blog below, or view the whole Table of Contents.
(© 2008, Sheryl Young, Wine Press/Pleasant Word Publishing)
JEWISH TERMINOLOGY 101
Enjoy learning some popular Hebrew words and something about them.
Adonai – (Ah-doe-nigh) – A Jewish word for God. Many Jewish people feel spelling out the name God in print is a sacrilege, because it is too holy. They will usually write G-d. Since God can also be Elohim, or even where we get Yaweh and Jehovah, there are many Hebrew spellings for its different contexts.
Bar Mitzvah – A Jewish boy’s confirmation at or near his thirteenth birthday. “Bar” indicates a son. In biblical times, King David may have been identified as David bar Jesse, meaning David the son of Jesse.
Bat Mitzvah (sometimes called Bas Mitzvah) – A Jewish girl’s confirmation at or near her thirteenth birthday. “Bat” (pronounced “bot”) indicates daughter.
Cantor – The synagogue official who leads the congregation in songs and prayers…their Worship Leader.
Chutzpah – Guts, courage, zeal. Make a guttural “ch” by pressing your tongue on the roof of your mouth and breathing out, then add -ootzpah!
Dreydl (“draydil”) – A little toy at Hanukkah – a spinning top.
Gelt – Money. You may have heard of “Hanukkah gelt”, which is chocolate wrapped in gold foil to look like coins at that holiday – or if you’re lucky, a gift of real money!
Kibbutz – An agricultural community in Israel where families live and participate in a combined farming effort. This was started around the Russian Revolution in the early 1900's when Jews made “aliyah” to Israel. Today, there are still about 250 “kibbutzim” (the plural). Not to be confused with “kibitz”, which means to talk, joke or gossip amongst a group of people.
Kosher – Food which conforms to Jewish dietary law; what food is called after a blessing by a
rabbi has been executed. For animal flesh, all blood has to be properly drained and parts inappropriate for consumption discarded. When a Jewish person obeys all dietary laws, like not eating milk with meat in the same meal, we say they are kosher, or they keep a kosher home.
L’chaim! (“le-chayeem”) – Cheers! Let’s raise our glasses and toast to life!
Mazel Tov (“mahzl-tuv”) – Congratulations!
Meshpochah – Pronounced just like it looks, with a guttural “ch”, it means Family.
Mezuzot (or Mezuzah) – The little scroll that Jewish people have on their front doorposts. This comes from Deuteronomy 6:8: “You shall carve it (God’s word) upon your doorposts.” It actually has a tiny piece of parchment inside.
Mitzvah – A happy event.
Mogen David – The traditional six-pointed Star of David, also a popular Jewish wine.
Pareve (“pahriv”) – Neutral food, containing neither milk nor dairy, i.e., a kosher person can eat it with other items. We often see these labels on food products at Passover time.
Shabbat (“shah-bot”) – Sabbath, the Holy Day, from Friday sundown to Saturday sundown.
Talmud – A collection of rabbinical teachings and commentaries.
Shalom - Hello, goodbye, peace.
Torah – The Five Books of Moses or sometimes the whole Old Testament in general.
Yarmulke (“your-mull-key”) – the little skull cap worn by Jewish men for worshipping; some wear it at all times.
Yiddish – A language spoken by European Jews which may be any combination of Hebrew, German, Russian and the Slavic languages (from Romania, Yugoslavia, etc).
Order this book here!
Enjoy learning some popular Hebrew words and something about them.
Adonai – (Ah-doe-nigh) – A Jewish word for God. Many Jewish people feel spelling out the name God in print is a sacrilege, because it is too holy. They will usually write G-d. Since God can also be Elohim, or even where we get Yaweh and Jehovah, there are many Hebrew spellings for its different contexts.
Bar Mitzvah – A Jewish boy’s confirmation at or near his thirteenth birthday. “Bar” indicates a son. In biblical times, King David may have been identified as David bar Jesse, meaning David the son of Jesse.
Bat Mitzvah (sometimes called Bas Mitzvah) – A Jewish girl’s confirmation at or near her thirteenth birthday. “Bat” (pronounced “bot”) indicates daughter.
Cantor – The synagogue official who leads the congregation in songs and prayers…their Worship Leader.
Chutzpah – Guts, courage, zeal. Make a guttural “ch” by pressing your tongue on the roof of your mouth and breathing out, then add -ootzpah!
Dreydl (“draydil”) – A little toy at Hanukkah – a spinning top.
Gelt – Money. You may have heard of “Hanukkah gelt”, which is chocolate wrapped in gold foil to look like coins at that holiday – or if you’re lucky, a gift of real money!
Kibbutz – An agricultural community in Israel where families live and participate in a combined farming effort. This was started around the Russian Revolution in the early 1900's when Jews made “aliyah” to Israel. Today, there are still about 250 “kibbutzim” (the plural). Not to be confused with “kibitz”, which means to talk, joke or gossip amongst a group of people.
Kosher – Food which conforms to Jewish dietary law; what food is called after a blessing by a
rabbi has been executed. For animal flesh, all blood has to be properly drained and parts inappropriate for consumption discarded. When a Jewish person obeys all dietary laws, like not eating milk with meat in the same meal, we say they are kosher, or they keep a kosher home.
L’chaim! (“le-chayeem”) – Cheers! Let’s raise our glasses and toast to life!
Mazel Tov (“mahzl-tuv”) – Congratulations!
Meshpochah – Pronounced just like it looks, with a guttural “ch”, it means Family.
Mezuzot (or Mezuzah) – The little scroll that Jewish people have on their front doorposts. This comes from Deuteronomy 6:8: “You shall carve it (God’s word) upon your doorposts.” It actually has a tiny piece of parchment inside.
Mitzvah – A happy event.
Mogen David – The traditional six-pointed Star of David, also a popular Jewish wine.
Pareve (“pahriv”) – Neutral food, containing neither milk nor dairy, i.e., a kosher person can eat it with other items. We often see these labels on food products at Passover time.
Shabbat (“shah-bot”) – Sabbath, the Holy Day, from Friday sundown to Saturday sundown.
Talmud – A collection of rabbinical teachings and commentaries.
Shalom - Hello, goodbye, peace.
Torah – The Five Books of Moses or sometimes the whole Old Testament in general.
Yarmulke (“your-mull-key”) – the little skull cap worn by Jewish men for worshipping; some wear it at all times.
Yiddish – A language spoken by European Jews which may be any combination of Hebrew, German, Russian and the Slavic languages (from Romania, Yugoslavia, etc).
Order this book here!
Wednesday
Jewish Holidays 2009: PURIM (Purr'-im) – Deliverance from Massacre - begins sundown March 9.
The Jewish people have been in captivity many times, and needed deliverance from many peoples and nations not unlike what's going on in the Middle East today. They celebrate Purim as one of their biblical & historical times of rescue. Purim has a special place in my heart, and I suspect the heart of many other Jewish people as well, perhaps especially women. For it is a great example of how a woman can be used by God to do great things, and earn the respect of those around her.
When I think of Purim, I think of being here "for such a time as this". In the Book of Esther, we see that Esther, an exceptionally beautiful commoner, was selected and crowned queen by King Ahaseurus (also known as King Xerxes or it may have been Artaxerxes, his son). He ruled from India to the upper Nile region then known as Cush (possibly Persia). Unbeknown to the king, the beautiful Esther was also Jewish. Her Hebrew name was Hadassah, and there is an organization named after her today.
Esther's uncle Mordecai found out about a plot by the evil Commander of the king's army, Haman, to kill all the Jews in the country. He asks Esther to go and plead with the king to overturn this order.
To go before the king without being summoned could mean punishment by death, even to his own wife. She had her doubts about going! But Mordecai tells her that famous phrase:
“Who knows but that you were born for such a time as this?” and so she answers:
“…I will go to the king even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish” (Esther 4:14).
She was the only person God had placed in a position to bargain for this, and besides, if they did kill all the Jews, she would not be spared!!
So before going into the throne room, Esther embarked on a three-day period of fasting and prayer, and asks Mordecai to have all the Jews in the region do the same. In the end, Esther succeeds not only in convincing the King to spare the Jews, but to hang the scheming Haman on the scaffold he himself had prepared for Mordecai, to allow 2 days for the Jews to kill those who hated them, and to elevate Mordecai to a place of respect in the King’s palace!
An edict was then issued that the Jewish people should from that day forth, every year at that time, to celebrate with great feasts and exuberance. So it is still celebrated today.
How does one celebrate Purim, which generally falls in early March (“Adar”)? By telling the story through festive, costumed reenactments - children especially enjoy this - by reading through the book of Esther (in Hebrew, “the Megillah”) and blowing noisemakers to blot out Haman's name, by fasting for three days to commemorate Esther's fast, or a combination of all. Although a joyous triumph of good over evil, it should remind us of the seriousness of anti-Semitism, which we have not been able to eradicate to this day.
There is also a special treat to eat on Purim – tri-cornered pastries called “Hamentaschen” filled with a variety of goodies like poppy seeds or jams. Recognize anything in the name? They are symbolic of Haman, who supposedly wore a three-cornered hat. To eat hamentaschen is symbolic of Haman’s destruction.
Can Christians celebrate this day? Of course! I believe because Esther is a great example of a person of faith who was willing to risk everything, to the death, to stand up for her God and her people. We can share our appreciation for Esther with a Jewish person by telling them we truly believe this story, and can relate to it because we are called as Christians to do the same.
Does Jesus not tell us:
“If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?” Luke 9:23-25, (NKJV)
What would it have profited Esther to avoid going to the king? She would have been killed with all the other Jews. How many times do we all fast and pray for someone in need or in trouble, or do we just say "I'll pray for you" and then forget? When is the last time we stepped forward to take the fall?
Will we be ready when and if the time comes and persecution of Jews and Christians really starts in America? Just as Esther took the ultimate step forward to preserve life for those long-ago Jews, Jesus took the ultimate step forward to preserve life for us.
Passover (Pay-sach) - April 9 - 15, 2009 - See this entry within this blog: "How Christians Can Celebrate Passover".
All this info is also found in my Chapter "Jewish Holidays". If you wish to order this book, go here. Or view the Table of Contents of the entire book.
The Jewish people have been in captivity many times, and needed deliverance from many peoples and nations not unlike what's going on in the Middle East today. They celebrate Purim as one of their biblical & historical times of rescue. Purim has a special place in my heart, and I suspect the heart of many other Jewish people as well, perhaps especially women. For it is a great example of how a woman can be used by God to do great things, and earn the respect of those around her.
When I think of Purim, I think of being here "for such a time as this". In the Book of Esther, we see that Esther, an exceptionally beautiful commoner, was selected and crowned queen by King Ahaseurus (also known as King Xerxes or it may have been Artaxerxes, his son). He ruled from India to the upper Nile region then known as Cush (possibly Persia). Unbeknown to the king, the beautiful Esther was also Jewish. Her Hebrew name was Hadassah, and there is an organization named after her today.
Esther's uncle Mordecai found out about a plot by the evil Commander of the king's army, Haman, to kill all the Jews in the country. He asks Esther to go and plead with the king to overturn this order.
To go before the king without being summoned could mean punishment by death, even to his own wife. She had her doubts about going! But Mordecai tells her that famous phrase:
“Who knows but that you were born for such a time as this?” and so she answers:
“…I will go to the king even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish” (Esther 4:14).
She was the only person God had placed in a position to bargain for this, and besides, if they did kill all the Jews, she would not be spared!!
So before going into the throne room, Esther embarked on a three-day period of fasting and prayer, and asks Mordecai to have all the Jews in the region do the same. In the end, Esther succeeds not only in convincing the King to spare the Jews, but to hang the scheming Haman on the scaffold he himself had prepared for Mordecai, to allow 2 days for the Jews to kill those who hated them, and to elevate Mordecai to a place of respect in the King’s palace!
An edict was then issued that the Jewish people should from that day forth, every year at that time, to celebrate with great feasts and exuberance. So it is still celebrated today.
How does one celebrate Purim, which generally falls in early March (“Adar”)? By telling the story through festive, costumed reenactments - children especially enjoy this - by reading through the book of Esther (in Hebrew, “the Megillah”) and blowing noisemakers to blot out Haman's name, by fasting for three days to commemorate Esther's fast, or a combination of all. Although a joyous triumph of good over evil, it should remind us of the seriousness of anti-Semitism, which we have not been able to eradicate to this day.
There is also a special treat to eat on Purim – tri-cornered pastries called “Hamentaschen” filled with a variety of goodies like poppy seeds or jams. Recognize anything in the name? They are symbolic of Haman, who supposedly wore a three-cornered hat. To eat hamentaschen is symbolic of Haman’s destruction.
Can Christians celebrate this day? Of course! I believe because Esther is a great example of a person of faith who was willing to risk everything, to the death, to stand up for her God and her people. We can share our appreciation for Esther with a Jewish person by telling them we truly believe this story, and can relate to it because we are called as Christians to do the same.
Does Jesus not tell us:
“If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?” Luke 9:23-25, (NKJV)
What would it have profited Esther to avoid going to the king? She would have been killed with all the other Jews. How many times do we all fast and pray for someone in need or in trouble, or do we just say "I'll pray for you" and then forget? When is the last time we stepped forward to take the fall?
Will we be ready when and if the time comes and persecution of Jews and Christians really starts in America? Just as Esther took the ultimate step forward to preserve life for those long-ago Jews, Jesus took the ultimate step forward to preserve life for us.
Passover (Pay-sach) - April 9 - 15, 2009 - See this entry within this blog: "How Christians Can Celebrate Passover".
All this info is also found in my Chapter "Jewish Holidays". If you wish to order this book, go here. Or view the Table of Contents of the entire book.
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