tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22045053235975717052024-02-06T20:26:12.089-08:00What Every Christian Should Know...About the Jewish People:
Improving the Church's Relationship with God's Chosen Nation.
A new tool for Christians to be better friends and witnesses to the Jewish world community!Sheryl Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11821759685763799982noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2204505323597571705.post-83113117108502027332013-02-22T07:39:00.001-08:002013-06-07T11:51:14.930-07:00Purim: Queen Esther and "Such a Time as This"The Jewish holiday of Purim begins at sundown February 22, 2013. What's it about?<br />
<br />
The Jewish people have been in captivity many times, and needed deliverance from various other peoples and nations - not unlike what's going on in the Middle East with Israel today. They celebrate Purim as one of their biblical and historical times of rescue. <br />
<br />
Purim has a special place in my heart, and I suspect the heart of many other Jewish people as well, perhaps especially women. This holiday came about because of how a woman can be used by God to do great things, and earn the respect of those around her.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
Esther's cousin 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.<br />
<br />
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:<br />
“Who knows but that you were born for such a time as this?” and so she answers:<br />
“…I will go to the king even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish” (Esther 4:14).<br />
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!<br />
<br />
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!<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
How does one celebrate Purim, which generally falls in late February or early March? 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.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
<strong>Can Christians celebrate this day?</strong> 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.<br />
<br />
Does Jesus not tell us:<br />
“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)<br />
<br />
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?<br />
<br />
Will we be ready when and if the time comes and persecution of Jews and Christians is activated in more than just words 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.<br />
<br />
<strong>Next Jewish holiday: Passover <em>(Pay-sach)</em> - March 26-April 1, 2013 </strong>- See this entry within this blog: <em><a href="http://christiansneedjewishinfo.blogspot.com/2008/07/how-christians-can-celebrate-passover.html"><span style="color: #cc0000;">"How Christians Can Celebrate Passover".</span> </a></em><br />
<br />
Sheryl Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11821759685763799982noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2204505323597571705.post-55991202654769765242011-04-01T07:07:00.001-07:002013-02-22T08:24:04.279-08:00Passover - The Exodus Story<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
The Jewish holiday of Passover for 2013 begins at sundown, March 26 and goes to sundown, April 1. Passover celebrates the re-telling of the story from the Old Testament book of Exodus. Moses is God's instrument in freeing the Israelites from Egyptian captivity.<br />
<br />
The name "Passover" comes from the tenth plague God brought on Egypt when Pharoah would not let the Jewish people out of bondage. Each Jewish family was to sacrifice a lamb and place the blood on their door posts so the plague brought upon the first-born would "pass over" their families and affect only the Egyptian first-born.</div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">See a full explanation of Passover, including how it can be celebrated and honored by Christians, at the post "<a href="http://christiansneedjewishinfo.blogspot.com/2008/07/how-christians-can-celebrate-passover.html"><b><span style="color: #990000;">How Christians can Celebrate Passover</span></b></a>" here on this blog site.</span>Sheryl Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11821759685763799982noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2204505323597571705.post-26357264623989877592010-10-06T15:51:00.000-07:002013-06-07T12:31:49.849-07:00More Jewish Holidays: Sukkot, The Festival of Booths<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH4Th6do9kMm-4z2abNkuRlaLQiedXwC_Oy8NYHcSKyWFW189cS5vpwKC1kRvJmjz_h0EFAXjsr4k7yV_HxstA-c54kE1_z7WYibemB10uBvMgpJashxzRCY8jPEZjFK09HeYUuZMEXAb4/s1600/Sukka.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ex="true" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH4Th6do9kMm-4z2abNkuRlaLQiedXwC_Oy8NYHcSKyWFW189cS5vpwKC1kRvJmjz_h0EFAXjsr4k7yV_HxstA-c54kE1_z7WYibemB10uBvMgpJashxzRCY8jPEZjFK09HeYUuZMEXAb4/s200/Sukka.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
The Jewish holiday Sukkot (pronounced <em>Soo-kote</em>), is also called “The Festival of Booths” or “The Festival of Ingathering.” The story is told in both the Jewish Torah and Christian Bible in Leviticus 23:33-42 and Deuteronomy 16:13-15. <br />
<br />
The happy holiday of Sukkot comes in late September or early October, hot on the heels of the Jewish New Year and solemn Day of Atonement (<em>Rosh Hashanah</em> and <em>Yom Kippur</em>, see my <strong>previous article <em><span style="color: #990000;"><a href="http://christiansneedjewishinfo.blogspot.com/2010/08/jewish-high-holidays-rosh-hashanah-and.html">here</a></span></em></strong>). For 2010, this falls on September 23 and goes through Setember 30.<br />
<br />
Sukkot celebrates the harvest season and also commemorates the 40 years in the desert when the Hebrews lived in temporary shelter (in the book of Exodus). King Solomon consecrated the first permanent Temple to the Lord during a Sukkot celebration. <br />
<br />
The ancient Hebrews were to commemorate the harvest occasion by building booths made out of tree branches and palm fronds, living in them for seven days and holding grand celebrations. This can be found in Nehemiah 8:14-17: <br />
<br />
<em>They found written in the Law, which the LORD had commanded through Moses, that the Israelites were to live in booths during the feast of the seventh month, and that they should proclaim this word and spread it throughout their towns and in Jerusalem: ‘Go out into the hill country and bring back branches from olive and wild olive trees, and from myrtles, palms and shade trees, to make booths’ - as it is written. </em><br />
<br />
<em>So the people went out and brought back branches and built themselves booths on their own roofs, in their courtyards, in the courts of the house of God and in the square by the Water Gate and the one by the Gate of Ephraim. The whole company that had returned from exile built booths and lived in them. From the days of Joshua son of Nun until that day, the Israelites had not celebrated it like this. And their joy was very great. (see also Leviticus 23:41-43 and Ezra 3:4)</em><br />
<br />
Today, the booth, called a sukkah (“<em>sook-ah</em>”) is usually erected by a synagogue’s congregation or workmen and still made with as authentic materials as possible. The celebration can be just on the first day or take place on each of the seven days. Kids loving camping out in the booths. Families and guests will be served grape wine or grape juice to signify the fruit harvests, and something like a delicious, thick sponge cake to symbolize the grain harvests. Mmmm, delicious! <br />
<br />
Because this is such a joyous celebration, you may find a Jewish synagogue or Messianic congregation in your area that opens their celebration up to the public so that whole neighborhoods can learn of this tradition. Take the opportunity to go!<br />
<br />
This is a copyrighted excerpt from Sheryl’s book, <em><strong>What Every Christian Should Know about the Jewish People:</strong> Improving the Church’s Relationship with God’s Original Chosen Nation</em> (c. 2008, Wine Press/Pleasant Word Publishing). <strong>All rights reserved.</strong> The book is no longer available, but please enjoy the other informative posts on this blogsite.Sheryl Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11821759685763799982noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2204505323597571705.post-71723794958907184182010-08-31T07:25:00.000-07:002013-06-07T12:13:29.647-07:00The Jewish High Holidays, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur 2010(Newcomers to this blog may want to read the <a href="http://christiansneedjewishinfo.blogspot.com/2008/07/how-much-do-christians-know-about.html"><span style="color: #990000;"><strong><em>Overview</em></strong> first, here</span></a>.)<br />
<br />
The Jewish High Holiday season for 2010 begins at sundown September 8th. On the Jewish calendar, 2010 is actually the year 5771, signifying that Jewish history goes back that far—5,771 years. <br />
<br />
September 8th will be the eve of the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah (pronounced <em>rush ha-sha-na</em>). The beautiful blowing of the <em>shofar</em>, a trumpet-like musical instrument made from a ram's horn, will usher in the holidays at Jewish synagogues and celebrations throughout the world. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy8EbrG5CMX9q0j4lQZO9v2IHb5ZV6yvbC7htbmd4onQIJ81ssADQIRDIYizEZV9zyXdfmpvSjwF2L4TwGw8KgRUSwQ_gUlIffAdyFPl_A-5pJUryRfQdvI5BNHdNxGKVL6CGk7bHDDwW5/s1600/80px-Shofar,_Prague,_200901.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy8EbrG5CMX9q0j4lQZO9v2IHb5ZV6yvbC7htbmd4onQIJ81ssADQIRDIYizEZV9zyXdfmpvSjwF2L4TwGw8KgRUSwQ_gUlIffAdyFPl_A-5pJUryRfQdvI5BNHdNxGKVL6CGk7bHDDwW5/s200/80px-Shofar,_Prague,_200901.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
Rosh Hashanah is also known as “Yom Teruah,” The Feast of Trumpets. The command to observe a Jewish New Year came down to the Israelites through Moses from God, and can be found in Leviticus 23:23: <em>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’.”</em><br />
<br />
The Jewish Day of Atonement—Yom Kippur (pronounced <em>yome ki-poo</em>r')—follows Rosh Hashanah ten days later. This year, it will be from sundown on September 18th to sundown the next day. Yom Kippur is a serious observance, not to be taken lightly.<br />
<br />
On Yom Kippur, every Jewish person who is “of age” (thirteen and over) is required to fast from food and drink (except for water), and stop work of any kind for the twenty-four hour period. Many Jewish people spend part of this day at a synagogue praying for God's forgiveness of sins, and approach people whose forgiveness they seek.<br />
<br />
God's original command for Yom Kippur can be found in Leviticus 16:29-30: <em>"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….”</em> (excerpts, NIV).<br />
<br />
The ten days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are called the “Ten Days of Awe.” Within this period, Orthodox Jews will recite the “slichot,” prayers of repentance.<br />
<br />
<strong><em>How should Christians recognize Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur?</em></strong><br />
<br />
Although Christians and “Jewish believers in Jesus” 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. All people who believe in God need confession and repentance. It will also be a good testimony to our Jewish friends that we respect and know about their day.<br />
<br />
Now, tell your Jewish friends "Shanah Tovah" -- have a great Jewish New Year! <br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">(This is a copyrighted excerpt from the book <strong><em>What Every Christian Should Know About the Jewish People. </em></strong>(c. 2008 wine Press Pleasant Word Publishing)<em><strong>.</strong></em> <strong>All rights reserved.</strong> The book is no longer available, but please enjoy the other posts on this website.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">P</span>hoto: Shofar being blown in Prague, 2009. Donated to Public Domain by Martin Kozak at Wikimedia Commons. </span>Sheryl Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11821759685763799982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2204505323597571705.post-67044522480681141462010-03-26T09:53:00.001-07:002013-06-07T11:53:34.391-07:00Jewish Holiday Passover begins March 29, 2010The Jewish Holiday of Passover for 2010 begins Monday, March 29 at sundown.<br />
<br />
*How do Jewish people celebrate their ancestors' release from Egyptian slavery?<br />
*How can Christians and Jewish believers in Jesus view this holiday?<br />
See the post <a href="http://christiansneedjewishinfo.blogspot.com/2008/07/how-christians-can-celebrate-passover.html" style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"How Christians Can Celebrate Passover" </span></a>here on this blog for more information.Sheryl Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11821759685763799982noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2204505323597571705.post-53868229873037951312010-03-10T20:54:00.000-08:002013-06-07T11:54:09.614-07:00Archaeological Dig uncovers possible piece of Solomon's TempleIn February, 2010, an archaeological excavation in Israel uncovered a gate, tower and wall that could verify the existence of Solomon’s Temple 3,000 years ago.<br />
<br />
The structures, near the Temple Mount outside Jerusalem, are currently being verified as dating back to the tenth century B.C. This would place them at the time of the first temple built by King David’s son Solomon, as recorded in <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Kings+5&version=NIV">1 Kings 5</a> of the Old Testament.<br />
<br />
Skeptics have tried to disprove biblical events since the days in which they occurred, but some archaeological finds have stood the test of time in proving biblical events as truth.<br />
Sheryl Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11821759685763799982noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2204505323597571705.post-73228247300904845922010-02-26T21:45:00.000-08:002013-02-22T08:12:40.802-08:00Jewish Holidays: Purim, the Story of Queen EstherThe Jewish holiday of Purim began at sundown February 27, 2010. See the new 2013 explanation of Purim on this blogsite!Sheryl Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11821759685763799982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2204505323597571705.post-88884423384612612632010-01-27T18:53:00.000-08:002013-06-07T11:56:22.200-07:00Holocaust Remembrance Day - January 27 every year<span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">(Newcomers to this blogsite may wish to read the <a href="http://christiansneedjewishinfo.blogspot.com/2008/07/how-much-do-christians-know-about.html"><span style="color: #990000;">Overview</span></a> first.)</span><br />
<br />
In 2005, the United Nations designated January 27 as annual <a href="http://www.ushmm.org/museum/exhibit/focus/ihrd/comment_post.php">International Holocaust Remembrance Day</a>.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Why January 27?</span> Because on that date in 1945, the largest World War II concentration camp, Auschwitz, was liberated.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Did the Holocaust Really Happen? Of course it did! </span><br />
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and various Neo-Nazi groups have claimed that the Holocaust never happened. In 2006, U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan denied such claims. <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4653666.stm.">Per BBC News</a>, Annan stated that Holocaust denial is the work of bigots.<br />
<br />
The <a href="http://www.ushmm.org/">United States Holocaust Memorial Museum</a> (USHMM) in Washington D.C. houses over 85,000 Holocaust photographs and many exhibits. And the <a href="http://www.yadvashem.org/">Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum</a> in Jerusalem holds over 62 million pages of documents, photos, testimonies of survivors and other articles as proof of the Holocaust.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Is it true that Christians hate the Jews and participated in the Holocaust?</span><br />
Although some churches did not turn away, or even complied with the Nazis for fear of their own peoples' lives, <span style="font-weight: bold;">Christians do not hate the Jewish people</span>. Many Christians worked at the risk of their own lives to hide and rescue Jewish people during the Holocaust.<br />
<br />
Today, sincere Bible-believing Christians everywhere are working to assure the Jewish world community that there are millions of decent Protestants and Catholics who love the Jewish people, <span style="font-style: italic;">never</span> hated them, never worked toward their destruction, and participate in efforts to prove the Holocaust happened and to prevent similar situations.<br />
<br />
In Genesis 12:2-3, God tells Abraham (the father of the Jewish nation), <span style="font-style: italic;">“I will make you a great nation… I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you.” Those who curse the Jews stand to be cursed themselves." </span><br />
<br />
Romans 2:9-11 says,<span style="font-style: italic;"> “There will be tribulation and distress to every man who does evil…but glory and honor and peace to those who do good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek, for there is no partiality with God”</span> (NAS, “Greek” meaning all “gentiles” – non-Jewish people).<br />
<br />
You will find more information about the Holocaust and other incidents of Jewish persecution, along with hundreds of photos, by visiting the <a href="http://www.ushmm.org/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;"><strong>U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum website</strong></span></a>.Sheryl Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11821759685763799982noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2204505323597571705.post-8742220362184146902009-09-07T18:13:00.000-07:002013-06-07T11:57:50.684-07:00More Jewish Holidays, 2009:<span style="font-weight: bold;"></span>(This is taken from the book in the right-hand column, <span style="font-style: italic;">"What Every Christian Should Know About the Jewish People." </span>It would be beneficial to read the <a href="http://christiansneedjewishinfo.blogspot.com/2008/07/how-much-do-christians-know-about.html" style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Overview</span><span style="color: #cc0000;"> </span>first, here.</a>)<br />
<br />
The Jewish "High Holiday" season begins at sundown September 18th with the eve of the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah (pronounced <span style="font-style: italic;">rush ha-sha-na</span> and sometimes spelled Rosh Ha’Shanah). Synagogues will herald in the Jewish New Year with the blowing of the <span style="font-style: italic;">shofar</span>, 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:<br />
<br />
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’.”<br />
<br />
This year will be 5770 on the Jewish calendar, dating back to the beginning of Jewish recorded history.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
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).<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Can Christians commemorate Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur?</span><br />
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.<br />
<br />
Although Christians believe that Jesus Christ was the ultimate sacrifice for all sins (<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=romans%206:10;&version=31">Romans 6:10</a>) , 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.<br />
<br />
Now, say to your Jewish friends <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">"Shanah Tovah"</span> (have a great Jewish New Year)!<br />
<span style="font-style: italic;"></span>Sheryl Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11821759685763799982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2204505323597571705.post-44038381214100829962009-06-02T13:18:00.000-07:002009-06-02T13:23:28.804-07:00Thought for the Day...<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">In Genesis 12:3, the Lord tells Abraham (paraphrased): I will bless those who bless you (the Jews), and curse those who curse you.</span><span style="font-style: italic;"></span><br /></span>Sheryl Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11821759685763799982noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2204505323597571705.post-26225073434638786202009-05-01T00:03:00.000-07:002013-06-07T12:02:03.842-07:00Overview: How Much do Christians Know About the Jewish People?<ul>
<li>-How can Christians gain a fresh, love-filled perspective toward the Jewish people today? </li>
<li>-What makes a person consider him or herself Jewish? </li>
<li>-Why are Jewish people hesitant to accept the Gospel message of Christ as Messiah?</li>
<li>-How can "The Church" speak up for Israel's existence?</li>
<li>-And the often-debated question: <em><strong>"Do Jewish people really need to be “converted”? </strong></em></li>
</ul>
Even if you don’t know any Jewish people, maybe you've wondered why it's so hard for them to accept the New Testament. 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...<br />
<br />
This blog is 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 much more. Who better to explain all this than a Jewish person who has found Jesus as her Lord and Savior?<br />
<br />
When Sheryl Young's husband rediscovered Jesus after many years, she thought, "How can I, a girl from a Jewish family, be married to a Christian?" She set out to prove the Gospel wrong. But the moment she studied the Old Testament and dared to compare it with the New, everything changed. She fell in love with her Messiah, saw her Jewish heritage with new appreciative eyes, and realized the two could fit perfectly together.<br />
<br />
The posts here are excerpts from Sheryl's book, <strong><em>What Every Christian Should Know about the Jewish People</em></strong> which was in print from 2008-2013. The book is no longer available, but please enjoy the posted information, and may God bless your newfound knowledge about the Jewish people. A better relationship between Christians and Jews is much needed in today's world.<br />
<br />
(<em><strong>What Every Christian Should Know about the Jewish People:</strong> Improving the Church's Relationship with God's Original Chosen Nation<strong> </strong></em>© 2008, Sheryl Young, Wine Press/Pleasant Word Publishing)Sheryl Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11821759685763799982noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2204505323597571705.post-37327243849277444692009-04-24T20:30:00.000-07:002013-06-07T12:02:18.670-07:00JEWISH TERMINOLOGY 101<br />
<br />
Enjoy learning some popular Hebrew words and something about them.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
Bat Mitzvah (sometimes called Bas Mitzvah) – A Jewish girl’s confirmation at or near her thirteenth birthday. “Bat” (pronounced “bot”) indicates daughter.<br />
<br />
Cantor – The synagogue official who leads the congregation in songs and prayers…their Worship Leader.<br />
<br />
Chutzpah – Guts, courage, zeal. Make a guttural “ch” by pressing your tongue on the roof of your mouth and breathing out, then add -ootzpah!<br />
<br />
Dreydl (“draydil”) – A little toy at Hanukkah – a spinning top.<br />
<br />
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!<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
Kosher – Food which conforms to Jewish dietary law; what food is called after a blessing by a<br />
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.<br />
<br />
L’chaim! (“le-chayeem”) – Cheers! Let’s raise our glasses and toast to life!<br />
<br />
Mazel Tov (“mahzl-tuv”) – Congratulations!<br />
<br />
Meshpochah – Pronounced just like it looks, with a guttural “ch”, it means Family.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
Mitzvah – A happy event.<br />
<br />
Mogen David – The traditional six-pointed Star of David, also a popular Jewish wine.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
Shabbat (“shah-bot”) – Sabbath, the Holy Day, from Friday sundown to Saturday sundown.<br />
<br />
Talmud – A collection of rabbinical teachings and commentaries.<br />
<br />
Shalom - Hello, goodbye, peace.<br />
<br />
Torah – The Five Books of Moses or sometimes the whole Old Testament in general.<br />
<br />
Yarmulke (“your-mull-key”) – the little skull cap worn by Jewish men for worshipping; some wear it at all times.<br />
<br />
Yiddish – A language spoken by European Jews which may be any combination of Hebrew, German, Russian and the Slavic languages (from Romania, Yugoslavia, etc).<br />
<em></em>Sheryl Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11821759685763799982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2204505323597571705.post-22455418502116991942008-12-12T04:59:00.000-08:002009-02-25T07:06:32.529-08:00<strong>More Jewish Holidays:</strong> "Hanukkah", always near Christmas time.<br /><br /><em>(You may wish to read the <span style="color:#cc0000;"><a href="http://christiansneedjewishinfo.blogspot.com/2008/07/how-much-do-christians-know-about.html">"Overview"</a></span> Section of this Blog First!)</em><br /><br />Hanukkah, the Jewish "Festival of Lights", is in short the celebration of when the ancient Hebrews only had enough lamp oil to burn one night.<br /><br />In the days of Judas Maccabaeus (Judah Maccabee), the Syrian ruler Antiochus began forbidding the observance of Judaism. His men went to a town called Modiin, in which there was a high Hebrew priest named Mattathias, of the family known as Maccabee. He had five sons; the most prominent in history is Judah. When the soldiers tried to force the priests to sacrifice a pig in the temple, which was of course, strictly against all of God's Levitical dietary laws, it started a civil war. The Jews looked to the Maccabees for leadership.<br /><br />Judah led a march on Jerusalem and took the temple back. After they cleansed the temple, the Maccabees re-lit the Menorah (candle stand) and were said to have enough oil only for one night. But the oil burned for eight days, and so they made an eight-day holiday to celebrate the right to shine their light for God.<br /><br />Today, Hanukkah is celebrated by the giving of a gift to family members on each of the 8 nights! What a deal, huh? There are traditional Hanukkah Games such as <a href="http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1225851/hanukkah_games_how_to_play_the_dreidel.html?cat=34">"The Dredyl Game"</a> and traditional Holiday Recipes, especially <a href="http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1218254/hanukkah_recipes_for_vegetarians_grandmas.html?cat=22">"Latkes" - Potato Pancakes</a> <em>(links lead to descriptions at my Political and Fun Stuff blog on AssociatedContent.com).</em><br /><br /><strong>Is there significance in Hanukkah for Christians?</strong><br />Jesus is the Light of the World. He is our Eternal Light. We celebrate his birth at Christmas, and Hanukkah is also in December. As the secular world is fiercely against any outward form of Christian expression today just as Antiochus wanted to forbid the ancient Jews, we can look to Jesus - not just for enough light for 8 days, but forever (John 12:46).Sheryl Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11821759685763799982noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2204505323597571705.post-24136758303847752502008-07-29T05:57:00.001-07:002013-06-07T12:05:59.134-07:00How Christians Can Celebrate Passover<span style="font-size: +0;">(Newcomers to this blog may wish to see the <em><a href="http://christiansneedjewishinfo.blogspot.com/2008/07/how-much-do-christians-know-about.html"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Overview</span></a></em> post first.)</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center">
<strong>PESACH - Passover</strong><br />
<em><span style="font-size: 85%;">(pronounced Pay'sock or Pay’soch – put your tongue at the roof of your mouth and exhale<br />for the “ch” sound! )</span></em></div>
<div align="left">
<br />
Passover takes place in the Jewish calendar month of “Nissan” – yes, spelled and pronounced just like the automobile! Some readers may be aware that the Jewish calendar does not agree with the Gregorian (or Roman) calendar the western world follows. Although the dates of most Jewish holidays do not change from year to year on the Jewish calendar, the Jewish year is not the same length as our solar year. So Passover could land in March or April, and generally close to Easter.</div>
<div align="left">
</div>
<div align="left">
<br />
Any person from a Jewish family - or any Christian who has read Exodus 12 - will know the story of the very first Passover, and importance of the lamb's blood. When Pharaoh would not release the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, even after God inflicted nine plagues on the Egyptian people, God commanded Moses to have all Jews paint the blood of a perfect lamb on their doorposts. This was so their first-born children wouldn't be slain along with the Egyptian first born children in the tenth and final plague. The Lord would pass over the Jewish households. </div>
<div align="left">
<br /></div>
<div align="left">
How exciting! Because of the blood of a little, pure lamb, we escaped the wrath of God that fell on Pharaoh's people and his own family for their disobedience to the message Moses carried from God! The Israelites were now free to leave their bondage to Pharaoh and start a new life! This is what was to be celebrated throughout the centuries:<br />
<em>"This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall<br />celebrate it as a festival to the Lord - a lasting ordinance. (Exodus 12:14)<br />Then came the day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb had to be<br />sacrificed. Jesus sent Peter and John, saying ‘go and make preparations for us to<br />eat the Passover’." </em>(Luke 22:7,8)</div>
<div align="left">
In honor of the sacrificial lamb, there is a commemorative plate set on the Passover table which should contain a lamb shank among other foods mentioned in the questions, and these are ceremoniously held up or eaten at various times during the service.</div>
<div align="left">
<br />
The book which is read at Passover Seders, the “Hagaddah”, is a story within a story that has been used for at least four centuries. It’s about four sons who ask their father the meaning of Passover. They are questioning him about why this holiday (which lasts seven days) is different than other nights. The singing of the <strong>“Four Questions”</strong> is a beautiful thing. It is actually one question, sung between each of four answers:<br />
<br />
“Why is this night different from all other nights, from all other nights?”<br />
<em>(Mah nishtanah ha-lahylah ha-zeh mi-kol ha-layloht, mi-kol ha-layloht?)</em>Because:<br />
-On all other nights, we may eat <em>chametz</em> (leavened grain products) and matzah (unleavened bread). On this night, only matzah.<br />
-On all other nights, we eat many vegetables. On this night, <em>maror</em> (bitter herbs to remind them of their bondage in Egypt).<br />
-On all other nights, we do not dip even once. On this night, twice.<br />
-On all other nights, we eat either sitting or reclining. On this night, we all recline (they can relax).</div>
<div align="left">
The father then opens the story of the Exodus from Egypt. Sometimes everyone present gets a turn to read a portion - The ten plagues God brought on the Egyptians, the resulting liberation of the Jews, their wilderness struggle, and the miracle of the parting of the Red Sea.<br />
<br />
Jesus does not share this outer story, about the father and sons, with the twelve disciples because it hadn't been written yet. But the men are together on that famous night in the upper room to celebrate their ancestors’ freedom from bondage, and the prophetic similarities between the activities for this holiday which God gave to Moses are strikingly the same as what Jesus did at the Last Supper:<br />
<br />
<strong>Jewish PASSOVER compared to the LAST SUPPER:</strong></div>
<div align="left">
The Jews are told to take only unleavened bread on their journey.<br />
Jesus broke unleavened bread with the disciples.</div>
<div align="left">
<br />
The ceremony contains glasses of wine as an honor to the lamb's blood and sweat of the Jews.<br />
Jesus offers the disciples wine as a symbol of his blood, yet to be shed.</div>
<div align="left">
<br />
The "matzo"* crackers are dipped in the bitter herbs and eaten to represent sorrow and hard labor.<br />
The disciples dip and eat the bread to to represent Jesus' body.<br />
<br />
The blood of the lamb was shed at the first Passover to save the Jews from the plagues and free them from a seemingly never-ending bondage.<br />
Jesus was sacrificed soon after the Passover and his blood was shed to save us from our sins and free us from eternal death.</div>
<div align="left">
<br />
The ceremonial matzo <em>(“Afikomen”)</em> is hidden under a cushion, not to be seen until the end of, when the children uncover it and bring it out.<br />
Jesus was entombed and wasn't seen again for three days. At the end of three days he is seen alive outside by the women, having shed his wrappings.</div>
<div align="left">
</div>
<div align="left">
<br />
There are 3 matzohs separated in different folds of a napkin, used in the ceremony at various intervals.<br />
Jesus was born, died, and rose again (3 stages) - We worship the Father, Son and the Holy Ghost (God in 3 persons).<br />
<br />
*Matzo, or Matzah [plural matzohs] is the name of the cracker-like bread that is used today to represent the unleavened bread of the Egyptian Jews as they hurriedly prepared to leave. The bread may more have resembled what we now know as pita bread, but must not be allowed to ferment and rise. In biblical days and today, for seven days the Passover observer must eat nothing with leaven (yeast) of any kind. The house must be cleansed of all forms of leavening. No rising flour or bread dough is used at all, and a different set of dishes should be used than the rest of the year. Many use this time as their “spring cleaning”. You’ll see my family’s favorite yeast-free recipe, <em>“Mandel Bread”</em> (chocolate chip or almond bars) at the end of the chapter!</div>
<div align="left">
<br />
To the Messianic Jew, the 3 Matzohs take on another meaning at Passover: One represents Jesus' birth, the middle one His burial, and the third one His resurrection.</div>
<div align="left">
<br />
After this part of the story, the reader of the Hagaddah goes on to direct the gathered people in worship, where they praise God with many joyous songs and prayers including the song “Chad Gadya” (discussed in the later chapter, “The Ultimate Sacrifice”). These songs and prayers state that if God had done nothing but place them out in the desert, "it would have been enough". But God gave them riches, fertile land, and blessings beside that in Canaan. When the Jewish people celebrate the liberation from Egypt, they are also celebrating their future liberation from all persecution and their homecoming to the Promised Land. At the end of the Passover, everyone at the celebration raises a glass and makes a toast with these traditional words: “Next Year in Jerusalem!”</div>
<div align="left">
<br />
And so, similarly, we believers worship God for giving us Jesus - if he had died for just one of us, "it would have been enough". But He gives us more than that. Through the sacrificial blood of Jesus, God grants us abundant life here on earth and eternal life in Heaven, and is preparing greater riches for us there. As King David said:<br />
"<em>You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.<br />You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over.<br />Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,<br />And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." </em>(Psalm 23:5-6, NKJV)<br />
And Jesus, hundreds of years later:<br />
<em>"In my Father's house are many mansions;<br />If it were not so, I would have told you.<br />I go to prepare a place for you…<br />..I will come again and receive you to myself;<br />That where I am, there you may be also."</em> (John 14:2-3, NKJV)<br />
<br />
As you may have guessed, that night was not originally called "Passover." It was called the "Feast of Unleavened Bread". </div>
<div align="left">
</div>
<div align="left">
Passover today is usually celebrated with special dinners and services on both the first and second night. All evening long, a special cup filled with wine is placed on the dining table, and a door to the home or temple is left open. This signifies the welcoming back of Elijah – whom most Jewish people say is the forerunner and announcer of the Messiah, if not the Messiah himself.<br />
<br />
This is a copyrighted excerpt from the book <em><strong>What Every Christian should Know about the Jewish People: </strong>Improving the Church's Relationship with God's Original Chosen Nation. </em>(© 2008, Sheryl Young, Wine Press/Pleasant Word Publishing). <strong>All rights reserved.</strong> Although the book is no longer available, please enjoy the other informative posts on this blogsite. </div>
Sheryl Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11821759685763799982noreply@blogger.com2