On the holiday of Shavuot, the 6th day of the month of Sivan, 3313 years ago, the entire Jewish nation received the Torah on Mount Sinai and heard the Ten commandments from God Himself. The Torah primarily presents the feast of Shavuot as a harvest festival, which represented the end of the barley harvest and the first fruits of the wheat harvest (Shemot / Ex 34:22; Bamidbar / Num 28:26; Devarim / Deut 16:10).[5] Later, Jewish tradition links Shavuot with the day Israel received the Torah at Sinai.

Traditionally dairy products are often eaten because Song of Songs compares the Torah to milk — some stay awake all night in one long study session of the Torah. Generally Exodus (or at least the 10 commandments) are read along with the book of Ruth on this holy day. In Acts we learn Shavuot was the day the Ruach (Holy Spirit) fell on the emmisaries in Jerusalem and began Its indwelling ministry within believers. This festival is also known as Chag HaKatzir (Festival of Harvesting) and Yom HaBikkurim (a second First Fruits). After the destruction of the Temple in 70 CE Shavuot became primarily identified with the giving of the Torah on Mt. Sinai, therefore Shavuot is also called Z’man matan Torateinu (the time of the giving of our Torah). As Messianic Jews, Shavuot takes on additional meaning as the context of Acts chapter 2, when the Ruach HaKodesh was poured out in a greater manifest way upon those gathered upon the Temple Mount.

It is started with Pesach or Passover, a picture of redemption then the two-month wait is nearly over now, and we anticipate a time to recommit our lives to the God of Israel. This time is recognized as Shavuot or Pentecost. The Hebrew word "sheva" means "seven", "shavu’ah" means "week", and "shavu’ot" means "weeks". So the word "Chag Shavuot" means "The Festival of Weeks". On Shavuot we are commanded to remember the revelation given at Sinai as written in Devarim / Deuteronomy 4:9 and to spiritually revive the receiving of the Torah.

Shavuot is symbolic of an engagement. It is a day when God betrothal / engages Israel as His own people, separates from all others. The goal of Passover redemption was to set us free to become God’s own treasured people (am segulah), a light to the nations: ambassadors for Heaven’s voice.

We have been saved from our spiritual exile when the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) was given to us (Ma’aseh HaShlichim / Acts 2). Also, we have been engaged as His own Bride, separate from all others when we received the Ruach HaKodesh.

In Jewish tradition, the second day of Sivan is called Yom Hameyuchat or "Yom Yichut," the "Day of Distinction" – since it was on this day that God told the Israelites that He would make them into a kingdom of priests and a holy nation (Shemot / Exo 19:5-6).

Shavuot is a unique jewel, and within it gleams a hope of the world to come. The giving of the Torah on Mt. Sinai was a dramatic and miraculous experience. It was filled with thunder, lightning, trembling blasts of a heavenly shofar, and HaShem descending on the mountain in a column of fire. At the base of the mountain, trembling before God, we took upon ourselves the mitzvot through our utterance of “na’ase v’nishma” – that everything HaShem has said, we will do and we will obey.

Yet this is not the end of the story. For within the giving of the Torah was a remez, a hint of more to come. Our sages teach us that, “R. Hiyya b. Abba said in R. Johanan’s name: All the prophets prophesied [all the good things] only in respect of the Messianic era; but as for the world to come ‘the eye hath not seen, O Lord, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him.’ Babylonian Talmud: Tractate Sanhedrin Folio 99a”

Our holy prophets foretold that a renewal of Torah would be brought through Mashiach, when God would take the Torah and inscribe it upon our hearts, making it ever more personal. This must happen in order to prepare the world for the final culmination of Yemot HaMashiach – the Messianic Age.

Since Shavuot recalls the time when Israel received revelation from God at Sinai, at daybreak additional prayers and blessings are recited at the synagogue for the gift of the Torah. However, since ignoring the Torah leads to ruin, admonition to pursue the study of Torah is also made during this time.

Studying God’s revelation is a prelude to re-experiencing the joy of His Presence, though this requires diligence and hard work. In order to understand what HaShem requires of us, we must make effort to study the Torah. We therefore ask God to make Torah sweet on our tongues and to help us be "engrossed" in the words of the Scriptures.

All of this, obviously enough, indicates that Shavuot is a time when we are called to engage ourselves in the study of God’s revelation and Torah. Torah learning is not an individual act. When we learn to "talk Torah" with each other as members of a community, we share the greater message of redemptive love that the Mashiach gave to the world.

Within Ma’aseh HaShlichim, the emissaries and followers of Mashiach were gathered together observing Shavuot when the promise of our holy prophets became a reality. In events similar to the original giving of the Torah (heavenly voices, miraculous occurrences), a fire descended similar to the fire which fell on Mt. Sinai. However, this time the fire descended and divided itself, and came to rest upon each individual who was present. This experience caused the Written Torah and the Living Torah, through the Ruach, to be inscribed upon the deepest parts of our hearts, enabling a new heavenly power, and Malchut HaShamayim, the Kingdom of Heaven to be infused into the earth in a new way.

Let us prepare our heart for the Living Torah who will come in the near future! Maranatha!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=felPbrhDKqE

We are entering the Hebrew month of Sivan – ראש חדש סיון. Since the last month had 29 days it is celebrated only one day this month which has 30 days. Sivan is the third month of the year as Torah describes it. The first day of Sivan the people encamped at Mt. Sinai preparing to receive the Torah. The verb form of encamped is singular pointing to the fact the people behaved as one, not fragmented by contention.

For Torah to be merited and received the people were as one; united as husband and wife are in marriage when it is healthy. The first bringing down of Torah is at Shavout. Moshe’s seconding bringing down of Torah comes later at Yom Kippur. The Torah being given is compared to the instrument of betrothal of husband and wife (legal binding agreement between the spouses and the husband’s responsibilities toward his wife). Rosh Chodesh Sivan is considered to be a propitious time for covenanting harmony and peace among Israel, mankind and the Most High.

Families are taking a beating today. Rosh Chodesh Sivan gives back to parents, children, families and their relationships. In the 17th century, the chief rabbi of Jerusalem wrote a prayer that religious schools in Israel send home to their families still today. It is a prayer for parents to offer to the Most High for their children. This prayer is a practical ways for people to enter into the meaning of Sivan and it’s connection to relationships, harmony, covenants. It illuminates where one can stand with those who came before them and those who will come after. The prayer will be at the end of this essay in Hebrew and English.

The sixth day of Sivan is the receiving of the Torah. The first days of the month are the period which the people are preparing. There is a rabbinical understanding that the Promise of the Father is to be received on Shavout. This common thread is why the all night studying with morning prayer welcomes Shavout each year. In the diaspora Shavout is marked on the sixth and seventh days of Sivan.

The year the Torah was given R. Yosei’s opinion was Rosh Chodesh Sivan was on the first day of the week (Sunday), then Shavout (Torah being given) falls on Shabbat. On Sunday they reached the wilderness and camped as a people. The next day, Monday, it is understood that Moshe gave the people a summary of Torah so they understood accepting and hearing Torah from the Most High on Mt. Sinai. (Shemot, Ex. 19:4-6) The third day (Shemot 19:8) the people were told the boundaries where they could and could not go. The fourth day the mitzvot or commandment to sanctify and purify themselves, their clothing, as individuals and as couples. Moshe extended the commanded three days of purification and one of sanctification. The Shechinah (Holy Presence, Ruach/spirit, palpable Glory) came upon Mt. Sinai with the giving of the entire Torah.

Following the summary when the people heard the today they understood Torah’s spirit, essence and it’s function as wedding them to the Most High. The whole Torah was given on Shavout. It meant accepting a mission as people to the world in addition to accepting the betrothal and the Yoke of Torah. Taking on the Yoke of Torah means hearing and doing the mitzvot. This is the picture of what righteousness walked out by mankind as a reflection of the Most High’s righteousness. The people are called to be a holy priesthood and nation.

Sivan, Shavout and waiting for the Promise of the Father is a time of preparation, and setting ourselves apart so we are ready to do and hear the Most High as the ones before us did. Accepting the Yoke of Torah sets us apart today in our culture as it set the Israelites apart from the cultures of their day. The mitzvot (commandments) are practical reminders of our betrothal to the Most High and a way of life with His People in community that reflects HaShem in our world. Our life is the book others will read and see the Most High through if they have not read the Holy One’s words that we heard and see on Mt. Sinai.

Below is the Prayer for Children, translation by http://www.shemayisrael.co.il/ The prayer was located on the web blog of Reb Akiva at Mystical Paths.

English Translation – click on the image to read the Hebrew prayer.

You have been the Eternal, our God, before You created the world, and You are the Eternal, our God, since you created the world, and You are God forever. You created Your world so that Your Divinity should become revealed thorugh Your holy Torah, as our Sages expounded on the first word therein, and for Israel, for they are Your people and Your inheritance whom You have chosen from among all nations. You have given them Your holy Torah and drawn them toward Your great Name. These two commandments are, "Be fruitful and Multiply" and "You shall teach them to your children." Their purpose is that You did not create the world to be empty, but to be inhabited, and that it is for Your glory that You created, fashioned, and perfected it, so that we, our offspring, and all the descendants of your people Israel will know Your Name and study Your Torah.

Thus I entreat You, O Eternal, supreme King of kings. My eyes are fixed on You until You favor me, and hear my prayer, and provide me with sons and daughters who will also be fruitful and multiply, they and their descendants unto all generations, in order that they and we might all engage in the study of Your holy Torah, to learn and to teach, to observe and to do, and to fulfill with love all the words of Your Torah’s teaching. Enlighten our eyes in Your Torah and attach our heart to Your commandments to love and revere Your Name.

Our Father, compassionate Father, grant us all a long and blessed life. Who is like You, compassionate Father, Who in compassion remembers His creatures for life! Remember us for eternal life, as our Forefather Avraham prayed, "If only Yishmael would live before You," which the Sages interpreted as "…live in reverence of You."

For this I have come to appeal and plead before You, that my offspring and their descendants be proper, and that You find no imperfection or disrepute in me or them forever. May they be people of peace, truth, goodness and integrity in the eyes of God and man. Help them to become practiced in Torah, accomplished in Scriptures, Mishnah, Talmud, Kabbalah, mitzvot, kindness, and good attributes, and to serve you with an inner love and reverence, not merely outwardly. Provide every one of them with their needs with honor, and give them health, honor and strength, good bearing and appearance, grace and loving-kindness. May love and brotherhood reign among them. Provide them with suitable marriage partners of scholarly and righteous parentage who will also be blessed with all that I have asked for my own descendants, since they will share the same fate.

You, the Eternal, know everything that is concealed, and to You all my heart’s secrets are revealed. For all my intention concerning the above is for the sake of Your great and holy Name and Torah. Therefore, answer me, O Eternal, answer me in the merit of our holy Forefathers Avraham, Yitzchak, and Ya’akov. For the sake of the fathers save the children, so the branches will be like the roots. For the sake of Your servant, David, who is the fourth part of Your Chariot, who sings with Divine inspiration.

A song of ascents. Fortunate is everyone who fears the Eternal, who walks in His ways. When you eat of the toil of your hands, you are fortunate, and good will be yours. Your wife is like a fruitful vine in the inner chambers of your home; your children are like olive shoots around your table. Look! So is blessed the man who fears the Eternal. May the Eternal bless you from Zion, and may you see the good of Jerusalem all the days of your life. May you see your children’s children, peace upon Israel.

Please, O Eternal, Who listens to prayer: May the following verse be fulfilled in me: "’As for Me,’ says the Eternal, "this My covenant shall remain their very being; My spirit, which rests upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart from your mouth nor from the mouths of your children, nor from the mouths of your children’s children," said the Eternal, "from now to all Eternity." May the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart be pleasing before You, Eternal, my Rock and my Redeemer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evP3azTd9JQ

Countdown from the Omer to Shavuot

The presentation of the omer initiates a countdown of seven weeks, culminating in Shavuot (the Feast of Weeks or Pentecost) immediately after the 49th day.

“And you shall count to you from the morning after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave-offering; seven weeks shall be complete: Even to the morrow after the seventh week shall you number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meal-offering to HaShem. You shall bring out of your habitations two wave-loaves of two tenth-parts: they shall be of fine flour, they shall be baked with leaven, and they are the first-fruits to HaShem” (Leviticus 23:15-17).

At this second offering of first-fruits, the grain is not presented in its natural state, but has been thrashed and winnowed, so that only the useful portion is retained. The “fine flower” produced in this way is infused with a new holiness – not the paganism of Egypt which was left behind, but by the life-giving holiness of God’s holy Law. This new batch of dough is then put to the fire to produce two loaves for a new wave-offering before our God.

In the history of the first Exodus, the “thrashing and winnowing” began immediately – even on the shores of the Sea of Reeds. It continued at the waters of Marah, “… for there He tested them” (Shemot 15:25), in the Desert of Sin, “I will test them and see whether they obey my instructions” (Shemot 16:4), and eventually at Sinai, in the very afterglow of Divine Revelation, in the censure over the Golden Calf.

During this time, the children of Israel were not “elevated into a position of readiness to receive the Law” – as claimed by the rabbis – but was rather weighed and found wanting, shown to be an unfaithful, disobedient, and obstinate people.  If not for the faithful intercession of Moshe, HaShem would have destroyed the entire nation within days of entering into the Sinai Covenant.  But HaShem’s purposes cannot fail, and the nation would fulfill its prophetic destiny, even if reduced to a remnant of one (Exodus 32:10).

Shavuot (the 50th day) coincides according to tradition with the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. Chapter nineteen of Exodus simply records that the hosts of Israel reached Sinai in the third month, which begins on the 45th day of the omer (five days before Pentecost).

According to the Soncino Commentary, “the Israelites arrived at Sinai on the New Moon [first day of the third month]. On the second of the month, Moses ascended the mountain; on the third, he received the people’s reply; on the fourth, he made the second ascent and was commanded to institute three days of preparation, at the conclusion of which the Revelation took place. Hence its [i.e. the giving of the Torah’s] association with the Feast of Weeks, which became the Festival of Revelation.”

Maimonides explains the significance of the seven week countdown to Shavuot (also known as the sephirah or counting): “The Feast of Weeks is the anniversary of the revelation on Mount Sinai. . . In order to raise the importance of this day, we count the days that pass since the preceding festival, just as one who expects his most intimate friend on a certain day counts the days and even the hours. This is the reason why we count the days…”

Whereas the Red Sea represented the deliverance from pagan rule, the Law of Sinai represented the more important deliverance from pagan lore and custom. If Israel conformed to the Torah (HaShem’s teaching) it would display God’s wisdom and holiness, and rouse the nations to jealously: “Behold, I have taught you statutes, and judgments, even as HaShem my God commanded me, that you should do so in the land where you are going to possess it. Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, that will hear all these statutes, and say, surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people. For what nation is there so great, that has God so near to them, as HaShem our God is in all things that we call upon him for? And what nation is there so great, that has statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day?"   (Deuteronomy 4:5-8).

The omer count is made starting the evening of each day – when the count happens at night the blessing is said and when the count happens during the daytime the blessing is not said. Here’s the blessing: "Baruch atah Ad-nai Elo-keinu melekh ha-olam asher kid’shanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu al s’firat ha-omer" / "Blessed be You our God Ruler of space and time, who made us holy through commandments and commanded us about counting the Omer."

After the blessing the day is counted by absolute number and by its number within each week, i.e., "Today is the thirty-third day of the omer, which is four weeks and five days"

According to the book of Acts says that the risen Yeshua appeared to His disciples over a period of forty days before His ascension. The forty days of the living Messiah among His disciples all fell within a period of time on the biblical calendar called the "counting of the Omer."

The forty-nine days hearken back to the days of the journey from the crossing of the sea to Mount Sinai. It is a journey that begins with the Feast of Unleavened Bread (the symbol of our salvation in Yeshua), and it is completed at Pentecost (the symbol of our completion through the Spirit). The Master’s resurrection makes the counting of the Omer a season of special significance and joy for His disciples. It is a time to remember the resurrected Yeshua. All of his post-resurrection appearances fell within the days of the Omer count counting the Omer continues the cycle in a believer’s life of "working out their salvation" (Phil 2:12)

Shavuot concludes the first half of the festive calendar.  It’s very important to count the Omer and make the Omer Count.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYAKw8eBYA4

Towards the last day of Passover: Happy Yom Tov!

And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened bread to the Lord; for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall have a holy convocation; you shall not do any ordinary work. But you shall present a food offering to the Lord for seven days. On the seventh day is a holy convocation; you shall not do any ordinary work.” Vayikra / Leviticus 23:5-8

The seventh day of Passover is a day of rest and according to tradition this is the day God parted the Yam Suf (Sea of Reeds, Red Sea) when Pharaoh chased Israel with murderous intent. There is also a custom from Hasidic Judaism of having a Messiah feast on this day, or as it is called in Hebrew a Seudat Mashiach.

The seudat mashiach anticipates the Messianic banquet when Mashiach is fully revealed. The custom recalls redemption from Egypt, and future redemption and regathering of Israel.

But what is the Sudat HaMashiach and where it comes from? The Seudat Mashiach or “Messiah’s Feast” is a final meal of Passover that is focused on the Messiah and his role as bringing the final redemption.

The celebration of the Seudat Mashiach began with the Baal Shem Tov, founder of the modern Hasidic movement in Judaism. I you are unfamiliar with this custom, it is like the Passover seder, with this seder focusing on the redemption to be brought by King Messiah.

As the description of the Seudat Mashiach from the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe Menachem Schneerson says:

“The last day of Pesach is the conclusion of that which began on the first night of Pesach. The first night of Pesach is our festival commemorating our redemption from Egypt by the Holy One, Blessed be He. It was the first redemption, carried out through Moshe Rabbeinu, who was the first redeemer; it was the beginning. The last day of Pesach is our festival commemorating the final redemption, when the Holy One, Blessed be He, will redeem us from the last exile through our righteous Moshiach, who is the final redeemer. The first day of Pesach is Moshe Rabbeinu’s festival; the last day of Pesach is Moshiach’s festival.”   (Cited in Likkutei Sichos, Vol. XXII, p. 34.)

Remember, Pesach is a time of redemption, and the coming of the Messiah is the ultimate redemption.

Bring the whole family for the traditional feast of 4 cups of wine and matzah in anticipation of the future redemption at the hand of our Rabbi and King, Messiah, may we be able to celebrate the Seudat Mashiach soon with our Messiah in Jerusalem…

The entire theme of the meal focuses on the coming of Messiah and the final redemption. The meal is festive in spirit. Everyone wishes one another “Lechayim! (to life!)” while discussing their insights into Messiah and their dreams and hopes for the Messianic Era. The meal concludes with fervent singing and dancing in joyous elation over the promise of the Messianic redemption.

Beth HaDerech invites you to participate in this year’s Seudat Mashiach, with songs, matzah, wine and inspiring thoughts. Pesach is the festival which celebrates freedom. The Baal Shem Tov instituted the custom of “Mashiach’s meal” on the last day of Passover to demonstrate the connection between the celebration of our freedom from the Egyptian exile to our imminent redemption from this current exile. At a Seudat Mashiach, we gather with friends, family and community to share in our hope and yearning for the future redemption of the Jewish people. When: Night 7:00 pm

Join us as we conclude Passover with Seudat Moshiach, the traditional Feast of Mashiach. This Tuesday 26th of April, 2011.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8mhzw4BfUU

We mark the passage of time between Pesach (Passover) and Shavuot (Pentecost) by the “counting of the omer.” A period of seven weeks is observed in which each day is counted off for 49 days ending on the fiftieth day known as Shavuot /Pentecost (Pentecost-means 50). It is the number of days from the barley harvest to the wheat harvest.

The counting of the days of the Omer is a biblical commandment incumbent upon every believer. Traditionally, the period of the Omer count is to be a time of spiritual introspection as the counters prepare themselves for Shavuot. Because it begins during Passover and concludes at Shavuot, the counting of the Omer remembers the journey from Egypt to Mount Sinai.

The symbolism is strong. Just as the first omer of barley was brought as a first fruits of the whole harvest, so too Messiah’s resurrection was a first fruits of the resurrection of the dead. This is the imagery Paul invokes with the words, "Messiah has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep."[2] Just as the first fruits of the barley made all the rest of the harvest kosher for harvest, so too the resurrection of Messiah makes the resurrection of the dead possible.

According to Jewish tradition, the counting is done in the following prescribed manner. After the evening prayers each day, the counter recites a blessing: "Blessed are You, HaShem Our G-d, King of the Universe, Who has sanctified us with his commandments and commanded us to count the Omer." Then the counter simply states, "Today is X days of the Omer." The person counting follows his formal declaration of the omer day with a recitation of Psalm 67 and a few short petitions for spiritual cleansing and renewal. Tradition prescribes the recitation of Psalm 67 because it is composed of exactly 49 Hebrew words which correspond to the 49 days of the omer count. The Psalm is seasonally appropriate because of its harvest motif. It is spiritually appropriate because it speaks clearly of God’s salvation (Yeshua) being made known over all the earth.

During the Temple times, an elaborate ceremony developed of bringing an offering representing the earliest harvest, a sheaf of barley, as a thanksgiving tithe to G-d. The priest would meet the worshipers on the edge of the city and lead them up to the Temple mount with music, praise psalms and dance. On arriving at the Temple, the priest would take the sheaves of grain and lift some of them in the air, waving them in every direction, thus acknowledging God’s provision and sovereignty over all the earth.

Yeshua rose from the dead on the 1st day of the Omer. Paul (Shaul) wrote "But the truth is, Messiah was raised to life- the first fruits of the harvest of the dead." 1st Corinthians 15:20 This festival is called "bikkurim"- first fruits. Is just a coincidence?

The "Omer" Controversy. In modern-day Judaism, the First Day of the Omer is always 16th Nisan, the day after Passover, so that Pentecost is on 6th Sivan. However, at the time of Yeshua there was a debate going on between the Pharisees and Sadducees. The Pharisees interpreted "the morrow after the Sabbath" in Lev. 23:15 to be the day after Passover, since any non-working day is considered to be a Sabbath. The Sadducees interpreted it literally to mean the day after the first weekly Sabbath after Passover. History shows that in first century Judaism the majority view regarding the counting of the omer was according the Pharisees and that this is what has survived to this day in the majority of Judaism.

Understanding this history is vital to understanding one more foundational scripture when considering this subject of how we are to count the forty-nine days, which lead to the fiftieth day, the day of Shavuot (Pentecost). Because Yeshua’s talmidim celebrated Shavuot during the same time as the majority view in Judaism we can also conclude that they started counting the omer, the forty-nine days leading to the fiftieth day of Shavuot on the day after the High Holy Day of the first day of Chag HaMatzah (Feast of Unleavened Bread).   Part of being a talmid (disciple) of Yeshua our Rabbi means that we will seek to do the same.   We should seek to be unified with Israel in as much as we can.

The Mishnah (Menahot 66) goes to great detail explaining the ceremony that was performed to gather the Omer. Since the Omer was brought to the Temple on the second day of Passover, its harvesting over rode the laws of Shabbat. It was reaped at night of the sixteenth of Nisan irregardless if it was a weekday or the Shabbat.

The counting of the Omer is likened to a bride and groom who are waiting for the day of their wedding. They have set the date and are now counting to the big event. For us, we are counting to the time on which the Torah was given on Mount Sinai; a day to which G-d revealed Himself in a manner never before revealed to man. It was a time to which our ancestors looked forward to and indeed so do we.  Let’s work together this year as we keep the mitzvah of Counting the Omer. Let’s express the resurrected life within us by doing more mitzvot and spreading more joy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mg_5NE7hg8w

Chol HaMoed Pesach or Chol Ha-Moed Pesach (also transliterated from Hebrew as: Hol HaMoed Pesach or Hol Ha-Moed Pesach) refers to the intermediate or middle days of the Passover or Pesach festival as well as another Jewish festival, the autumn harvest festival of Sukkot. Literally-speaking, Chol HaMoed means "The Non-Holy Appointed Time" in Hebrew, where Chol means "Non-Holy" as opposed to "Kodesh" which means "Holy"; Ha means "The", and "Moed" means "appointed time."

Our reading this Shabbat starts with the successful attempt by Moses to have God reconsider and have God come close again and lead the people through the wilderness. Let’s read:

So Moses carved two tablets of stone, like the first, and early in the morning he went up on Mount Sinai, as HaShem had commanded him, taking the two stone tablets with him. 5 HaShem came down in a cloud; He stood with him there, and proclaimed the name Yud Hey Vav Hey. 6 HaShem passed before him and proclaimed: "HaShem! HaShem! a God compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in kindness and faithfulness, 7 extending kindness to the thousandth generation, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin; yet He does not remit all punishment, but visits the iniquity of parents upon children and children’s children, upon the third and fourth generations." 8 Moses hastened to bow low to the ground in homage, 9 and said, "If I have gained Your favor, O HaShem, pray, let HaShem go in our midst, even though this is a stiff-necked people. Pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for Your own!" [Exodus/Shemot 34:4-9]

Many non-Jews that I talk to about Judiaism claim the difference between Christianity and Judaism is that Christanity promotes grace & love, but that the God of the Jews was always angry and that there is no grace in Judaism.

That is simply NOT true!! We see in the passage above that HaShem is “compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in kindness and faithfulness, 7 extending kindness to the thousandth generation, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin.” 

This does not sound to me like the angry unloving God which most non-Jews ascribe to our faith.  The entire story of Pesach (Passover) is one of liberation from being enslaved in Mitzrayim (Egypt) to freedom in Eretz Yisrael (the Land of Israel).  Even the Korban (offerings) for our sins shows the grace of HaShem, in that, HaShem allowed for an alternative to us paying for our own sins.

May you have a Chag Sameach v’kasher Pesach as you remember the love which HaShem has for us.  Even as Messianic Jewish believers we rejoice in the death and resurrection of our Maran Yeshua, the ultimate Korban Pesach.

Next Year in Jerusalem!!

Korban Pesach (Hebrew: קרבן פסח "sacrifice of Passover") also known as the "Paschal Lamb" is the sacrifice that the Torah mandates to be brought on the eve of Passover, and eaten on the first night of the holiday with bitter herbs and matzo. According to the Torah, it was first offered on the night of the Israelites’ Exodus from Egypt. Although practiced by Jews in ancient times, the ritual is no longer performed today.

The blood of this sacrifice sprinkled on the door-posts of the Israelites was to be a sign to the angel of death, when passing through the land to slay the first-born of the Egyptians that night, that he should pass by the houses of the Israelites.[1] This is called in the Mishnah the "Egyptian Passover sacrifice" ("Pesaḥ Miẓrayim"; Pes. ix. 5). It was ordained, furthermore (Ex. xii. 24-27), that this observance should be repeated annually for all time once the Israelites entered into their promised land. Ex. xii. 25 "It will come to pass when you come to the land which the Lord will give you, just as He promised, that you shall keep this service (NKJV). This so-called "Pesaḥ Dorot," the Passover of succeeding generations (Pes. l.c.), differs in many respects from the Pesaḥ Miẓrayim. In the pre-exilic period, however, Pesaḥ was rarely sacrificed in accordance with the legal prescriptions (comp. II Chron. xxxv. 18). According to Rashi, only once during their forty years of wandering in the wilderness, one year after the Exodus, was the sacrifice offered.

For the next 39 years there was no offering, according to Rashi, as God stipulated that it could only be offered after the Children of Israel had entered the Land of Israel. In fact, the bringing of the Pesach sacrifice resumed only after the Israelites had taken possession of the land, and then the sacrifice was made annually until during the times when Solomon’s Temple and the Second Temple stood and functioned. During this time there was a definite ritual for the offering, in addition to the regulations prescribed by the Law.

The following is a brief summary of the principal ordinances and of the ritual accompanying the sacrifice.

The sacrificial animal, which was either a lamb or kid, was necessarily a male, one year old, and without blemish. Each family or society offered one animal together, which did not require the "semikah" (laying on of hands), although it was obligatory to determine who were to take part in the sacrifice that the killing might take place with the proper intentions. Only those who were circumcised and clean before the Law might participate, and they were forbidden to have leavened food in their possession during the act of killing the paschal lamb. The animal was slain on the eve of the Passover, on the afternoon of the 14th of Nisan, after the Tamid sacrifice had been killed, i.e., at three o’clock, or, in case the eve of the Passover fell on Friday, at two.

The killing took place in the court of the Temple at Jerusalem, and might be performed by a layman, although the blood had to be caught by a priest, and rows of priests with gold or silver cups in their hands stood in line from the Temple court to the altar, where the blood was sprinkled. These cups were rounded on the bottom, so that they could not be set down; for in that case the blood might coagulate. The priest who caught the blood as it dropped from the victim then handed the cup to the priest next to him, receiving from him an empty one, and the full cup was passed along the line until it reached the last priest, who sprinkled its contents on the altar. The lamb was then hung upon special hooks or sticks and skinned; but if the eve of the Passover fell on a Sabbath, the skin was removed down to the breast only. The abdomen was then cut open, and the fatty portions intended for the altar were taken out, placed in a vessel, salted, and offered by the priest on the altar, while the remaining entrails likewise were taken out and cleansed.

While the required quorum for most activities requiring a quorum is usually ten, the Korban Pesach must be offered before a quorum of 30. (It must be performed in front of kahal adat yisrael, the assembly of the congregation of Israel. Ten are needed for the assembly, ten for the congregation, and ten for Israel.) According to some Talmudic authorities, women counted in the minyan for offering the Korban Pesach.

Even if the eve of the Passover fell on a Sabbath, the paschal lamb was killed in the manner described above, the blood was sprinkled on the altar, the entrails removed and cleansed, and the fat offered on the altar; for these four ceremonies in the case of the paschal lamb, and these alone, were exempt from the prohibition against working on the Sabbath. This regulation, that the Sabbath yielded the precedence to the Passover, was not definitely determined until the time of Hillel, who established it as a law and was in return elevated to the dignity of nasi by the Bene Bathyra.

The people taking part in the sacrifice were divided into three groups. The first of these filled the court of the Temple, so that the gates had to be closed, and while they were killing and offering their paschal lambs the Levites on the platform ("dukan") recited the "Hallel" (Psalms 113-118), accompanied by instruments of brass. If the Levites finished their recitation before the priests had completed the sacrifice, they repeated the "Hallel," although it never happened that they had to repeat it twice. As soon as the first group had offered their sacrifice, the gates were opened to let them out, and their places were taken by the second and third groups successively.

All three groups offered their sacrifice in the manner described, while the "Hallel" was recited; but the third group was so small that it had always finished before the Levites reached Psalm 116. It was called the "group of the lazy" because it came last. Even if the majority of the people were ritually unclean on the eve of the Passover, the sacrifice was offered on the 14th of Nisan. Other sacrifices, on the contrary, called "ḥagigah," which were offered together with the paschal lamb, were omitted if the eve of the Passover fell on a Sabbath, or if the sacrifice was offered in a state of uncleanness, or if the number of participants was so small that they could not consume all the meat. When the sacrifice was completed and the animal was ready for roasting, each one present carried his lamb home, except when the eve of the Passover fell on a Sabbath, in which case it might not be taken away.

The first group stationed itself on the mount of the Temple in Jerusalem, the second group in the "ḥel," the space between the Temple wall and the Temple hall, while the third group remained in the Temple court, thus awaiting the evening, when they took their lambs home and roasted them on a spit of pomegranate-wood. No bones might be broken either during the cooking or during the eating. The lamb was set on the table at the evening banquet (see Passover Seder), and was eaten by the assembled company after all had satisfied their appetites with the ḥagigah or other food. The sacrifice had to be consumed entirely that same evening, nothing being allowed to remain overnight. While eating it, the entire company of those who partook was obliged to remain together, and every participant had to take a piece of the lamb at least as large as an olive. Women and girls also might take part in the banquet and eat of the sacrifice. The following benediction was pronounced before eating the lamb: "Blessed be Thou, the Eternal, our God, the King of the world, who hast sanctified us by Thy commands, and hast ordained that we should eat the Passover." The "Hallel" was recited during the meal, and when the lamb had been eaten the meaning of the custom was explained, and the story of the Exodus was told.

The paschal sacrifice belongs to the "shelamim," thus forming one of the sacrifices in which the meal is the principal part and indicates the community between God and man. It is really a house or family sacrifice, and each household is regarded as constituting a small community in itself, not only because the lamb is eaten at home, but also because every member of the family is obliged to partake of the meal, on pain of karet (ritual excommunication), although each man must be circumcised and all must be ritually clean. The fact that the paschal lamb might be killed only at the central sanctuary of Jerusalem, on the other hand, implies that each household was but a member of the larger community; this is indicated also by the national character of the sacrifice, which kept alive in the memory of the nation the preservation and liberation of the entire people.

In 2007, a group of rabbis led by Adin Steinsalz and supported by the Temple Mount Faithful and the New Sanhedrin Council identified a Kohen who was a butcher, made plans for conducting a passover sacrifice on the Temple Mount, and petitioned the Israeli High Court of Justice for permission. The Court sided with the government and rejected the request, holding that such an event would inflame religious tensions and would threaten security. The incident was a successor to a series of earlier attempts by various groups to perform such a sacrifice, either openly or by subterfuge.

In 2008 animal rights group Tnoo Lachayot Lichyot ("Let the Animals Live") sued the Temple Institute, claiming its conduct of a practice passover sacrifice demonstration would constitute animal cruelty. An Israeli court rejected the claim.

Shabbat HaGadol ("Great Shabbat" שבת הגדול ) is the Shabbat immediately before Passover. There is a special Haftarah reading on this Shabbat of the book of Malachi. Traditionally a lengthy and expansive sermon is given to the general community in the afternoon.

Various reasons are given for the name of this Shabbat:

1) The Midrash Rabbah states: “When they (the Jewish people) set aside their paschal lamb on that Shabbat, the first-born gentiles gathered near the Israelites and asked them why they were doing this. The following was their response: “This is a Pesach offering to God who will kill the firstborn Egyptians.” They (the firstborn) went to their fathers and to Pharaoh to request that they grant permission to send the Jewish people free – but they refused. The first-born then waged a war against them and many of them (the Egyptians) were killed. This is the meaning of the verse (Psalms 136:10): “Who struck Egypt through its first born; for His kindness is eternal”.

2) The Tur states: The lamb was the Egyptian deity. Many Jews, after 210 years of immersion within Egyptian civilization, had also adopted this animal as their god. When God commanded that a lamb be set aside and tied to the bed for four days in anticipation of sacrifice, the Jewish people abandoned their idolatrous practice and courageously fulfilled this mitzvah in the eyes of the Egyptian people, thereby demonstrating their complete trust and faith in God. Nothing could have been more abominable to the Egyptians, for their god was to be slaughtered. Nevertheless, miraculously the Egyptians were unable to utter a word or lift a hand. They watched helplessly as their god was being prepared for slaughter. This miracle was a great miracle (nes gadol) and gives this Shabbat its name.

3) The Pri Chodosh writes: On this day the Jewish people were commanded to fulfill their first mitzvah – to set aside the lamb as a sacrifice. (Note: The mitzvah of Rosh Chodesh was not one they practically fulfilled at that time on that month.) This significant achievement is therefore called Gadol. Additionally, by fulfilling this first mitzvah they became like a child maturing into adulthood – they celebrated their Bar/Bat Mitzvah. In this light, the name Shabbat HaGadol would translate: The Shabbat the Jews became gadol/mature adults.

4) The Chasam Sofer writes: On this day the Jewish people fully ‘returned’ (Teshuvah) to their commitment and faith in God (as explained in reason #1). God is called gadol. Therefore, the Jewish People who embraced and subjugated themselves to God earned the title gadol as well.

5) The Shibolei Haleket writes: The customary lengthy Shabbat HaGadol speech makes the Shabbat feel long, drawn out, and ‘gadol’. (A similar reason is given for Yom Kippur being called Tzoma Rabba / The Big Fast – it feels long!).

6) Rabbi David ben Joseph Abudarham writes: In the Haftorah of the Shabbat prior to Pesach we read the possuk [Malachi 4:5]: “Henei Anochi Shole’ach Lochem Es Eliyahu Hanavi Lifnei Bo Yom HaGadol V’hanorah.” This reason places Shabbat HaGadol in the same category as Shabbat Chazon, Shabbat Nachamu, and Shabbat Shuva for their name is derived from the Haftorah.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oL30qMa6hvA

Desde el 15 al 22 de Nisan- transcurren los 8 días de Pesaj. Aquí te contamos un poco en que consiste esta festividad que es tan importante para nuestra comunidad, ya que recordamos el momento de nuestra liberación de Egipto.

La halajá (la ley religiosa) indica que varios días antes, en cada hogar judío, debemos iniciar los preparativos para su celebración eliminando el jametz (alimentos fermentados) y todo vestigio del mismo. Esto se debe a que su ingesta está prohibida durante la Festividad, rememorando la falta de tiempo para dejar leudar el pan, cuando los judíos fuimos liberados de Egipto. Pero los días de Pesaj y sus preparativos no son sólo días para limpiar nuestro hogar o alterar nuestra dieta habitual. Todas las leyes y costumbres de este período encierran un mensaje importante que afecta a todos los órdenes de nuestras vidas. Entre ellos, se nos recuerda que nuestra libertad no es un hecho dado, sino un hecho ganado. Y que la misma depende de nuestras elecciones y de nuestras acciones. En ese sentido, como forma de reforzar la libertad de la que hoy gozamos, proponemos a nuestros amigos usar este tiempo para pensar en cómo estamos llevando adelante nuestras familias y la educación de nuestros hijos. ¿Qué ámbitos de formación y crecimiento les estamos brindando? ¿Cómo ejercemos nuestro judaísmo? ¿Qué hacemos por nuestra continuidad? ¿Qué lugar ocupa Israel – nuestro sueño de libertad hecho realidad- entre los asuntos que nos importan? Los invitamos este año a conversar sobre estos asuntos en el seder de Pesaj.

Qué significa Pesaj

En el Talmud, las leyes de Pesaj están expuestas en el tratado Pesajim. Los nombres bíblicos para la festividad son Jag HaPésaj, en alusión al momento en que Dios salteó las casas de los primogénitos hebreos salvándolos de la plaga de muerte de los primogénitos (pesaj significa “pasaje”).

También se la llama Jag Ha Matzot, “la Fiesta del Pan Acimo”, por la prohibición de comer pan leudado durante estos días.

Pesaj es también el cordero, que se sacrificaba en la víspera de la fiesta en la época del Gran Templo, el cual se comía asado en una celebración familiar, para recordar el éxodo de Egipto.

En la diáspora, el seder (palabra que significa “orden” y se utiliza para designar al banquete festivo) se repite en la segunda noche y a partir de ésta comienza la cuenta del Omer, es decir, de los 50 días que faltan hasta la celebración de Shabuot.

Cómo es la noche del Séder

La celebración de la primera noche de Pesaj, llamada Seder, se realiza para cumplir el mandato divino de narrar a los hijos el Exódo de Egipto: “Y narrarás a tu hijo en ese día, diciendo: es por lo que el Señor hizo por mi cuando salí de Egipto” (Exodo 13:8).

Esta narración se encuentra en la Hagadá, libro en el cual se relata todo lo acontecido y se indican las berajot (bendiciones) para cada uno de los alimentos simbólicos que se utilizarán durante la ceremonia.

Los protagonistas de esta celebración, son fundamentalmente los niños y todo el seder se desarrolla para mantener su atención y despertar su curiosidad. La Mishná establece una fórmula de cuatro preguntas (Pes. 10:4) que deben ser preguntadas por los niños, a las cuales el padre responde según el grado de madurez de cada hijo.

Los niños en edad escolar participan de la lectura de la Hagadá y cantan las canciones alusivas a la historia.

Otra costumbre que los involucra es la búsqueda del Afikoman, un trozo de matzá que se parte durante el Seder, se envuelve y se esconde en algún lugar de la casa. Los niños deben mantenerse despiertos durante toda la duración del Seder, ya que al finalizar el mismo deberán buscarlo y quien lo encuentre –generalmente se reserva este honor al más pequeño- recibirá premios y halagos. Este trozo de matzá se reparte entre los comensales y se ingiere luego del banquete para recordar que en cada uno de los momentos de la historia en que los judíos fuimos esclavos, estábamos obligados a llevar la cuenta de nuestros bocados y reservarnos el mismo pan como postre.

Cómo preparar la bandeja para el ritual

Los seis elementos necesarios para la realización de la ceremonia son: zeróa, beitzá, maror, jaróset, carpas y jazéret. Los mismos se colocan dentro de la Bandeja del Seder o Keará.

También es necesario para el seder preparar tres matzot que se colocarán, según las costumbres de cada familia, dentro de la Keará o en otra bandeja, cubiertas por un lienzo blanco.

Para el zeróa se utiliza un hueso que todavía tiene restos de carne (generalmente se emplea un hueso de cogote de pollo). El huevo, ya sea asado o hervido, se coloca en la parte superior izquierda de la bandeja, a la misma altura que el hueso. El hueso huevo recuerda la Ofrenda Festiva -Korbán Jaguigá- que se llevaba al Beit HaMikdash en las Festividades.

Para el maror se utilizan las hojas o el tronco (pero no las raíces) de la lechuga. Asimismo, hay quienes acostumbran utilizar rábano picante -conocido como jrein – junto con la lechuga. Se coloca en el centro de la Keará, debajo del hueso y el huevo, ya que el maror se comía junto con el sacrificio de Pesaj. En algunas comunidades la costumbre es utilizar lechuga y jrein combinados tanto para el maror como para el jaroset.

El jaroset es un preparado de manzana, pera, nueces y vino. Algunas comunidades –generalmente las sefaradíes- lo preparan con pasas de uva o dátiles. Esta mezcla tiene la apariencia de arcilla y recuerda la argamasa -jarasit- que los judíos debían preparar para las construcciones, cuando eran esclavos en Egipto. El jaróset se coloca en el lado derecho de la bandeja, debajo del hueso asado y del maror.

Para el karpas se utiliza apio, un trozo de papa, cebolla cruda, rábano, zanahoria o cualquier otro tipo de vegetal que no sea amargo y se coloca del lado izquierdo, frente al jaroset y debajo del huevo.

Para jazeret se utilizan los mismos ingredientes que para el maror. Se coloca en la parte inferior de la bandeja del Seder, debajo del maror. Colocamos dos grupos de hierbas amargas (el maror y el jazeret) sólo para establecer una distinción entre aquellas que se utilizan para la mitzvá del maror y aquellas que sirven como recordatorio.

Esperando a Eliahu Hanaví

Acostumbramos dejar en la mesa del seder una copa llena de vino, conocida como la Copa de Eliahu Hanaví (Elías, el Profeta) manifestando asi nuestra esperanza en la redención final, cuando llegue el Mesías. (Eliahau, es el anunciante del Mashiaj y por eso le damos la bienvenida, cuando estamos a punto de finalizar el seder, abriendo la puerta principal de la casa para demostrar que es una “noche de contemplación” en la que los hijos de Israel no sentimos temor alguno.  

At Pesach many people are invited to family gatherings but there is no reason why you cannot do it yourself should you find you are "it". The good news is that you may already have the "manual" or can buy one – the Haggadah normally tells you what to do as you go along. However here are a few tips:

Firstly do not worry too much about the meal your first time – there is too much else to be doing!

Secondly like everything you do for the first time – keep it simple – better to embellish things next year. Before you start you will have to get the ingredients. First are the candles – after lighting the candles some people cover their eyes until the blessing is and/or spread out their hands with palms facing inwards pulling them in towards themselves several times in a symbolic gesture of welcome for the Sabbath.

The traditional blessing is then said:

"Blessed are you, HaShem, our God, Sovereign of the Universe, Who makes us holy with His commandments and commands us to light the Yom Tov candles"

ברוך אתה ה’ א‑לוהינו מלך העולם, אשר קדשנו במצותיו וצונו להדליק נר של שבת.‏

Baruch ata Adonai elohaynu melech haolam asher kiddishanu b’mitzvotav vitzeevanu l’hadleek ner shel Yom Tov.

Next some Matzah – if you can get "Kosher le Pesach" (Kosher for Pesach) so much the better. The arrangement of the matzah and what to do with it are described in the Haggadah. Essentially you have three – separated traditionally by some form of cloth, improvise if you do not have a traditional cover.

The centre of the table is the Seder Plate. Whilst ornate ones are available an ordinary plate or a series of small dishes are fine. Boil an egg then put it (with shell) into the oven. If you can get a bit of lamb leg bone or chicken neck do likewise (other bits of meat are better than nothing, vegetarians can improvise). These will represent respectively the festival offering and the paschal offering. Cook until pretty burnt – they are not for eating! Next is the best bit – Charoset. Charoset is meant to represent mortar but does not taste like it. Essentially it is a mixture of apples and nuts crushed up together, in a food processor if you have one, with a little wine and cinnamon to taste – smooth or crunchy (as you like your peanut butter!). Maror – bitter herbs – is usually horseradish, the pre made sauce will do. Karpas is lettuce, parsley or chicory and the second bitter vegetable, Chazeret is usually lettuce.

You need some salt water, representing tears, and also useful for dipping the boiled eggs which some people eat before the meal! Last but not least – wine, lots of it. If, like me, you get too shika, use grape juice instead. We have four glasses of wine during the course of the meal and remember we have to enjoy the meal in comfort which traditionally means leaning rather than sitting straight. You should be able to get an Haggadah through the Judaica shop or from any Jewish bookshop and if you look through before the big day you will get plenty of hints on "How to do it" including how to dispose of your chametz (leavened food) the day before. Remember there is no reason why you cannot do the whole service or parts in English and indeed this makes it more interesting.

Free PDF Haggadah

Conducting Your Passover Seder

The Seder Table:
When possible, the table should be set before nightfall. A white cloth, flowers, candlesticks, Seder plate, and matzot in a special three part cover, wine cups and the cup of Elijah should be present.

Wine: Provide a wine cup and saucer for each person. Also make sure to have enough wine since the Seder calls for four cups per person. Elijah’s cup, a separate special cup, should be set in the center of the table.

Matzah – Three Matzot, separated from one another are placed in a matzah holder or cover. The middle matzah, called the afikomen, will be broken in half and is later needed as the “dessert.” By tradition, it is hidden to maintain children’s interest and the one to find it is awarded a prize for its return.

Seder Plate and Other Symbols

Zeroa (lamb shank or chicken leg bone): symbol of the Paschal lamb sacrificed in ancient days

Marror (bitter herbs, usually horseradish or romaine lettuce): symbol of hardship and suffering of Jews in slavery

Betsah (roasted egg): symbol of the holiday sacrifice

Charoset (finely chopped nuts and apples moistened with wine): symbol of mortar which held bricks together when Jews were slaves in Egypt

Karpas (greens such as celery, parsely, or lettuce): symbol of hope and spring, to dip into

Salt water: a symbol of tears

Haggadah: lays out the story of Passover and the order of Seder

Candlesticks with candles: lighting the candles inaugurates the festival

Pillows: – used to recline in chairs as a symbol of the privileges of freedom

Why three Matzot?

On Shabbat and Yom Tov, one is required to say Hamotzi over two whole loaves of challah. On the two nights of Seder, three Matzot are used. Since one of the three is broken before the meal for the afikomen, two whole are required. The third matzah is also added to fulfill the commandment of eating “The Bread of Affliction.” The Kabbalists called the three matzot by names of the three divisions of the Jewish people (Kohen, Levi, and Israel) to symbolize the unity of the Jewish people.

Why the four cups of wine?

Each participant drinks four glasses of wine during the Seder. The first is when the Kiddush is recited as on every Shabbat and Festival. The second follows the benediction of redemption. The third is drunk at the end of Grace after Meals, and the fourth falls before the conclusion of the Seder.The drinking of the four cups of wine recalls the four expressions of redemption in Exodus.

Why the cup of Elijah?

A controversy arose during the Middle Ages among the Rabbis, about the necessity of drinking four or five cups of wine because of a fifth expression related to redemption, “And I will bring you into the land” (Exodus 6:8). Since they did not reach an agreement, they declared that a fifth cup of wine should be placed on the table but not be drunk. The Talmudic expression for the settlement of a doubt was “… until Elijah arrives.” As it was hoped that the problem of the controversial fifth cup would likewise be settled by Elijah, this goblet was named for him.

The use of the cup of Elijah, a comparatively late custom, has become a symbol of the eternal hope for freedom and salvation that will be realized with the coming of the prophet.

Opening the door following the Grace after Meals, is also a “reminder to trust in Divine Providence” on this “night of watching.” Thus it expresses one’s belief in the promise of salvation from enemies and of the Messianic era. This tradition is based on the Talmudic statement that “in Nisan they are redeemed and in Nisan they are destined to be redeemed.”

A new custom is to add a cup of water for Miriam to honor her role in the Exodus and her connection to life-saving water. We also honor the many other women of our tradition whose stories are seldom told.

Why the practice of reclining?

One is obligated to recline at the Seder table as a sign of freedom as that was the behavior of free people in ancient days. Even the poor of Israel are expected to recline while they eat at the Seder table as an expression of their independence even though they may be subject to hardships throughout the year.

Since the practice of reclining while eating was common at the time Passover observances were instituted, the series of questions to be asked at the Seder contained no reference to leaning. After the destruction of the Temple, when this custom was no longer in vogue, the Seder night was the only time during the year when Jews reclined while dining. Hence the question relevant to this practice was included in the Four Questions, replacing a question about how the sacrificial meal was prepared.

How To Conduct Your Seder

Kiddush (Sanctifying the Festival): Begin the Seder with the chanting of the Kiddush (a proclamation of the sanctity of the Festival) over a cup of wine. While on Shabbat and other Festivals everyone drinks the wine of the Kiddush from the cup of the leader; at the Seder, all participants have their own cup of wine. The wine is drunk in a reclining position.

Urchatz (Washing the Hands): In ancient times one was required to wash before one dipped food into a liquid. Thus, before partaking of the karpas, hands are washed without reciting the blessing.

Karpas (Dipping the Greens): A small piece of celery, parsley, or other green vegetable is dipped in salt water, and the benediction for vegetables is said. This unusual practice is for the purpose of arousing the interest of children. Many associate the vegetable symbolically with the joyous rebirth of spring and the salt water with the tears shed during the Israelite enslavement in Egypt.

Yachatz (Dividing the Middle Matzah): The middle of the three matzot is divided into two. The larger piece, called the afikomen, is then wrapped in a napkin and hidden. The smaller piece is returned to its place. The purpose of this procedure is to retain the interest of the children throughout the Seder.

Maggid (Narrating the Pesach Story): At this point, the story of Passover is told, and the discussion of the Seder takes place. Sufficient time should be allotted for a proper reading of the Haggadah and discussion concerning its meaning and message. Adjust your Seder to the needs of your family and guests. If your Seder participants do not read or understand Hebrew, then an English service will be more meaningful. Don’t rush this section; with smaller children, plan a shorter but complete service. With more adults, plan more discussion, explanation, or creative readings.

Rahtzah (Washing the Hands): The hands are washed and the appropriate blessing is said, prior to eating matzah.

Motzi Matzah: The two complete matzot as well as the half broken matzah are taken in hand and the two appropriate blessings are recited.

Marror (Eating the Bitter Herbs): As a reminder that “the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigor. And they made their lives bitter with hard service, in mortar and bricks” (Exodus 1:13-14), it has been ordained that bitter herbs shall be eaten (Exodus 12:8). The bitter herb is dipped into charoset and the blessing is recited. Charoset (a mixture of apples, nuts, cinnamon and wine) is symbolic of the mortar from which the children of Israel made brick in Egypt. While one may eat different kinds of bitter herbs to fulfill one’s obligation, it is customary to use horseradish, romaine lettuce, or both.

Korech (Eating the Maror with Matzah): Matzah and the bitter herb are combined to make a sandwich to fulfill the commandment “they shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs” (Numbers 9:11). The Talmud tells us that this practice was introduced by Hillel during the days of the Second Temple.

Shulchan Orech (Serving the Meal): It is an Ashkenazic custom to start the meal with an entrée of hard boiled eggs in salt water, symbolic of the tears shed at the destruction of the Temple (with the egg representing the Festival sacrifice). The egg, also eaten at the mourner’s first meal, is said to represent the idea of the continuation of life. Jewish sages have felt that even joyous occasions should have a symbol of sadness in memory of the destruction and suffering of our people throughout our history.

Tzafun (Eating the Concealed Afikomen): At the conclusion of the meal, the leader redeems the afikomen and distributes it to all the celebrants. The custom has arisen that the children try to obtain possession of the afikomen during the course of the Seder and hold it until it is redeemed. This may be based on the Talmudic statement “they hasten (the eating of) matzot on the nights of Pesach so that the children should not sleep.”

Barech (Recite the Grace after Meals): Birkat Hamazon, thanking God for the food we have eaten.

Here are audio clips of the major portions of the Haggadah that are recited during the Passover Seder – to help you learn how to better conduct your own seder at home.

• Kadesh, Ur’hatz – Order of the Passover Seder
• Kiddush – Kiddush Recited Over First Cup of Wine
• Ha Lachma – As the Matzah is Uncovered
• Mah Nishtanah – The Four Questions
• Avadim Hayinu – Beginning the Story of the Exodus
• V’Hi She’Amdah – As the Second Cup of Wine is Raised
• Dayenu – Passover Hymn of Thanksgiving
• Hallel (Part 1) – Before the Seder Meal
• Second Cup of Wine – Berachot Recited Over Kot Sheni

• Shir Ha’Ma’alot – Before the Birkat HaMazon
• Birkat HaMazon – Grace After the Meal
• Eliyahu HaNavi – The Cup of Elijah
• Hallel (Part 2) – After the Seder Meal
• Hallel HaGadol (Ki L’Olam Hasdo) – Psalm 136
• Fourth Cup – Includes "Al HaGefen V’Al Pri HaGefen
• Nirtzah – Concluding the Seder (Includes L’Shanah HaBa’ah)

Concluding Seder Songs

• Ki Lo Na’eh
• Echad Mi Yodeah
• Adir Hu
• Chad Gadya

* Because of the great variety of printed haggadot, you may find slight variations from the text you use. These clips are only of the selections that are typically sung during the Passover Seder. We have not recorded hagadah passages that are read aloud or simply davened (chanted) without a set melody – such as karpas, 10 plagues, hamotzi, etc.

What is Shabbat Zachor? This Shabbat gets its name from the first word of the special 3 sentence Torah reading that is read on this Shabbat: Remember [Zachor] what the Amalekites did to you along the way when you came out of Egypt… In addition to the regular Torah reading, three verses from Deuteronomy are read (25: 17-19) which describe the attack by Amalek upon the Israelites during their trek through the wilderness after the exodus from Egypt. The Haftara for Shabbat Zachor recalls the war with Amalek during the time of King Saul. The leader of the Amalekites at that time was King Agag, an ancestor of Haman, who is one of the central characters in the story of Purim. The portion that is read includes a commandment to remember the attack by Amalek, and therefore at this public reading both men and women make a special effort to hear the reading.

Mordecai’s genealogy in the second chapter of the Book of Esther is given as a descendant of Kish of the Tribe of Benjamin. Kish was also the name of the father of King Saul, and the Talmud accords Mordecai the status of a descendant of the first King of Israel. Together Esther and Mordechai turn the tables on Haman (a decedent of Amalek) and he is hanged upon the gallows he had built for Mordechai. The King reverses the plot and allows the Jews all over his empire, to arm themselves and attack there would be attackers (the would be Amalekites).

Haman is clearly a type of Anti-Messiah (satan) who desires to see the Jewish people exterminated once and for all. In the Besorah Tovah (Good News) we know that there is soon coming one who is the embodiment of this "spirit of Haman," and of Hitler, and of all the other anti-Jewish murderers throughout the ages. This one is the "man of sin" or the anti-Messiah, Satan’s emissary (2 Thess. 2:3).

Satan’s final attempt to provide the ultimate "Final Solution" will be foiled, just as Haman’s attempt was foiled.When Yeshua is finally fully revealed, He will destroy the Messiah of Evil. Israel’s long-awaited Mashiach ben David will be clearly revealed and understood to be Mashiach ben Yosef Himself. Then, and only then, will Israel experience the true deliverance and salvation of HaShem — and the rejoicing of that Purim will be like none other!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJZLEFqELzM

The name of the holiday refers to the plot of the king’s advisor, Haman, to draw lots for which Jews to kill first. He planned to massacre all the Jews. Esther, one of the king’s wives and a Jewess herself, saved the Jewish people from Haman’s "lots" plot by revealing it to the king.

Historical Background

The story of Purim took place many years ago in the land of Persia. King Achashverosh married a beautiful Jewish woman by the name of Esther. Esther had an uncle, Mordechai, who had looked after her since the death of her parents. He advised her to conceal her Jewish identity from the King.

Haman, one of the King’s top advisors, was an evil and vain man who demanded that everyone bow down to him. When Mordechai would not bow down to him (being Jewish, he would only bow down to God), Haman became enraged and decided to kill Mordechai along with all the Jewish people.

To set the date on which he would carry out this plan, Haman cast lots (‘purim’). The date he determined was the 13th of Adar. Mordechai informed Esther of Haman’s plot and asked her to tell the king.

This was easier said than done, as it was the custom to approach the King only after being invited. This applied even to his wife. To ensure the mercy of God (and also presumably of Achashverosh), Esther asked all the Jews to fast for three days before she went uninvited to the King.

Meanwhile, Haman had erected a gallows on which he planned to hang Mordechai. When the King heard from Esther of Haman’s plan, he ordered that Haman be hanged there instead.

Achashverosh was reminded that years before, Mordechai had saved his life; to honour him, he made Mordechai his top advisor. Thus, instead of being killed on the 13th of Adar, Mordechai and the Jews of Persia were saved.

Mordechai sent letters rolled into scrolls to all the people in the kingdom, telling them what the King had done to Haman. The next day was declared a holiday and thus ever since, Jews have celebrated Purim.

Purim is usually celebrated on the 14th day of the month of Adar in the Jewish calendar, which is in February or March in the Gregorian calendar. According to many sources, the celebrations begin at around sunset on the 13th day of Adar, while other sources mention that Purim is observed on the 15th day of Adar.

What do people do?

Jewish people must do four things on Purim according to Jewish law. These are:

• Listening to a public reading, often in a synagogue of the Book of Esther, or the Megilla (also referred to as Megillah).
• Sending a gift of food to at least one friend.
• Giving charity to the poor.
• Eating a festive meal.

Each pronunciation of the name of Haman is drowned out by the noise of wooden rattles or other instruments that make loud noises during the reading of the Megilla. The services in the synagogue have a festive nature and often include elements, which would be unacceptable at other times of the year (like wearing customs). Some people fast for one or more days before or after Purim.

Wearing Fancy Dress

Since a key theme of Purim is concealment and disguise (Esther hid her Jewishness from the King), dressing up in costume is a favourite Purim custom. In the Diaspora (ourside Israel) it is mainly children who dress up, but in Israel and in religious communities, everyone does it. In Israel on Purim the streets are filled with characters from Biblical to TV superheroes and this helps to create the festive mood.

V’nahafoch hu

At the end, the theme of Purim is v’nahafoch hu, a celebration of things getting turned upside down. Haman builds gallows for Mordechai, and is hung on those same gallows. Haman plans a fantastic reward for himself, and instead has to bestow this reward on Mordechai.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgJInVvJSZg

La cuestión de cómo y cuándo el primer día de la semana (el domingo) llegó a ser adoptado por la mayoría de los cristianos como día de reposo y culto, en lugar del sábado ordenado por la Biblia.

Estos renovados esfuerzos por averiguar las bases bíblicas e históricas del origen de la observancia del domingo reflejan el deseo de alejar toda vigencia y validez al Sábado por tener un marcado valor Judío.

Origen del domingo

La adopción de la observancia del domingo en lugar del sábado ha sido tradicionalmente atribuida a la autoridad eclesiástica, antes que a un precepto o mandamiento bíblico. Tomás de Aquino, por ejemplo, afirma categóricamente: "En la "nueva ley" la observancia del día del Señor tomó el lugar de la observancia del sábado, no en virtud del precepto (el cuarto mandamiento) sino por institución de la Iglesia. "Aquí vemos la aceptación de autoridades humanas en lugar de la autoridad Divina. La misma opinión fue reiterada tres siglos después en el Catecismo del Concilio de Trento (1566), que dice: "Ha parecido bien a la iglesia de Dios que la celebración religiosa del sábado fuese transferida al día del Señor."

Durante las controversias teológicas del siglo XVI, los teólogos católicos apelaron frecuentemente al origen eclesiástico del domingo para demostrar el poder que tenía la Iglesia para introducir leyes y ceremonias. Un poder como el de Dios para cambiar las escrituras. Algunos ecos de tales controversias pueden ser detectados hasta en la famosa Confesión de Augsburgo (1530), en la que Lutero declara: "Los católicos alegan que el sábado ha sido cambiado por el domingo, en contra del Decálogo. No hay un ejemplo al que se refieran más a menudo que al cambio del día de reposo. Y dicen, ¡grande es el poder de la Iglesia, puesto que ha cambiado uno de los Diez Mandamientos!". La Confesión de Augsburgo reconoce el origen post-bíblico y eclesiástico del domingo, y acepta el derecho de la iglesia a introducir ciertas leyes, como la observancia del domingo, Aquí prácticamente han creado una nueva ley.

Calvino también considera el domingo como una institución más humana que divina y también la acepta. En su Institución de la Religión Cristiana dice lo siguiente: "Por haberse convertido en soporte de la superstición, la fiesta judía fue abolida; y como algo necesario para mantener la decencia, el orden y la paz en la Iglesia . . . los primeros cristianos substituyeron el sábado por el que hoy llamamos día del Señor." En las Buenas Nuevas no dice nada con respecto a algún cambio del día Sábado o guardar el Domingo. En los siglos que siguieron a la Reforma se han enfrentado dos puntos de vista opuestos en cuanto al origen y la naturaleza del domingo. El primero pretende que el domingo fue instituido por iniciativa divina en los primeros tiempos del cristianismo para conmemorar la resurrección del Señor, ocurrida el primer día de la semana. Sus partidarios defienden el domingo como el legítimo substituto del sábado, por lo que lo apoyan con ayuda del cuarto mandamiento. Entre los numerosos teólogos que han aceptado esta posición, se destacan: Erasmo. Teodoro de Beza. La Segunda Confesión Helvética (1566), Nicolás Bownde. Antonio Walaeus. Hamon L’Estrange. El Sinodo de Dort. La Confesión de Westminster (1647), Gisbertus Voetius. John Owen . Henry Wilkinson. William Paley James Augustus Hessey.

El segundo punto de vista considera el domingo como una institución eclesiástica independiente del cuarto mandamiento. Los que defienden esta opinión; Ambos, afirman que esta institución fue introducida por razones principalmente prácticas, concretamente para dar al pueblo el tiempo libre necesario para asistir a los servicios religiosos. Esta opinión ha fomentado, en general, un tipo de observancia del domingo más permisivo, en la que se autorizan el trabajo, los deportes y las diversiones. Los que sostienen esta posición son: la Iglesia Católica, Lucero. con algunas diferencias Calvino. William Tyndale. Thomas Cranmer . John Prideaux , Hugo Grotius . Franciscus Gomarus . Peter Heylyn (m. John Cocceius John Milton . John Samuel Para la inquietud humana.

Confesión de Augsburgo, Art. 28: Book of Concord, the Symbols of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, 1957, p. 24. Lutero afirma explícitamente que el domingo "no se celebra en la cristiandad por orden de Dios … Es una necesidad ordenada por la Iglesia para el bien de los laicos y de las clases trabajadoras" (D. Martín Luthers 1888, 6:243, I, 31).

En su Symbolum, Erasmo escribe: "Mediante su reposo en la tumba, Cristo abrogó el sábado judío, y mediante su resurrección al octavo día nos impuso el sábado evangélico [domingo]"

Nicolás Bownde en su popular obra The True Doctrine of the Sabbath (1595) afirma que el cuarto mandamiento es moral y perpetuo. El día concreto fue cambiado del sábado al domingo por la autoridad de los apóstoles (Cox I, pp. 145-151).

Hamon L’Estrange, en su libro God’s Sabbath before the law, under the Law, and under the Gospel (1641) sostiene que el sábado fue cambiado por Cristo en el día de su resurrección: "En cuanto fue abolido el viejo sábado, el nuevo fue establecido e impuesto" (p. 71; citado por Cox I, p. 202).

La Confesión de Fe de Westminster, en su capitulo 21 y articulo 7, dice: "El ha designado para sábado un día especial de cada siete, para que le sea santificado: el cual, desde el principio del mundo hasta la resurrección de Jesucristo, fue el último día de la semana; pero a partir de la resurrección de Cristo ha sido cambiado por el primer día de la semana, que en la Escritura se llama día del Señor, y este es el que ha de continuar hasta el fin del mundo como sábado cristiano" (Philip Schaff [n. 11], pp. 648-649).

William Tyndale, el famoso traductor de la Biblia al inglés moderno, aceptaba el origen eclesiástico del domingo, pero rechazaba sus obligaciones: "En cuanto al sábado, seamos señores del sábado, y cambiémoslo incluso por el lunes o por cualquier otro día de la semana, según nos convenga. . . No hubo otra razón para pasar el sábado al domingo que la de distinguirnos de los judíos" (citado por Hessey En. 221, p. 198).

Thomas Cranmer, arzobispo de Canterbury (quemado en Oxford en 1555), en su Confutation of Unwritten Verities dice que "puesto que la Iglesia no ha tenido inconveniente en pasar el sábado al domingo, cambiando con ello la ley de Dios, con más autoridad podrá hacer leyes nuevas en aquellas cosas necesarias para la salvación" (citado por Cox I, p. 135).

Peter Heylyn, subdiácono de Westminster y capellán de Carlos I, escribió un tratado en dos volúmenes con el título de The History of the Sabbath (1628). En el primer capítulo del segundo volumen, Heylyn afirma que Cristo preparó el camino para la "disolución" del sábado, y que "el día del Señor no fue puesto en su lugar, ni por El ni por los apóstoles, sino que fue instituido por la autoridad de la Iglesia" (citado por Cox I, p. 177).

Con lo anteriormente expuesto, Teólogos famosos y la Iglesia Católica y cristiana en su mayoría de denominaciones, han cambiado el cuarto mandamiento de la ley de Dios. Éxodo. 20:8-11.

Muy claramente es explicado en nuestras biblias, sea la denominación que sea que el séptimo día es el Shabbat. Y como memorial de la creación, no podrá ser cambiado a un día en la cual El no descansó ni bendijo, al igual que no puedes cambiar el día de tus cumpleaños por otro día cualquiera donde no naciste. (Génesis. 2:3) Dios en las escrituras hebreas., y el mesias en las buenas nuevas, (Marcos 2:27) dicen que fue hecho para el hombre, quiere decir para la raza humana; la palabra hombre aquí es ilimitada, todo el mundo está incluido sin excepción alguna o sin preferencia ninguna. Además, no es una institución Judía, porque fue impuesta 2.300 años antes que apareciera un Judío; más aún, la Biblia nunca lo llama "el Shabbat Judío", sino que siempre lo menciona como:

 "EL SHABBAT DEL SEÑOR NUESTRO DIOS".

Dentro de los errores más grandes del nuestro pueblo, es que Dios prometió que Jerusalem estaría siempre en pié si su pueblo guardaba el Shabbat. (Jeremías 17:24-25). Una de las razones por la cual Dios los envió a la cautividad Babilónica y destruyó Jerusalén fue por no guardar el Shabbat. (Nehemias 13:18); (Jeremías 17:27).

Dios nuestro Elohim ha prometido bendecir a todo aquel que guarde el Shabbat. (Isaias 56:2). Deleitar y dar gozo (Isaías 58:1314).

Buenas Nuevas

Pero solo se menciona todo en las escrituras hebreas y nada en las Buenas Nuevas; pues bien, cuando el hijo del hombre vino, El guardó el séptimo día durante toda su vida. (Lucas 4:16, Juan 15:10). Pregunto: No estaremos seguros si seguimos su ejemplo? Era su costumbre predicar en el día de Shabbat (Hechos 17:2,3)

El Sello del Eterno

La palabra sello o marca de pertenencia, se usaba mucho antiguamente. Existen tres (3) elementos en un sello: el nombre del propietario, su título, y el territorio en el cual rige. Un buen ejemplo sería "Ciro, rey de Persia".

Encontramos estos tres elementos en el corazón de la ley de Dios, en el cuarto mandamiento. Porque en seis días el Señor hizo el cielo y la tierra, el mar y todo lo que en ellos hay. Éxodo 20:11

Nombre: Señor (HaShem, el Eterno)
Titulo: Hacedor, creador
Territorio: Cielo y Tierra, todo el Universo.

Éxodo 20:8-11, Juan 1:1-4. Vemos entonces que es su estampa o sello que se encuentra en medio de los diez mandamientos proclamando su ley y la autoridad sobre ella. Si tu guardas su ley en tu corazón y tu mente, estas proclamando la Soberanía de Dios en tu vida y te esta sellando (marcando) como uno de sus hijos de su reino. Tienes ya la marca de Elohim.

Escrito por Alberto Jassir

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDfKjGBgBxU

Weekly Sidra: Mishpatim (Judgments)
Torah Portion: Shemot / Exodus 21:1-24:18
Maftir: Shemot / Exodus 30:11-16
Haftorah: Melachim Bet / II Kings 11:17-12:17

Jehoash was seven years old when he became king. 2 Jehoash began his reign in the seventh year of Jehu, and he reigned in Jerusalem forty years. His mother’s name was Zibiah of Beer-sheba. 3 All his days Jehoash did what was pleasing to the Lord, as the priest Jehoiada instructed him. 4 The shrines, however, were not removed; the people continued to sacrifice and offer at the shrines. (Malachim Bet 12:1-4)

This week’s Torah portion is Mishpatim (rulings). However, this is a special Shabbat called Shabbat Shekalim (שבת שקלים ) so a different Haftarah portion is read.

Shabbat Shekalim ("Sabbath [of] shekels" שבת שקלים) read in preparation for Purim, requests each adult male Jew contribute half of a Biblical shekel for the upkeep of the Tent of Meeting.

This week we read of the rulings which Hashem gave to Israel. It states that “Moses went and repeated to the people all the commands of the Lord and all the rules; and all the people answered with one voice, saying, "All the things that the Lord has commanded we will do!" (Shemot 24:3) Similarly we read in the Haftarah portion that “All his days Jehoash did what was pleasing to the Lord, as the priest Jehoiada instructed him. The shrines, however, were not removed; the people continued to sacrifice and offer at the shrines.

We too are often like Israel and king Jehoash. We do what is pleasing to Hashem, but we continue to keep our shrines of sin operational. There are those sins which we simply choose to keep. We may live very holy lives and even keep much of the Torah unless we get rid of our shrines we will continue to sacrifice at them.

Rav Shaul (Paul) states “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Ruach HaKodesh (Divine Presence), who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honour God with your body.” (Korintim Alef 6:19, 20)

We must realize that just as all male Jews were required to pay a shekel to upkeep the Tent of meeting, our Temples were bought at a price. Yeshua gave his life so that our Temples may remain pure.

Therefore, take stock of your life. Continue to serve Hashem and to live a life pleasing to Him. However, remember to tear down the sacred shrines of sin in your life because Yeshua has already paid the price for the upkeep of your Temple.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMzyIgYHb7A

When we are called by the father to receive the gift of faith, in the redemptive work of our Rabbi Yeshua the Messiah (His death and resurrection), upon acceptance we are instantly a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17)

“Therefore, if anyone is united with the Messiah, he is a new creation- the old has passed; look, what has come is fresh and new!”. So what exactly is a new creation? God gives us some very insightful lessons from the Torah and the Good News scriptures that paint a picture to deepen our understanding of what it means. In the book of Bereshit / Geneses there is a picture God gives us of the process of creation, which can be used to show us our life with and without Yeshua as our Messiah.

Without our Rabbi Yeshua in our life, we are separated from God and His Torah (teachings) as well as His love, which Rabbi Shaul teaches that we are nothing without it. So what does it mean to be nothing? (Bereshit / Geneses 1:2) “The earth was unformed and void, darkness was on the face of the deep”. The dictionary defines the word void as; empty, useless, vain, and gives us synonyms to the word such as; fruitless, and meaningless. Do these definitions look familiar? If we look back into our previous studies about love and our life as a believer, there is a definite connection to be considered. Without love, we are not truly united with the Messiah and living in darkness , and no better than a non-believer, because even Yeshua said (Mattityahu / Matthew 7:21) “Not everyone who says to me ‘Mori (teacher), Mori!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, only those who do what my Father in Heaven wants”. So what does our father in heaven want? To follow the commandments of course and Yeshua even simplified it so we can never forget, (Mattityahu / Matthew 22:36-40) “Rabbi, which of the mitzvot in the Torah is the most important?” He told them, “’ You are to love HaShem your God with all your heart and with all your soul and all your strength.” This is the greatest and most important mitzvah. And a second is similar to it, ‘You are love your neighbour as yourself.’ All of the Torah and the prophets are dependent on these two mitzvot”. Our Rabbi, Maran Yeshua clearly shows us the way to true Emuna and it’s deeply rooted with a foundation of love towards God and our neighbours. Please understand however that this does not annul or cancel out the other commandments, it just shows us how essential love is in the fulfillment of mitzvot in our relationship with God and with our neighbours.

As believers in Yeshua, we don’t desire what is darkness because it separates us from the presence of God and makes us false witnesses of the light of the Messiah in us. The light of Yeshua is what sustains us as believers, (Yochanan / John 1:4-5) “In him was life, and the life was the light of mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not suppressed it”. Yeshua is the light from the beginning of creation; (Bereshit / Geneses 1:3)   “Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and God divided the light from darkness”. As we can see from the scripture (Yochanan / John 1:2) “He was in the beginning with God”. Another insightful scripture to further our understanding is (Yochanan / John 8:12) “Yeshua spoke to them again: “I am the light of the world; whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light which gives life”.

Yeshua gives us another teaching about the light in our lives; (Mattityahu / Matthew 5:14-17) “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Likewise, when people light a lamp, they don’t cover it with a bowl but put it on a lamp stand, so that it shines for everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before people, so that they may see the good things you do and praise your Father in heaven”. The essence of the light are the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22) “ But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility, self control. Nothing in the Torah stands against such things.”  All these elements are of the light and part of us a new creations, we are not to conceal our light with a bowl of arrogance which means an offensive display of superiority or self-importance; overbearing pride, but rather we are to be humble and child like because we are Gods children and radiate the world with the fullness of the Torah, Gods love. So each time we put on our Tzitzis and look at the cords of blue in remembrance of the commandments of Torah, remember first the love which the Torah represents so that the commandments will be truly fulfilled and our light will cast away all darkness and bare the fruits of the Spirit.  

With the light of our Rabbi, Maran Yeshua in our lives, we change from a dark, void and empty existence, to a beautiful garden of love and Emuna as a new creation and part of the glorious Kingdom of God. In this world of darkness and confusion that we are in, Yeshua has made our paths straight with the true revelation of Torah written on our hearts and the Ruach Hakodesh (Holy Spirit) to guide us. As God said in (Yechezk’el / Ezekiel 36:26-27) “I will give you a new heart, and put a new spirit inside of you; I will take the stony heart out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put my Spirit inside of you and cause you to live by my laws, respect my rulings and obey them”.

Baruch Atah HaShem, Elohenu Melech ha olam, asher kid’shanu bid’varo, v’natan lanu et Yeshua M’she’chay’nu, v’tzi’vanu l’ki’ot or la olam.

Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us by your Word, given us Yeshua our Messiah and has commanded us to be a light to the world.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_NpxFDEWjw