Parasha Beha'alotecha & sermon "An Issue of Contentment"

I am telling you old news when I say that Hamas and Israel agreed to a ceasefire, in fact it is fourteen-year-old, old news because Hamas and Israel have been under a ceasefire agreement for over a decade. The fact is, Hamas and Israel have never had a long-term peace agreement and according to their Constitution, which calls for the destruction of Israel, they can never have one without a Constitutional Amendment.

We have to reach into the spiritual in order to find purpose in this last war, because in the physical there is none! The Gazans are no better off than they were before the war and Hamas is no less determined to destroy Israel then they were before the war. Whereas Israel is $385 million U.S. poorer (without counting the economic losses suffered by the people which is $363 million), and we are left traumatized, shell-shocked and wondering what happened. God, You must have had a purpose for these11 days of horror and if nothing else, we can take comfort in that Your purpose was achieved. Come Quickly Lord Yeshua!

I do not know about you, but I am over hearing proud, arrogant world leaders and petty politicians strutting their wares like they have all the answers to the world's woes. When we search the history books, Bible included, its pages are filled with arrogant, proud people; leaders who thought they had all the answers and who thought they could conquer the word but ended up being dethroned, cut down to size, humiliated and made manure for the ground; "Pride comes before the fall." In comparison let us look at the achievements of those whose lives were marked by servanthood and humility; Moses and Yeshua for example. Their lives of humility fostered love and respect for others, it demonstrated true caring and empathy but most of all their humility was proved by servanthood. A true leader is a servant and a servant is a humble leader. God has given us the formula for successful leadership, we need only to be willing to accept it and apply it to our lives.

James 4:10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

Humility is not artificial modesty, or weak timidity, it is as the prophet Isaiah said: "Here I am Lord, send me!"

Hi Ellen here…We think we have it all figured-out…wrong! I thank God every day that His ways are not our ways, they are so much higher yet He sees us and whatever condition we are in. We have beautiful families, smart children, a roof over our heads and food on the table. So, what's wrong, why do negative thoughts creep into our minds…do we look around and only see what we do not have? Satan wants us to be down on ourselves, he wants us to compare our lives to others and worst of all he wants us to be down on our spouses and grasp onto the STRONGHOLD OF UNGRATEFULNESS! We need to pray Psalm 139.23, 24: "Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." In these times of turmoil and uncertainties it is very easy to see the bad in everything, in everyone and become negative and bitter. Hebrews 12.14-15 speaks about bitterness, please read it for yourself it is an eye-opener for sure! Today let us all purpose to see the good in everyone and the good in everything. This will lighten the load we are carrying and bring joy and peace…just give it a try. We love you sooo much!

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Yours in Messiah Yeshua; our Lord, our God, our soon coming King;

Rabbi Jack & Ellen

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Parasha Naso & Sermons

Shalom and Blessings

Times are so uncertain in Israel. We have had to endure almost two weeks of constant bombardment from the terrorist group Hamas and it has totally wearied us. We are spending sleepless nights and tense days as sirens blare and explosions ring out around us. Hamas is continually firing volleys of rockets into our city and throughout the country, sending us running for safety into our safe room, not even knowing if it could sustain a direct hit.

This is not the first attack from Hamas that Ellen and I have experienced, it is more like the third or fourth, so you will understand when we say that we do not want this one to end, at least not the way the others have ended, with no real victory for Israel and concessions for Hamas. Yes, we are weary, tired and stressed but we are ready to suffer through it, if for once Hamas can be soundly defeated and forced to agree to a true peace, a real peace that will last. Israelis, for the most part, have pulled together and rallied around Netanyahu and his team as he rejects Hamas's phony calls for a truce. He continues to have our military pound Hamas's military installations and infrastructure with steadfast resolve so that they will think twice before attacking us again.

Is your life in a quandary because you do not know where God is leading you? Are you questioning God, questioning everything that is happening in your life and you are confused and frustrated because you do not know where it is all going to lead?

When Ellen and I first came to Israel on vacation we would take our tour guide books and a map and each night plan out our trips around the country, marking the various sights we wanted to visit. I would drive and Ellen would read the map, one of her least favorite jobs, but between us and with a lot of God's grace we would make it to where we wanted to go. When we thought we were lost, we would look at each other and say; "All roads lead to Tel Aviv," and they did, well in most cases, and from there we could easily find our way home. Today with the technology of GPS, when going somewhere new or strange we do not have to know the route, or even what direction to travel, we just type in our intended destination and the GPS does the rest; we trust and rely on it completely.

Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.

How come so many of us can accept human technology (GPS) and trust in it without reservation, but we have a hard time putting our trust in God who has promised to direct our paths?

Hi Ellen here…reading my husband's words brought back so many fond memories of traveling around the Land. Israel has so much to offer in so many ways. I know that anyone that has visited here on a tour got a peek, only a peek, of our rich biblical history and archeological sites.

As Jack and I drive down one of the main streets in our city Ashkelon, we see beautiful blooms of purple lining a busy street welcoming Spring…through the tumult and bombs and black plumes of smoke there is beauty. We Have an aloe plant on our balcony which is in bloom. Several times throughout the day these gorgeous tiny humming-like birds come and suck the sap from the orange blooms…so exquisite. As we were praying in the morning God spoke to my heart, He said that even in all the black plumes His light shines through, even in our darkest time His light shines through, wow! Remember this, don't look at what you see but see as He sees…Love you all – Blessings in Yeshua.

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Take A Stand

 Key To The Spirit's Power In Our Lives

Yours in Messiah Yeshua; our Lord, our God, our soon coming King;

Rabbi Jack & Ellen

This week's Torah commentary attached below:

Parasha Bamidbar & Sermon "Honest Faith"

Well, as expected Bibi Netanyahu could not put together a government; even other staunch right-wing parties abandoned him. This election is the Israeli spinoff of the "Donald Trump Election Show" and how I wish we could turn it off or at least change channels, but no such luck. Do they not realize that the country has much bigger problems to deal with; Gaza, the Israeli Arabs, Iran, the United States, civil unrest and economic woes, just to name a few, but they are instead forcing on DUMP TRUMP BIBI. My opinion, for what it is worth, is that Netanyahu was the only one able to deal with Obama and he will be the only one who will be able to deal with Biden. I hope we will not be saying a few months from now "Look at the mess you got us into now Lapid;" time will tell!

I'm sure we've all heard the saying "You are what you eat." Eating the wrong foods can cause obesity, diabetes as well as a whole slew of other health problems that may shorten our life span and cause us not to have a good quality of life. Poor nutrition can have so many negative effects on our bodies. Just as junk foods are contaminants to our bodies, sinful habits are contaminants to our souls and because of them many Believers are spiritually unwell, they have polluted their souls with worldly lusts. The Holy Spirit is a Person that comes and lives inside of us when we receive Yeshua as our Lord, and Savior (Born Again). At first the Holy Spirit is like a little baby inside of us, so in order for Him to be effective He must grow and in order for Him to grow He needs to eat. The Holy Spirit eats and grows when fed the Word of God, healthy spiritual food. If we try to feed the Holy Spirit with the junk of the world or deceptive teachings, He will not grow and if we persist, He will ultimately leave. That is why there are so many carnal Believers among us.

Hi Ellen here…WOW! Our Lord is awesome…all of the time. His arm is not too short, He reaches down and touches each one of us as He wills. Amidst all the turmoil and tumult happening in our area and all over Israel we have also seen miracles happen. As we check in with all those closest to us, friends, family and acquaintances …they too are checking in on us, B"H. We have a good friend living within walking distance from our home, her "Mamad" (Hebrew for bomb shelter) is not available, for whatever reason, so she was happy to leave for her office Tuesday morning where there is a viable shelter. I told you God is awesome…while at work a rocket hit her building and damaged many apartments, she was saved by a divine move of our Lord.

Jack and I are so blessed to hear from so many that are praying for our safety…we are safe as we abide in the shadow of His wings. I urge all of you to check your news resources as there is a whirlwind of fake reporting. We live in Israel, the Palestinians provoked violence on the Temple Mount and have continued to barrage Israel, with Israel retaliating their hostility. Also note that before Israel targets an enemy location, they alert civilians to leave and seek shelter. We pray for all our enemies to humble themselves and seek shelter with our Almighty God and savior Yeshua.

Visit our blog for more teaching and to view previous Torah commentaries:

https://weeklyparasha02.blogspot.com/

Yours in Messiah Yeshua; our Lord, our God, our soon coming King;

Rabbi Jack & Ellen

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Parasha Behar-Bechukotai & sermon "Well Everybody is Doing It"

Shalom and Blessings

Satan harvested more than 44 souls last week as over 100,000 ultra-orthodox obsessives (Haredi) gathered at the graves of dead rabbis on the 33rd day of the Omer to pray. It is not uncommon for religious zealots to pray over the graves of, what they call dead saints. I have often wondered what the difference is between Catholics praying to Mary (the dead) and Jews praying to the dead, to me both are idolatry? The fault of this great tragedy in which the dead included children who were trampled by the crowd, lies squarely of the Haredi leadership who are the blind leading the blind.

Matthew 15:14 Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch."

In the meantime, the country is mourning this the worst civil, domestic disaster ever to strike Israel. Please pray for God to have mercy on His treasured people.

As Believers we are called to be stewards. Stewardship is not so much about business, finances and tithing as it is about overseeing and managing God's Word in our lives and the lives of our families; it is making sure our lives match up to what Yeshua would do in every situation that confronts us. A good steward is a good representative of God and seeing that we might be the only Yeshua people will ever see, we need to be sure that they are seeing Yeshua in us.

Hi Ellen here…Well not much to say this week, sorry, sorry as they say in Kenya. It has been a challenging time for Jack and me but I am sure each and everyone of you have shared in different but also same areas. Please pray for power from above concerning healing and decision making! We are fast approaching Shavuot…one of my favorite times because number one we receive a double portion, a double anointing, a double blessing from our Lord. This is the time of the giving of the Torah and the Holy Spirit, hallelujah Lord Yeshua! In addition to these amazing gifts from on high we eat cheese and I absolutely love cheese, all kinds of cheese, yum. Please pray with me for supernatural breakthroughs, supernatural wisdom, leading and direction and supernatural healing from above in the name above all names, Yeshua!!!

Visit our blog for more teaching and to view previous Torah commentaries:

https://weeklyparasha02.blogspot.com/

Yours in Messiah Yeshua; our Lord, our God, our soon coming King;

Rabbi Jack & Ellen

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Parasha Emor & Sermon "Stubborn as a heifer"

Shalom and Blessings

Explosions have been lighting up the skies of the cities bordering Gaza. Last week in excess of forty missiles had been launched at us. By the grace of God, although there had been some unrelated injuries, like people getting hurt running to shelters, there was little physical damage, at least that is what we are being told, and no deaths. Of course, the air force retaliated, but that has done little to deter the Gazans, in fact, they have taken up rioting at our border again; we can see the smoke of burning tires from our balcony. Things have also significantly deteriorated in Jerusalem with rioting going on nightly. The situation is frustrated by the fact that there is no strong leadership to deal with the problem and arrests and push-back by the police seems to be have no effect. Yes, we have Covid-19 under control, but Satan is finding other fronts of attack us. Thank you for your prayers; "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem" has special significance these days.

Yeshua said "They will know us by our love." Love is so lacking in our world today and as persecution and suspicion of Christians increases, it is very easy for us as Believers in Messiah Yeshua to neglect our love and compassion for our enemies. Ellen and I watched a movie about Richard Wurmbrand some months ago. He was a Hebrew Christian who ministered in Romania during the communist era. Pastor Wurmbrand strongly opposed the pagan communists in Romania and was jailed and tortured fourteen years for it. One day after being severely beaten, one of his tortures came into his cell and saw him beaten and blood on his knees praying. His torturer mockingly asked, "What could you possibly have left to pray about?" Pastor Wurmbrand painfully looked up at him and said, "I am praying for you!"

Hi Ellen here…Yes, lots going on at the Homefront as well as all over the world yet Jack and I have peace, shalom, in knowing our Messiah promised to return. Our most important prayer as of late before salvations…healings…deliverances…forgiveness and so much more is SIVOLET, YOM B'YOM…! This means ENDURACE, DAY BY DAY! Yes, we need to express true repentance before coming into the presence of our King…giving Him all our requests, but we must ask for endurance, endurance to persevere in prayer. It is only by prayer and supplication unto the Lord that we see answers and get guidance to endure! We continually need endurance to navigate in a fallen world "yom b'yom, yom b'yom"…we need endurance to love, love the unlovable and even love our enemies. Jack and I in the past prayed for the Lord to annihilate our foes, now we pray for the love of God to enter their hearts so that they may be saved. Please pray with us for the great and awesome love of Messiah Yeshua to fill the hearts of those who are filled with hate.

Visit our blog for more teaching and to view previous Torah commentaries:

https://weeklyparasha02.blogspot.com/

Yours in Messiah Yeshua; our Lord, our God, our soon coming King;

Rabbi Jack & Ellen

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