Parsha V'zot HaBrachah (And This Is The Blessings)

from Rabbi Jack… Bible link

Matthew {13:15} "For this people's heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise, they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them." In my blurb of September 21st, I said the following: "At times, when I gaze out over the congregation I am sharing a teaching or sermon with, I wonder to myself, 'Are these people actually hearing what I am saying.' I have never tried it but perhaps next time someone approaches me after a sermon and says; 'Good word, Jack,' I will ask them if they would tell me what they liked about what they heard." Perhaps by what I said I did not give the Holy Spirit the credit He deserves, so I think my comment from last week needs some clarification. Yes, there are many people in the congregation that are not actually hearing what I am saying when I am giving a teaching or a sermon. I am sure if I would ask these people when they came up to thank me, they would not be able to tell me what I talked about. Before I give a message and even when I am formulating it and studying it in preparation to share it, in fact, even before I give it, I pray and ask the Holy Spirit for His anointing upon the message and every word I speak. I want the messages and teachings I share to be from the Holy Spirit and not from my flesh. I desire the Holy Spirit within me to speak to the Holy Spirit within those that are listening. The Holy Spirit knows who are His and those that He wants to hear the message will hear it, receive it and internalize it. The fact is, those who have listened and not heard, their hearing was made dull by the same Spirit. Maybe the message was not for them and they will hear the next one or maybe they do not have the Holy Spirit. In either case, I confess that the comment I made in my previous blurb was from my flesh and not from the Holy Spirit, please forgive me!

Parshot Rosh Hashanah 1 & 2

from Rabbi Jack… Bible link

Leviticus {23:24} "Say to the Israelites: 'On the first day of the seventh month you are to have a day of Shabbat rest, a sacred assembly commemorated with trumpet (shofar) blasts.'" This passage is speaking about the Feast of Rosh Hashanah. It is on this Feast Day that the shofar is sounded. According to tradition a total of one hundred blasts of the shofar are to be heard by God's congregations as they celebrate this Feast. But the blowing is not an indiscriminate pattern and a purpose and meaning is applied to each sound. There are four different shofar sounds which we hear. Each one echoing a different aspect of the human condition, each one having a different meaning. The first sound is called TEKIAH. It is one short loud blast. The Tekiah sound was used to gather the Israelites together as they wandered through the wilderness. Essentially it was blown at two times: when things were very, very bad or when things were very, very good. Numbers {10:9} "When you go to war in your land against an adversary who is oppressing you, you are to sound an alarm with the trumpets (shofar) 10 Also on your days of rejoicing, and on your festivals and on the New Moon, you shall sound the trumpet (shofar)..." So, the sound of Tekiah has dual but opposite meanings: Gather for war, gather for celebration. Come together to confront our common enemy, come together to rejoice in the Lord. Join forces to face the challenges before us, join hands in gratitude and joy! Tekiah. is a call to community. Hebrews {10:25} "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching." No man is an island, we cannot survive alone. Our adversary the devil is like a roaring lion seeking whom he shall devour and we must stand together against him. Next, is the sound called SHEVARIM. Shevarim is three woeful, mournful sounds of the Shofar. Shevarim itself means broken things, it gives voice to the brokenness of the world, it echoes the pain of our lives. Shevarim says, "Hear the hurt, respond to the pain!" Shevarim says, "Why is there so much hurt?" The third call is TERUAH. Teruah is a series of ten short blasts which represents an outcry, a call to listen and learn. It was used to break camp to call the Israelites out of their comfort zone; a call to stand up, listen, it's time to move on. The grand finale of our shofar calls is TEKIAH GEDOLAH. Tekiah Gedolah is the ultimate call, the summons to hope in the ultimate triumph of God and His Kingdom. It is a call for the future and the conclusion to history itself. It is the call Believers will hear when Yeshua returns to set up His Kingdom on earth. As you listen to the sound of the shofar, apply each sound to your life and listen for what it means to you.

Parshot Netzavim - Vayelech (You are Standing - He Went)

from Rabbi Jack… Bible link

Isaiah {6:10} "Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed." We are almost at the end of the month of Elul. Elul is the month of inspecting our lives. Specifically, so that our hearts will not be callous, nor our ears blocked, nor our eyes shut. It is a time of repentance and returning to Yeshua, our first love. Why is the month of Elul considered a time of returning to the Lord? Because the letters of Elul have been interpreted as an acronym. Its Hebrew letters, ""Aleph,"" ""Lamed,"" ""Vav,"" 'Lamed"" represent the words. ""Ani L'Dodi, V'Dodi Li."" This is taken from Song of Songs: {6:3} "I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine" Elul is a time of return, because although we know that God always watches over the earth and is always waiting for us to return to Him, there is something special about the month of Elul, which makes God more accessible, somewhat like the Shabbat. Isaiah {55:6} "Seek the LORD while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near" When the children of Israel sinned by worshipping the Golden Calf, they were in effect rejecting God. It was in response to this event that Moses broke the first Tablets on which God inscribed the Ten Commandments. At that point, God was furious and wanted to destroy all of Israel, but Moses ascended Mount Sinai again and pleaded with God to have mercy and to forgive Israel. God accepted Moses's pleas and had mercy and forgave them. This time, however, Moses had to add work to his faith, when God commanded him to make another set of Tablets, like the first. Jewish tradition believes that Moses reascended Mount Sinai on the 1st. day of Elul and as we know he remained there 40 days, which would bring him to the 10th. day of the month of Tishri, Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. This is not a coincidence because during these 40 days Moses was pleading for God’s forgiveness. Since then this period has been remembered as a time of introspection and repentance. It is for this reason the month of Elul is special and appropriate for personal reflection, repentance and asking God for forgiveness. "Chet" is the Hebrew word for sin, it means failure in our relationship with God, literally missing God's mark. "Chet" causes us to move away from God. "Teshuvah,” however, is the antidote for sin, it means "Repentance," returning to God and to a Torah based life. The King is coming so we are to be aware of His forthcoming visit. That is what the month of Elul is set aside for – preparation, where we allow the Holy Spirit to engage in refining our spiritual lives to meet the standards that the Lord expects of us.

Parsha Ki Tavo (When You Enter In)

from Rabbi Jack… Bible link

Galatians {2:20} "I have been crucified with Messiah; it is no longer I who live, but Messiah lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." 2 Corinthians {4:16} "Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day." When we look at ourselves in the mirror, we may see a new wrinkle or a new blemish and we judge ourselves by our outward appearance. Often, we also think of ourselves as failures, nobodies, just dust and insignificant in the universal scheme of things. We judge who we are inside by what we think about ourselves on the outside. But do you know that the Bible says we are more than conquerors and that we can do all things through Messiah Yeshua who strengthens us? When we doubt our abilities, it is because we are looking at our flesh and are judging ourselves by what we see. But what we see is not who we are! When we accepted Yeshua as our Savior and the Lord of our lives, the Holy Spirit took up residence in us. Do you understand the implication of this? The power that raised Yeshua from the dead now lives inside of us. God is Spirit and those who come to Him must come in spirit and in truth. If we come before God and express how unworthy we are and how we do not deserve anything, we are insulting the Holy Spirit. It is our flesh that is unworthy not our spirit because the Bible says, speaking about Yeshua; “As He is so are we in this world.” (1 John 4:17). Also, if we are united with Messiah, we are one Spirit with Him. (1 Corinthians 6:17). Do you realize the implication of this? It means that what He did, we can do, what knows we can know. There is nothing beyond our ability and nothing beyond our knowing. We limit ourselves by giving our flesh too much credit. What is the solution? The apostle Paul gives it to us: 1 Corinthians {14:15} "What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the Spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the Spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding." Unlock the power inside of you by ignoring what you see or believe about yourself on the outside and releasing who you have on the inside through both praying in understanding and praying in tongues, God’s heavenly prayer language. Do not have tongues yet? Ask and you will receive!

Parsha Ki Tetze (When You Go Out)

from Rabbi Jack… Bible link
Song of Solomon {2:15} "Her Brothers Catch us the foxes, The little foxes that spoil the vines, For our vines have tender grapes." We are now in month of Elul, the month of introspection in preparation for the repentance involved in Rosh Hashanah. Each day of our lives presents more challenges and yes, we continue to have those foxes in our vineyards that spoil our peace. Personal conflicts, outside attacks, self-inflicted woes and worries pull us down as if we are drowning. “Drowning? But we are new creations!” Yes, we are new creations, but we are also still flesh and therefore, are affected by negative things going on around us. It is bad enough having to deal with stuff during the years but it seems like during the month of Elul the Lord stirs up the things in our lives that He desires for us to release and be delivered from. Please do not let your flesh and the evil one get the better of you during this month of self-revelation, do not give in but continue praising the Lord, giving Him thanks for His mercy and compassion in allowing us to know that we are not perfect, and that we desperately need Him. Often, I have heard someone pray, “Lord, hide me in the shadow of Your wings.” I have wondered if the motive of their prayer was spiritual or if they were really meaning, “Lord, hide me so I cannot see myself or so that others cannot see who I really am.” If we take the time to truly examine ourselves, Elul can be a magnificent time in our believing walk with the Lord. It can be a time of cleansing, purifying and reaching new and higher levels in the understanding of God in our lives. Remember, however, higher levels mean bigger devils. When we get closer to God evil forces attempt to get closer to us. So, it is good during the month of Elul to step up our devotional and prayer life. Particularly, not to put off saying “I am sorry” or immediately repenting of the sin we just committed. Ask God for deliverance from the sins of rolling our eyes, mockery and rebuking and embarrassing others in public. This month of Elul be refreshed and renewed in the victory God has promised us!
from Ellen… Bible link
Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” (1 John 4-NIV) Judas Iscariot was not from God and Yeshua knew this from the beginning of time. You ask how I know this? I know this by the Spirit of God and knowing the Word. God choreographed everything from the beginning of time to set up the death and resurrection of our Messiah Yeshua. Yeshua allowed Judas Iscariot to have a very prominent position among the twelve apostles; as treasurer for the mission. Yeshua knew He would be “turned in” by Judas with a kiss on the cheek. When Mary Magdalene poured the costly ointment on Yeshua this apostle was angered because of the waste of money. Judas Iscariot was the only one of the twelve that was from Judea. Judas appeared to be a sincere and committed worker. Who would have guessed that this man would sell out our Messiah for just 30 pieces of silver. I am sure you have all read the account of what I have written but it came into my mind that a woman, a sinner at that, spared no expense in honoring her Messiah yet a disciple and so-called follower of Yeshua plotted His death for the price of a potter’s field. Now, to go back to the beginning where I quoted 1 John 4…We need to be careful at all times as Believers. You know the old saying, “All that glitters is not gold”. When things look too good to be true but there is no fruit, we need to test the spirit! We need to ask and not be ashamed if Yeshua is truly their Lord and Savior! I know that some of you are thinking that they look so good. They attend services, pick people up and take people home, help the needy and do all sorts of good works! But I say to you today, that having one Mary Magdalene is better than 30 Judas Iscariots. Now ask this question of yourself…Is there the spirit of Judas in your life or congregation or family? Test the spirits!!
Yours in Messiah Yeshua, "…while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Messiah Yeshua." (Titus 2:13) Rabbi Jack & Ellen
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Parsha Shoftim (Judges)

from Rabbi Jack… Bible link

Habakkuk {3:17} Though the fig tree should not blossom, and there be no fruit on the vines, {though} the yield of the olive should fail, and the fields produce no food, though the flock should be cut off from the fold, and there be no cattle in the stalls. {3:18} Yet I will exult in the Lord, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. Notice that Habakkuk does not say “THEN” will I rejoice in the Lord; he says “YET”, I will rejoice. Can we say, “Yet I will still rejoice in the Lord” when we see disaster looming in our lives? Celebrations are times of great rejoicing and gladness. But no one ever, at least no one I have ever known, rejoices and celebrates defeat and destruction. We celebrate weddings, anniversaries, graduations and job promotions, but we never celebrate defeat and destruction. Yet Habakkuk had the courage to celebrate and rejoice in the Lord even though he knew defeat and destruction were on their way. He may have had every reason to fold up his tent and cry, but he decided to rejoice instead. Sometimes, as Believers we have to look around us and find a reason for a celebration. It should be easy. We just have to think back to the goodness of Yeshua and all that He has done for us. Sometimes, we need to stop and count our blessings and realize that there are so many people that are in worse situations than we. We have to look beyond the temporary setbacks in our lives and see the permanent fellowship we have with our almighty God. It is easy to see the evidence of our faith as a Believer when everything is going our way, when positive things are happening to us. However, “talking faith” and “having faith” are two different things. Talking faith is when we boast about having faith but inside we are falling apart and instead of celebrating we complain about how hard our life is and how God has shut His ear to us. Not every day will be wonderful for us but as Believers our faith in God should see us through the sorrows, sickness and tragedies which happen and are a normal part of life. As Believers in Messiah Yeshua, we can still celebrate by rejoicing in our salvation and keep on rejoicing in our salvation, knowing that God is in control. Not every day will be wonderful for us but as Believers our faith in God should see us through the sorrows, sickness and tragedies which happen and are a normal part of life. As Believers in Messiah Yeshua, we can still celebrate by rejoicing in our salvation and keep on rejoicing in our salvation, knowing that God is in control.

from Ellen… Bible link

I am sorry to remind us time and time again, BUT ARE YOU READING THE DAILY BIBLE READING PLAN? I wrote this sentence in capitals because I am shouting it! Since the beginning of the Book of Isaiah Jack and I have questioned, marveled and been astonished at the words we have read. We must keep in mind that these are not just words but the voice of the Almighty God Himself speaking through them! Chapter 45 just blew me away. God is telling us that He forms light and creates darkness and that He makes peace and creates calamity and that He, the Lord does ALL things. These are sobering words. Are you walking in light or living in darkness? Are you at peace in your life or is everyday filled with calamity? Have you made your job, your children for that matter an idol in your life? Are you truly walking in obedience or just getting by? I do not know about you but I fall so short of the glory of God and have to work it out moment by moment. Sorry to dump all this on you but if you are not reading the Word and coming to God for everything then I am afraid for you. The month of Elul is this week. This is a very profound time in a Messianic Believer’s life, a time of repentance, a time of introspection to know who we really are! I pray for those who live from excuse to excuse. I pray for those who literally live in a revolving door and cannot get out. We need to strive to walk straight on that narrow path God Himself has set before us. I pray for the wives that worship on their own and do not join with their spouses and for the husbands who do the same – Remember those of you who are in rebellion will be humiliated and possibly be cut off from the family of God by God Himself! Are you reading the headlines? Time is short, this world is a mess. Are you sure that when you stand before God on that final day and He asks you why He should let you into Heaven that He will let you in! Let’s pray!!!

Parsha Re'eh (See)

from Rabbi Jack… Bible link

Matthew {5:37} "But let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No.' For whatever is more than these is from the evil one." When Yeshua tells us that our YES should be YES and our NO, NO He is explaining that we are not to commit ourselves and then not do what we have committed to do. At a job interview, the interviewer tells the prospective employee the job description and requirements. They would include, besides other things, the salary, work hours and what the company expects from the prospective employee. If the prospect says YES to the job description, the company requirements and expectations and is hired, they have made a vow to do what they said YES to. They have obligated themselves to the employer and must fulfill all that they agree to. The prospective employee could have just as easily said NO if they did not agree with the terms and conditions of the job and walked away under good terms and with no obligation. However, with a YES, Yeshua tells us a Believer must mean YES! So, if the employee does not fulfil the job requirements to which they said YES to, they would be fired. Worse yet, from what we read in Matthew 5:37, they will come under condemnation from God because their YES was not Yes and they made a vow which they did not keep. This 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and 'No, No’ does not only apply to the workplace, it applies to every area of our lives, even volunteer work, especially when we say YES to doing something for the Lord. As Believers we live by a different standard than the world. Unbelievers make commitments that most of the time they do not keep. Their YES often turns out to be NO, MAYBE or an EXCUSE. If God holds a Believer accountable for a YES they said at a job interview, how much more will He hold them accountable for a YES when it concerns doing something in His service. God holds us accountable for every word that proceeds from our mouth. Therefore, we need to think twice before saying YES to anything. That way, we will save ourselves a whole lot of consequences if we end up not doing what we said YES to. Matthew {12:36} "But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the Day of Judgment."

Parsha Ekev (Because)

from Rabbi Jack… Bible link

Matthew {21:21} "Yeshua replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done." So many of us face huge mountains of difficulty in our lives; illness, stress, conflict, financial pressure and so much more. We have prayed about them, prayed against them and begged God to remove them but for most of us they still remain. So, we conclude that we do not have enough faith. However, Yeshua said that if we had the faith of a mustard seed, the smallest of all seeds, we can move mountains! Matthew {17:20} "He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” I believe that Yeshua was speaking figuratively here. I do not think He was being literal when speaking about moving rock formation mountains like Mt. Kenya, for instance. I also do not think He is talking about OUR faith, because in and of ourselves we have no faith. However, when we are Born Again, we receive the Holy Spirit which takes up residence in us. The faith I believe Yeshua is talking about, is faith in the awesome power of the Holy Spirit in us. After all, He is the same power that raised Yeshua from the dead. Notice that Yeshua also said “…and do not doubt.” Doubt is unbelief! Therefore, in order for us as a Believer to overcome all the mountains in our life, we need only to believe that the Holy Spirit lives in us. This for a Believer requires only mustard seed faith. We are also not to doubt that the awesome power of God that raised Yeshua from the dead can operate through us to uproot and cast every mountain of difficulty, illness, stress, conflict, financial pressure etc., into the sea."

Parsha Va'etchanan (And I Pleaded)

from Rabbi Jack… Bible link
Genesis {21:1-3; 9-12} "Now the LORD was gracious to Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did for Sarah what he had promised. 2) Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised him. 3) Abraham gave the name Isaac to the son Sarah bore him. 9) But Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had born to Abraham was mocking, 10) and she said to Abraham, “Get rid of that slave woman and her son, for that woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac.” 11) The matter distressed Abraham greatly because it concerned his son. 12) But God said to him, “Do not be so distressed about the boy and your slave woman. Listen to whatever Sarah tells you, because it is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned." I think we are aware that Ishmael was a type of the world, the flesh, because he was conceived not by promise but of the flesh. This makes Ishmael a type of the one who is ruler of both the flesh and the world – Satan. Isaac, however, is the son of promise, and as such in the narrative of Genesis 21 he represents the spirit and is a type of Messiah Yeshua. We all know that there is enmity between Satan and Yeshua and enmity between everyone associated with Yeshua. Galatians {4:23} "His son by the slave woman was born according to the flesh, but his son by the free woman was born as the result of a divine promise." There is more to these types than meets the eye. The story of Ishmael and Isaac is more connected to Satan and Yeshua than we might have thought. It is obvious from the passages of Scripture I quoted, that it was God’s will for Ishmael to be sent away, banished from Isaac. However, note that Ishmael was not banished until after Isaac was born. In fact, he could not be banished until after Isaac was born. When Isaac the son of promise came into the world, Ishmael the son of the flesh had to be banished. What significance does it have for us today? Yeshua is the Son of the promise, Satan is the son of the flesh. The temporal cannot live with the Spiritual, so when Yeshua came into the world, all those that received Him as their Lord and Savior were able to cast out and banish the son of flesh from their lives. "
from Ellen… Bible link
Life is filled with so many questions, so many distractions. As of late I have been thinking how simple minded I am. At first, I offended myself, ha, ha but then I thanked Almighty God because I take what is as what is. I will elaborate so as not to be too abstract, another quirky trait of mine. When you were little did your mother tell you not to touch the stovetop because it was hot? Well do not touch the stovetop! Did you ask your father why the sky is blue? Yes, later in life we find out in Earth Science class why but I like my answer better which is…God made the sky blue and that is it. As we grow older and take on our beliefs, we know that God told us of things to eat and of things not to eat, right? He of course told us what is food in the first place; like pigs are not food so just do not eat pork. Halal meats are offered up to idols so just do not eat halal meat. I really do not see what all the fuss is about when so many statements are made and we ask why. I guess I am simple minded, thank goodness. While I was trying to formulate this “simple” little note to you it started to become very complicated, so I am ending it here with this bit of advice. Overthinking will steal your peace…give it to God and get some rest. PS: I think the sky is blue because God and my favorite color is blue!"
Yours in Messiah Yeshua, "…while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Messiah Yeshua." (Titus 2:13) Rabbi Jack & Ellen
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If you are being blessed by the teachings and commentaries we share, please consider supporting the ministry to Kenya and Israel. We support the needy, the hungry, the elderly and new immigrants (Olim). Most of all we teach and preach the Word of God in both countries and throughout the world. Contact us for more information: daatbina@gmail.com To Donate using PayPal click this link: https://paypal.me/kenyamission If you do not have PayPal and would prefer using another donation method, please contact me and I will send you other donation options.
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Parsha Devarim (Deuteronomy)

from Rabbi Jack… Bible link

Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is often called the “Unpardonable Sin.” Fear of committing the “unpardonable sin” has really haunted many Believers. I am often asked by people if they have committed this sin that cannot be forgiven; if they ever blasphemed the Holy Spirit. I knew a man who had a paralyzing fear that he committed the “unpardonable sin.” The thought that there was something he might have done or said that would forever exclude him from the presence of God haunted him. Understand, there is no sin that is unpardonable or unforgivable as long as we confess it and repent of it. Peter denied Yeshua three times. You would think that would be unpardonable but it was not! Peter went on to unlock salvation for the Gentiles and he remained a faithful disciple of Yeshua until his death. Although I do not believe that I am the last word on this subject, I would like to share what I believe the unpardonable sin is. When Yeshua was walking the earth, He was operating in and by the power of the Holy Spirit. The population witnessed and experienced His miracles. The Holy Spirit was operating through Him as the agent of salvation. Yet, when the religious leaders looked upon Him, they attributed everything He was doing, not to the Holy Spirit but to Beelzebub (Satan). Matthew {12:24} "Now when the Pharisees heard it, they said, ""This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons." If you look to God the Father and embrace sin, that’s bad. If we look to His Son, Messiah Yeshua and embrace sin, that is doubly bad. The Father planned redemption and the Son accomplished redemption. Yet, it is the unique and special role of the Holy Spirit to apply the Father’s plan and the Son’s accomplishment to us. The Holy Spirit shows us where we have gone wrong in our life. The Pharisees saw Yeshua, they looked upon the Son of God and to His face they denied the work that the Holy Spirit was doing through Him and attributed it to Satan. Therefore, there was nothing left for them as a pathway for salvation. Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is willful, wide-eyed slandering of the work of the Holy Spirit to Yeshua’s Face. It happened when they attributed to the devil what was undeniably from God. These men had seen, as well as anyone could see, and had known as clearly as anyone could know, that Yeshua performed His miracles by the power of the Holy Spirit, yet they defiantly insisted that it was Satan who empowered Him. This is blasphemy of the Holy Spirit and the “unpardonable sin.” This truth is revealed to us by: Matthew {12:32} "Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come." This scripture refers to the two ages Yeshua will be on the earth, “this age” being His first coming, “the age to come” being His second coming. Therefore, the unpardonable sin cannot be committed today because Yeshua is not physically on the earth. So, there is no way we can deny Him to His Face. The man I spoke about, had nothing to fear and I believe neither do we. "

from Ellen… Bible link

"Thank You Lord for bringing us through yet another week of challenges and blessings. We also thank You for the new month of Av, meaning Father, and with Him comes healing from above." Friendship has been on my mind the last couple of days. I remember when I was in my twenties, I had these two amazing, best of the best friends. We slept over at each other’s homes. One of the girls and I had super long hair so we would make a date to wash our hair and then drive around in her car with our heads out the window so our hair would dry and then we would go out and party. Yes, party as I was still definitely rooted in Egypt and not yet saved. My other girlfriend was a bit more conservative and had more responsibilities at home so we would go to her house and hangout. Yes, we were the three best of the best friends ever! Or so I thought…my long hair friend overdosed on drugs and faded away which resulted in lost contact. The other friend and I stuck close for many years. I moved to another state but we continued to communicate. Then that glorious day came when I received Yeshua as my Lord and Savior…Hallelujah! So, I was so filled with awe of God that I wanted to share this free gift with my friend. I wrote a letter because that’s what you did way back then, sharing the Good News and hoping she would join me. Did you ever hear the saying and I am paraphrasing, that to lose a friend is showing you that they were never your friend in the first place. Well, that is what happened to me, in fact she responded with, “Never contact me again!” She even accused me of being a traitor to all Jewish people! Well, I was disappointed but loved her anyway. Now for the point of the whole story…firstly do not operate in fear that if you tell someone about Jesus, they will reject you and secondly you cannot lose anything that you never had. Yeshua is our best friend and will never leave us or forsake us so do not be fearful in your evangelizing to those you love because if they love you, they too will not leave!"

Parsha Matot- Masei (Tribes-Stages)

from Rabbi Jack… Bible link

Genesis {2:9} "The LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil." God gave Adam and Eve free will and two choices but He only verbalized one choice. When I was a child, I grew up in the cold northern hemisphere. Have your parents ever told you not to do something but you go ahead and do it anyway? That was the case with me. It was a freezing cold day and the handrail leading up to our house was icy. My mother saw me playing outside and she called out; “Don’t touch your tongue to the handrail.” Of course, I did and my tongue stuck fast. I managed to get it off but I left behind a layer of tongue skin---“ouch.” Do you think we inherited doing what we are told not to do from Eve? God told her not to eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil yet she did anyway. Do you think if God told her not to eat from the Tree of Life, she would have eaten from it instead? Just a thought! There were two Kingdoms available to Adam and Eve in the Garden. The Tree of Life - Yeshua, and the Tree of Knowledge - Satan. Satan, portrayed in these Scripture passages as a snake, beguiled Eve with the temptation of acquiring knowledge; in other words, to partake of his kingdom. She did and to this very day man has pursued knowledge, worldly knowledge, which is never satisfied. Satan’s kingdom is a kingdom of worldly knowledge. In defense you may then quote this passage to me proving that God’s Kingdom is also a Kingdom of knowledge: Hosea {4:6} "My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge." However, the knowledge Hosea is talking about here is not worldly knowledge but the knowledge of God. Hosea {4:1} "Hear the word of the Lord, You children of Israel, For the Lord brings a charge against the inhabitants of the land: "There is no truth or mercy or knowledge of God in the land." I have come across so many Believers who are knowledge seekers. Be careful that you are not one of them. Seeking after knowledge for knowledge’s sake so others will be impressed with your knowledge will be feeding your pride from the Tree of Knowledge.