Shalom and Blessings
I know that you have not heard from me or Ellen these past few weeks. With all the work and preparation necessary for the High Holidays we have been extremely busy. Next week the holidays will be over and we will get back on our regular schedule. Thank you for your kind understanding and prayer support.
CLICK https://youtu.be/AVpWeDnGLso for Torah commentary on “Ha'azinu” by James (Yaacov) Mwangi
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CLICK https://youtu.be/8bAA0FwGuY8 to watch the full Shabbat Service of October 4, 2025.
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Titus 2:13…while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Messiah Yeshua.”
Yours in Messiah Yeshua,
Shabbat Shalom
Jack & Ellen
Exodus {34:22+26} You shall observe the Feast of Weeks (Shavuot) with the first fruits of wheat harvest, and the Feast of Harvest (Sukkot) at the year's end. 26} You shall bring the first of the fruits of your ground to the house of the Lord your GOD.
There are other verses in this Torah portion which can certainly be applied to the meaning and intent of the Feast of Sukkot; however, they do not specifically mention Sukkot. I have chosen to base my commentary this passage.
Exodus {33:11-14} "Then Moses said to the LORD, "See, You say to me, 'Bring up this people!' But You Yourself have not let me know whom You will send with me. Moreover, You have said, 'I have known you by name, and you have also found favor in My sight.' "Now therefore, I pray You, if I have found favor in Your sight, let me know Your ways that I may know You, so that I may find favor in Your sight. Consider too, that this nation is Your people." And He said, "My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest.""
The Feast of Sukkot is all about the presence of the Lord dwelling with His people. Our building, spending time in, even sleeping in flimsy booths (Sukkahs), represents the rest being spoken of in verse 14. Being able to receive this rest from God, while living unafraid in flimsy booths, will be achieved because God will be dwelling there with us. This is not the case today. Today we double lock our doors, put bars on them, and our windows in order to feel safe. We live in a society which is obsessed with security, and for good reason. Crime is ever on the increase, murders, thefts and burglaries are a way of life and as a result, instead of living in flimsy booths, as we will be when Messiah Yeshua returns to the earth, we are living in virtual fortresses with multiple locks, bars, alarm systems, and electronic surveillance systems.
What a beautiful world it will be when God’s presence is dwelling with us and we can live in peace and security in the Lord’s rest. That is the essence of Sukkot; that is what we anticipate and look forward to every time we celebrate this Feast and spend time in a Sukkah where we are surrounded by the produce of the land and have the stars as our canopy.
Micah {4:1-4} "And it will come about in the last days That the mountain of the House of the Lord will be established as the chief of the mountains. It will be raised above the hills, and the peoples will stream to it. 2} And many nations will come and say, "Come and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord and to the House of the God of Jacob, that He may teach us about His ways and that we may walk in His paths." For from Zion will go forth the Torah, even the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem. 3} And He will judge between many peoples and render decisions for mighty, distant nations. Then they will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; nation will not lift up sword against nation, and never again will they train for war. 4} And each of them will sit under his vine and under his fig tree, with no one to make them afraid, for the Mouth of the Lord of Hosts has spoken. "
What a glorious promise we have of a future without fear; of no need for police, no need for a military, no need to concern ourselves with security. And to make sure we anticipate that time, God has given us the Feast of Sukkot, celebrated by living in flimsy booths, a yearly reminder that He is coming back to once again walk and live among us.
B"H (Praise The Lord).
