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:

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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:

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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:

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

Rabbi Jack & Ellen

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Parashot Acharei Mot–Kedoshim & Sermon "The Great Anti-Virus"

Shalom and blessings;

If political rhetoric and name calling were a commodity, Israel would be a rich country. Bibi Netanyahu is having a hard time putting together enough seats to reach the 61-seat majority and the religious parties, who now support him, threaten to pull their support if he makes a deal with the moderate Arab party. So, the anti-Bibi wolves are circling their prey, salivating as they get ready to devour him. The wolves led by Lapid (center left); I believe will have no problem accepting the Arabs 5 seats to form their majority. Biblically, that will be a sad day for Israel.

Do you consider yourself a disciple? Maybe you do not understand that a disciple is just an ordinary Believer in Messiah Yeshua. In fact, Yeshua defined a disciple for us in: Luke 6:40 "A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher." So, simply put, a disciple is a student and in our case Yeshua is our teacher. Learning from Yeshua is a lifelong process and none of us should ever expect to know everything about the Word. As a disciple we will all continue learning until we meet Yeshua in the air. In the meantime, we need to make Yeshua the center of our lives; learn from Him through Bible reading and Bible studies (God speaks to us through His Word); then take what we have learned and share it, so as to make other disciples. So, I ask again, "Do you consider yourself a disciple?"

Hi Ellen here…Did you notice the list of blessings and the list of curses in Deuteronomy 28? Astounding, isn't it? Well, we want to be on the positive side so let us look at the blessings!

The first one takes care of all of them so we will discuss verse 1… "Now it will come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth." How can we achieve such a high calling…only through prayer! We can hear God's voice through the reading of His Word and in speaking with Him. Next, we read that we need to obey all His commandments…this was done for us through the shed blood of Messiah Yeshua because it is impossible to be able to achieve all His commandments we need His Grace. This next and final part is one I really like, "…then He will set us high above the nations of the earth!" What a promise!! This has been done through the death and resurrection of Messiah Yeshua. How blessed are we to have a God, a King, a Father and a Friend such as He…wow! Jack and I close our morning prayers with the reading of Deuteronomy 28:1-14. Won't you join us in these incredible blessings?

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

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

Rabbi Jack & Ellen

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Parashot Tazira-Metzora

Shalom and Blessings

 

As of this writing, there is still no resolution to our election dilemma. You have heard it said, "Two Jews, three opinions," well that is holding true with Netanyahu's attempt to form a government. However, without counting the Arab parties, the saying should be more like, "One hundred and five Jews, one hundred and seventy opinions." Everyone is jockeying for their own advantage and few if any are considering the country and the people. What can I say except, welcome to the world of politics!

 

In these difficult times God's people are experiencing; increasing persecution, eroding of the pure Gospel message of Messiah, deception, false prophets, false teachers and the effects of liberal government's anti-God laws, to name just a few things. For this reason, we must never take our eyes off the Blessed Hope of the return of our Messiah Yeshua.

 

Titus 2:11-13 11) For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, 12) teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, 13) looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Messiah Yeshua,

 

From this passage I want us to notice that the apostle Paul calls Yeshua God and Savior; He is not just the Messiah, not just our Savior but He is God and Savior! If we as Believers want to survive in this spiraling downward world, we must never stop anticipating the return of our Savior and our God Yeshua. If we lose our expectation of the Lord's return it will be impossible to maintain His standard of holiness and thus survive in a wicked world. The world hates us because they first hated Him and as His disciples, we are not greater than our Master. The more difficult the times, the greater our resolve should be to live holy lives if we ever expect to see Him.   

 

 

Hi Ellen here…What a wonderful week this has been!  We remembered the holocaust last week (Yom HaShoah) and this week we are remembering all those that have fallen to war and terrorism (Yom Hazikaron). Thursday was Independence Day here (Yom Ha'atzmaut), and for that we have reason to rejoice. It is an incredible thing to live in Israel, a place where ALL acknowledge these events and are on the same page.  We pray it would be the same with our government as Jack mentioned above.  There is nothing to be concerned about because Isaiah states in his book that the government is on HIS shoulders, not Isaiah's but on our Lord. 

 

I would like to shift from the above and share a wonderful answer to prayer.  Jack and I have an extensive prayer list as we are sure you all do…we have been praying for a little boy, I'll call him "Y" to be healed of cancer.  We do not know him personally but we have been praying throughout the lockdowns for a year and this week he has been pronounced CLEAR of this disease, hallelujah!  Telling you about the remembrance days, the government and our precious "Y" this scripture danced in my spirit…  Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Messiah Yeshua...Phil. 4.6-7. Thank You Lord!

 

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

Rabbi Jack & Ellen

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Parasha Shemini

Shalom and Blessings

Well, the election opera is not over yet here in Israel and the fat lady has not yet sung, we are just listening to another aria now. Round and round and round she goes, as operas normally do, with ups and downs, villains and heroes. With all the suspense it is still not clear who is going to be jilted, who is going to be politically murdered and who is going to commit political suicide. One thing we can be sure of, however, God wrote this story and the outcome is of the Lord!

What is your motive? I would like to share a great pitfall which God has placed upon my heart that is at work among Believers and many people in ministry today; MOTIVE. How can we tell if our motivation in serving the Lord will withstand the test of fire? It is by understanding that the only motive of service that is acceptable to God is for Him to be glorified. Too many people are serving God with the wrong motive. We can hardly tune into a Christian channel or listen to a preacher on YouTube without them trying to empty our pockets or promote a book they have written. I find nothing wrong in writing books glorifying God but I do have something against using God's glory to promote a book for the author's glory or personal financial gain. Sadly, there is a lot of that going on in people and ministries today. But it is not limited to preachers and books, every one of us needs to examine what our motivation is in serving the Lord. Our service should only be motivated for the sole purpose of glorifying God!

1 Corinthians 10:31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

There is only one acceptable motive for our service unto the Lord and that is that He might be exalted and us abased, everything else will be burned up by fire like stubble and hay. So, ask yourself as you are serving God, "How by what I am doing will God get the Glory?"

Hi Ellen here…I don't know about you, but sometimes I just cannot pray. Maybe because too many distractions; so many things on my mind…and whatever excuse we can find, right? Wrong answer, because our Lord gave us an out, He is the WayMaker and even makes a way for us to pray, thank You Lord! We all know the prayer in Matthew 6.9-13…here the Lord gave us a model so we may apply it to our lives. Take a look at it with me and personalize it…acknowledge His abode and His will; ask Him to supply all your needs; pray His forgiveness in your life along with His divine protection and as Jack spoke above…GIVE HIM ALL THE GLORY forever, Amen!

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

Rabbi Jack & Ellen

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Parasha Pesach & sermon "Towels of Mercy"

April 2, 2021

Shalom and Blessings

We have all heard the expression "The opera is not over until the fat lady sings," well the fat lady has yet to sing in the opera of Israel's election. Polls predicted that the election's outcome would be a stalemate similar to what occurred in our last election, but no one expected that a new obscure Arab party with a mandate of five seats would hold the balance of power between us having a leftwing or rightwing government. This has added new meaning to the scripture: "But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then it shall be that those whom you let remain shall be irritants in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they shall harass you in the land where you dwell." (Numbers 33:55). Where do things go from here? As with all questions the Bible has the answer; "And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man:" (Luke 17:26). Shaalu Shalom Yerushalayim (Pray for the peace of Jerusalem).

2 Corinthians 6:17 17) "Therefore, COME OUT FROM THEIR MIDST AND BE SEPARATE," says the Lord. "AND DO NOT TOUCH WHAT IS UNCLEAN; And I will welcome you. 18) "And I will be a Father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to Me," Says the Lord Almighty."

God does not unconditionally offer to be a Father to anyone who wants Him, we have to meet His conditions. That is what the "therefore" is there for!

Hi Ellen here…Jack is so right; all answers are in the Bible! There are some bills sitting in the United States Senate that have been hovering over us for a very long time. I remember when we were still ministering in Toronto this same subject arose. I really do not want to name these bills or even discuss what was hovering over us in Toronto but I am sure you have guessed or heard as we have. Bottom line is the devil wants to divide, destroy and taint and twist the biblical family unit…that's right, a husband (man), a wife (woman) and children. Well after hearing the news and a short sermon online with prayer and discussion we opened our Bibles and this is what we read…astounding!!!

Isaiah 24:1-6… 1) Behold, the Lord makes the earth empty and makes it waste, Distorts its surface and scatters abroad its inhabitants. 2) And it shall be: As with the people, so with the priest; As with the servant, so with his master; As with the maid, so with her mistress; As with the buyer, so with the seller; As with the lender, so with the borrower; As with the creditor, so with the debtor. 3) The land shall be entirely emptied and utterly plundered, For the Lord has spoken this word. 4) The earth mourns and fades away; the world languishes and fades away; The haughty people of the earth languish. 5) The earth is also defiled under its inhabitants, because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. 6) Therefore the curse has devoured the earth, and those who dwell in it are desolate. Therefore, the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men are left.

(It is as if Isaiah was reporting the news…)

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

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Yours in Messiah Yeshua; our Lord, our God, our soon coming King;
Rabbi Jack & Ellen

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D’Vat Torah Pesach Day 7

Parasha Tzav

Shalom and Blessings

Though as of this writing the smoke has not cleared to where we can predict a strong winner in our elections, it sure does not look good; in fact, it looks like a Deja-Vu. Although Bibi and his Likud party have received the majority of votes and subsequently the majority of seats in the Knesset, they are far from the majority required to form a government. Coupled with shouts coming from the other parties of "Anyone but Bibi," it is going to be an uphill battle for Likud. One thing I do take solace in, however, and that is the knowledge that God is in total control!

2 Peter 1:19-21. 19) We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. 20) Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation of things. 21) For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though humans, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

We are being told by the apostle Peter that we need to pay attention to Biblical Prophecy because it is a light shining in a dark place. The world today is certainly in a dark place and it is getting darker and darker with the passing of time. Without the light of the prophetic Scriptures, we as Believers in Messiah Yeshua will have a hard time finding our way. These prophetic utterances spoken to us by the prophets and written in the Bible, Peter tells us, are not of human origin but were spoken by God through the prophets as they were influenced by the Holy Spirit. It is insane for us to think that politicians or governments can solve the problems of the world, when throughout history man has failed miserably in that area. How can we stand on the promises of God if we do not know what they are? How can we look forward to the return of Yeshua if we do not know Bible Prophecy?

2 Timothy 2:15 Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Hi Ellen here…I must admit I am a little "harried" with all the preparation because of back-to-back Shabbats, but God is so good. He has led me to Psalm 136," hodu L'Adonai ki tov ki l'olam hasdo" (please read on) …thank You Lord. In the midst of the hurriedness and all the unrest with our elections, Abba also gave me Psalm 131…a psalm of trust only in Him.

Thank you all and blessings on this celebration of His goodness. Happy Passover, we love you but Abba loves you all the more!

Visit our blog for more teaching and to view previous Torah commentaries:
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Yours in Messiah Yeshua; our Lord, our God, our soon coming King;

Rabbi Jack & Ellen

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Read teaching "Yeshua: Lamb, Matzoh, Bitter Herbs"  

Parasha Vayikra, sermon "False advertising" & teaching "Work & Fire"

March 19, 2021

Shalom and Blessings

During a time when what we are most hearing in Israel concerns the vaccination program and the election campaign, it is refreshing to hear that archeologists uncovered fragments containing Greek verses from the book of Zechariah and Nahum in the Judean Desert. It is amazing that during these times, when more and more countries are becoming godless and secular that the God of Israel mocks them and speaks out from a desert cave. Is it significant that the Scripture fragments the archeologist found were from the books of Zechariah and Nahum? The theme of the Book of Nahum is; "To whom much is given, from him much will be required" and the theme from the Book of Zechariah is; encouraging the returned remnant to rebuild the Temple. Could it be that in these turbulent times when the U.S. policies towards Israel are uncertain, God is saying "I have given you much it is time to rebuild". Yes, even though the third Temple will not be the Messianic Temple, it is necessary because it will be where Satan will set up his "Abomination of Desolation" spoken of by Daniel. Is this yet another sign of the approaching end of the age? Is God saying by the name Nahum "Comfort, Console", and Zechariah "God Remembers" that He wants us to be consoled because He remembers the covenant He made with our fathers and that it is about to reach its climax?

Isaiah 40:1 Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. 2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the LORD's hand double for all her sins. 3 A voice of one calling: "In the wilderness prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. 5 And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all people will see it together. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken."

 

Hi Ellen here…Well I have been in preparation for the coming moed (feast), and Jack and I are excited.  Even though we will be on our own for seder, we know the Lord has sent guardian angels to join us.  I have taken my lamb shank bone out of hiding for the seder plate and Jack has sent our dear Kenyan mishpocha (family) a video we made with a walk through of the elements and directives for the seder. I am so blessed to know that from Toronto to the Bahamas to different locations in Kenya our friends and spiritual family will be celebrating with us.  There is one element that we miss from North America and that is prepared horseradish…you know the kind I mean, no beets, no sugar just the absolute waking of all our senses…the clearing of nasal passages and the cleansing tears from our eyes horseradish, without the hard work of preparing it.  This all brings to mind how Yeshua delivered us from the Egypt of our sin, all the elements should paint a picture in your mind of the beautiful words…" with a strong hand and an outstretched arm, for His steadfast love endures forever".  I pray for all of you to experience His love as you cross over into this new year.  BTW, pray for me as I have procured horseradish roots and will make it from scratch!

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

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

Rabbi Jack & Ellen

 

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Shalom and Blessings

There are over 39 political parties registered to run in the March 23rd election here, probably a party for every possible, personal political or social view. So, would you not know it, a new anti-vaccine party has thrown their hat into the race. The reason they give for their running is that since, what they call the non-existent, fabricated pandemic, Israel is turning into a dictatorship. Well, I guess they have not read the Bible lately! God's economy is not a democracy, it is a theocratic dictatorship! When Yeshua returns to set up His Millennial Kingdom we will have a choice; Do it His way or the highway, if you know what I mean. Also, I wonder if this new party leader ever read the Book of Leviticus. People who contracted plagues then, were isolated, quarantined, put out of the camp and in some cases their houses were raised to the ground, as instructed by GOD. We are even given an example of what happens to those who grumble and complain against leadership; remember Aaron and Miriam and of course do not forget Korah and the political party he formed? I do not know about you but as for Ellen and I, we will follow the LORD!

Hi Ellen here…It is now 2 weeks since celebrating Purim and I know what must be going on in most of our homes…PESACH CLEANING!!! Last week I began cleaning out our pantry and then straight to our clothing cupboards. According to many internet fashionistas, if you have not worn something for a year…discard it. Funny thing though, Jack and I practically did not go out for a year, so what now? Well, I adhered to the idea, so to bless others we gave away lots of clothing and shoes, it felt liberating. With Passover soon approaching we want to stand before our Lord with repentant hearts, cleansed minds, transformed lives and do not forget…clean homes. So happy for Spring cleaning and may the Lord of all lords bless us with deliverance and healing during this time. I truly like this season because He still parts the seas in our lives and gives us the wisdom, knowledge and discernment to cross over into something better.

On the eve of March 27th, Saturday night, may God bless you with a joyful Seder, and for those in Kenya, we cannot wait to see you on Zoom, Sunday, March 28th for the Passover Shabbat service…love you all in 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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