|
Jewish Holiday Calendar
For January 2025 site updates, please scroll past this entry....
The Torah divides the calendar into two symmetrical halves: the Spring and the Fall, indicating the two advents of Messiah. The Biblical year officially begins during the month of the Passover from Egypt (called Rosh Chodashim, see Exod. 12:2), and the spring holidays of Passover, Unleavened Bread, and Firstfruits both recall our deliverance from Egypt and also our greater deliverance given by means of the death, burial, and resurrection of the Messiah, the great Passover Lamb of God. Yeshua was crucified on erev Pesach, buried during Unleavened Bread, and was resurrected on Yom Habikkurim (Firstfruits). The holiday of Shavuot (i.e., "Pentecost") both commemorates the revelation of the Torah at Sinai as well as the revelation of the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) at Zion.
The intermediate months of summer end with the advent of the sixth month of the calendar, called the month of Elul, which recalls the time Moses interceded on behalf of Israel after the sin of the Golden Calf. To commemorate this time of our history, we likewise focus on teshuvah (repentance) in anticipation of Rosh Hashanah and especially in anticipation of Yom Kippur, the great "Day of Atonement." In Jewish tradition the 30 days of Elul are combined with the first ten days of the seventh month (called the "Days of Awe") to set apart "Forty Days of Teshuvah" leading up to the Day of Forgiveness for Israel. Immediately following Yom Kippur, the mood changes as we begin preparing for a joyous week-long celebration called Sukkot (i.e., "Tabernacles") that concludes with the holiday of Simchat Torah.
The winter holidays (חגי החורף) remember special times when God acted on behalf of His people so that they would triumph over their enemies, and therefore they prophetically picture the final victory in the world to come:
 |
The Winter Holidays:
Note that in accordance with tradition, the following holiday dates begin at sundown:
- Month of Tevet (Mon., Dec. 30th [eve] - Wed. Jan. 29th [day])
- Month of Shevat (Wed. Jan. 29th [eve] - Thurs. Feb. 27th [day])
- Month of Adar (Thurs. Feb. 27th [eve]) - Sat. March 29th [day])
- Month of Nisan (Sat. March 29th [eve]) - Sun. April 27th [day])
 |
 |
Note: For more about the dates of these holidays see the Calendar pages....
January 2025 Updates
Note: If any page content appears to be missing, please refresh the page...
The Family of God...
01.03.25 (Tevet 3, 5785) When Jacob and his family left the land of Canaan to be reunited with his long-lost son Joseph in Egypt, the Scripture says: "All the persons of the house of Jacob who went to Egypt were seventy" (Gen. 46:27), though the Hebrew text literally reads, "all of the soul (singular) of Jacob's household was seventy."
Rashi noted that the extended "household" of Jacob is referred to as "one soul" (i.e., kol ha'nefesh: כָּל־הַנֶּפֶשׁ), that is, an interconnected unity before the LORD. Perhaps this thought was the reason for the famous statement of the Talmud: "kol Yisrael arevim zeh ba'zeh," which means "all Israel is responsible for one another" (Shavuot 39a). This principle expresses the deep sense of communal responsibility among the Jewish people.
The idea of being an interconnected unity also applies to the "body of Messiah," that is, the worldwide community of those who have been redeemed by Yeshua, for he emphatically taught us to love one another as he has loved us (John 13:34). Indeed our love for one another bears witness that we are truly his people: "By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:35).
The Apostle Paul therefore wrote: "For we, though many, are one bread and one body; for we all partake of that one bread" (1 Cor. 10:17), and he went on to use the analogy of the parts of the body united to form a whole to illustrate how the several parts should understand their mutual dependence, and that if one member were to suffer, all the others would suffer along with it (1 Cor. 12:26). We are as "one flesh" (בשר אחד) through our shared covenant with the Lord, and each of us therefore partakes of the lives of others.
Since we are all interconnected, we must esteem and care for one another. Let the honor of your brother and sister be as dear to yourself as if it were your own. As Paul said: "Let love be sincere. Abhor what is evil, cling to what is good. In love of the brothers be tenderly affectionate with one another, in honor preferring one another" (Rom. 12:9-10). The very law of Messiah (תורת המשיח) is to bear one another's burdens (Gal. 6:2).
For the same reasons, holding a grudge or wanting revenge is forbidden. Can the right hand cut off the left without itself suffering loss? Indeed we mirror one another in our hearts. "So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets" (Matt. 7:12). This is the great law of reciprocity: "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy."
Life is a test to establish our souls in the truth of faith. We are instructed to take every thought "captive" to the love of the Lord. If an unworthy thought enters your mind, cast it out and refuse it audience within your soul. Love your enemy and do good to those who hurt you, for doing so reveals you are a child of the heavenly Father (Matt. 5:44).
Since we are reading parashat Vayigash this week, let's consider again the story of Joseph who was a great tzaddik of Israel (צדיק ישראל). Despite the betrayal of his brothers he refused to harden his heart and become bitter. Joseph repaid his brothers with goodness and mercy, rescuing them from their own dark pit of rejection and shame. Because he was righteous, he drew near to them by grace based on the deepest of bonds of his heart.
The children of Joseph are God's beloved flock. In the Psalms we read "Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, you who leads Joseph like a flock" (Psalm 90:1). Just as Joseph stored up food for years of famine, so God stores up blessing for us in the world to come. Amen.
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 31:23a reading (click for audio):
A Life that Matters...
01.02.25 (Tevet 2, 5785) The Jewish sages likened the life of faith to be one of preparation: "This world is like a corridor before the World to Come; therefore prepare yourself in the corridor, that you may enter into the banquet hall" (Avot 4:21). We prepare ourselves by learning to be in relationship with the LORD. The great commandment is דִּרְשׁוּנִי וִחְיוּ - "Seek Me and live" (Amos 5:4), and as the prophet Isaiah cried out, "Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near" (Isa. 55:6).
It is an opportune occasion, at the outset of another "new year," to soberly revist the truth that our lives are relatively short and therefore we ought prepare ourselves for our ultimate destiny while we still have the chance. To borrow a cliche, "today is the first day of the rest of your life," and consequently whatever you do or don't do today will effect all of your tomorrows -- and even carry over into the world to come.
What isn't a cliche is the profound truth that even the seemingly smallest of decisions matter and that nothing is trivial. There is a "butterfly effect," and a small change in your life will produce big effects. Therefore, since by necessity "one thing leads to another," we must soberly realize the importance of our decisions and choose wisely. What we do today, the choices we make, will yield future blessing in our lives if we seek the good.
So what to do? How, then, shall we live today? Well for starters make some time to pray to the Lord. Make an effort to read and study the holy Scriptures. Memorize verses that speak to your heart. Meditate on God's Presence and love. Be filled with the Holy Spirit and turn away from dark thoughts and fears. Call or visit a friend. Listen to your friend and share their burdens. These are just a few suggestions, but the point is that the time we have today is our opportunity to live a life that really matters. Therefore choose life!
We can't turn back the clock but we can ask God to help us "redeem the time." He can restore the years that the locust has eaten, so it's never too late to begin! Let us seek lasting wisdom. Prepare your heart today so that when your hour comes to "enter the banquet hall," you will not be ashamed but overjoyed and ready to meet the Lord!
Above all do not let your heart be troubled; have faith in God, for he "prepares a place for you" on the other side of the veil of this temporal world (John 14:1-3). "Whoever is born of God conquers the world (νικᾷ τὸν κόσμον), and the overcoming power that conquers the world is our faith" (1 John 5:4). God will help you live a life that truly matters, if you ask him. Therefore while you still have breath, choose life....
Hebrew Lesson
Jeremiah 29:13 reading (click for audio):
 |
Mystery and Humility...
"God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are mighty, and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, so that no flesh should glory in His presence." - 1 Cor. 1:27-29
01.02.25 (Tevet 2, 5785) Though it is important to guard our sincere convictions and to be passionate about what we believe, we must nevertheless be careful to walk in humility before the mystery of life... After all, much is inscrutable to us, much is beyond our understanding, and therefore, if we are honest, we should be reverent before the "sacred secrecy" of everything. Fanaticism and intolerance (whether secular or religious) is motivated by willful ignorance of the marvelous complexities that pervade existence. The fanatic invariably seeks to reduce life to a simple formula, idea, or generalization. The humble person, on the other hand, freely confesses that they "walk by faith, not by sight" -- by hearing the Word of God and heeding what the Spirit of God is saying to the heart...
For now we "see through a glass darkly," which literally means "in an enigma" (ἐν αἰνίγματι). An "enigma" (or riddle) is an analogy given through some resemblance to the truth, though quite often the correspondences are puzzling and obscure. Hence, "seeing through a glass darkly" means perceiving obscurely or imperfectly, looking "through" something else instead of directly apprehending reality. We see only a reflection of reality, and our knowledge in this life is indirect and imperfect. This is contrasted with the "face to face" (פָּנִים אֶל־פָּנִים) vision and clarity given in the world to come, when our knowledge will be clear and distinct, and the truth of God will be fully manifest and no longer hidden. Being "face to face" with reality means being free of the riddles, the analogies, the semblances, etc., which at best adumbrate our way..
Such reflection should make us humble whenever we share our faith. "Now we know in part, but then shall we know in whole" (1 Cor. 13:12). Let therefore repeat that an honest theology must find a place for mystery, for "seeing through a glass darkly," and for the apprehension of awe and wonder.
"There was a time when I had all the answers. My real growth began when I discovered that the questions to which I had the answers were not the important questions.... A genuine faith must recognize the fact that it is through a dark glass we see; though by faith we do penetrate sufficiently to the heart of the mystery so as not to be overwhelmed by it. A genuine faith resolves the mystery of life by the mystery of God. It recognizes that no aspect of life or existence explains itself, even after all known causes and consequences have been traced. All known existence points beyond itself. To realize that it points beyond itself to God is to assert that the mystery of life does not dissolve life into meaninglessness...." (Reinhold Niebuhr)
Since the LORD God is called the Infinite One (i.e., ein sof: אֵין סוֹף) whose understanding is without limit (Psalm 147:5), we must use analogies, metaphors, symbols, allusions, parables, poetry, and other linguistic devices (as well art and music) to convey spiritual truth and meaning. We compare (συγκρίνω) spiritual things with spiritual (1 Cor. 2:13). Some of the classical "mystics" have said the way to God is through the transcendence of words altogether, though most of them use imagery and poetry to speak about "ineffable" reality. Others, like Soren Kierkegaard, use "indirect communication" to evoke the decision to believe, to find hope, and to walk by faith. The truth can be found, not by means of humanistic learning, but by special revelation and encounter with the Truth of God.
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 147:5 Hebrew reading:
For more on this topic, see "Mystery and Humility: Living in the Divine Connection."
Love's Great Humility...
01.01.25 (Tevet 1, 5785) "Unless you turn (shuv) and become like children, you will never (οὐ μὴ) enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 18:3). Such is the importance of simple trust in God... Indeed Yeshua repeatedly taught us to regard God as "Abba," our Father (אַבָּא אָבִינוּ). He taught that we are warmly accepted as part of his family; that we are under his constant care; and that we live within his household as beloved children... And even though God is utterly transcendent, the Infinite One (אין סוף) and Creator of all worlds, he humbles himself to feed the birds of the air, to water lilies of the field, and to count the number of hairs on your head (Psalm 113:5-6).
The Lord is as close as your next breath; he leans upon your bosom at the table; he anticipates what you need before you ask him... The "fear of the Lord" is that you might fail knowing his great love for you -- that you will forget or lose sight of your true identity in lesser things. Therefore affirm the truth that you are loved with an unending and everlasting love, that you are safe, that you are surely accepted, and that nothing can ever separate you from the power and truth of love. God your Father hears you, he knows you, and he loves you bekhol levavo (בְּכָל־לְבָבוֹ) - "with all his heart."
May we know God as our beloved Abba. "For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry, "Abba! Father!" The Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs - heirs of God and fellow heirs with Messiah - even if we may suffer together with him to the end that we may also be glorified together with him" (Rom. 8:15-17). Amen...
Hebrew Lesson:
Psalm 69:32 Hebrew reading:
The Good Eye of Faith...
The following is related to this week's Torah reading, Parashat Vayigash...
01.01.25 (Tevet 1, 5785) Among other things, the story of Joseph reveals how God's hidden hand moves for good in our lives. Despite the terrible betrayal of the pit, the unjust suffering of the prison house, and the sorrow of losing his family, there was light, exaltation, and joy to come forth. God knows how to take our emptiness to yield "storehouses in Egypt..." As Joseph later told his brothers, "you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good" (Gen. 50:20). Resist the temptation to judge by mere appearances. Forbid your sorrow to blind the eyes of faith. Do not unjustly judge God's purposes or try to understand His ways; accept that He works all things together (συνεργέω) for good -- making even the wrath of man to praise Him (Psalm 76:10).
Faith "sees what is invisible" (2 Cor. 4:18) and understands (i.e., accepts) that the "present form of this world is passing away" for purposes that are good (1 Cor. 7:31). It affirms that underlying the surface appearance of life (chayei sha'ah) is a deeper reality (chayei olam) that is ultimately real, abiding, and ultimately designed for God's redemptive love to be fully expressed. In this world we must "see through" a mirror (i.e., indirectly) to begin to see the dawn of our eternal home; but one day we will behold God panim el panim (פָּנִים אֶל־פָּנִים), "face to face" (1 Cor. 13:12). In the meantime, faith beholds the invisible light, the truth of God's love that overcomes all the powers of darkness, hate, and fear.... "I believe. I believe in the sun even when it is not shining; I believe in love even when feeling it not; and I believe in God, even when God is silent" (from an anonymous poem found on the wall of a cellar in Cologne, Germany, where some Jews hid from the Nazis).
"Faith in divine providence is the faith that nothing can prevent us from fulfilling the meaning of our existence. Providence does not mean a divine plan by which everything is predetermined, as in an efficient machine. Rather, providence means that there is a creative and saving possibility implied in every situation, which cannot be destroyed by any event. Providence means that the demonic and destructive forces within ourselves and our world can never have an unbreakable grasp upon us, and that the bind which connects us with the fulfilling love can never be disrupted." - Paul Tillich
Hebrew Lesson:
Psalm 31:5 Hebrew reading (click):
For more on this important topic, see "Joseph and the Good Eye."
The Providential Prince...
01.01.25 (Tevet 1, 5785) Though Joseph was given great wisdom to interpret Pharaoh's dreams and to serve as Egypt's regent, his foresight did not prevent the famine from coming in the first place, and the testing that came was part of God's hidden plan. The role of the true prophet is to bear witness to God's truth and to shepherd God's people through the unfolding vision. Joseph could not control the outcome, though he worked within the context of revelation to bring about deliverance. In both the "fat times and the lean" we look to God for comfort and strength: We "show up" every day to ready ourselves for what is coming, even if we currently find ourselves in darkness. We refuse fear because we trust that the LORD our God is guiding our way...
The term hashgachah pratit (הַשְׁגָּחָה פְּרָטִית) refers to God's personal supervision of our lives (hashgachah means "supervision," and pratit means "individual" or "particular"). Since He is the Master of the Universe, God's supervision and providence reaches to the smallest of details of creation - from subatomic particles to the great motions of the cosmos. God not only calls each star by its own name (Psalm 147:4), but knows each particular wildflower and sparrow (Matt. 6:28-30, 10:29). Each person created in the likeness of God is therefore under the direct, personal supervision of God Himself -- whether that soul is conscious of that fact or not. As Yeshua said, even the hairs on your head are all numbered (Matt. 10:30). The God of Israel is also called אלהֵי הָרוּחת לְכָל־בָּשָׂר / Elohei ha-ruchot lekhol-basar: "The God of the spirits of all flesh" (Num. 16:22), and that means that he has providential purposes for every human being brought into this world (John 1:4).
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 139:7 reading (click):
A New Year Blessing...
01.01.25 (Tevet 1, 5785) At the outset of the new civil year, let us recall the ancient priestly blessing, the great expression of hope and grace that transforms us into "name bearers" of God. The blessing of the LORD guards us from illusion, directing our hearts to focus on what matters most; His radiance changes us, revealing the miracle of grace. As God "lifts up his face," he discloses his Presence within all things, and imparts to us his healing peace. God's Name is "put upon" us so that we become vessels that carry redemptive love and healing to the world. We are endowed with divine energy to be made fruitful; we are empowered to serve God in the truth. The consciousness of our blessedness touches every moment, and we begin to see all of life as sanctified, sacred, full of wonder and meaning.
יְבָרֶכְךָ יְהוָה וְיִשְׁמְרֶךָ
יָאֵר יְהוָה פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ וִיחֻנֶּךָּ
יִשָּׂא יְהוָה פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ וְיָשֵׂם לְךָ שָׁלוֹם
ye·vah·re'·khe·kha' · Adonai · ve·yeesh'·me·re'·kha
yah·eir · Adonai · pah·nav · e·ley'·kha · vee·khoon·ne'·kah
yee·sah · Adonai · pah·nav · e·ley'·kha · ve·yah·seim · le·kha · shah·lohm
"May the LORD bless you and keep you;
May the LORD shine his face upon you and be gracious to you;
May the LORD lift up his face upon you and give you his peace."
(Num. 6:24-26)
Hebrew Study Card
Note that the text of this great "priestly blessing" (i.e., birkat kohanim) begins with three words, is comprised of three parts, invokes the divine Name three times, and is therefore quite appropriately called "the three-in-one blessing." Note further that each of the three phrases begins with the Hebrew letter Yod (י), suggesting the threefold hand of YHVH (יהוה) that touches you: the Father blesses you (יְבָרֶכְךָ); the Word of God shines upon you (יָאֵר), and the Spirit of God lifts you up and carries you in the way of life (יִשָּׂא). The threefold blessing is One, of course, just as Adonai echad: יְהוָה אֶחָד, the LORD is One (Deut. 6:4), and the essence of the blessing is to partake of healing and wholeness as expressed in the Hebrew word shalom (שָׁלוֹם). Amen. Without oseh shalom, without peace made within our hearts, any other blessings are only apparent and without genuine substance...
Hebrew Lesson
Numbers 6:24-26 reading (click):
|
