Category: newsletter-post

Father’s Day

By Eric Carlson in 06_2023-1 on May 22, 2023

Father’s Day is a day set apart to honor and celebrate our Father and fatherhood in general. We recognize and honor the influence of fathers in our homes and society, and in blended family paternal bonds. It is also celebrated to honor and commemorate our fathers and forefathers. Fathers–Day is celebrated in the U.S. on the third Sunday of June. Tradition has it that Father’s Day was first observed on June 19, 1910, in Spokane, Washington, through the efforts of Sonora Smart Dodd, a Christian woman and the daughter of American Civil War veteran William Jackson Smart. Sonora’s mother died when she was age 16, and she wanted a day that would commemorate and honor fathers like her own, who had raised her and five other children.

Once she began pressing the idea of an official Father’s Day, she met opposition and even derision, but she persevered. A bill was introduced in Congress in 1913, and in 1916, President Woodrow Wilson spoke at a Father’s Day celebration in Spokane, Washington, wanting to make it an official holiday, but Congress still resisted. In 1924, Calvin Coolidge became involved, and in 1930 a national committee was formed by various trade groups in an effort to legitimize the holiday. The battle continued, and in 1966 President Lyndon Johnson made a proclamation for the third Sunday of June to be Father’s Day. Finally, it was made an official national holiday when President Nixon signed a similar proclamation in 1972.

In the eyes of Adonai fatherhood is a place of exalted honor. This name change given by Adonai revolves around the root word abba; father! Avraham is the founding father of the unique, intimate relationship between the Jewish and Adonai; he is the spiritual patriarch of all believers! The name change signifies a change in Avraham’s divine destiny! His obedient relationship with Adonai was credited to him as righteousness. Abraham was declared righteous because of his trust, he kept on reaching out to Adonai again and again. It wasn’t that he was a perfect man, he misled others regarding Sarah and tried to bring Adonai’s plan about himself through Hagar! But Avraham was consistent in his desire for Adonai, he was faithful in his relationship with Adonai. He showed trust in God by moving to a new land and was chosen by God to be the father of God’s chosen people. Avraham kept coming back and Adonai credited it to him as righteousness and will do the same for us if we seek Adonai! The entire story of Avraham revolves around fatherhood revealing how important this position is to Adonai who recognizes the critical importance of fathers, giving them special honor throughout history.

We are made in the image of our creator. God spoke the Aleph-Bet, our seed, and we were created. That see is DNA, Chromosomes. When children are conceived, the child receives one strand of helix from each parent. The language, the program of the two parents come together to form a new helix from the individual strands from the parents. If two XX strands come together the child is a girl, if one x and one y comes together it’s a boy. The only source of Y chromosomes is the male. Now get this, All other chromosomes pairs exchange genetic material, a shuffling of DNA information except for the Y chromosome. There are over approximately 2.1 million code instructions in human DNA and between us all there all identical except for several thousand. In other words, DNA confirms that there is no basis for biological race differences. The genetic variance affecting skin color, facial futures, eye and hair color are essentially meaningless. Since the Y Chromosome isn’t affected by this genetic shuffling during conception, the Y Chromosome passed down from father to son is basically the same as it was thousands of years ago.

Proverbs 1:3-9. for gaining an intelligently disciplined life, doing what is right, just and fair; 4 for endowing with caution those who don’t think and the young person with knowledge and discretion. 5 Someone who is already wise will hear and learn still more; someone who already understands will gain the ability to counsel well; 6 he will understand proverbs, obscure expressions, the sayings and riddles of the wise. 7 The fear of ADONAI is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline. 8 My son, heed the discipline of your father, and do not abandon the teaching of your mother; 9 they will be a garland to grace your head, a medal of honor for your neck.

Father = love. As a parent, you experience a small taste of how Adonai feels as “our Father in heaven.” When parents look into the face of their newborn baby, they know true unconditional love no matter what. That’s exactly how Adonai feels about us. Even when we stray, sin, are disobedient, Adonai loves us, He is disappointed yet still loves us! Hate the sin, but love the person! Abba Father is the source of our existence. He provides for us, corrects us, and loves us unconditionally.

Lord, we pray specifically for all fathers and fatherhood across our nation. Your Word clearly instructs fathers to bring up their children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4). Adonai, we thank You for the men who are leading according to Your commands and Mitzvahs, the ones that are laying their lives down for Your purposes. We pray that You will continue to use these men to lead their families and other men. We pray You will strengthen the fathers of our nation and that You will continue to empower congregations, organizations, and individuals to invest in fathers and fatherhood for the sake of our children. In Yeshua’s name we pray, Amen!

Freedom – Juneteenth 2023

By Eric Carlson in 06_2023-3 on May 22, 2023

“The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired labor. The freedmen are advised to remain quietly at their present homes and work for wages. They are informed that they will not be allowed to collect at military posts and that they will not be supported in idleness either there or elsewhere.”

That day has since become known as Juneteenth, a name coming from a portmanteau of the words June and teenth like nineteenth and other numbers ending with –teenth. The North’s victory brought an end to both the Civil war and the scourge of slavery. This national conflict resulted in three addendums to the Freedom document, the Bill of Rights. The 13th Amendment abolished slavery, the 14th amendment gave equal citizenship to every human being born in this country regardless of race, granting the full rights and protection of the U.S. Constitution, and the 15th amendment guaranteed the right to vote for all citizens regardless of race or previous condition of servitude. Unfortunately, these amendments weren’t kept or honored for over 100 years causing great oppression, pain, and suffering! The word shares that we are to be concerned about the welfare of all our brothers and sisters:

This is why the issue of Racism, or any prejudice is so critical-if one of us is suffering, we all suffer! It inhibits the release of the One New Man! Legalized slavery stopped in 1865 with the defeat to the Confederacy, but the end of slavery still hasn’t effectively come to pass even though the civil rights act of 1964 was passed, 99 years later. At the end of the Civil War there was no closure, the enemy wasn’t defeated, the threat of a return to slavery was real and existed. President Lincoln, a man of God, had a plan to give 40 acres of land and a mule to every former slave family, but he was assassinated before this could come to pass!

Instead, Jim Crow laws were instituted in the 1880’s as the reconstruction period ended in 1879. In 1890 Separate but Equal legislation was passed by all southern state legislatures. In the 1870’s the former slave owners gradually regained power in the Southern legislatures, having used insurgent paramilitary groups, such as the KKK, the White League and Red Shirts, to disrupt black political organizing, run officeholders out of town, and intimidate blacks to suppress their voting.

Extensive voter fraud was also used. Gubernatorial elections were close and had been disputed in Louisiana for years, with increasing violence against blacks during campaigns from 1868 onward. Before I go on, I’m making a disclaimer: I’m not endorsing any political party, I’m sharing U.S. history as it happened. In 1877, a national Democratic Party compromise to gain Southern support in the presidential election resulted in the U.S. government’s withdrawing the last of the federal troops from the South. White Democrats regained political power in every Southern state and restored white supremacy. These Southern, white, governments legislated Jim Crow laws, officially segregating black people from the white population.

Blacks were still elected to local offices through the early 1880s, but the establishment were passing laws to make voter registration and electoral rules severely restrictive, with the result that political participation by most blacks and many poor whites began to decrease. Between 1890 and 1910, ten of the eleven former Confederate states, starting with Mississippi, passed new constitutions or amendments that effectively removed the vote from most blacks and tens of thousands of poor whites through a combination of poll taxes, literacy and comprehension tests, and residency and record-keeping requirements. Grandfather clauses temporarily permitted some illiterate whites to vote, but gave no relief to most blacks.

Those who could not vote were not eligible to serve on juries and could not run for local offices. Blacks disappeared from political life, as they could not influence the state legislatures, and their interests were overlooked. While public schools had been established by Reconstruction legislatures for the first time in most Southern states; those for black children were consistently underfunded compared to schools for white children, even when considered within the strained finances of the postwar South where the decreasing price of cotton kept the agricultural economy at a low.

In just 20 years after the issue of the Emancipation Proclamation by President Abraham Lincoln, all blacks were effectively returned to slavery. It had different names: “Share Croppers” “Segregation” “Separate but equal” “Jim Crow” but the effects were identical. Slavery in America has yet to have a closure, a transition or transformation into freedom and liberty. It’s the “Pink Elephant” sitting in the middle of our Republic that no one desires to discuss or talk about! The modern welfare institution is still a form of slavery and suppression as is the Bureau of Indians Affairs and the reservation system for our Native, Indigenous brothers and sisters! As Messianic Jews we must not only be involved, we must lead! The Messianic Movement must lead, and the Church must break its silence on this! We are commanded to be a voice for the voiceless. We are surrounded by the oppressed, the persecuted, and voiceless. We are commanded to be an advocate; The greater body of Messiah’s silence on this is deafening, Silence is a sin!

Isaiah 61:1. The Spirit of Adonai ELOHIM is upon me, because ADONAI has anointed me to announce good news to the poor (Ana’yim: poor, humble, afflicted, meek, needy). He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted (L’nish bry; Brokenhearted, crushed, broken, fractured hurt, injured) to proclaim freedom to the captives (Lish’vu’yim: captive, taken captive, prisoner, enslaved), to let out into light those bound in the dark (pek-akh-ko’-akh: opening of the eyes, opening of a dungeon or prison, salvation from sin).

Yeshua alone is the source of our freedom from every and all types of enslavement. He alone is our source of restoration, redemption, and freedom. Our kinsman redeemer who will restore both all rights and free us from captivity to whatever enslaves us. Like the African American slaves prior to 1865, Spiritually, every individual is enslaved, the thing that traps you and holds you into submission. It’s literally slavery as well as unbiblical behaviors, actions, gambling, pornography, drugs, alcohol, immorality, Unforgiveness, all sin enslaves us. Some people know what they are a slave to and have defeated it, others have not!

Since the dawn of creation humans have enslaved other humans! Even today in certain areas of Africa and across the Muslim Nation’s slavery continues on! At one time or another every people group has been enslaved. The Egyptians did it, the Greeks did it, the Romans did it, the Byzantine Empire did, the Ottoman Turkish Empire did it, the British Empire, the European monarchies of old kept its own citizens as serfs, slaves! Both France and Germany enslaved the Africans in their respective African colonies and killed hundreds of Thousands through forced labor.

I’m saddened to witness and experience the toxic racial division and anarchy that has formed in this country! This is not of God. Communism, Socialism, BLM, and Critical Race Theory are not of Adonai or His word! For over 3,500 years the greater Jewish community has celebrated Pesach through which we remember and celebrate our own redemption from slavery! Remembering is part of the healing process! Juneteenth is now a State and federal holiday! It’s a step in the right direction! But there are gigantic leaps that we still need to take. No matter what your skin, hair, or eye color is we’re all members of the human race! Why does every federal form ask what race you are? Why do loan applications ask yoru race? What matters is if you pay your bills on time, not what color you are! As Adonai Himself said:

We will not submit to fear, we will not walk in fear, we will not be swayed by hatred, aggression, racism, disunity, Anti-Semitism, or any other divisive spirit! We will serve the Lord and move forward in God’s Word and in the Power of the Ruach! It took a small handful of brave, courageous people like W.E.B Dubois, Rosa Parks, Dr. King and others who had their eyes opened, who boldly stood for the freedom that was already granted 100 years earlier. It was the absolute resolve of tens of thousands of WWII African American veterans like the Red Tails of the Tuskegee Airman who had proven their equality on the battlefield. They fought to win freedom for our people, the Jewish People in the death camps, they liberated Europe and Asia yet returned home to face a life of segregation, inequality, racism, bigotry, and injustice. The very principles they were fighting for elsewhere in the world! Intentionality in relationship overcomes racism and Anti-Semitism.

Rabbi and Rebbitzen’s Corner June 2023

By Eric Carlson in 06_2023-2 on May 22, 2023

Shalom Mishpocha,

Spring and May have flown by! We are now in June, getting ready for summer! The Summer solstice, the longest day of the year occurs on Wednesday, June 21st,2023 at 9:57 AM. June 10th is Flag Day! Flag Day is a celebration of the adoption of the American flag by Continental Congress in the First Flag Resolution of June 14, 1777. Although the 200-year anniversary of this date was celebrated by flying flags on public buildings and holding remembrances in several cities, Flag Day wasn’t officially recognized until President Harry Truman signed it into law in 1949. To observe Flag Day, fly your American flag! It’s also a time to remember and honor military men and women who defend our flag and our country.

Father’s Day is Sunday, June 18th; Father’s Day is a holiday honoring one’s father, or relevant father figure. The single most common date among world countries is the third Sunday of June, which was founded in the state of Washington, United States by Sonora Smart Dodd in 1910 to honor Fathers! Then the next day, Monday, June 19th is Juneteenth. A federal holiday commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African Americans. Deriving its name from combining “June” and “nineteenth”, it is celebrated on the anniversary of the order, issued by Major General Gordon Granger on June 19, 1865, proclaiming freedom for slaves in Texas. Originating in Galveston, Juneteenth has since been observed annually in various parts of the United States.

June also means that school is out and summer is in full swing, which means one thing – it’s time for a vacation. Everybody loves June, right? It’s typically the month with the most daylight hours to enjoy, which means endless summer BBQs, basking in the sun on the beach, swimming in the ocean, and pool time! Or maybe spending time at Bush Gardens, or Bush Water Country! Our area is rich in history! Before the humidity sets in this month is a good time to visit Jamestown Settlement, Yorktown Battlefield and Victory Center, or Colonial Williamsburg! Whatever activity you and your family choose, always remember to pray for your safety and travel mercies before you go! Remember to stay hydrated and don’t forget the sunscreen! Praying you have a blessed and fun filled summer!

Mothers

By Eric Carlson in 05_2023-3 on May 1, 2023

As the spiritual light keeper, mothers have been given the privilege of ushering in the holy Shabbat by lighting the candles on Erev Shabbat, Friday evening, ushering in the brightness, the illumination of the Word of God into the home filling it with Shalom, peace, and harmony. Also, the Shabbat Candles are traditionally lit by the women because it was a woman who removed the light from the world (Eve) and it was a woman who returned the light to the world Miriam (Mary) who gave birth to Yeshua. It’s because of this understanding that in a Jewish or biblical home, the wife and mother is called “akeret Habayit” in Hebrew which means the “mainstay” or “keeper” of the home. It’s the mother who, for the most part, determines the character and atmosphere of the entire home.

Mothers have been and are playing a critical role throughout the scriptures and the Kingdom of God. Being a mother was and is something that every Jewish girl dreamt of. The enemy understands the critical importance of identity and its associated calling! This is why we are experiencing such an overwhelming spiritual attack and battle over gender identity. It’s ironic that the enemy knows the word better than most believers who are blinded to what’s unfolding around them in greater society. This war against gender identity is based on a very specific promise God gave to women:

Genesis 3:13-15 ADONAI, God, said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman answered, “The serpent tricked me, so I ate.” 14 ADONAI, God, said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all livestock and wild animals. You will crawl on your belly and eat dust as long as you live. 15 I will put animosity between you and the woman, and between your descendant and her descendant; he will bruise (yeshufecha: bruise, crush, strike, attack) your head (Rosh: head -Adam, dominion authority), and you will bruise (yeshufecha: bruise, crush, strike, attack) his heel (akev: heel, rear, footprint, track, seize by the heel; to circumvent as if tripping up the heels, to restrain, to hold by the heel, take by the heel, stay or supplant,).”

This is a profound revelation and understanding for our mothers. Yes, HaSatan tricked Eve, but his actual target was Adam’s dominion, his headship, Rosh, over all creation so he attacked, struck, Adam through Eve. Adonai promises Adam and Eve that the restoration of Mankind’s Dominion will be through the woman striking, crushing, attacking HaSatan by supplanting him, holding him by the heel, restraining HaSatan through childbirth. Both woman and men are made in the image and likeness of God. Women are co-creators with God bearing life in their wombs. This is why men, that woman are our most precious gift from God. Just pause for a moment and ponder HaSatan’s continual onslaught, assault and attack on Gender Identity, Gender authority, and marriage. God has given very specific roles and assignments for men and women just as He has for Jew and Gentile. Sisters, as co-creators with God you are our physical and spiritual partners who retain the key to victory over the demonic forces of evil and hell! We can’t win without you! There still remains gender bias in some denominations today. In Romans 16 Paul talks about Phoebe – a congregation leader! Most of Yeshua’s support was from women! Yeshua brought freedom and liberation to women who had suffered cultural oppression and gender bias that is unscriptural and ungodly. HaSatan knows this as evident by his relentless attacks in this area! This is why men are told in:

The very thought of being the mother who would birth the Messiah was something that inspired women throughout the Bible and history. The Promised One, Mashiach was prophetically known to be a baby boy. If a woman bore a son, her hope and prayer was that he would be the Messiah. If she had a girl, she dreamed that her grandson might be the coming Redeemer. This is the reason why we repeatedly see times in scripture where all male babies were ordered killed such as Egypt when a prophesied redeemer was coming:

The honor and prophetic destiny of being a mother is profoundly revealed through the most well-known mother in scripture, Miriam the mother of Yeshua! She was given the great privilege of being the mother of our Mashiach, the Mother of God. Imagine Adonai’s Son as your own child! Such a great honor that Adonai blessed and chose her. Yet there was a reason. Adonai saw in her great integrity, honor, character, humility, and boldness. She was told by the angel exactly who her Son was. She understood the great responsibility God placed upon her.

Luke 1:26-33 In the sixth month, the angel Gavri’el was sent by God to a city in the Galil called Natzeret, 27 to a virgin engaged to a man named Yosef, of the house of David; the virgin’s name was Miryam. 28 Approaching her, the angel said, “Shalom, favored lady! ADONAI is with you!” 29 She was deeply troubled (diatarasso {dee-at-ar-as’-so}: disturbed, troubled, to cause one inward commotion, remove calmness of mind, disturb ones composure, to disquiet, make restless, to stir up one’s spirit, to strike ones spirit with fear and dread, render anxious, distressed) by his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 The angel said to her, “Don’t be afraid, Miryam, for you have found favor with God. 31 Look! You will become pregnant, you will give birth to a son, and you are to name him Yeshua. 32 He will be great, he will be called Son of Ha`Elyon. ADONAI, God, will give him the throne of his forefather David; 33 and he will rule the House of Ya`akov forever — there will be no end to his Kingdom.”

First, Miriam was a young mother full of hope, prospects, and dreams for a happy and successful future! As any young mother is! Experiencing a God encounter (I can empathize) quickens the soul. There is a profound sense of awe, wonder, and fear when approached by God! Troubled is the least descriptive term to convey the wide range of emotions she was experiencing as all her senses are being flooded, overwhelmed by the presence of God. All this takes place before the angel tells her who she will give birth to! Let me pause for a moment with a disclaimer. Motherhood isn’t a mitzvah, a command, or a requirement for women to be godly. Not in temple times, not today! Then like today not every woman wanted children and not every woman who wanted children were granted them. Biblical, godly mothers and matriarchs serve as examples of honor, integrity, character, steadfastness, loyalty, and commitment that all of us, regardless of who we are, male or female, parent or not, must strive to emulate and live like. Myriam was troubled, her spirit was stirred by this heavenly, supernatural invasion in her life! She was quite aware of the cultural stigma, oppression, and even rejection of women 2,000 years ago who bore children out of wedlock (though in her case this wasn’t the situation, but people would gossip, slander, and judge her regardless). Through all of this Myriam remained faithful, she honored and fulfilled God’s plans in her life for the life of God’s Son Yeshua!

Motherhood alone is daunting! It can be overwhelming under normal circumstances. In Myriam’s case how much more so? Yet she graciously and humbly said Hinenni to Adonai in this great honor! As a Jewish woman, a Jewish mother she knew it was her responsibility that her son be raised in biblical culture, what today would be called a Jewish Home, but that word didn’t exist 2,000 years ago. She would ensure Yeshua regularly attended Shabbat, kept the Feast Days, worshiped, and prayed to the God of Israel. Her success in raising Yeshua and her deep, intimate relationship with God’s Son is revealed powerfully in:

Motherhood creates an eternal bond between mother and child. Humanity has coined a term for this bond: “Mothers Intuition”. It’s a product of the Ruach, the Holy Spirit. Intuition is the ability to understand something immediately, without the need for conscious reasoning. Untold millions of babies and children have been saved from dangerous, life-threatening situations by “Mothers Intuition”! Moms unexplained sudden urge to find their child, to go to them, knowing something is wrong. This bond never ends between mother and child. Mothers know your mood and feelings without your communicating it to them, they know when you’re happy, when you’re upset, when you’re sick, and when you’re faking it!

This all plays out profoundly in Yeshua’s first miracle. First, both He and His mother are at a Jewish Wedding! How do I know (other than Yeshua and Myrian are Jewish)? In Temple times weddings were traditionally and culturally performed on Tuesdays. Still, in Israel today Tuesdays are the preferred day to perform Weddings. Second, we know it’s a Jewish wedding because there is wine, sorry to all my evangelical brothers and sisters, it is positively, absolutely, not grape juice at the wedding, it was wine. There are seven specific Hebrew words for wine found throughout the word of God and not one of them means grape juice.

Verse three is where the motherhood of Myriam comes out. She seems to inconsequently make a remark to Yeshua that the wine has run out. There are volumes of unspoken communication passing between Yeshua and Myriam. That bond between them, even though He is divine, He is still in a human body. Myriam’s “Motherly Intuition” is working in overdrive here. To someone who isn’t her child she is merely stating a fact, but Yeshua reads between the lines, He knows exactly what she means without any embellishment or additional communication. Yeshua’s reply in verse 4 explains it all: “Mother, why should that concern me? — or you? My time hasn’t come yet.”

She was aware, through her “Mothers Intuition”, through the Ruach HaKodesh that Her Sons time indeed has come! In true Jewish, motherly fashion she doesn’t argue with Yeshua, or cast doubts on His ability or source of power. I believe all the words that had been spoken to her regarding Yeshua by the Angel, by Zechariah, by all those who had interacted with him throughout His life flooded into her at this moment. She had revelation and knowledge of who He was, what He could do, and the source of His power and quietly, even humbly in an unconditional mothers love tells the servants do what He (Yeshua) tells you to do and Yeshua and the servants take action:

John 2:5-11 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” 6 Now six stone water-jars were standing there for the Jewish ceremonial washings, each with a capacity of twenty or thirty gallons. 7 Yeshua told them, “Fill the jars with water,” and they filled them to the brim. 8 He said, “Now draw some out, and take it to the man in charge of the banquet”; and they took it. 9 The man in charge tasted the water; it had now turned into wine! He did not know where it had come from, but the servants who had drawn the water knew. So he called the bride groom 10 and said to him, “Everyone else serves the good wine first and the poorer wine after people have drunk freely. But you have kept the good wine until now!” 11 This, the first of Yeshua’s miraculous signs, he did at Kanah in the Galil; he manifested his glory, and his talmidim came to trust in him.

Shavuot

By Eric Carlson in 05_2023-1 on May 1, 2023

Exodus 19:3-6 Moshe went up to God, and ADONAI called to him from the mountain: “Here is what you are to say to the household of Ya’akov, to tell the people of Isra’el: 4 ‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. 5 Now if you will pay careful attention to what I say and keep my covenant, then you will be my own treasure (Segulah: Private property of the King, treasure, possession, property, peculiar treasure, a thing of extreme value) from among all the peoples, for all the earth is mine; 6 and you will be a kingdom of cohanim for me, a nation set apart.’ These are the words you are to speak to the people of Isra’el.”

Adonai owns the cattle on a thousand hills, He created all and owns all! The Kingdom belongs to the King! If we accept His covenant promise we become His special treasure! Only if we obey His covenant, if we Shema, will we be His kingdom of kohanim (Priests), a holy nation! The “Kingdom” is an organized community (Kehillat), a major territorial unit, a theocratic form of government ruled by a sovereign king; the eternal kingship of God; the realm in which God’s will is fulfilled. The King’s (Adonai’s) sovereignty is absolute. Sovereignty is possessing, retaining supreme power, one that exercises supreme authority, the acknowledged leader. God is sovereign!

Mishpocha is Family in Hebrew which also means adoptive family, relative, one of the family, kin. One of Mishpocha’s root words is “mee-shel” which means belonging to. Another root word of Mishpocha is (Shakan-dwell), the same as Shechinah which means divine presence in Hebrew! This is also the same root word of Sukkah, temporary structures that are built during Sukkot. Families are comprised of all these characteristics, bound together by shared convictions, common affiliation in Fellowship! We are a community in which God’s divine presence dwells! This family is comprised of both Jew and Gentile treasure:

Biblical Family is not an arbitrary cultural or social construct, but a fundamental God given foundation of our creation that is built into the very fiber of our being and our universe. That’s why the traditional biblical family with it’s values and ethics are under attack! It’s the fundamental core of the Kingdom! Every family dinner replicates the Temple sacrifices! The family gathers at the Table around the sacrifice, the Father (Priest) giving thanks, and all partaking of the meat before Adonai! Like a family, we don’t always agree with each other. We at time may argue and be critical. But we continue to love each other and remained united while holding each other to a very high biblical standard, knowing that the shortcomings of any individual member of the family will be held against all of us. We are only as strong as our weakest member. Building Family is the reason that Yeshua came for all of Israel:

Exodus 19:7–11 Moshe came, summoned the leaders of the people and presented them with all these words which ADONAI had ordered him to say. 8 All the people answered as one, “Everything ADONAI has said, we will do.” Moshe reported the words of the people to ADONAI. 9 ADONAI said to Moshe, “See, I am coming to you in a thick cloud, so that the people will be able to hear when I speak with you and also to trust in you forever.”Moshe had told ADONAI what the people had said; 10 so ADONAI said to Moshe, “Go to the people; today and tomorrow separate them for me by having them wash their clothing; 11 and prepare for the third day. For on the third day, ADONAI will come down on Mount Sinai before the eyes of all the people.

Exodus 19:16-21 On the morning of the third day, there was thunder, lightning and a thick cloud on the mountain. Then a shofar blast sounded so loudly that all the people in the camp trembled. 17 Moshe brought the people out of the camp to meet God; they stood near the base of the mountain. 18 Mount Sinai was enveloped in smoke, because ADONAI descended onto it in fire -its smoke went up like the smoke from a furnace, and the whole mountain shook violently. 19 As the sound of the shofar grew louder and louder, Moshe spoke; and God answered him with a voice. 20 ADONAI came down onto Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain; then ADONAI called Moshe to the top of the mountain; and Moshe went up. 21 ADONAI said to Moshe, “Go down and warn the people not to force their way through to ADONAI to see him; if they do, many of them will perish.

There is a powerful mystery revealed here! Thunder in Hebrew is “kolot”. This literally means a “multitude of voices”. I want you to understand that this is occurring on the festival of Shavuot-Pentecost, The PRESENCE OF GOD CAME DOWN ONTO THE MOUNTAIN on the 50th day after departing Egypt. The day Torah was given is the same day 1,700 years later the presence of Adonai CAME DOWN in the upper room and the Ruach HaKodesh was given! Once again in a multitude of voices! Adonai is a God of patterns, following His own calendar and timeline. Mt. Sinai is the first “God Encounter” experience that occurred on Shavuot, the Upper Room is the second. Both times God spoke in Kolot, a Multitude of Voices so that not only Israel, but every Nation Tribe and tongue heard Adonai‘s voice, commands, and mitzvah’s. All seventy known languages were coming from the top of the mountain conveying Gods instructions for ALL HUMANITY and again from the Upper Room!

‘Naase VeNishma’. This reply given by Israel embodies a profound revelation! N’ase is from the root Oseh, which means “do”, plural; N’ase “we will do.” Same with Sh’ma. V’Nishma is Sh’ma in the plural so the heart and essence of the Sh’ma and what Israel answered to God upon hearing God’s proposal was that we, Israel, would accept Torah, Adonai’s Torah. We accepted the proposal though we weren’t really in full comprehension or understanding of what it entailed! It’s the same when we received and accepted Yeshua! We don’t know everything about the Kingdom, it’s the starting point of an on ongoing, growing relationship with Adonai!

This is the very heart of Torah, of Yeshua’s message, of Shavuot! It’s the foundation of Kingdom living, obeying the Kings orders regardless if you understand or not!! Adonai teaches obedience to Him and His word while the world teaches non-obedience. The world calls us authoritarians yet, without this obedience, without the connection of obligation to freedom, Pesach to Shavuot, there is no covenant relationship. Knowing God’s desire in your heart is not enough, God requires the application of His mitzvahs and commands! Within this freewill desire to serve and minister unto Him we received the ongoing miracle of Shavuot 2,000 years ago in another divine revelation:

When those 120 Jews in that upper room, who knew the written word received God’s Breath they became filled with the Ruach HaKodesh, the Holy Spirit! Holy in the Greek is hagios {hag’-ee–os} which is Most Holy Thing and Spirit in the Greek is, are you ready for this? Spirit in the Greek is pneuma {pnyoo‘-mah} which means breath, gentle move of air, Spirit. When God released His Holy breath of life into His words we received the most Holy breath, the Ruach HaKodesh. The Ruach HaKodesh spoke through those 120 in the upper room, just as God Himself did on Mt. Sinai, speaking Kolot– a multitude of voices.

What a poetic picture, Israel heard a multitude of voices when God cast forth His written word on Shavuot at Mt. Sinai the first time. The second time the word that had been planted into them came forth out of them in a multitude of voices, once again to the nations of the world but now it’s been infused with the most Holy Breath of God, The Ruach HaKodesh, the Holy Spirit….. The Holy Spirit in the Brit Chadesha is more than an empowering presence or power that comes upon select individuals. The Holy Spirit is a power, a force, a person that dwells within us allowing us to tap into the Power of Heaven and demonstrate that power. The Ruach HaKodesh marks us as Yeshua’s own:

The infilling of the Ruach HaKodesh marks us, it seals us, confirming that we belong to Adonai and Yeshua! It’s a living Aaronic blessing within us! Both Jew and Gentile are marked as His Children by the Ruach HaKodesh! The enemy knows you are marked as a child of Adonai in Yeshua! He can’t touch You! We must create the atmosphere for the Ruach HaKodesh to habitate among us as well, in our services. You must surrender your mind, will, emotions, and body to the Spirit to seek His way of living. There are three aspects necessary for a move of The Ruach HaKodesh, The Holy Spirit”

Rabbi and Rebbitzen Corner May 2023

By Eric Carlson in 05_2023-2, newsletter-post on May 1, 2023

May, the 5th month of the year has arrived! Spring (Vernal Equinox) officially arrived on March 20th, 2023 at 5:24 PM yet many consider May 1st the start of the Spring Season! May 1st begins A.A.P.I Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Mental Health Awareness Month, and Jewish American Heritage month! And one of the most important dates in May is “Mother’s Day” on May 14th, 2023. On May the 11th, 2000 Congregation Zion’s Sake hosted its first Shabbat Service! This month is our 23rd anniversary as a Congregation!

Since the COVID 19 outbreak in early 2020, conspiracy theories of the past have resurfaced in American culture and lead to proclamations like “Jews control the banks,” “Jews are responsible for all wars,” and “There is a secret cabal” of Jews. “Jews are responsible for the COVID Pandemic”. “There is a Zionist Plot to overtake the world”. Of course, there is no merit to any of these claims, but as Jews in America these Anti-Semitic sentiments are always present! One never knows when we will encounter someone who holds these racists, bigoted thoughts. These are not just far-away concepts for Jews in America, as Jews, such as myself, we have all felt the radical shift to toxic divisions and hatred in America over the past few years and fear for the future.

Jewish American Heritage Month is a time to face this harsh reality and take a biblical stand to fight against it! The reality for many Jews in America is they have, at times, viewed the United States as an escape from persecution, a nation of opportunity and safety. In fact, we have an American Jew who played a critical role in our bid for freedom! In the mid-1700’s, the British Monarchy was seeking to gain greater control over American trade. Simultaneously, there was talk of putting all religious affairs of colonial America under the jurisdiction of the Church of England. Jews in America saw both their commerce and freedom of worship threatened by these developments. I wish to share such an example:

Haym Salomon was a personal friend of George Washington. Salomon called on him with a proposal for an American revolution against the mighty British Empire. Salomon had a revolutionary idea borrowed from the Talmud: “One nation united under one God with freedom and liberty for every citizen,” and a concept of democracy in which the republic would be the servant rather than the master of the people. As a demonstration of his sincerity, Salomon offered his fortune of 600,000 pounds sterling to begin the American Revolution. This would be several million dollars in modern US currency, an immense fortune at the time.

To ensure the success of the American Revolution, Salomon traveled to France and raised the equivalent of an additional 3.5 million British pounds sterling to finance the cause. Salomon had a working knowledge of eight languages, which aided him a great deal in his expeditions back to Europe. When in France, Salomon met with the French government, which was eager to embarrass the British. He obtained orders from the French government for LaFayette to tender the French arsenal to George Washington’s army.

In addition to Salomon’s financial and organizational contributions to the American Revolution, he also made literary and philosophical contributions to the Revolution. The first draft of the United States Constitution was written by Salomon. His statement of “one nation under one God” was too monotheistic for Trinitarians, so it was modified to “one nation under God.” Salomon’s statement of “freedom and justice for all” took almost a century to be realized for African-Americans, but they nonetheless owe a debt of gratitude to Salomon for at least bringing forth the concept.

Salomon believed that the United States would become a great and powerful nation someday. His vision for the United States proved true with the ascendancy of this country in the Twentieth Century. The pyramid on the seal could be considered a Jewish symbol. It is half of the Star of David. Also, according to the great historian Josephus, the pyramids of Egypt were built by Jewish slaves.

On the right-hand side of the dollar bill, we see the eagle, holding 13 arrows in one claw with 13 leaves in the other claw, and a ribbon in its beak with the inscription, “E Pluribus Unum” (“From many, one”). Above the head of the eagle, we see 13 stars arranged forming a Star of David. This was also designed by Haym Salomon. He felt that the United States would become the nation represented by the eagle in the prophetic vision of Daniel 7:4

At the conclusion of the war, many in the Continental Congress were desperately poor. Among those who borrowed money from Salomon, but never paid him back, were James Madison, Benjamin Franklin, and even George Washington. In the latter’s case, however, Salomon didn’t want to be repaid. Instead, he requested that the American flag have the 13 stars in the form of the Star of David, which Washington promised to do. However, anti-Semites refused to allow the Star of David on the American flag, so the original flag had the 13 stars in the form of a circle.

Salomon died in 1785, completely bankrupt, leaving his wife and children penniless. However, that year, the Sons of the American Revolution erected a plaque honoring him. As we celebrate Jewish American Heritage Month let us recall Dr Martin Luther King’s “I have a Dream” Speech in which he spoke to the intentionality of relationship which is the key in all this. He said: “Black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands”. Dr King is speaking to Racial reconciliation, Jew and Gentile reconciliation, and reconciliation of the division within the greater body of Messiah! The One New Humanity of Ephesians 2:15 speaks directly to these divisions! Yeshua died that we may ALL be one! May we remember the sacrifice of all, Jew, Gentile, Black, White, Asian, Hispanic, and Indigenous People who made America one of the most blessed nations on earth!

Pesach is a Sign of Revival

By Eric Carlson in 04_2023-3 on April 1, 2023

Wednesday, April 4th at sunset begins Pesach! Then Thursday, April 5th at sunset begins the Feast of Matzah for seven days.

Leviticus 23:4-12. “‘These are the designated times of ADONAI, the holy convocations you are to proclaim at their designated times 5 “‘In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, between sundown and complete darkness, comes Pesach for ADONAI. 6 On the fifteenth day of the same month is the festival of matzah; for seven days you are to eat matzah. 7 On the first day you are to have a holy convocation; don’t do any kind of ordinary work. 8 Bring an offering made by fire to ADONAI for seven days. On the seventh day is a holy convocation; do not do any kind of ordinary work.'” 9 ADONAI said to Moshe, 10 “Tell the people of Isra’el, ‘After you enter the land I am giving you and harvest its ripe crops, you are to bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the cohen. 11 He is to wave the sheaf before ADONAI, so that you will be accepted; the cohen is to wave it on the day after the Shabbat. 12 On the day that you wave the sheaf, you are to offer a male lamb without defect, in its first year, as a burnt offering for ADONAI.

Observing, keeping, and honoring the Feast of Pesach, Matzah, and Ha Bikkurim kick off our annual Feast Day cycle. Honoring and celebrating the Feast of Matzah is one of the Ten Commandments in as we’ve shared before:

Exodus 34:18. “Keep the festival of matzah by eating matzah, as I ordered you, for seven days during the month of Aviv; for it was in the month of Aviv that you came out from Egypt.

Only in this chapter do we see the actual statement Ten Words mentioned:

Exodus 34:28. Moshe was there with ADONAI forty days and forty nights, during which time he neither ate food nor drank water. [ADONAI] wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Words.

These three Moedim, these Feasts remain special, and holy unto Adonai, He continues to keep vigil over us on the night of Pesach still to this day!

Exodus 12:42. This was a night when ADONAI kept vigil to bring them out of the land of Egypt, and this same night continues to be a night when ADONAI keeps vigil (shimmur {shim-moor’}: night watch, watching, vigil, observe) for all the people of Isra’el through all their generations.

The root word of Shimmur is one we’re very familiar with, the word commanded by Adonai unto Adam regarding the Garden: Shamar: guard, observe, protect, tend, defend, and obey. Adonai is doing that over us this very evening which is extremely critical as you’ll understand a little later! This is why Yeshua Himself desired to Shamar, to observe, keep, and celebrate Pesach:

Luke 22:14-16. When the time came, Yeshua and the emissaries reclined at the table, and he 15 said to them, “I have really wanted so much to celebrate this Seder with you before I die! 16 For I tell you, it is certain that I will not celebrate it again until it is given its full meaning (pleroo {play-ro’-o}: to carry into effect, bring to realization, to perform, to execute, fulfilled, to complete, when saying, promises, prophecies coming to pass, to cause God’s will as made known in Torah to be obeyed as it should be) in the Kingdom of God.”

This literally happened 2,000 years ago on Pesach! Yeshua’s life and words tells us that not only did He celebrate, honor, and keep Pesach, He looked forward to it! He didn’t view it as a cumbersome burden that he couldn’t eat a Ruben or Pizza! He looked forward to it, He wanted to celebrate Pesach with His Talmidim, with His family. We too are looking forward to celebrating Pesach with our family and Congregational family! Pesach was the last event, the last Feast Day Yeshua spent with His Talmidim before He was crucified! The Pesach Seder marked the transition from Adonai’s Glory residing in the Temple system to Yeshua becoming our sacrifice and Adonai’s glory residing within us! Scripture records Pesach as a celebration of Supernatural transition! Pesach marks a transition, from the previous year to the new year, from Slavery to Freedom, from wondering in the desert to entering into the promise land, from Sin to Salvation in Yeshua, from Death to eternal life! As Yeshua stated in Matthew 5:17-19, these Moedim are not done away with in fact they’re rehearsals for the coming Messianic Reign a not too distant future transition when the Kingdom of Heaven and this world become one again.

Yeshua is revealing a mystery in Luke 22:16. He will celebrate Pesach with us again when it’s given its full meaning, when its fulfilled, when it’s brought to realization, when the sayings, promises, and prophecies come to pass, When God’s will as made known in Torah is obeyed as it should be! Yeshua is talking about the restoration of all things! What Yeshua did on Pesach 2,000 years and what Pesach means prophetically, in the future are one in the same! Yeshua, as our paschal sacrifice, wiped away our sins to be known no more! His death bought us eternal life, His death tore down the middle wall of partition, to unify the only two people groups know scripturally: Jew and Gentile.

Yeshua is once again teaching divine Kingdom civics, regarding citizenship in His Fathers Kingdom and the necessity to be loyal, obedient subjects/citizens! Yeshua is saying do not be in opposition, do not disobey to the King or you’ll lose status in the Kingdom-possible not entering the Kingdom of heaven at all!! I’m totally amazed how Adonai has intertwined this all together with such precision and supernatural detail!

The Pesach mystery is directly connected to the revelation of the Kingdom! We are NOT called to denominations, earthly empires, or the domain of dogma, doctrine, or religion! We are not to divide ourselves by color, race, nationality, or any other divisive snare. Yeshua’s death, His sacrifice upon the stake redeemed us from those earthly domains. Through His sacrifice we’ve been transferred to the Kingdom of Adonai to be priests of the most–High God to Serve Him, His Moedim, His eternal Rulership and Kingship! We must begin to live as the citizens of the Messianic Kingdom as His Cohanim, serving Him, not earthly kings, lords or their domains. Then we will celebrate Peach and its service with Yeshua in its full meaning and understanding.

Yeshua’s crucifixion upon the stake, upon the cross paid the price for all of us to be the bride, a single, unified body reconciled unto Adonai! This Pesach marks a transition, a shift from the kingdom of this world with all its religious, dogmatic, racist, Anti-Semitic divisions and separations to a unified, spotless bride for the Groom, Yeshua. This is the fundamental core of all revivals, awakenings, and sovereign moves of the Ruach Elohim. An awakening to the Absolute truth of the Kingdom! With the implements of the Passover seder service Yeshua inaugurated the Brit Chadesha, the New Covenant! By partaking of His sacrifice our sins are washed away to be known no more:

Luke 22:17-20. Then, taking a cup of wine, he made the b’rakhah and said, “Take this and share it among yourselves. 18 For I tell you that from now on, I will not drink the `fruit of the vine’ until the Kingdom of God comes.” 19 Also, taking a piece of matzah, he made the b’rakhah, broke it, gave it to them and said, “This is my body, which is being given for you; do this in memory of me.” 20 He did the same with the cup after the meal, saying, “This cup is the New Covenant, ratified by my blood, which is being poured out for you.

Exactly as Moshe inaugurated the First Covenant and Torah:

Exodus 24:8. Moshe took the blood, sprinkled it on the people and said, “This is the blood of the covenant which ADONAI has made with you in accordance with all these words.”

The transition between these two historical, life changing, world changing events that occurred on the same exact feast is revealed in:

Hebrews 9:18-24. This is why the first covenant too was inaugurated with blood. 19 After Moshe had proclaimed every command of the Torah to all the people, he took the blood of the calves with some water and used scarlet wool and hyssop to sprinkle both the scroll itself and all the people; 20 and he said, “This is the blood of the covenant which God has ordained for you.” 21 Likewise, he sprinkled with the blood both the Tent and all the things used in its ceremonies. 22 In fact, according to the Torah, almost everything is purified with blood; indeed, without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins. 23 Now this is how the copies of the heavenly things had to be purified, but the heavenly things themselves require better sacrifices than these. 24 For the Messiah has entered a Holiest Place which is not man-made and merely a copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, in order to appear now on our behalf in the very presence of God.

What a profound, supernatural understanding and revelation of these parallel covenant events! According to the Torah, almost everything is purified with blood; indeed, without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins! Before Yeshua came your own blood was shed for your sins! For those who refuse or reject Yeshua they will perish for their sins! The only way to escape eternal death is to receive and partake of the Passover Sacrifice! Exodus 12 records that Israel was commanded to take a lamb on the 10th day of Nisan (Saturday, April 1st). To keep it for four days to ensure it is without blemish or defect. Yeshua entered into Jerusalem with the Passover lambs processional 2,000 years ago as recorded in Matthew 21, Mark 11, Luke 19, and John 12. For the first Passover in Egypt Adonai commanded:

Exodus 12:6-10. “‘You are to keep it until the fourteenth day of the month, and then the entire assembly of the community of Isra’el will slaughter it at dusk. 7 They are to take some of the blood and smear it on the two sides and top of the door-frame at the entrance of the house in which they eat it. 8 That night, they are to eat the meat, roasted in the fire; they are to eat it with matzah and maror. 9 Don’t eat it raw or boiled, but roasted in the fire, with its head, the lower parts of its legs and its inner organs. 10 Let nothing of it remain till morning; if any of it does remain, burn it up completely.

As we just read in Hebrews 9 the Blood consecrates, there cannot be a covenant without blood. It was this very reason that God commanded Israel to slaughter the Passover lamb and daub its blood – in full view of all the Egyptians – on their doorways. His purpose was twofold: 1. That we would visibly separate ourselves from the idolatrous and pagan Egyptian views and beliefs. 2. We were to publicly counter the false Egyptian notion that sheep were god’s and that slaughtering the lamb would NOT CAUSE OUR DEATH but BRING ISRAEL REDEMPTION and SALVATION.

The blood on the doorposts is a test of trust for the fledgling nation of Israel in Egypt. The blood serves as a sign to the angel of death to Pesach, Passover the house with the blood! After the blood was daubed on the door post we had to eat, to consume, to partake of the lamb! Pesach is the night of choice. If you do not slaughter and eat the lamb, you will be an Egyptian and the first born will perish. Whoever applies the blood of the lamb will be a Child of God. This was a radical act that was counterculture to everything in Egypt just as it is counterculture to everything today in America! With the Lamb of God we must do the same now!

John 6:53-56. Then Yeshua said to them, “Yes, indeed! I tell you that unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life in yourselves. 54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life — that is, I will raise him up on the Last Day. 55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. 56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood lives in me, and I live in him.

We must partake of the sacrificed lamb (represented by the Matzah just as Yeshua told us) and partake of the blood (as represented by the wine again as Yeshua instructed us) and place it on our hearts as a sign of the covenant! The key here is verse 56 “Whoever eats”! The Mystery revealed is that WHOEVER partakes of the lamb is saved! Just like the mixed crowd who departed slavery in Egypt. Many non-Jews saw the wonders of Adonai’s miraculous plaques against Egypt and followed Adonai’s instructions concerning the lamb and were saved from death! Yeshua does the same! “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood lives in me, and I live in him.” This is absolute truth! The Seder Table is one of equality, oneness, and unity regardless of where you came from, regardless of your skin, hair, and eye color! Regardless of your race, nationality, and culture! All who partake of the lamb are one, brothers and sisters, children of Adonai, citizens of the Kingdom of God! Sha’ul profoundly outlines this supernatural understanding in:

I Corinthians 10:16-17. The “cup of blessing” over which we make the b’rakhah—isn’t it a sharing in the bloody sacrificial death of the Messiah? The bread we break, isn’t it a sharing in the body of the Messiah? 17 Because there is one loaf of bread, we who are many constitute one body, since we all partake of the one loaf of bread.

We’ve arrived at a place in our nation’s narrative that as individuals and as children of God we won’t make it alone outside the collective body! We’ll only survive by being one, echad, one body, the bride!

I Corinthians 11:27-32. Therefore, whoever eats the Lord’s bread or drinks the Lord’s cup in an unworthy manner will be guilty of desecrating the body and blood of the Lord! 28 So let a person examine himself first, and then he may eat of the bread and drink from the cup; 29 for a person who eats and drinks without recognizing the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself. 30 This is why many among you are weak and sick, and some have died! 31 If we would examine ourselves, we would not come under judgment. 32 But when we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined, so that we will not be condemned along with the world.

Pause in prayer to be right with Adonai! There is no time or room for unresolved sin or issues between us and Adonai! Let us enter in the Feast of Pesach and Matzah with clean hands and a pure heart! Let us do so in great expectation and anticipation!

Rabbi and Rebbitzen Corner April 2023

By Eric Carlson in 04_2023-2 on April 1, 2023

Shalom Mishpocha!

The New Year is upon us (5783)! We look forward to restarting both the Biblical Calendar and the Annual Moedim (Feast Day) Cycle! The redemption of Israel from slavery in Egypt occurred this month, Tuesday, April 4th, 2023 at sunset (14th of Nisan). The world was delivered from the slavery of Sin in the same month through the Messiah who was born on the 1st of Nisan. Happy Birthday Yeshua!!! Yeshua was also crucified on the 14th of Nisan during Pesach!

The Moedim are a heavenly ordered Cycle of Time, a never-ending repetitive circle that can be repetitive but not exactly identical! Jewish thought regards time not in a linear, flat pattern but a spiral type of “helix,” a limitless forward, upward progression driven by a divine cyclic pattern that repeats certain divine patterns in weeks, months, and years of life such as the Moedim or Feast Days beginning with the weekly Shabbat through the annual Feast Days.

We always look forward to the Feast Days with anticipation and expectation! They are a time of the supernatural, a time of miracles! April in the physical realm is a time of renewal, Spring is in full swing, recharging and restoring our hope. April is the National Month of Hope!

Hope isn’t wishing, hope is an indication of certainty. Hope in Scripture means “a strong and confident expectation.” We must strive to achieve this hope! Hope is not an escape from reality or from whatever problems we are facing. Hope isn’t wishing God will intercede on your behalf, it’s the expectation, the full knowledge that He will. If your hope is based on Gods covenant promises, it will have results.

Romans 5:1-5. So, since we have come to be considered righteous by God because of our trust, let us continue to have shalom with God through our Lord, Yeshua the Messiah. 2 Also through him and on the ground of our trust, we have gained access to this grace in which we stand; so let us boast about the hope of experiencing God’s glory. 3 But not only that, let us also boast in our troubles; because we know that trouble produces endurance, 4 endurance produces character, and character produces hope; 5 and this hope does not let us down, because God’s love for us has already been poured out in our hearts through the Ruach HaKodesh who has been given to us.

As Messianic Believers, hope when understood and walked out in God’s truth, results in a holy obsession with an eternal hope not based upon fear, timidity, or weakness! True hope in and through Yeshua transforms your life on a whole new dimension, the 5th dimension of the heavenly spirit realm. It gives one the power to live life courageously, a life of power, of love, and of a sound mind (II Timothy 1:7.) If we press in, if we are zealous in seeking Adonai through Yeshua hope will turn to trust, hope turns desires into reality! Hope is the first step in receiving from God.

Hebrews 11:1. Trusting is being confident of what we hope for, convinced about things we do not see.

Hope knows you will have it someday. Trust knows that you have it now. Hope is the possibility; trust is the surety. Trust transforms hopes into realities. Hope is the raw material from which trust builds the house. Our Hopes shall be realized:

Hebrews 6:11. However, we want each one of you to keep showing the same diligence right up to the end, when your hope will be realized;

Transforming Gods vision and goal for your life into reality is the purpose of hope and Trust. The key to hope is to trust God’s timing. Sometimes God answers prayers and fulfills our hopes quickly. Though, at times for reasons known only to Him, He allows us to wait. It’s difficult to praise, to give thanksgiving, to rejoice while waiting for hope to be fulfilled! Entering and staying before His presence enables Adonai to perfect those imperfections that are unknown, unseen to us. This kind of hope, refined in the crucible of waiting and occasionally suffering purifies:

I John 3:3. And everyone who has this hope in him continues purifying himself, since God is pure

Yeshua is our hope! Don’t give up hope, He is our kingdom foundation, our stability:

Hebrews 6:19. We have this hope as a sure and safe anchor for ourselves, a hope that goes right on through to what is inside the parokhet.

Hope sees the invisible, feels the intangible, and achieves the impossible! HOPE is an acronym that spells: “Hold–On–Pain–Ends”! As we enter this new year let us be beacons of hope, to model it, to spread it, and to be a source of hope to a world filled with hopelessness! Those who place their hope in the Lord will not grow weary:

Isaiah 40:31. but those who hope in ADONAI will renew their strength, they will soar aloft as with eagles’ wings; when they are running they won’t grow weary, when they are walking they won’t get tired.

May you have a blessed and prosperous New Year in Yeshua!

Blessings and Shalom,

Rabbi and Rebbitzen Carlson

Congregation Zion’s Sake

Pesach

By Eric Carlson in 04_2023-1 on April 1, 2023

Pesach (Passover) begins Tuesday, April 4th at sunset followed by the Feast of Matzah which begins Wednesday, April 5th at sunset. Our homes are to be cleansed, free from all Yeast (hametz) products. During Matzah we abstain from eating breads and other yeast (hametz) products until Wednesday April 12th @ sunset… then its yeast feast!

Leviticus 23:5-8. “‘In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, between sundown and complete darkness, comes Pesach for ADONAI. 6 On the fifteenth day of the same month is the festival of matzah; for seven days you are to eat matzah. 7 On the first day you are to have a holy convocation; don’t do any kind of ordinary work. 8 Bring an offering made by fire to ADONAI for seven days. On the seventh day is a holy convocation; do not do any kind of ordinary work.'”

Thursday April 6th and Wednesday April 12th are the first and last full days of Matzah, they are no workdays! During the Feast of Pesach and Matzah (Unleavened Bread) we are to eat matzah.

Exodus 12:15. “‘For seven days you are to eat matzah – on the first day remove the leaven from your houses. For whoever eats hametz [leavened bread] from the first to the seventh day is to be cut off (karath {kaw-rath’}: cut off, cut out, eliminated) from Isra’el.

The punishment for eating yeast or Leavened bread during the Festival of Matzah (Unleavened Bread) is spiritual excision, cut off, cut down, eliminated from the greater house of Israel. God gives a severe punishment for not observing, obeying, and guarding His Moedim, His appointed Times. Adonai states:

Exodus 12:17. You are to observe the festival of matzah, for on this very day I brought your divisions out of the land of Egypt. Therefore, you are to observe this day from generation to generation by a perpetual regulation.

Perpetual in the Hebrew is Olam which means forever, always, continuous existence, perpetual, everlasting, indefinite, and eternity! It’s part of the restoration of all things found in Acts 3:21. Observing and keeping the Festival of Matzah (Unleavened Bread) is one of the Ten Commandments:

Exodus 34:18,28. “Keep the festival of matzah by eating matzah, as I ordered you, for seven days during the month of Aviv; for it was in the month of Aviv that you came out from Egypt.

28 Moshe was there with ADONAI forty days and forty nights, during which time he neither ate food nor drank water. [ADONAI] wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Words.

Exodus 34 is the only chapter that actually states these are the Ten Commandments, Ten Words! Matzah is a profound sign of our covenant relationship with God, that’s why it’s one of the Ten Commandments. Matzah establishes our foundational interaction and relationship with God; one of obedience, trust, and submission to Him! In fact, it sets the standard, the benchmark of our heavenly relationship with God and Kingdom living.

What scripture reveals regarding the observance, keeping of, and celebration of the biblical New Year, 1st of Nisan, Pesach and the Feast of Matzah is Kingdom living. We learn through the Helix of repetitive Annual Feast Day celebrations how to live a kingdom focused, kingdom centered life! Pesach and Matzah are a celebration of Freedom and family! Every era, every generation has its own Egypt with its own brand of slavery and temptations. To every generation, to every era the Seder says this night is different, there is something different about this night, a night to choose The Lamb, to choose Kingdom life. Passover is not only a celebration of a past liberation, it’s a challenge to seek it, retain it, and restore Kingdom Life in our time! Pesach is pressing into Adonai’s presence to experience a Sovereign move of His Ruach, His Spirit!

The book of Ezra describes King Cyrus’s decree for the Jewish People to return home after the 70 years of exile. Some of the first to return were a group of Priests, Levites, Gatekeepers, and Temple Servants back to Judah with articles for the Temple that had been held in Persia. They returned and immediately began the construction and restoration of the altar and Temple of God. They completed the task in the month of Adar, the month before Nisan and the New Year. Upon completion of the Temple they kept Pesach:

Ezra 6:19-22. The people from the exile kept Pesach on the fourteenth day of the first month. 20 For the cohanim and L’vi’im had purified themselves together; all of them were pure. So they slaughtered the Pesach lambs for all the people from the exile and for their kinsmen the cohanim and for themselves. 21 The people of Isra’el who had returned from the exile and all those who had renounced the filthy practices (tum’ah {toom-aw’}: impurity, filthiness, uncleanliness, sexual impurity ,religious impurity) of the nations living in the land in order to seek ADONAI the God of Isra’el, ate [the Pesach lamb] 22 and joyfully kept the feast of matzah for seven days; for ADONAI had filled them with joy by turning the heart of the king of Ashur toward them, so that he assisted them in the work of the house of God, the God of Isra’el.

Those returning from exile renounced their filthy practices, their Tum’ah, their impurities, filthiness, uncleanliness, sexual impurity, and religious impurities that caused them to go into Diaspora to begin with! They did this in order to seek Adonai, consult, worship, follow, pursue, and serve Him! We too must get to the core of our situation and renounce our filthy practices, our Tum’ah if we are truly going to seek, follow, pursue, worship and consult Adonai!

In the exodus from slavery Adonai predisposed the Egyptians to give us, Israel all their wealth when we departed! Egypt’s economy collapsed, throwing them into 400 years of depression, famine, and foreign rule! Adonai brought judgement upon Egypt for rejecting Adonai with whom they’d just had a supernatural encounter! They too witnessed and experienced His glory and yet kept to their pagan ways! Israel’s rebellion and sin resulted in 40 years of wandering in the desert, Egypt’s rebellion and sin resulted in 400 years of darkness, poverty, and foreign rule!

“Unless America experiences a steady increase in people reflecting a biblical worldview in their lives, America’s future is more likely to resemble that of nations characterized by moral and behavioral chaos,” commented Tracy Munsil, CCU executive director and an associate professor of political science at Arizona Christian University.

“Alternative perspectives such as postmodern, Marxism, Socialism, and secular humanism drive American thinking and lifestyles these days. What we experience in our nation today will not change until we replace the cause of the prevalent thinking and behavior. The cause is our worldview.”

Secularists (Socialists) have miscalculated and misinterpreted their political rise and dominance of the past century. Secularism espouses a system of political and social philosophy that rejects all forms of religious faith and worship. They retain the view that that public education and other matters of civil policy should be conducted without the inclusion of a religious element. The only reason Secularists have infiltrated and dominated our economic, political, cultural, educational, professional, and recreational systems in America is that God is using secularism to judge and discipline us, His people. This is why the greater Body of Messiah has been sidelined in our society when under a hundred years ago we were mainstream! Today, the body exists as a minor subculture in radio, television, publishing, and social media with little to no ability to alter, transform, and influence the American culture. America is at a Psalms 10 moment:

Psalm 10:2-7. The wicked in their arrogance hunt down the poor, who get caught in the schemes they think up. 3 For the wicked boasts about his lusts; he blesses greed and despises ADONAI. 4 Every scheme of the wicked in his arrogance [says], “There is no God, [so] it won’t be held against me.” 5 His ways prosper at all times. Your judgments are way up there, so he takes no notice. His adversaries? He scoffs at them all. 6 In his heart he thinks, “I will never be shaken; I won’t meet trouble, not now or ever.” 7 His mouth is full of curses, deceit, oppression; under his tongue, mischief and injustice.

This perfectly describes America’s condition today! We live in an age of idolatrous, secularist worship where humans are glorified, magnified, and worshiped, Socialism and Communism are becoming popular among the young! This is not just the world but it’s in the body of Messiah! Look at believer conferences, seminars, worship conferences, and even social media! It’s a multibillion-dollar industry! We experienced this in 2019 when we hosted the “Awakened” conference with Road to Jerusalem! We had a lot of people that only came to see Biblical Rock Star Jonathan Cahn (a plug that he is one of the most humble, down to earth men of God I’ve ever known) but many, many people didn’t want to stay and hear the entire message Adonai had that weekend! The word of God wasn’t important, many, many people simply weren’t interested! This Pesach, This Feast of Unleavened bread is witnessing a shifting of our nation and our culture back to Adonai. As in Ezra 6 at Passover we must renounce “the filthy practices of the nations living in the land in order to seek ADONAI the God of Isra’el”

To those who receive Yeshua’s blood that was poured during Pesach is given a supernatural Dominion and authority on this earth that cannot be challenged. A great shaking is occurring upon the earth, and it has begun within Adonai’s house (Ezekiel 9). We must stand upon the infallible Word of Adonai, to speak it, proclaim it, and live it! To renounce, to repent of our filthy practices that we may seek, worship, and follow Adonai! To hear His voice over the sound of the Enemy! He is calling for His servants, His army of obedient, faithful followers to ARISE in His Dominion and Authority! To engage, to battle against the great evil and wickedness that continually seeks to pervert Adonai’s way, will, and word. Adonai is revealing Himself THIS PESACH, proving who is supreme and SOVEREIGN! His is demonstrating His power once again by intervening in our world!

Romans 13:11-12. Besides all this, you know at what point of history we stand; so it is high time for you to rouse yourselves from sleep; for the final deliverance is nearer than when we first came to trust. 12 The night is almost over, the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and arm ourselves with the weapons of light.

May you have a meaningful Pesach experience as we rouse ourselves, arm ourselves with the weapons of light and reach the harvest with the “Good News”!

Shalom in the Storm

By Eric Carlson in 03_2023-3 on March 1, 2023

Week after week (I feel like a broken record) our condition as a nation continues to worsen! Unbelievable we go from one crisis to the next without relent. There are numerous warnings telling us to prepare and brace ourselves as drought, famine, hyper-inflation, chaos, and anarchy will worsen. We see biblical examples of this in scripture. Israel, like America had received warnings! The Assyrians as Jonathan Cahn has taught had performed a similar 9/11 type terrorist attack against Israel. Yet Israel refused to be humbled and absolutely refused to see the cause of their tribulation. First, a terrorist attack on Northern Israel.

Isaiah 9:8-13. Adonai sent a word to Ya’akov, and it has fallen on Isra’el. (notice the Lords terminology here regarding a terrorist attack: A word from the Lord was sent to Yaakov. On 9/11 the Lord sent a word to America and it fell on America and its done so numerous times since yet the nation still will not repent.) 9 All the people know it (Ya’du: to know, perceive, discern, recognize, admit, acknowledge, confess), Efrayim and the inhabitants of Shomron. But they say in pride, in the arrogance of their hearts, 10 “The bricks have fallen, but we will rebuild with cut stone (Gazite stone: walkway to the Flight 93 memorial is lined with large cut stone blocks); the sycamore-fig trees have been chopped down, but we will replace them with cedars.” 11 So ADONAI has raised up Retzin’s foes against him and spurred on his enemies – 12 Aram from the east, P’lishtim from the west; and they devour Isra’el with an open mouth. Even after all this, his anger remains, his upraised hand still threatens. 13 Yet the people do not turn to the one striking them, they don’t seek ADONAI-Tzva’ot.

II Chronicles 36:11-16. Zedekiah was 21 years old when he became king and he reigned 11 years in Jerusalem. 12 He did evil in the sight of Adonai his God and did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet who spoke from the mouth of Adonai. 13 He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar who had made him take an oath by God. He also stiffened his neck and hardened his heart so as not to turn to Adonai, the God of Israel. 14 Furthermore, all the leading kohanim and the people became very unfaithful, following all the abominations of the nations. They defiled the House of Adonai, which He had consecrated in Jerusalem. 15 Adonai, the God of their fathers, sent word to them through His messengers again and again, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place. 16 But they mocked the messengers of God and despised His words, and scoffed at His prophets until the wrath of Adonai rose against His people, until there was no remedy.

We must walk in Truth. What is truth? Truth is defined as the body of real things, events, and facts, the spiritual reality. The Living God of Israel is truth! God acts truthfully in that He keeps His word. Truth in Hebrew is ’emet {eh’-meth} which means firmness, faithfulness, sureness, reliability, stability, continuance, and trustworthiness. It is truth as spoken, as a testimony, as judgment, as divine instruction, and truth is a body of ethical, divine knowledge. Truth is an unalterable, steadfast trust in the God! God, His word, Yeshua, and Torah are absolute truths.

I Thessalonians 5:1-4. But you have no need to have anything written to you, brothers, about the times and dates when this will happen; 2 because you yourselves well know that the Day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3 When people are saying, “Everything is so peaceful and secure,” then destruction will suddenly come upon them, the way labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and there is no way they will escape. 4 But you, brothers, are not in the dark (skotos {skot’-os}: Darkness, Blind, metaph: ignorance respecting divine things and human duties with the accompanying ungodliness and immorality, together with their consequent misery in hell), so that the Day should take you by surprise like a thief;

Matthew 24:6-8. You will hear the noise of wars nearby and the news of wars far off; see to it that you don’t become frightened. Such things must happen, but the end is yet to come. 7 For peoples will fight each other, nations will fight each other, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various parts of the world; 8 all this is but the beginning of the `birth pains.’(odin {o-deen’}: Pain, sorrow, travail, the pain of childbirth, birth pangs, intolerable anguish, in reference to the dire calamities preceding the advent of the Messiah).

Isaiah 54:14-17 In righteousness you will be established for it will not come near you. 15 Any alliance that forms against you will not be my doing; whoever tries to form such an alliance will fall because of you. 16 It is I who created the craftsman who blows on the coals and forges weapons suited to their purpose; I also created the destroyer to work havoc. 17 No weapon made will prevail against you. In court you will refute every accusation. The servants of ADONAI inherit all this; the reward for their righteousness is from me, “says ADONAI.

What a phenomenal promise of God. NO matter what weapon, alliance, or accusation that is formed, made, stated, or issued against you shall prosper or come to pass. That is the reward for righteousness says Adonai! Those who know Adonai, who walk in truth and righteousness before Him! Those who submit, obey, honor, and worship the King of Kings. Job, in the midst of His crisis, on the center of the maelstrom, in the center of His own storm has an epiphany, a realization that pulls him out of the storm.

There is a great difference between hearing about something and experiencing it yourself. I can only speak the word so far, head knowledge is only knowledge. God must become a matter of the heart, your heart must become circumcised, He must be real in your life, a realization of who God is transitioned Job from hearing about God to seeing God, to knowing Him, to observing Him, learn, regard, and observe Him! It was in this condition that God Healed, restored, and set Job free from the storm. Proverbs reveals a profound truth regarding a humble heart from those who repent when God reproves and the result for those who do not,

Proverbs 1:23-33. Repent when I reprove -I will pour out my spirit to you, I will make my words known to you. 24 Because you refused when I called, and no one paid attention when I put out my hand, 25 but instead you neglected my counsel and would not accept my reproof; 26 I, in turn, will laugh at your distress, and mock when terror comes over you 27 yes, when terror overtakes you like a storm and your disaster approaches like a whirlwind, when distress and trouble assail you. 28 Then they will call me, but I won’t answer; they will seek me earnestly, but they won’t find me. 29 Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of ADONAI, 30 they refused my counsel and despised my reproof. 31 So they will bear the consequences of their own way and be overfilled with their own schemes.

The Key is having God’s presence with you in the midst of any storm, any crisis is something you must develop before the storm. There is a difference here of having God with you vs Shalom in the Storm. God has given us two very profound examples of God’s servants having Shalom in the midst of the storm. Storms come in many different ways, Biblically, storms are metaphors for many different situations, crisis, attacks, tsuris from bad medical reports, strained or broken relationships, strife, hard decisions, losing your job, home foreclosure, addictions, bad circumstances, ungodly laws, unjust rulers, wars, rumor of wars, and on and on. I’ve heard the saying many times that if “you have Shalom in the midst of the storm, you’re in God’s will” which is not truth. The first example is Yeshua in a storm.

Mark 4:35-41. That day, when evening had come, Yeshua said to them, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.” 36 So, leaving the crowd behind, they took him just as he was, in the boat; and there were other boats with him. 37 A furious windstorm arose, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was close to being swamped. 38 But he was in the stern on a cushion, asleep. They woke him and said to him, “Rabbi, doesn’t it matter to you that we’re about to be killed?” 39 He awoke, rebuked (epitimao {ep-ee-tee-mah’-o}: to show honor to, to adjudge, chide, rebuke, reprove, censure severely, to admonish or charge sharply) the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” The wind subsided, and there was a dead calm. 40 He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Have you no trust even now?” 41 But they were terrified and asked each other, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the waves obey him?”

In the midst of a storm that is close to sinking the ship Yeshua is sleeping. Yeshua is modeling great trust, great Shalom to a crew that had spent their lives on the water, they had experienced many storms in the past, they were terrified. In a panic they awaken the sleeping Yeshua who rebukes and speaks to the weather while asking the Talmidim and crew why they are afraid, where’s your trust. Yeshua knows, He is established in righteousness as Isaiah 54 states so no weapon, article, vessel, coven, or storm will stand or prosper against Him.

In this knowledge and covenant relationship He is comfortably sleeping in the midst of the storm. In fact, He questions the resolve and trust of the crew. If they really knew who He was why were they in a such a panic and afraid? Maybe like Job they had heard of Him, they had head knowledge, but Yeshua had yet to become a reality in their life. They knew of Him but didn’t know Him! We have another person sleeping on a ship in the midst of a storm but under a completely different set of circumstances,

Jonah 1:1-10. The word of ADONAI came to Yonah the son of Amitai: 2 “Set out for the great city of Ninveh, and proclaim to it that their wickedness has come to my attention.” 3 But Yonah, in order to get away from ADONAI, prepared to escape to Tarshish. He went down to Yafo, found a ship headed for Tarshish, paid the fare and went aboard, intending to travel with them to Tarshish and get away from ADONAI. 4 However, ADONAI let loose over the sea a violent wind, which created such stormy conditions that the ship threatened to break to pieces. 5 The sailors were frightened, and each cried out to his god. They threw the cargo overboard to make the ship easier for them to control. Meanwhile, Yonah had gone down below into the hold, where he lay, fast asleep. 6 The ship’s captain found him and said to him, “What do you mean by sleeping? Get up! Call on your god! Maybe the god will remember us, and we won’t die.” 7 Then they said to each other, “Come, let’s draw lots to find out who is to blame for this calamity.” They drew lots, and Yonah was singled out. 8 They said to him, “Tell us now, why has this calamity come upon us? What work do you do? Where are you from? What is your country? Which is your people?” 9 He answered them, “I am a Hebrew; and I fear ADONAI, the God of heaven, who made both the sea and the dry land.” 10 At this the men grew very afraid and said to him, “What is this that you have done?” For the men knew he was trying to get away from ADONAI, since he had told them.

We are all familiar with the story Jonah tells he crew the Strom is His fault because He is rebelling against what God told him to do and that they should throw him overboard to stop the storm in verse 12. After trying to save the ship to no avail they finally throw Jonah overboard and immediately the storm ceased. Two storms, two men of God, two dipolar situations and results. What was the difference between Yeshua and Yonah? They were both calmly sleeping in Shalom in the midst of the storm. One was spared the storm the other became the victim of the storm. Yeshua was in complete Shalom and asleep because He was in God’s will, in obedience and righteousness. Jonah was in Shalom outside of God’s will. He knew what he was supposed to be doing but refused Gods commands so the storm became a vehicle of judgment against Him, the storm took him, he had no command over the weather. He was then swallowed by the fish for three days and three nights as Yeshua would be buried and dead for three day and three nights.

When the storm comes, and it is coming, next month, next year, two years or five years from now the storm, the great and terrible day of the Lord is coming! What will the storm mean for you? Where are you in the coming storm? Jonah was fast asleep in Shalom during the storm which was not a sign that he was in God’s will, in fact it was just the opposite. Don’t think you are right with God because you have Shalom in the Storm. When the storm comes will you have authority over it, rebuking it so that it cannot touch you or will the storm be the event of your judgment where you are thrown into it?