newsletter-post – Page 2

Pesach is a Sign of Revival

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

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.

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 at 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, His family. We too are looking forward to celebrating next month with our family and the Congregation! Pesach was the last event, the last Feast Day Yeshua celebrated 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 to residing within us! Scripture records Pesach is a celebration of Supernatural transition! Pesach marks a transition, from the previous year to the new year, from Slavery to Freedom, from wandering 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 verse 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, 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 known scripturally: Jew and Gentile.

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 bondages. Through His sacrifice we’ve been transferred to Adonai’s Kingdom to be priests of the most High God, to Serve Him, keep His Moedim, and submit to 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 Pesach 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 allowing us to be the bride, a single, unified body reconciled unto Adonai! Pesach marks a transition, a shift from the kingdoms 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 foundation of all revivals, awakenings, and sovereign moves of the Ruach Elohim. An awakening to the Absolute truth of the Kingdom!

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.

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, blood 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. To keep it for four days to ensure it was without blemish or defect. Yeshua did the same as Adonai’s Lamb! He entered into Jerusalem with the other Passover lambs in a processional 2,000 years ago on the 10th of Nisan 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 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 gods 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 take partake of 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, Yeshua, we must do the same:

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:

Rabbi and Rebbetzin’s Corner March 2023

By Eric Carlson in 03_2023-2 on March 1, 2023

What we are really doing by submitting to and following God’s calendar is alignment, it’s aligning or synchronizing ourselves with God’s calendar and timeline in both our current worlds and in the world to come. This synchronization is the key component to prophecy and eschatology, it defines where God is at in His scripture, according to His timeline! He commands us to safeguard, protect, observe His calendar, to remember the head of the New Year! This divine alignment is for both Jew and Gentile as revealed in Ruth’s (Gentile) relationship to Naomi (Jew):

The Biblical New Year begins at the appearance of the first “new moon” after the Vernal or Spring Equinox. This year, as I mentioned earlier, March 20th is the Spring Equinox. The New Moon this month (Rosh Chodesh) is March 22nd, 2023 at sunset. Equinox is from the Latin word “equi” which means equal. Twice a year the earth is on the same plane as the sun, neither leaning towards or away from the sun. Equinox happens twice a year, Vernal or spring and Autumnal or fall Equinox. Biblically this new moon is called KSH Keseh or the veiled moon, Keseh the root word of Rosh Hashanah. New Year is the moon that separates the years and is mentioned in the Psalms, both the calculation of the new year and the celebration of it:

Psalm 81 is describing a celebration, Music, Drum, Lyre and Lute, and Sounding of the Shofar! This Psalm directly connects the celebration of the New Year to the first month of the year as biblically prescribed in Exodus 12. This Moon also marks the Rosh Chodashim (ראשׁ חֳדָשִׁים), “the head of the months,” Observing Rosh Chodashim is considered the very first commandment given to Israel before the great Exodus from Egypt took place. The Order to Observe Shabbat came in Exodus 16! One can’t keep Shabbat or the Moedim, the Feasts if one doesn’t know when to begin! This month shall be unto you the beginning of months:

Within this same thought process, the month of Nisan is also referred to as Chodesh ha-Yeshua, the “month of salvation”. This can be viewed and understood in both the Physical: Israel was physically delivered from Slavery in Egypt in the month of Nisan and Spiritually; The Salvation for both Israel and the world from the slavery of Sin occurred in the same month through the Messiah who was born on the 1st of Nisan!! Happy Birthday Yeshua!!! Yeshua was also crucified on the stake 14 days from the New Year in the same month of Pesach! What’s revealed in all of this is a heavenly ordained Cycle of Time. A never-ending repetitive circle that can be repetitive but never identical!

Therefore, it’s quite clear to us that God see’s this month, Aviv or Nisan as the Month of redemption or Chodesh HaGeulah in Hebrew. The Babylonian Talmud written in the Babylonian Diaspora or captivity gives a profound Messianic Statement over 400 years before the birth of Yeshua: “In Nisan our forefathers were redeemed from Egypt and in Nisan we will be redeemed.” This can be seen in the Hebrew language itself. The Hebrew word for “year” – shanah – shares the same root as both the word “repeat” Shenen and the word “change” Sheenoo.

The “New Year” and Feast Day Cycle is one of “repetition” in the Hebrew is Mishnah which means to study by repetition. Mishnah has the same root word “shanah. To Mishnah, study, to review the history of Israel as recorded in scripture”. The years Moedim and feast day cycles are an all-inclusive “study and review” of the key historical and prophetic events of the redemptive history of Israel. We repeat and relive these events to bring heavens pattern into our present world and our lives in order to prepare and rehearse for the future! At Pesach a year ago the Spirit Realm radically shifted, now we are entering into another New Year! The year of fulfillment!

May we end the Shemitah year of 5782 with a grateful, thankful heart! Adonai has kept us and sustained us through a difficult year! Let us start the new year of 5783 with trust and shalom! Let us transition into the New Year in alignment with Adonai’s Kingdom, knowing He loves you and wants the best for you. Let’s pray and focus in the New Year upon intimacy with Adonai in Yeshua! Let us move into the New Year with a humble, contrite heart through repentance, transformation, and renewing our minds. Heavenly Father, thank You for making all things new! We trust in You along because we know that Your grace is not exhausted, that Adonai’s compassion has not ended. On the contrary, they are new every morning! How great your faithfulness, nothing ahead in this New Year will take us by surprise. We will trust in You, Adonai, forever, because You are our Rock of Ages.

Diversity

By Eric Carlson in February-1 on February 1, 2023

I’ve read many, many articles recently that discuss diversity as a strength in America! I want to speak to this as it is false and I’m going to share why. The term diversity is a noun, it means the state or fact of being diverse; difference; unlikeness: dissimilar. Some of the tenant understandings of the term Diversity are ok! We are a diverse nation made up of people from many backgrounds and cultures. The etymology of diversity is 14th century Old French diversite, from Latin diversitas, veristas means the whole, so univeritus or university are many made into a whole, Di (latin for more than one) Diversity: quality of being separate, different, oddness, contradiction, disagreement, turned different ways, distinctly dissimilar or unlike. The etymology reveals the issues with diversity.

The key here which speaks to Diversity is that without a divine visions people cast of restraint, “Para” in Hebrew, to unbind, to let loose, anarchy, and even death. There must be just one vision! More than one vision is DIVISION! America is a nation of immigrants, a people of diverse background, many cultures, Black, White, Asian, Hispanic, Indigenous people (native Americans) Jew, Gentile, but what makes us a great republic, a great nation isn’t division, its vision! For centuries immigrants arrived in America seeking a better life! A life with possibilities, a life without restrictions, a life where hopes and dreams may be fulfilled! A life where if a person who worked hard, had initiative, and lived a righteous life could make something of themselves! A life of choices the individual made for themselves, not by Monarchs, Tsars, or Emperors. A life of freedom, unrestrained by tyrannical governments, monarchies, Socialism, and communism.

How did we transition from this “light upon a hill” type of free republic to the polarized, divided, combative, anarchy we experience today which is not only in the government but the people, the citizens themselves! What happened to civility, brotherly love, of loving thy neighbor as thyself? What’s amazing is that there is a direct parallel to what’s occurring in the greater body of Messiah today and in our greater society. Democracy only works when its citizens choose to obey the Law! Americans in the past followed the rules because they didn’t believe we were just accountable to the nation, but that we were accountable to God as well. Americas morality and ethics came from the bible that was taught weekly in every town!

Leviticus 26:3-10. “‘If you live by my regulations, observe my mitzvot and obey them; 4 then I will provide the rain you need in its season, the land will yield its produce, and the trees in the field will yield their fruit. 5 Your threshing time will extend until the grape harvest, and your grape harvesting will extend until the time for sowing seed. You will eat as much food as you want and live securely in your land. 6 “‘I will give shalom in the land -you will lie down to sleep unafraid of anyone. I will rid the land of wild animals. The sword will not go through your land. 7 You will pursue your enemies, and they will fall before your sword. 8 Five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand -your enemies will fall before your sword. 9 “‘I will turn toward you, make you productive, increase your numbers and uphold my covenant with you. 10 You will eat all you want from last year’s harvest and throw out what remains of the old to make room for the new

The reward or recompense for obedience and compliance to Adonai and His commands are Shalom, a state of “National Tranquility”, the absence of conflict, peace, prosperity, safety from both the wild beasts of the land and outside foes or enemy forces IF we are Adonai’s people, His loyal servants! One could argue this is true for Israel when God Himself ruled yet God knew Israel would beg for a human king like the nations around them and they got what they asked for. The same holds true under a secular government as Sha’ul shared as he lived under the Roman occupation and governance of Judea 2,000 years ago:

Romans 13:1-3. Everyone is to obey the governing authorities. For there is no authority that is not from God, and the existing authorities have been placed where they are by God. 2 Therefore, whoever resists (anthistemi {anth-is’-tay-mee}: to set one’s self against, to withstand, resist, oppose) f the authorities is resisting what God has instituted; and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers are no terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you like to be unafraid of the person in authority? Then simply do what is good, and you will win his approval;

Not that many years ago an overwhelming majority of America’s population were believers who regularly attended weekly services. Every state had blue laws (The concept was right even if it was a day off-Adonai honored the heart and intent) and every public event started with prayer! The first book Congress authorized to print was the bible for elementary school reading primers! On September 12, 1782, Congress approved printing of the Bible. Called ‘The Bible of the Revolution’ it was the first English-language Bible printed in America and the only Bible ever authorized by an act of Congress! Oh how far we’ve come!

A trap, a snare, a big scandal causes many to be trapped into a lie, to stumble, to block, impede, to causes a person to distrust and desert what they should be trusting and obeying which results in betraying and hating each other! This is exactly where we are at in our nation today! Acidic, hateful, vindictive behavior, betraying each other… I want to pause here for a moment and digress. Joseph, was sold into slavery by his brothers who then winds up in Egypt and sold to a wealthy man names Potifar whose household became even richer and more blessed with the addition of Joseph who was put in charge of everything in Potifar’s household:

Genesis 39:7-20. In time, the day came when his master’s wife took a look at Yosef and said, “Sleep with me!” 8 But he refused, saying to his master’s wife, “Look, because my master has me, he doesn’t know what’s going on in this house. He has put all his possessions in my charge. 9 In this house I am his equal; he hasn’t withheld anything from me except yourself, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” 10 But she kept pressing him, day after day. Nevertheless, he didn’t listen to her; he refused to sleep with her or even be with her. 11 However, one day, when he went into the house to do his work, and none of the men living in the house was there indoors, 12 she grabbed him by his robe and said, “Sleep with me!” But he fled, leaving his robe in her hand, and got himself outside. 13 When she saw that he had left his robe in her hand and had escaped, 14 she called the men of her house and said to them, “Look at this! My husband brought in a Hebrew to make fools of us. He came in and wanted to sleep with me, but I yelled out loudly. 15 When he heard me yelling like that, he left his robe with me and ran out.”.

The wife made a false accusation to her husband Potifar who had Yosef imprisoned! False accusations (scandal) are an ancient and primary tool of HaSatan to destroy character and integrity, polarizing people into betraying and hating each other! There’s nothing new under the sun! It takes an accusation which leads to a scandal to start the ball rolling, starting toxic rhetoric, gossip, slander, character assassination, polarization, instant fighting, and division.

The truth is done away with, it no longer matters! What gets people’s attention are those who shout first, who are the loudest, or posts first on some social media site regardless if its truth or not! We see the same disregard for our constitution, its being treated like the bible. 100 years ago the constitution was a rock solid document for the ages. Now a new generation is rising up that believes its is no longer unalterable, that it is fluid and must change to reflect our DIVERSITY! See where this is going! Either all of God’s word is truth, infallible, and unalterable or none of it is:

This passage was written almost 350 years before the canonization of the New Testament, the Brit Chadesha. What scripture is Sha’ul talking about in this passage? The Torah, The Tanach, the Nevi’im, Prophets, and the Tehillim, the Psalms! Not select parts of it or choosing the parts you agree with! Diversity leads to division. There has been a systematic attack upon the word of God since Yeshua was on this earth! It was small in the beginning but over time it has gained momentum and increasingly gotten worse.

I’ve often wondered why it is that though we all (Believers-for the most part) read the same bible have so many schisms and divisions within the body of Messiah! How can someone biblically endorse or justify slavery as it was known in America? Yet hundreds of thousands did. How can one read the bible and justify the racist, rabidly Anti-Semitic, Anti-black Aryan Church? Why so many protestant schisms? There are even Catholic schisms (mostly arguing about who’s in charge) and Judaism schisms (again, mostly about who’s in charge)! How can we all read the same bible yet experience such diversity in the greater body? This is actually very dangerous:

Chillingly a nation divided will be brought to ruin, a home or family divided will be brought to ruin. America faces a grave danger, it is transitioning from a unified nation to a diverse nation where all desire to keep their ethnicity, their previous nations identity while not becoming part of the republic. Its elevating self above the nation! We witness the same effect within the greater body of Messiah, individuals elevating self above the greater body! As a Messianic Congregation Yeshua’s words speak directly to us here today. 2,000 years later not much has changed. We, as Messianic Believers exist at a crossroads, an intersection of, between two communities, two cultures. So many believers have been taught and believe the lie that Torah has been done away with which is exactly what the Deceiver, HaSatan wants you to think and believe!

By disregarding, denying, or throwing away an overwhelming portion of the bible we also disregard, deny, and throw away morality, ethics, holiness, purity, and righteousness! At one time the body of Messiah was THE MORAL VOICE of our nation and society, not anymore! Because of our diversity (over 2,500 denominations and counting), the body is divisive, dysfunctional, and disunified, rarely influencing society! Now you begin to profoundly see why HaSatan wants the word removed! God’s word is HaSatan’s nemesis, its Satan’s Kryptonite, HaSatan’s end. If Gods infallible word is fallible it can be dispensed or done away with! How much easier than to also disregard our U.S. Constitution?

These issues parallel each other, and we knowthe source, HaSatan who is the author and father of all lies! A rapidly growing world view of an ever expanding percentage of the western world is built upon a foundation of lies and willing, willing self-deception! Such as the growing acceptance that gender identity isn’t biological, that it’s determined by how a person feels day by day, hour by hour! Or that Adonai is done with Israel, that anyone or anything has replaced Israel… on and on and on! HaSatan knows his time is short, so we are experiencing an increase in lies, deceptions, and division worldwide! Adonai doesn’t want us diversified into separate camps! The Word of God tells us not to live like the crowd (Ephesians 4:17-25). Don’t do what everyone else is doing, don’t live like a non-Jew, don’t live like those who aren’t serving Adonai, whose thinking is void of truth or force, whose thinking is perverse and depraved! We are not to live like them, be like them, or associate with them.

We are not to remain diversified, celebrating a separate but equal mentality which estranges us from Adonai, from the fullness of His kingdom! So many are shrouded in darkness with corrupted thinking, their thoughts and capacity for spiritual truth shrouded by darkness. Yet society tells us to accept, to receive them and celebrate our diversity! Retaining perverse and depraved thoughts they are disconnected from Adonai, abandoning themselves to sexual depravations, wantonness, and insolence. This old nature must be stripped off as we renew, reform, regenerate our minds and spirits! When you come to America and become a citizen you’re an American, not African American, Jewish American, Irish American, Japanese America, not Spanish American. Espousing diversity destroys unity, destroys patriotism, it elevates SELF over all! This is not what Adonai desires in the kingdom of God. When you refuse to change your mind and spirit, when you don’t strip off your old nature and cloth yourself with the new man, new creation! Here is what Adonai desires:

Rabbi and Rebbetzin’s Corner February 2023

By Eric Carlson in February-2 on February 1, 2023

Shalom Mishpocha,

February is a quite month for us, comprised of the biblical months of Shevat and Adar. Sunday, February 5^th at sunset through Monday February 6^th at sunset is Tu BiShvat! Tu BiShvat is a Rabbinical Jewish holiday occurring on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Shevat. It is also called Rosh HaShanah La’Ilanot, literally “New Year of the Trees”. The day is celebrated in modern Israel as an ecological awareness day, and trees are planted in celebration. This day is akin to our Arbor Day celebrated in April!

“The segregationists and racists make no fine distinction between the Negro and the Jew”
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Why is this geographical area (Jamestown, VA), the birthplace of America so Important? When we spirit map and go back to our nations beginning on May 14^th 1607 at Jamestown Island we see that our nation was founded upon the biblical covenants of God’s Kingdom. We also see a complex, symbiotic relationship develop between the various cultures that clashed, melted, mixed, and developed over the course of Americas History. The Indigenous People who called this land their home! English colonists who came here claiming this to be a new world that now belonged to them and black slaves that were brought here against their will. Centuries have passed and wars have been fought to end the curse of slavery and establish justice. There is a biblical secret encapsulated within this complex, symbiotic relationships forged over our history that confounds those who seek to divide, oppress, and hate. It is the power of unity.

The enemy does everything with his power to develop division through men and their teachings of racism and bigotry. History records the first Slaves in America arriving at Old Point Comfort in 1619. Brought by Spanish Traders who had suffered damage to their ships in a great storm and low on supplies, they traded several slave women for food and supplies at Old Point Comfort in 1619. History also records the first freed slave occurring at the same spot in what was to become known as Fort Monroe in 1861 commanded by General Butler.

Born January 15, 1929, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a Baptist minister, political activist and perhaps the most famous leader of the civil right movement. In 1955, Dr. King led the Montgomery Bus Boycott that started when Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat in compliance with Jim Crow laws.

Dr. King was fundamental in founding of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1957. The SCLC is a group that used the moral authority and organizational capacity of black churches to conduct non-violent protests on behalf of civil rights. The Southern Leadership Conference established an Executive Board of Directors, and elected officers, including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as President, Dr. Ralph David Abernathy as Financial Secretary-Treasurer, Rev. C. K. Steele of Tallahassee, Florida as Vice President, Rev. T. J. Jemison of Baton Rouge, Louisiana as Secretary, and Attorney I. M. Augustine of New Orleans, Louisiana as General Counsel.

Over the years Jews have also expressed empathy with the plight of Blacks. In the early 1900s, Jewish newspapers drew parallels between the Black movement out of the South and the Jews’ escape from Egypt, pointing out that both Blacks and Jews lived in ghettos, and calling anti-Black riots in the South “pogroms”. Stressing the similarities rather than the differences between the Jewish and Black experience in America, Jewish leaders emphasized the idea that both groups would benefit the more America moved toward a society of merit, free of religious, ethnic and racial restrictions. From the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement, Blacks and Jews marched arm-in-arm.

Thus, in the 1930s and ’40s when Jewish refugee professors arrived at Southern Black Colleges, there was a history of overt empathy between Blacks and Jews, and the possibility of truly effective collaboration. Professor Ernst Borinski organized dinners at which Blacks and Whites would have to sit next to each other – a simple yet revolutionary act. Black students empathized with the cruelty these scholars had endured in Europe and trusted them more than other Whites. In fact, often Black students – as well as members of the Southern White community – saw these refugees as “some kind of colored folk.”

The unique relationship that developed between these teachers and their students was in some ways a microcosm of what was beginning to happen in other parts of the United States. The American Jewish Committee, the American Jewish Congress, and the Anti-Defamation League were central to the campaign against racial prejudice. Jews made substantial financial contributions to many civil rights organizations, including the NAACP, the Urban League, the Congress of Racial Equality, and the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee. About 50 percent of the civil rights attorneys in the South during the 1960s were Jews, as were over 50 percent of the Whites who went to Mississippi in 1964 to challenge Jim Crow Laws.

Whoever saves one life, it is as if he saved the entire would
Mishna Sanhedrin 4:5

It is therefore incumbent upon each and every one of us as children of God to actively involve ourselves in fashioning a world in which each and every person, regardless of skin color, race, or culture is treated as if he or she has the infinite value of life like that of Adam! Each and every life is the most precious gift from God. We are all created in His image. Let us live, worship, walk, and stand together as one, Jew and Gentile, Black and White, First Nations, Asian, and Hispanic. As Dr King stated:

“We may have all come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now.”

Echad

By Eric Carlson in February-3 on February 1, 2023

Matthew 19:3-6: – “Some P’rushim came and tried to trap him by asking, “Is it permitted for a man to divorce his wife on any ground whatever?” 4 He replied, “Haven’t you read that at the beginning the Creator made them male and female, 5 and that he said, `For this reason a man should leave his father and mother and be united with his wife, and the two are to become one flesh’? 6 Thus they are no longer two, but one. So then, no one should split apart what God has joined together.”

The word “hope” in this verse (some translations use “wait”) is the Hebrew word Khavah (kaw-vaw) which means to “twist and bind, gather together, to be strong and robust from the idea of binding fast.” Read this verse again replacing wait with the definition “But they that are bound/gathered together with the Lord shall renew their strength.” The revelation is that strength and unity result when we bind our lives together with the Lords. This twisting, this binding, this gathering with the Lord makes us Echad (complete-one) with God.

Back to Genesis, The biblical day begins at sunset! The day begins in darkness, a chaotic, unenergetic, lacking energy, powerless, beyond repair, aimless, hopeless, feared, suspected, secret, worthless, meaningless time period. As the day progresses it gives way from the darkness and chaos to light and order! From nothing to life, order, illumination, joy, happiness, instruction, and teaching! The creation of the universe is from a formless void in darkness that gives way to order, life, and light! As David revealed, you and I were born into sin, darkness.

John 10:25-31. Yeshua answered them, “I have already told you, and you don’t trust me. The works I do in my Father’s name testify on my behalf, 26 but the reason you don’t trust is that you are not included among my sheep. 27 My sheep listen to my voice, I recognize them, they follow me, 28 and I give them eternal life. They will absolutely never be destroyed, and no one will snatch them from my hands. 29 My Father, who gave them to me, is greater than all; and no one can snatch them from the Father’s hands. 30 I and the Father are one.” 31 Once again the Judeans picked up rocks in order to stone him.

Echad, “One”, is the same word used in Deuteronomy 6:4, and by using it, Yeshua defines its meaning. He uses the word Echad in the same vernacular as used in Genesis as well. Yeshua clearly identifies himself as Echad, complete with the Father, YWHW. The Jews of that time period knew exactly what he was saying. They became enraged and picked up rocks in order to stone him. He was declaring that he and the Father are unified, twisted, and bound together, gathered together, complete, Echad. That they are in complete Shalom and harmony. Yeshua said “I only do what I see me Father do!” Yeshua’s clearest interpretation and use of Echad is found in:

John 14:7-11 “Because you have known me, you will also know my Father; from now on, you do know him — in fact, you have seen him.” 8 Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it will be enough for us.” 9 Yeshua replied to him, “Have I been with you so long without your knowing me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father; so how can you say, `Show us the Father‘? 10 Don’t you believe that I am united with the Father, and the Father united with me? What I am telling you, I am not saying on my own initiative; the Father living in me is doing his own works. 11 Trust me, that I am united with the Father, and the Father united with me. But if you can’t, then trust because of the works themselves.”

John 17:20-23. ““I pray not only for these, but also for those who will trust in me because of their word, 21 that they may all be one (Echad). Just as you, Father, are united with me and I with you, I pray that they may be united with us, so that the world may believe that you sent me. 22 The glory which you have given to me, I have given to them; so that they may be one (Echad), just as we are one —23 I united with them and you with me, so that they may be completely one (Echad), and the world thus realize that you sent me, and that you have loved them just as you have loved me. Then the world will know that you sent me and will understand that you love them as much as you love me.”

Yeshua prays and teaches Echad. He prays that we, you and I, Jew, Gentile, Male, and Female, Black, White, Asian, Hispanic, and Indigenous people will all be Echad, united, bound together, unified, in accord, no more separate parts in the Kingdom of God! Yeshua tells us that this Echad, this oneness, will not only bring maturity in our lives with God but with one another. The manifestation of this Echad, this binding together, this unity, is love of the Lord and love for one another. Yeshua is our example of Echad with God. If a person says that he is Echad with God but does not manifest love for one another, then by Yeshua’s definition, they are not Echad. Finally, Echad is the One New Humanity! Sh’aul reveals the secret of Echad in:

Ephesians 2:11-19. “Therefore, remember your former state: you Gentiles by birth – called the Uncircumcised by those who, merely because of an operation on their flesh, are called the Circumcised –12 at that time had no Messiah. You were estranged from the national life of Isra’el. You were foreigners to the covenants embodying God’s promise. You were in this world without hope and without God. 13 But now, you who were once far off have been brought near through the shedding of the Messiah’s blood. 14 For he himself is our shalom – he has made us both one and has broken down the m’chitzah which divided us 15 by destroying in his own body the enmity occasioned by the Torah, with its commands set forth in the form of ordinances. He did this in order to create in union with himself from the two groups a single new humanity and thus make shalom, 16 and in order to reconcile to God both in a single body by being executed on a stake as a criminal and thus in himself killing that enmity. 17 Also, when he came, he announced as Good News shalom to you far off and shalom to those nearby, 18 news that through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. 19 So then, you are no longer foreigners and strangers. On the contrary, you are fellow-citizens with God’s people and members of God’s family.”

This scripture shows us that through the sacrifice and blood of Yeshua, God has made Jew and Gentile, One (Echad) New Humanity, the Blood of Yeshua has made us complete, whole, in unison, un-separable! The Gentiles were as Ephesians 2:12 states “without hope,” chosech, in darkness, aimless, MISSING! The One (Echad) New Humanity cannot exist without the Gentiles! They were formerly missing but now have been brought in! God has brought us all together to work towards accomplishing His divine purpose in the world. Sh’aul’s writings refer to TODAY, NOW, OUR GENERATION! WE ARE ENTERING INTO THE ONE (ECHAD) NEW HUMANITY! When “grafted in” as Sh’aul explains in Romans Ch.11, the wild olive branch is fed by the Jewish rooted olive tree, but the branch still produces its original fruit. In other words, if a pear branch was grafted into an apple tree, the flavor of the fruit changes a slightly as nourished by the new root, but the branch still produces pears! That is the miracle of the One (Echad) New Humanity! All are bound together through the blood of Yeshua and nourished by the Jewish Olive Tree and each branch retains its own identity! We need to celebrate and rejoice in who we are, whether a Jew, Gentile, Black or White, Hispanic, African, Asian, European, First Nations People, it matters not! God loves all the same and has made us Echad! THERE ARE NO CONVERSIONS! The One New Humanity in its freedom tears down the walls of Anti-Semitism, Racism, Bigotry, religious, and cultural barriers. We become united, joined together, unified, striving towards the same goal, sharing God’s plan of Salvation to the world and preparing ourselves for the return of Yeshua! As Sh’aul said, “It is life from the dead.” The One New Humanity will usher in World Revival! In Yeshua’s name I pray that we all become Echad!

Rabbi and Rebbetzin’s Corner January 2023

By Eric Carlson in January-2 on January 1, 2023

Shalom Mishpocha,

Happy New Year! We have entered into the Gregorian Calendar year of 2023. The 1st of Nisan (the Biblical New Year) begins at sunset, Wednesday March 22nd 2023 beginning the year 5783. As we move into a new year one of the meanings of 5783 is the year of retribution. Retribution is the dispensing or receiving of reward, punishment, and judgement! 5783 spells “Ur” in Hebrew which means to be exposed! 23 in the Gematria means to drop or trickle, to flow scantily. The year 2023/5783 will be a year of famine, a year of lack regarding food and water. It will also be an extremely troubling year financially as well! Adonai has been preparing us for such a time as this!

Adonai has given us divine authority to succeed! He has given us heavenly strategies to sustain us and give us access to everything we need. We must think like Yosef so that we may survive through the lean times. Egypt experienced seven years of fatness and followed by seven years of drought and famine! Adonai gave Yosef specific directives and strategies for the administration of supplies. Once implemented Egypt, and a considerable portion of the Middle East were able to sustain, to survive the seven years of drought and famine.

We’ve already been experiencing significant issues with the supply chains the last 18 months. Adonai has given us “Multiplicative Blessings” of supplies. Adonai has already given us the authority to multiply what we have! How will we fill the house with the supplies and provisions that will sustain us in years to come? Fruit is the Key, fruit is critical because one fruit contains hundreds, even thousands of seeds which are future trees which in turn produce even more fruit. A tree that does not produce fruit will never produce more trees, there’s no harvest. If you don’t produce fruit, you don’t replicate more believers, if there are no more believers the Kingdom declines. A fruitless tree may look strong, tall, vigorous, and be full of leaves, but it has no legacy; because it failed to reproduce the seed that it received to create itself, it’s the living dead. Fruitless trees are cut off and destroyed, trees that produce fruit are pruned so even more fruit comes forth.

One apple seed that is planted in good soil, nourished, and cared for will grow and mature into a large tree that will produce tens of thousands of Apples in its lifetime which contain millions of seeds! You are the fruit from a seed planted sometime in your life. You then must produce fruit and sow seed, or you are not of the Kingdom of God. However, from one seed comes one tree that can produce millions of seeds. This is God’s multiplicative process known as fold. Here is where this all comes together, profoundly. Humanity (Mammon) works in simple interest format. You borrow money at a simple interest rate, let’s say 5 percent. If you borrow $100 dollars in simple interest you’ll pay back $105 dollars. 5% of 100 is $5. This is NOT how heaven works. Heaven works on sowing and reaping.

When we stand in covenant with God, when we toil for Him, when we sow into the Kingdom of heaven we are not working for simple interest, we are working in the power of God, His multiplicative power of the supernatural, where a few loaves of bread and fish fed thousands of people, where a little amount of Olive oil will fill dozens of containers, where a little portion of meal will not run out and feed a widow and her son for weeks. Where heaven will provide food for over six million souls every day for forty years in the wilderness! Where Yeshua blesses a few fish and some loaves of bread and thousands are fed with twelve baskets of leftovers. That’s the 100-fold, the “Multiplicative Blessings” of Adonai! Remember, 1,000,000 times 0 equals zero. But 1,000,000 times 1 equal One Million! Fear not, we serve a Covenant keeping God as King David profoundly shares in:

Why is Torah for Today?

By Eric Carlson in January-1 on January 1, 2023

There are 613 commandments in the Torah: 248 positive commands (what we should do); and 365 negative commands (what we should not do). According to rabbinical reckoning, the 248 positive commands correspond to the number of separate parts of our body and 365 negative commands correspond to the number of days throughout a year. We are commanded to do all the commands with all the joints and parts of our body, that’s why religious, Orthodox Jews rock back and forth while praying so that all their body parts are being used!

Torah is the Hebrew word meaning Teaching. Its root means to throw or shoot an arrow. God uses the word Torah scripturally to signify His teaching to His people. The teaching that God gave to Moshe on Mt. Sinai is called the Torah of Moses, but Moses did not author it……he only received it from Adonai. God uses the word Torah to signify His instructions throughout the Hebrew scriptures. Some Jews also believe in an oral teaching called the Talmud which is in error as the Word says:

Christians call the Torah “the Law” because most English translations of scripture translate Torah as law. The reason this came about is because Hebrew scriptures were translated into Greek, called the Septuagint. The Septuagint translated Torah into the Greek word Nomia. Nomia was used in the Greek culture to mean “unalterable law”. Following in the same tradition, the Greek New Testament used Nomia to signify Torah. The Word of God is in fact unalterable and can be construed as Law since breaking one of the commandments could lead to punishment (either from man or from God!). Torah is really a teaching tool of the Most High who loves his people, revealing to them what is or what is not sin. Messiah Yeshua was the payment for our sins once and for all through His Blood, He bought and paid for our righteousness! The Torah showed us what that righteousness was! “⁷The Torah of Adonai is perfect, restoring the inner person. The instruction of Adonai is sure, making wise the thoughtless. ⁸The precepts of Adonai are right, rejoicing the heart. The mitzvot of Adonai is pure, enlightening the eyes. ⁹The fear of Adonai is clean, enduring forever. The rulings of Adonai are true, they are righteous altogether, ¹⁰more desirable than gold, than fine gold, also sweeter that honey or drippings from the honeycomb. ¹¹Through them your servant is warned; in obeying them is great reward”. Psalm 19:7-11. Messiah Yeshua also said in Mathew 5:18-19. “ Don’t think that I have come to abolish the Torah or Prophets. I have come not to abolish but to complete. ¹⁸Yes indeed! I tell you that until heaven and earth pass away, not so much as a yud or stroke will pass from the torah – not until everything that must happen has happened. ¹⁹So whoever disobeys the least of these mitzvots and teaches others to do so will be called least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But whoever obeys them and so teaches will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.” Messiah Yeshua said here that Sin is forgiven through him and Torah is the life guidelines from God, not the written word of man. Rabbi Shaul (Paul) said in Romans 7:7,12. “⁷ Therefore, what are we to say? That the Torah is sinful? Heaven forbid! Rather, the function of the Torah was that without it, I would not have known what sin is. For example, I would not have become conscious of what greed is if Torah had not said “Thou shalt not covet””. “¹² So the Torah is holy; that is, the commandment is holy, just and good”. Torah makes us accountable for our actions. Mankind must walk within specific divine guidelines and regulations or we pursue perverted and sinful ways. Without Torah, God would be unable to convict and condemn sin for without Torah, what would identify sin! Paul struggled to explain this and stated in Romans 3:20. “ For in His sight no one alive will be considered righteous on the ground of legalistic observance of Torah commands, because what Torah really does is show people how sinful they are”. He also wrote in Galatians 3:23. “Now before the time for this trusting faithfulness came, we were imprisoned in subjection to the system which results from perverting the Torah into legalism, kept under guard until this yet-to–come trusting faithfulness could be revealed”. Paul then explains how sins are forgiven in ACTS 13:38 “Therefore brothers, let it be known to you that through this Man (Yeshua) is proclaimed forgiveness of sins!”. Lets look at some of these Mitzvot’s in the scripture and see what they say:

1. Do not blaspheme Gods name or your leaders! Ex. 22:27.
2. To know that God is one, a complete unity! Deut. 6:16.
3. Do not put God’s word to the test! Deut. 6:16.
4. To honor the old and wise. 19:32.
5. To learn Torah and teach it. Deut. 6:7.
6. Not to add or subtract from the Torah! Deut. 13:1.
7. To circumcise the males. Gen 17:12, Lev 12:3. (I would still recommend this even though the New Testament says this is not necessary for the Gentiles to do, it is healthier for men. It’s a testament to the supreme knowledge of God. Recent medical studies have shown that male babies antibodies and coagulants peek on the 8^th day of birth, the day when Brit Milah (circumcision) is commanded to be perform, miraculous isn’t it!.)
8. Not to stand by idly when a human life is in danger. Lev. 19:16.
9. Do not cherish hatred in ones heart. Lev 19:17.
10. Not to take revenge. Lev. 19:18.
11. Not to bear a grudge. Lev. 19:18.
12. Rebuke the sinner. Lev. 19:17.
13. Don’t refrain from maintaining the poor man and giving him what he needs. Deut. 15:7
14. To honor father and mother. Ex.20:12.
15. Not to withhold food, clothing, and conjugal rights from your wife. Ex. 21:10.
16. Not to indulge in familiarities with relatives which may lead to incest. Lev. 18:6
17. Not to do wrong in buying or selling. Lev. 25:14.
18. Not to commit fraud when measuring. Lev. 19:35.
19. Not to delay payment of a hired mans wages. Lev. 19:13.
20. That a man should fulfill whatever he has uttered. Deut. 23:24.
21. Not to make a graven image (idol), don’t make it or have someone make it! Ex.20:4
22. Not to covet what belongs to another. Ex. 20:14.
23. Do not murder. Ex 20:1, 20:13.
24. Not to indulge in evil thoughts and sights. Num 15:39.
25. Not to practice astrology. Lev. 19:26.
26. Not to consult wizards. Lev. 19:31.
27. To set apart the tithe (ten percent). Lev. 27:30, Num 18:24.

These are sound rules to live by and of course there are many more, these are just a random sampling. Some deal with Government that should be abided by in Israel (and we really need these in our own legal system) and some deal with sacrifices which are no longer required as we are covered and cleansed of these commandments through the blood of the Messiah. Yaacov stated in James 1:25. “But if a person looks closely into the perfect Torah, which gives freedom, and continues, becoming not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work it requires, then he will be blessed in what he does”.

Even in the early congregations, some from Judah to Antioch were saying that you could not be saved unless you undergo b’rit-milah (circumcision) (legalistic observance of Torah!). The early Messianic Movement was in discord over Torah and the new Gentile believers, which we observe in Acts 5:5 “But some of those who had come to trust were from the party of the P’rushim; and they stood up and said, “It is necessary to circumcise them and direct them to observe the Torah of Moshe””. This was taken to Jerusalem and a council meeting took place to decide the issue. A decision was made and a letter was written to the Gentiles and sent with Paul and Barnabas. Their decision reads in Acts 15:28-29. “For it seemed good to the Ruach HaKodesh and to us not to lay any heavier burden on you than the following requirements: ²⁹ to abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from fornication. If you keep yourselves from these, you will be doing the right thing. Shalom!”. Yeshua said himself in Mathew 13:52 “ He said to them, “So then, every Torah teacher who has been made into a talmid (disciple) for the Kingdom of Heaven is like the owner of a home who brings out of his storage room both new and things and old”. The Master Himself states that both new and old are valid and one! The old is not done away with the new. Dr. Michel Brown in: “OUR HANDS ARE STAINED WITH BLOOD” writes “Of course, most of us realize that the roots of our faith are Jewish. But did we ever stop to consider that Jewish roots mean Jewish fruits? Our faith not only began in Israel with Jewish people in the middle of everything, but it will also end in Israel with the Jewish people in the middle of everything.” Torah is clearly for today!

God’s Covenant Signs

By Eric Carlson in January-3 on January 1, 2023

What is a sign? It’s a motion or gesture by which a thought is expressed or a command or wish made known, a mark having a conventional meaning and used in place of words or to represent a complex notion, something material or external that stands for or signifies something spiritual. Sign in Hebrew is Oth; a sign, signal, a distinguishing mark, banner, remembrance, miraculous sign, an omen, or a warning! Signs (Oth) are extraordinary events by which Adonai reveals His will through nature, people, dreams, and His word. Adonai does this to reveal His will, to instill trust, and or demonstrate His authority. Signs are a heavenly revelation to your earthly senses of God’s divine power and will. God made a covenant sign with Noach and all living things:

John 4:46–54. He went again to Kanah in the Galil, where he had turned the water into wine. An officer in the royal service was there; his son was ill in K’far-Nachum. ⁴⁷ This man, on hearing that Yeshua had come from Y’hudah to the Galil, went and asked him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. ⁴⁸ Yeshua answered, “Unless you people see signs and miracles, you simply will not trust!” ⁴⁹ The officer said to him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” ⁵⁰ Yeshua replied, “You may go, your son is alive.” The man believed what Yeshua said and left. ⁵¹ As he was going down, his servants met him with the news that his son was alive ⁵² So he asked them at what time he had gotten better; and they said, “The fever left him yesterday at one o’clock in the afternoon.” ⁵³ The father knew that that was the very hour when Yeshua had told him, “Your son is alive”; and he and all his household trusted. ⁵⁴ This was a second sign that Yeshua did; he did it after he had come from Y’hudah into the Galil.

II Thessalonians 2:8-10. Then the one who embodies separation from Torah will be revealed, the one whom the Lord Yeshua will slay with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the glory of his coming. ⁹ When this man who avoids Torah comes, the Adversary will give him the power to work all kinds of false miracles, signs and wonders. ¹⁰ He will enable him to deceive, in all kinds of wicked ways, those who are headed for destruction because they would not receive the love of the truth that could have saved them.

God states that He will bless the seed of Abraham, that His seed will be as numerous as the grains of sand at the beach, that His seed will possess the Land of Israel forever, and that through Abraham’s seed all the Nations will be blessed! Circumcision is a permanent mark on the body symbolizing the permanency of God’s covenant with his people. Because of its significance for personal cleanliness, it symbolized also the purity that the covenant demanded of them. Circumcision is a covenant act, a cut that releases blood which is always required for any covenant! The result is that Abraham’s seed passes through the covenant cut thereby becoming covenant seed.

Adonai’s covenant signs are what separate us from the world and those who don’t honor and serve Him. Representing God’s covenant, it’s no wonder that these three humble signs have experienced the brunt of HaSatan’s fury. Every religion known today and many governments have attacked and attempted to change, altar, and or remove these covenant signs. The Philistines, Midianites, Ammonites, the Persians did, the Greeks did (under Antiochus Epiphanies in the Hanukkah story), Christianity tried under the Constantine/Rome Hellenization influence, as well as communism and Islam. Throughout History there have been numerous periods of time when it has been illegal to keep Shabbat, circumcise your children, display Mezuzahs, or wear Jewish symbols. Even Adonai’s covenant “Rainbow” sign after the great flood has been hijacked to represent the unbiblical LGBQT community. Remember who established the covenant signs, God and God alone, anything else is manmade and false.

Tefillin is dated to the second Temple period. Prior to this time these verses were interpreted to have Adonai’s word in your mind. Placing the word on the doorposts is the only part of this scripture that actual was done in both first and second Temple periods. Prior to the 2^nd Temple period silver amulets (bracelets, necklaces and rings) were worn (numerous ones having been found in archeological digs) that had the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4) written on them. These were worn in full view to express the wearer’s dedication to Torah and Adonai.

Verse eight is performed in modern orthodox Judaism by wrapping Tefillin. Tefillin or phylacteries, are a set of small black leather boxes with leather straps containing scrolls of parchment inscribed with verses from Deuteronomy 6. One box is worn on the persons head above the forehead wrapped with the leather straps, the second box is wrapped on the left bicep with the leather straps while the remainder of the leather straps are wrapped down the arm creating the letters of one of God’s names, Shaddai (שׁדי) — shin (שׁ), dalet (ד), yod (י). They are “written” across the hand using the tefillin straps. The Tefillin are worn by adult males during weekday morning prayers. You may read further on this subject by using the link below!

Deuteronomy 6:4-9. Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord;⁵. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. ⁶. And these words, which I command you this day, shall be in your heart; ⁷. And you shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise up. ⁸. And you shall bind them for a sign upon your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. ⁹. And you shall write them upon the posts of your house, and on your gates.

I Kings 12:26-33. Nevertheless Yarov’am said to himself, “Now the rulership will return to the house of David. ²⁷ For if these people continue going up to offer sacrifices in the house of ADONAI in Yerushalayim, their hearts will turn back to their lord, Rechav’am king of Y’hudah. Then they will kill me and return to Rechav’am king of Y’hudah.” ²⁸ After seeking advice, the king made two calves of gold and said to the people, “You have been going up to Yerushalayim long enough! Here are your gods, Isra’el, who brought you out of the land of Egypt!” ²⁹ He placed one in Beit-El and the other in Dan, ³⁰ and the affair became a sin, for the people went to worship before the one [in Beit-El and] all the way to Dan [to worship the other]. ³¹ He also set up temples on the high places and made cohanim from among all the people, even though they were not descended from Levi. ³² Yarov’am instituted a festival in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, similar to the festival held in Y’hudah; he went up to the altar in Beit-El to sacrifice to the calves he had made; and he placed in Beit-El the cohanim he had appointed for the high places. ³³ He went up to the altar which he had set up in Beit-El on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, in the month which he had chosen on his own, and instituted a festival for the people of Isra’el; he went up to the altar to burn incense.

Rabbi and Rebbetzin’s Corner December 2022

By Eric Carlson in December-2 on November 28, 2022

We pray you had a blessed Thanksgiving holiday with family and friends! As we have entered into the month of December we look forward to the M.J.A.A. South East Regional Conference December 16^th-18^th, 2022 at the Rosen Plaza Hotel in Orlando Florida! It is a powerful, supernatural weekend of Messianic praise, worship, teaching, and fellowship! Paul Wilbur and Sarah Liberman will be our guest psalmists! This is a weekend you don’t want to miss!

Register at https://mjaa.org/southeast2022/#schedule

Tuesday, November 29^th 2022, the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, is national Giving Day! The intent is for people to kick off the holiday season by donating money to a charitable cause such as Congregation Zions Sake! Giving Tuesday was founded in 2012 by New York’s 92nd Street Y in partnership with the United Nations Foundation. In the year 2021 Americans spent $707.5 billion, that’s right, $707.5 billion dollars on the Christmas Holiday! Congregation Zion’s Sake and every Church I know sees a downturn in Tithes and offerings in December every year! That’s a tragic and horrible statistic! What an impact for the Kingdom of Adonai and Jewish revival we could do with just 1% of this spending! Consider honoring God first with a special donation to Congregation Zion’s Sake today, on giving Tuesday!

We look forward to celebrating Hanukkah for eight days which begins at sunset, Sunday December 18^th 2022. Then on Wednesday, December 21^st 2022 we enter the “winter Solstice”, the shortest day of the year that officially marks the first day of winter! At our Erev Shabbat service on Friday, December 23^rd we will have a special Hanukkah service with both a children’s and youth group holiday presentation! You don’t want to miss this special service with all of our children and youth!

The end of this month, December 31^st marks the end of the Gregorian Calendar year of 2022 and the start of the New Year 2023. The 1^st of Nisan (the Biblical New Year) begins at sunset, Wednesday March 22^nd 2023 when we begin the year 5783. As we move into a new year one of the meanings of 5783 is the year of retribution. Retribution is the dispensing or receiving of reward, punishment, and judgement! 5783 spells “Ur” in Hebrew which means to be exposed! 23 in the Gematria means to drop or trickle, to flow scantily. The year 2023 will be a year of lack regarding food and water. Adonai has been preparing us for such a time as this! The good news is that it will be a year of great revival as people will seek Adonai and His Kingdom!

To be revived, to experience life from the dead, to have signs and wonders be part of our daily lives is something we must work towards, to strive for, to cultivate through prayer and worship! Those with a humble and contrite heart, those who seek Adonai, those who are His bondservants, those who praise and worship the God of Israel in spirit and truth, those who rejoice in Him, to them He pays attention. In fact, He revives those who are humble! Those who have a broken, contrite heart, those who seek Him! As we enter a new year shortly let us enter His gates with Thanksgiving, with expectation, with anticipation for revival, for a move of God! The onus is upon us to be a mature, sin free body that acquires the groanings of the Holy Spirit for revival. We must matriculate into society, into work, into school, into malls and stores, sharing the Good News by demonstrating the dunamis power then introducing the King. May we be humble servants for the Lord to use to usher in Worldwide Revival.

What is Shabbat?

By Eric Carlson in December-1 on November 28, 2022

Why do we enter into and Keep Shabbat? Shabbat is our weekly Moedim, a divine appointment, a feast with God. It is the time that we lay down everything from the week and world, all of our concerns, worries, and stress. All the things that we have allowed to occupy our time during the week and enter into God’s rest to minister to and worship Him. God knew we needed rest and without all the distractions we can fully enter in His presence. Shabbat is our weekly reminder that we serve the God of creation. Shabbat goes from sunset on Friday evening until sunset on Saturday evening. Biblical days begin at sunset and end on sunset:

Darkness in Hebrew is: “Choshech” means lacked, missing, unenergetic, lacking energy, powerless, beyond repair, aimless, hopeless, feared, suspected, worthless, and meaningless. Darkness or Choshech is all of these descriptions! The enemy, HaSatan, the Devil, the Prince of Darkness is Chosech or Darkness. Light in the Hebrew is: “Or”, means light, illumination, joy, happiness, instruction, teaching, directive, order, puts in order, woke up, and roused. Light is all of these terms! Yeshua is “Or”, the light of the world!

“Or” and “Choshech” are structured and unstructured energy. Torah states that both Or and Choshech are Echad, that the two are one, chaos and order are one just as we are to be one! Every day begins at sunset and is a recreation, a reminder of God’s creation of the universe. Each day begins just as the universes began in darkness, powerless, beyond repair, aimless, hopeless, feared, suspected, secret, worthless, meaningless and streams towards the light, the knowledge of God Himself who separated this hopelessness with His very being which is joy, happiness, instruction, teaching, directives, power, order, perfection, holiness, righteousness, purity, and love. Shabbat is the culmination of this understanding, just as the day begins in chaos and streams towards the light, the week begins in such a manner and streams towards Shabbat, God’s blessing and perfection. Shabbat separates the profane and mundane from the Holy!

Just as Light was the first act of creation, the first act we do on Shabbat is to light the Shabbat candles. First, two Shabbat candles are lit and a blessing is recited. The lighting is performed by the woman of the house who is the keeper of the light. Why, 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). The wife (woman) is the keeper of the light for her entire family and holds the honor of lighting the candles and reciting the blessing. Lighting the Shabbat candles is an eternal bond linking us to thousands of years of heritage and tradition that defines Biblical life and culture! The holy flames of the Shabbat candle are our link to the future generations while connecting us to our past!

The flickering flame is a reflection of the divine spark within each of us. It is a focal point for the family, united in Shalom, to gather around the “light” which represents Yeshua, to pray together, to spend time together, to pause and share the Shabbat meal together, united in Messiah! Light is significant in many ways. It represents truth, purity, trust, and the removal of darkness and sin through the revelation of God’s Glory, the Light of the World! Yeshua, commanded us to be a light:

The two candles represent the two biblical commandments concerning Shabbat: zachor (remember) and shamar (observe & Guard).

The first candle represents Creation "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth...And God said, 'Let there be light' and there was light." -- Genesis 1:1,3. The second candle represents Redemption, Yeshua said, "I am the Light of the World. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." John 8:12.

The man of the house then recites Kiddush (Blessings), a prayer over wine and Challa bread sanctifying the Shabbat blessing which is not communion but represents the double portion blessing of Manna given in the desert wanderings! The Hamotzei (bread blessing) Two covered, braided or twisted loaves of challah, the traditional Shabbat bread, are used and eaten every Shabbat. Two loaves of bread are used, they are interwoven together making a braided bread in remembrance of the double portion blessing of manna God caused to rain down every Friday during the Israelites wandering through the desert. It is also a reminder of two arms folded together in rest for Shabbat. The Children of Israel were able to collect enough bread to last through Shabbat, when no manna fell. This is the bread blessing:

Those who observe Shabbat, those actually observing it discover a precious gift from God. The arrival of Shabbat is greatly anticipated, a day of great joy when the mundane and profane of the weekday are set aside as we pause to devote ourselves to ministering to and serving Adoani! In biblical Jewish culture, poetry, and music, Shabbat is described as a bride or queen, as in the popular Shabbat hymn Lecha Dodi Likrat Kallah (come, my beloved, to meet the [Sabbath] bride). There is a deep, profound understanding with this: We don’t keep Shabbat, Shabbat keeps us! The word “Shabbat” comes from the root Shin-Bet-Tav, meaning to cease, to end, or to rest. Shabbat is the first of seven moedim, divine appointments God gives to us in Leviticus 23. Shabbat is considered the most holy of biblical feast days for several reasons.

Because Shabbat was made first before the other feast days in Genesis Chapter 2.

Shabbat is so Holy a Feast Day that He made 52 of them.

Shabbat is the only Moedim mentioned in the Ten commandments, the only commandment with the statement “Remember” attached to it. "Remember the day, Shabbat, to set it apart for God.” Exodus 20:8. (zachor (remember) and shamar (guard and observe).

The last act done on Shabbat is the Blessing the Children and the wife! It is customary on Shabbat for the father to lay his hands upon and bless each of his children then his wife. This custom originated from the blessings Isaac gave his sons Jacob and Esau (Genesis 27:49), as well as from the blessings Jacob gave to Joseph’s sons Ephraim and Manasseh (Genesis 48:20). Shabbat is when the King is off the throne and among His people, as His word states! It is a date night with God, ordained by God and established by God forever! May the Living God of Israel bless you and keep you as you honor Him by observing and keeping Shabbat!

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