Tu B’Shvat falls on the 15th day of the Hebrew month Shvat, and is often considered in modern times to be Israel’s Arbor Day. The largest tree planting occurs in Israel where forests have been created. This article talks about the tree plantings worldwide and their significance, particularly in Israel.
Read MoreJoy is something deeper than happiness or pleasure. Jewish sages have taught that it’s a part of the divine, yet accessible to everyone. But can we define it? And how do we find it?
Read MoreThe year: 700 BCE. We Jewish people are waiting for the Hope of Israel. We have been longing for the Messiah since the announcement of this person to come in the Garden of Eden. Now Isaiah announces a new prophecy. The Messiah will be a baby, a boy, and he will stabilize the world’s government like Atlas on his own shoulders. He will have new names including Prince of Peace.
Read MoreIs the Birth of Jesus Based on the Legends of Caesar? Similarities between the stories raise surprising parallels and striking differences between the births of the powerful tyrant and the poor and humble Messiah.
Read MoreContrary to the traditional view of Jesus’ birth date, new astronomical research shows that the time of his birth was closely related to the Jewish holidays.
Read More“Therefore, the Lord Himself will give you a sign. Look! The virgin will conceive and bear a child, and shall call His name Immanuel (meaning, God with us).” Isaiah 7:14
This is outrageous. Virgins don’t have babies. This phrase in the Bible book of Isaiah must be a misprint or a mistranslation. Of course, we are pondering this idea during Advent, the traditional time in the church calendar when we read this passage and think of that wonderful and frightful moment when the angel Gabriel appeared to the virgin Miriam and told her she would conceive a Son.
Read MoreEven in the times of greatest darkness imaginable, when it seems evil is triumphing over all that is good, we remember that after the Temple was rededicated to the Lord, that the lights of the Temple Menorah did not go out. God was always with those who were faithful to Him and who feared His name. Even in the middle of this great ‘period of silence’ the story of Hanukkah gives us a picture of God’s presence and faithfulness and grace to His people, even then.
Read More“Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter. And Jesus walked in the Temple, in Solomon's porch.” John 10:22-3. That is the only biblical reference to a well-known winter holiday that Jesus celebrated, a holiday many will celebrate this month. You know it by another name, (hint: it's not Christmas!). No, my Jewish people will celebrate the Feast of Dedication, commonly known as Hanukkah.
Read MoreDid Jesus invent a new religion? The simple answer is that Jesus was a rabbi – a teacher of Judaism. During the time of Jesus, Judaism took on a variety of forms, most of which are not comparable to today’s expressions.
Read MoreA few months ago, the sun was setting on a beautiful spring evening, and I was sitting outside in a gardening class sponsored by the local community center in Jerusalem. In the midst of a lecture on soil and crop rotation, a loud blitzkrieg-esque siren suddenly wailed overhead.
Read MoreStories from our shop…
Read MoreOne of the reasons we have to be careful about imagery is highlighted in the 10 Commandments. God says not to make imagery so that we bow down to them and serve them. In other words, having a photo of an elephant is ok, but making it into an idol is not ok. Having a sculpture of an angel is ok, but bowing to it is not. Sensible.
Read MoreThis year we sent our Massah team to Guatemala for the first time ever! With all its breathtaking natural beauty, Guatemala (like India) draws Israeli backpackers to come and decompress after their military service. Guatemala was especially full of Israeli travelers this year because India was sadly closed due to COVID. Some cafés even cater specifically to Israelis.
Read MoreIf you’re Jewish, maybe you’ve heard that some Christians believe your covenant with God is no longer valid. Where did these claims come from?
Read MoreYom Kippur can be somewhat of a conundrum to Jewish believers in Yeshua. Do we fast and confess our sins like the rest of the Jewish community or do we rejoice in the knowledge that we’re forgiven in Messiah?
Read MoreEveryone seems to have a different idea of what sin means, but the Bible gives us a singular understanding that applies to all times and cultures.
Read MoreThe church and the Jewish people have history together has caused Jesus to be misrepresented to his own people for a long time. This causes many Jewish people today to believe that being Christian means being anti-Semitic. But Jewish faith in Jesus is not a stripping of our identity; rather, it is a affirmation of it.
Read MoreOne of the popular myths about Judaism is that there is no place in Jewish thought for the idea that someone can die for the sins of another person—but there are several instances in the Tanakh that illustrate this.
Read MoreAs depression and anxiety increase across the world in the wake of COVID-19, spiritual communities need to be challenged to look at the stigma they've established around the subject of mental health.
Read MoreGod comforts the depressed. How does he do that? By the “coming of Titus” and also “by the comfort with which he was comforted in you.” The reality of depression can be overcome by the stronger reality of God’s personal comfort in the visit of Titus and by the fellowship he brought in reporting what God was doing among the people of Corinth.
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