Monday, October 30, 2006
Great Series of Teaching on Hebrews
The Beth Immanuel website has many great resources and articles for Messianic believers. If you are living in an area with no Messianic fellowship, this website is a great source for teaching and community. Their leader, D. Thomas Lancaster, has written a book which has been quite popular at Beth Shechinah, called Restoration. (I am planning to review it on this site soon.) He has also delivered a series of messages on the book of Hebrews which I highly recommend. Download them from their archive page here. His insights are deep and clarify much of what has been mistaught from the pulpit for years. There are also children's stories alongside the adult sermon.
Monday, October 23, 2006
Hebrew, Anyone?
Many people inquire about Hebrew learning resources, especially while our classes at Beth Shechinah are suspended. Here are some of the best online resources I have found:
Hebrew for Christians: an excellent site with detailed lessons and exercises, audio and printer-friendly pages for talmidim (students) of all levels. He has done extensive research into Hebrew and Jewish customs as well, and includes articles and teachings based upon Hebrew studies. With downloadable PDF's and frequent updates, this is a site you will want to bookmark.
Navigating the Bible II: This is an online bar/bat mitzvah tutor, offered in English, Russian, and Spanish. It will help you locate the parasha reading for your Hebrew birthday, and has audio files to help you pronounce it and cantor it, and a summary of each portion. It has a reference guide to the people, places, plants and animals mentioned in the Bible and a text search.
Akhlah: The Jewish Children's Learning Network: Here there are many fun and colorful exercises and learning aids. Don't think this is just kid's stuff- Hebrew is Hebrew, and the more fun it is to learn, the more you will retain. They have information on all the Jewish customs, festivals, traditions, and Bible characters, besides crafts for the holidays and a "Hebrew Word of the Day". An excellent resource for home-schooling as well.
BibleGateway.com: A searchable online Bible in over 50 versions and 35 languages: I include this because it is a handy tool to use as a concordance, flip back and forth between Hebrew and English, and to compare various translations. On the homepage, type in your keyword or reference, and then you will be able to choose from the versions and languages. (Languages are listed alphabetically.) The main site is also available in Spanish.
Hebrew for Christians: an excellent site with detailed lessons and exercises, audio and printer-friendly pages for talmidim (students) of all levels. He has done extensive research into Hebrew and Jewish customs as well, and includes articles and teachings based upon Hebrew studies. With downloadable PDF's and frequent updates, this is a site you will want to bookmark.
Navigating the Bible II: This is an online bar/bat mitzvah tutor, offered in English, Russian, and Spanish. It will help you locate the parasha reading for your Hebrew birthday, and has audio files to help you pronounce it and cantor it, and a summary of each portion. It has a reference guide to the people, places, plants and animals mentioned in the Bible and a text search.
Akhlah: The Jewish Children's Learning Network: Here there are many fun and colorful exercises and learning aids. Don't think this is just kid's stuff- Hebrew is Hebrew, and the more fun it is to learn, the more you will retain. They have information on all the Jewish customs, festivals, traditions, and Bible characters, besides crafts for the holidays and a "Hebrew Word of the Day". An excellent resource for home-schooling as well.
BibleGateway.com: A searchable online Bible in over 50 versions and 35 languages: I include this because it is a handy tool to use as a concordance, flip back and forth between Hebrew and English, and to compare various translations. On the homepage, type in your keyword or reference, and then you will be able to choose from the versions and languages. (Languages are listed alphabetically.) The main site is also available in Spanish.
Torah Teaching
First Fruits of Zion has a feature on their website called the "Weekly eDrash" (click here). It is a small commentary on the week's torah portion, offered by free subscription to your email address. I always enjoy the fresh insights and the "Thought for the Week" included each time. It also helps me keep on track with which Torah reading we are on, so I am prepared for the Shabbat. Once you have subscribed, you can access the archives for any Torah portion.
Friday, October 20, 2006
Messianic Music
Interested in finding some new music? Try the band "Arba Minim" from Minnesota. They have a clean acoustic contemporary style. There are five downloadable tracks on their site Arba Minim. My favourite track is #3, "Yishtabach".
Check out their free e-card selection as well.
Check out their free e-card selection as well.
Thursday, October 19, 2006
American - Israel Relations
Today I received a great article from AISH.com about the mythical "Israel Lobby" in America and how supporting Israel can be objectively shown to benefit American interests in the Middle East.
Click here:
The American Interest
Click here:
Book Review: Understanding the Difficult Words of Jesus
Understanding the Difficult Words of Jesus by David Bivin and Roy B. Blizzard
There are many expressions in the Gospels which are difficult to understand, and many which are so familiar we think we know what they mean. But do we? This book approaches the Gospels from a unique hermeneutical angle. The thesis is that Hebrew, not Aramaic or Greek, was the language of the common people in the first century C.E. They postulate that an account of Yeshua's life was originally written in Hebrew and later translated into Greek, as the need arose, and eventually this morphed into the three synoptic gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Many Hebraic sayings and idioms appear to be translated word-for-word into Greek, with confusing consequences for modern English readers. They believe the original chronology of the gospels has become jumbled, and therefore these parables and teachings have lost their original contexts.
I would recommend this book to anyone who would like a greater understanding of the cultural context of the Gospels, and to anyone who has come away from a parable of Yeshua with more questions than answers.
Here is an excerpt from Chapter 6, Page 88:
"The kingdom of God has come near you.
"In Hebrew, 'to come near' means 'to be at.' If we try to understand Luke 10:9 and 11, quoted above, by reading the Greek word engiken (translated 'has come near') we are in trouble. Engiken means 'about to appear' or 'is almost here'. However, if we translate it back into Hebrew, we get an entirely different meaning. The Hebrew equivalent of engiken is the verb karav, which means 'to come up and be with' or 'to be where something or someone else is.'
"The Greek engiken, or the English, 'near,' mean: 'It's not yet here.' The implication is that the Kingdom of God is futuristic, not yet here. The Hebrew karav means the exact opposite: 'It's here! It has arrived!' "
This book is available at Beth Shechinah.
There are many expressions in the Gospels which are difficult to understand, and many which are so familiar we think we know what they mean. But do we? This book approaches the Gospels from a unique hermeneutical angle. The thesis is that Hebrew, not Aramaic or Greek, was the language of the common people in the first century C.E. They postulate that an account of Yeshua's life was originally written in Hebrew and later translated into Greek, as the need arose, and eventually this morphed into the three synoptic gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Many Hebraic sayings and idioms appear to be translated word-for-word into Greek, with confusing consequences for modern English readers. They believe the original chronology of the gospels has become jumbled, and therefore these parables and teachings have lost their original contexts.
I would recommend this book to anyone who would like a greater understanding of the cultural context of the Gospels, and to anyone who has come away from a parable of Yeshua with more questions than answers.
Here is an excerpt from Chapter 6, Page 88:
"The kingdom of God has come near you.
"In Hebrew, 'to come near' means 'to be at.' If we try to understand Luke 10:9 and 11, quoted above, by reading the Greek word engiken (translated 'has come near') we are in trouble. Engiken means 'about to appear' or 'is almost here'. However, if we translate it back into Hebrew, we get an entirely different meaning. The Hebrew equivalent of engiken is the verb karav, which means 'to come up and be with' or 'to be where something or someone else is.'
"The Greek engiken, or the English, 'near,' mean: 'It's not yet here.' The implication is that the Kingdom of God is futuristic, not yet here. The Hebrew karav means the exact opposite: 'It's here! It has arrived!' "
This book is available at Beth Shechinah.
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Making a Baby
Now that I have your attention, this article came through my mailbox today, and I hope you are as blessed as I was by the deep miracle of God's creation of a new human being.
"TWO ARE BETTER THAN ONE" MINISTRIES
Jim & Marie Watt – Beth Chesed,Tacoma
PO Box25116 – Federal WayWA 98093-2116
Web: www.2rbetter.org – Fax: 253.474.0189
Tel: 253.874.4265 – Email: jmbetter@gmail.com
October 15, 2006
"JEWISH HOLY DAYS: THE MAKING OF A BABY"
Zola Levitt discovered an amazing correlation between Jewish Holy Days and the forming of a human baby, from conception to birth. While preparing for writing a book for new parents, Zola contacted a gynecologist for some help in understanding gestation. During that session, the gynecologist showed him a series of pictures, pointed to the first one (an egg and a sperm) and said, "On the fourteenth day of the first month, the egg appears." The statement struck a chord in his Jewish mind because that was the date of Passover. He remembered the roasted egg on his family table every Passover. Now, for the first time, he knew what it meant! Not wanting to lead the gynecologist off from the subject at hand, he didn't say anything, but continued to listen.
The gynecologist continued: "The egg must be fertilized within 24 hours, or it will pass on." This reminded Zola of the Feast of Unleavened Bread and the seed of grain that "Fell into the ground and died" in order to produce a harvest, the firstfruits of which was presented to God. Next, the gynecologist said, "Within two to six days, the fertilized egg attaches itself to the wall of the womb and begins to grow." And, sure enough, the Jewish evangelist thought, "The Feast of Firstfruits is observed anywhere from two to six days after Passover!"
Next, he was shown a photo of an embryo showing arms, hands, fingers, legs, feet, toes, a head, eyes, etc. The caption said, "Fifty days." The gynecologist continued, "Around the fiftieth day, the embryo takes on the form of a human being. Until then, we don't know if we have a duck or a tad-pole." Zola thought, "That's Pentecost!"
The next picture showed the embryo at seven months. The gynecologist said, "On the first day of the seventh moth, the baby's hearing is developed. For the first time, it can hear and distinguish sounds outside the womb." Zola knew that was the date for the Jewish Festival of Trumpets.
The gynecologist continued, "On the tenth day of the seventh month, the hemoglobin of the blood changes from that of the mother, to a self-sustaining baby." Zola thought, "That's the Day of Atonement, when the blood was taken into the Holy of Holies!"
Next, the gynecologist said, "On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, the lungs become fully developed. If born before then, the baby would have a hard time breathing." And Zola thought, "That's the festival of Tabernacles, a time of celebrating theTemple, home of the Shekinah glory or Spirit of God." In the New Testament, the Greek term pneuma, normally translated as "breath," is applied to the "Holy Spirit."
Birth takes place on the tenth day of the ninth month. Eight days after birth, in Jewish families a son is circumcised. Zola noted that the eight days of Hanukkah are celebrated right on schedule, nine months and ten days after Passover.
"TWO ARE BETTER THAN ONE" MINISTRIES
Jim & Marie Watt – Beth Chesed,Tacoma
PO Box25116 – Federal WayWA 98093-2116
Web: www.2rbetter.org – Fax: 253.474.0189
Tel: 253.874.4265 – Email: jmbetter@gmail.com
October 15, 2006
"JEWISH HOLY DAYS: THE MAKING OF A BABY"
Zola Levitt discovered an amazing correlation between Jewish Holy Days and the forming of a human baby, from conception to birth. While preparing for writing a book for new parents, Zola contacted a gynecologist for some help in understanding gestation. During that session, the gynecologist showed him a series of pictures, pointed to the first one (an egg and a sperm) and said, "On the fourteenth day of the first month, the egg appears." The statement struck a chord in his Jewish mind because that was the date of Passover. He remembered the roasted egg on his family table every Passover. Now, for the first time, he knew what it meant! Not wanting to lead the gynecologist off from the subject at hand, he didn't say anything, but continued to listen.
The gynecologist continued: "The egg must be fertilized within 24 hours, or it will pass on." This reminded Zola of the Feast of Unleavened Bread and the seed of grain that "Fell into the ground and died" in order to produce a harvest, the firstfruits of which was presented to God. Next, the gynecologist said, "Within two to six days, the fertilized egg attaches itself to the wall of the womb and begins to grow." And, sure enough, the Jewish evangelist thought, "The Feast of Firstfruits is observed anywhere from two to six days after Passover!"
Next, he was shown a photo of an embryo showing arms, hands, fingers, legs, feet, toes, a head, eyes, etc. The caption said, "Fifty days." The gynecologist continued, "Around the fiftieth day, the embryo takes on the form of a human being. Until then, we don't know if we have a duck or a tad-pole." Zola thought, "That's Pentecost!"
The next picture showed the embryo at seven months. The gynecologist said, "On the first day of the seventh moth, the baby's hearing is developed. For the first time, it can hear and distinguish sounds outside the womb." Zola knew that was the date for the Jewish Festival of Trumpets.
The gynecologist continued, "On the tenth day of the seventh month, the hemoglobin of the blood changes from that of the mother, to a self-sustaining baby." Zola thought, "That's the Day of Atonement, when the blood was taken into the Holy of Holies!"
Next, the gynecologist said, "On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, the lungs become fully developed. If born before then, the baby would have a hard time breathing." And Zola thought, "That's the festival of Tabernacles, a time of celebrating theTemple, home of the Shekinah glory or Spirit of God." In the New Testament, the Greek term pneuma, normally translated as "breath," is applied to the "Holy Spirit."
Birth takes place on the tenth day of the ninth month. Eight days after birth, in Jewish families a son is circumcised. Zola noted that the eight days of Hanukkah are celebrated right on schedule, nine months and ten days after Passover.
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