Day in the Life: Yom Kippur at Yad Hashmona

For Yom Kippur we joined Ahavat Yeshua and a few other congregations at Yad Hashmona, a Messianic Moshav, or Kibbutz. We had a magnificient view of the Judean Hills from our room, and enjoyed the beauty of the entire place. The L-rd encountered us through new friends and we even met a few people familiar with our congregation back in Kansas City. It's exciting to join together with so many like-minded individuals to observe this special time, when we focus our hearts toward Yeshua and His glorious plan of redemption through His sacrifice. 

We are now ready to join in the celebration of Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles. We turn our eyes toward Heaven and await the marriage supper of the Lamb! We hope you're enjoying these Times of Joy, Moedim L'Simcha!

The New Year

Shana Tova! Happy New Year!

We returned to Jerusalem just in time for Rosh Hashanah. Literally, it is the “head of the year” as it marks the beginning of a new calendar year. Biblically, it also marks the agricultural new year: it is a time for planting in Israel; in the seventh year it starts a Sabbath rest for the land; and every 50 years it is the beginning of the jubilee.

This moed, or “appointed time”, of G-d in the Biblical calendar is referred to as Yom Teruah, or the “day of blasting”, associated with blowing the shofar (Lev 23:24). On Monday, as we were in our apartment, we heard a shofar outside and ran to the porch.  There were a couple of observant Jewish men walking around our neighborhood asking people if they had observed the commandment of hearing the shofar blast for Yom Teruah. They then blew their shofar and helped the strangers fulfill the commandment of hearing the blast of the shofar. 

I love hearing the shofar on Rosh Hashanah because to me it is a reminder of that great shofar blast that will announce the coming of King Yeshua. It’s like an annual commemoration of the second coming of Yeshua!

The shofar blast is supposed to wake us up from our slumber in sin because it is a symbol of repentance. Repent for the King is returning! This is why it is sounded before Yeshua brings judgment to the entire earth as He returns as the Lion of the tribe of Judah. Repent for the King of Heaven is coming to bring judgment!

Ezekiel 33:2-5 “‘When I bring the sword against a land, and the people of the land choose one of their men and make him their watchman, And he sees the sword coming against the land and blows the shofar to warn the people, Then if anyone hears the shofar but does not take warning and the sword comes and takes his life, his blood will be on his own head. Since he heard the sound of the shofar but did not take warning, his blood will be on his own head. If he had taken warning, he would have saved himself.’

Today, may we listen to the shofar blast and repent and renew our covenant with Yeshua whose blood atones for our sin. May His imminent return be soon and in our days!

A walk to the playground

Yesterday we walked down to our local playground. On our way we noticed black smoke rising from the local Arab village. Apparently they started a fire, perhaps to celebrate the Jewish New Year, but more likely to harass the Jewish soldiers on duty at the checkpoint.

The village view from the playground (not taken yesterday).
The smoke came from just below the orange-roofed building on the right.

As we played hide and seek with Cassidy we heard loud pops, and looking down we saw the Arabs shooting fireworks at the soldiers. We stood around with a group of people watching and soon a man from our neighborhood, presumably in his thirties, struck up a conversation with Tom. He's an observant American Jew who used to teach Jewish philosophy in the Old City but now runs a business. As a side note he said the local Israeli municipality built a playground down in the village of Shuafat but the locals burned it down, so the Arabs sometimes come up to French Hill for the playground. A similar thing happened when the municipality built a post office in Shuafat, except they firebombed it. I guess they really like French Hill.

He then asked Tom about himself and Tom responded by telling him of his university studies into the Jewishness of Yeshua. They had an interesting discussion about the historical Yeshua, in which Tom described Yeshua as wearing tzitziyot (the traditional fringes that this man was wearing). Never a dull moment.

As we walked home the black smoke was dying down and the fireworks had ceased. I guess it's just another Rosh Hashanah in Jerusalem.