Category Archives: Jerusalem

July 6, 2014 · 9:15 am

Inside Israel

Once again, it’s time to hear from our sister in Jerusalem about what she is witnessing there as a believer in Yeshua. Put your prayer shawls on and pray for Israel and Sister J. Now here she is …

Greetings, dear brothers and sisters, in Yeshua’s Name. May He be blessed and glorified, and may you find blessing as you read.

Right now the escalating events seem different than I have seen before. I trust that He can teach us how to pray accordingly. For me, these events also serve as a “shofar blast” to alert my heart and check-list if I am ready and where He wants me to be.

On Thursday I was coming home from work after having stopped at the shuk (marketplace) along the way. The electronic sign flashed “4 minutes” until the next train. It stated that due to disruptions on the track, the train would not be going further then Ammunition Hill. The minutes counted down and as it said, “approaching,” it then switched to “4 minutes” again.

A very pregnant woman asked me what was going on. I assured her, “The train will come.”

As the clock crept ever so slowly to “1 minute,” it then switched to “12 more minutes.” At this point I had been standing in the sun for about a half hour. The crowd had deepened as the minutes passed.

An old Haradi man sat on the bench and said, “What is wrong?”

Another man standing beside him in a kippa (meaning that he was also religious, but not Haradi) said, “Yesterday an Arab boy was abducted and killed and found in the forest and they are rioting down the road.”

All ears listened. As people gathered around I couldn’t hear so well, but the standing man said, “I was born in Hevron. We had to leave in 1945.”

He said some more but I couldn’t hear him. A woman came up and said, “I was also born in Hevron and had to leave around the same time.”

She went on to argue the other side of the question. The question is always the same: “We are to blame vs they are to blame.”

Voices rose and a large crowd gathered with everyone speaking at once. There was SO MUCH ANGER. At the same time I turned around and saw a group of boys – religious teenagers – walking up the tracks with fists flexing, filled with rage. I had just seen some Arab teens with the same look and stance on the train that I took to the shuk.

I have never seen anything like this before.

These are kids who were small children during the last intifada, so they have not seen war yet. They are looking for an outlet for their anger rather then knowing when to restrain it.

I immediately flashed back to the book that I had re-read in May, Watchmen on the Wall by Hannah Hurnard. What the author described as being the emotional atmosphere just before the breakout of the war of Independence was happening around us. She described the rage on both sides as hitting a wall.

No, I have not seen it to this extent before.

Although the investigation is not complete, early reports in Palestinian media are saying that the Palestinian teen who was found in the Jerusalem forest had been burned alive. What a horror! Over and over I hear, “Oh, please don’t let it have been a Jew who did this.”

We must wait and see. But as we wait, riots rage, cars and buses are being attacked by rocks, fires are being set, and arguments are heated.

Our southern border with Gaza has been on the verge of igniting as some 30 rockets a day are raining down from Gaza. There have been a number of direct hits on buildings, including a home that was being used as a summer camp for children. It is truly a miracle that no one has been injured.

Israel is responding and many troops (including the sons and daughters of believers) have been called up to the border. Please pray for them. Egypt is trying to broker a cease-fire. I personally have been amazed at the strong calm of Binyamin Netanyahu, our prime minister, who has been quoting more and more scripture, not in a religious manner, but as one who is truly reading the Bible. He says that he studies it to find answers.

Today is Shabat and so there is quiet outside of our apartment as people rest and so does the news media. I do not hear nearly as many sirens or planes today. It is also the Moslem Ramadan and so the Arabs have been rioting mostly at night on a full stomach. Shabat ends at around 8:30 p.m. I have no idea what lies ahead, but oh how thankful I am that I can and do praise The One Who DOES know and that I know beyond a doubt that He has it all in His Hands for His glory.

Your sis,

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June 29, 2014 · 7:25 am

Inside Israel

Greetings, dearest sisters and brothers in Yeshua. May HE Whom we love be blessed and glorified and listened to and worshipped and adored…and may we His body be built into His glorious temple for His glory alone.

As I write, the train has stopped and shrill sirens fill the air as yet another fire, a very large one, burns out of control, apparently between the Jerusalem forest, Yad v’shem and Ein Kerem, right here on the outskirts of the city. Large plumes of thick smoke billow upward, darkening the sky, punctuated by the acrid smell of burning trees. The sheer number of fire trucks, water planes, police, and many ambulances are quite worrisome.

Our largest hospital, Hadassah Ein Kerem, is in this area. Many if not most of the fires like this are purposely set by Arabs. Sad but true. See photos of the ongoing fire here.

We are surrounded by “sad but true” events much more then we would like to admit. The relief comes in rare, special moments. There was one of those moments on the train coming home from work today. Actually the first time that I have had an experience like this on the train.

A small Haradi man got on the train with an old accordion. The man was a rather good looking gentleman of about 55, distinguished, neat, and intelligent. His accordion had flowers painted on it and designs that I haven’t seen since I was a child when accordions were more popular.

The train was as usual quite crowded, but some relief comes at the Central Bus Station stop (tachanat merkezit in Hebrew). Many get off the train and a collective sigh of relief comes from those of us finally able to find a seat. As the train took off again I thought that I heard the lovely melancholy strain of the accordion and turned to look. The man with the accordion was sitting and two other, much older Haradi men were standing beside him. Others gathered.

He was playing some old Russian Jewish songs, beautiful ones that spoke to the heart. The lady sitting beside me started humming. A young man called out, “Where are you from?”

Strain and fatigue left every face in the car and soon everyone was humming and smiling. The man just played quietly with such a lovely expression on his face and we all smiled. Each one thanked him as we got off at our respective stops. He simply nodded. It was a delightful and peaceful interlude in the midst of tension and pain.

The three kidnapped Israeli teens remain the prominent issue in every heart here. Billboard sized signs are displayed on the buses: Bring Back Our Boys. The responses by other countries of the world have been filled with concerns for the Palestinians being upset over our search efforts. This compounds the hurt in the hearts of the Israeli people. Perhaps it is a cultural difference.

In an interview on local news, US envoy Dennis Ross made the point that the place of the child in the Jewish family is unique and that each child is celebrated here as a special treasure. This fact is not something understood by everyone.

Over the years, I have been struck by how much cultural differences influence our perceptions of everything, even The Word of God. That is until The Holy Spirit truly becomes our translator. Then there is hope. How wonderful that through The Holy Spirit we can REALLY fellowship and communicate.

I had the opportunity to sit yesterday in a most wonderful and unique facility that I have described before, called Yad Sarah. Yad Sarah is unique and wonderful. It was started by a young Haradi boy who rode a bicycle around the neighborhood. He saw that a neighbor needed a hospital raised toilet seat. His family had one. He strapped it to his back and brought it to the neighbor.

Then he found a walker − and wouldn’t you know it − another neighbor needed one. He strapped it to his back and took it to him. Soon people began hearing about the boy who could get you hospital equipment to use at home for free. Some donated and others borrowed. An old bus shell became the first storage shed.

Well, time, vision, and a big heart began to do its work. And Yad Sarah was born. It is a 100% volunteer nationwide organization that not only supplies wheel chairs, beds, canes, walkers you name it, but dental care for the elderly, hearing aids, legal help, and so forth. Well, why am I telling you?? See for yourself here.

So, as I sat there, I noticed a young Chinese man with a kippa (yarmulke or skull cap) atop his head talking to a counselor. The conversation was in Hebrew, English, and CHINESE. Yep, the Israeli volunteer spoke Chinese. As I listened, my heart went out to them. They spoke for well over the hour. They were there when I came and still there when I left. It seemed from what I heard that the young man had made aliyah fairly recently. He seemed to be experiencing what I have come to recognize as a trauma particular to immigrants: having functioned as a competent adults in their old country, they are now helpless children, even needing to learn how to speak again.

It is a terrifying and confusing experience. Growing up in NYC I have known and witnessed this phenomena all of my life but only found out what it felt like myself nearly 20 years ago when we made aliyah. It HURTS!

I listened as the counselor said to this young man, “Ok, so you go to the shuk (market) and you will hear people say mah nish mah? (how are you?) What do you answer? At one point they discussed how to make a doctor’s appointment and then the young man took the phone and made one while the counselor coached him in the background. It was so touching. He patiently encouraged the panicky depressed young man, so gently showing him how far he had already come.

Soon my turn came.

Ok, I have NEVER had a problem like this before. You stood with us in prayer through our move and I KNOW that The Lord brought us to THIS apartment with its challenges and lessons. But I have never had a neighbor call the POLICE before and file a complaint that we were too noisy. Certainly not at 4:30 in the morning when I was asleep.

“Let none of us suffer as an evil doer.”

Oh my, this was a pickle. It will not glorify The Lord to go into full detail, but my heartbeat was thrown off by these incidents. Our stress levels went through the roof as we became afraid to even MOVE. I received very wise counsel from my Pastor who told me that I needed to consult a lawyer and find out our rights and responsibilities. Just get some legal advice.

“Lawyer!” The very word struck fear into my heart. EXPENSIVE…scary…”agree with your adversary quickly”…yada yada yada.

Well, Yad Sarah offers free legal help for those over 65 years (yep, that’s me) or under certain income (yep here, too) so I made an appointment with a volunteer Lawyer. I received not only advice, but A LOT of sympathy and a forceful letter stating that her client has been harassed and intimidated to the detriment of health. And if it continued she herself (the lawyer) would prosecute to the full extent of the law.

Wow!

She suggested that I give the letter to the upstairs neighbor immediately, but I will simply hold it in case of further trouble. We were told that we must be free to live normally and NOT to allow ourselves to be intimidated. This was then made clear to me by The Holy Spirit. Under HIS Authority we are here and HIS boundaries are also here. I am continuing to thank The Lord daily for this apartment AND to pray mercy for my neighbor and SALVATION.

I must close and make dinner, but I have been re-reading the old book, “Of Whom The World Was Not Worthy” by Marie Chapian. It’s an incredible testimony of a praying godly family in WWII Yugoslavia. Perhaps because war is such an ever present tangible here I see afresh the great value of watching someone who lived through great atrocity by fixing their eyes upon Jesus, Yeshua h’Meshiach The Lord and seeing His Hand move in impossible ways to navigate His sheep through fire and flood.

There was a 13 year old boy killed and his father injured on Golan Heights several days ago when someone from the Syrian army fired a rocket at a work vehicle. The young teenage boy had accompanied his father to work that day because it was the first day of school vacation. He was an Israeli Arab from a town in the Galilee.

Israel responded by bombing Syria for the first time. We are told that 4 soldiers were killed in our response. That is in the north. To the east, Iran and Iraq are looming large. To our south, Egypt has wrested itself out of the grips of the Moslem brotherhood. Gaza ferments on the SW and the Palestinian Authority within our borders writhes with anger and hatred.

And a small people, unworthy to be given great promises, has those promises as our only hope. May The Giver of those promises become our only focus.

OOPS…dinner is late.

I SEND MUCH MUCH MUCH LOVE,

Your sis J

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June 22, 2014 · 7:08 am

Inside Israel

Part 1.

In the midst of some huge crises here in Israel, in neighboring countries, and further abroad, I would like to share with you today about a wedding.

This isn’t very spiritual, but it sure sets the scene. I do not encourage any of you to watch it, but there is a movie from back in the 1970s called Little Big Man, which has often come to mind as a close parallel to my life. That makes sense if you have seen the movie because of the wild situations Dustin Hoffman found himself in the story. Like Hoffman, I find myself in some of the most unlikely situations. Well, that is what I thought about while my husband and I were being driven at high speeds by our son-in-law in the wedding car on Jerusalem Highway 1 heading to a huge wedding. And yes, we were late.

Now, my husband and I had never ridden in a wedding car before that day.

Where I grew up the cars were decorated with tin cans and had “Just Married” written across the back window, usually in shaving lotion. In Israel, the wedding cars are decorated with veils, huge bows and flowers and lots of ribbon. Everyone strains to see the bride and groom inside. In this case I am sure they were surprised to see a rather diminutive OLD couple.

Back up. So, how did we get into this position, and who was getting married?

Well, I told you that my son-in-law is the oldest of 14 children in a very religious Haradi family.

As I have explained before, Jews are generally divided into two ethnic groups: Ashkenazi and Sephardic. The Ashkenazi were dispersed following the Babylonian captivity into the European and Western nations while the Sephardic were dispersed into the Asian, African and Spanish speaking nations.

The Ashkenazi developed Yiddish as a common language spoken between countries and the Sephardic had a common language called Ladino. My mother was Ashkenazi and my father was Sephardic. That is known in Jerusalem as a “mixed marriage.”

Our son-in-law’s family is Sephardic, coming from Algeria to France and then finally here. The two groups usually have different customs and synagogues even within the distinctions of orthodox, conservative or reformed.

It IS hard to explain without getting you MORE confused.

They also generally support different political parties, which have their own rabbinical sages. The orthodox Haradi Sephardic party is SHAS and our son-in-law’s brother was marrying the leader’s daughter. This was BIG!

There were over 1,000 people at the wedding and I would not hesitate to venture a guess that I was the only believer. Besides all of the political leaders, there were chief rabbis, sages and scribes, all identified by different ceremonial garb.

Photos of wedding can be seen here.

Part 2.

I must admit that I laughed as I opened a few responses to Part 1. There was one collective question: Where were the WOMEN? Where was the BRIDE?

My original intent in sharing about this wedding was exactly to share some of the interesting differences that you likely won’t see at a western wedding. Although many things have changed throughout the millennia, but others haven’t changed much.

In the orthodox traditions, men and women are separated. The women are kept from the eyes of men so the men can avoid temptation and distraction.

I am so thankful for The Holy Spirit Who leads us into clean paths. Years ago, the Holy Spirit began teaching me that holiness was more than not sinning. If I guard myself from all temptation so that I do not fall into sin, I may open the door to legalism.

He showed me that the purifying work of The Holy Spirit takes place in the hidden rooms of the heart, replacing my nature with His, so that He in me is repulsed by the sin that my flesh loved. Entering into victory is a work of His Spirit and so, of course, we flee temptation.

But that evening we were separated into different areas for the reception, by a thick curtain. Men on one side and women on the other. The dancing is traditional circle dances. Women with women and men with men. The dancing men were displayed on a large screen on the women’s side, but the women were not displayed.

I must back up a bit though.

The wedding itself took place outside at the traditional time: just before or just after sunset. It was under the chuppa. a wedding canopy held by 4 poles and often the poles are held by 4 young men. I looked around at the crowd and was afraid that I was the only woman present aside from those in the wedding party, but I spotted a few others scattered around. So I felt safe about staying.

This wedding took place the night before our Knesset elected a new Israeli President for the country, but even though it was such an important political event, I was saddened that during the ceremony itself, few of the distinguished guests were praying or paying attention. They spoke with one another or on cell phones. It grieved my heart as the political wheeling and dealing swirled around me. So I prayed.

There are 7 blessings read at the end of the ceremony. Famous rabbis and sages proclaimed these blessings for the couple. The groom broke the wine glass, sealing the covenant, and more rabbis examined the papers of the couple before signing the ketuba or wedding contract between the couple and before God.

The happy couple and their families finally came down from the chuppa to shouts of “mazel tov” (good luck). But the couple did not yet join the guests, as it was necessary for them to first consummate the marriage before being presented to the waiting guests. If it is necessary for the marriage to be annulled, it is my understanding that it would happen at this time. There is a separate little room for the couple to go to while the wedding guests wait.

When the bride and groom emerge, the rejoicing and dancing begin, and it is a most joyful time.

Sephardic tradition is known for its passion, warmth and fiery emotions, whereas Ashkenazim are known for more reserved, intellectual, and cultured ways. The wedding atmosphere displayed this somewhat. A few years back there was a HUGE wedding here in Jerusalem in the Ashkenazi Orthodox community. (You can see it here.)

If I remember correctly there were more then 25,000 people at that one.

So, to answer your question: the women and the bride WERE there, but you won’t see their photographs.

Right now we are praying that the 3 kidnapped teens will live and return to be blessed at weddings of their own in the future.

I share about these issues because I write to a wide variety of brethren, some very knowledgeable about world events and others less so. Thank you for your patience. There are many prayer gatherings here for the safe return of these three, nationally, on smaller group levels and in our Knesset. The worldview, sadly, is decidedly different. One such opinion can be seen here.

In the years that I have lived here, I have watched the fulfillment of scriptural prophecy progress rapidly, and things that appeared far off just a few years ago now seem to be knocking on the door. Israel standing alone seems far more real in spite of wonderful pockets of believers who know and stand with us, recognizing God’s purposes. But from my perspective in Jerusalem, it seems the groups are getting smaller and smaller.

There seemed to me to be a time of grace and learning and opening of doors of hearts and understanding, but time has so sped up that suddenly we may be shocked to look around and find ourselves in a completely different, hostile environment.

Brothers and Sisters, I have such a sense of our need for watchfulness. When I say that, I believe that it means us individually. If we are watching, He is well able to show us the larger picture as need be for each of us. IF our hearts are steadfastly watching and waiting, we can be prepared to be used by Him at a moment’s notice.

Oops…I turned melancholy again. Not really melancholy, but serious. My portion is to share what I witness. Thank you for looking through my window. I send much love.

Your sis in Jerusalem, the pressure cooker at the center of the world,

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June 8, 2014 · 7:45 am

Inside Israel

Shavuot – 3-4June.2014

Greetings dear brothers and sisters,

Only by His grace will He be glorified and only by His grace will this bring you any blessing and encouragement. Lord, thank you for Your grace… so much more intricate and precious then we can imagine.

Shavuot begins in a few more hours, at sundown tonight. It is one of the three High holy days that God commanded all of the males of the tribes of Israel to “Come up to Jerusalem” and present themselves before Him. So many times, both in the Gospels, in Acts, and in the letters, we read about Jesus or the disciples “Going up to Jerusalem” for the feast. It was a scriptural command that remains in tact for the Jews of today, and is obeyed by the religious and many less religious.

My favorite scripture specifically about Shavuot is found in Deuteronomy 26:1-11 –

             “and it shall be, when you come into the land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, and you possess it and dwell in it, that you shall take some of the first of all the produce of the ground, which the Lord your God is giving you, and put it in a basket and go to the place where the Lord your God chooses to make His name abide.  And you shall go to the one who is priest in those days, and say to him, ‘I declare today to the Lord your God that I have come to the country which the Lord swore to our fathers to give us.’

            Then the priest shall take the basket out of your hand and set it down before the alter of the Lord your God.  And you shall answer and say before the Lord your God:  ‘My father was a Syrian, about to perish, and he went down to Egypt and dwelt there, few in number; and there he became a nation, great, mighty, and populous.  But the Egyptians mistreated us, afflicted us, and laid hard bondage on us.  Then we cried out to the Lord God of our fathers, and the Lord heard our voice and looked on our affliction and our labor and our oppression.  So the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and with an outstretched arm, with great terror and with signs and wonders.  He has brought us to this place and has given us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey; and now, behold, I have brought the firstfruits of the land which you, O Lord, have given me.’

            Then you shall set it before the Lord your God and worship before the Lord your God.  So you shall rejoice in every good thing which the Lord your God has given you and your house, you and the Levite and the stranger who is among you.”

We also read:

Leviticus 21:15-16, 21  “You shall count for yourselves — from the day after the Shabbat, from the day when you bring the Omer of the waving — seven Shabbats, they shall be complete. Until the day after the seventh sabbath you shall count, fifty days… You shall convoke on this very day — there shall be a holy convocation for yourselves — you shall do no laborious work; it is an eternal decree in your dwelling places for your generations. “

This is really the end of Passover. After the eating of matzo, the people are commanded to begin counting the omer for 50 days (omer being the ripened grain within the husk). A week of weeks and that is where the name Shavuot or “weeks” comes from. Many actually abstain from eating wheat from the beginning of Passover until the presenting of the new harvest before The Lord and thanking Him for it on Shavuot.

But Shavuot is celebrated by the church worldwide as well. It is known as Pentecost. (The word ‘Pentecost’ meaning 50 days) That is why it is written in Acts 2:1

“When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place…v.5 And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven…”

They were dwelling there temporarily, just like today, when devout Jews come from around the world to Jerusalem to bring their offering and fulfill the command.

When I first read about Pentecost in the light of the scriptures about Shavuot, it thrilled me. The Holy Sprit given, the fulfillment of time − just as the end of the counting of the omer is the fulfillment of time and the ripening of the grain within the husk. Oh the plans of The Lord are so intricately beautiful, even in our small glimpses. May His Holy Spirit – our Teacher Who has promised to lead us into all Truth – give us understanding and help us to rejoice before Him with an offering of firstfruits, for His glory.

I don’t know how today’s traditions evolved, but it is a day when those who observe Shavuot generally wear white and eat dairy. It is the time for commemorating the day that the Torah or the Law was given to Moses on Mt. Sinai. So perhaps the white represents the pure milk of The Word, and thus the dairy food and white clothing coupled with study groups.

Our prayer is that these groups will return to studying Scripture, for as it stands now, it generally isn’t. These study groups have actually evolved into a very interesting thing. Twenty years ago, when we came, the religious had a monopoly on them. Long processions of seekers, dressed in white, would wind their way through the Old City streets to the wall, the night gently lit by old-fashioned torches that they carried on the way. They would sit all night and all of the next day in front of the western wall of Solomon’s temple, studying, reading, and praying.

Over the past few years, many of the religious started to reach out to the more secular. They hold study groups all over the country, in homes, schools, parks, any area. Not to be outdone, many secular leaders began holding their own study groups and the subjects began to vary until there are really some far fetched ones out there.

One year my boss (a Doctor) told me that he had studied with a large group of doctors – debating different philosophies applied in modern medicine in the light of Torah (example; extending life by machines, issues concerning suffering, etc.).

To read more about how Shavuot is observed there are many sites to google and there is always https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shavuot. I simply love reading what God says in His Word.

I challenged my boss this year; “Why don’t you study the Prophet Ezekiel this year?” I asked.

He looked puzzled. “Will you?” he asked me.

“Sounds good to me, ok,” I answered.

So, it looks like I will do just that. I pray that the Lord will start stirring my boss’ hungry heart to just READ THE WORD! And MANY hungry hearts, for there truly are many.

One thing that I learn daily as I look into His Word, is that there is ALWAYS room at the Cross for me AND for everyone else. God bless you as you seek Him.

Lovingly,

your sis J

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June 1, 2014 · 8:35 am

Inside Israel

Blessings with Love in The precious Name above all names, Yeshua h’meshiach, Jesus Christ. May HE be blessed and glorified and may you be edified, blessed and found of Him in His peace.

Whew!

The Pope came and went and it was QUITE a study in Jewish psychology to see and hear the responses. Yesterday, the streets were empty in my part of Jerusalem. We went shopping in Talpiot, a neighborhood in the South East of the city that is usually booming with people, but we just zipped through empty streets and stores.

TODAY, on the other hand, the streets and stores are full and happy. Tonight begins JERUSALEM DAY, marking the anniversary of that mystical, miraculous, wonderful day in 1967 when suddenly Israel found Jerusalem in our hands again, for the first time in 2,000 years. The wonder of it does not cease to amaze me, although the world tries its best to at least put a damper on the joy. May they not win, but may their eyes be open to come and share in the rejoicing.

AND dairy products are being bought by the ton as women begin to bake and bake and BAKE, mostly cheesecakes. Yep, in preparation for Shavuot (Pentecost) which arrives next Tuesday night: Shavuot being one of the THREE high holy days during which God commanded all the men of Israel to come up to Jerusalem and rejoice before Him at the temple. Shavuot was NOT commanded to be a sacrifice of milk (although you might think so by the tradition of eating only milk products and dressing in white), but to present the first loaves of bread baked with grain from the new harvest, as a wave offering with thanksgiving to the priest.

Ok. That was the introduction. Now to elaborate:

Two other popes have visited us since we have lived here. In both of those cases there was actually quite a bit of excitement and curiosity within Israel among the Jews. Now please understand: I am trying to describe something that might be hard to grasp for many of you. This calls for a very quick, and very inadequate history lesson given by me…NOT an authority, but only sharing what I know as a Jew and from my own experiences.

Even today, most Jews do not REALLY know the difference (or think that there is any) between Catholics, Protestants, other orthodox sects and even Mormonism for that matter. The history of relations between Catholics and Jews goes back to the Roman destruction of the temple, the dispersion and the separation of the early Church (about 120 years after it’s inception, I believe) from the original Jewish believers.

Persecution grew and continued growing with the Church of those days establishing that Jews were cursed of God as Christ killers. OF COURSE there has ALWAYS been a remnant that knew and understood the ways of God and sought Him, but I am sharing from the perspective of non-believing Jews. On came the Inquisition, pogroms, countless banishments and dispersions.

When I was a child I recall being accosted by three of my small girlfriends, Roman Catholics, on their communion day, in their white dresses, telling me that I had killed Jesus. Let’s put it this way − relations between Catholics and Jews were not good.

However, in 1948 with the establishment of the modern State of Israel, a problem was posed. If the Jews were cursed with no chance of redemption, how did THIS happen? Well, I’m not an authority on the Catholic church nor desire to become one, but there has been since 1948 a roadway of dialogue and reconciliation.

Ok. Let’s get on with it. This pope is not perceived as someone who likes Israel. The other two were. There was a great deal of nervousness on the part of most Israelis about his coming. He was going to Jordan first and then arriving in the Palestinian Authority by way of Beit Lechem (Bethlehem), circumventing Israel.

Only after that would he come to Israel. He has an obvious dislike for our Prime Minister and prefers to speak to President Peres, the very liberal figurehead of the country who is NOT supposed to have any political influence. In the midst of this, a growing number of angry Jewish youth from the settlement movement on our political right have been carrying out “price tag attacks” and vandalizing Palestinian and Israeli Arab property, often leaving very hurtful graffiti at random every time a Jewish community or home is destroyed as illegal. (I suspect that you don’t hear of such things in the press, but only about the demolition of illegal Arab housing, right?). There have been recent such attacks against some churches and there was fear that the Pope might be targeted.

THIS IS MY POINT: I was shocked and moved by the reaction of the people from my vantage point in Jerusalem during this visit. As I said, streets were deserted. People on the bus or train were all looking downward and they looked sad. I asked The Lord, “What is this?”

As I looked I realized that I was seeing the face of shame. The impression that I got was not that this was the sort of shame that leads to repentance, but the shame that comes from condemnation. I didn’t expect that, but I saw downtrodden souls. I saw a people ashamed that they exist and I KNOW that feeling. I remember it well. I am so thankful to be FREE from it, completely, in Yeshua, but I do remember the feeling. It was a feeling that my very existence, as a Jew, was repulsive to the world and a mistake. I could do nothing right, and that just when I THOUGHT I was doing something right, I would then find out I was wrong. My fault again! The world would be better without me.

This is what I saw around me and the people hid in their houses. Oh, you could say that we were warned of traffic jams and told that there would be disruptions, but I have REALLY seen enough of those over the past 20 years to know that it rarely keeps people inside.

The pope left and was not injured while he was here, thankfully, and there was a collective sigh of relief.

And things were DIFFERENT this morning on the train. The train was JAMMED with young people in their 20s, huge backpacks and sun tanned faces, long walking sticks and smiles. “Are you here for Jerusalem Day?” I asked one of them.

“We are walking the Israel Trail, but wanted to be in Jerusalem for the celebrations. Those over there have walked from the North for Jerusalem Day.”

A young man smiled. “Well, we have only been walking for 2 days,” he said apologetically.

An older man sitting across from me also enjoyed them. “So why are you on the train? Get out and walk.”

The joy caught on and I looked around at the people who had fought in the siege of Jerusalem, at those who had heard the shofar sound at the Western Wall, and at those who read the Psalm with such wonder: “Our feet are standing within your gates O Jerusalem….”

Jerusalem is a mystery. We did not intend to live in Jerusalem when we made aliyah. We intended to live in the country, NOT a city and certainly NOT Jerusalem. But I have found that what is said of her is true: “No one can choose to live in Jerusalem…Jerusalem chooses who she will.”

In the Psalms, the “song’s of ascent” are the Psalms that are (and were) sung as the tribes went up to Jerusalem at the appointed times. I understand that in 1967 when it was heard that Jerusalem was in our hands that the people were told to stay away at first because the war was so difficult and no one knew if it was really over. But the people could not be stopped. They just began walking and kept walking from all over the country and every direction they came up to Jerusalem.

I love to listen to the stories told of that day among our patients. One lived under the old city wall, (many poor people lived under the wall) but had never been inside the old city. Her mother told her, “Tamima. Stay down! Do not go out!” But she said that she heard OUR soldiers and she just ran out and followed them.

Sari Sapir was a young reporter and followed the troops in. She saw a very large ancient key fall to the ground and picked it up and ran after the Arab who dropped it saying, “Sir, sir! You dropped your key!”

The Lord had put such a fear into them that they ran when they didn’t need to. She showed me the key once when I was at her house, about a foot long. How ancient it is I cannot venture to guess.

Tomorrow there will be dancing. They call it “the flag dance” as the streets will be full of people dancing with the flag. I love Jerusalem day. I love the feeling of delight at something so much bigger then us, something that God hath done.

What will be tomorrow? We do not know. Not with this city that the world wants to divide − the stone of stumbling and the rock of offense, the place that God chose to put His Name. Why? Because.

Jerusalem day approaches.

As does Shavuot a week from tonight.

ANSWERS TO PRAYERS: Thank you SO much, those of you who took up the burden that I shared with you in my last email concerning the stillborn Baby and parents so new at seeking Him. And for my daughter…

My daughter told me that the funeral was completely centered on The Lord and that the Mother picked out worship songs to be played. They are turning to HIM for comfort. Our daughter had an unexpected outpouring of love from friends, world wide who didn’t even know about what was going on. It was unprecedented for her and it riveted her attention on Him and she was availed of the strength and provision that He had for her. I want to give HIM glory for answered prayer and to thank you so very much for your love in His Spirit.

I also want to say before I close that my words are not polished, and I am neither a prophet, teacher nor an expert in anything, but the words are an offering to Him and my sole intent is to glorify Him and bless the body as a witness in a place that most of you can not live in. I want to be faithful in what He has called me to do but I am aware that my limitations might bring offense to someone sometime. I am open to challenges or criticisms in His Spirit, so if I do offend you, please tell me how. May we all be found faithful and walking more and more in His Light and His Truth as we see the day rapidly approaching.

Lovingly,

your sister J

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Tagged as Christianity, Church, Gifts of the Spirit, Israel, Jerusalem, Kingdom of God, Prayer, Prophecy, Spiritual warfare

May 25, 2014 · 7:37 am

Inside Israel

Dearest Sisters and Brothers of like-precious faith, I greet you for His glory and blessing. May you be blessed and encouraged as we grow together in the knowledge of Him Who Alone is worthy of all praise!

Shalom. Once again I should be headed to bed but so want to share with you from the smelting pot of testing and grace.

The streets and public transportation of Jerusalem afford me a peculiar set of eyeglasses to see this city. I had a couple of interesting encounters this past week that reminded me of the vantage point that I have and the obligation I feel to share it.

The first event took place on my beloved bus. Coming home from work I see many of the same faces day after day, even as tired as I am. We nod, sometimes exchange a few words, but being a crowded public bus, there are always new people on board as well. I groaned with relief as I fell into a seat the other day, next to a woman about my own age. I had been standing for much of the ride and it felt so good to be sitting.

As I watched others boarding the already packed bus, a rather disheveled, large woman boarded and walked toward the back. The bus driver called her forward and there was some jostling and soon quite a bit of noise. The woman was yelling. At first I couldn’t make out what was going on, but she was speaking English and it soon became clear. She hadn’t paid and refused to pay. She began yelling, cursing the Jews, cursing Israel and all Israelis. She was neither Jewish nor Arab from her looks. The entire bus cringed. She threw the money at the driver. The woman next to me said, “Oh! I would have given her money for her ticket. Some people can’t afford it. I would give the money…”

All around me men and women cringed in pain and I recognized it. I wonder if I can describe it. It is a particular pain that comes when your race is being hated. We are surely not alone in feeling that. Arabs feel that…Blacks feel that…Hispanics… Orientals… Caucasians…ALL people have likely felt that. Some get angry. Some ignore it. I have noticed that Jews and Israelis usually cringe with pain. The whole bus was cringing with pain.

The woman next to me said again, “Poor woman. She is crazy. Maybe she doesn’t have any money. We are not all bad, are we?”

I told her about an old woman at my work that had an even older Mother, nearly one hundred. The Mother was blind and ill, but every Friday morning she would feel her way down the stairs to the street and give a shekel to a beggar who came at the same time. When her daughter saw her do this one day, she said, “Mama, why are you doing this?”

Her mother answered, “Ora, even a beggar should be able to have flowers for Shabat.”

That started the ball rolling. Stories began to pour forth, hidden gifts given anonymously for years, different ways that people could help one another without fanfare. I kept turning the conversation back to God and my seat mate smiled and said, “You know, I may not LOOK like it (she was wearing pants, so obviously not religious) but I love God and fear Him too.”

I smiled and said, “Oh, so do I. And His Word says that He doesn’t look on the outward, but on the heart.”

She asked, “Do you think that God sees this?”

Our ride was right at the end now but I smiled at her, squeezed her hand, and said, “I KNOW that He does.”

We bid each other a very warm “shalom” and parted ways, but I wondered about the bus encounters and the juxtaposition of people and events and the prevalence of hatred.

I thought of the cursing bus-woman again today as I had a totally different encounter. I was in the shuk. I have described the shuk to you countless times, but will just remind you that amongst all of the food vendors there are also small open-air shops that sell dry goods, clothing, and all manner of merchandise. I stopped to look at a light-weight bag hanging from the roof of a tiny 3 walled shop. Spoken English always catches my ear and there was the young Ethiopian-descent shop owner speaking English with an older black woman who had a thick French accent. As I listened, she explained to him that her daughter had married a Jewish man. They moved here from France. It was her first time visiting and the language was hard for her. The young man asked her what she thought of the country.

“I think it is good,” she said. “There is just something here that I can’t explain, that is good. They are happy too.”

The young man said, “I have lived in Canada and in Australia but this is the best place in the world. It is the place that we have to be and it is wonderful.”

Now I REALLY paid attention.

The woman went on, “There is something…well…different about the people here. They take time to talk to you. They help you. They are kind and smile at you. It is not like people in France.”

My mind jumped back to the cursing bus lady earlier in the week. The young man saw me looking at them and asked me if I needed help. I answered in Hebrew and said, “Oh no, I am fine but excuse me for intruding, it is just so wonderful hearing this conversation.”

He smiled and I said, “I agree. This is the place that God has called us back to and the place where He said that He would bless us if we turn to Him.”

We kept the line of discussion going and he asked me where I was from. As I shared I felt as if we were in sort of a bubble separated from the rest of the world. We were all smiling and there was real warmth being exchanged.

Up until this time I had been speaking in Hebrew and the young man would translate for the woman. She turned to him and said, “Doesn’t this woman shine? I mean there is such a Light coming from her from inside.”

I was taken aback. It has seemed a long time since I heard those words and I wasn’t feeling particularly spiritual. I said, “If there is any Light in me it is the Light of God in Yeshua. He Is The Light who called us here.”

I surprised myself, but they didn’t seem to hear me say this. They just kept smiling and the atmosphere was permeated with such a love.

The two encounters made me think again about how MUCH our response to EVERY situation is so important. David responded to the words of the prophet Nathan pointing out his sin with Bat Sheva by saying: “IT IS ME LORD. I HAVE SINNED BEFORE YOU.”

Saul responded to the words of the prophet Samuel pointing out his sin of disobedience by saying, “IT IS NOT ME. I HAVE OBEYED THE LORD”

Two kings and two different responses.

I don’t know what caused the cursing woman on the bus to arrive at the state that she was in. But I think of things common to man: rejection, hurt, offense, deep wounds, and sin. These things are danger points in our lives. We can respond by growing angry, bitter, hurt, but these things turn us AWAY from God. God HAS a proper response for us to give when awful things happen to us. Simply put, we will either turn to God and embrace His strong medicine, or turn AWAY from God and sink in the mire of our own emotions, the world’s answers or counterfeit solutions.

Here I go again…telling you stuff that you already know when I need to go to bed. Oh BLESSINGS to you dear sisters and brothers. May we each press more and more into Him Who really IS the only way, Truth and Light. Love from your sister in the midst

Inside Israel

Oh dear brothers and sisters, I greet you from a hidden place in The Rock with much love and a longing to let you know how special you are as His body. May we glorify Him and may He be blessed, and may this letter be an encouragement and blessing to you for His glory.

It is difficult to believe that this three-week period of being on my own is rapidly drawing to an end as my husband is scheduled to return on Monday. He has thoroughly enjoyed his trip.

And did I write, as I had planned? No. Did I go to the zoo, as I had planned? No. Did I do much of what I had planned to do? No. Nor do I feel that the time was wasted but it was a time of being secreted away, often just in His Presence with no words, and often finding myself just doing what I felt He wanted me to do. I was hoping for intense times of prayer, but even that wasn’t my portion.

Yesterday and the day before I had the great joy of watching His power displayed in the form of a magnificent storm. This was unusual for this time of year because the sheer amount of rain that poured out upon us. What a blessing. It began with a full 12 hours of heat lightening. We have had a sha’rav (heat wave) with dry desert winds blowing from the south for a number of days. The grand crashes of thunder sent shivers down sensitive spines. Then, suddenly, the precious water began falling in sheets and continued for more then a day.

Our southern most city of Eilat alone received 1/3 of its annual rainfall during this period and more then 60 tourists needed to be rescued from flash floods while on a hike through a wadi in the south. Meanwhile, the temperature plunged from a very hot 33 degrees Celsius (about 91 Fahrenheit) to 11 degrees (about 52 F) in the same amount of time. I loved it as did most of the people that I saw and so did the dusty trees and flowers.

The air smells so fresh and clean but my greatest delight is the way The Lord personally blessed me in it. You see, when we moved to this new apartment, we brought with us two of our small trees. One was a fig tree that I had bought for my husband as a gift. These are now living at the bottom of our 27 steps and around back of the apartment. I was to keep them watered while my husband was gone, but I couldn’t get the back gate opened to water them. Twice during the 3 weeks I did succeed in getting back there and they did fine until the sha’rav. I looked out of the back window and there was my fig tree wilting away badly. I brought a bottle of water down to it but once again, could NOT unlock the gate. I prayed, “Oh Lord, please make a way for this little tree to be watered and not die.”

Well, He sure did! And I felt personally hugged and filled with thanksgiving, as the little tree is full and green today. Thank You Lord for caring about the little things.

During this time I have been blessed with much marvelous and encouraging fellowship both from out of the country and within. This too is something I have greatly needed. He knows our needs.

The last time that I wrote to you was the day before our Memory day- Yom h’zikeron. I had intended to write again of the vastness and permeating presence of grieving in a nation where nearly every family has lost at least one, if not many, love ones to war and/or terror. The nation stood silent during the minute long siren at 8 pm last Sunday night, announcing the beginning of the time to remember the fallen together. The nation seemed huddled together as one very tight family. Regular television and radio was stopped at the time and hearts opened up to share the stories, the memories, and the history. It was really quite humbling and very dramatic with raw emotion wrapped around it.

In developing the therapies to help people with posttraumatic stress, it was found that retelling the events was very helpful. So the entire nation sat and listened to one another. Names, dates, photos, montages of precious lives were shown, baby pictures, school photos, that first day in the army, the last photo before that one was ripped away suddenly. The family openly wept and the nation wept with each one. The siren sounded again, this time for 2 minutes at 11am on Monday. Be thankful for the sacrifices made, be thankful for the moments that we can share together in this life, be thankful for the nation born in a day, the promised land restored and the dream that these stood for that so many paid with blood.

The intensity of the day of Memory was almost unbearable. And it was inconceivable that we should be able to go from such grief to the heights of joy ushered in at 8pm on the same night. A few notes on the horn sounded it’s forlorn command and then suddenly a a major musical note signaled the flag bearers to raise the flag from half mast to fly again above the nation. The command to “Remember” turned upward from the graves to the wonder of those as if in a dream, the hope of 2,000 years, and the written promise. Could it be true? Such a painful price was paid in blood and is still being paid for the re-birth of the nation that God SAID would be re-born. The wonderful chapter 37 of the prophet Ezekiel became real before our eyes.

You know the scriptures. First He brings us back from the four corners of the earth where we have been scattered by Him because of our disobedience and THEN He reveals Himself. Now THAT day will be a wonder to never be surpassed until He rolls it all up as a scroll and says, “IT IS FINISHED!”

Every Yom h’atzmaoot (Independence Day), I watch the amazing ceremony, and I wonder how in the world they are able to pull it off, to make that dramatic and impossible transition from grief to joy, to go from the minor note to the major one, to lift the subdued lights to dancing ones, and to express again the bigness of the realities before our eyes. I think, But of course they can because HE did and HE is and HE will! AND DIDN’T THE DISCIPLES GO FROM GRIEVING TO JOY WHEN THEY REALIZED THAT HE WAS, INDEED, ALIVE AND NO LONGER DEAD?

And if HE was able to really call this scattered and broken people from the ends of the earth back to our ancient homeland, if HE could turn the world’s eyes and hearts for one moment to okay the plan that they would later, collectively, curse, if HE could cause the desert to blossom, then HE can also both defend this tiny nation AND even more important, open the corporate eyes of the heart of the nation in one day to “look upon Him Whom we have pierced.”

YES these dry bones can live…and will!

Each year I try to read a book before Yom h’atzmaoot to remind myself of the impossibility of the events that paved the streets that I walk on and to remind myself that I am looking into eyes that have seen these events. This year I am re-reading Watchmen on the Walls by Hannah Hurnard, who also wrote Hinds Feet on High Places. It is a lesser-known book but unique in many ways. After a brief history, we get to read her diaries from our war of Independence as she was living on ha ne’vi’im street (the street of the prophets) in the center of Jerusalem near to the Old City Walls. Her view was unique in that she was living right in the center as a believer.

I read accounts of those here, but there were precious few believers then. As I sat to write this letter I read some lines that she wrote and it so well tied this letter together. This is what she wrote about as the great attacks of the war and the siege of Jerusalem eased a bit and she had the gift of several weeks alone in the quiet, where she planned to write about what had happened:

“I had high hopes of filling in the lonely weeks happily and profitably, but at first nothing happened as planned. I found that mentally I was very tired. My mind almost refused to concentrate on the work, and the interruptions were endless… Although the first week after their departure was comparatively quiet, everything happened with a rush afterwards, and we had two of the most sensational weeks of the summer.”

I had to laugh. Yes, Lord! These three weeks alone did NOT go as I had planned. I have NOT written as I hoped nor answered personal mail. I am not in a war, and certainly NOT in the siege of Jerusalem, but I found my mind and body tired. I have been drinking from His well and believing that He is sorting many things out.

What a GOD we serve. He is Good and full of mercy. To know Him and follow Him is the whole of it, isn’t it? And if He can do this for one of us, surely He is able to open the eyes of this nation in a day, as He said that He will.

I end this letter with so much love. May our Faithful God BLESS you in The powerful, loving Name of Yeshua h’Meshiach, Jesus Christ, Lord of glory.

Lovingly,

your sis J

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May 4, 2014 · 8:51 am

Inside Israel

I greet you again brothers and sisters. Blessings to you and may the Lord be blessed and receive all the glory.

I don’t want to let this day pass without telling you what I have been reflecting upon as I walked through today − another Holocaust Memorial Day or yom h’shoar.

With World War 2 fading into the past, so are its people, both victims and heroes. This is the way of time, isn’t it? More aging Holocaust survivors end their life’s walk on this earth daily, although we have still a surprising number well into their 90s. The focus of attention turned this year more and more to those who were children at the time, the VERY innocent.

I have had the privilege of hearing from those who were ripped from their Mother’s arms and still survived. I heard many say, “I had never been away from my family before and never out of sight of my Mother, and they took me and I was alone and so scared.”

Okay. Yes. I’m a mother and a Grandmother so perhaps that makes me more sentimental toward children. We all have that God-borne instinct to protect the little ones that can’t protect themselves. The stories are as varied as the names and faces, and so are the results.

This morning I listened to the testimony of a now elderly child-survivor who was hidden away. Even as I write this, my heart EMBRACES our dear, dear Dutch friends whose families hid Jews during the war. We KNOW about Corrie tenBoom and others, but there are so many dear believers who were YESHUA in the midst of such hatred. Only Yeshua knows about their love and heroism.

Most of the displaced children came to (then) Palestine on a youth aliyah. Now youth aliyah is an amazing story in itself and totally unique. Instead of orphanages, Kibbutzim rose up composed of mostly children with perhaps a nurse, a doctor, and a teacher. The older children cared for the younger. It would make a fascinating study on-line if you are interested.

Well, the man I listened to this morning, a young child then and now an old man, described himself as resilient and a success story. I hadn’t thought of the word resilient in connection with the survivors. For me, that word contains so much life and I think of the broken skeleton survivors. Resilient? Hmm!

He was raised in a children’s kibbutz and later pioneered pediatric neurology both here in Israel and worldwide. He is blessed with both successful children and grandchildren. As he reflected about his past, he spoke of those who were not so resilient. There were those who committed suicide or ended up mentally unstable. He said that he speaks to strengthen others.

The siren wailed for two minutes at 10 am. All came to attention, stepping out of their cars and buses. But the wind was speaking and so were the birds as I stood outside the doctor’s office where I work, praying for the children of Israel today. Open their eyes TODAY Lord. Isn’t the time now?

I also have childhood memories’ concerning the shoar. I was born right after the war ended, but being in NYC the ships began arriving. Our family would go to the shipyards and wait and watch. I don’t know why, but two memories stand out above all others.

I was very small and my Father went over to check the list that was posted on a wall. The names of those arriving on the immigrant ships. I saw huddled masses, so sad and bedraggled, sitting with bundles. I was scared and pulled near to my Mother.

Another time, my mother pulled me close to her as a stranger came up to me and ran her fingers through my dark curly hair and said, “I once had a little girl like you. Yes, I once had a little girl like you…” A shiver ran down my spine. I felt such a deep and frightening emotions. I was so small, but I still remember holding on to my Mother’s knee.

It’s days like this when we remember that Life and death walk so close to each other. But I am startled back to reality as I remember that I reflect on the issues of life and death from a perspective of LIFE for YESHUA LIVES IN ME. My brothers and sisters after the flesh simply open up the grave and peer in and sigh and wonder.

On the way home I prayed for the harvest and that The Lord of the harvest would raise up His workers. And I thought, Huh…THIS harvest is different. And so the harvesters need different tools and different methods, as every farmer knows, no two crops are harvested alike. What will it take? I constantly ask Him to show me. I don’t know yet, but I’ll keep asking.

And now I run off to some errands and again send my love.

Your sister in Jerusalem,

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April 27, 2014 · 7:57 am

Inside Israel

I greet you, dearest brothers and sisters, in His Name, Yeshua h’Meshiach, and in His fear, love, and for His glory. May you be blessed and may HE be blessed and glorified.

Sometimes I wonder if my greetings sound pretentious or too flowery, but you know what? I mean them from the heart, and I just can think of no other way to begin these letters, offered to Him for His glory and with so much love for you, His body. I MEAN these greetings.

It has been a long time since I wrote, but it has truly been a whirlwind. I can only assume that you know that the “peace talks” between the Israelis and the Palestinians ended today. Sadly, it was EXACTLY as Israel warned: Having been told by the world, but particularly the US President, that the status quo here would no longer be acceptable, we were plunged into a process that we had seen before. Thus, things are now much worse then before.

Those who had gotten their hopes up are more discouraged then before. Things have now been said that had been better left unsaid. Another failure has been added to the long line of failures and now with Fatah and Hamas forming a unity government there is no remote possibility of an agreement.

We have prayed that the land would not be divided and Israel not be pressed into yet even this sin against God, and although we are thankful for that answer to prayer, it does not make the reality on the ground easier. I am SO THANKFUL that God really does know and have it all under His control.

Passover came and went, full of significance, joy, promise, and matzo.

We were (and still are) BLESSED by a number of very special visitors from around the world, encouraging us through the sweet taste of fellowship. We have met our new son-in-law’s ultra orthodox (Haradi) parents and eaten with them during the holiday. I have overheard many conversations (in Hebrew) on the transportation and in the streets concerning Yeshua. People argued about Him with each other and in the midst of all this, our fellowship met in Judea/Samaria, at the lovely home of one of our congregation members for a holiday Shabat dinner. The spontaneous worship under the stars nearly transported me with His Presence. I don’t believe that I have experienced a time like that in years. Surely it is a time of promise, a time to catch the breath and look unto Him with great expectancy.

My husband left the country on Wednesday morning to visit with our children and grandchildren. A miracle trip. He plans to be gone nearly 3 weeks. My prayer is for HIS BLESSING to be upon them all AND I am given my time alone that I have felt I needed. I covet your prayers as I still have many responsibilities (some extra ones with him gone) and there is quite a temptation to use the time as I please: organize this apartment, visit with long neglected friends, answer tons of letters and emails that I WANT to answer, read, go to the zoo, and to fill the time with prayer, reading, and sitting in His Presence. What I MOSTLY want is to just do what He wants me to do and I’m in a bit of a panic that I not miss it.

So this is a short, overview update. I suspect that I will share with you in depth about the peek into a different world as we visited with our daughter’s in-laws and also about the conversations that I overheard as I was out and about.

But…not tonight. Tonight I leave you for sleep. I have missed you. I am so thankful for you and so encouraged when I hear from you. God bless and keep you and draw you into His secret place.

Lovingly,

your sis J

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April 13, 2014 · 7:03 am

Inside Israel

Greetings with love in The Name of Yeshua h’Meshiach, The Lord, Who overcame both death AND life, sin AND our own self righteousness and Who through His great love and mercy has called us – unworthy as we are – to catch a glimpse and be a part of such an intricate and WONDERful plan. May HE be blessed and glorified, and may you be blessed.

I ache over this letter…Passover (Pesach) #2…because I have been writing to you daily in my head and have so much to share on so many levels and yet time constraints will not allow it to happen. May The Lord grant great grace to share something that will add to each of us.

Passover is the biggest time of Jewish year. According to Exodus 12 and 13 it is to be the BEGINNING of the year for us [Exodus 12:2], and how that changed I do not know, but however many of us still say to one another, “shana toga” (a good new year) anyway. Passover is usually considered the beginning of the nation and the people of Israel, and we are told all through the Bible to look back to the deliverance from Egypt and not to return to captivity there in.

“For the life of the flesh is in the blood and I have given it to you upon the alter to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.” (Leviticus 17:11)

And:

“And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no remission.” (Hebrews 9:22)

Blood is a mystery. We recoil from it. Many of Yeshua’s followers turned their backs on Him when He told them that in order to live we must eat His flesh and drink His blood [Jn. 6:53] – a mystery way beyond the understanding in the flesh as it can only be spiritually discerned.

On the 10^th day of the month (of Nissan), the pure male unblemished lamb was to be taken into the home. One lamb for each house. It was to be examined closely for defects. Today is the 10^th day of Nissan and I awoke this morning thinking about what it was like to take the little pure, innocent lamb into the family and live with it until the 14^th day. Then to shed it’s blood. I have thought of it over the years as the cost of sin and the price of freedom. MY sin. MY freedom. WHAT A PRICE! BLOOD. With the life in it. And how many of Yeshua’s followers and even DISCIPLES participated in His death? What of Judas, who lived with Him?

And so, you know the story well. The Israelites were told to kill the lamb and place it’s blood on the lintel of the door posts. Only those who stayed INSIDE, protected by the blood, would be spared as the death angel passed over, as he went through the land of Egypt killing every first born, from the animals to people. In the homes of slaves even to the house of Pharaoh.

We can only marvel as we remember Yeshua – the perfect, innocent Lamb of God, the only begotten Son of The King, being lead as a Lamb to the slaughter on Passover. I can not begin to touch the intricacies of the first and last Passover and how perfectly they are intertwined.

But I was surprised at how many of you asked after the first email that I elaborate on some of the customs of the Passover itself. I thought you would be tired of them by now. So much is available on the internet for you to read, but do keep in mind that there are great variations in traditions concerning the Seder (that word means order as in the order of the service) and even the food that is considered kosher for Passover.

When I was a child growing up in New York there were not many foods available that were kosher for Passover where we lived. There was matzo (the unleavened bread, striped and pierced), matzo meal (or matzo flour) and a special Passover cookie (macaroons). Aside from that there was not much. We ate a lot of eggs, fish and chicken. The matzo was covered with chicken fat (schmaltz) and salt (TERRIBLY unhealthy…it was poor people’s butter).

We would store our every day dishes and silverware in a remote back storage area and out would come the special best Passover dishes and silverware reserved only for Passover. The ancient haggadot (traditional book read at the Seder) passed down from my Grandparents, appeared with their curious woodcuts and drawings. Our family would gather for the very special meal with my father leaning on a pillow in a comfortable chair while sitting at the head of the table. He looked so deserving of respect. We children admired him. Our mother sat at the other head of the table beaming. She would light the Shabat candles and we would all wash our hands in a basin and wipe one another’s hands. I think of Yeshua washing His disciples feet at that last Seder.

The law of the Passover is laid out in Exodus 12 and 13 and basically tells us that no LEAVEN is to be found in any of our homes. No leavened bread is to be eaten but only unleavened bread for 7 days. I have always understood leaven to be an agent that is added to something to make it rise (ferment), ie: yeast, baking powder, baking soda. Many of our people extend that to anything that CAN rise or puff up, such as flour, corn, beans, rice, peas (legumes). The list is L-O-N-G. HOWEVER, here in Israel we have ABUNDANCE of creative foods that LOOK risen or leavened to me (puffed up with air, filled with beaten egg whites or other things). So we lack for NOTHING.

As I have shared in previous letters, Jews are divided into two distinct ethnic groups according to the areas that they resided in during the 2,000 year dispersion. The Jews that settled toward the Orient (and Arab) or Spanish and North African areas are called Sephardic. The Jews that settled in the Western European areas are called Ashkenazi. The traditions are quite different in these two groups. THEN there are also major differences inside of each group. For example: Yemenite Jews have different traditions from Persian Jews although both are Sephardic. Plus, there are differences from family to family.

Of course, each is sure that theirs is right and best.

Certain things are pretty standard. The Seder dinner begins at sundown on the 14^th of the month of Nissan. This year it will be on this coming Monday.

Special prayers have been continuing for a month already and people have been searching their hearts for leaven. At the same time people have been cleansing their homes of leaven. In simpler times when people had very few possessions, families would just throw everything out and break dishes and replace them least there be some hidden crumbs. Still, the streets are currently full of household items that people put out and replace.

In certain areas huge outdoor cauldrons bubble away over an open fire to immerse pots and pans to be koshered for the holiday for those who can’t just replace them. The extent of the cleaning hit a crisis several years back when a number of women killed themselves or lost their minds, fearful that there might be a crumb left in an inevitable crack in the stone floor or old window casing. So the rabbis began to teach moderation in ridding of all hometz (leaven), but MOSTLY in our hearts.

There has been a concerted attempt to moderate the intensity with which the task is taken on. Nonetheless, most people scrub as much as possible to obey the command that was given – and confirmed again and again – unto ALL generations.

“It is a night of solemn observances to the Lord for bringing them out of the land of Egypt. This is that night of the Lord, a solemn observance for all the children of Israel throughout their generations.” (Exodus 12:42)

So!

Our homes are scrubbed and purged of leaven. Our markets either close or seal off with shrink wrap or other prohibiting materials entire sections that contain food forbidden for Passover. By LAW these may not be tampered with. More and more older people simply seal their homes and move to a hotel for the week as the task has become too difficult. The hearts have been prepared with much prayer and that special hush that I have tried to describe so often descends as people dressed in their very finest holiday garb gather together – often very large groups – to partake together in the rituals surrounding the Seder itself.

The Seder is a time to tell the story and to pass it along to the children and to the generation to come.

This will be written for the generation to come That a people yet to be created may praise the Lord.” (Psalm 102:18)

The meal, which lasts for many hours, begins as mine did when I was a child. Although there are traditional haggadot, handed down since the middle ages, more and more people are re-writing them to be more meaningful as the old ones can be terribly cryptic.

As believers there are many haggadot written to show to our children the wonderfully woven covenants, the faithfulness of God and how He NEVER changes and His way is revealed to us all. There is wonderful singing and rejoicing at these special meals, which last until midnight or later.

To walk in the streets of Jerusalem anytime during the night is an absolute wonder and joy to hear the streets ringing with song rising first from one apartment and then another. There are jobs for the children. The 4 questions are asked – the story is re-told. There is a wonderful tradition that points to Yeshua. It brings me chills each year as I realize that our people don’t see yet what it means.

At the beginning of the Seder, 3 pieces of matzo are placed in a special holder. The leader of the Seder takes the center one…the striped and pierced bread without leaven and breaks it. He replaces one half in the holder and the other half will be HIDDEN AWAY until the end of the feast. The children must search for it and whoever finds it gets a prize. No one knows where this tradition came from but it so points to Yeshua.

To my great regret, I must close this email now. I told you that I was grieved that this letter would not be sufficient. There is just no more time left to write and yet so much more to share. I likely won’t get to write again until after the Seder. In the mean time, our nation stands at a critical brink again. The world pulls one way and God commands another – sound familiar? And yet, with no more time to write, I bid you goodnight (laila tov!). I covet your prayers and stand in prayer with you: Thy kingdom come…THY will be done…on earth as it is in heaven. God bless and encourage you as we give thanks for The Blood of The Lamb and our freedom in Him.

Lovingly,

your sis J

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Filed under Christianity, Church, Gifts of the Spirit, Israel, Jerusalem, Kingdom of God, Prayer, Prophecy, spiritual warfare

Tagged as Christianity, Church, Gifts of the Spirit, Israel, Jerusalem, Kingdom of God, Prophecy, Spiritual warfare