Sukkot 6

Happy Sukkot!

Deuteronomy 14:22-16:8 

“Each year you are to set aside a tenth of all the produce grown in your fields. You are to eat a tenth of your grain, new wine, and fresh oil, and the firstborn of your herd and flock, in the presence of the Lord your God at the place where he chooses to have his name dwell, so that you will always learn to fear the Lord your God. But if the distance is too great for you to carry it, since the place where the Lord your God chooses to put his name is too far away from you and since the Lordyour God has blessed you, then exchange it for silver, take the silver in your hand, and go to the place the Lord your God chooses. You may spend the silver on anything you want: cattle, sheep, goats, wine, beer, or anything you desire. You are to feast there in the presence of the Lord your God and rejoice with your family. Do not neglect the Levite within your city gates, since he has no portion or inheritance among you.

“At the end of every three years, bring a tenth of all your produce for that year and store it within your city gates. Then the Levite, who has no portion or inheritance among you, the resident alien, the fatherless, and the widow within your city gates may come, eat, and be satisfied.And the Lord your God will bless you in all the work of your hands that you do.

“At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts. This is how to cancel debt: Every creditor is to cancel what he has lent his neighbor. He is not to collect anything from his neighbor or brother, because the Lord’s release of debts has been proclaimed. You may collect something from a foreigner, but you must forgive whatever your brother owes you.

“There will be no poor among you, however, because the Lord is certain to bless you in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess as an inheritance— if only you obey the Lord your God and are careful to follow every one of these commands I am giving you today. When the Lord your God blesses you as he has promised you, you will lend to many nations but not borrow; you will rule many nations, but they will not rule you.

“If there is a poor person among you, one of your brothers within any of your city gates in the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother. Instead, you are to open your hand to him and freely loan him enough for whatever need he has. Be careful that there isn’t this wicked thought in your heart, ‘The seventh year, the year of canceling debts, is near,’ and you are stingy toward your poor brother and give him nothing. He will cry out to the Lord against you, and you will be guilty. Give to him, and don’t have a stingy heart when you give, and because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you do. For there will never cease to be poor people in the land; that is why I am commanding you, ‘Open your hand willingly to your poor and needy brother in your land.’

“If your fellow Hebrew, a man or woman, is sold to you and serves you six years, you must set him free in the seventh year. When you set him free, do not send him away empty-handed. Give generously to him from your flock, your threshing floor, and your winepress. You are to give him whatever the Lord your God has blessed you with. Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt and the Lord your God redeemed you; that is why I am giving you this command today. But if your slave says to you, ‘I don’t want to leave you,’ because he loves you and your family, and is well off with you, take an awl and pierce through his ear into the door, and he will become your slave for life. Also treat your female slave the same way. Do not regard it as a hardship when you set him free, because he worked for you six years—worth twice the wages of a hired worker. Then the Lord your God will bless you in everything you do.

“Consecrate to the Lord your God every firstborn male produced by your herd and flock. You are not to put the firstborn of your oxen to work or shear the firstborn of your flock. Each year you and your family are to eat it before the Lord your God in the place the Lord chooses. But if there is a defect in the animal, if it is lame or blind or has any serious defect, you may not sacrifice it to the Lord your God. Eat it within your city gates; both the unclean person and the clean may eat it, as though it were a gazelle or deer. But you must not eat its blood; pour it on the ground like water.

“Set aside the month of Abib and observe the Passover to the Lord your God, because the Lord your God brought you out of Egypt by night in the month of Abib. Sacrifice to the Lord your God a Passover animal from the herd or flock in the place where the Lord chooses to have his name dwell. Do not eat leavened bread with it. For seven days you are to eat unleavened bread with it, the bread of hardship—because you left the land of Egypt in a hurry—so that you may remember for the rest of your life the day you left the land of Egypt. No yeast is to be found anywhere in your territory for seven days, and none of the meat you sacrifice in the evening of the first day is to remain until morning. You are not to sacrifice the Passover animal in any of the towns the Lordyour God is giving you. Sacrifice the Passover animal only at the place where the Lord your God chooses to have his name dwell. Do this in the evening as the sun sets at the same time of day you departed from Egypt. You are to cook and eat it in the place the Lord your God chooses, and you are to return to your tents in the morning. Eat unleavened bread for six days. On the seventh day there is to be a solemn assembly to the Lord your God; do not do any work.

#Sukkot
#Tithe
#FeedThePoor

Sukkot 5

Happy Sukkot!

Numbers 29:26-34
“On the fifth day present nine bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs a year old—all unblemished— with their grain and drink offerings for the bulls, rams, and lambs, in proportion to their number. Also offer one male goat as a sin offering. These are in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain and drink offerings. 

“On the sixth day present eight bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs a year old—all unblemished— with their grain and drink offerings for the bulls, rams, and lambs, in proportion to their number. Also offer one male goat as a sin offering. These are in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain and drink offerings. 

“On the seventh day present seven bulls, two rams, and fourteen male lambs a year old—all unblemished— with their grain and drink offerings for the bulls, rams, and lambs, in proportion to their number. Also offer one male goat as a sin offering. These are in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain and drink offerings.

John 7:1-2
After this, Jesus traveled in Galilee, since he did not want to travel in Judea because the Jews were trying to kill him. The Jewish Festival of Sukkot was near.

John 7:37-44
On the last and most important day of the festival, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. The one who believes in me, as the Scripture has said, will have streams of living water flow from deep within him.” He said this about the Spirit. Those who believed in Jesus were going to receive the Spirit, for the Spirit had not yet been given because Jesus had not yet been glorified. 

When some from the crowd heard these words, they said, “This truly is the Prophet.” Others said, “This is the Messiah.” But some said, “Surely the Messiah doesn’t come from Galilee, does he? Doesn’t the Scripture say that the Messiah comes from David’s offspring and from the town of Bethlehem, where David lived?” So the crowd was divided because of him. Some of them wanted to seize him, but no one laid hands on him.

#Sukkot
#LivingWater

Sukkot 4

Happy Sukkot!

Romans 3:21-26
But now, apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been revealed, attested by the Law and the Prophets. The righteousness of God is through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe, since there is no distinction. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. They are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. God presented him as an atoning sacrifice in his blood, received through faith, to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his restraint God passed over the sins previously committed. God presented him to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so that he would be righteous and declare righteous the one who has faith in Jesus.

2 Corinthians 5:10-21
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may be repaid for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.

Therefore, since we know the fear of the Lord, we try to persuade people. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your consciences. We are not commending ourselves to you again, but giving you an opportunity to be proud of us, so that you may have a reply for those who take pride in outward appearance rather than in the heart. For if we are out of our mind, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. For the love of Christ compels us, since we have reached this conclusion: If one died for all, then all died. And he died for all so that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for the one who died for them and was raised.

From now on, then, we do not know anyone from a worldly perspective.Even if we have known Christ from a worldly perspective, yet now we no longer know him in this way. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come!Everything is from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation. That is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and he has committed the message of reconciliation to us.

Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us. We plead on Christ’s behalf: “Be reconciled to God.” He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

#Sukkot

#ReconciledToGod

Sukkot 3

Happy Sukkot!

Numbers 29:7-11
“You are to hold a sacred assembly on the tenth day of this seventh month and practice self-denial; do not do any work. Present a burnt offering to YHWH, a pleasing aroma: one young bull, one ram, and seven male lambs a year old. All your animals are to be unblemished. Their grain offering is to be of fine flour mixed with oil, six quarts with the bull, four quarts with the ram, and two quarts with each of the seven lambs. Offer one male goat for a sin offering. The regular burnt offering with its grain offering and drink offerings are in addition to the sin offering of atonement."

Isaiah 57:14-58:14
He said, “Build it up, build it up, prepare the way, remove every obstacle from my people’s way.” For the High and Exalted One, who lives forever, whose Name is holy, says this: “I live in a high and holy place, and with the oppressed and lowly of spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and revive the heart of the oppressed. For I will not accuse you forever, and I will not always be angry; for then the spirit would grow weak before me, even the breath, which I have made. Because of his sinful greed I was angry, so I struck him; I was angry and hid; but he went on turning back to the desires of his heart. I have seen his ways, but I will heal him; I will lead him and restore comfort to him and his mourners, creating words of praise.” YHWH says, “Peace, peace to the one who is far or near, and I will heal him. But the wicked are like the storm-tossed sea, for it cannot be still, and its water churns up mire and muck. There is no peace for the wicked,” says my God.
“Cry out loudly, don’t hold back! Raise your voice like a trumpet. Tell My people their transgression and the house of Jacob their sins. They seek me day after day and delight to know My ways, like a nation that does what is right and does not abandon the justice of their God. They ask Me for righteous judgments; they delight in the nearness of God.” “Why have we fasted, but you have not seen? We have denied ourselves, but you haven’t noticed!”  “Look, you do as you please on the day of your fast, and oppress all your workers. You fast with contention and strife to strike viciously with your fist. You cannot fast as you do today, hoping to make your voice heard on high. Will the fast I choose be like this: A day for a person to deny himself, to bow his head like a reed, and to spread out sackcloth and ashes? Will you call this a fast and a day acceptable to YHWH? Isn’t this the fast I choose: To break the chains of wickedness, to untie the ropes of the yoke, to set the oppressed free, and to tear off every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, to bring the poor and homeless into your house, to clothe the naked when you see him, and not to ignore your own flesh and blood? Then your light will appear like the dawn, and your recovery will come quickly. Your righteousness will go before you, and YHWH's glory will be your rear guard.
At that time, when you call, YHWH will answer; when you cry out, He will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you get rid of the yoke among you, the finger-pointing and malicious speaking, and if you offer yourself to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted one, then your light will shine in the darkness, and your night will be like noonday. YHWH will always lead you, satisfy you in a parched land, and strengthen your bones. You will be like a watered garden and like a spring whose water never runs dry. Some of you will rebuild the ancient ruins; you will restore the foundations laid long ago; you will be called the repairer of broken walls, the restorer of streets where people live. “If you keep from desecrating the Sabbath, from doing whatever you want on My holy day; if you call the Sabbath a delight, and the holy day of YHWH honorable; if you honor it, not going your own ways, seeking your own pleasure, or talking business; then you will delight in YHWH, and I will make you ride over the heights of the land, and let you enjoy the heritage of your father Jacob.” For the mouth of YHWH has spoken.

#Sukkot
#Sabbath

Sukkot 2

Leviticus 22:26-23:44

YHWH spoke to Moses: “When an ox, sheep, or goat is born, it is to remain with its mother for seven days; from the eighth day on, it will be acceptable as an offering, a fire offering to YHWH. But you are not to slaughter an animal from the herd or flock on the same day as its young. When you sacrifice a thank offering to YHWH, sacrifice it so that you may be accepted. It is to be eaten on the same day. Do not let any of it remain until morning; I am YHWH.

“You are to keep My commands and do them; I am YHWH. You must not profane My holy Name; I must be treated as holy among the Israelites. I am YHWH who sets you apart, the One who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God; I am YHWH.”

YHWH spoke to Moses: “Speak to the Israelites and tell them: These are My appointed times, the times of YHWH that you will proclaim as sacred assemblies.

“Work may be done for six days, but on the seventh day there is to be a Sabbath of complete rest, a sacred assembly. You are not to do any work; it is a Sabbath to YHWH wherever you live.

“These are YHWH’s appointed times, the sacred assemblies you are to proclaim at their appointed times. The Passover to YHWH comes in the first month, at twilight on the fourteenth day of the month. The Festival of Unleavened Bread to YHWH is on the fifteenth day of the same month. For seven days you must eat unleavened bread. On the first day you are to hold a sacred assembly; you are not to do any daily work. You are to present a fire offering to YHWH for seven days. On the seventh day there will be a sacred assembly; do not do any daily work.”

YHWH spoke to Moses: “Speak to the Israelites and tell them: When you enter the land I am giving you and reap its harvest, you are to bring the first sheaf of your harvest to the priest. He will present the sheaf before YHWH so that you may be accepted; the priest is to present it on the day after the Sabbath. On the day you present the sheaf, you are to offer a year-old male lamb without blemish as a burnt offering to YHWH. Its grain offering is to be four quarts of fine flour mixed with oil as a fire offering to YHWH, a pleasing aroma, and its drink offering will be one quart of wine. You must not eat bread, roasted grain, or any new grain until this very day, and until you have brought the offering to your God. This is to be a permanent statute throughout your generations wherever you live.

“You are to count seven complete weeks starting from the day after the Sabbath, the day you brought the sheaf of the presentation offering. You are to count fifty days until the day after the seventh Sabbath and then present an offering of new grain to YHWH. Bring two loaves of bread from your settlements as a presentation offering, each of them made from four quarts of fine flour, baked with yeast, as firstfruits to YHWH. You are to present with the bread seven unblemished male lambs a year old, one young bull, and two rams. They will be a burnt offering to YHWH, with their grain offerings and drink offerings, a fire offering of a pleasing aroma to YHWH. You are also to prepare one male goat as a sin offering, and two male lambs a year old as a fellowship sacrifice. The priest will present the lambs with the bread of firstfruits as a presentation offering before YHWH; the bread and the two lambs will be holy to YHWH for the priest. On that same day you are to make a proclamation and hold a sacred assembly. You are not to do any daily work. This is to be a permanent statute wherever you live throughout your generations. When you reap the harvest of your land, you are not to reap all the way to the edge of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and the resident alien; I am YHWH your God.”

YHWH spoke to Moses: “Tell the Israelites: In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you are to have a day of complete rest, commemoration, and trumpet blasts—a sacred assembly. You must not do any daily work, but you must present a fire offering to YHWH.”

YHWH again spoke to Moses: “The tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. You are to hold a sacred assembly and practice self-denial; you are to present a fire offering to YHWH. On this particular day you are not to do any work, for it is a Day of Atonement to make atonement for yourselves before YHWH your God. If any person does not practice self-denial on this particular day, he is to be cut off from his people. I will destroy among his people anyone who does any work on this same day. You are not to do any work. This is a permanent statute throughout your generations wherever you live. It will be a Sabbath of complete rest for you, and you must practice self-denial. You are to observe your Sabbath from the evening of the ninth day of the month until the following evening.”

YHWH spoke to Moses: “Tell the Israelites: The Festival of Shelters to YHWH begins on the fifteenth day of this seventh month and continues for seven days. There is to be a sacred assembly on the first day; you are not to do any daily work. You are to present a fire offering to YHWH for seven days. On the eighth day you are to hold a sacred assembly and present a fire offering to YHWH. It is a solemn gathering; you are not to do any daily work.

“These are YHWH’s appointed times that you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies for presenting fire offerings to YHWH, burnt offerings and grain offerings, sacrifices and drink offerings, each on its designated day. These are in addition to the offerings for YHWH’s Sabbaths, your gifts, all your vow offerings, and all your freewill offerings that you give to YHWH.

“You are to celebrate YHWH's festival on the fifteenth day of the seventh month for seven days after you have gathered the produce of the land. There will be complete rest on the first day and complete rest on the eighth day. On the first day you are to take the product of majestic trees—palm fronds, boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook—and rejoice before YHWH your God for seven days. You are to celebrate it as a festival to YHWH seven days each year. This is a permanent statute for you throughout your generations; celebrate it in the seventh month. You are to live in shelters for seven days. All the native-born of Israel must live in shelters, so that your generations may know that I made the Israelites live in shelters when I brought them out of the land of Egypt; I am YHWH your God.” So Moses declared the Lord’s appointed times to the Israelites.

#Sukkot

Sukkot 1

Tomorrow night (Monday sunset this year) starts Sukkot!

This is the most joyous and fun of all of God’s Holy Holidays! We are actually COMMANDED to rejoice and celebrate YHWH’s mercy at this time - for 8 whole days!

In English, there is no suitable word for this particular North African concept, but it is often translated as close as possible for understanding - as the Festival of “Booths”; “Tents”; “Tabernacles”; and “Manseos (temporary dwelling places)”. All of these are adequate, but don’t explain what it is really referring to.

It is a festival in which, for seven days, everyone is told to camp outside! How fun! Well, camping means you need a portable shelter of some sort, unless you live in a rare place where there there are warm night with no biting bugs ;) Today people use tents or campers. But when YHWH brought Israel out of Egypt with His mighty hand and outstretched arm, they did not have a bunch of burlap, denim, plastic, tarp or anything like that. They had just scattered wood around them in the Sinai region and trees that grow along the Nile and other regions, and trees in the low lying vernal pool areas, such as palms, dates, and a few other tough, leafy trees. So they built a traditional portable dwelling called a “Sukkah”.

Sukkot is the festival of camping out in sukkahs.

Why is this festival important to us today? Zechariah 14 tells us that during the future Messianic Kingdom (when Yeshuah (Jesus) rules on Earth as King), that any nation that does not observe this festival will be cut off.

But that is a purely legalistic reason, and not the right reason to celebrate it. That is only for those who try to claim that God somehow did away with His Holy Days.

The REAL reasons we should celebrate this Festival:

1 - God made it as a time of joy for all! He has redeemed us (Day of Trumpets two weeks ago), He has forgiven us (Day of Atonement last week) and He is providing for us!

2 - Thousands of years ago, YHWH proved Himself to be God over all when He brought Israel out of slavery from Egypt. BUT, despite Israel rebelling and disobeying and griping constantly and not having faith in Him, He STILL provided for them for 40 years! For 40 years, they did not go hungry, their clothes never wore out, their shoes never wore out, their feet never blistered... all because YHWH provided everything they needed the whole time! We camp out remembering that He is our provider through every trial we go through! And Scripture tells us that Yeshuah (Jesus) Himself was the rock that gave them water in the desert! Talk about reason to celebrate - we all have direct access to the Living Water of the Creator of the Universe - the same One who saved all those millions of rebellious people so long ago!

3 - In the future, the time will come when no one can buy or sell anything unless they take the “mark of the beast”. So when this happens, how will God’s elect survive? They cannot buy food, property, ammunition, matches, water, seeds to plant, fuel for a car or generator, a car or can or generator to put fuel into, clothing, soap, deodorant - NOTHING! How will they survive? We only have to look back at Israel to know. They stopped 42 places when they crossed the Jordan finally. There will be 42 weeks under the “mark of the beast”. Why would God want us to remember the places in the wilderness they stopped? So we have the faith we need to know He can and will do the same for us in the future. God will be our true sustainer in our wilderness, just as He was with Israel. Talk about reason to celebrate!

I can go deeper into it, but I do not have the time right now. Here are some of the Scriptures about it and surrounding what it is about:

Exodus 33:12-34:36; Leviticus 22:26-23:44; Numbers 29:12-30:1; Deuteronomy 14:22-16:8; 33:1-34:12; Joshua 1:1-8; 1 Kings 8:54-66; Isaiah 42:5-43:11; Ezekiel 38:18-39:16; Zechariah 14:1-21; Matthew 5:17-48; 17:1-9; Mark 12:28-33; John 1:1-14; 7:1-14; 7:37-44; Romans 7:21-25; Revelation 21:1-7; 22:6-21

A sukkah is made by making a frame of poles or branches to any size dwelling you desire. It must be easily collapsible to go quickly if needed. Many use plastic tubes these days. It is then surrounded by cloth or leafy branches (Most people like to weave palm fronds). The top is leafy branches - make them thick enough to keep you dry if it rains. If you do a google image search you can see many examples. The front is sometimes left open and sometimes closeable. Eating should be done inside the sukkah but celebrating is done outside as much as possible.

The first day (Monday night sunset to Tuesday night sunset this year) is a High Sabbath; a gathering during which no work or business is to be done. It is a day of celebrating our great and wonderful Creator and all He has done for us - accepting us despite our rebellion.

Then the week is spent partying and celebrating all He provided (I believe that He placed this holiday just after the Autumn harvest on purpose).

After seven days of camping out and celebrating our Great Provider, the 8th day is another High Sabbath to celebrate His provision through the week, and celebrate the promised Kingdom yet to come! It is a day to welcome His reign in our lives, and recognize Him as King, looking forward to when He comes and establishes His Kingdom here on earth! Most Christians refer to this future time as the “second coming”.  It is a day to celebrate new beginnings!

May YHWH richly bless you on this, His Holy week of Sukkot! Don’t forget to be HAPPY and REJOICE!

Rejoice in the Lord always! Again, I say REJOICE!

#Sukkot

#Rejoice

#CampingForGod

Baruch Haba B'Shem Adonai

Yom Kippur 16

Yom Kippur
Day Of Atonement

This coming Wednesday sunset through Thursday Sunset is the Day of Atonement.

Almost all Believers know what this day meant before YHWH split the veil in two in the Temple, so I have not gone into the details this year regarding the annual priestly duties that Yeshuah now has done on our behalf.

Instead I have focused on what this day actually MEANS for our future, and what it is truly all about. All of the things the priest did, and all of the things Yeshuah did for us are for a reason - and that reason is still in our future: The Great and Terrible Day of YHWH, when all of heaven and earth are destroyed by fire and the dead are raised and the living caught up with them in the air; when all are gathered to face judgement and all people of all languages declare YHWH as God.

On this Day, the book of Life is sealed. Anyone not written therein will go to the Lake of Fire.

Needless to say, this is a VERY important Day to YHWH, the God, Father, King and Creator of all that is.

He has commanded that we fast on this Day. It is the ONLY Commanded fast in the Scripture (all others are voluntary).

Over the past few days I have posted 15 posts on the importance of this Day, the Scriptures related to it, and the traditional ways to observe it in obedience to Scripture.

As Believers, it is no less important to us. It is a time to put yourself last, and to honor YHWH as the King, God, Creator and Father to us all that He is. It is a time of humility, knowing and admitting our sins and faults before Him, and of gratefulness for His mercy (which none of us deserve).

He has provided an atonement for our Sin that we could never provide on our own; in the form of His Son, Yeshuah. He has offered us salvation from the destruction that those who put their own flesh before Him will experience.

This is not a time of rejoicing. This is not a time of joy. This is a time of great sorrow. This is a time of reflection. Even if you are written in the Book of Life, most of those you know will not be.

So on this Day, obey YHWH. Take the Day off. Confess to Him your sins. Be grateful for His forgiveness to the honest, humble and repentant heart. Do not gloat at the loss of your enemies or your salvation - you did not deserve it.

May you have a good fast. Be sure to give to those less fortunate around you on this Day - after all, your Creator gave liberally to you.

#YomKippur
#DayOfAtonement

Yom Kippur 15

Yom Kippur
Day Of Atonement

Book of Jonah

The word of YHWH came to Jonah son of Amittai: “Get up! Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it because their evil has come up before Me.” Jonah got up to flee to Tarshish from YHWH’s presence. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. He paid the fare and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish from YHWH’s presence.

But YHWH threw a great wind onto the sea, and such a great storm arose on the sea that the ship threatened to break apart. The sailors were afraid, and each cried out to his god. They threw the ship’s cargo into the sea to lighten the load. Meanwhile, Jonah had gone down to the lowest part of the vessel and had stretched out and fallen into a deep sleep.

The captain approached him and said, “What are you doing sound asleep? Get up! Call to your god. Maybe this god will consider us, and we won’t perish.”

“Come on!” the sailors said to each other. “Let’s cast lots. Then we’ll know who is to blame for this trouble we’re in.” So they cast lots, and the lot singled out Jonah. Then they said to him, “Tell us who is to blame for this trouble we’re in. What is your business, and where are you from? What is your country, and what people are you from?”

He answered them, “I’m a Hebrew. I worship YHWH, the God of the heavens, who made the sea and the dry land.”

Then the men were seized by a great fear and said to him, “What is this you’ve done?” The men knew he was fleeing from YHWH’s presence because he had told them. So they said to him, “What should we do to you so that the sea will calm down for us?” For the sea was getting worse and worse.

He answered them, “Pick me up and throw me into the sea so that it will calm down for you, for I know that I’m to blame for this great storm that is against you.” Nevertheless, the men rowed hard to get back to dry land, but they couldn’t because the sea was raging against them more and more.

So they called out to YHWH: “Please, YHWH, don’t let us perish because of this man’s life, and don’t charge us with innocent blood! For You, YHWH, have done just as You pleased.” Then they picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea, and the sea stopped its raging. The men were seized by great fear of YHWH, and they offered a sacrifice to YHWH and made vows.

YHWH appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

Jonah prayed to YHWH his God from the belly of the fish:

I called to YHWH in my distress,
and He answered me.
I cried out for help from deep inside Sheol;
You heard my voice.
You threw me into the depths,
into the heart of the seas,
and the current overcame me.
All your breakers and your billows swept over me.
But I said, “I have been banished
from Your sight,
yet I will look once more
toward Your holy temple.
The water engulfed me up to the neck;
the watery depths overcame me;
seaweed was wrapped around my head.
I sank to the foundations of the mountains,
the earth’s gates shut behind me forever!
Then You raised my life from the Pit, YHWH my God!
As my life was fading away,
I remembered YHWH,
and my prayer came to You,
to Your holy temple.
Those who cherish worthless idols
abandon their faithful love,
but as for me, I will sacrifice to You
with a voice of thanksgiving.
I will fulfill what I have vowed.
Salvation belongs to YHWH.”

Then YHWH commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.

The word of YHWH came to Jonah a second time: “Get up! Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach the message that I tell you.” Jonah got up and went to Nineveh according to YHWH’s command.

Now Nineveh was an extremely great city, a three-day walk. Jonah set out on the first day of his walk in the city and proclaimed, “In forty days Nineveh will be demolished!” Then the people of Nineveh believed God. They proclaimed a fast and dressed in sackcloth—from the greatest of them to the least.

When word reached the king of Nineveh, he got up from his throne, took off his royal robe, put on sackcloth, and sat in ashes. Then he issued a decree in Nineveh:

By order of the king and his nobles: No person or animal, herd or flock, is to taste anything at all. They must not eat or drink water. Furthermore, both people and animals must be covered with sackcloth, and everyone must call out earnestly to God. Each must turn from his evil ways and from his wrongdoing. Who knows? God may turn and relent; he may turn from his burning anger so that we will not perish.

God saw their actions—that they had turned from their evil ways—so God relented from the disaster he had threatened them with. And He did not do it.

Jonah was greatly displeased and became furious. He prayed to YHWH: “Please, YHWH, isn’t this what I thought while I was still in my own country? That’s why I fled toward Tarshish in the first place. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger, abounding in faithful love, and one who relents from sending disaster. And now, YHWH, take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.”

YHWH asked, “Is it right for you to be angry?”

Jonah left the city and found a place east of it. He made himself a shelter there and sat in its shade to see what would happen to the city. Then YHWH God appointed a plant, and it grew over Jonah to provide shade for his head to rescue him from his trouble. Jonah was greatly pleased with the plant. When dawn came the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the plant, and it withered.

As the sun was rising, God appointed a scorching east wind. The sun beat down on Jonah’s head so much that he almost fainted, and he wanted to die. He said, “It’s better for me to die than to live.”

Then God asked Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?”

“Yes, it’s right!” he replied. “I’m angry enough to die!”

So YHWH said, “You cared about the plant, which you did not labor over and did not grow. It appeared in a night and perished in a night. But may I not care about the great city of Nineveh, which has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot distinguish between their right and their left, as well as many animals?”

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#DayOfAtonement

Yom Kippur 14

Yom Kippur
Day Of Atonement

2 Peter 3:8-14
Dear friends, don’t overlook this one fact: With YHWH one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. YHWH does not delay His promise, as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance. But the day of YHWH will come like a thief; on that day the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, the elements will burn and be dissolved, and the earth and the works on it will be disclosed. Since all these things are to be dissolved in this way, it is clear what sort of people you should be in holy conduct and godliness as you wait for the day of God and hasten its coming. Because of that day, the heavens will be dissolved with fire and the elements will melt with heat. But based on His promise, we wait for new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness dwells. Therefore, dear friends, while you wait for these things, make every effort to be found without spot or blemish in his sight, at peace.

Acts 2:19-21
I will display wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below: blood and fire and a cloud of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the great and glorious day of YHWH comes. Then everyone who callson the Name of YHWH will be saved.

Joel 2:30-31
I will display wonders in the heavens and on the earth: blood, fire, and columns of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the great and terrible day of YHWH comes. Then everyone who calls on the Name of YHWH will be saved, for there will be an escape for those on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, as YHWH promised, among the survivors YHWH calls.

Matthew 24:35; Mark 13:31; Luke 21:33
Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away.

Revelation 20:11-15
Then I saw a great white throne and One seated on it. Earth and heaven fled from his presence, and no place was found for them. I also saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life, and the dead were judged according to their works by what was written in the books. Then the sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them; each one was judged according to their works. Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.

Hebrew 12:25-29
See to it that you do not reject the One who speaks. For if they did not escape when they rejected Him who warned them on earth, even less will we if we turn away from Him who warns us from heaven. His voice shook the earth at that time, but now he has promised, Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens. This expression, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what is not shaken might remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful. By it, we may serve God acceptably, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.

Isaiah 51:4-6
Pay attention to Me, My people, and listen to Me, My nation; for instruction will come from Me, and My justice for a light to the nations. I will bring it about quickly. My righteousness is near, My salvation appears, and My arms will bring justice to the nations. The coasts and islands will put their hope in Me, and they will look to My strength. Look up to the heavens, and look at the earth beneath; for the heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment, and its inhabitants will die like gnats. But My salvation will last forever, and My righteousness will never be shattered.

Isaiah 34:1-4
You nations, come here and listen; you peoples, pay attention! Let the earth and all that fills it hear, the world and all that comes from it. YHWH is angry with all the nations, furious with all their armies. He will set them apart for destruction, giving them over to slaughter. Their slain will be thrown out, and the stench of their corpses will rise; the mountains will flow with their blood. All the stars in the sky will dissolve. The sky will roll up like a scroll, and its stars will all wither as leaves wither on the vine, and foliage on the fig tree.

2 Peter 3:5-7
They deliberately overlook this: By the word of YHWH the heavens came into being long ago and the earth was brought about from water and through water. Through these the world of that time perished when it was flooded. By the same word, the present heavens and earth are stored up for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.

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#DayOfAtonement

Yom Kipper 13

Yom Kippur
Day Of Atonement

Joel 2:1-2
Blow the horn in Zion; sound the alarm on My holy mountain! Let all the residents of the land tremble, for the day of YHWH is coming; in fact, it is near—a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and total darkness, like the dawn spreading over the mountains; a great and strong people appears, such as never existed in ages past and never will again in all the generations to come.

Matthew 7:22-23
On that day many will say to Me, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in Your name, drive out demons in Your Name, and do many miracles in Your Name?’ Then I will announce to them, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you lawbreakers!’

John 12:48
The one who rejects Me and doesn’t receive My sayings has this as his judge: The word I have spoken will judge him on the last day.

Malachi 4:1-3
“For look, the day is coming, burning like a furnace, when all the arrogant and everyone who commits wickedness will become stubble. The coming day will consume them,” says Adonai of Armies, “not leaving them root or branches. But for you who fear My Name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings, and you will go out and playfully jump like calves from the stall. You will trample the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day I am preparing,” says Adonai of Armies.

John 6:39-40
This is the will of Him who sent Me: that I should lose none of those He has given me but should raise them up on the last day. For this is the will of My Father: that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

1 Thessalonians 5:2-11
For you yourselves know very well that the day of YHWH will come just like a thief in the night. When they say, “Peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them, like labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you, brothers and sisters, are not in the dark, for this day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or the darkness. So then, let us not sleep, like the rest, but let us stay awake and be self-controlled. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlledand put on the armor of faith and love, and a helmet of the hope of salvation. For YHWH did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Adonai Yeshuah ha Mashiach, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with Him. Therefore encourage one another and build each other up as you are already doing.

Zephaniah 2:1-3
Gather yourselves together; gather together, undesirable nation, before the decree takes effect and the day passes like chaff, before the burning of YHWH’s anger overtakes you, before the day of YHWH’s anger overtakes you. Seek YHWH, all you humble of the earth, who carry out what He commands. Seek righteousness, seek humility; perhaps you will be concealed on the day of YHWH’s anger.

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Yom Kippur 12

Yom Kippur
Day Of Atonement

Isaiah 24:17-23
Panic, pit, and trap await you who dwell on the earth. Whoever flees at the sound of panic will fall into a pit, and whoever escapes from the pit will be caught in a trap. For the windows on high are opened, and the foundations of the earth are shaken. The earth is completely devastated; the earth is split open; the earth is violently shaken. The earth staggers like a drunkard and sways like a hut. Earth’s rebellion weighs it down, and it falls, never to rise again. On that day YHWH will punish the army of the heights in the heights and the kings of the ground on the ground. They will be gathered together like prisoners in a pit. They will be confined to a dungeon; after many days they will be punished. The moon will be put to shame and the sun disgraced, because Adonai of Armies will reign as King on Mount Zion in Jerusalem, and He will display His glory in the presence of His elders.

Zephaniah 1:14-18
The great day of YHWH is near, near and rapidly approaching. Listen, the day of YHWH—then the warrior’s cry is bitter. That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of destruction and desolation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and total darkness, a day of trumpet blast and battle cry against the fortified cities, and against the high corner towers. I will bring distress on mankind, and they will walk like the blind because they have sinned against YHWH. Their blood will be poured out like dust and their flesh like dung.Their silver and their gold will be unable to rescue them on the day of YHWH's wrath. The whole earth will be consumed by the fire of His jealousy, for he will make a complete, yes, a horrifying endof all the inhabitants of the earth.

Isaiah 13:9-13
Look, the day of YHWH is coming—cruel, with rage and burning anger—to make the earth a desolationand to destroy its sinners. Indeed, the stars of the sky and its constellations will not give their light. The sun will be dark when it rises, and the moon will not shine. I will punish the world for its evil, and wicked people for their iniquities. I will put an end to the pride of the arrogant and humiliate the insolence of tyrants. I will make a human more scarce than fine gold, and mankind more rare than the gold of Ophir. Therefore I will make the heavens tremble, and the earth will shake from its foundations at the wrath of Adonai of Armies, on the day of His burning anger.

Amos 5:18-20
Woe to you who long for the day of YHWH! What will the day of YHWH be for you? It will be darkness and not light. It will be like a man who flees from a lion only to have a bear confront him. He goes home and rests his hand against the wall only to have a snake bite him. Won’t the day of YHWH be darkness rather than light, even gloom without any brightness in it?

Joel 1:13-15
Dress in sackcloth and lament, you priests; wail, you ministers of the altar. Come and spend the night in sackcloth, you ministers of my God, because grain and drink offerings are withheld from the house of your God. Announce a sacred fast; proclaim an assembly! Gather the elders and all the residents of the land at the house of YHWH your God, and cry out to YHWH. Woe because of that day! For the day of YHWH is near and will come as devastation from the Almighty.

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Yom Kippur 11

Yom Kippur
Day Of Atonement

Here is a nice printable Messianic Yom Kippur Haggadah (order of Service) for Believers In Yeshuah (Jesus) to enjoy a celebration of this most holy Day. It is, as my pastor would say, a "team sport". This is to be a communal event, gathering together with other believers. The judgement will come to all people, not just you.

https://ancienttruthshidden.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/yom-kippur.pdf

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Yom Kippur 10

Yom Kippur
Day Of Atonement

Neilah (Closing The Gate)

Yom Kippur finishes with the tradition representing (prophetically) that the gates are closed and the final decisions have been made. The Book of Life has been sealed and the time has come for all to be judged. 

For this final service of the awesome Day of Atonement, and our future is being sealed, we turn to YHWH to accept our sincere repentance and new resolutions, and ask that He seal us in the Book of Life, granting us a new year replete with goodness and happiness. The Ark remains open for the entire Neilah service, signifying that the Gates of Heaven are wide open to our prayers and entreaties.

The apex of the service, the emotional peak, is when we pronounce, in unison, three verses proclaiming YHWH as our God.

First we recite the Shema — "Hear O Israel, YHWH our God, YHWH is One." It is written that when we recite this verse, every person should have the intention of giving up his or her soul for the sanctification of YHWH's name, and this intention will be considered as if we have indeed withstood the test to sanctify the Divine Name.

Then we recite the next verse — "Blessed be the name of the glory of His kingdom forever and ever" — three times, together. This is followed by the declaration of YHWH's unity, "YHWH - He is the Only God" — first recited at Mt. Carmel by the prophet Elijah — seven times, in the most ardent way. The shofar is then sounded, one long sound, and the Neilah service ends with the prayer:

"Next Year may we be in Jerusalem!"

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Yom Kippur 9

Yom Kippur
Day Of Atonement

Al Chet

The "Al Chet" confession of sins is said ten times in the course of the Yom Kippur services: Following the Amidah of the afternoon prayers of the day before Yom Kippur; just before sunset on Yom Kippur Eve; and twice during each of the following services—the evening service of yom Kippur eve, and the morning service, the Musaf service and the afternoon service of Yom Kippur day—once at the end of the Silent Amidah, and once during the cantor's repitition of the Amidah. This and Tzedakah (charitable works) are the most important parts of Yom Kippur.

For the sin which we have committed before You under duress or willingly.
And for the sin which we have committed before You by hard-heartedness.
For the sin which we have committed before You inadvertently.
And for the sin which we have committed before You with an utterance of the lips.
For the sin which we have committed before You with immorality.
And for the sin which we have committed before You openly or secretly.
For the sin which we have committed before You with knowledge and with deceit.
And for the sin which we have committed before You through speech.
For the sin which we have committed before You by deceiving a fellowman.
And for the sin which we have committed before You by improper thoughts.
For the sin which we have committed before You by a gathering of lewdness.
And for the sin which we have committed before You by verbal [insincere] confession.
For the sin which we have committed before You by disrespect for parents and teachers.
And for the sin which we have committed before You intentionally or unintentionally.
For the sin which we have committed before You by using coercion.
And for the sin which we have committed before You by desecrating the Divine Name.
For the sin which we have committed before You by impurity of speech.
And for the sin which we have committed before You by foolish talk.
For the sin which we have committed before You with the evil inclination.
And for the sin which we have committed before You knowingly or unknowingly.
For all these, God of pardon, pardon us, forgive us, atone for us.
For the sin which we have committed before You by false denial and lying.
And for the sin which we have committed before You by a bribe-taking or a bribe-giving hand.
For the sin which we have committed before You by scoffing.
And for the sin which we have committed before You by evil talk [about another].
For the sin which we have committed before You in business dealings.
And for the sin which we have committed before You by eating and drinking.
For the sin which we have committed before You by [taking or giving] interest and by usury.
And for the sin which we have committed before You by a haughty demeanor.
For the sin which we have committed before You by the prattle of our lips.
And for the sin which we have committed before You by a glance of the eye.
For the sin which we have committed before You with proud looks.
And for the sin which we have committed before You with impudence.
For all these, God of pardon, pardon us, forgive us, atone for us.
For the sin which we have committed before You by casting off the yoke [of Heaven].
And for the sin which we have committed before You in passing judgment.
For the sin which we have committed before You by scheming against a fellowman.
And for the sin which we have committed before You by a begrudging eye.
For the sin which we have committed before You by frivolity.
And for the sin which we have committed before You by obduracy.
For the sin which we have committed before You by running to do evil.
And for the sin which we have committed before You by tale-bearing.
For the sin which we have committed before You by swearing in vain.
And for the sin which we have committed before You by causeless hatred.
For the sin which we have committed before You by embezzlement.
And for the sin which we have committed before You by a confused heart.
For all these, God of pardon, pardon us, forgive us, atone for us.
And for the sins for which we are obligated to bring a burnt-offering.
And for the sins for which we are obligated to bring a sin-offering.
And for the sins for which we are obligated to bring a varying offering [according to one's means].
And for the sins for which we are obligated to bring a guilt-offering for a certain or doubtful trespass.
And for the sins for which we incur the penalty of lashing for rebelliousness.
And for the sins for which we incur the penalty of forty lashes.
And for the sins for which we incur the penalty of death by the hand of Heaven.
And for the sins for which we incur the penalty of excision and childlessness.
And for the sins for which we incur the penalty of the four forms of capital punishment executed by the Court: stoning, burning, decapitation and strangulation.
For [transgressing] positive and prohibitory mitzvot, whether [the prohibitions] can be rectified by a specifically prescribed act or not, those of which we are aware and those of which we are not aware; those of which we are aware, we have already declared them before You and confessed them to You, and those of which we are not aware --- before You they are revealed and known, as it is stated:The hidden things belong to the Lord our God, but the revealed things are for us and for our children forever, that we may carry out all the words of this Torah. For You are the Pardoner of Israel and the Forgiver of the tribes of Yisrael in every generation, and aside from You we have no King who forgives and pardons.

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Yom Kippur 8

Yom Kippur
Day Of Atonement

Tzedakah

Charity is an important part of living a sufficiently sacred life. Tzedakah is seen as a religious obligation, which must be performed regardless of financial standing, and must be performed even by the poor. Tzedakah may be in the form of money or time volunteered for a good cause. You can also send gifts and sweets to people you feel need a little encouragement or an emotional boost. You can visit a nearby hospital or nursing home on Yom Kippur and spend some time with elderly patients admitted there; especially those who do not have many visitors or have none to call their own. Make sure to call the hospitals or nursing homes beforehand to arrange for your visit. Carry along a small gift like some flowers in a colourful vase, a flowering plant, or a pretty scarf for a woman; a baseball cap or a bright tie for a man. See that your visit becomes worthwhile and meaningful to the people there.

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Yom Kippur 7

Yom Kippur
Day Of Atonement

Viduy

I acknowledge before You, YHWH my God and the God of my fathers, that my life is in Your hands.
May it be Your will to forgive me.
I plead with you for atonement through Y’shua’s work on the crucifixion stake for all the errors, iniquities, and willful sins that I have erred, sinned and transgressed before You,
and may You give my share in Paradise, and grant me the merit to abide in the World to Come which is vouchsafed for the righteous.
My God and God of our fathers, may my prayers come before You, and do not turn away from my supplication,
for I am not so disrespectful and stubborn as to declare before You, YHWH my God, that I am righteous and have not sinned.
Indeed, I and my fathers have sinned. We have transgressed, we have acted deceitfully, unfaithfully, disloyally and dangerously, we have robbed, and we have slandered.
We have acted perversely and wickedly, we have willfully sinned, we have done violence, we have accused falsely.
We have given evil counsel, we have lied, we have scoffed, we have rebelled, we have provoked, we have been disobedient, we have committed iniquity, we have unrestrained transgressed, we have oppressed, we have been obstinate.
We have committed evil, we have acted maliciously, we have acted abominably, we have gone astray, we have led others astray.
We have strayed from Your good precepts and ordinances, and it has not profited us.
Indeed, You are just in all that has come upon us, for You have acted truthfully, and it is we who have acted wickedly.
Please forgive us, we pray in Y’shua’s Name, Amein.

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Yom Kippur 6

Yom Kippur
Day Of Atonement

Avinu Makeinu (Our Father, Our King)

Our Father, our King, we have sinned before you.
Our Father, our King, bring us back to you in full repentance.
Our Father, Our King, forgive and pardon all our misdeeds. Our Father,
Our King, have compassion on us and on our children.
Our Father Our King, make an end to sickness, war, and famine.
Our Father Our King, inscribe us for blessing in the Book of Life.
Our Father, Our King, let the new year be a good year for us.
Our Father, Our King, help us to exalt Your name in the world

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Yom Kippur 5

Yom Kippur
Day Of Atonement

Sh'ma

(Deut 6:4-9)
Hear, O Israel: YHWH our God is one YHWH:
And thou shalt love YHWH thy God with all thine heart,
and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:
And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of
them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way,
and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand,
and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.
And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.

(John 10:30)
Y’shua I accept and declare that you are YHWH in the flesh, as YHWH is Spirit and cannot be seen, and you yourself said "I and my Father are one."

(John 1:1, 14, 18)
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with YHWH, and the Word was YHWH. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father) full of grace and truth. No man hath seen YHWH at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.

(1 John 4:12 49)
No man hath seen YHWH at any time. If we love one another, YHWH dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.

(1 Tim 1:17)
Now unto the King (Father) eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise YHWH, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amein.

(John 4:24)
YHWH is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

(Col 1:15-20)
Who is the image of the invisible YHWH, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.

(Deut 11:13-21)
And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day, to love YHWH your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, That I will give you the rain of your land in his due season, the first rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil. And I will send grass in thy fields for thy cattle, that thou mayest eat and be full. Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them; And then YHWH's wrath be kindled against you, and he shut up the heaven, that there be no rain, and that the land yield not her fruit; and lest ye perish quickly from off the good land which YHWH giveth you. Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes. And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt write them upon the door posts of thine house, and upon thy gates: That your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land which YHWH sware unto your fathers to give them, as the days of heaven upon the earth.

(Num 15:37-41)
And YHWH spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children (includes women) of Israel, and bid them that they make them fringes in the borders of their garments throughout their generations, and that they put upon the fringe of the borders a ribband of blue: And it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of YHWH, and do them; and that ye seek not after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to go a whoring: That ye may remember, and do all my commandments, and be holy unto your God. I am YHWH your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I am YHWH your God.

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Yom Kippur 4

Yom Kippur
Day Of Atonement

Kol Nidre

Before sunset on Yom Kippur eve, worshipers gather in the synagogue (church Building). The Ark is opened and two people take from it two Sifrei Torah (Torah scrolls). Then they take their places, one on each side of the Hazzan, and the three recite (in Hebrew):

In the tribunal of Heaven and the tribunal of earth, we hold it lawful to pray with transgressors.

The cantor then chants the Kol Nidre prayer (Aramaic: כל נדרי). This prayer is recited in Aramaic. Its name "Kol Nidre" is taken from the opening words, and translates "All vows":

All personal vows we are likely to make, all personal oaths and pledges we are likely to take between this Yom Kippur and the next Yom Kippur, we publicly renounce. Let them all be relinquished and abandoned, null and void, neither firm nor established. Let our personal vows, pledges and oaths be considered neither vows nor pledges nor oaths.

The leader and the congregation then say together three times "May all the people of Israel be forgiven, including all the strangers who live in their midst, for all the people are in fault." The Torah scrolls are then placed back into the Ark, and the Yom Kippur evening service begins.

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Yom Kippur 3

Yom Kippur
Day Of Atonement

According to tradition, YHWH inscribes each person's fate for the coming year into the Book of Life, on Rosh Hashanah, and waits until Yom Kippur to "seal" the verdict. During the Days of Awe, a faithful observant tries to amend his or her behavior and seek forgiveness for wrongs done against YHWH (bein adam leMakom) and against other human beings (bein adam lechavero). The evening and day of Yom Kippur are set aside for public and private petitions and confessions of guilt (Vidui). At the end of Yom Kippur, one presents themself before YHWH.

The Yom Kippur prayer service includes several unique aspects. One is the actual number of prayer services. Unlike a regular day, which has three prayer services (Ma'ariv, the evening prayer; Shacharit, the morning prayer; and Mincha, the afternoon prayer), or a Shabbat or Yom Tov, which have four prayer services (Ma'ariv; Shacharit; Mussaf, the additional prayer; and Mincha), Yom Kippur has five prayer services (Ma'ariv; Shacharit; Musaf; Mincha; and Ne'ilah, the closing prayer). The prayer services also include private and public confessions of sins (Vidui) and a unique prayer dedicated to the special Yom Kippur avodah (service) of the Kohen Gadol (high priest) in the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. In our case, this is Yeshuah.

Leviticus 16:29 mandates establishment of this holy day on the 10th day of the 7th month as the day of atonement for sins. It calls it the Sabbath of Sabbaths and a day upon which one must afflict one's soul.

Leviticus 23:27 decrees that Yom Kippur is a strict day of rest.

Five additional prohibitions are traditionally observed, as detailed in the Oral Law (Mishnah tractate Yoma 8:1).

The number five is a set number, relating to:

-In the Yom Kippur section of the Torah, the word soul appears five times.
-The soul is known by five separate names: soul, wind, spirit, living one and unique one.
-Unlike regular days, which have three prayer services, Yom Kippur has five- Maariv, Shacharis, Mussaf, Minchah and Neilah
-The Kohen Gadol rinsed himself in the mikveh (ritual bath) five times on Yom Kippur.

The traditions are as follows:
-No eating and drinking
-No wearing of leather shoes
-No bathing or washing
-No anointing oneself with perfumes or lotions
-No marital relations

A parallel has been drawn between these activities and the human condition according to the Biblical account of the expulsion from the garden of Eden. Refraining from these symbolically represents a return to a pristine state, which is the theme of the day. By refraining from these activities, the body is uncomfortable but can still survive. The soul is considered to be the life force in a body. Therefore, by making one’s body uncomfortable, one’s soul is uncomfortable. By feeling pain one can feel how others feel when they are in pain. This is the purpose of the prohibitions.

Total abstention from food and drink as well as keeping the other traditions begins at sundown, and ends after nightfall the following day. One should add a few minutes to the beginning and end of the day, called tosefet Yom Kippur, lit. "addition to Yom Kippur". Although the fast is required of all healthy men over 13 or women over 12, it is waived in the case of certain medical conditions.

Virtually all of YHWH's holidays involve meals, but since Yom Kippur involves fasting, tradition requires one to eat a large and festive meal on the afternoon before Yom Kippur, after the Mincha (afternoon) prayer.

Wearing white clothing or a kittel, is traditional to symbolize one's purity on this day.

In order to apologize to God, one must:
-Pray
-Repent
-Give to charity

#YomKippur
#DayOfAtonement

Yom Kippur 2

Yom Kippur
Day Of Atonement

Leviticus 23:27-32
“The tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. You are to hold a sacred assembly and practice self-denial; you are to present a fire offering to YHWH. On this particular day you are not to do any work, for it is a Day of Atonement to make atonement for yourselves before YHWH your God If any person does not practice self-denial on this particular day, he is to be cut off from his people. I will destroy among his people anyone who does any work on this same day. You are not to do any work. This is a permanent statute throughout your generations wherever you live. It will be a Sabbath of complete rest for you, and you must practice self-denial. You are to observe your Sabbath from the evening of the ninth day of the month until the following evening.”

Isaiah 58:5-8
Will the fast I choose be like this: A day for a person to deny himself, to bow his head like a reed, and to spread out sackcloth and ashes? Will you call this a fast and a day acceptable to YHWH? Isn’t this the fast I choose: To break the chains of wickedness, to untie the ropes of the yoke, to set the oppressed free, and to tear off every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, to bring the poor and homeless into your house, to clothe the naked when you see him, and not to ignore your own flesh and blood? Then your light will appear like the dawn, and your recovery will come quickly. Your righteousness will go before you, and the Lord’s glory will be your rear guard.

#YomKippur
#DayOfAtonement

Yom Kippur 1

Yom Kippur - The Day Of Atonement, is coming soon (sunset Wednesday the 19th to sunset Thursday the 20th).

This is a High Sabbath, and the only commanded fast in the Scripture. There is much more to this Day and its prophetic implications though. I will be posting several Blog entries on this, the most holy of holy Days, over the next few days.

Let us start, as always, with Scripture:

Leviticus 16:29-34
“This is to be a permanent statute for you: In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month you are to practice self-denial and do no work, both the native and the alien who resides among you. Atonement will be made for you on this day to cleanse you, and you will be clean from all your sins before YHWH. It is a Sabbath of complete rest for you, and you must practice self-denial; it is a permanent statute. The priest who is anointed and ordained to serve as high priest in place of his father will make atonement. He will put on the linen garments, the holy garments, and make atonement for the most holy place. He will make atonement for the tent of meeting and the altar and will make atonement for the priests and all the people of the assembly. This is to be a permanent statute for you, to make atonement for the Israelites once a year because of all their sins.” And all this was done as YHWH commanded Moses.

As you know, Yeshuah is our Kaporah, and He fulfills this command through His sacrifice as the High Priest.

However, this does not at all nullify the command that we honor this Day through all time. It is not just about forgiveness for the year. It is about the final judgement, when all of Heaven and Earth pass away, and the dead are raised, and the living meet them in the air, and YHWH opens the Book of Life and makes final judgement of all living things.

This is a very important Day to YHWH. On this Day, we are to do NOTHING for ourselves - not eat, drink, personal hygene, sex - nothing for ourselves. However, we ARE to do good deeds for OTHERS on this Day. More about that in the coming posts.

This is a day to affirm your repentance before YHWH and humble yourself at the loss of an innocent life - the shedding of innocent blood that should have been your own, because of your sin before YHWH.

Because this is a commanded fast, the traditional greeting is "Have an easy fast."

As we approach this great Day with solemn humility, let us prepare our hearts for what YHWH will show us on this Day.

#YomKippur
#DayOfAtonement

Yom Taruah / Rosh Hashanah 13

Yom Taruah Hatarat Nedarim (The Release Of Vows)

An English version created by Reb Zalman:

Traditionally, right before Rosh Hashanah one performs this simple ritual with three friends, each in turn becoming the petitioner, while the other three act as the beit din, (the judges in a court). The ritual is a wonderful way to enter the holidays as well as to prepare oneself for what will happen on Yom Kippur.

Petitioner:
My friends, I ask the three of you to serve as judges in the court that is empowered to release one from vows. Will you please serve for me in this capacity?

The judges:
Yes, we are prepared to hear you.

Petitioner: 

What follows is not intended to void promises I made to other people from which only they can release me.

In the last year I have from time to time made vows, sometimes speaking them out loud or had an intention, a resolution to change something in my actions, behavior and attitude in my mind. Some of these are in relation to myself, my body, my mind, and my soul. Some of these deal with the way in which I conduct myself in relation to other people. And most of all, there are those that deal with my relation to God.

Sometimes I took on a practice or a custom and did it at least three times and have since either willingly or unwillingly abandoned it and I know that this, too, has the power of a vow.

Many times when I ask for prayers for some people whether they are prayers for healing, for blessing or for the repose of souls departed, in which the formula includes "Because I shall contribute to tzedakah" and I may have forgotten to do that or not been aware, I ask you to release me from that, too.

All these I regret and I ask you to recognize my regret and release me from all those vows.

The judges:
Hearing your regret, we release you. All is forgiven, all is released, and may it be that in the same way that we here below release you from theses vows and obligations, so may you be released from the court above from the same.

Petitioner:
As I stand here and I am aware of my fickle nature in matters of vows, promises and resolutions, I hereby declare that for the coming year, should I again offer such vows, promises and resolutions, they should have no effect and not become binding on me. At this moment I regret any of these and do not wish them to be valid.

The judges:
We have heard your declaration and consider it licit and legal.

May you be blessed with a good year, inscribed in the book of life and sealed for good.

----------------------------------------------

Obviously this is symbolic. But the Spiritual truth in this is very real, and this is why it is good for Believers in Yeshuah (Jesus) as well. He is the Righteous Judge, and one day we will stand before Him with the very heavens and earth as witnesses and give an account for ourselves.

May we be inscribed in the Book of Life, but His grace and mercy, and through His sacrifice.

#yomtaruah
#roshhashanah

Yom Taruah / Rosh Hashanah 12

How Yom Taruah is celebrated

-Hearing the sounding of the ram’s horn (shofar)
-Lighting candles at sunset (should be a woman or girl doing this)
-Eating festive meals with sweet delicacies during the night and day, which include:
Kiddush (blessing( over wine or grape juice
Round, raisin challah bread dipped in honey
Apples dipped in honey
The head of a fish, pomegranates, and other foods symbolizing our wishes for the coming year (on the first night)
A new fruit
-Performing Tashlich, a brief prayer said at a body of fresh water
-Attending services in synagogue (church building)
-Desisting from work

The service consists of

-Special selichot services before the morning prayers.
-The annulment of vows (“hatarat nedarim”) after the morning services.
-Women and girls light holiday candles tonight to usher in the holiday.
-The SOUNDING OF TH SHOFAR

After reciting the holiday kiddush benediction over wine (or grape juice), we eat the challah bread dipped in honey. It is then customary to eat a sweet apple dipped in honey; the head of a fish, ram, or other kosher animal; and a pomegranate. In different communities there are other traditional foods eaten at this meal.

The central observance of Rosh Hashanah is hearing the sounding of the shofar,the ram’s horn. It is a mitzvah (command) to hear the shofar on the morning of the holiday

The first 30 blasts of the shofar are blown following the Torah-reading during morning services, and as many as 70 are then blown during (and immediately after) the Musaf service. For someone who cannot come to synagogue, the shofar may be blown the rest of the day. If you cannot make it to a congregation, many rabbis and Messianic pastors are willing to come to you for a "house call" if you let them know ahead of time.

Scripture commands we blow the Shofar on this day, however it does not specify why we are to blow the shofar on Rosh Hashanah. However, Rabbi Saadia Gaon compiled a list of 10 reasons for this special mitzvah:

-On Rosh Hashanah we coronate God as King of the world. -The shofar’s trumpeting call heralds this exciting event.
-Its piercing wail serves to awaken slumbering souls that have grown complacent.
-It evokes the shofar blasts that were heard when God descended on Mount Sinai and gave us the Torah.
-It echoes the cries of the prophets who urged Israel to mend their ways and return to God and His commandments.
-It reminds us of the war cries of our enemies as they broke into the Temple in Jerusalem and destroyed it.
-Made of a ram’s horn, the shofar recalls the near-sacrifice of Isaac, who was saved when God showed Abraham a ram to bring as an offering in his stead.
-Its loud piercing sound humbles us and fills us with awe before God.
-It foreshadows the day of judgment at the end of days, which the prophet describes as “a day of shofar and alarm against the fortified cities and against the high towers.”
-It gives us hope, mirroring the sound of the “great shofar” that will call together the Jewish people who are scattered to the corners of the earth at the time of the coming of Mashiach.
-It reminds us of the Revival of the Dead, about which we read, “dwellers of the earth ... a shofar is sounded you shall hear.”

Shofar Blast Procedure:

The shofar blower stands at the bimah (platform at the front of the synagogue), and begins by reciting a collection of verses from the Psalms followed by two blessings: The first blesses YHWH, “who sanctified us with His commandments and commanded to hear the voice of the shofar.” The second is the blessing of Shehecheyanu, thanking YHWH for granting us yet another year of life, allowing us to blow the shofar once again.

The shofar blowing contains a series of three types of blasts: tekiah, a long sob-like blast; shevarim, a series of three short wails; and teruah, at least nine piercing staccato bursts.

The primary shofar blowing consists of the following 30 blasts:

Tekiah-shevarim-teruah-tekiah
Tekiah-shevarim-teruah-tekiah
Tekiah-shevarim-teruah-tekiah

Tekiah-shevarim-tekiah
Tekiah-shevarim-tekiah
Tekiah-shevarim- tekiah

Tekiah-teruah-tekiah
Tekiah-teruah-tekiah
Tekiah-teruah-tekiah gedolah (extra long blast)

During the Musaf prayer, we have 7 more opportunities to blow the shofar, producing the following 10 blasts each time:

Tekiah-shevarim-teruah-tekiah
Tekiah-shevarim-tekiah
Tekiah-teruah-tekiah

Add all that up and you’ll arrive at exactly 100 blasts. Many have a custom of an additional 30 blast after the Musaf has concluded.

#yomtaruah
#roshhashanah

Yom Taruah / Rosh Hashanah 11

Tashlich

Tashlich comes from the Hebrew word meaning "to cast," referring to the intent to cast away our sins via this meaningful and ancient Jewish custom that I found helpful for us as Messianic Believers as well. I will explain why with a testimony on this tradition at the end.

Tashlich is usually performed on the first day of Rosh Hashanah. Special verses are recited next to a body of water, such as a sea, river, stream, lake or pond, preferably one that has fish (though when no such body of water was available, some rabbis were known to do Tashlich next to a well, even one that dried up, or next to a bucket of water). Upon concluding the verses, the corners of one's clothes are shaken out; for males, this is usually done with the corners of the tallit katan (tzitzit garment).

Tashlich's earliest reference appears to be in the book of the Prophet Nehemiah (8:1) which states, "All the Jews gathered as one in the street that is in front of the gate of water." This gathering is known to have taken place on Rosh Hashanah, and for this purpose.

Many reasons are given for this custom:

One reason for saying Tashlich next to water goes back to Abraham's trip to sacrifice his son, Isaac (which took place on Rosh Hashanah). On the way to the designated location, the Satan tried several times to undermine Abraham's progress. One of the Satan's tricks was to have a river materialize and block Abraham's path. Undeterred, Abraham forged on straight into the river followed by his small entourage. Upon reaching the middle of the river when the water reached his neck, Abraham prayed to YHWH and the river dried up. We commemorate the self-sacrifice of Abraham by going to a river bank.

Another reason for saying Tashlich next to a river is because Rosh Hashanah is the day when we coronate YHWH as King of the Universe. Jewish kings are always anointed next to rivers, and so it is appropriate that we crown YHWH as our King next to a river, as well.

Going to a river bank or sea shore is also awe inspiring as we contemplate YHWH's mercy in preventing the waters from flooding the dry land. The realization of YHWH's omnipotence inspires us to repent.

Though we do Tashlich beside an earthly river or sea, this watery entity actually represents its Heavenly counterpart. Jewish traidition teaches that water corresponds to the attribute of kindness. On Rosh Hashanah, we beseech YHWH to treat us with kindness during the new year.
Water with fish is optimal since fish are not subject to the "evil eye" and are also known to have many offspring. Fish do not have eyelids, so their eyes are always open. This is likened to YHWH's constant supervision over us, and we pray that He mercifully care for us. Also, just as fish may be caught in a fisherman's net, so, too, we are caught in the net of judgment. This awareness helps awaken us to repent.

While there are different versions and verses of the Tashlich liturgy depending upon community, what are common to all are the verses from the book of Micah (7:18-19) "Who is a god like You..." These words correspond to YHWH's thirteen attributes of mercy which we seek to arouse on Rosh Hashanah as we are being judged; the allusion to these thirteen attributes is known to always be beneficial.

The goal of Tashlich is to cast both our sins and the Heavenly prosecutor (a.k.a. the Satan) into the Heavenly sea. And when we shake our clothes after the Tashlich prayer, this is a tangible act to achieve the spiritual goal of shaking sins from our soul.

Needless to say, the physical motions near the water and fish of Tashlich are not what grant us atonement. But if we pay attention to the symbolism and apply the sincere desire to heal our relationship with YHWH as portrayed in the physical demonstrations of Tashlich, then it serves as a crucial part in the process of repenting and returning to YHWH in purity.

Tashlich:

                            (YHWH, Adonai, benevolent God,)
1) Who is a God like You,
                            (compassionate)
2) who pardons iniquity
                            (and gracious,)
3) and forgives transgression
                            (slow)
4) for the remnant of His heritage?
                            (to anger)
5) He does not maintain His wrath forever,
                            (and abounding in kindness)
6) for He desires [to do] kindness.
                            (and truth;)
7) He will again show us mercy,
                            (He preserves kindness)
8) He will suppress our iniquities;
                            (for two thousand generations,)
9) and You will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.
                            (pardoning iniquity,)
10) Show faithfulness to Jacob,
                            (transgression)
11) kindness to Abraham,
                            (and sin,)
12) which You have sworn to our fathers
                            (and He cleanses.)
13) from the days of yore.

                            (YHWH is slow)
1) in From out of distress I called to YHWH;
                            (to anger)
2) with abounding relief, YHWH answered me.
                            (and abounding in kindness,)
3) Adonai is with me,
                            (pardoning iniquity)
4) I do not fear
                            (and transgression,)
5) what can man do to me?
                            (acquitting [the penitent])
6) YHWH is with me among my helpers,
                            (and not acquitting the impenitent],)
7) and I will see [the downfall of] my enemies.
                            (remembering the iniquity of the fathers for the children,)
8) It is better to rely on YHWH than to trust in man.
                            (for the third and for the fourth generation.)
9) It is better to rely on YHWH than to trust in nobles.

Sing joyously to YHWH, you righteous ones; it is fitting for the upright to offer praise. Extol YHWH with a harp; sing to Him with a ten-stringed lyre. Sing to Him a new song; skillfully play sounds of jubilation. For the word of YHWH is just; all His deeds are done in faithfulness. He loves righteousness and justice; the kindness of YHWH fills the earth. By the word of YHWH the heavens were made, and by the breath of His mouth all their hosts.

He gathers the waters of the sea like a mound; He stows away the deeps in vaults. Let all the earth fear YHWH; let all the inhabitants of the world tremble before Him. For He spoke, and it came to be; He commanded, and it endured. YHWH has annulled the counsel of nations; He has foiled the schemes of peoples. The counsel of YHWH stands forever, the thoughts of His heart throughout all generations. Fortunate is the nation whose God is YHWH, the people He chose as a heritage for Himself. YHWH looks down from heaven; He beholds all mankind. From His dwelling-place He watches intently all the inhabitants of the earth. It is He who fashions the hearts of them all, who perceives all their actions. A king is not saved through a large army; a warrior is not rescued by means of great strength. A horse is a false guarantee for victory; with all its great strength it offers no escape. But the eye of YHWH is directed toward those who fear Him, toward those who hope for His kindness, to save their soul from death and to sustain them during famine. Our soul yearns for YHWH; He is our help and our shield. For our heart shall rejoice in Him, for we have put our trust in His holy Name. May Your kindness, Adoanai, be upon us, as we have placed our hope in You.

They shall do no evil nor shall they destroy in all My holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of YHWH, as the waters cover the sea.

May it be Your will, Adonai our God and God of our fathers, exalted God, crowned with thirteen attributes, qualities of mercy, that this shall be a propitious time before You; and may You consider the recitation of the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy in the verses "Who is a God like You..." which correspond to the thirteen attributes "benevolent God, compassionate and gracious...," that we recited before You, as if we had comprehended all the esoteric meanings and the combinations of the holy Names that are formed from them, and the joining of their attributes, which, one by one, shall approach to "sweeten" the severe judgments. And so, cast all our sins into the depths of the sea, and bestow upon us from them the bounty of deliverance and mercy. Remember us for life, King who desires life; inscribe us in the Book of Life for Your sake, O living God. May we merit to attain teshuvah ila'ah ("higher level repentance"), for Your right hand is stretched forth to receive penitents. Rend the evil [aspect] of the verdict decreed against us; may our merits be stated before You, and may You have forbearance for us for good. Amen.

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable before You, L-rd, my Strength and my Redeemer.

(Throw the stone into the water and shake off your garments. over the water)

TESTIMONY:

Many years ago, when I was in prison, we discovered this tradition when preparing to celebrate YHWH Appointed Days. We obviously did not have rocks or rivers or lakes in prison. So we took a piece of paper and wrote on it the words "PAST INIQUITIES". Remembering Micah 9:17 (I will cast your sin into the sea of forgetfulness), we confessed all of out sins before YHWH, said the Tashlich, then took the paper, wrinkled it up, threw it into the toilet and flushed it.

It was a reminder to us that our sins are gone. Once YHWH forgave them, they were forgotten by Him, never to be remembered again - thanks to our Redeemer, His Son Yeshuah (Jesus), who took our sins upon Himself. This symbolic tradition is an important reminder to all of just what YHWH has done for us.

May we all shake ourselves from sin and be signed and sealed in the Book of Life for a good and sweet new year!

#yomtaruah
#roshhashanah

Yom Taruah / Rosh Hashanah 10

Foods for Yom Taruah / Rosh Hashanah

There is a tradition at Yom Taruah to eat symbolic foods (simanim) meant to help ensure a good new year. Traditions include recipe suggestions for integrating symbolic foods throughout your yom tov (holiday) menus.

Another option is to incorporate lots of simanim into a single dish -- think salads, grain pilafs, or sweet stews called tzimmes.

Honey
How better to wish for a Shana Tova U'Metukah (a good and sweet new year) than to eat one of nature's sweetest foods? For Ashkenazim in particular, apples are the iconic accompaniment to honey.

100% pure honey, without added flavors or additives, is kosher. In honor of the holiday, seek out a special varietal honey. Better yet, offer a tasting flight of several intriguing kinds of honey.

Pomogranites
The rimon, or pomegranate, is special for many reasons. It is one of the Seven Species of Israel and has traditionally been used as a "new fruit" for the Shehechiyanu blessing (celebrating new and unusual experiences) on Rosh Hashanah.

There's another link between pomegranates and the Festival New Year -- just as the fruits are full of seeds, we hope we'll be similarly full of merits in the coming year.

Carrots
Gezer, the Hebrew word for carrot, sounds very much like g'zar, the Hebrew word for decree. Eating them on Yom Taruah is meant to express our desire that YHWH will nullify any negative decrees against us. Interestingly, the Yiddish words for "carrots" and "more" -- mern and mer, respectively -- are strikingly similar. So among Yiddish speakers, carrots symbolize the desire for increased blessings in the new year.

Please your vegetarian guests with a Moroccan vegetarian carrot and chickpea tagine, and finish the meal with a delicious carrot cake with cream cheese frosting (pareve).

Beets or Spinach
The Hebrew word for beets, selek, is similar to the word for "remove." They're eaten to express the hope that our enemies will depart. In Aramaic, the language of the Gemara, silka referred to a leafy green vegetable akin to spinach. Some maintain that this leafy green is the original symbolic food for Rosh Hashanah and that beets are a more recent development.

If you'd like to feature beets on your holiday menu try roasted sweet potatoes and beets or Moroccan sweet beet salad.

Black-Eyed Peas, Green Beans or Fenugreek
Rubia, which may refer to several different types of small beans, or even fenugreek, is reminiscent of the word yirbu, "to increase." These foods symbolize the hope for a fruitful year filled with merit.

Bring some exotic flavors to your Rosh Hashanah table with recipes such as Moroccan black-eyed peas (cowpeas), sesame green beans and methi paratha (fenugreek paratha).

Heads: Fish, Sheep, Cabbage or Garlic
Including some sort of head on the menu is representative of our hope that we are likened to a head, and not a tail. In other words, we should move forward and make progress in the coming year, rather than follow or linger in the rear. Vegetarians may opt for a head of cabbage or garlic in place of the traditional fish or sheep's head.

A simple--and delicious--way to incorporate a head at your table is with roasted garlic (pareve) and rainbow slaw (pareve) including cabbage. If you are ok with a fish head, try porgy baked in salt (pareve), or any other baked whole fish you prefer. For those who are of the more adventurous kind, a steamed sheep's head (meat) will do the trick.

Fish
The ancient belief that fish don't sleep has been discredited, but the notion that fish are ever vigilant and swim constantly is linked to this symbol and reflects the desire to be constantly aware of YHWH and of opportunities to do good.

There are so many fish recipes to choose from, but here are a few ideas to get you started. How about lemon-garlic baked salmon, lemon herb baked halibut (parve) or a garlic-flavored baked sea bass? For something a bit exotic, try Indian-spiced salmon.

Leeks, Chard or Spinach
The word for leek is related to the word kareyt, meaning to cut. This symbol is linked to the prayer that those who wish to hurt us will instead be cut off.

Gourds
The Hebrew word for gourd is related to the Hebrew homonyms pronounced k'ra. One word means "to rip," the other "to announce." We ask that the Lord rip up any evil decree against us and that our merits be announced before Him.

Fall is the perfect time to serve gourds as they are in peak season. Start the meal with Moroccan pumpkin and chickpea soup.

Dates:
The Hebrew word for dates, t'marim, evokes the word tam, "to end," and the hope that our enemies will be finished. On a more positive note, dates, like pomegranates, are one of the Seven Species of Israel. While archaeological evidence now shows that beekeeping was practiced in ancient Israel, it is generally agreed that when Israel is called "a land flowing with milk and honey," the Torah is referring to date honey.

#yomtaruah
#roshhashanah