Previously posted ...
From Red Dawn till Dusk ...
- when the west was best
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Please join with us as we study the portion of Scripture that will be read
in synagogues around the world this Shabbat (Saturday). We know you
will be blessed by this Parasha (Torah portion) as it highlights how we
can live lives worthy of leaving a legacy for future generations.
“And the life of Sarah [Chayei Sarah] was a hundred and seven and
twenty years; these were the years of the life of Sarah.” Genesis 23:1
Although the title of this week’s Parasha, Chayei Sarah (חַיֵּי שָׂרָה),
means Life of Sarah, it initially focuses on her death. This corresponds
with the Judaic thought that it is the awareness of death that gives
more meaning to life.
Sarah is the only woman in the Bible to have a Parasha named after her.
What an honor! All the other Biblical characters that Parashot are named
after are men: Balak, Pinchas, Korach, Noach and Yitro. This underscores
how important the matriarch Sarah is to our faith. Sarah dies in Kiryat Arba,
and her funeral is the first to be recorded in the Torah.
You can view this Parasha on our website complete with embedded links ...
Chayei Sarah: The Godly Woman Behind the Godly Man
http://free.messianicbible.
Parasha Reading Schedule 5776
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THE SHABBAT CANDLE BLESSING
Jewish people around the world mark
this day by the candle lighting and blessing:
"Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the universe,
who has sanctified us with His commandments, and
commanded us to kindle the light of the Holy Shabbat."
http://lp.eteacherhebrew.com/
Shema Yisrael - Deuteronomy 6:4-9
- in the mezuzah and in the tefillin
http://www.aish.com/jl/m/pb/
http://www.hebrew4christians.
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Yavoh ~ He is coming !
Yahweh - Yeshua - Ruach Ha-Kodesh
Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh אֶהְיֶה אֲשֶׁר אֶהְיֶה
BREAKING NEWS FROM ISRAEL
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http://pamelageller.com/
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Pray at the Kotel - the Western Wailing Wall
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Entire Media News on this Planet
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Thanks - beloved Ted Belman writing from Jerusalem, Israel for 13+ years ...
Surak is a patriot and a scholar.
Culture Matters
by Surak, AMERICAN THINKER
When in the course of human events, a great civilization commits suicide, a decent respect to the welfare of ourselves and our posterity requires that we should investigate its causes. And there indeed significant differences among cultures, and what the results may imply for immigration policy? First, a word about the modern cult of multiculturalism, one of numerous manifestations of leftism. Multiculturalism may be defined as the following set of beliefs: 1) cultures differ from one another, but not in any meaningful way; 2) all cultures are worthy of respect and preservation, except for Western civilization, by far the worst. The contradiction of these two beliefs is no greater than their internal self-contradiction. [...]
http://www.israpundit.org/
http://www.americanthinker.
How to save Jewish Jerusalem
Ted writes - I see no benefit to Israel retaining these lands as part of Jerusalem. Of course these people work in Jerusalem and will have to be allowed in through check points to work. A barrier must be constructed separating the parts we don’t want from the parts we do want. It was originally thought that these Arabs would opt for citizenship and thus cement our hold on all the annexed parts. But it didn’t work out this way. I doubt if the leaders at the time envisioned our present reality, they would never have annexed. This will free us up to build anywhere else in remaining lands annexed to Jerusalem and will remove the uncertainly in planning for infrastructure.
How to save Jewish Jerusalem
by Haim Ramon, YNET
Politicians from most Zionist parties swear nearly every day that “Jerusalem is united. The city joined together will never be divided.” In their foolishness, ignorance and political fear, they are ignoring – knowingly or unknowingly – the known truth: The vast majority of what are called today “the East Jerusalem neighborhoods” were never part of the city in any historical era, so there is no justification for them being part of Israel’s capital today. The 28 villages were annexed to Jerusalem in a strange process after the Six-Day War. With the thrust of a loss of judgment, the Palestinians became one-quarter of “greater” Jerusalem’s residents. It was, undoubtedly, one of the most foolish acts in the history of Zionism, and we have been paying a heavy, bloody price for it. Israel’s capital today has more Palestinians than Zionist Jews. [...]
http://www.israpundit.org/
http://www.ynetnews.com/
Obama to ask Netanyahu to avoid 'one-state solution'
Ted writes - In all probability the increased aid will be tied to a commitment by Netanyahu to adhere to the two-state solution, the one being pushed by Obama.
Obama to ask Netanyahu to avoid 'one-state solution'
Obama’s senior advisers says he will discuss with Netanyahu steps to make progress on peace talks.
by Ben Ariel, INN
President Barack Obama is expected to encourage Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to take steps to prevent Israel and the Palestinians from moving toward a “one-state solution” during their meeting at the White House next Monday, the president’s senior advisers said at a press briefing Thursday night, according to Haaretz. The president’s senior adviser on the Middle East, Rob Malley, said at the briefing that Obama reached the conclusion that in his time left in office the Israelis and the Palestinians will not be able to reach a peace treaty and it’s doubtful that they will be able to resume direct talks on a permanent agreement. [...]
http://www.israpundit.org/
http://www.israelnationalnews.
Palmetto Honey Energy Bites
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Six Easy Ways to Get More Fiber Every Day
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Chicken Meatball Stew
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Baked Pumpkin Penne
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Walnut Clusters Snack
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Kitchen Shortcuts To Help You Prep For Early Shabbat In No Time
Jamie writes - Packing my bags again for a 4 day trip to the Midwest, NJ and finally
NY for KOSHERFEST! I will be judging the annual CKCA Iron Chef Competition
- so excited to eat some gooood food. Make sure to follow me on Instagram
for all the live delicious details.
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WATCH: Tips for Making Ahead and Freezing Recipes
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Quinoa with Shiitake & Oyster Mushrooms
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Malabi - A Simple Dessert You've Got to Try
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Fake It Till You Make It With These Cooking Tips and Tricks That Make It
Jamie writes - I'm back on dry land for two weeks before heading out to the Midwest and East Coast. I plan to pack a lot into the next 14 days: Winn-Dixie recipe dev and video shoot (Fried Ice Cream and Rosti, aka Giant Potato Latkes - who's excited?!??!), picking out the bathrooms and floors for our new apt, parent-teacher conferences, the Bar Mitzvah of our dear friends' son (shout out to Josh!!!) and answering 300 plus emails (mostly comments and Qs from you all, sorry, I'm sorting through everything as quickly as I can). Wishing us all a super, duper productive next few weeks !
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Shabbat Menu - Quick and Easy Shabbat Dinner
Whenever I get tired at the end of a long week, I take a moment to think about all that Hashem did in six days and I don’t feel quite so tired anymore. But by the end of three (that’s right, three) 3-day Yom Tovim (including Shabbos), I bet Jewish cooks everywhere are ready to take it a little easier in the kitchen this week. In Parsha Bereishit, we read about the creation of the world and the expulsion from the Garden of Eden. While the forbidden fruit remains a mystery, I did find an easy to prepare Shabbat menu that showcases a cornucopia of savory herbs and seasonal vegetables surrounding a tasty roast chicken that will satisfy family and friends and takes less than an hour out of the last day of yom tov to prepare.
http://www.joyofkosher.com/
Joy of Kosher w Jamie Geller
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About - http://www.joyofkosher.com/
Whether you keep kosher or are just kosher-curious, JoyofKosher.com,
starring best-selling cookbook author Jamie Geller, is the ultimate online
community for people with good taste who are passionate about food.
JoyofKosher.com features thousands of gourmet and everyday kosher
recipes searchable by category (dairy, meat or pareve), cuisine, course,
and/or holiday, plus cooking tips and tricks from celebrity chefs and food
personalities. JoyofKosher.com also offers mouth-watering menu ideas for
Shabbat and all Jewish holidays. You don’t have to be kosher to love kosher !
Verily, Beloveds, I can scarcely take this all in while here on
the Lord's Earth, when we are all finally home, please, do
stop by to see Jamie and those beloveds within her given house ...
Beautiful - watch oh so closely beloveds ...
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If you're in Israel I'd love to introduce you to my friend and
favorite Judaica Artist Avi Luvaton. You can view his unique and exquisite
collection of judaica, jewlery and art on display at one of his 2 galleries.
Handcrafted Luxury Challah Covers From Israel ...
http://luvaton.com/landing/
Weekly Torah Portion: Chayei Sara
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
The Temple Institute - https://www.youtube.com/user/
Chayei Sara (Genesis 23:1-25:18)
Parashat Chayei Sara is read on Shabbat:
Marcheshvan 25, 5776 / November 7, 2016
Parashat Chayei Sara captures the moment that Jewish life as we know it today comes into the world. Death, mourning, eulogizing and burial, are followed by new love, life and consolation as the generation of Sara and Avraham gives way to the generation of Yitzchak and Rivka. Accusations of wrongdoing from all directions do not discourage today's descendants of Yitzchak and Rivka from ascending the same field of dreams which is the Temple Mount. More and more Jews are choosing with their feet and their hearts the Temple Mount leading an entire people toward a better day. Yitzchak Reuven is all by himself in the studio in this week's edition of Temple Talk as Rabbi Richman is in the USA kicking off his month long speaking tour.
The purchase of the Machpelah cave by Avraham is the first of three incontestable acquisitions of the land of Israel that the holy Torah testifies to. The others are Kever Yosef, the tomb of Yosef, built upon land purchased by our patriarch Yaakov, and the threshing floor of Arvona, purchased by King David, upon which was built the Holy Temple. It is these three places precisely that our enemies currently seek to steal from Israel, using lies and deceptions, knowing full well that these three places are the three pillars upon which the world stands and the three foundation stones upon which Israel's settlement of the land rests firmly and eternally.
http://www.templeinstitute.
Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:
That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven,
and which are on earth; even in him:
Ephesians 1:9-10 KJV
Shabbat Shalom - Parasha Chayei Sarah - the Legacy of Faith !!!
The Hebrew text of the Torah scroll is usually read using a Torah pointer
called a yad (hand).
Shabbat Shalom !
Welcome to this week’s Torah study, which is called Chayei Sarah (Life
of Sarah).
Please join with us as we study the portion of Scripture
that will be read in synagogues around the world this
Shabbat (Saturday). We know you will be blessed by this
Parasha (Torah portion) as it highlights how we can live
lives worthy of leaving a legacy for future generations.
CHAYEI SARAH (Life
of Sarah)
Genesis 23:1–25:18; 1 Kings 1:1–31; Matthew
2:1–23
“And the life of Sarah [Chayei
Sarah] was a hundred and seven and
twenty years; these were the years of the life of Sarah.”
(Genesis 23:1)
(Genesis 23:1)
Although the title of this week’s Parasha, Chayei Sarah (חַיֵּי שָׂרָה), means Life of Sarah, it initially
focuses on her death. This corresponds with the Judaic
thought that it is the awareness of death that gives more
meaning to life.
Sarah is the only woman in the Bible to have a
Parasha named after her. What an honor! All the
other Biblical characters that Parashot are named after are
men: Balak, Pinchas, Korach, Noach and Yitro. This
underscores how important the matriarch Sarah is to our
faith.
Sarah dies in
Kiryat Arba, and her funeral is the first to be recorded
in the Torah.
Sarah is buried in the Tomb of the Patriarchs (Ma'arat HaMachpelah), the
second holiest place in Judaism after the Temple Mount. This burial
place, in which the fathers and mothers of the Jewish faith are buried, is
located in Hebron. In Parasha Chayei Sarah, Abraham purchases this
land for the full asking price.
Sarah’s Obedience
Is Rewarded
Last week’s Parasha (Vayera) ended with Abraham’s
ultimate test — the binding and near sacrifice of his
beloved son, Isaac (Yitzchak); but God provided the ram for
a sacrifice instead. One must wonder what went through the
mind of Isaac’s mother, Sarah.
Did she even know for what purpose Abraham
departed with their son? Did she worry that her
joy — her reason for laughter
— Yitzchak —
may not return home alive to her?
Scripture does not address this; however, in the Brit
Chadashah (New Testament), we do read of Sarah’s radical obedience
to her husband as an example of faith and courage that
women of God are encouraged to emulate:
“For
this is the way the holy women of the past who put their
hope in God used to adorn themselves. They submitted
themselves to their own husbands, like Sarah, who obeyed
Abraham and called him her lord. You are her daughters if
you do what is right and do not give way to fear.” (1
Peter 3:5–6)
A Jewish woman buries her face in her siddur
(prayer book) as she prays at the Western
(Wailing) Wall in Jerusalem.
Sarah demonstrated this radical obedience to
her husband — first by leaving everything behind,
including her home and family, to follow Abraham to a new
land. She did not know where they were going and had to
live inside a tent in the desert like a stranger.
In order to protect her husband, she even agreed twice
to enter a foreign king’s harems where she could have
potentially been greatly harmed and defiled. Still, even in
this, she obeyed her husband.
God rewarded Sarah’s obedience and did
indeed rescue her from Pharaoh's and King Abimilech’s
harems. Clearly it was God who did not allow the King of
Gerar to touch Sarah:
“And God said to
him in a dream, ‘Yes, I
know that you did this in the integrity of your heart.
For I also withheld you from sinning against Me;
therefore I did not let you touch her.’” (Genesis 20:6)
Jewish women pray at the Western (Wailing) Wall in Jerusalem.
There is only one way that Sarah could have walked in
such radical obedience — and that is through absolute faith
and trust in God. She
may not have trusted her imperfect husband who was
willing to sacrifice his wife to save his own skin, but
she trusted God to protect and preserve her from all
evil.
Many believe that Sarah’s gave her servant Hagar to
Abraham in order to raise up children for him because she
lacked faith. Jewish tradition, however, holds that Sarah
was convinced that God would be true to His promise to bring
forth nations through Abraham, and that she was acting in
faith.
Hagar was not just any servant, either. Sarah
personally trained her in faith. Moreover, it is quite
possible that she was Pharaoh's daughter.
The fact that Hagar conceived and Sarah did not caused
Hagar to think that she was more spiritual and, therefore,
more blessed than Sarah. In her pride, she exalted herself
over Sarah.
When the three angels visited Abraham, Sarah
understood that the child of promise would come through
her.
A Jewish man prepares for morning prayer wearing tefillin (phylacteries)
and a tallit (prayer shawl).
Bearing Fruit in
Our Latter Years
“They shall still
bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be vigorous and
flourishing.” (Psalm 92:14)
That Sarah gave birth to Isaac in her old age
shows us that we are not expected to idly sit in our
rocking chairs after we reach our golden years; we can
remain vital and active long after "retirement".
Both Abraham and Sarah achieved significant
accomplishments, not in their youth, but in the last years
of their life.
This is in keeping with an old Jewish saying, “At 40 one
is fit for discernment, at 50 for counsel, at 80 for special
strength.”
Caleb is an example of this. He was one of only two
people out of a generation of millions to enter the Promised
Land, and he asked for
a mountain to conquer at 85-years-old!
“And now, here I am this
day, eighty-five years old. As yet I am as strong this
day as on the day that Moses sent me; just as my
strength was then, so now is my strength for war,
both for going out and for coming in. Now therefore, give
me this mountain of which the Lord spoke in that day.” (Joshua
14:10–12)
An Israeli grandmother teaches her grandchildren how to
bake cookies.
Although it has become politically incorrect to ask a
woman her age, Scripture does not hesitate to reveal Sarah’s
age at her death.
The numerical value of the opening term of this Parasha
(vayih’yu [וַיִּהְיוּ֙] /and was) adds up to the sum of 37,
which is the same as the difference between the age of Sarah
when she gave birth to Isaac at 90 years old and her death
at 127.
These 37 years were surely some of the best
years of Sarah’s life as she raised the child that she and
Abraham had hoped and prayed for most of their adult
lives.
The Torah shows
Sarah as her husband’s partner in life and his equal.
In Jewish oral tradition, they are both considered to have
been excellent teachers in their own right, with Sarah
teaching the women and Abraham teaching the men.
She completely shared Abraham’s journey with God in a
spirit of faith, courage, and if necessary, self-sacrifice.
She endured being uprooted from her native land, being
barren (considered a curse in Middle Eastern culture) until
the age of 90, being held captive, and being exposed to the
advances of foreign kings (twice).
Through it all, she remained faithful to God, to her
husband, and to her calling.
The Torah scroll (Photo by Lawrie Cate)
Obviously, Sarah was a beautiful woman. So beautiful,
in fact, that Abraham resorted to calling her his
sister to protect himself from the gangs of marauding
soldiers who might be tempted to kill him in order to take
his peerless wife.
Even though Sarah was, in fact, his half-sister, this
still did not justify the deception that put his wife’s
honor at risk. How did Sarah endure so many difficult
trials in her lifetime?
It was through her
optimism and inner tranquility that comes only with
faith in God that Sarah was able to deal with such
adversity. This was likely part of her appeal and
power.
The Bible tells us that we have need of endurance also:
“For you have need of
endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you
may receive what is promised.” (Hebrews 10:36)
The Egyptians Admire Sarai's Beauty, by James Tissot
Behind Every Great
Man
“Who can find a virtuous wife [eshet
chayil]? For her worth is far above
rubies. The heart of her husband safely trusts her; so he
will have no lack of gain.“ (Proverbs 31:10–11)
It has often been said that behind every great man is a
great woman. Sarah takes this one step further. She is the
Biblical model of the Godly woman behind the Godly man.
She showed herself to be the great woman who
helped ensure the successful continuation of Abraham’s
dynasty.
The Life of Sarah
is not about her death, therefore, but about her legacy.
Abraham ensures that her legacy continues by setting in
motion the finding of a wife for Yitzhak (Isaac).
For that reason, as this Parasha continues, the story
becomes more about Isaac’s life, and less about Abraham.
Rabbi J. B. Soloveitchik wrote,
“Without Sarah, Avraham takes leave of the world stage.”
“Without Sarah, Avraham takes leave of the world stage.”
Men recite prayers from the siddur during morning prayer just before the
Torah is read.
A good part of this Parasha centers on how
Abraham’s servant located a proper wife for Isaac.
He essentially
chose a kind-hearted woman who was capable of decisive,
compassionate, Godly action.
She was a woman who would take the time to help a
stranger and his animals.
She was also the kind of woman who, once she knew God’s
purposes, would not hesitate to act immediately. As soon as
she knew that God had selected her to be Isaac’s wife, she
did not let another day pass in fulfilling that destiny,
though family members sought to give her an excuse to delay
her leaving.
Abraham’s marriage to Sarah and Isaac's
marriage to Rivkah (Rebecca) reveal that a
partner’s spiritual qualities are far more important than
their physical attributes (although
beauty and attention to appearance obviously helps).
Isaac's Servant Tying the Bracelet on Rebecca's Arm, by Benjamin West
God has a plan for us. May we use the wisdom of God to
understand that our choice of a life partner will affect how
we fulfill our calling and subsequently, the legacy that we
leave.
To prepare to leave such a legacy, may we choose
partners prayerfully, praying for them even before we meet
them. And may we base our decisions about whom we will
marry on spiritual qualities, on whether a potential partner
possesses the beautiful inner characteristics of chesed (mercy),
grace, selflessness, kindness, and benevolence toward all.
For those of us who are already married, we can pray as
couples that God will use us to accomplish His purposes. We
can be the kind of partner that helps our spouse walk in his
or her destiny. As well, we should pray that God will give
our children a sense of His purpose for their lives.
God worked in the lives of Abraham and Isaac to
bring them a suitable partner through whom He would bring
forth Israel. This reminds us that God has a
grand plan in which the lives of each individual plays a
role.
He is still working in the same manner that he was
during the time of Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, and Rebecca — not
only to accomplish His purposes for the Jewish People, but
for each of us.
His eye is on
every detail of our lives, and He wants us to partner
with Him in His purposes.
As the Day of the Lord draws near, please help us
proclaim the Word of God to Israel and the nations.
"I do not want you to be
ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that
you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a
hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles
has come in, and in this way all Israel will be saved." (Romans
11:25–26)
"Hear the word of the
LORD, you nations; proclaim it in distant coastlands: 'He
who scattered Israel will gather them and will watch over
His flock like a shepherd." (Jeremiah 31:10)
“‘Bring the whole
tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in My
house. Test Me in this,’
says the Lord Almighty, ‘and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of
heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not
be room enough to store it.’”
(Malachi 3:10)
(Malachi 3:10)
Shabbat Shalom from the
Entire Bibles For Israel Family!
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