Friday, May 11, 2018

CHUCK KOLB 05/11/2018

Shabbat Shalom - Parasha Behar-Bechukotai - Living in the Blessings !!!

Previously posted ... 
SHTF Israel - Google This Irish Pro Life Info War !!!
http://conpats.blogspot.com/2018/05/chuck-kolb-05102018.html 

Welcome to this week’s Torah study, Behar-Bechukotai (On the Mount-By My Decrees), two Torah readings that are combined to accommodate the number of Sabbaths in this calendar year. Please read along with us, and enrich your understanding of the Bible by discovering Torah truths in this portion of Scripture that will be read in synagogues around the world this Shabbat (Saturday). We know you will be blessed. 


Last week, in Parasha Emor, God called the Kohen (priests) to live lives that expressed a greater measure of holiness.  It also described seven essential festivals that are fundamental to Israel’s walk with the LORD. In this week’s Torah portion, God gives to Moses the laws concerning the Shemitah or Sabbatical year.

You can view this Parasha on our website complete with embedded links ... 
Behar-Bechukotai: Blessed Is the One Who Trusts in the Lord 
http://free.messianicbible.com/parasha/behar-bechukotai-blessed-one-trusts-lord-2/ 

http://free.messianicbible.com/category/torah 

Parasha Reading Schedule 5778 
http://free.messianicbible.com/torah-reading-schedule 

Why Are Christians Adopting Jewish Practice of Studying the Weekly Torah Portion?
https://theisraelbible.com/christians-adopting-jewish-practice-studying-weekly-torah-portion/

Holy, Holy, Holy Is the Lord of Hosts – YHVH Sabaoth 
The name YHVH Sabaoth is used 235 times in the Bible. 
http://free.messianicbible.com/feature/holy-holy-holy-lord-hosts-yhvh-sabaoth/ 

The Prophetic Significance of the Passover Lamb 
http://free.messianicbible.com/holiday/the-prophetic-significance-of-the-passover-lamb/ 

Simchat Torah: Celebrating Yeshua – the Word That Dwells Among Us
http://free.messianicbible.com/holiday/dancing-joy-simchat-torah/ 

Celebrate Yeshua HaMashiach's birthday - The Feast of Tabernacles !!! 
http://conpats.blogspot.com/2017/10/chuck-kolb-10082017.html 

Jewish holiday calendars & Hebrew date converter 
http://www.chabad.org/calendar/view/month_cdo/jewish/Jewish-Calendar.htm - https://www.hebcal.com 
https://yiddishkeit101.wordpress.com/category/hebrew-word-of-the-day 

The Daniel Timeline 
http://www.davidjayjordan.com/Danieltimeline.html 

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Parshat Behar-Bechukotai

https://www.chabad.org/parshah/article_cdo/aid/2904/jewish/Behar-Bechukotai-in-a-Nutshell.htm 
http://www.chabad.org/parshah/default.asp?tDate=5/12/2018 

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Todah Rabah - beloved Rabbi Chaim Richman ... 

Weekly Torah Portion: Behar-Bechukotai 

The life force that G-d bestows upon all creation transcends time and space and invests all creation with holiness. By the laws of shemittah (7 year sabbatical cycle) and Yovel (49 year Jubilee cycle), Torah commands Israel to take possession of both time and space in order to reveal and make visible the holiness in G-d's creation. The book of Leviticus concludes with a stark but promising choice: Either regard life as void of meaning, empty of purpose, vacant, meaningless and futile and discover that life regards you likewise, and suffer the torturous consequences, or "follow My [G-d's] statutes and observe My commandments and perform them," and see the purpose and holiness in life, and G-d will bless you with all good things. (This teaching was originally recorded in 2016.)

Behar (Leviticus 25:1-26:2) Parashat Behar is read on Shabbat: Iyar 20, 5778/May 5, 2018
Bechukotai (Leviticus 26:3 - 27:34) Parashat Bechukotai is read on Shabbat: Iyar 27, 5778/May 12, 2018

Behar https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b50DzODKnSM (18:41
Bechukotai https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0zk07oqMS0 (15:00
https://www.youtube.com/user/henryporter2/videos 
Published on May 2,9, 2018 - The Temple Institute  
https://www.templeinstitute.org/events.htm 
http://www.templeinstitute.org/ 
Weekly Newsletter - http://is.gd/4BUvi 

Special ... Broadcasting from Jerusalem with Rabbi Chaim Richman, Yitzchak Reuven 
Temple Talk Radio: Parashat Behar & the Sanctity of the Land of Israel 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLjX3I3VmKM (46:11)  
Published on May 1, 2018 - The Temple Institute 
Israel, Iran & the Winds of War 
This week's edition of Temple Talk features Yitzchak Reuven alone in the studio as Rabbi Richman is en route to the USA where he will be speaking next week in Texas. But don't touch that dial - Yitzchak has some important things to share! Parashat Behar presents G-d's first formal introduction of the incredible land of Israel to the children of Israel, as G-d calls upon Israel to take very special care of the sacred land. Meanwhile, three thousand five hundred years later, Israel is defending her precious land, taking out Iranian arsenals in Syria, intended to be used against Israel, and the fabled Israeli Mossad manages to pull off the heist of the century, walking out of Iran with a truckload of top secret documents exposing the extent of Iran's deadly nuclear intentions. 

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Todah Rabah - beloved Rabbi Naphtali “Tuly” Weisz ...  

https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/  https://israel365.com/ 

The Portion of Behar-Behukotai
https://theisraelbible.com/reading-plan/leviticus/portion-behar/ 
https://theisraelbible.com/reading-plan/leviticus/portion-behukotai/ 

The Israel Bible side-by-side English and Hebrew text along with audio being read in Hebrew.
https://theisraelbible.com/bible/genesis/chapter-1#verse-1 
https://theisraelbible.com/hebrew-alphabet-chart/ 
https://theisraelbible.com/proper-noun-directory/
https://theisraelbible.com/glossary/ 
https://theisraelbible.com/maps 

The Blood Libel of the 21st Century
by Sarah N. Stern - EMET

For the sixth Friday in a row, protestors from Gaza came to Israel’s border with intentions to penetrate it. They come with scissors to cut through the fence, with burning tires, Molotov cocktails, slingshots with rocks, and kites with firebombs attached to them to destroy Israeli farmlands and villages. This is not some peaceful demonstration akin to Selma in the 1960s when blacks were simply trying to sit together with whites at a lunch counter. The usage of the word “demonstrators” is a misnomer; these are “rioters.” The unfortunate Palestinian people have been cynically manipulated by their Hamas leaders and their hate-infested educational curriculum—brought to them by UNRWA—to despise Israel and the Jews, and to replace all of Israel, including Haifa and Tel Aviv, with Palestine. [...] 
https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/107419/the-blood-libel-of-the-21st-century-opinion/ 
https://emetonline.org/blood-libel-21st-century/
Sarah Stern is founder and president of the Endowment for Middle East Truth (EMET) 
https://emetonline.org/team/sarah-stern/ 

Bahrain Expresses Support for Israel’s Defending Itself 
by JNS.org

In an unlikely source of support, the Arab Gulf country of Bahrain voiced their backing for Israel’s right to defend itself after Israel launched attacks against Iranian and Syrian targets following an Iranian missile attack on the Jewish state on Wednesday night. Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa wrote on Thursdayvia Twitter that “it is the right of any country in the region, including Israel to defend itself by destroying sources of danger.” [...] 
https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/107509/bahrain-expresses-support-for-israels-defending-itself/

2 FREE bumper stickers - I Stand with Israel 
http://www.shilohisraelchildren.org/free-bumper-stickers/ 
Hebrew “Trump 2016” Bumper Sticker 
https://israel365.com/store/i-love-israel/hebrew-trump-2016-bumper-sticker 

Jared and Ivanka Special w Joseph, Arabella and Theodore ... 
New Year's Eve and Last Night of Chanukah - 5777 
https://www.instagram.com/p/BOt972HAF73/ 
Ivanka w Arabella and Joseph making hamentashen - Purim 5777 
https://www.instagram.com/p/BReZzz0lZFr/ 
#ChagPesach - 5777 
https://www.instagram.com/p/BSuboUoFIL5/ 
Happy Mothers Day - 5777 w Arabella 
https://www.instagram.com/p/BUExq53lUHO/ 
The Western Wall - 5777 w prayer
https://www.instagram.com/p/BUZmyltl4HG/ 
Happy Father's Day - 5777 
https://www.instagram.com/p/BVevgrtlaiT/ 
Theodore loves Teddy - 5777
https://www.instagram.com/p/BV7AdBNFCFj/ 
Joseph's first Press Briefing - 5777 
https://www.instagram.com/p/BWf3BZ9FMTz/ 
Theodore Surf'in USA - 5777
https://www.instagram.com/p/BW6S2dgFqnG/ 
Arabella w WH Florist, Hedieh - 5777 
https://www.instagram.com/p/BXWLTK0lY7T/ 
Joseph, Theodore and Arabella - Monday Comfy Couch 
https://www.instagram.com/p/BXfiO7Tll_c/ 
Theodore Bunny Nap - 5777 
https://www.instagram.com/p/BYCg2c0FeQ_/ 
Prayer and Honor First Responders Houston - 5777 
https://www.instagram.com/p/BYVxoCDlAOp/ 
Shana Tova u'Metuka! - 5778 
https://www.instagram.com/p/BZR6YcDFLXt/ 
Joseph and the Sycamore tree - 5778 
https://www.instagram.com/p/BaSQ1Z7lNVa/ 
Mazel Tov - Jared and Ivanka 8th Anniversary - 5778 
https://www.instagram.com/p/BasPPXSFBYP/ 
Family Trip - 5778 
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bb4eb1yFrtS/ 
Theodore Peek-a-boo - 5778
https://www.instagram.com/p/BcVt1CAl311/ 
Happy Chanukah! - 5778
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bcnw9Yll2hO/ 
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bc3WutUlcmf/ 
Joseph's Fish at Mar-a-Lago - 5778 
https://www.instagram.com/p/BdK8PpxFprP/ 
Jared's 37th Birthday - 5778 w <3 Ivanka 
https://www.instagram.com/p/BdyjoD4lk6X/
Ivanka in Pittsburgh - 5778 
https://www.instagram.com/p/BeG80HZlihT/ 
Joseph Flies Air Force One - 5778 
https://www.instagram.com/p/BewO8OVlSQH/ 
Black n White and Arabella - 5778
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bf45VDGlBfT/ 
Scientist Ivanka at Waukee APEX, IA - 5778 
https://www.instagram.com/p/BghW-Y8Fgdx/ 
Theodore Turns Two - 5778 
https://www.instagram.com/p/BgwikqalE0L/ 
Airport Diner Fun in Manchester - 5776,78
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bhrz5-JlSm1/ 
Theodore Spring Planting - 5778 
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bhu1hIqFCsU/
Instavid French Cuisine - 5778 
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bh-q23qlKm3/  
Arabella #JCC Activities - 5778
https://www.instagram.com/p/BiKVJUHlIL2/ 
Welcome Home Instavid - 5778
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bimagj0FNLa/ 

https://www.instagram.com/ivankatrump/ 
https://twitter.com/ivankatrump  
http://ivankatrump.com/ 

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Todah Rabah - beloved Ted Belman writing from Jerusalem, Israel for 16+ years ...  
THERE IS NO DIPLOMATIC SOLUTION 

Any war Iran starts will end with regime change in Iran
by Ted Belman

The way I see it, Iran will not start a war against Israel, through proxies or otherwise, because it will end in the demise of the Mullah regime. Not only will Israel destroy all Iran’s nuclear bomb producing sites and the IRGC, she will also destroy Iran’s lifelines. Hillel Frisch writes: That Iran is as vulnerable as Israel despite these differences can be attributed to three existential vulnerabilities. The first is that Iran exports 90% of its oil and gas from one port (essentially an island), Kharg, 160 km. southeast from the tip of the Iraq-Iran border, on the Persian/Arab Gulf. [...]
https://www.israpundit.org/any-war-iran-starts-will-end-the-mullah-regime/ 
https://www.jpost.com/Opinion/What-an-Israel-Iran-war-could-look-like-554743 

Ted Belman to speak in Toronto on May 15/18 at Aish Hatorah Shul 
The Jordan Option: The Ultimate Alternate Solution for the Arab/Israeli conflict

Speaker: Ted Belman, BASc., LLB
Venue: Aish Hatorah Shul , 949 Clark Ave West, Thornhill
Date: May 15, 1918 – Doors open at 7:30 PM and programme starts at 8:00 PM. 
Whether or not you buy a ticket, please consider making a donation. 
[For further information write to tbelman3@gmail.com or call Lloyd Duckman at 416 402 1963]
Ted lived his adult life in Toronto and then made aliyah in 2009. He has been the driving force behind the blog Israpundit, for the last 16 years. His articles are published regularly on Arutz Sheva, Canada Free Press and American Thinker. During the last 6 years he has been involved with Mudar Zahran, a Jordanian Palestinian, in planning the Jordan Option which essentially replaces King Abdullah as leader of Jordan with Zahran. Watch this 5 minute video of Ted by ILTV on the Jordan Option. Ted believes this goal will be realized soon.
https://www.israpundit.org/ted-belman-to-speak-in-toronto-on-may-1518-at-aish-hatorah-shul-2/ 

3 ways to help Ted Belman ... 
Please send checks payable to Ted Belman, 
Hagdud Haivri #1, Jerusalem, 92344, ISRAEL 
Or go to Israel Institute for Strategic Studies 
and use your credit card and mention "Israpundit" 
Donators will get a US tax deductible receipt. 
http://www.strategic-israel.org/  
http://www.israpundit.org/donate/ 

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Courtesy of Bible Gateway ... 
Free Map! Where are the Lost Tribes of Israel today?

https://www.salemoffers.com/campaign/lost-tribes-map-fall-2017-b/ 
http://jvmi.convio.net/assets/pdfs/lost-tribes-map.pdf (1 page pdf) 
✡ ✡ ✡
Yavoh ~ He is coming ! 
Yahweh - Yeshua -  Ruach Ha-Kodesh 
Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh אֶהְיֶה אֲשֶׁר אֶהְיֶה   
BREAKING NEWS FROM ISRAEL 
Minute by minute updates here ... 
Watching for Yeshua Ha-Mashiach   


6 Over The Top Mother's Day Recipes
https://www.joyofkosher.com/2018/05/6-mothers-day-recipes/ 

100+ recipes: Israeli-Style Brunches, Mother's Day, Shavuot, Quick Pasta Dinners & more!
https://www.joyofkosher.com/recipes/israeli-inspired-breakfast-tower/ 
https://www.joyofkosher.com/2017/08/what-israelis-eat-for-breakfast/

This food isn't just for breakfast anymore.
https://www.joyofkosher.com/recipes/lox-and-everything-bagel-yogurt-bowl/
https://www.joyofkosher.com/recipes/greek-style-mahi-mahi/
https://www.joyofkosher.com/recipes/roasted-eggplant-red-onion-with-yogurt-sauce/ 

What's for dinner: crazy good Meatless Monday recipes.
https://www.joyofkosher.com/recipes/homemade-veggie-burger/
https://www.joyofkosher.com/recipes/eggplant-and-spicy-pepper-tartine/ 

My secrets for the best ever blintzes.
https://www.joyofkosher.com/recipes/best-ever-blintz/ 

5 ways to cook with ground turkey.
https://www.joyofkosher.com/recipes/turkey-meatballs/
https://www.joyofkosher.com/recipes/turkey-shepherds-pie-with-sweet-potato-topping/
https://www.joyofkosher.com/recipes/spinach-turkey-burger/
https://www.joyofkosher.com/recipes/five-spice-turkey-egg-rolls/
https://www.joyofkosher.com/recipes/linguine-and-turkey-saute/

Egg-stra, egg-stra...read all about it.
https://www.joyofkosher.com/recipes/gourmet-egg-salad-on-pumpernickel-toast-points/ 
https://www.joyofkosher.com/recipes/israeli-egg-salad-with-babaganoush/ 

Ready in 20 min or less. Quick and easy Shabbos sides. 
https://www.joyofkosher.com/recipes/3-ingredient-couscous-salad/ 
https://www.joyofkosher.com/recipes/lemon-sumac-green-beans/

Finally! A Healthy Meal Plan for the Whole Family: Fresh Families by Jamie 
https://freshfamilies.us/ 
https://freshfamilies.us/register/ 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6lQsuWGrrA (1:01

The Perfect Week for Matzo... As Seen on The Today Show
https://www.joyofkosher.com/2018/03/the-perfect-week-for-matzo-as-seen-on-the-today-show/
w vid Use matzo in 4 different ways for Passover!
https://www.today.com/video/use-matzo-in-4-different-ways-for-passover-1198725699778
https://www.today.com/food/easiest-most-delicious-matzo-ball-recipe-passover-t125845
Matzo Balls by Jamie Geller 
https://www.today.com/recipes/matzo-balls-recipe-t125837 
https://www.joyofkosher.com/recipes/best-ever-matzo-ball-soup/ 

Watch Jamie cooking Brisket with Megyn Kelly on The Today Show
by Shifra Klein 
https://www.joyofkosher.com/2018/01/jamie-gellers-brisket-101-as-seen-on-the-today-show/
https://www.today.com/video/make-3-hearty-winter-meals-with-this-delicious-classic-beef-brisket-recipe-1164913219668 
https://www.amazon.com/Jamie-Gellers-Brisket-101-LEFTOVER/dp/1976983851/ 
Just had to tell you about this deal...you can get my Brisket 101 printed book 
for only $6.08 for a limited time only on Amazon. 

Camp Zeke is cook'in with kids http://www.campzeke.org 
Free 2017 - 63 page cookbook - recipes by Alexandra Zohn, MA, HHC 
http://www.campzeke.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/2017-Camp-Zeke-Cookbook.pdf 

The Most Popular Recipe - Year 2017
https://www.joyofkosher.com/recipes/potato-kugel-cups/ 
https://youtu.be/ApKzja2XnWE (6:39
The Most Popular Recipes 
https://www.joyofkosher.com/recipes/search?query=Most%20Popular%20Recipes 

Extra Virgin Olive Oil - EVOO Colavita recipes
https://colavitarecipes.com/recipe/white-bean-and-avocado-toast/ 
https://colavitarecipes.com/recipe/deviled-green-eggs/ 
https://colavitarecipes.com/recipe/sun-dried-tomato-hummus/ 
https://colavitarecipes.com/recipe/quinoa-oat-clusters-fruit-nuts/ 

Home of JOY of KOSHER with Jamie Geller 
http://www.joyofkosher.com   
http://www.quickandkosher.com   
http://www.koshermedianetwork.com 

Our mailing addresses are: 
Kosher Media Holdings LLC: 
1575 50th Street
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Kosher Network International, All rights reserved.
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Jacksonville, FL 32257

The answer is, it's made with love from Israel !   
http://joyofkosher.com/joyofisrael 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cua0Iw7HGjw (0:41)   
https://www.youtube.com/user/joyofkosher/videos   
http://usastore.joyofkosher.com/ magazine subscription 
https://www.joyofkosher.com/page/subscribe/ email subscription
Book Jamie - https://www.joyofkosher.com/page/press/ 

FACEBOOK - https://www.facebook.com/jamiegellerdotcom
INSTAGRAM -  https://www.instagram.com/jamiegellerdotcom/
TWITTER -  https://twitter.com/joyofkosher 
PINTEREST -  https://www.pinterest.com/joyofkosher   
https://www.pinterest.com/joyofkosher/joy-of-kosher-community 

The LORD said to Moses at Mount Sinai, Speak to the Israelites and say to them: Leviticus 25:1–2


Shabbat Shalom - Parasha Behar-Bechukotai - Living in the Blessings !!!




Jewish men pray and read at the Western (Wailing) Wall in Jerusalem.
  
Shabbat Shalom 
 
Welcome to this week’s Torah study, Behar-Bechukotai (On the Mount-By My Decrees), two Torah readings that are combined to accommodate the number of Sabbaths in this calendar year.
 
Please read along with us, and enrich your understanding of the Bible by discovering Torah truths in this portion of Scripture that will be read in synagogues around the world this Shabbat (Saturday).
 
Behar-Bechukotai (On the Mount-By My Decrees)
Leviticus 25:1–27:34; Jeremiah 16:19–17:14, 32:6–27;
Matthew 21:33–46 
 
“The LORD said to Moses at Mount Sinai, “Speak to the Israelites and say to them:”  (Leviticus 25:1–2)
 
Last week, in Parasha Emor, God called the Kohen (priests) to live lives that expressed a greater measure of holiness.  It also described seven essential festivals that are fundamental to Israel’s walk with the LORD.
 
In this week’s Torah portion, God gives to Moses the laws concerning the Shemitah or Sabbatical year.
 

Men reach out to pay respect to the Torah as it is raised at the
Western (Wailing) Wall in Jerusalem.  (Photo by opalpeterliu)
 
The Year of the Shemitah 
God commands Israel to observe the Shemitah every seventh year, a Sabbath for the land.  According to these laws, crops are not to be planted, tended, or harvested, and all agricultural activity is prohibited, although anyone can eat what the land produced naturally.
 
Israel observes this commandment today; our last Shemitah year ended on September 13, 2015
(the year 5775 on the Hebrew calendar).
 
 
If you had been traveling down the highway from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv during that year, you would have seen signs posted in several overgrown fields along the side of the road saying (in Hebrew), “We observe the Shemitah year here.”
 
Of course, this Shemitah rest parallels God’s rest after creating the universe, as well as the Shabbat.
 
In Judaism, “seven” signifies a completion as well as holiness.  It is considered the “all-encompassing number that celebrates the sacred purpose of a Jew to infuse holiness into the whole of Creation.” 
(Jewish Wisdom in the Numbers) 
 

Harvesting pomegranates in Israel

The Land of Israel is to be the Holy Land.  Our behavior toward one another should portray a holy people living in the Holy Land.
 
God warns His people not to cheat, defraud, or take advantage of one another and forbids them to charge interest on money loaned to a fellow Israelite.  God wants us to deal fairly with each other and practice business integrity.
 
“Do not take advantage of each other, but fear your God.  I am the LORD your God.”  (Leviticus 25:17)
 
God also makes it clear that He holds the title deed to this land and does not give us the authority to sell it permanently.
 
We are only residents on this land that God has given us to live in as pilgrims and strangers.  That means the leaders of Israel have no right to sell off portions of the Land to the enemy in exchange for false promises of supposed peace.
 
“The land must not be sold permanently, because the land is Mine and you reside in My land as foreigners and strangers.”  (Leviticus 25:23)
 

The Jewish Quarter in the Old City of Jerusalem (Israel Photo Gallery
by Noam Chen)
  
The Year of Jubilee  
“Consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants.  It shall be a jubilee [יוֹבֵל Yovel] for you; each of you is to return to your family property and to your own clan.”  (Leviticus 25:10)
 
After every seven cycles of seven years, in the fiftieth year, the shofar is to sound and the Yovel (יוֹבֵלor Jubilee year is to be celebrated.  Not only is the land to lie fallow, but also all debts are to be cancelled and all indentured servants are to return to their land and family.
 
We serve a God of kindness and mercy, and His laws are for the good of all—even for the land itself.
 
Although some among the Jewish People might have endured a time of servitude, they were not to permanently remain in that situation.  It is because God brought His people out of slavery in Egypt that no Israelite was to become a permanent slave of another.  In the year of Jubilee, all were to be redeemed and released.
 
“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt so that you would no longer be slaves to the Egyptians; I broke the bars of your yoke and enabled you to walk with heads held high.”  (Leviticus 26:13)
 
In Judaism, 50 is the number of transcendence.  It indicates a return to God and the emergence of a new creation.
 
Under the Brit Chadashah (New Covenant), which was sealed with the giving of the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) on Shavuot (Pentecost) 50 days from Passover, Yeshua HaMashiach (Jesus the Messiah) became our spiritual Jubilee. 
 
In Him, all debts are cancelled.  He has redeemed us from slavery to any kind of oppression and empowered us to walk in holiness with our heads held high.  Halleluyah!
 

The Pentecost Sermon, by Gebhard Fugel
 
Living in the Blessings in the Holy Land
In the Bechukotai (In My Statutes) portion of this week’s reading, God promises a blessing upon the people if they obey His commandments in the Torah — but He warns of punishment, persecutions and even exile for disobeying them.  He says:
 
“If you walk in My statutes [Im bechukotay teileichu], I will give you your rains in their season, and the land shall yield its increase.”  (Leviticus 26:3–4)
 
We must keep in mind that God does not willingly afflict or grieve us; He only does so when it is absolutely necessary to get our attention so we can see the error of our ways and, through His mercy, put our feet back on the right path.
 
“For if He causes grief, then He will have compassion according to His abundant lovingkindness.  For He does not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men.”  (Lamentations 3:32–33)
 
One of the reasons that the Jewish People were sent into exile and the land lay barren was because they failed to keep the Sabbatical years.  
 
Therefore, God forced the people out so the land could finally enjoy its Sabbaths and make up for those it did not have when Israel lived there:
 
“I will scatter you among the nations and will draw out my sword and pursue you.  Your land will be laid waste, and your cities will lie in ruins.  Then the land will enjoy its Sabbath years all the time that it lies desolate and you are in the country of your enemies; then the land will rest and enjoy its Sabbaths.  All the time that it lies desolate, the land will have the rest it did not have during the Sabbaths you lived in it.”  (Leviticus 26:33–35)
 

An ultra-Orthodox Jewish man prays at the Western (Wailing) Wall.
(Photo by opalpeterliu)
 
We, too, must be diligent to keep the Sabbath of the Lord and to rest on every seventh day, lest our bodies wear out and need an extended time out to make up for failing to keep the Sabbath day holy.
 
Despite there being severe consequences to not keeping God’s statutes, He promises to have mercy on the Jewish People even in exile; to remember His covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; and to remember the Land:
 
“Yet in spite of this, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them or abhor them so as to destroy them completely, breaking My covenant with them.  I am the LORD their God.  But for their sake I will remember the covenant with their ancestors whom I brought out of Egypt in the sight of the nations to be their God.  I am the LORD.’”  (Leviticus 26:44–45)
 
Twenty-five hundred years after God brought back the Jewish exiles in Babylon to the Land of Israel, He is doing it again.
 
But some claim that the modern state of Israel is a nation made solely by the efforts of the League of Nations and the United Nation and not by the hand of God.
 

A woman holds up the Israeli flag and her new Israel
identification after making Aliyah. 
(Jewish Agency photo by Brian Hendler) 

Yet, we know from history that no one can bring God's people out of exile until God makes it so.
 
He brought them out of Egypt despite the hard heart of Pharaoh.  
 
He released the exiles in Babylon through the decree of King Cyrus after a specified time, which were both prophesied
(Isaiah 44:28–45:1; Daniel 9:2). 
 
In the 20th century, He brought His people home through the Balfour Declaration and the creation of the State of Israel in one day, which was also prophesied (Isaiah 66:8).
 
 
And God is continuing to enact a modern-day revival of Israel that has included miraculous victories in the 1948 War for independence in 1948, the Six Day War in 1967, and the Yom Kippur war in 1973.
 
Despite anti-Semitism, anti-Zionism, and anti-Israelism, Israel is still alive and vibrant.  And it continues to be a blessing to the world despite the social, political, and physical attacks by her neighbors and by the world since her rebirth.
 
When we examine all the "independent" events culminating in the formation of an independent Jewish state, we see that God will never allow the Jewish People to be destroyed completely, nor will He ever break His covenants with them.
 

Crowds gather at the Western (Wailing) Wall in Jerusalem.  Above the
Wall is the Temple Mount.  Just to the left of the Western Wall is the
Muslim Dome of the Rock, which is thought to occupy the spot where
the First and Second Jewish Temples were located.
 
Prophetic Portion: Trust in God Alone for Your Blessings
The Haftarah (prophetic portion) for this week (Jeremiah 16:19–17:14continues with the theme of promised blessings for obedience and punishment for disobedience.
 
Because God alone is the One who grants freedom and blessings according to His covenants, the Prophet Jeremiah promises that those who place their trust in man will become desolate and alone:
 
“Cursed is he who trusts in man, who makes mere flesh his strength, and turns his thoughts from the LORD.  He shall be like a bush in the desert.”  (Jeremiah 17:5–6)
 
On the other hand, “blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in Him.  They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream.  It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green.  It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”  (Jeremiah 17:7–8)
 
lone tree by water with benches on either
              side.
 
There is a sense of accountability in these blessings and curses; we are accountable for our actions, which have consequences.  We are responsible, and this knowledge informs our choices and helps us move forward in our daily walk with the God of Israel.
 
This Haftarah ends with the beautiful proclamation that God alone is the hope of Israel, the source of life-giving water, our healer, and Savior.  When we rely on and obey God, He will not fail us, and we will walk in the blessings.
 
“LORD, you are the Hope of Israel; all who forsake you will be put to shame.  Those who turn away from you will be written in the dust because they have forsaken the LORD, the spring of living water.  Heal me, LORD, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise.”  (Jeremiah 17:13–14)
 
 
You can bring the Good News of Yeshua to the Holy Land.
 
"On that day a fountain will be opened to the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity."  (Zechariah 13:1)

"I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from your idols."  (Ezekiel 36:25)
  

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