Saturday, April 3, 2021

CHUCK KOLB 04/03/2021

 Shabbat Chol HaMoed Pesach Shalom - Your Hope in the Wilderness !!!


Baruch HaBa Beshem Adonai - Elihana ברוך הבא בשם ה ' – אליחנה אליה
Blessed is He who Comes in The Name of The LORD

vid> https://youtu.be/Fe0s228Dgiw (7:43) 5/31/15

https://www.youtube.com/c/ElihanaElia/videos

Previously posted ...
Shabbat HaGadol Erev Pesach - Tzav - Victory and God's Command !!!
http://conpats.blogspot.com/2021/03/chuck-kolb-03262021.html
All Praises To Him
http://conpats.blogspot.com/2021/03/sermon-all-praises-to-him.html
Scientific Proof 2020 Election Cyber Crime
http://conpats.blogspot.com/2021/03/chuck-kolb-03312021.html
Epitome Epitomemes - No Fooling / Greta Statue - Nose Masks
http://conpats.blogspot.com/2021/04/chuck-kolb-04012021.html

These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world
ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. John 16:33
The war against Truth has been raging ever since
evil was expulsed from the realm of Heaven. 
God instructed Pharaoh, "Let my people go."
God instructs us, "Let my people know."
Shema Y'israel - Maranatha !
Na'aseh V'nishma
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כבוד שם יהוה Baruch Hashem Adonai  
#ShabbatShalom - Welcome to Shabbat Chol HaMoed Pesach Shalom. Because this Shabbat (Sabbath) falls during Chag HaMatzot (Feast of Unleavened Bread), a special reading is inserted into the regular Torah reading cycle. This special portion will be read in synagogues around the world during the Shabbat Pesach (Saturday Passover) service. Today many Christians are celebrating Good Friday and on Sunday the resurrection of the Messiah Jesus (Yeshua), so it is fitting to recall the physical redemption of the Jewish People from Egypt who were protected by the blood of the Passover Lamb. We know you will be blessed as you discover the Jewish roots of your faith in the King of Kings and Lord of Lords!

The Parasha (Scripture portion) for this Shabbat occurs in the middle of the Passover week and begins by describing the holy days of Pesach (Passover) and the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Chag HaMatzot), which lasts seven days. These two special events are most often blended into one and just called Passover, but there is a crucial difference between the two, which we will explore in today’s study.
חַג כָשֵׁר וְשָׂמֵחַ Chag kasher v'sameach! - Have a kosher and happy Passover!

Passover Funk - "Uptown Funk" PARODY
Jews wrote the Hallelujah - lyrics in vid description

vid> https://youtu.be/9v3xjf1kGlg (2:52) AishVideo 3/25/15
https://www.youtube.com/user/AishVideo/videos
https://www.aish.com/

You can view this Parasha on our website complete with embedded links ...
Shabbat Chol HaMoed Pesach (The Intermediate Sabbath of Passover): Don’t Lose Hope in the Wilderness

https://free.messianicbible.com/parasha/shabbat-chol-hamoed-pesach-intermediate-sabbath-passover-dont-lose-hope-wilderness/

Revelation and Na'aseh V'nishma
https://www.sefaria.org/sheets/11880
https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/do-first-understand-later/
We will do and we will listen to all that God has declared. Exodus 24:7


Torah Teaser Haggadah by Moshe Erlbaum
https://www.aish.com/h/pes/f/hh/Haggadah-Teasers.html 

Todah Rabah - beloved Rabbi Ralph Messer ...
Simchat Torah Beit Midrash - Joy of God’s Teaching and Instruction

What Does It Mean to Choose Life? Every decision you make can be made in a way that you are “choosing life.” The Torah is God’s constitution; it is His teaching and instruction; it is eternal and it is life. His Spirit is pure Light, abundant with untouchable, supreme, sovereign power.
God is the Source of all life.

Passover celebrates one of the most important events in Jewish history: the Exodus from Egypt.
https://stbm.org/passover/

Counting the Omer - ספירת העומר Sefirat HaOmer counting the sheaves
Daily Omer Reflections - Simchat Torah Beit Midrash

https://stbm.org/daily-omer-reflections/

Arrive a half hour+ early for starting lessons ...
Online> Saturday Shabbat (9:00am ET / 12:30pm ET) Services and Midrash 
Online> Monday Nights with STBM 8:30pm ET  / Thursday Afternoon> 3:00 pm ET
Learn more about special event streaming when you call our team! 866-867-2488
https://stbm.org/stbm-live-main/ - https://www.youtube.com/c/STBMLIVE/videos
https://stbm.org/study-home/  https://stbm.org/rrm-subscriptions/ 

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The Hebrew Name of God: I Am and YHVH
Ehye Asher Ehye אֶהְיֶה אֲשֶׁר אֶהְיֶה and Yahweh, YHVH יהוה - yud hey vav hey
https://free.messianicbible.com/feature/the-hebrew-names-of-god-and-their-meanings-i-am-and-yhvh/
The Controversy Over the Name of Yeshua
The proper Hebrew name for Jesus is Yeshua יֵשׁוּעַ which means salvation.
https://free.messianicbible.com/feature/the-controversy-over-the-name-of-yeshua/
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/
https://free.messianicbible.com/feature/three-powerful-names-of-god/
God Is Not God's Name - http://www.yhwh.com/gingn.html

The Prophetic Significance of the Passover Lamb
http://free.messianicbible.com/holiday/the-prophetic-significance-of-the-passover-lamb/
Is Nazareth Prophesied in Bible Prophecy?
https://free.messianicbible.com/feature/is-nazareth-prophesied-in-the-bible/
21 Major Messianic Prophecies
https://free.messianicbible.com/messianic-prophecies/
15 Moshiach Facts Every Jew Should Know 
https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/4350289/jewish/15-Moshiach-Facts-Every-Jew-Should-Know.htm
10 Sacred Texts of Judaism
https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/4354682/jewish/10-Sacred-Texts-of-Judaism.htm
10 Jubilee Facts to Know
https://www.chabad.org/parshah/article_cdo/aid/4386805/jewish/10-Jubilee-Facts-to-Know.htm
Simchat Torah: Celebrating Yeshua – the Word That Dwells Among Us
http://free.messianicbible.com/holiday/dancing-joy-simchat-torah/

Jewish holiday calendars & Hebrew date converter
http://www.chabad.org/calendar/view/month_cdo/jewish/Jewish-Calendar.htm - https://www.hebcal.com
The Feasts of The LORD >> http://www.wildolive.co.uk/feasts_of_the_lord.htm
Jewish and Israeli holidays 2000–2050
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_and_Israeli_holidays_2000%E2%80%932050
Zmanim / Halachic - Times performed at specific times
https://www.chabad.org/calendar/zmanim.asp

Special Shabbatot
https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/special-shabbatot/
The First Shabbat Celebrated (1313 BCE) A Brief History of Shabbat
https://www.chabad.org/article.asp?aid=261818
Shabbat: An Island in Time
https://www.chabad.org/article.asp?aid=253215

English to Hebrew to English lookup
https://context.reverso.net/translation/hebrew-english/
https://www.doitinhebrew.com/Translate/default.aspx
https://yiddishkeit101.wordpress.com/category/hebrew-word-of-the-day 
The Best Jewish Words You Need To Know: A Yiddish and Hebrew Glossary
https://www.joyofkosher.com/from-jamie/the-best-jewish-words-you-need-to-know/
https://hebrew4christians.com/Glossary/Hebrew_Glossary_-_Sh/hebrew_glossary_-_sh.html
A Living Library of Jewish Texts in Hebrew and English translation.
https://www.sefaria.org/

Is Grace Enough? The concept of God’s grace did not begin in the New Testament.
https://free.messianicbible.com/feature/grace-enough/ 

Why Are Christians Adopting Jewish Practice of Studying the Weekly Torah Portion?
https://theisraelbible.com/christians-adopting-jewish-practice-studying-weekly-torah-portion/
Restoring the Way Messianic Homeschooling
http://restoringtheway.org/messianic-homeschooling/

When to Celebrate Yeshua HaMashiach's birthday ...
The Joy of Tabernacles when Jesus was Born
http://conpats.blogspot.com/2019/10/chuck-kolb-10142019.html
How Yeshua was born on the Feast of Tabernacles by Rabbi Isaac
http://www.calledoutbelievers.org/how-yeshua-was-born-on-the-feast-of-tabernacles/
 
Holy Hebrew Arithmetic: What Age was Jesus when he became Teacher-Priest?
https://www.jpost.com/Blogs/Truth-Beyond-Price/Holy-Hebrew-Arithmetic-What-Age-was-Jesus-when-he-became-Teacher-Priest-542343

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

The Book of Revelation In Words of Understanding - Sermon Series (96 page pdf)
https://www.scribd.com/document/420552415/The-Book-of-Revelation-in-Words-of-Understanding

Todah Rabah - Dr. Gary Hedrick ...
Reaching the Jewish people with the Gospel
https://www.cjfm.org/about-us/who-we-are/history/
Charles Halff - What It Costs a Jew to Become a Christian
https://store.cjfm.org/product/146/what-it-costs-a-jew-to-become-a-christian
Seven Things Every Christian Should Know About The Coming Kingdom
https://www.cjfm.org/resources/messianic-perspectives-archive/may-june-2019-messianic-perspectives/
 
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Shabbat Chol HaMoed Pesach
https://www.chabad.org/parshah/torahreading.asp?tdate=4%2F4%2F1942&aid=3305330
http://www.chabad.org/parshah/default.asp?tDate=4/3/2021 
https://www.chabad.org/calendar/view/month_cdo/jewish/Jewish-Calendar.htm


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Todah Rabah - beloved Rabbi Chaim Jachter ...
Kol Torah Academy of Bergen County 
Chag HaPesach - 5781
https://www.koltorah.org/articles/category/Pesach
Pesach - Nisan 15 Issue ( 7 page pdf)

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5a676111d74cffa4d903806e/t/605e1676a1f5f428af3d8474/1616778871133/Kol+Torah+Chag+HaPesach+Ready+to+Print+%281%29.pdf

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Todah Rabah - beloved Rabbi Yitzchak ...
https://www.youtube.com/c/AssemblyofCalledOutBelievers/videos
http://www.calledoutbelievers.org/sermon-topic/torah-parashot/
http://www.calledoutbelievers.org/free-downloads/
https://www.facebook.com/CalledOutBelievers/ at 10am PT
https://www.instagram.com/calledoutbelievers/
The Importance and Beauty of Tzitzit
http://www.calledoutbelievers.org/tzitzit/
The Hidden Beauty of the Holy Name of God - YHVH
vid> https://youtu.be/dbb45zmkli4 (20:59)

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Todah Rabah - beloved Rabbi Chaim Richman ...

Weekly Torah Study: with Rav Gedalia Meyer
Positivity & the Holy Temple with Rabbi Abba Horvitz
Temple Talk Radio with Yitzchak Reuven

https://www.youtube.com/c/TheTempleInstitute/videos
https://www.youtube.com/user/henryporter2/videos
https://www.facebook.com/The-Temple-Institute-22738684968/
https://www.instagram.com/thetempleinstitute/ - https://twitter.com/TempleInstitute
https://www.templeinstitute.org/ w Weekly Newsletter - 34 years
 
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Todah Rabah - beloved Rabbi Naphtali “Tuly” Weisz ...  

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

Shabbat Chol HaMoed Pesach
https://theisraelbible.com/bible/exodus/chapter-34#verse-18
https://theisraelbible.com/weekly-torah-portion/  

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Jared and Ivanka Special w Joseph, Arabella and Theodore ...

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

 President Donald J. Trump
https://gab.com/realdonaldtrump
https://t.me/real_DonaldJTrump
http://Instagram.com/realDonaldTrump 

DONALD DATES
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Trump
Frederick Christ Trump (Drumpf) 10/11/1905
Mary Anne Trump nיe MacLeod 5/10/1912
Donald 6/14/46
Melania 4/26/70 <<<
Barron 3/20/06
Donald, Jr. 12/31/77
Jared Kushner 1/10/81
Ivanka 10/30/81  
Eric 1/6/84
Tiffany 10/13/93
 
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Quest For The Lost Tribes - Full Simcha Jacobovici Documentary
vid> https://youtu.be/S0QCPXnAPNA (1:37:08) Syndicado TV 1998
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simcha_Jacobovici


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Who Are the Tribes of Judah?
https://www.jewishvoice.org/read/blog/who-are-tribes-judah
Who are the “Lost Tribes of Israel” w map 
The “Lost Tribes of Israel” are the physical descendants of Israel (Jacob) who – through expulsion,
captivity or – have become disassociated from the generally recognized worldwide Jewish community.
https://www.jewishvoice.org/read/blog/who-are-lost-tribes-israel
https://www.jewishvoice.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/lost-tribes-map_0.pdf (1 page pdf)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israelites#/media/File:12_Tribes_of_Israel_Map.svg 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israelites
12 Tribes of Israel: The Shevatim
https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/3798842/jewish/12-Tribes-of-Israel-The-Shevatim.htm

Jewish Internal Distinctions
https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/types-of-jews/ 
Types of Jews: Ashkenazi, Sephardi, Mizrahi and More
vid> https://youtu.be/ZUHP6ot-JPg (1:40)
What is Hasidic Judaism? A Brief History of the Movement
vid> https://youtu.be/_SX_TjEG4i4 (5:38)
https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/kohanim-jewish-priests/
https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/sephardic-ashkenazic-mizrahi-jews-jewish-ethnic-diversity/
All Jewish History in Under 18 Minutes > https://youtu.be/vW1wseGyR1Q (16:24) 

Good News From Israel - Achievements and Heartwarming Stories
In the 30th Mar 21 edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:
https://verygoodnewsisrael.blogspot.com/2021/03/israels-good-news-newsletter-to-30th.html
http://verygoodnewsisrael.blogspot.com/  aaaa


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Absolute Truth from the Word of God
The TRUTH is Being Suppressed: FB Has Banished the VOICE of Donald Trump and All Things Conservative
by Geri Ungurean
Please watch this short video. It is filled with truth. President Trump is interviewed.
Shalom B’Yeshua MARANATHA!!
vid> https://youtu.be/3dk6H0Adprw (9:31)  Sky News Australia 4/1/21
https://grandmageri422.me/2021/04/02/a-video-which-must-be-watched-because-the-truth-is-being-suppressed-fb-has-banished-the-voice-of-donald-trump-and-all-things-conservative/ 
California Pagan god curriculum ... 'Let's hope this isn't what's in store for us in this country'

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Todah Rabah - beloved Ted Belman writing from Jerusalem, Israel for 19+ years ... 
THERE IS NO DIPLOMATIC SOLUTION 

There are 10 new ideas that are changing America, maybe permanently.
by Victor Davis Hanson

Americans privately fear these rules while publicly appearing to accept them. They still could be transitory and invite a reaction. Or they are already near-permanent and institutionalized. The answer determines whether a constitutional republic continues as once envisioned, or warps into something never imagined by those who created it. 
https://patriotpost.us/opinion/78839-the-10-radical-new-rules-that-are-changing-america-2021-04-01
https://www.israpundit.org/the-10-radical-new-rules-that-are-changing-america/

Trafficked Children, Bodies, Weapons Found on Evergreen Ship Blocking Suez Canal
T. Belman writes, 
As I understand it, this ship was boxed in by the Russians to the north of it and the US to the south of it. Using electronic means they caused the ship to run aground so that the containers could be examined. This month will see many things come to light that I have been reading about for a long time.
https://beforeitsnews.com/politics/2021/04/trafficked-children-bodies-weapons-found-on-evergreen-ship-blocking-suez-canal-3230145.html
https://www.israpundit.org/trafficked-children-bodies-weapons-found-on-evergreen-ship-blocking-suez-canal/

Kamala’s Husband Hosts the Virtual Passover From Hell
The Biden administration is ruining everything. So it must ruin Passover.

by Daniel Greenfield - FPM 
https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/2021/04/kamalas-husband-hosts-virtual-passover-hell-daniel-greenfield/
https://www.israpundit.org/kamalas-husband-hosts-the-virtual-passover-from-hell/

Critical Race Theory Is Everywhere including in the Public Schools
by A Disillusioned Administrator - AM THINKER

Like a cancerous tumor that has metastasized in the body, Critical Race Theory and its variants including social justice; Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI); anti-racism; cultural competency; and implicit bias have poisoned all aspects of public education and even some private schools.  These hateful and racist philosophies have become entrenched in every level and aspect of American public education.
https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2021/04/i_work_in_the_public_school_system_critical_race_theory_is_everywhere.html
https://www.israpundit.org/critical-race-theory-is-everywhere-including-in-the-public-schools/

The European Union: From a Single Market to a Tragic Farce
by Drieu Godefridi - GATESTONE INSTITUTE 

Concerning the European Union, opinions are divided between those who consider it useless and costly, and those
who believe it to be the future of Europe and a model for the human race. What is the reality?
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/17193/european-union-tragic-farce
https://www.israpundit.org/the-european-union-from-a-single-market-to-a-tragic-farce/


Ted Belman - 12/3/17
vid> https://youtu.be/EO5kIMNtZwA (1:08:08) Alexander Gendler 12/3/17
The “Jordan-is-Palestine” idea, as the preferred resolution for the Israel-Palestine conflict. The conference was organized together with Mudar Zahran, Secretary-General of the Jordan Opposition Coalition, who lives in England under the protection of that country's police.

The Ultimate Alternate Israel-Palestine Solution by Ted Belman
https://www.israpundit.org/the-ultimate-alternate-israel-palestine-solution-3/

>> The Jordan Option, plain and simple
https://www.israpundit.org/the-jordan-option-plain-and-simple/
>> The Jordanian Option is the only game in town
https://www.israpundit.org/my-jordan-option-is-the-only-game-in-town/

Kindly donate to support the work I do
by Ted Belman

https://www.israpundit.org/kindly-donate-to-support-the-work-i-do/
https://www.israpundit.org/my-half-yearly-appeal-for-donations/

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Chag K'asher V'Sameyach
Torah Time Machine
Happy Passover and Happy 1 Year Anniversary !!!
by Jamie Geller - April 6, 2012

If I actually had any energy left after all this prep and work that I had to wrap before Yuntif, I would find the right words to thank you all and wish you the best of the best this Pesach. It really is such a truly happy occasion and I am looking forward to it this year in a way that I can't remember from past years.  Maybe its because it's my 5th year making Pesach and I've learned to chill a bit, maybe it's because we only have a 2 day yuntif (in the US), or maybe it's because we have a full week of chol hamoed without a shabbos in between to break up the family plans and add to the cooking load.  I am not sure if it's one or all of those things or the fact that as my kids grow older I so look forward to enjoying the seder along with them. ...  And mostly this time of year we are thankful to be celebrating our exodus from Egypt, our freedom.  As we pray to know and understand and truly mean the words of L'Shana Haba B'Yerushalayim I dream of seeing us all there, together, next year G-d Willing. From all of us at JoyofKosher.com - We wish everyone a Chag K'asher V'Sameyach, a Zissin Pesach and a GREAT PASSOVER.  Yes, I know all those pretty much mean the same thing I just like to flaunt my knowledge of the lingo.
https://jamiegeller.com/holidays/happy-passover-and-happy-1-year-anniversary/

Open Letter from Jamie Geller
The issue is, for lots of us working moms and serial entrepreneurs our stress didn’t begin with this pandemic. It began long before coronavirus. A long, long time ago. I always say unless you join the circus, nobody teaches you how to juggle. And we working moms have been performing a juggling act like the best of show performers since we had our first kid, went back to work, or never even took maternity leave (for us small business owners) and had to figure out how to navigate this circus called life.
https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/open-letter-from-jamie-geller/

The answer is, it's made with love from Israel ! 
https://jamiegeller.com/from-jamie/my-jewish-food-memories/
My Love Affair With Jerusalem
https://jamiegeller.com/from-jamie/my-love-affair-with-jerusalem/

Joy of Aliyah 
http://jamiegeller.com/tag/joy-of-aliyah/
https://jamiegeller.com/tag/joyofisrael/
Jamie Geller Welcome's You
vid> https://youtu.be/XO-owES713c (0:35)
Sent with Lots of 💕 by Jamie

Jamie at Aish - Chief Media & Marketing Officer
https://www.aish.com/authors/48868432.html
How You Can Make the Future Brighter
vid> https://youtu.be/fclstyB-1rA (2:48) Aish

The Best Jamie Geller Signature Spice Collection

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08QV1X9BP/

Home of JOY of KOSHER with Jamie Geller
https://jamiegeller.com/
Our mailing addresses are:
> Kosher Media Holdings LLC:
1575 50th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11219  
> Kosher Network International, All rights reserved.
3771 San Jose Place Suite 22, Jacksonville, FL 32257


You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread [Chag HaMatzot].  Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread [matzah],
as I commanded you, at the time appointed in the month Aviv, for in the month Aviv you came out from Egypt. Exodus 34:18



Shabbat Chol HaMoed Pesach Shalom - Your Hope in the Wilderness !!!

  
Wishing you a Good Friday during Passover
 
Because this Shabbat (Sabbath) falls during Chag HaMatzot (Feast of Unleavened Bread)a special reading is inserted into the regular Torah reading cycle.
 
This special portion will be read in synagogues around the world during the Shabbat Pesach (Saturday Passover) service.
 
Today many Christians are celebrating Good Friday and on Sunday the resurrection of the Messiah Jesus (Yeshua), so it is fitting to recall the physical redemption of the Jewish People from Egypt who were protected by the blood of the Passover Lamb. 
 
We know you will be blessed as you discover the Jewish roots of your faith in the King of Kings and Lord of Lords!
 
Shabbat Chol HaMoed Pesach
(The Intermediate Sabbath of Passover)
Exodus 33:12–34:26; Numbers 28:16–25; Ezekiel 37:1–14; Luke 24
 
“You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread [Chag HaMatzot].  Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread [matzah], as I commanded you, at the time appointed in the month Aviv, for in the month Aviv you came out from Egypt.”  (Exodus 34:18)
 

An Orthodox Jewish boy eats a piece of matzah
during Passover.
 
The Parasha (Scripture portion) for this Shabbat occurs in the middle of the Passover week and begins by describing the holy days of Pesach (Passover) and the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Chag HaMatzot), which lasts seven days.
 
These two special events are most often blended into one and just called Passover, but there is a crucial difference between the two, which we will explore in today’s study.
 
During the Passover time frame, there are three distinct events that represent three unique spiritual states or conditions of the soul:
  1. Passover represents salvation: we are saved from the wrath of God by faith in the blood of the Passover Lamb.
“Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.”  (John 1:29)
 
Yeshua (Jesus) was slain on Passover as the perfect fulfillment of the lamb that saved the Israelites on the very first Passover:
 
“And when I see the blood I will pass over you.”  (Exodus 12:13)
 

2.​​​​​​​Unleavened bread, also called matzah or the bread of affliction, represents sanctification.

Matzah is flat because it is devoid of yeast (chametz), which represents wickedness, pride, and that which causes us to be puffed up or to think more highly of ourselves than we ought. 
 
“Your boasting is not good.  Don’t you know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough?  Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are.  For Messiah, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.” 
(1 Corinthians 5:6–7)
 

The matzah and wine of the ritual Pesach meal called a Seder (order).
 
Chametz is closely related to the Hebrew word chamutz, which means sour.  Yeast is a souring agent.  Likewise, sin causes bitterness in our soul.
 
“Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old bread leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread [matzah] of sincerity and truth.”  (1 Corinthians 5:8)
 
The week of unleavened bread, therefore, represents sanctification accomplished through affliction, trials and testing, and the purging of pride in order to teach us humility and obedience by the things we suffer in our wilderness experiences.
 
“And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.”  (Deuteronomy 8:2)


A tour group takes shelter from the sun under a lone acacia tree in
Israel's desert.
  1. First Fruits, also called Bikkurim in Hebrew, which occurs the day after the first day of Unleavened Bread (although there is some disagreement as to the timing), represents resurrection.

    Just as the barley is offered up to the Lord as the first crop after winter, so Yeshua was also raised from the dead on
  2. the Feast of Firstfruits.
“But now the Messiah is risen from the dead, and has become the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.”  
(1 Corinthians 15:20)
 
From these distinct elements within Passover, we can understand that between the events of salvation and resurrection is a process of sanctification.
 
Passover Unleavened Bread First Fruits
 
SalvationSanctificationResurrection
 

A crop of barley in Israel
  
The Intermediate Sabbath—Losing Heart in the Wilderness  
When the Israelites were delivered from Egypt, they also had to go through a sanctification process, which took them through the wilderness on their way to the Promised Land.
 
Even though the Israelites entered into a covenant with God in the wilderness, and came to understand their identity as God's treasured possession there, sometimes they responded to hardship and barrenness of the wilderness with discouragement.
 
In the wilderness, they also lost heart, lost hope, longed for Egypt, grumbled, murmured, and complained.
 
For that reason, all perished but two—Joshua and Caleb—who followed the Lord wholeheartedly and kept the faith.  The bodies of the other Israelites lay scattered across that vast wilderness.
 

Yeshua is Tempted in the Wilderness, by James Tissot

Even Yeshua spent time in the wilderness—perhaps the Judean or Negev Desert.  The Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) led Him there to be tempted by the devil.  (Matthew 4:1–11)
 
The Negev is not an easy place to live—even with air conditioning!
 
It is a land of snakes and scorpions; a place of great danger.  And yet, the wilderness is not a punishment, but a necessary stage in our spiritual journey.
 
It is often God who leads us into our wilderness experiences to humble us, to test us, to refine our faith, and to teach us perseverance and endurance.
 
If we come out of it alive, we do so “leaning on our beloved” instead of relying on our own strength or limited sufficiency.  (Song of Solomon 8:5)
 
The wilderness can be our spiritual university where we learn to trust in and depend upon the Lord, and only God knows how long that lesson will take.
 

Holding up the Torah for all to see at Jerusalem's Western (Wailing) Wall.
 
For Believers, in the vast space between salvation and the resurrection lies the wilderness, a dry and thirsty land where water is scarce.  That is where we are sanctified.
 
Because it is so easy to lose heart in the wilderness—our sanctification process—our response to the trials and challenges will determine how well we make it through to the resurrection.
 
Discouragement during our wilderness is an especially powerful weapon of the enemy because of its enfeebling, demoralizing effect.
 
This is not so with hatred, jealousy, fear, and other negative states that may cause us to act foolishly, to fight, or to run.  With these emotional attacks, at least we act.
 
Discouragement on the other hand, hurts us the most because it ultimately saps the energy right out of us, causing us to sit down, pity ourselves, and do nothing.
 
Discouragement causes us to give in to the temptation of the enemy who whispers, "Just give up."
 
Hopelessness is a very dangerous state of being.  In fact, Scripture tells us that “hope deferred makes the heart sick.”  (Proverbs 13:12)
 

Jewish men sort through a table full of prayer books at the Western Wall
in the Old City of Jerusalem.
 
When Hope Is Lost—The Day With No Name  
The Scripture reading between Passover and Bikkurim is simply called “Intermediate Sabbath” (Chol HaMo’ed).  It doesn’t even have a name like the other parshiot.
 
It describes a time of hopelessness for Israel, wandering the nations without God's blessing to protect them, as if they were living in a valley of dried up bones.
 
In our own valleys of dried up dreams and desires, when all hope seems lost, we wonder if everything has been in vain, if the sun will ever shine again in our grieving hearts.
 
Israel asked the same question in the Haftarah reading for this intermediate Sabbath.
 
The dry bones, which represent the whole house of Israel, say, “Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are clean cut off.”
(Ezekiel 37:11)
 

A homeless man prays at the Western (Wailing)
Wall in Jerusalem.
 
Sometimes we feel that we have been cut off from hope itself.  But so often when we feel the darkness is closing in on us, at that moment God is doing His greatest work.
 
Likewise, it is when Israel’s hope in itself is completely destroyed that God’s promise of restoration comes forth as a breath of life:
 
“Behold, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, O My people; and I will bring you into the land of Israel.  And ye shall know that I am the Lord…  And I will put My Spirit [Ruach] in you, and you shall live.”  (Ezekiel 37:13–14)
 
Ruach, the Hebrew word for spirit, is the same word used in verses 5 and 6 that is translated breath:  “I will cause breath [Ruach] to enter into you and you shall live.”
 

A large group of women pray at the Western Wall during Passover.
 
In the Brit Chadashah (New Testament),Yeshua miraculously foreshadows the fulfillment of this Word.
 
Yeshua arrived four days after His friend Lazarus had died and been placed in the tomb.  Everyone's hope in Lazarus being raised from the dead was completely lost.
 
Why did Yeshua wait for four days?  
 
Jewish tradition holds that a person’s soul hovers around its physical body for three days, but after this time period, the soul leaves.
 
Therefore, the Jewish people who witnessed Lazarus' death were convinced on the fourth day that the situation was completely and totally without any hope whatsoever!  Even the soul of the deceased had departed.
 
But Yeshua called out to Lazarus, TZEH HAHUTZAH!  COME OUT!
 
And Lazarus came up out of his grave and he lived!
 
One thing, however, needed to be done before Lazarus could come out of the tomb—the stone had to be rolled away.  Somebody had to do it, and it wasn’t Yeshua.
 

The Raising of Lazarus, by Carl Heinrich Bloch
 
While He could have easily rolled it away Himself or even commanded the heavy stone to move and it would have obeyed Him, He called upon the people to participate in the miracle.
 
Yeshua said to them, “Take away the stone.”  (John 11:39)
 
Why?  Perhaps He wanted to teach us that we are not to be completely passive and expect God to do everything for us.
 
Maybe there is a stone standing between
...

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