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Volume 2, #4 NL #17

December 13, 2023

Tevet 1, 5784

ROSH CHODESH MONTHLY NEWSLETTER

Let's share what HaShem is doing around the world!

Let's build His Kingdom together

preparing for His return!


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Rabbi Ken Maccabees MacNeil



UMJA PRESIDENT



Chag Urim Semeach! (Happy festival of lights)


As of the writing of this newsletter, we are fortunate to be in the midst of Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights! Can there be a more appropriate time than now, to celebrate this festive occasion? On the first night as we light the first candle we recite the shehecheyanu prayer, “Blessed are you Lord our G-d, sovereign of all, who has kept us alive, sustained us, and has brought us to this season!”


With great gratitude, we express our thanks to HaShem for sustaining us and keeping us alive! Today we face an enemy that professes to “un-liven” us as did the Greeks under their Emperor Antiochus. This has been a recurring theme. The Babylonians, Romans, Assyrian’s, Byzantines, Amalekites, Egyptians, Persians, Nazis, Christian Crusaders, and Russians, have all tried their hand at wiping out Israel. What was the common denominator? All of these kingdoms and or movements have failed. Alternatively, they have either not continued, or disappeared into oblivion. Yet Israel remains and will remain! We have much to rejoice over! 


In the UMJA, we celebrate with the festival of lights together in great unity (achdut) and with much expectation and hope (tikvah) in our Lord Yeshua. May we all be that much needed light that dispels darkness in our world. 


Chag Semeach Hanukkah! 


Rabbi Maccabees 

(couldn’t miss the opportunity)



Yeshua spoke to them again: “I am the light of the world;

whoever follows me will never walk in darkness

but will have the light which gives life.” 

John 8:12 CJB


In the same way, let your light shine before people,

so that they may see the good things you do and

praise your Father in heaven.

Matthew 5:16 CJB




Psalm 83

A Psalm of Asaph



O God, do not be silent!

    Do not be deaf.

    Do not be quiet, O God.

Don’t you hear the uproar of your enemies?

    Don’t you see that your arrogant enemies are rising up?

They devise crafty schemes against your people;

    they conspire against your precious ones.

“Come,” they say, “let us wipe out Israel as a nation.

    We will destroy the very memory of its existence.”

Yes, this was their unanimous decision.

    They signed a treaty as allies against you—

these Edomites and Ishmaelites;

    Moabites and Hagrites;

Assyria has joined them, too,

    and is allied with the descendants of Lot.

Do to them as you did to the Midianites

    and as you did to Sisera and Jabin at the Kishon River...

12 

for they said, “Let us seize for our own use

    these pasturelands of God!”

13 

O my God, scatter them like tumbleweed,

    like chaff before the wind!

14 

As a fire burns a forest

    and as a flame sets mountains ablaze,

15 

chase them with your fierce storm;

    terrify them with your tempest.

16 

Utterly disgrace them

    until they submit to your name, O Lord.

18 

Then they will learn that you alone are called the Lord,

    that you alone are the Most High,

    supreme over all the earth.


NLT Version




FEAST OF REDEDICATING THE TEMPLE


By Rabbi Richard “Aharon” Chaimberlin

     


I don’t want to shock our readers too much, however, you should know that we prefer the New Testament holidays. Before you cancel your subscription, please remember that the New Testament holidays are the same holidays that were celebrated in the Tanakh (O.T.) and the same holidays which will be celebrated when Yeshua sets up his Millennial Kingdom. Gentile nations which refuse to observe Sukkot (“Booths”) will be plagued with drought.[1]



There is at least one exception to what I just said. We do celebrate one holiday mentioned in the New Testament, but not mentioned in the Tanakh:

 

“And it was at Jerusalem, the Feast of Dedication (Hanukkah), and it was winter. And Yeshua walked in the Temple in Solomon’s porch. Then the Judeans gathered around him, and said to him, ‘How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.’ Yeshua answered them, “I told you, and you did not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name, these bear witness of me.’” [2]


It is obvious from the context that Yeshua was visiting the Temple during Hanukkah. He chose to affirm the importance of this festival. Yeshua ended up being verbally attacked and threatened with stoning. His opponents understood that Yeshua was promoting his divinity. They said, “For a good work we do not stone you, but for blasphemy. For You, being a man, make yourself out to be God.” [3]


Hanukkah was a holiday that was instituted after the Israeli victory over the Greek-Syrians in the Maccabean Revolt, when the Jews gained a miraculous victory over their oppressors. Nes gadol haya sham! “A great miracle happened there!” This occurred in 165 BCE, in a period of time known as the “Inter-Testamental” period, that is, after the “Old” Testament was written, but prior to Yeshua. Therefore, it is not mentioned in the Tanakh. This story is told in the Books of Maccabees in the Apocrypha, which is a set of good Jewish books not found in Jewish Bibles.

If you would like to read the story for yourself, you can find the Apocrypha in Catholic Bibles. Curiously, the entire Apocrypha (which includes the Books of the Maccabees) were in the original 1611 version of the King James Bible. Most of the Bibles which today purport to be “original” 1611 King James Version are actually the 4th revision of the 1611 KJV.


Today's "1611 KJV" is much more accurately the 1769 King James Version. A copy of the genuine 1611 King James Bible can be ordered directly through Thomas Nelson Publishers, or can be ordered at a Bible Book Store. However, the language and font are very archaic and difficult, much harder to understand than the so-called “1611 KJV” Bibles promoted by many Christians today. The Septuagint [4] is a Jewish translation of the Tanakh into Greek done in about 200 BCE. It contained all the books that are called the “Old Testament” as well as the Apocrypha. (The Apocrypha was added to the Septuagint a century later.)

In about 333 BCE, Alexander the Great and his armies conquered the Middle East, including Israel, and went on to conquer much additional land, even to the Indus River in India. Although Alexander promoted Greek religion, culture, and language, he didn’t force it on his subjects. Alexander died at the age of only 33 (just like Yeshua!), after which his huge empire was split into four parts to be ruled over by each of his four generals. Those who came after Alexander were much less tolerant of non-Greek cultures and religion.


Israel was on a “land bridge” highly prized by the Ptolemy dynasty that ruled Egypt, and by the Seleucid Dynasty that ruled the Syrian portion of the divided Greek Empire. Eventually, the Seleucids gained the upper hand, and conquered Israel. Antiochus IV eventually came to rule over Israel. He was an extremely cruel and intolerant king. He forbade circumcision, Sabbath observance, reading of Torah, or celebration of the Feasts. The penalty for observing the commandments of YHWH was torture and/or death. He encouraged Greek culture and religion, and found many Jews who willingly and even happily collaborated to turn Israel into a Greek society.


The pagans defiled the Temple, even sacrificing pigs on the altar. The Jews, under the Hasmonean leadership of Mattathias (“Matityahu”) and his sons, eventually won a miraculous victory. It was guerrilla warfare, where a small, makeshift army won against the mighty Syrian Greek army.


According to legend, when they went to re-light the Ner Tamid (Eternal Light) of the Temple, they discovered a vial of oil which was only adequate to keep the light burning for one day. Nevertheless, they re-lit the Ner Tamid, and began a search for sanctified oil that could keep the Ner Tamid burning. The search took 8 days, during which time the Ner Tamid miraculously kept burning with the one-day supply of oil.


Curiously, the story of the Ner Tamid burning miraculously for 8 days is not told in the books of the Maccabees at all. It is perhaps a later invention that was added to the Hanukkah story. Originally, Hanukkah was made into an 8-day festival as an imitation of Sukkot,[5] which is also an 8-day festival, but which the Jews were unable to observe at the proper time because of the ongoing war.

Hundreds of years later, the story of the one-day supply of oil lasting for 8 days was written into the Talmud.[6] The military victory of the few against the many was downplayed. However, Zechariah 4:6 is still quoted during Hanukkah: “Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.”

Jews in the Galut (Diaspora) have traditionally shunned wanting to celebrate military victories, so as to not provoke anti-Semitism in various host nations. This might be one of the reasons for inventing the story of the Ner Tamid burning miraculously for 8 days on a one-day supply of oil. There is another reason for de-emphasizing the military victory: The Hasmonean Dynasty was originally anti-assimilationist. They preserved Jewish religion and fought off pagan religious influences. Jews were again free to celebrate their faith without pagan influences.

However, future generations of the Hasmonean Dynasty became pro-assimilationist. They promoted Greek culture, Greek language, and even Greek religion. As a result, the Talmud is very quiet about the Hasmoneans, sort of ignoring a family that started out extremely good, but went tragically bad, succumbing to the paganism in the world at that time.

Hanukkah comes at a time of the year when Christians are celebrating Christmas. As a result, it is often identified as a sort of Jewish Christmas. Actually, Hanukkah was celebrated for hundreds of years before Christmas was first celebrated, and therefore has no historical relationship with Christmas.[7]


The story of the vial of oil lasting for 8 days can’t begin to compare with the appeal of the story of the virgin birth of a baby in a manger. Moreover, as we celebrate the re-dedication of the Temple, we do so with the knowledge that the Temple was completely destroyed in 70 CE.[8] So we end up celebrating a Temple that no longer exists.



RE-DEDICATING OUR TEMPLES

We are not completely without a Temple. Rav Shaul spoke of our bodies as being temples of the Ruakh HaKodesh (the Holy Spirit):


“Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If any man defiles the temple of God, him shall God destroy, for the temple of God is holy, which is what you are. Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seems to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God.” [9]                 


“Do you not know that your bodies are the members of Messiah? Shall I then take the members of Messiah and make them members of a harlot? May it never be! What? Do you not know that he which is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For He says, ‘The two shall become one flesh (Genesis 2:24).’


But the one who joins himself to HaShem is one spirit with Him. Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is without the body, but he that commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore, glorify God in your body.” [10]          

          

“Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what partnership has Messiah with Beliel, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God. Just as God said, ‘I will dwell in them, and walk in them, and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. Therefore, come out from among them, and be separate,’ saith Adonai, ‘and touch not the unclean (unclean food, pagan holidays, idols, sin, etc.), and I will receive you, and will be a Father to you, and you shall be my sons and daughters,’ saith the Almighty.” [11]

 

Let us today rededicate our temples, our bodies, which are the temples of the Ruakh HaKodesh. And, just as with the Temple in Jerusalem, we are required to make sacrifices: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” [12]


          

APPLICATION: Just as the Maccabees sought to cleanse the Jewish religion and the Temple of unclean pagan influences, so we today need to cleanse our faith from the pagan influences so prevalent in our society and in the churches. In the event that the churches don’t want to change, it would be best to do as the Puritans of old did, and as Rav Shaul said, “Therefore, come out from among them and be separate.” Our Heavenly Father does not like mixture religion, in which the pagan elements are mixed with the true faith.

 

Occasionally, people still think of Messianic Judaism as being a “mixture” religion, in which Judaism and Christianity are “mixed together.” The truth is that Messianic Judaism was the faith of the First Century believers. It wasn’t a new religion; it was merely a bunch of Jews who had come to know their Messiah. The so-called “church” of the First Century was following that “old-time religion,” which happened to be Judaism. Yeshua did not come to establish a new religion; He came to be the Messiah for the “old” religion - Judaism! He remained a loyal Jew who worshipped the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and obeyed Torah.


There weren’t any people called Christians until large numbers of Gentiles came to believe in the Jewish Messiah as we discover in Acts 11:20-26. The Christian faith of the First Century Gentiles was quite pure. It wasn’t until later centuries that Christianity became polluted with idolatry and pagan holidays, which were “Christianized” in order to make Christianity more appealing to the pagans.

We are called to be a “light to the world.” We can’t do that if we are still holding onto our cherished pagan traditions. Our disobedience is actually delaying Messiah’s return. Yeshua said to Israel: “You shall not see Me again until you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord.” [13] Or, in the Hebrew, “Baruch haba b’shem Adonai.”


Currently, the biggest stumbling block to Jews coming to know their Messiah are those who call themselves Christians, as well as the history of Christianity vs. the Jewish people. Romans 11:11 tells us to “provoke the Jews to jealousy.” Thus far most Jews have only been provoked. The Jews will say to Yeshua, “Baruch haba b’shem Adonai” when the Church repents of its paganism and returns to the faith of the First Century.


The Church must present Yeshua as He really is: a Torah-observant Jewish rabbi who taught his disciples to honor and obey Torah (Matthew 5:17-19) and then told them to teach the nations (Gentiles) to obey the Law (Matthew 28:18-20). The Church must stop presenting a Jesus who abolished the Law.


Rav Shaul said, “For if one comes and preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or you receive a different Gospel, which you have not accepted, you bear this beautifully.” [14]  The only problem is that another Jesus cannot save us. 


We need to return to the Yeshua of the Bible, not to the Greek god that He has often been turned into.

 

ADDENDUM: If you don’t already know it, we want you to know that Yeshua was not born in December. In all likelihood, he was born on the first day of Feast of Sukkot (“Tabernacles”). But if you go back about 280 days before Sukkot, you will find yourself in Hanukkah.


Therefore, Hanukkah is the time during which Yeshua was probably conceived of a virgin, a great miracle! Yeshua celebrated Hanukkah. You can also purchase or build a Hanukiah, which is a candelabrum with 8 branches for each of the 8 nights of Hanukkah, plus a holder for the Shammash (servant candle) which is used to light the other candles.


                                                                                       

FOOTNOTES

[1] Zechariah 14:16-19.

[2] Yochanan 10:22-25.

[3] Yochanan (John) 10:33.

[4] This translation was done at the request of Ptolemy of Egypt by 72 learned Jews.

[5] 2 Maccabees 10:6-8.

[6] Massive Jewish commentary on Torah.

[7] Yeshua (Jesus) wasn’t even born in December. The December 25 date was originally a pagan holiday called Saturnalia or the solar feast of Natalis Solis Invicti—the Nativity of the Unconquered Sun.

[8] “Common Era,” the equivalent of A.D.

[9] 1 Corinthians 3:16-19a

[10] 1 Corinthians 6:15-20

[11] 2 Corinthians 6:14-18

[12] Romans 12:1.

[13] Matthew 23:39.

[14] 2 Corinthians 11:4, NAS.





Born in the Middle of the Festival of LIGHTS

Morah Karen Low Deloge


"For we are His workmanship—

created in Messiah Yeshua for good deeds,

which God prepared beforehand

so we might walk in them."


Ephesians 2:10 TLV




After fifty years of believing, nearly seventy years on the planet, I just discovered my Hebrew birthday! This reminds me of the first time I noticed a star-shaped mole on my throat as a new believer and felt God telling me to be unafraid to speak for Him. It was one of those aha moments, realizing through some small detail that this is all part of a larger design. It’s been there all along, right under your nose--or chin, as the case may be. Perhaps you've experienced something like this.


Remember the arguments and excuses raised when God asked Moses at the burning bush, “Who made you?” The obvious answer is, GOD MADE ME! But what does that mean to you personally? Adonai addressed every detail with care, including my weaknesses or afflictions, my quirky personality, all my hopes and dreams, as well as my strengths and purpose. If I am HIS handiwork, it all comes with the territory, right from the beginning of time. Even my name, and my birthday, are all part of the plan.


Each of us comes into this world as a tiny wriggling and helpless bundle. We know our mother’s voice and heartbeat, but not much else beyond our most basic hungers or feelings of warmth in this hard, cold world. Come to think of it, we are still like that, so limited in scope and understanding; so locked in time and space; so frail and needy.


Yet, God knows us fully, and as the Psalmist declared, the Almighty was involved in knitting together every cell and ligament. Even for this 5-pound preemie, the timing of my arrival was most certainly part of His plan. So, I was delighted to finally learn that I arrived in the middle of the Festival of Dedication, the Festival of Lights! I learned that this was the traditional time of Queen Esther's crowning, drawing me to consider more deeply the laying down of her life, "for such a time as this."


I had learned the Hebrew meaning of my name back in the 80's, from a group of Israeli tourists who showed up in our village on the May River in Papua New Guinea, looking for "the Juda-man" they heard about. They paddled all the way to the headwaters of a Sepik tributary to meet us. 


“Shalom!” this handsome bearded group announced at our screen door one day. "Shalom elechem!" Frank replied, using a language he hadn't used since his bar mitzvah. We bonded instantly and took them in for a week. Making introductions, I said, “Here are our kids, Naomi Faith, Jesse David and Isaac Daniel... I’m the only one without a Hebrew name.”


“Oh no!” they corrected. “Ka-ren’ is Hebrew!” Zvika pointed up and pinched his fingers together. “In Hebrew, it means a piece of the sun,” he said. “A piece of light.” 


“Oh, like a ray of light?” I asked


“Yes, that’s it,” they said, describing the Biblical source of the light that beamed from the face of Moses. (Some got the idea of horns on Moses from this.) 


Unlike the current horrid trend of abusing my name, and using it for ridicule (I think it another tactic of the enemy to undermine people of my generation who still have values in this cancel culture!), the name Karen has traditionally been associated with purity. So for me, this was inspirational. I’ve always been a student and a teacher, and the Lord used this to remind me that this was His plan all along. Even in a foreign language and culture where some people were trying to use sorcery and kill us, I was greatly encouraged. I was born for this. I was named and called to be a little “piece of light," and born smack dab in the middle of the festival of lights! Yes, God can use even me, as a tiny sliver of his giant love and plan, here in a very dark corner of the globe. 


If you've never done it, you can go online on chabad.org and find the Hebrew date of your birth (for the year you were born) and even read the parsha at that time. It might hold some surprises for you, too.


Of course, we are ALL called to be the light of the world, and whatever the meaning of your name and the timing of your birth, when the stars aligned and you were conceived, the Creator set your life in motion according to a grand design. Make no mistake, YOU are no mistake! I challenge you to think about His hand in the details, the unique timing and positioning of your life--a purpose only you can fill.


How did He make you? What are His plans and the unique platform He’s given you?


In these final days of Hanukkah, as we place our menorahs and light the candles for all to see, think of your placement in the world during the darkest time of the year, and what may be the darkest season of history. A little "piece of light" can go a long way in a dark place! 


So, as we watch the candles burn, let's rededicate ourselves to the One who made us, whose designs are imprinted on us from the beginning of time. Let's dig in and burn out for Him, doing all that He made us and called us to do.



May we burn brightly for you, Father, and for the Kingdom of Messiah!



Happy Sylvester!?

New Year's Eve in Israel

 

by Rabbi Ben Alpert

www.BethSarShalomFlorida.com




 

"Thuffering thukkatash!

There's a holiday named after me?"

 

 

As many of you are probably already aware, in Israel the New Year begins sometime in September or October – Tishri 1 on the Jewish calendar. This day is known as Rosh HaShannah, the Head of the Year, and it is one of the most important days of the year in Israel.

 

However, Israel is not an island unto itself. Traditions from other cultures have made their way to Israel. One of these is New Year’s Eve – as it occurs on December 31st. While the New Year’s Eve celebrations in Israel are not on the level as other places and January 1 is a work-day, many Israelis still enjoy marking the New Year.

 

In Hebrew December 31st and January 1st are called החדשה האזרחית השנה – HaShannah HaEzrachit HaChadashah – the civil New Year. This is quite a mouthful so it has come to be known simply as “Sylvester”.

 

So where did the term Sylvester originate? It most definitely does not come from Tweety’s Looney Tunes nemesis Sylvester the Cat (but wouldn’t it be fun if it did!). This term comes from immigrants from Germany and Poland, of which there are many in Israel. In these countries and others mostly in Eastern Europe the New Year is called Sylvester.

 

The actual term Sylvester refers to Pope Sylvester I, however to tell the whole story we have to back up in history. In 46 BCE Julius Caesar proclaimed that he was changing the calendar used by the Roman Empire. He altered the calendar to follow the solar year meaning one year equals the time is takes the sun to return to the same position in the cycle of seasons.

 

Next, he changed the number of months to 12 as there are 12 solar cycles within the larger cycle and thus keeping the months aligned to the seasons – July is always summer, December is always winter, etc. Finally, he moved the New Year to the month called January because it was named after the Roman idol Janus who was the deity of beginnings and gateways.

 

This calendar worked well. Therefore, in the 4th century when Constantine converted the Roman Empire into the Holy Roman Empire, at his mother’s urging, he kept the Julian calendar. So now we have a firmly established date of the New Year as January 1 throughout all of Christendom. But where does Sylvester come in?

 

Pope Sylvester I’s pontificate occurred when Constantine was Roman Emperor. Christianity developed and grew substantially while he was Pope. However, he did convince Constantine to pass many anti-Semitic laws. Legend states that Saint Sylvester’s death occurred on December 31st in the final moments of the year. Because of his date of death and because Christianity had a sort of new beginning under his tenet, his saint day is December 31, New Year’s Eve.

 

The overwhelming cultural influence that Catholicism had on Europe caused many nations to refer to New Year’s Eve as Sylvester’s Day. This term became the common term for the New Year despite the religious connotations – and even the anti-Semitic ones. Therefore, when Jews from Eastern Europe immigrated en masse to Israel, they brought this term with them.


So today to clarify between the spiritual Jewish New Year and the secular New Year, Israelis call December 31 “Sylvester.” This is one of the wonderful things about Israelis – they are able to maintain their own traditions and identities but adapt others as well as practical application needs.



 

"For Eastern European Jews, January 1st is remembered as a day of pogroms. From early days, once the birth of Christ was set on December 25th, Christianity understood the New Year to be a symbol of the reign of Christianity, and the death of Judaism. New Year’s Day became a time for anti-Jewish activities: synagogue and book burnings, public tortures, and murder...."






OPPORTUNITIES TO SUPPORT ISRAEL


(This list compiled by the Editor.

Let us know if you have other referrals.)



 


https://www.fidf.org

Friends of the IDF offering crucial supplies and support


https://www.mdais.org/en

Magen David Adom offering medical care and rescue


https://israelrescue.org

Rescue and medical


https://israel365charity.com/campaign/israel-is-at-war/

Delivering supplies and food to the victims and soldiers


https://yeshuasfreshbreadinisrael.blogspot.com

physical assistance needed urgently


https://netivyah.org/israel-is-at-war/#donate

Aid to soldiers and civilians on the frontlines


https://noameliezer.com 

Rabbi Yetshak Naghi’s ministry in Israel. 


https://israelalliance.org/?form=israel-at-war

Rabbi Moshe, distributing aid to soldiers and victims, in Efrat, Israel


https://onefamilytogether.org

Offers therapeutic assistance, working with victims


https://cryforzion.com

Messianic friend of Joshua Aaron in IDF, working with urgent needs





שַׁאֲלוּ שְׁלוֹם יְרוּשָׁלָ‍ִם

Yearn for the peace of Jerusalem



Psalm 122:6




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  • We have been praying for Africa and Rabbi Mitch and received a good word of the increases of attendance and of Yeshua being recently introduced to 3 other "rabbinic" synagogues, being received with great joy! One Rabbi wrote, "We have had a big gathering at my synagogue. We have learnt a lot about YESU (Luganda for Yeshua) Messiah, and that YESU means Salvation. We also talked about the prophecy about YESU from Deuteronomy 18:18." Rabbi M. writes that this Hanukkah will be a spectacular and memorable time of celebration among the Abayudaya (look at that name, Abba-Judea) Jews.


  • Rabbi Mitch: This is tempered by a recent medical discovery that I have an infection or worse, mandating my return to receive proper diagnosis and treatment. Pray HaShem to provide the drs, nurses, and attendants with wisdom, knowledge, and understanding to quickly know the nature and scope of what ails me. Pray for a speedy 100% recovery and restoration and a quick return to the Pearl of Africa, Uganda, in accordance with the Lord's will. That during this season, I would quickly grasp ALL HaShem needs me to lean, obey, and apply to my life, drawing closer to HaShem.



  • We were also praying for a great turn out at the PRO ISRAEL rally in DC last month and continue to pray for all those who are courageously speaking against the violence and the hatred of the Hamas campaign. Continue to pray for our speakers and reps and college presidents and professors to change their tone, as well as for the safety of Jewish citizens and students around the world.


  • Today is DAY 67 of the War against Hamas and we hear of preparations for this Winter War. Certainly we are all extremely heavy hearted and much in prayer for ISRAEL and the ongoing battle of IRON SWORDS. We join together to storm heaven's gates for swift justice, release of every hostage, protection for the innocent, and total sweeping victory for the IDF. Pray for wisdom for the leaders, divine guidance and tactics, unity in the ranks, and strength. Pray that they are amply supplied with funds for much needed munitions, finances, medical services, food, and housing for displaced victims. May G-d bare his mighty arm in defending his people and his land! Bo Yeshua, bo!


  • Praise for the many miracles and salvations we hear coming from the Arab world. 3 tanks filled with soldiers saved, groups of others being led away from dangers, angelic appearances, bullets stopped by Scriptures tucked in a pocked, 100 Muslims having a vision the same night! Praise to the God of Israel who is proving his faithfulness to his people Israel and showing up in this fire!


  • Pray for many thousands more to come to salvation and the realization that they are fighting on the wrong team. Just as the chariot wheels were falling off in the Red Sea, may the rockets and weapons of the enemy be broken, and eyes opened to the true God. May we all come to our knees for the final harvest in these last days. It is time for global repentance. Your kingdom come Father!


  • Pray the Lord to guide every aspect of the UMJA, and in every congregation, that we reflect his heart, fulfill his purposes, and increase the kingdom! May G-d richly bless us with His favor as we grow around the world.


  • Please feel free to write and let us know how we can pray and join you in praise to the God of Samuel, the One who hears.



Email prayer requests and praises to:

prayer requests. James 5:17-18

A Note from the Editor


This letter is intended for all believers interested in learning Torah and sharing the journey

as followers of Yeshua.



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IN THE CALENDAR



Tevet 1: Day 7 of Hanukkah, Esther crowned queen, Est 2:16-17

Tevet 2: Day 8 of Hanukkah

Tevet 4: MIKETZ "At the end" Gen 41-44

Tevet 11: VAYIGASH "And He came near" Gen 44-47

Tevet 18: VAYECHI "And He Lived" Gen 47-50

Tevet 25: SHEMOT "Names" Ex 1-4

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