Rosh Hashanah – the Jewish New Year – is a time of reflection and expectation. Just as when January 1 approaches, Rosh Hashanah draws Messianic Jews as well as all Jewish people to look back on the previous 12 months and gaze ahead to the unfolding new year.

When we reflect, we think quietly, ponder, consider, mull over, observe, study, examine and contemplate.

Rosh Hashanah means “head of the year” in Hebrew, and Jewish tradition teaches that at this time, God decrees a judgment on the life of individuals for the coming year. Ten days later, at Yom Kippur, He seals that judgment. Therefore, Rosh Hashanah, along with the preceding month of Elul, form a season of contemplation and repentance to ensure right standing with God. The focus on self-examination and making amends heightens during the 10 Days of Awe immediately preceding Yom Kippur.

Messianic Jews and other Believers are reconciled to God through faith in Yeshua (Jesus), the Messiah God sent to make complete atonement for our sin. His death on the executioner’s stake was a once-for-all sacrifice. In receiving this incredible gift, Believers are assured that their standing with God is secured eternally, and there is no need for annual reconciliation to determine our fate for the coming year.

Reflection should be a significant part of any Believer’s life. But annual events often extend a clear invitation to take stock of one’s life. Birthdays, anniversaries and the New Year beckon us to examine who we are and how we live.

As the Jewish calendar turns the page to the year 5778, Rosh Hashanah provides a natural opportunity to consider our growth, mistakes, goals, desires and dreams. Why not take some time to contemplate the past year and ponder the coming one? Start by asking yourself some questions and praying that God will help you hear His answers.

In the past 12 months, how have you grown spiritually? Are you more patient, positive, thankful or has your trust in God increased? Thank Him for those areas of growth.

What about the ways you’ve disappointed yourself? Take those to Him as well, and receive His forgiveness as you stand on the biblical truth that God knows your every weakness, loves you completely and truly delights in you as His child.

How would you like to grow in the year ahead? What negative habits – whether physical or spiritual – would you like to break? What new habits would you like to form? Do you have specific goals? Would you like to pursue a volunteer opportunity, share your testimony with your congregation, talk about Yeshua with someone you know, or learn a new skill?

Ask God what he wants to teach you in the next 12 months. Ask Him to speak to you through His unchanging Word and His Spirit.

And then listen.

Remember that your time with God doesn’t have to be all in one sitting. Your reflection can come in multiple prayer sessions, quiet times, and even in spare moments in your days. But do set aside some time to give Him your undivided attention.

And when you hear His voice beckoning you to new heights and delights in your spiritual walk with Him, rejoice that He loves you so much that He is always working within you to perfect and complete you so that you may more fully enjoy His abundant life.

It’s almost New Years – on the Jewish calendar, that is.

The Hebrew name for the Jewish New Year is Rosh Hashanah (Roshe Hah-SHAH-nah). At sunset on September 20, Jewish people, including Messianic Jews, the world over will welcome a new year.

Rosh Hashanah means “head of the year” in Hebrew and occurs on the first day of the Jewish month of Tishri, which falls in September or October on the Gregorian calendar. It is observed and associated with the biblical Feast of Trumpets, or Yom Teruah (YOHM Tare-OO-ah).

The books of Leviticus and Numbers describe the Feast of Trumpets with brief instructions: a Sabbath rest, blowing the shofar (SHOW-far), a holy assembly and various offerings.

The Feast of Trumpets takes place in the seventh month, but why do Messianic Jews celebrate the New Year at the same time?

Jewish tradition teaches that God created the earth on the same date as the Feast of Trumpets. Therefore, Rosh Hashanah is observed at the same time. The Jewish calendar counts from Creation, and this Rosh Hashanah we will enter the year 5778.

Rosh Hashanah – just 10 days before the Day of Atonement, called Yom Kippur (YOHM Kip-POUR) in Hebrew – ushers in the High Holy Days of the Jewish year. It is a time to reflect on the previous year and look ahead to the one to come.

The Rabbis teach that at Rosh Hashanah, God pronounces a judgment for the coming year upon each of His people. At Yom Kippur, He seals that judgment. Therefore, during the month of Elul (Eh-LOOL) preceding Rosh Hashanah, Jewish people begin to examine themselves before God and seek His forgiveness and favor for the following year.

The 10 days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are known as the Days of Awe when Jewish people intensify their reflection and focus on repentance and making amends with others. They believe that during this time God may yet alter what was to be an unfavorable decree and grant them a good new year.

As Messianic Jews, we know that God has sealed us with His blessing and favor for eternity through the Messiah. Ephesians 1:13 says, “After you heard the message of truth – the Good News of your salvation – and when you put your trust in Him, you were sealed with the promised Ruach HaKodesh [ROO-akh Ha-koh-DESH].”

However, there is always room for reflection. It is beneficial to examine ourselves before the Lord, asking Him to search our hearts and bring us to repentance for wrongdoing. Rosh Hashanah provides a special time to focus in this way.

We freely reflect on our lives and seek to honor God more completely in the coming year than we did during the previous one. We rejoice over the prospect of another year to grow closer in fellowship with God and bring more honor to Him in our lives.

One of the most amazing things about the Feasts that God instituted for the people of Israel is that each contains a prophetic element foreshadowing one aspect of His redemptive plan. The Spring Feasts include Passover, Firstfruits and Shavuot, which point respectively to Yeshua’s sacrificial death, resurrection, and the giving of the Holy Spirit. And each occurred on the exact date of its respective Festival.

The Fall Feasts correlate to events of the End Times and have yet to be fulfilled. Many people believe that Yeshua will return for His people on the Feast of Trumpets.

Only time will tell, but as the world bears increasing evidence that we are in the Last Days, we remember Yeshua’s words advising us that:

• we are to remain busy with His kingdom work until He comes (Luke 19:11-26), and

• as we see the signs of the Last Days, we are to stand up and lift up our heads because our redemption draws near (Luke 21:28)

May God grant you a joyous new year!

As of approximately 4:00pm on Wednesday, in the middle of our Mberengwa 2017 Medical Outreach, we greeted our 400,000th PATIENT to come through the gates of our medical outreaches since we began in Ethiopia in 1999.

May we continue to rejoice as, one by one, lives are transformed by receiving much-needed medical care in Yeshua’s Name and encountering the love and faithfulness of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Pray for continued strength for our team as we finish this last day of the clinic. Temperatures have soared above 100 degrees Fahrenheit the past two days, with cloudless skies and intense African sun. This last morning of clinic brought much-anticipated cloud cover and cooler temperatures as the rainy season in Southern Africa is about to begin.

We will update you with final outreach outcomes during the coming days—for both Kechene Ethiopia and Mberengwa Zimbabwe.

The Jerusalem Post is reporting that Hezbollah was likely planning to take over the Syrian chemical weapons plant that was bombed by Israeli warplanes last Thursday.

A former Israeli national security adviser told the Post that the chemical weapons plant was likely targeted because of fears that Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah had asked the Syrians to hand over the facility to his Lebanese terrorist group.

Nasrallah had visited the Syrian capital Damascus just before the Israeli air strike, according to Israel’s Maj.-Gen. (res.) Yaakov Amidror. The Hezbollah leader also had boasted of his visit to the Syrian capital in a live speech.

Syria’s Al-Tala’I Scientific Studies and Research Center has been known for many years as a facility of research and development for weapons systems, including chemical weapons, according to the Post.

The Israeli Defense Forces did not comment on the strike, as is its custom. But it would not be the first time Israeli jets have hit the Assad regime and Hezbollah targets in Syria.

Amidror pointed out that last week’s strike came nearly 10 years to the day after the Israeli strike on the Syrian nuclear reactor in Deir Ezzor.

According to Amidror, Israel has made it very clear to Damascus that it will not allow Iran or Hezbollah to build up their capabilities because of what he called the “chaotic mess in Syria.”

Israel draws red lines and enforces them

The Israeli government has also made it clear it has no interest in getting involved in Syria’s 7-year-long civil war. But when it comes to preventing Syria from transferring sophisticated weapons to Hezbollah, Israel has drawn a red line.

Amir Eshel, former head of the Israeli Air Force, told the Post that over the past 5 years, Israel has carried out at least 100 strikes to prevent the transfer of advanced weapons from Syria to Hezbollah.

The Times of Israel reported that Syrian deputy foreign minister Faisal Mekdad responded to the Israel strikes by saying that Israel would “pay a heavy price” for the action.

But Israel Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman countered with a warning of his own.

“I strongly suggest to our neighbors from the north not to try and provoke or threaten us, because we take these threats seriously,” said Liberman. “I advise against entering into a confrontation with Israel. It will end badly for them, very badly.”

Stand with Israel and with Jewish Voice

As I write this, Israel is surrounded on all sides by enemies. Jewish people around the world are facing prejudice and tremendous pressure as well.

This ministry has been called to bless Israel and bring humanitarian aid and spiritual comfort and hope to Jewish people all across the globe.

Through your prayers and financial gifts, you too, can stand with Israel and care for Jewish people worldwide.

Please give now to support Jewish Voice Ministries. We would be so grateful because your partnership will carry forward this work in the name of Yeshua (Jesus).

As a token of our appreciation for your gift of $30 today, we’ll send you a lovely pewter mezuzah to adorn your doorpost with gracious blessings for your home. You’ll also receive a copy of the booklet “7 Keys to Unlocking the Prophetic Mysteries of Israel,” revealing the significance of Israel in God’s end time plan.

We are in the midst of a Medical Outreach to Kechene, an area of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. This is our first “Specialty Clinic” in which we have no general medical care, but are focusing on eye care (including cataract surgery), dental care, gynecology, dermatology, physical therapy, nursing/urgent care and minor surgery. We have treated more than 3,500 patients at the mid-way point.

Our team of 50 international volunteers includes two surgeons who are performing operations simultaneously. We are also blessed to have the services of dozens of local medical professionals and over 130 local support contractors, many of whom are from the Beta Avraham Jewish community in Kechene.

Several blocks away, the Bet Abraham Messianic Congregation hosts a prayer and counseling Open House where patients and any member of the community can come to receive one-on-one ministry and hear the Good News of Yeshua. Jewish Voice Outreach Partners are assisting the congregation in interceding for the Clinic and praying with those who visit.

Kechene is nestled among the slopes and ravines of Addis Ababa’s tallest mountain, and it is Ethiopia’s rainy season right now. We are holding our Outreach in an existing community clinic where flash flooding is a common problem that often makes the main passageway between buildings impassable.

In the weeks prior to our arrival, JVMI’s Ethiopian staff rebuilt the clinic’s drainage system to solve flooding issues that have plagued the center for months.

Like clockwork each afternoon, thunder rumbles through the community and the skies release heavy rains. The neediest of patients put up ragged umbrellas or huddle together to wait out the storm in line with the hope of being seen before the day ends. The elderly try to stay dry under an old, canvas, community-owned tent. Sawdust covering the dirt entryways to the area eases the muddy conditions to help prevent slips and falls.

Our eye specialists got right to work restoring sight to cataract patients on the Clinic’s opening half-day. The following day, patients returned for bandage removal. Smiling faces and gratitude filled the eye department, and our correspondent noted, “I don’t think I’ll ever grow tired of seeing this joy and happiness.” Eye surgeries are continuing throughout the week. 

Before the Clinic opens each morning, the team gathers together under a big, white event tent. After a time of worship, they hear any announcements and instructions for the day.

Children are always excited when a Jewish Voice Clinic comes to town. They watch as big busses drive through their cobblestone neighborhood carrying dozens of international team members. As our partners emerge to make their way to the Clinic, they are greeted with a crowd of curious, smiling young faces. The children love to have their pictures taken and see their images on our photographer’s camera.

We deeply appreciate your prayers for this Medical Outreach. As you pray, we are strengthened, encouraged, and effective in the work we do for these impoverished people. Thank you.

Please click here for daily Kechene Outreach Prayer Points. Help us cover this Outreach in 24/7 prayer by signing up for a time slot on our Outreach Prayer Calendar here.

Would you find it strange if I wished you a happy New Year in September?

Probably. But that greeting is fitting, because the Jewish New Year – Rosh Hashanah (literally, "head of the year") – begins on September 20.

It's also known as Yom Teru'ah ("day of blowing the horn") or the Feast of Trumpets, because it features the celebration of blowing traditional Jewish shofars.

But there is a very serious side to the Rosh Hashanah celebrations – one that should be meaningful to all of us who believe in Yeshua (Jesus) as our Messiah and Savior.

In the Jewish tradition, Rosh Hashanah comes at the start of a ten-day period known as the "Ten Days of Awe," which culminates in Yom Kippur – the Day of Atonement.

These "Ten Days of Awe" are to be a time of self-examination, repentance, and prayer.

As believers in Yeshua, it's a time for us to acknowledge our sin, and to remember all God has done in forgiving and saving us through the sacrifice of His Son.

Another custom during this time is to be charitable to others as a way of thanking God for His mercy and grace toward us. In Judaism, caring for the poor has long been an expression of demonstrating thankfulness and repentance. Jesus taught this repeatedly.

An ancient way of observing this at Yom Kippur is called kapparot, in which a chicken or other fowl was purchased, then waved over one's head while praying to God for forgiveness of sins. The animal – or, more often, an equivalent gift of money – was then given to the poor.

Sadly, this was created by Rabbinic leaders as a manmade solution to a need for atonement only Yeshua can provide. Yet Yeshua’s grace to us and His forgiveness lead us to show our thankfulness through concern and charity for those in need.

Still, this is a metaphor for why all of us at Jewish Voice are so committed to loving and caring for Jewish people around the world.

For reasons I can never fully understand, God chose to reach out to me, a wandering Jewish university student searching in all the wrong places! Through the testimony of a friend who came to faith and the Christians I later met at the Bible study she brought me to, God made it absolutely clear that He loved me and that He wanted to save me so I could be with Him forever.

I came to saving faith in Yeshua because of the willingness of Believers to reach out, to love me, and to share the Good News with me.

And now, by God's grace, I can lead efforts to do the same for Jewish people around the world, through the prayers and financial support of you and others who stand alongside me so faithfully in this work.

For 50 years Jewish Voice has been caring for the physical and spiritual needs of Jewish people. Thanks to you and other partners, we're regularly seeing the miraculous ways God can use our combined efforts, if we are faithful.

In just one of the more recent of our medical clinic efforts, in Masvingo, Zimbabwe, your support provided effective treatment to more than 9,600 people who came to us with medical, dental, or eye problems.

As critically important as this compassionate work is, I'm even more excited by the fact that – in just this one clinic – we prayed with nearly 2,400 people.

And 322 of them professed new faith in Yeshua as Messiah!

That means 322 new Believers – many of them from the Jewish Lemba people of Southern Africa. That's 322 more people who will spend eternity with us!

Nothing is more gratifying or fulfilling to me than this.

All of us here at Jewish Voice are fully committed to this work. We celebrate God's blessings as He brings healing and hope to Jewish people and others in need across Africa and elsewhere.

But we cannot do this work alone. None of this...

• Medical clinics
• Teaching and media ministry
• Support for Jewish people and the Nation of Israel
• Care for poor and lonely Holocaust survivors in Israel
• The fight against hate and anti-Semitism
• And, most especially, sharing the Good News of Yeshua with those who have not yet received Him

...would be possible without support from you and our many other committed partners.

Without your prayers and financial support, this ministry could not happen. And rightfully, YOU share in the celebration for every person healed and every soul saved through our partnership in the Gospel.

I hope you find great joy in knowing you've helped heal many who were in pain, and helped lead many to faith in Yeshua. This is truly something we all can celebrate!

But for all the successes of the past, many thousands more people still need healing and hope. Even now, our Jewish Voice workers are preparing for more medical clinics and other outreach efforts.

Will you stand with us to bring the ministry of compassionate care to hurting people – especially as, together, we introduce even more people to salvation in Yeshua?

Please consider making the most generous gift possible right now. You'll make the difference between suffering and healing, and ensure that more people – especially Jewish people – meet Yeshua and gain eternity in God's loving presence.

For your gift of any amount, receive the 5-Minute Feasts DVD. Find out just how relevant the fall Feasts of the Old Testament are to you as a New Testament Believer. In easy-to-understand segments, Messianic Rabbi Jonathan Bernis explains how Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot reveal God’s plan of redemption through Yeshua Messiah.

For your gift of $80 or more, receive the 5-Minute Feasts DVD, PLUS...

• Moments & Days book – Rediscover the great feasts of the Old Testament as well as the holidays of the Christian calendar, and reawaken to these celebrations that will draw your attention to the significance of time, and point you in fresh ways to God’s faithful presence.
• Celebrating Sukkot DVD – Also known as the Feast of Tabernacles, this joyous holy day holds deep significance for the Children of Abraham. But what about Believers in Yeshua? Here, Rabbi Jonathan Bernis unpacks the rich meaning Sukkot holds for Believers today.
• Shabbat Blessings magnets – This set of five colorful magnets beautifully illustrates the Shabbat blessings. Each features an inspiring picture from Israel and a blessing to remind you of Yeshua’s love. Perfect for your refrigerator.

For your gift of $500 or more, receive all the gifts above, PLUS a Silver-Trimmed Kudu Shofar. Made from a kudu horn, this stunning Yemenite shofar is adorned with handcrafted silver accents. Blown in Bible times to announce holidays, ceremonies, and battles, the shofar is sounded today at Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.