JEWISH VOICE BLOG

October 13, 2019

God gave Israel the Feasts to remember historical events, and He explained how to commemorate them before Him. Jewish people say a blessing that honors and thanks God for new things or when they do something for the first time in a new year. They bless God for their waking in the morning and again at night for Him seeing them through the day. And, they have a day set aside to intentionally celebrate God’s Word. Simchat Torah (SIM-khat TOR-ah) means “Joy of the Torah.” Speaking precisely,...

October 13, 2019

Remembering God’s Deliverance The Feast of Sukkot invites us to remember the Israelites journey in the wilderness and what God did for them. Leading to their release from captivity is a trail lined with miracles of deliverance. For instance, the plagues that God brought upon Egypt affected the whole nation except in the area of Goshen, where the Jewish people lived. The final plague – the angel of death – visited all Egypt but passed over every Jewish home with doorframes covered by the blood...

October 13, 2019

Rabbis teach that at Sukkot, we recount four things: that God is a God of remembrance, deliverance, holiness and provision. There are three more that, as Messianic Jewish Believers, we find appropriate to celebrate during the Feast of Sukkot: God’s protection, His presence, and our relationship with Him. Join us each day of Sukkot for another devotion focusing on one of these remembrances. Our God of Remembrance God knows us. He knows how forgetful we are. Thus, He established certain Feas...

October 11, 2019

Have you ever gone camping – the kind where you sleep in a tent and go without electricity and running water? Close quarters, hard ground, no kitchen – the experience makes everyday tasks a little more difficult. Life while camping is a bit less comfortable, but it’s worth it, right? Getting away from our usual routine and customary conveniences can refresh us. The simplified living can help us return to important thoughts that our regular lives tend to crowd out. We engage around the campfi...

October 11, 2019

Israel prepares for war while the U.N. sticks its head in the sand In the midst of the continued political stalemate in Israel, the region is facing the potential for war with Iran. And if the words of the Deputy Commander for Operations of Iranian Revolution Guards, Abbas Nilforoushan, can be believed, the threat is significant. Speaking openly about the conflict between Iran and Israel, Nilforoushan said: “Iran has encircled Israel from all four sides. Israel is not in a position t...

October 04, 2019

Will you pray for us as we go to Inchini, Ethiopia, for the first time? In just a couple weeks, Jewish Voice will be conducting a Medical Outreach there to bless the Gefat Jewish people and their neighbors. “Gefat” means “blowers” and is a reference to the story that centuries ago, when they came to the area, they blew the shofar as they traveled. May the Gefat people hear a sound in the Spirit like a mighty trumpet blast, calling them to come to the Clinic, receive care and life in the name of ...

October 04, 2019

No end in sight for Israel’s political stalemate The numbers from Israel’s unprecedented second round of elections are representative of the gridlock and tension the Jewish people in Israel are facing in the weeks ahead. Benny Gantz and his “Blue and White” party won the most seats in Knesset, edging out Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s “Likud” party by a slim margin of 33 to 31. But the Prime Minister received more endorsements from other lawmakers than Gantz. Both candidates, an...

October 02, 2019

Praying for Israel seems to be either wholly on or completely off the radar of Believers. Here are five reasons we should be praying for Israel and Jerusalem, especially this October 6. 1. It’s “The Day of Prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem” (DPPJ) The purpose of the Day of Prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem (DPPJ) is to draw Believers together to focus on supporting and praying for peace in the Land of God’s Chosen People. According to the organization’s website, their call is for “sustain...

October 02, 2019

It is amazing how much depth we can see when we understand the Jewish foundation upon which the New Covenant is built. God is One; He is cohesive and intentional. He communicates it throughout the Scriptures as He ties Old and New Covenants together with His single purpose: the redemption of Israel and all of humanity. When God instituted the Jewish Feast of Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement), He knew that thousands of years later, His Messiah, Yeshua (Jesus), would perform the duties of a Hig...

October 01, 2019

It’s not a day for saying, “Happy Holiday.” Yom Kippur – the Day of Atonement – is a serious and solemn day. It is the holiest day of the Jewish year, and its observance includes “afflicting oneself” with fasting. The customary greeting on Yom Kippur is “May you have an easy fast.” It may sound heavy and somber, but on the holy day of Yom Kippur, one can also find hope. In ancient Israel, Yom Kippur was the one day of the year on which the High Priest entered the Holy of Holies. This was t...