In a major announcement this morning, Ani Yosef posted that their next service project will be IN Jerusalem for Passover and the price has come down considerably. Their April 2020 trip will be 14 days long for just $350 which amazingly includes lodging in Jerusalem and two meals per day. (Does not include airfare or transportation to/from Ben Gurion International Airport.)
For details, see the Huge News! Price Drop!
Join us this week for another Torah Commentary from the unique perspective of headship and patriarchy. Jacob, the Godly patriarch, is faced with significant challenges, both within and without the family. How does he respond? What can we learn?
And, is it possible democracy has roots in Esau? Hmmm…
Come along and see the Torah from a different perspective. The downloadable links for Vayishlach are on our Torah Portion Series page.
What will be the form of government in the Millennial Kingdom? Will it be a democratic republic?
Most people who never ponder the form of government in the Millennial Kingdom merrily assume that it will be some sort of democratic republic with Messiah at the head. But, is that a safe assumption?
Most all nations in western culture, particularly ‘christian’ nations, are some form of democratic republic, often with a strong bent toward egalitarian feminism. We generally regard this as the result of ‘Enlightenment’, but do we find any support for the ideals upon which most governmental forms are founded anywhere in Scripture? (Yes, dyed in the wool Presbyterians may think Paul’s eldership is, but that is simply how to behave in the diaspora…)
In fact, while western culture may have drawn a now fading moral code from, primarily, the Torah, any honest student will readily admit that the form of government comes straight out of Greece and Roman systems contemporary to Second Temple Judea. And, if one is to trace it further back, they would be surprised to find that Greco-Roman democratic ideas came from Esau and Genesis 36, but I digress. A good study on that topic is The Esau Effect from The Messianic Message.
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God gave Jacob a vision, then gave him four wives! Wait, What?!
Sure to spark real discussion and digging in the Scriptures, this week’s portion discusses the importance of vision for every man and the family he leads, as well as going where most are terrified to tread…. What God says about family structure.
This short (if you can call it that) commentary is not meant as a final authority as there is simply too much in this portion related to headship, patriarchy and family structure to cover it all. However, this is a great place to begin the discussion with a number of linked resources for further research. The key is to pursue truth and shed tradition and false doctrine.
Download in multiple formats or read online on our Torah Portion Series page.
Shabbat Shalom.
Food poisoning is not a pleasant experience. In fact, sometimes it can be quite serious leading to hospitalization or death. Nobody plans for it, rather it usually occurs because of some minute unnoticed contaminate in the food that negatively affects the body. Sources could be fecal, bacterial, parasitic, or even viral. We are familiar with names that strike fear, such as e. coli, salmonella, campylobacter, toxoplasmosis, rotavirus, etc.
But, what if the contaminate is visible? Would we remove it? Or, like a turd in the punch bowl, would we just dip around it assuming we can ignore or ‘dodge’ it?
Most who desire the coming of the Messiah, whether Jews, Christians or any shade in between (Messianic Judaism/Hebrew roots/Torah pursuant/etc) seem to prefer to dodge the obvious contaminant in the punch bowl. Let’s consider some challenging things.
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See Toldot from a new perspective! Consider the aspects of family dynamic, headship and patriarchy as you dig into this week’s Torah portion. Connect it with Proverbs and parental responsibility.
Go to our Torah Portion Series page to view or download in multiple formats.
Without question, Thanksgiving is connected to Sukkot. Maybe more than one realizes.
The first Thanksgiving day was not a day… it was a week, preceded by a day of fasting. If that sounds like Yom Hakippurim and Sukkot, you would be right.
May the Almighty bless you this day as you ponder the foundations of America, the many things we have to be thankful for and the awakening of our part of the House of Israel. Shalom!
“What’s the use? I’m gonna die anyway?”
His reply to my question was rather listless.
It started after Shabbat when I asked a young man in our fellowship what he wanted to study for and do when he finished school. He just shrugged his shoulders and said, “What’s the use? I’m gonna die anyway?”
I probed him with a couple more questions to diagnose the problem and quickly figured out that he was deeply concerned about the state of the world and the coming Great Tribulation. In his mind, there is nothing much to live for.
Why try?
My immediate response was a vigorous reminder that we have at least 1000 years to go! The Tribulation is not the end. It is a beginning!! A beginning to the millennial reign! Others gathered around, wondering what the hubbub was, and it turned into a wonderful impromptu lesson for all who had lingered.
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I do not normally reblog entire articles, but usually provide a link. I am making an exception for this article because it encapsulates so well the reason why we must recapture the proper roles of men and women in marriage as God designed. The Torah pursuant community is so serious about learning and walking in God’s ways, but retain a huge blind spot regarding what the Bible actually says about marriage, men and women.
We will be held accountable for truth in this area because it is foundational to the Restoration of Kol Israel. Calendars, liturgy and minute details about the Torah throughout Scripture are meaningless if we get the roles of men and women and family structure wrong. Simply, Torah cannot be walked rightly if headship and patriarchy are not right at the very foundation.
Here is the complete article from BiblicalGenderRoles.com with a few of my comments at the end. While he supports most points from the Brit, everything is supportable from the Torah.
That Might Work for You, But Not My Marriage
November 13, 2019 / biblicalgenderroles
“BGR, (my wife and I refer to you as Bigger Guy, phonetically pronounced), Just a word of encouragement, we decided over a year ago to switch the dynamic of our marriage to a more Biblical approach. Your blog has inspired a lot of the changes that we have implemented. We were “happily married partners” for many years. Since the change, our marriage has grown and flourished like never before.
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We dive into bride price, concubines and western culture in this this portion that is sure to spark some interesting discussions!! Check out Chayei Sarah on our Torah Portion Series page as we continue to explore the foundational parts of a full restoration of kol Israel.
Shabbat shalom!
This week’s Torah Portion commentary for Vayera, Genesis 18:1 – 22:24, is posted on the Torah Portion Series page. Our commentary is focused pretty closely on the roles and responsibilities of man and woman as revealed in Scripture, marriage, family and Biblical headship. This series is designed to connect closely with the Restoring kol Israel series of articles.
Paradigm shifts are rarely easy. And, for those on the cutting edge, they can be particularly difficult.
Many readers are in some stage of ‘coming to’ or beginning Torah observance, and the whole process is challenging. But, why? In theory, this should be easy, right? Read the Scriptures. See truth. Walk in it.
As humans, we tend to act like pack animals. We have way too much of a herd mentality. Deep inside, whether a lie of the adversary or voice from our flesh, we do not want to be different or perceived as ‘outside’ the fold. We even know that Yeshua clearly taught that following Him was the antithesis to crowd following.
Yet, we follow. Comfortably. And, justify it.
In truth, this should be simple, but we make it hard. Too, hard. We should simply say, ‘Abba, You call, I haul! Just show me truth in Your Word and I’ll walk in it.’
That’s it! No dickering or negotiating. No checking with men and their doctrines. No worrying about what the neighbors or family members will say.
Just see it, believe it and walk it out.
I pray each of you cease to negotiate the price. Stop trying to find the easy path. Give up on pleasing the folks around you. Just focus on the Word and what it actually says.
Selah!
I’m sitting here staring at my screen. Writing feels a bit like blood letting. Yet, my brain is totally full and I have no idea where to begin, which string to pull first so the dam will beak.
For weeks, months even, I have been pondering the many facets of the restoration of kol Israel. One might call it a minor obsession because it is where my thoughts go when nothing else pressing is at the forefront. Among those thoughts, I have been juggling the hot potatoes that few have the courage to touch, subjects that draw extreme ire and irrational unbiblical pushback. Post titles float across my mind, titles like Feminism and the Destruction of Western Culture, or Patriarchy, God’s Solution that Everybody Hates, or Where have all the Men Gone and Why don’t they Care?
Most whom I have conversations with concerning the restoration of Israel, the return of the whole House of Israel and what it will look like, have a lilting dreamy character to their voice until they understand that to be successful, we must divorce ourselves from Western Greek influences. It is one thing for most to erase Christmas or Easter and the many unbiblical elements absorbed from the nations, but it is another matter entirely to realize that future Israel will Continue reading
Two or three evenings ago, my eldest son read some information to me regarding the growing global fertility crisis. He is working on his Masters level degree as a Nurse Practitioner and is immersed in all things health related, so his interest being peaked by a report on fertility rates crashing was no surprise.
We had an excellent discussion about the relationship between the fertility rate and the rate at which women embrace the God-ordained role of bearing children and caring for the home instead of pursuing education and careers. I further explained that reversing this and walking according to Scripture in the whole area of patriarchy, family structure and marriage is imperative for the restoration of kol Israel. (Did I mention this blog has a whole series on the subject?)
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The Torah became flesh (Yeshua) and dwelt among us!
Find God's Purpose For Your Life In Your Gender
Putting a Servant's Face on Ephraim
Welcome to my blog!
God's Word
The Prophesied Reconciliation of God's Two Witnesses
it must be TRUE LOVE when you hold the camera and let her shoot!
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AUTHOR
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by Cathy Helms
"The Restoration and Reconstitution of the People of Northern Israel - House of Yosef/Ephraim." Ezekiel 37:19
a home for Torah-observant followers of Messiah Yeshua
Ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.
Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!
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Teach Me Thy Way
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Judah and Ephraim coming together
Making Calming Harp Music Available for Listening
"That is my major preoccupation... memory, the kingdom of memory. I want to protect and enrich that kingdom, glorify that kingdom and serve it." ~ Elie Weisel
Examining Scripture from a Hebraic perspective.
Studies from the Tanakh (Old Testament) and the Apostolic Writings (New Testament)
A Pilgrim's Progress
A Yankee grows in the South ~ Homesteading, gardening, & harvest recipes
Tracking events and trends in Israel, the U.S., Russia and throughout the Epicenter (the Middle East & North Africa)
Word of Life Congregation
A Hebrew Stuck in Modern Babylon
Keeping the commandments of God and holding the testimony of Jesus. "You have stayed long enough at this mountain. Turn and take your journey" (Deut. 1.6-7).
Discovering Truth that Builds
a place for the peculiar...
Discovering and living the Truth
Leaving Egypt is only the beginning of our journey...
This site is dedicated to the Truth of the Messiah Yeshua and defending against the falsities of the World.
A candid look behind the veil
Hope of Bright Joy, after a Night of Distress
Thoughts and insights about my journey with Yahweh
Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the Ancient Paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. Jeremiah 6:16
Biblical notes and prophetic revelations seen in the Scriptures
Book Review: Genesis Look Again, A Fresh Translation with Notes
Recently, as I have been assembling a weekly commentary on the Torah Portions that focuses n headship and patriarchy, a major theme, I have been utilizing and enjoying Rabbi Yirmeyah Ben Avrom’s recently published Genesis Look Again, A Fresh Translation with Notes.
I became acquainted with Rabbi Ben Avrom a couple years ago through online interaction and very early in our communication, found a faithful friend who has a passion for ancient languages and pursuit of truth. Through our interaction, I learned of his family, the fellowship he leads and about the sacrifices he has had to make to pursue with zeal the gifting he has for translation and explanation. Imagine my excitement when he told me that he was in the process of writing a fresh translation of the Torah, complete with notes and comments that shed light on parts of the text not often touched.
This year, as we approach each book of the Torah, he is releasing the respective translation on Kindle with automatic updates while he fine tunes this mammoth work with an eye toward publishing in hardcopy. Genesis is currently available and my regular readers have seen me quote or cite it every week. I love this translation and the attendant notes! Here are a couple images of the view in Kindle and the expected view in hardcopy.
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