Jacob Ben Avraham

PARASHAH: “Lech Lecha” (go forth yourself) GENESIS 12:1-17:27 How is the call of Abraham our calling too? There is a time in our life when we must choose to follow the LORD and leave behind our life of sin and perdition. We must "cross over" to the "born again" experience, and begin to head towards "Canaan" (ours is the New Jerusalem) However, some people never leave their Mesopotamia, they like it there, in their comfort zone. Too bad, so sad “Now YHVH said unto Abram: Get thee out of thy country and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will show thee” These are the opening words that YHVH speaks unto Abram. A Midrash interprets this to mean; “Go forth to find your authentic self to learn who you are meant to be” This might be a command to every person on earth. We are to “go forth” and find “Adonai” and discover who He intends us to be! Our destiny should be entirely in HIS hands. Now we might ask, “Why did YHVH choose Abram to begin his chosen people?” No one really knows the “why?” only that he DID choose him. Perhaps he had a curious and searching mind, searching for the real and true God. We must remember that there was no such person as a “Jew” back then. Abram was a Mesopotamian, from the Chaldean city of “Ur” similar to the Hebrew “Ir” which means “city”. He was raised as an idol worshipper, and his family’s business, according to the rabbis, was making and selling idols. Hebrew tradition teaches that when Abram was young, he attended the “School of Shem”. Shem, the son of Noah taught youths about the true God, Adonai-Elohim, the great El Shaddai, so, Abram might have known something about Elohim from Shem, that is if the story is true. But like I said, it is a story based on tradition. We only know that YHVH chose Abram, and he accepted and obeyed the voice of YHVH. Here is a commandment and the blessings of obeying the commandment. “Leave your father’s house and go to a land which I will show you.” We see that G-d wanted Abram to distance himself from idol worshipping and everything connected with the such. Once he obeyed the voice of HaShem, THEN… the blessings would come; “I will make of thee a great nation”, “I will bless thee and make thy name great (shem gadol) and be thou a blessing”, “I will bless them that bless thee and curse them that curse thee”, “In thee shall all the families of the world be blessed” we later see that under “being a great nation” we could add the promise; “Your seed will be like the dust of the earth” and also “like the stars of heaven” What do these promises involve? First of all, let’s look at the words; “Dust of the earth” and “stars of heaven”. Am Israel becoming as the “dust” of the earth, in that they were “trampled upon” by many nations that wanted to extinguish the Jewish people, yet they were also as the “stars of heaven” they shone with the light of Adonai, they brought the worship of the ONE true GOD, Adonai-Elohim-Yeshuah. And from Am Israel, came “Yeshua” who is the “Light of the World” Once Abram obeyed the voice of YHVH, and he arrived in the land of Canaan, then came the testings. He left for the land of Canaan after spending some time in Haran, which is north of Ur. When his father Terah died, he continued the journey southward. We see that Adonai wanted to test his faith like he tests us all in many different ways. Yes, we all want blessings, but at times, blessings come with a price. “Am Gadol” a great nation, or a great people. It started with Yitzchak, the first and only son of Abram and Sarah. From him, we know the story; Yitzchak > Ya’akov > 12 tribes > multitudes! As a sign, YHVH changed the name of Abram to Abraham. If we look at the paleo Hebrew symbolism in the name “Abram” we see “Alef” “Beit” “Resh” and “Mem”. 4 letters, “4” can symbolize the 4 corners of the earth. The descendants of Abraham are in all 4 corners of the earth. But we can see these letters meaning or symbolizing “the father who is the head of a multitude”. Also, we can read this as; God blesses the first house with a multitude”. Later, YHVH changes his name by adding the letter “hey” (h). Now it is “abraHam”. What is the significance of the “H”? Well, one way we can look at it is that the “hey” (h) is the only letter in the Hebrew Alef-bet that is pronounced with one “breathing out air”. When you pronounce “h” we send out a puff of air from our mouth. We can also say “wind” in Hebrew; “Ruach” it also means “spirit”. SO…we can say that “YHVH sent out the “spirit of life” into the womb of Sarah through the seed of Abraham. Also, the ancient meaning of the letter “hey” is “Behold!” so, we can say “Behold, a multitude is coming from Abraham and Sarah!” starting with Yitzchak. Yet we cannot forget about Ishmael, who was the son of Abraham and Hagar, the Egyptian. The promise extended to him too, although this was not part of God’s “perfect” will. He “permitted” the union between Abraham and Hagar, yet with consequences; the Arab nations who are the enemies of Israel. “Ishmael” means “God listens (to man)” “Ish+shema+El. (reading right to left) HOWEVER if we read from left to right we get “Man listens to God” and every man that listens to God, in obedience, whether Arab or any other ethnic identity, that man will be blessed also. We also can understand the war today between Hamas, Hezbollah, and Israel. It all stems from the prophecy in Genesis 16:12 concerning Ishmael: "He will be a wild man, with his hand against everyone and everyone's hand against him, and he shall dwell amongst his brethren" Adonai stated also that “in thee, all of the families of the world would be blessed”. The greatest blessing is in Yeshua HaMashiach. From the seed of Abraham, came the nation of Israel, and we know that Mary and Joseph, the guardians of Yeshua were of the seed of Abraham, and more closely, the seed of David. We need to look not so much at physical blessings, nor biological/genealogical blessings. We might be of Jewish ancestry, but that does not secure for us salvation, we need to look at Yeshua our Messiah, who is our “Yeshuateinu” (our salvation) This chapter also states that “Abram took his wife Sarai and his brother’s son Lot, and all the wealth that they had amassed and the persons that they had acquired in Haran and they set out for the land of Canaan” Some translations say “souls” instead of “persons”. We can assume that by these words “acquired persons or souls” that Abram and Sarai were “soul winners” that they converted many “souls” in Haran to the belief in the one TRUE GOD, that they abandoned the false deities and were thus “grafted in” sort of saying, into the “Mishpochah Abram” (the family of Abram) They also probably bought servants and slaves, and I am sure that they witnessed to them too. The Word also states that Abraham acquired much “wealth” and took it with him of course. This wealth was in the form of gold, silver, and livestock. We all have internal “wealth” which is the knowledge and wisdom that comes from studying God’s word, and that is what we take with us wherever we go. We are to “share” this wealth with others through teaching and preaching the WORD, and be witnesses of the “Living WORD” Once they arrived in Canaan, they would be “Gerim” from the word “Ger” which means a “sojourner” that is a person who is not a native of that land, but who will live there. We could consider ourselves as “sojourners” on this planet called “Earth” This earth is not our permanent home, even though we were born “earthlings” our true home is in Heaven, the New Jerusalem. Now we look at Lot, Abraham’s nephew, Lot started arguing over land for cattle. So, Abraham says for him to select one area and he would go in the other direction. So, Lot chose “Sodom!” the land around it looked very fertile. That is the way the land of sin appears to people. It looks attractive. So, Lot pitched his tent TOWARDS Sodom…then…he actually entered and LIVED in Sodom. And so, it is with sin. We might get attracted to it, get closer to it, and finally, indulge in it! So, be careful! Another fact we read is that Abram stopped in two places, “Shechem” and “Betel” where he built altars and worshiped Adonai. We do the same, but we do not build stone altars. We worship Adonai in spirit and in truth. An interesting fact about the place “Beth-El, it means “House of God”. Yet the Canaanites worshiped a false deity which was also called “El” The difference between the god “El” of the Canaanites and “El Elyon” or “El Elohim” is that we worship the true EL, the “One who is Strong and who Leads and Instructs” as symbolized in the two Paleo-Hebrew letters; “Aleph and Lamed” Abram lived in his tent, going to different places, and he built altars, which stayed in one place. There he met with God and had fellowship with Him. We can travel from place to place, from job to job, from one city to another. But everywhere we go, we ought to seek out that "Altar" or "congregation/synagogue/church/ fellowship community" to have fellowship and learn from God's Word. There were three promises made to Abraham. His seed would be like the dust of the earth. His seed would be like the stars of heaven, his seed would be like the sands of the sea. Can you count the stars? Can you count the grains of sand on the beach? Can you count dust? Here is something to think about. We walk on dust, we trample it underfoot. Israel has been trampled underfoot and has been looked down upon by many nations, yet, the dust still lasts, it will always be. Leave a car out in the desert for 50 years, and the dust will wear it away into rusted metal, yet the “dust” will always be, and so will Israel. Circumcision! This is an important area, but some make it TOO important. YHVH instructed Abraham to be circumcised and that every male should also be circumcised. This was and is a mark of the covenant. But what about today? Is it still important? Yes, it is, but in the physical aspect of the same. For male health and cleanliness, it is good for every baby boy to be circumcised. YHVH is more concerned about our heart condition. Moshe stated that the “foreskin of our hearts should be circumcised”. Spiritually speaking, the “foreskin” of our hearts is the carnal ways that we all have, being that we are a fallen race and have the inbred original sin. “So, circumcise your heart and stiffen your neck no longer” (Deut 10:16) Ben Avraham. "Crossing Over" to the other side

PARASHAH: “Lech Lecha” (go forth yourself) GENESIS 12:1-17:27 How is the call of Abraham our calling too? There is a time in our life when we must choose to follow the LORD and leave behind our life of sin and perdition. We must "cross over" to the "born again" experience, and begin to head towards "Canaan" (ours is the New Jerusalem) However, some people never leave their Mesopotamia, they like it there, in their comfort zone. Too bad, so sad “Now YHVH said unto Abram: Get thee out of thy country and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will show thee” These are the opening words that YHVH speaks unto Abram. A Midrash interprets this to mean; “Go forth to find your authentic self to learn who you are meant to be” This might be a command to every person on earth. We are to “go forth” and find “Adonai” and discover who He intends us to be! Our destiny should be entirely in HIS hands. Now we might ask, “Why did YHVH choose Abram to begin his chosen people?” No one really knows the “why?” only that he DID choose him. Perhaps he had a curious and searching mind, searching for the real and true God. We must remember that there was no such person as a “Jew” back then. Abram was a Mesopotamian, from the Chaldean city of “Ur” similar to the Hebrew “Ir” which means “city”. He was raised as an idol worshipper, and his family’s business, according to the rabbis, was making and selling idols. Hebrew tradition teaches that when Abram was young, he attended the “School of Shem”. Shem, the son of Noah taught youths about the true God, Adonai-Elohim, the great El Shaddai, so, Abram might have known something about Elohim from Shem, that is if the story is true. But like I said, it is a story based on tradition. We only know that YHVH chose Abram, and he accepted and obeyed the voice of YHVH. Here is a commandment and the blessings of obeying the commandment. “Leave your father’s house and go to a land which I will show you.” We see that G-d wanted Abram to distance himself from idol worshipping and everything connected with the such. Once he obeyed the voice of HaShem, THEN… the blessings would come; “I will make of thee a great nation”, “I will bless thee and make thy name great (shem gadol) and be thou a blessing”, “I will bless them that bless thee and curse them that curse thee”, “In thee shall all the families of the world be blessed” we later see that under “being a great nation” we could add the promise; “Your seed will be like the dust of the earth” and also “like the stars of heaven” What do these promises involve? First of all, let’s look at the words; “Dust of the earth” and “stars of heaven”. Am Israel becoming as the “dust” of the earth, in that they were “trampled upon” by many nations that wanted to extinguish the Jewish people, yet they were also as the “stars of heaven” they shone with the light of Adonai, they brought the worship of the ONE true GOD, Adonai-Elohim-Yeshuah. And from Am Israel, came “Yeshua” who is the “Light of the World” Once Abram obeyed the voice of YHVH, and he arrived in the land of Canaan, then came the testings. He left for the land of Canaan after spending some time in Haran, which is north of Ur. When his father Terah died, he continued the journey southward. We see that Adonai wanted to test his faith like he tests us all in many different ways. Yes, we all want blessings, but at times, blessings come with a price. “Am Gadol” a great nation, or a great people. It started with Yitzchak, the first and only son of Abram and Sarah. From him, we know the story; Yitzchak > Ya’akov > 12 tribes > multitudes! As a sign, YHVH changed the name of Abram to Abraham. If we look at the paleo Hebrew symbolism in the name “Abram” we see “Alef” “Beit” “Resh” and “Mem”. 4 letters, “4” can symbolize the 4 corners of the earth. The descendants of Abraham are in all 4 corners of the earth. But we can see these letters meaning or symbolizing “the father who is the head of a multitude”. Also, we can read this as; God blesses the first house with a multitude”. Later, YHVH changes his name by adding the letter “hey” (h). Now it is “abraHam”. What is the significance of the “H”? Well, one way we can look at it is that the “hey” (h) is the only letter in the Hebrew Alef-bet that is pronounced with one “breathing out air”. When you pronounce “h” we send out a puff of air from our mouth. We can also say “wind” in Hebrew; “Ruach” it also means “spirit”. SO…we can say that “YHVH sent out the “spirit of life” into the womb of Sarah through the seed of Abraham. Also, the ancient meaning of the letter “hey” is “Behold!” so, we can say “Behold, a multitude is coming from Abraham and Sarah!” starting with Yitzchak. Yet we cannot forget about Ishmael, who was the son of Abraham and Hagar, the Egyptian. The promise extended to him too, although this was not part of God’s “perfect” will. He “permitted” the union between Abraham and Hagar, yet with consequences; the Arab nations who are the enemies of Israel. “Ishmael” means “God listens (to man)” “Ish+shema+El. (reading right to left) HOWEVER if we read from left to right we get “Man listens to God” and every man that listens to God, in obedience, whether Arab or any other ethnic identity, that man will be blessed also. We also can understand the war today between Hamas, Hezbollah, and Israel. It all stems from the prophecy in Genesis 16:12 concerning Ishmael: "He will be a wild man, with his hand against everyone and everyone's hand against him, and he shall dwell amongst his brethren" Adonai stated also that “in thee, all of the families of the world would be blessed”. The greatest blessing is in Yeshua HaMashiach. From the seed of Abraham, came the nation of Israel, and we know that Mary and Joseph, the guardians of Yeshua were of the seed of Abraham, and more closely, the seed of David. We need to look not so much at physical blessings, nor biological/genealogical blessings. We might be of Jewish ancestry, but that does not secure for us salvation, we need to look at Yeshua our Messiah, who is our “Yeshuateinu” (our salvation) This chapter also states that “Abram took his wife Sarai and his brother’s son Lot, and all the wealth that they had amassed and the persons that they had acquired in Haran and they set out for the land of Canaan” Some translations say “souls” instead of “persons”. We can assume that by these words “acquired persons or souls” that Abram and Sarai were “soul winners” that they converted many “souls” in Haran to the belief in the one TRUE GOD, that they abandoned the false deities and were thus “grafted in” sort of saying, into the “Mishpochah Abram” (the family of Abram) They also probably bought servants and slaves, and I am sure that they witnessed to them too. The Word also states that Abraham acquired much “wealth” and took it with him of course. This wealth was in the form of gold, silver, and livestock. We all have internal “wealth” which is the knowledge and wisdom that comes from studying God’s word, and that is what we take with us wherever we go. We are to “share” this wealth with others through teaching and preaching the WORD, and be witnesses of the “Living WORD” Once they arrived in Canaan, they would be “Gerim” from the word “Ger” which means a “sojourner” that is a person who is not a native of that land, but who will live there. We could consider ourselves as “sojourners” on this planet called “Earth” This earth is not our permanent home, even though we were born “earthlings” our true home is in Heaven, the New Jerusalem. Now we look at Lot, Abraham’s nephew, Lot started arguing over land for cattle. So, Abraham says for him to select one area and he would go in the other direction. So, Lot chose “Sodom!” the land around it looked very fertile. That is the way the land of sin appears to people. It looks attractive. So, Lot pitched his tent TOWARDS Sodom…then…he actually entered and LIVED in Sodom. And so, it is with sin. We might get attracted to it, get closer to it, and finally, indulge in it! So, be careful! Another fact we read is that Abram stopped in two places, “Shechem” and “Betel” where he built altars and worshiped Adonai. We do the same, but we do not build stone altars. We worship Adonai in spirit and in truth. An interesting fact about the place “Beth-El, it means “House of God”. Yet the Canaanites worshiped a false deity which was also called “El” The difference between the god “El” of the Canaanites and “El Elyon” or “El Elohim” is that we worship the true EL, the “One who is Strong and who Leads and Instructs” as symbolized in the two Paleo-Hebrew letters; “Aleph and Lamed” Abram lived in his tent, going to different places, and he built altars, which stayed in one place. There he met with God and had fellowship with Him. We can travel from place to place, from job to job, from one city to another. But everywhere we go, we ought to seek out that "Altar" or "congregation/synagogue/church/ fellowship community" to have fellowship and learn from God's Word. There were three promises made to Abraham. His seed would be like the dust of the earth. His seed would be like the stars of heaven, his seed would be like the sands of the sea. Can you count the stars? Can you count the grains of sand on the beach? Can you count dust? Here is something to think about. We walk on dust, we trample it underfoot. Israel has been trampled underfoot and has been looked down upon by many nations, yet, the dust still lasts, it will always be. Leave a car out in the desert for 50 years, and the dust will wear it away into rusted metal, yet the “dust” will always be, and so will Israel. Circumcision! This is an important area, but some make it TOO important. YHVH instructed Abraham to be circumcised and that every male should also be circumcised. This was and is a mark of the covenant. But what about today? Is it still important? Yes, it is, but in the physical aspect of the same. For male health and cleanliness, it is good for every baby boy to be circumcised. YHVH is more concerned about our heart condition. Moshe stated that the “foreskin of our hearts should be circumcised”. Spiritually speaking, the “foreskin” of our hearts is the carnal ways that we all have, being that we are a fallen race and have the inbred original sin. “So, circumcise your heart and stiffen your neck no longer” (Deut 10:16) Ben Avraham. "Crossing over" to the other side (But still far from Canaan)

ISAIAH 54:1-55:5 The People of Yisrael are compared to the “sands of the sea,” the “dust of the earth,” and the “Stars of heaven” The prophet Yeshayahu in these verses is comforting Israel that they will be blessed, with descendants, even though at the time they might be going through some rough times, always, when people stray away from the LORD and follow other gods, then judgment will follow, and suffering will follow, however, YHVH will never reject his people…and…He will increase their numbers. In spite of HaSatan trying to wipe the Jewish people from existence through the Holocaust, pogroms, and now Hamas and Hezbollah, the people will continue to exist. Why is Israel compared to the “sands of the sea?” because who can count each and every grain of sand? Why is Israel compared to the “dust of the earth?” One walks on the dust and Israel has been trampled upon, like dust, but dust is enduring. Leave a car outside in the desert, in the dust, for perhaps one hundred years. In the end, the car will no longer exist, it will have been wasted away, yet the dust will continue to exist, forever. "The Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer. He will be called the God of all the Earth" (vs 5) This is exactly who Yeshua is. HaGo'el (The Redeemer) and He is "God of all the Earth" He came as the "Lamb of God" who was the ultimate sacrifice for all mankind. the "Sacrifice Lamb" and as the "Sacrifice Lamb" redeemed all mankind of the curse of sin. Yet He will return as the "Lion of Judah" to sit on the Throne of David. As the flood destroyed mankind, save Noah and his family, He promised that he would not send a second worldwide flood. He was angry, and judged the world, saving a remnant. Israel was judged, yet a remnant was saved. Another point. Had not Noah and his family been saved, there would not be a Messiah. There wouldn't be anyone. "No weapon made will prevail against you" That includes rockets from Hamas and attacks from Hezbollah. They can try, but will not prevail. Israel has the Iron Dome but also the Iron Will of God. “the stars of heaven?” because Israel will “shine” like the stars, because, the Mashiach came from Israel, and He shines, as everlasting light. Israel will be a light to the nations and will teach the nations of ONE GOD “Echad. Therefore blessed are the Torah teachers, evangelists, pastors, Sunday School teachers, Rabbis, etc...they will all share in the blessings of eternity. Chapter 55: "Come all of you who are thirsty, come to the water. You without money, come buy and eat...it's free" "Why spend money for what isn't food, your wages for what doesn't satisfy?...." What is the Prophet trying to say here? One way to look at this is that the "Living Water" (Yeshua, Salvation) is free. It doesn't cost us "money" you can't "purchase" salvation. Yet it WAS COSTLY. It cost Messiah his life, his suffering, his taking into himself the curse of sin and death. "What isn't food?" Well, there is "spiritual food and physical food." Our jobs, and our wages from work might satisfy our need for physical food and material things, but they can't satisfy our spiritual food needs. Only the WORD of God, our relationship with Messiah can. We need to have a balance of the two. Gamaliel the son of Rabbi Judah HaNasi said: "Excellent is the study of the Torah when combined with a worldly occupation" (Pirkei Avot (Ethics of The Fathers) MATTHEW 3:1-4:25; Yochanan the Baptizer is in the Jordan, baptizing the people, getting them ready to meet their Mashiach, his cousin, his LORD. We need to get our hearts and minds right, a need to change is necessary, to leave the lost world behind and embrace the things of the LORD. Yeshua is baptized, goes into the wilderness, fasts for 40 days, getting ready for his ministry and teaching, healing, and finally, dying for our sins. 40 is the number for testing and judgment. “Man shall not live by bread alone, but from every word that proceeds from the mouth of Adonai”. Yes, physical food is necessary, and it feeds the physical body, yet the WORD of God feeds our spirit man/woman. There needs to be a balance between the two. Good, healthy, kosher food which Adonai gave us, and HIS WORD, which is the living manna. Yeshua settled in Capernaum, and the synagogue that Yeshua visited is still there, although it was torn down a rebuilt a few times, the floor is the same. It was an honor to physically “walk” where Yeshua walked and taught Torah. The remains of Peter’s house are also there. Let’s walk the way Yeshua walked, let’s keep on preparing our hearts, and minds, and our lives. The Kingdom of Heaven IS here, it IS at hand. The “Kingdom of God” is HIS activity here on earth. 1 PETER 3:18-22; Kefa writes about Messiah, giving up his life for us all, to bring us to Elohim. But since Messiah Yeshua is part of Elohim, did “Elohim die for Elohim?” In a way, we can say yes. He left His glory on high to come to earth and live as a man, to die as a man, to suffer as a man, a man who is still G-d. Yeshua called upon his “Father” who is Elohim, and Yeshua is known as “The Son” “Yeshua Ben Elohim” who was also known as “Yeshua Ben Yosef” as he was raised and known legally as “The Son of Yosef” yet He was and IS, still very God. Kefa the Talmid continues to state that Yeshua descended into the heart of the earth, and he preached to the “spirits” in Sheol. But who are these “spirits?” We could include all who perished during the time of the flood, who were disobedient, and thus perished, their bodies being consumed by the floodwaters and probably by sharks. I imagine there were many Megalodons (giant sharks) in the waters of the flood just awaiting “MANwiches!” It was too late for these souls to be saved, yet Yeshua also preached to the spirits in “Paradise” the region of Sheol where the righteous awaited Mashiach, from righteous Abel to the thief on the cross (and all in between) He came to set “captives free” even though paradise was a pleasant waiting place (I imagine) it could not compare to the New Jerusalem, where they all are now. Very little is written about this place called "Paradise" “8 were saved through water” Those were Noah, his wife. According to rabbinical sources, it is believed that his wife was "Naamah" the daughter of Enoch, his three sons, and their wives. They all had a “new beginning” (8) and we also are saved through the “Living Water” who is Yeshua. When we are saved, we go through water baptism, which identifies us with Yeshua, “death and rebirth” yet as Kefa says, it does not get rid of the filth of the flesh, but of a newness of spirit. Our flesh will always be sinful, and will, at times, be attracted to sin. That is why “flesh” can not inherit heaven. Our bodies of flesh will wear out and cease to function after “x” number of years, yet we will receive new bodies, and our souls and spirit will be with the LORD! Our flesh is and always will be sinful flesh, yet we will have a “good conscience toward Elohim” Let us be content with a good conscience, and try to bring the flesh under control. That is the understanding of the word "Tzadik" Very interesting is this word. "Tzad" in Hebrew, is to "bring under control, or to hunt down" and the word "Qof" (k) is "monkey" so, a Tzadik is one who "brings his monkey under control. The "monkey" being the "sin nature". We are living in the "times of Noah" We are surrounded by evil, (at least we don't have evil giants and dinosaurs to deal with) Let us be like "Noach HaTzadik" (Righteous Noah) and stay on God's side.

ISAIAH 54:1-55:5 The People of Yisrael are compared to the “sands of the sea,” the “dust of the earth,” and the “Stars of heaven” The prophet Yeshayahu in these verses is comforting Israel that they will be blessed, with descendants, even though at the time they might be going through some rough times, always, when people stray away from the LORD and follow other gods, then judgment will follow, and suffering will follow, however, YHVH will never reject his people…and…He will increase their numbers. In spite of HaSatan trying to wipe the Jewish people from existence through the Holocaust, pogroms, and now Hamas and Hezbollah, the people will continue to exist. Why is Israel compared to the “sands of the sea?” because who can count each and every grain of sand? Why is Israel compared to the “dust of the earth?” One walks on the dust and Israel has been trampled upon, like dust, but dust is enduring. Leave a car outside in the desert, in the dust, for perhaps one hundred years. In the end, the car will no longer exist, it will have been wasted away, yet the dust will continue to exist, forever. "The Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer. He will be called the God of all the Earth" (vs 5) This is exactly who Yeshua is. HaGo'el (The Redeemer) and He is "God of all the Earth" He came as the "Lamb of God" who was the ultimate sacrifice for all mankind. the "Sacrifice Lamb" and as the "Sacrifice Lamb" redeemed all mankind of the curse of sin. Yet He will return as the "Lion of Judah" to sit on the Throne of David. As the flood destroyed mankind, save Noah and his family, He promised that he would not send a second worldwide flood. He was angry, and judged the world, saving a remnant. Israel was judged, yet a remnant was saved. Another point. Had not Noah and his family been saved, there would not be a Messiah. There wouldn't be anyone. "No weapon made will prevail against you" That includes rockets from Hamas and attacks from Hezbollah. They can try, but will not prevail. Israel has the Iron Dome but also the Iron Will of God. “the stars of heaven?” because Israel will “shine” like the stars, because, the Mashiach came from Israel, and He shines, as everlasting light. Israel will be a light to the nations and will teach the nations of ONE GOD “Echad. Therefore blessed are the Torah teachers, evangelists, pastors, Sunday School teachers, Rabbis, etc...they will all share in the blessings of eternity. Chapter 55: "Come all of you who are thirsty, come to the water. You without money, come buy and eat...it's free" "Why spend money for what isn't food, your wages for what doesn't satisfy?...." What is the Prophet trying to say here? One way to look at this is that the "Living Water" (Yeshua, Salvation) is free. It doesn't cost us "money" you can't "purchase" salvation. Yet it WAS COSTLY. It cost Messiah his life, his suffering, his taking into himself the curse of sin and death. "What isn't food?" Well, there is "spiritual food and physical food." Our jobs, and our wages from work might satisfy our need for physical food and material things, but they can't satisfy our spiritual food needs. Only the WORD of God, our relationship with Messiah can. We need to have a balance of the two. Gamaliel the son of Rabbi Judah HaNasi said: "Excellent is the study of the Torah when combined with a worldly occupation" (Pirkei Avot (Ethics of The Fathers) MATTHEW 3:1-4:25; Yochanan the Baptizer is in the Jordan, baptizing the people, getting them ready to meet their Mashiach, his cousin, his LORD. We need to get our hearts and minds right, a need to change is necessary, to leave the lost world behind and embrace the things of the LORD. Yeshua is baptized, goes into the wilderness, fasts for 40 days, getting ready for his ministry and teaching, healing, and finally, dying for our sins. 40 is the number for testing and judgment. “Man shall not live by bread alone, but from every word that proceeds from the mouth of Adonai”. Yes, physical food is necessary, and it feeds the physical body, yet the WORD of God feeds our spirit man/woman. There needs to be a balance between the two. Good, healthy, kosher food which Adonai gave us, and HIS WORD, which is the living manna. Yeshua settled in Capernaum, and the synagogue that Yeshua visited is still there, although it was torn down a rebuilt a few times, the floor is the same. It was an honor to physically “walk” where Yeshua walked and taught Torah. The remains of Peter’s house are also there. Let’s walk the way Yeshua walked, let’s keep on preparing our hearts, and minds, and our lives. The Kingdom of Heaven IS here, it IS at hand. The “Kingdom of God” is HIS activity here on earth. 1 PETER 3:18-22; Kefa writes about Messiah, giving up his life for us all, to bring us to Elohim. But since Messiah Yeshua is part of Elohim, did “Elohim die for Elohim?” In a way, we can say yes. He left His glory on high to come to earth and live as a man, to die as a man, to suffer as a man, a man who is still G-d. Yeshua called upon his “Father” who is Elohim, and Yeshua is known as “The Son” “Yeshua Ben Elohim” who was also known as “Yeshua Ben Yosef” as he was raised and known legally as “The Son of Yosef” yet He was and IS, still very God. Kefa the Talmid continues to state that Yeshua descended into the heart of the earth, and he preached to the “spirits” in Sheol. But who are these “spirits?” We could include all who perished during the time of the flood, who were disobedient, and thus perished, their bodies being consumed by the floodwaters and probably by sharks. I imagine there were many Megalodons (giant sharks) in the waters of the flood just awaiting “MANwiches!” It was too late for these souls to be saved, yet Yeshua also preached to the spirits in “Paradise” the region of Sheol where the righteous awaited Mashiach, from righteous Abel to the thief on the cross (and all in between) He came to set “captives free” even though paradise was a pleasant waiting place (I imagine) it could not compare to the New Jerusalem, where they all are now. Very little is written about this place called "Paradise" “8 were saved through water” Those were Noah, his wife. According to rabbinical sources, it is believed that his wife was "Naamah" the daughter of Enoch, his three sons, and their wives. They all had a “new beginning” (8) and we also are saved through the “Living Water” who is Yeshua. When we are saved, we go through water baptism, which identifies us with Yeshua, “death and rebirth” yet as Kefa says, it does not get rid of the filth of the flesh, but of a newness of spirit. Our flesh will always be sinful, and will, at times, be attracted to sin. That is why “flesh” can not inherit heaven. Our bodies of flesh will wear out and cease to function after “x” number of years, yet we will receive new bodies, and our souls and spirit will be with the LORD! Our flesh is and always will be sinful flesh, yet we will have a “good conscience toward Elohim” Let us be content with a good conscience, and try to bring the flesh under control. That is the understanding of the word "Tzadik" Very interesting is this word. "Tzad" in Hebrew, is to "bring under control, or to hunt down" and the word "Qof" (k) is "monkey" so, a Tzadik is one who "brings his monkey under control. The "monkey" being the "sin nature". We are living in the "times of Noah" We are surrounded by evil, (at least we don't have evil giants and dinosaurs to deal with) Let us be like "Noach HaTzadik" (Righteous Noah) and stay on God's side.

GENESIS 6:9-11:32 "Noah HaTzadik" (The Righteous) "Noah's flood or God's Flood?" "Noah's Ark or God's Ark?" "God's Flood" because God sent the flood waters, not Noah. "God's Ark" (Yes, Noah built it, but God drew the construction plans) We all know the story of Noah and the flood which destroyed mankind from off the face of the earth. It would be great to study a "verse by verse" study, but I'd lose 99% of the people reading. I would like to do a general study and highlight some points. The pre-diluvian world was a violent and rough place to live. I guess you could say that you had three big dangers in everyday life. Your neighbor was wicked. He could just go out a kill you if he felt like it. There were bloodthirsty giants who were the offspring of the "Nephilim" the fallen angels who cohabitated with women who brought forth the giants. You had meat-eating dinosaurs like T-Rex, etc. Noah survived all of those and also many of his days also survived and produced children. We see that the longevity of mankind was 900 years. Imagine how many children could come from a pre-diluvian couple, even if the woman got pregnant every other year. 450 children (at least) in 900 years. I would imagine not all would survive because of those imminent dangers. Yet this was Noah's world. Yet he maintained his "righteousness" in a completely evil world. God recognized this and told him; "The end of all living beings has come before me. for because of them the earth is filled with violence. I will destroy them along with them. Make yourself an ark of gofer wood.... (Gen 6:13) God gives the dimensions of the ark. In feet, it was 450 feet long, 75 feet high, 45 feet wide. Three decks, on top a length long opening which was a cubit (18 inches) for ventilation. A door was put in the side to allow entrance of the animals. The flood came in the 600th year of Noah's life. Noah was a "preacher of righteousness" yet no one paid any attention. We learn that when Noah was 500 years old, his sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth were born. Between that time and his 600th year, he received instructions from God to build the ark. I'm sure that his sons helped him. While building the ark, he told the people of the "imminent judgment" yet no one heeded the call of repentance. Interesting facts: The ark had 3 decks, the Tabernacle was divided into 3 parts. (The outer court, the inner court, and the Holy of Holies) The Ark of the Covenant had 3 parts: Outside, Inside, and the cover. "3" is the number of "Elohim" The Ark was covered with pitch "Kopher" This is also similar to "Kippur" which is "covering" (Yom Kippur) This would make the ark waterproof. Noah found "grace" in the eyes of God. Therefore, he was saved from the worldwide destruction. It's interesting that the name "Noach" spelled backward is "Chen" (with Hebrew letters) and "Chen" = "grace" ("ch" is pronounced like a hard "h" like the German "Bach") The word for "ark" in Hebrew is "Teivah" which has only three letters in Hebrew. "Tav (T) "Beit' (B) and "Hey" (H) The word is symbolic for "Behold the House of Covenant" The Ark would be the "Place of Covenant" for Noah and his family. There would be no other place. "It's inside the ark of safety or destruction" This reminds us what Yeshua said; "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father but by ME" (John 14:6) There are no other ways for salvation, only through Jesus/Yeshua. Noah and his family would have the ark and the ark only. There were "7" days of waiting before the flood waters hit the earth. "7" is the perfect number of God. verse 16 reads; "and God shut them in" GOD closed the outside door. Once the door was closed, there would be no opening it until God would give the order. The time of "Grace" ended, and "judgment" would begin. There is a time when God is near, and while the breath of life is within us, there is "grace" and "hope" yet "grace" ends when we breathe our last. Yet God's grace can even end before because many hard-hearted people want nothing to do with God. His spirit will not strive forever with them. With all the animals inside along with Noah and his family. The flood waters begin. The vapor canopy high in the atmosphere collapsed. Many think it might have been composed of lattice-like ice crystals that protected the Earth against the ultraviolet rays from the sun. The ground opened up letting loose underground water, and thus, flooding the whole earth in 40 days. Verse 20 states that the waters rose 15 cubits above the highest mountains (at that time) which was about 22 feet. It is interesting that the number "15" is the equivalent of "Yod Hey" (The first two letters or the first and the last letter of the most Holy name of God, YHVH) Meaning that God (YHVH) was with Noah and guided the ark on the open water. The ark floated on the flood waters for about a whole year, and came to rest upon the "mountains of Ararat" (it doesn't say "Mt. Ararat) It came to rest on the second day of Sukkot (October 2nd). Noah removed the covering of the ark (Maybe the door) on New Year's day (Nissan 1) and looked out at a strange new world. The ark is likened unto Yeshua/Jesus who is our "ark of safety" in a lost and dying world. The LORD will guide our "ark" throughout our life, and when we "disembark" someday, and only HE knows when we will emerge into our "New World" the "New Jerusalem" our heavenly home. Shavua Tov (Happy Week) Ben Avraham

GENESIS 6:9-11:32 "Noah HaTzadik" (The Righteous) "Noah's flood or God's Flood?" "Noah's Ark or God's Ark?" "God's Flood" because God sent the flood waters, not Noah. "God's Ark" (Yes, Noah built it, but God drew the construction plans) We all know the story of Noah and the flood which destroyed mankind from off the face of the earth. It would be great to study a "verse by verse" study, but I'd lose 99% of the people reading. I would like to do a general study and highlight some points. The pre-diluvian world was a violent and rough place to live. I guess you could say that you had three big dangers in everyday life. Your neighbor was wicked. He could just go out a kill you if he felt like it. There were bloodthirsty giants who were the offspring of the "Nephilim" the fallen angels who cohabitated with women who brought forth the giants. You had meat-eating dinosaurs like T-Rex, etc. Noah survived all of those and also many of his days also survived and produced children. We see that the longevity of mankind was 900 years. Imagine how many children could come from a pre-diluvian couple, even if the woman got pregnant every other year. 450 children (at least) in 900 years. I would imagine not all would survive because of those imminent dangers. Yet this was Noah's world. Yet he maintained his "righteousness" in a completely evil world. God recognized this and told him; "The end of all living beings has come before me. for because of them the earth is filled with violence. I will destroy them along with them. Make yourself an ark of gofer wood.... (Gen 6:13) God gives the dimensions of the ark. In feet, it was 450 feet long, 75 feet high, 45 feet wide. Three decks, on top a length long opening which was a cubit (18 inches) for ventilation. A door was put in the side to allow entrance of the animals. The flood came in the 600th year of Noah's life. Noah was a "preacher of righteousness" yet no one paid any attention. We learn that when Noah was 500 years old, his sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth were born. Between that time and his 600th year, he received instructions from God to build the ark. I'm sure that his sons helped him. While building the ark, he told the people of the "imminent judgment" yet no one heeded the call of repentance. Interesting facts: The ark had 3 decks, the Tabernacle was divided into 3 parts. (The outer court, the inner court, and the Holy of Holies) The Ark of the Covenant had 3 parts: Outside, Inside, and the cover. "3" is the number of "Elohim" The Ark was covered with pitch "Kopher" This is also similar to "Kippur" which is "covering" (Yom Kippur) This would make the ark waterproof. Noah found "grace" in the eyes of God. Therefore, he was saved from the worldwide destruction. It's interesting that the name "Noach" spelled backward is "Chen" (with Hebrew letters) and "Chen" = "grace" ("ch" is pronounced like a hard "h" like the German "Bach") The word for "ark" in Hebrew is "Teivah" which has only three letters in Hebrew. "Tav (T) "Beit' (B) and "Hey" (H) The word is symbolic for "Behold the House of Covenant" The Ark would be the "Place of Covenant" for Noah and his family. There would be no other place. "It's inside the ark of safety or destruction" This reminds us what Yeshua said; "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father but by ME" (John 14:6) There are no other ways for salvation, only through Jesus/Yeshua. Noah and his family would have the ark and the ark only. There were "7" days of waiting before the flood waters hit the earth. "7" is the perfect number of God. verse 16 reads; "and God shut them in" GOD closed the outside door. Once the door was closed, there would be no opening it until God would give the order. The time of "Grace" ended, and "judgment" would begin. There is a time when God is near, and while the breath of life is within us, there is "grace" and "hope" yet "grace" ends when we breathe our last. Yet God's grace can even end before because many hard-hearted people want nothing to do with God. His spirit will not strive forever with them. With all the animals inside along with Noah and his family. The flood waters begin. The vapor canopy high in the atmosphere collapsed. Many think it might have been composed of lattice-like ice crystals that protected the Earth against the ultraviolet rays from the sun. The ground opened up letting loose underground water, and thus, flooding the whole earth in 40 days. Verse 20 states that the waters rose 15 cubits above the highest mountains (at that time) which was about 22 feet. It is interesting that the number "15" is the equivalent of "Yod Hey" (The first two letters or the first and the last letter of the most Holy name of God, YHVH) Meaning that God (YHVH) was with Noah and guided the ark on the open water. The ark floated on the flood waters for about a whole year, and came to rest upon the "mountains of Ararat" (it doesn't say "Mt. Ararat) It came to rest on the second day of Sukkot (October 2nd). Noah removed the covering of the ark (Maybe the door) on New Year's day (Nissan 1) and looked out at a strange new world. The ark is likened unto Yeshua/Jesus who is our "ark of safety" in a lost and dying world. The LORD will guide our "ark" throughout our life, and when we "disembark" someday, and only HE knows when we will emerge into our "New World" the "New Jerusalem" our heavenly home. Shavua Tov (Happy Week) Ben Avraham

Chapter 4 of Genesis "Cain vs Abel" = "Cain vs God" We see the birth of Kayin and Hevel (Cain and Abel) They were born with the sin nature, and we see in both boys, the direction of the world that would follow. Some would choose holiness and all that is good and others would choose the unholy and all that is evil. There came a time when they both had to offer sacrifices (that is why I said that Adam and Eve must have taught them to do the same). Abel chose to obey and Kayin chose to disobey. Kayin offered a sacrifice, but it was not a blood sacrifice, rather it was a “grain offering” nothing wrong with a grain offering, but a blood sacrifice was needed. Therefore, it was rejected. When we see the sacrifices in Exodus, blood sacrifices are often times accompanied by "Minchot" (grain offerings). In this case, God wanted the boys to understand the meaning of "shed blood" on an innocent animal, to cover "Kippur" their sins. Hebel however, offered the correct sacrifice, a blood sacrifice, and it was accepted. This caused anger and jealousy in Kayin and we know the story, Kayin rose up and murdered his brother Hebel. Yet YHVH Elohim still offers him an opportunity to repent and confess his sin, but Kayin does not. Then YHVH Elohim says; “The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground” (4:10) the Hebrew word is “damei” or “bloods” it is written in the plural. But why is this? This is eluded to the idea (which is written in the Talmud) that “he who saves the life of one person is as if he has saved a whole nation, and he who takes a life of another, is as if he has murdered a whole nation.” It is as if the souls of all the “would have been” descendants of Abel were crying out for vengeance because they would not be permitted to be born. “the voice of thy brother’s bloods cries out…” the many “bloods” cry out in “one voice” so it seems. (I know, "bloods" is bad English) Abel is slain, his blood is sacrificed, and Kayin goes away, runs away to the land of wandering (Nod), and becomes a vagabond, just wandering, living off the fruit of trees and whatever grows of itself. Now his farming days are over, YHVH curses the land he farmed as punishment. However, God gave Kayin a chance to repent and think over why his offering was rejected. Kayin in sinful pride paid no heed to God. He chose to reject God's voice and carried out his plot of murder. Murder out of jealousy. We can see here again a shadow of Yom Kippur. In Yom Kippur, two goats were selected, one was sacrificed and the other was “sent away” Here, Innocent and righteous Hebel is sacrificed, and Kayin “goes away” yet this “going away” is in the negative light, he “goes away” from the presence of Adonai, while Abel goes “into the presence of Adonai” There is a saying that goes like this; “you can mix good apples with bad apples, and the good apples will never correct the bad, rather the bad-rotten apples will corrupt the good ones. Well, that is the way the “world turned” way back then, as the years pass, the descendants of Kayin mixed with the descendants of Seth, (who was born after the death of Abel) “And it came to be that when men began to increase on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them, that the sons of Elohim saw the daughters of men that they were fair, and they wives for themselves of all whom they chose. And YHVH said ‘My Ruach (Spirit) will not strive with mankind forever in his going astray. He is flesh, and his days shall be 120." There is a great population explosion since the time of Seth. Remember that the longevity of pre-flood mankind was 800-900 years, and they had children throughout those years. can you imagine, let's just say, someone lived for 500 years. If the wife was pregnant every year, or every other year. How many children would that couple have? at least 250. and those would grow and intermarry and so forth. "The Nephilim (in some translations, the giants) were on the earth in those days and when the sons of Elohim came into the daughters of men, they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men of old, men of name (fame)". 6:1-4 There are two schools of thought when the issue of “B’nei Elohim”(sons of God) comes up. Some believe that it refers to the godly line of Seth mixing with the ungodly line of Kayin. The other school of thought which is more probable is that the “sons of God” refer to the fallen angels that were kicked out of heaven together with HaSatan. These “b’nei Elohim” somehow and transformed themselves into flesh and blood, and the offspring of those “demon-human” relationships were the “giants”. (mutant genes) The word “Nephilim” means “fallen ones”. It does not mean “giants” …however…those “mighty men of old” may have been those “giants” We have examples; Goliath of Gath, Og, king of Bashan. The Anakim, Zumzumim, of the land of Canaan that the Israelites saw. There is archeological and paleontological evidence of a race of giants in the pre-diluvian world. Many fossil skeletons have been found some 20 and 30 feet tall. The Indians of the South-West USA claim that there was a race of red-haired giants who were cannibals, they could run after a herd of buffalo, catch one and bite off a leg, and eat it on the run. These giants were destroyed during the flood, however, their DNA still survived. “His days shall be 120” What is it saying here? YHVH has decided to destroy and cleanse the earth by a universal flood, and Noah and his family were found to be the only righteous people around. Noah will receive instructions to build an ark and the wicked population will have 120 years to repent, which they did not. This was a very short time being that thousands of years ago, people lived 800 or 900 years. 120 years would be like a week in our times. Noah was a “Tzadik” a “righteous person”. He went “against the flow”. Imagine a school of fish going in one direction, and you are going in the opposite direction. How about you? If the world is going down the tubes, headed for destruction, will you follow the world? Or will you remain with Yeshua and go HIS way? The choice is yours. The only way we can be a true “Tzadik Ben Elohim” (a righteous child of God) is through faith in Yeshua HaMashiach/ Jesus the Christ, through faith in HIM trusting in HIS one-time atonement for sin. We can choose to follow Cain or Abel, Cain or Noah, Cain or righteous Enoch, Cain or Abraham. The world led by Satan or "The WAY" Wide is the road that leads to destruction but narrow is the road to Salvation (Yeshuah) and eternal life. Because there is only "One Way" the "Way of the Master" the Way of the Living Torah. We all have a choice. Make the right choice before it is too late. Too late is a few seconds after your heart quits beating. Shalom, Ben Avraham

Chapter 4 of Genesis "Cain vs Abel" = "Cain vs God" We see the birth of Kayin and Hevel (Cain and Abel) They were born with the sin nature, and we see in both boys, the direction of the world that would follow. Some would choose holiness and all that is good and others would choose the unholy and all that is evil. There came a time when they both had to offer sacrifices (that is why I said that Adam and Eve must have taught them to do the same). Abel chose to obey and Kayin chose to disobey. Kayin offered a sacrifice, but it was not a blood sacrifice, rather it was a “grain offering” nothing wrong with a grain offering, but a blood sacrifice was needed. Therefore, it was rejected. When we see the sacrifices in Exodus, blood sacrifices are often times accompanied by "Minchot" (grain offerings). In this case, God wanted the boys to understand the meaning of "shed blood" on an innocent animal, to cover "Kippur" their sins. Hebel however, offered the correct sacrifice, a blood sacrifice, and it was accepted. This caused anger and jealousy in Kayin and we know the story, Kayin rose up and murdered his brother Hebel. Yet YHVH Elohim still offers him an opportunity to repent and confess his sin, but Kayin does not. Then YHVH Elohim says; “The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground” (4:10) the Hebrew word is “damei” or “bloods” it is written in the plural. But why is this? This is eluded to the idea (which is written in the Talmud) that “he who saves the life of one person is as if he has saved a whole nation, and he who takes a life of another, is as if he has murdered a whole nation.” It is as if the souls of all the “would have been” descendants of Abel were crying out for vengeance because they would not be permitted to be born. “the voice of thy brother’s bloods cries out…” the many “bloods” cry out in “one voice” so it seems. (I know, "bloods" is bad English) Abel is slain, his blood is sacrificed, and Kayin goes away, runs away to the land of wandering (Nod), and becomes a vagabond, just wandering, living off the fruit of trees and whatever grows of itself. Now his farming days are over, YHVH curses the land he farmed as punishment. However, God gave Kayin a chance to repent and think over why his offering was rejected. Kayin in sinful pride paid no heed to God. He chose to reject God's voice and carried out his plot of murder. Murder out of jealousy. We can see here again a shadow of Yom Kippur. In Yom Kippur, two goats were selected, one was sacrificed and the other was “sent away” Here, Innocent and righteous Hebel is sacrificed, and Kayin “goes away” yet this “going away” is in the negative light, he “goes away” from the presence of Adonai, while Abel goes “into the presence of Adonai” There is a saying that goes like this; “you can mix good apples with bad apples, and the good apples will never correct the bad, rather the bad-rotten apples will corrupt the good ones. Well, that is the way the “world turned” way back then, as the years pass, the descendants of Kayin mixed with the descendants of Seth, (who was born after the death of Abel) “And it came to be that when men began to increase on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them, that the sons of Elohim saw the daughters of men that they were fair, and they wives for themselves of all whom they chose. And YHVH said ‘My Ruach (Spirit) will not strive with mankind forever in his going astray. He is flesh, and his days shall be 120." There is a great population explosion since the time of Seth. Remember that the longevity of pre-flood mankind was 800-900 years, and they had children throughout those years. can you imagine, let's just say, someone lived for 500 years. If the wife was pregnant every year, or every other year. How many children would that couple have? at least 250. and those would grow and intermarry and so forth. "The Nephilim (in some translations, the giants) were on the earth in those days and when the sons of Elohim came into the daughters of men, they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men of old, men of name (fame)". 6:1-4 There are two schools of thought when the issue of “B’nei Elohim”(sons of God) comes up. Some believe that it refers to the godly line of Seth mixing with the ungodly line of Kayin. The other school of thought which is more probable is that the “sons of God” refer to the fallen angels that were kicked out of heaven together with HaSatan. These “b’nei Elohim” somehow and transformed themselves into flesh and blood, and the offspring of those “demon-human” relationships were the “giants”. (mutant genes) The word “Nephilim” means “fallen ones”. It does not mean “giants” …however…those “mighty men of old” may have been those “giants” We have examples; Goliath of Gath, Og, king of Bashan. The Anakim, Zumzumim, of the land of Canaan that the Israelites saw. There is archeological and paleontological evidence of a race of giants in the pre-diluvian world. Many fossil skeletons have been found some 20 and 30 feet tall. The Indians of the South-West USA claim that there was a race of red-haired giants who were cannibals, they could run after a herd of buffalo, catch one and bite off a leg, and eat it on the run. These giants were destroyed during the flood, however, their DNA still survived. “His days shall be 120” What is it saying here? YHVH has decided to destroy and cleanse the earth by a universal flood, and Noah and his family were found to be the only righteous people around. Noah will receive instructions to build an ark and the wicked population will have 120 years to repent, which they did not. This was a very short time being that thousands of years ago, people lived 800 or 900 years. 120 years would be like a week in our times. Noah was a “Tzadik” a “righteous person”. He went “against the flow”. Imagine a school of fish going in one direction, and you are going in the opposite direction. How about you? If the world is going down the tubes, headed for destruction, will you follow the world? Or will you remain with Yeshua and go HIS way? The choice is yours. The only way we can be a true “Tzadik Ben Elohim” (a righteous child of God) is through faith in Yeshua HaMashiach/ Jesus the Christ, through faith in HIM trusting in HIS one-time atonement for sin. We can choose to follow Cain or Abel, Cain or Noah, Cain or righteous Enoch, Cain or Abraham. The world led by Satan or "The WAY" Wide is the road that leads to destruction but narrow is the road to Salvation (Yeshuah) and eternal life. Because there is only "One Way" the "Way of the Master" the Way of the Living Torah. We all have a choice. Make the right choice before it is too late. Too late is a few seconds after your heart quits beating. shalom Ben Avraham

GENESIS 1 "In the Beginning....God... There is so much to teach in the first three chapters, that it would take many pages of learning and teaching. So, perhaps we can go to the highlights. Touch on some important issues and facts about creation. "In the beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth." (Hebrew): "B'resheet Bara Elohim, Et HaShamayim v'Et HaAretz" In Hebrew, there are 7 words, 7 is the perfect number of God. It reads; "in the beginning" but the beginning of what? Everything has a beginning. The school year has a "beginning" children "begin" school at age 5 or 6. So, what is this "beginning?" We can say this; God is from eternity past, He is present, and he will be in eternity future. He lives in the infinite and finite realms. Yet he created "time" for mankind. "Time" is the finite realm. So, we could say this is the "beginning" of time as we know it. Before the "Beginning," only God and eternity past existed. He broke the eternal silence and "began" his wonderful creation of everything. Genesis states that the earth was formless, yet all the matter was in place. In verse 1 we have "space', "time", and "matter" (mass + energy). There was "water and darkness" yet the "spirit of Elohim" was over the deep. He is getting ready to make something out of the formless mass of matter. There is both "spiritual darkness" and "physical darkness" We need the physical darkness to sleep at night, and many animals do their hunting at night, yet spiritual darkness is the absence of God's "light of the gospel" the absence of Yeshua/Jesus in our life. God speaks into existence all that comes. The word "create" is "bara" which is to "make something without prior material. Yet to "create with a purpose" Man was "made" (Asah) because he was made from the dust (Adamah) of the earth. God starts His creation as you can read in Genesis 1. He brings into being, the waters, land, fish, birds, vegetation, land animals, and finally mankind. We are different than the animals in that we have a personal relationship with our creator. The animals were made in "kinds" and "species" Now within each animal kind there are species, one species can mate with another within the same kind. (Dogs and cats are a perfect example). Yet a dog can not mate with a cat and produce a "pup-kitty" Mankind is not split up into "species" we are all "One Race" the "human race" Yet in humans there are physiological and psychological variations; hair color, skin color, eye shape and color, nose shape, hair texture, short people, tall people, passive people, aggressive people, etc. yet we are still "One Race". Man was made in the "image of God" The word "image" in Hebrew is "Tzelem" (shadow). "Let US make man (Adam) in OUR image (Tzalmeinu). Here Elohim is speaking as a tri-unity. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Man was made as a Holy and Sinless creation, to reflect Elohim in all his glory. He was placed into a perfect garden in an area called Eden. Since this was on the first earth before the flood, we don't know where it could have been exactly. It could have been near Syria and Iraq and perhaps even near Sudan, Somalia, and Ethiopia, as the names "Cush" and "Havilah" reflect some of those places, but we can't be sure. Man was placed inside the garden to tend it and take care of it. Man was created with the purpose to "work" When the woman was created, she joined her husband and worked together as a team. Man and woman, the animals, the garden, it was a perfect world. Man was given instructions; "Of every tree you may eat, yet of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you may not eat, because the day in which you eat of it, you shall die" I wonder if Adam even knew what "die" meant. Yet he had a choice. He received the instructions directly from God, and probably relayed the instructions to Eve when she was brought to him. Yet we all know the story. They disobeyed. They took of the forbidden fruit from the forbidden tree. The Book of Enoch describes the tree as similar to a Tamarind Tree with fruit that was similar to small grapes hanging in clusters. Adam and Eve ingested "mixed seeds" the seeds of good and the seeds of evil from that fruit. One can often wonder why did Adam also eat if he knew better. He wasn't deceived. Well, this might be an educated guess at the most. But here is a possible answer. He knew that his wife, Eve, would grow old and die someday, and he would have to live forever without his beloved wife. So, rather than doing that, he also chose to die with her, and thus, partook of the fruit. How do we see Yeshua in this? Yeshua chose to die for His beloved bride, "us" rather than to be without "us" for eternity. He partook of our curse of sin and bore it all by himself. The 1st Adam's sin produced his own death, yet the 2nd Adam's death produced life. Life for all of us, if we choose to accept His sacrifice on the cross for the sin that the first Adam brought into this world. Another aspect. How do we get "back to the Garden?" Adam and Eve were kicked out of the garden (yet still lived somewhere in Eden) but were clothed with animal skins, which was the "first sacrifice" to remind the fallen couple that their sin cost the life of an innocent animal or animals. Adam and Eve "passed the buck" when confronted. "Where are you?" asked God. This was an interior question, or rather; "Where are you in your relationship with me?" Answers; "The serpent made me eat" (The devil made me do it) and "The woman gave me to eat" but no, "LORD, we sinned and disobeyed your commandment. Please forgive us" Maybe that was what God wanted to hear. So, how do we get back into the "Garden of fellowship?' Confessing our sins to the LORD, repenting (Teshuvah) realizing that we are at fault, it is our choice to either obey or disobey. Don't blame it on someone else. The devil didn't "Make you" do it. You did it because you chose to. I believe that someday, when we have a "new earth" the Garden of Eden will be re-established, and we will be able to visit it. (Sure hope so). this is about 10% of what I really wanted to share. Ben Avraham Congregacion Salem in San Salvador El Salvador. Out of Eden came forth a river to water the garden

GENESIS 1 "In the Beginning....God... There is so much to teach in the first three chapters, that it would take many pages of learning and teaching. So, perhaps we can go to the highlights. Touch on some important issues and facts about creation. "In the beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth." (Hebrew): "B'resheet Bara Elohim, Et HaShamayim v'Et HaAretz" In Hebrew, there are 7 words, 7 is the perfect number of God. It reads; "in the beginning" but the beginning of what? Everything has a beginning. The school year has a "beginning" children "begin" school at age 5 or 6. So, what is this "beginning?" We can say this; God is from eternity past, He is present, and he will be in eternity future. He lives in the infinite and finite realms. Yet he created "time" for mankind. "Time" is the finite realm. So, we could say this is the "beginning" of time as we know it. Before the "Beginning," only God and eternity past existed. He broke the eternal silence and "began" his wonderful creation of everything. Genesis states that the earth was formless, yet all the matter was in place. In verse 1 we have "space', "time", and "matter" (mass + energy). There was "water and darkness" yet the "spirit of Elohim" was over the deep. He is getting ready to make something out of the formless mass of matter. There is both "spiritual darkness" and "physical darkness" We need the physical darkness to sleep at night, and many animals do their hunting at night, yet spiritual darkness is the absence of God's "light of the gospel" the absence of Yeshua/Jesus in our life. God speaks into existence all that comes. The word "create" is "bara" which is to "make something without prior material. Yet to "create with a purpose" Man was "made" (Asah) because he was made from the dust (Adamah) of the earth. God starts His creation as you can read in Genesis 1. He brings into being, the waters, land, fish, birds, vegetation, land animals, and finally mankind. We are different than the animals in that we have a personal relationship with our creator. The animals were made in "kinds" and "species" Now within each animal kind there are species, one species can mate with another within the same kind. (Dogs and cats are a perfect example). Yet a dog can not mate with a cat and produce a "pup-kitty" Mankind is not split up into "species" we are all "One Race" the "human race" Yet in humans there are physiological and psychological variations; hair color, skin color, eye shape and color, nose shape, hair texture, short people, tall people, passive people, aggressive people, etc. yet we are still "One Race". Man was made in the "image of God" The word "image" in Hebrew is "Tzelem" (shadow). "Let US make man (Adam) in OUR image (Tzalmeinu). Here Elohim is speaking as a tri-unity. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Man was made as a Holy and Sinless creation, to reflect Elohim in all his glory. He was placed into a perfect garden in an area called Eden. Since this was on the first earth before the flood, we don't know where it could have been exactly. It could have been near Syria and Iraq and perhaps even near Sudan, Somalia, and Ethiopia, as the names "Cush" and "Havilah" reflect some of those places, but we can't be sure. Man was placed inside the garden to tend it and take care of it. Man was created with the purpose to "work" When the woman was created, she joined her husband and worked together as a team. Man and woman, the animals, the garden, it was a perfect world. Man was given instructions; "Of every tree you may eat, yet of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you may not eat, because the day in which you eat of it, you shall die" I wonder if Adam even knew what "die" meant. Yet he had a choice. He received the instructions directly from God, and probably relayed the instructions to Eve when she was brought to him. Yet we all know the story. They disobeyed. They took of the forbidden fruit from the forbidden tree. The Book of Enoch describes the tree as similar to a Tamarind Tree with fruit that was similar to small grapes hanging in clusters. Adam and Eve ingested "mixed seeds" the seeds of good and the seeds of evil from that fruit. One can often wonder why did Adam also eat if he knew better. He wasn't deceived. Well, this might be an educated guess at the most. But here is a possible answer. He knew that his wife, Eve, would grow old and die someday, and he would have to live forever without his beloved wife. So, rather than doing that, he also chose to die with her, and thus, partook of the fruit. How do we see Yeshua in this? Yeshua chose to die for His beloved bride, "us" rather than to be without "us" for eternity. He partook of our curse of sin and bore it all by himself. The 1st Adam's sin produced his own death, yet the 2nd Adam's death produced life. Life for all of us, if we choose to accept His sacrifice on the cross for the sin that the first Adam brought into this world. Another aspect. How do we get "back to the Garden?" Adam and Eve were kicked out of the garden (yet still lived somewhere in Eden) but were clothed with animal skins, which was the "first sacrifice" to remind the fallen couple that their sin cost the life of an innocent animal or animals. Adam and Eve "passed the buck" when confronted. "Where are you?" asked God. This was an interior question, or rather; "Where are you in your relationship with me?" Answers; "The serpent made me eat" (The devil made me do it) and "The woman gave me to eat" but no, "LORD, we sinned and disobeyed your commandment. Please forgive us" Maybe that was what God wanted to hear. So, how do we get back into the "Garden of fellowship?' Confessing our sins to the LORD, repenting (Teshuvah) realizing that we are at fault, it is our choice to either obey or disobey. Don't blame it on someone else. The devil didn't "Make you" do it. You did it because you chose to. I believe that someday, when we have a "new earth" the Garden of Eden will be re-established, and we will be able to visit it. (Sure hope so). this is about 10% of what I really wanted to share. Ben Avraham Congregacion Salem in San Salvador El Salvador. Out of Eden came forth a river to water the garden

2 Timothy 3:16-17 Complete Jewish Bible 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is valuable for teaching the truth, convicting of sin, correcting faults, and training in right living; 17 Thus anyone who belongs to God may be fully equipped for every good work. 1. Doctrine (Teaching the truth) what does this mean? The Torah(Bible) teaches us that God is perfect in all ways, perfect in Holiness, and has existed from eternity past, is present now, and will exist in eternity future. God made man (and woman) in HIS perfect image (Tzelem) "shadow" so Adam and Eve were the walking, talking, "shadows" of the Holy God (YHVH) Yet through sin, the perfect creation of mankind was stained and became imperfect. Sin came into the world by a man (Adam) and God sought a way to redeem mankind to himself once again. This was accomplished through the "2nd Adam" (Yeshua our Messiah/Jesus The Messiah/God in the flesh) the "2nd Adam" paid for the sins of the "1st Adam" and includes everyone who has been born since then. Through the "New Birth" (John 3:3) we are "renewed" into right fellowship with our creator once again. 2. Reproof/convicting of sin/correcting faults Through Moses, God gave us the commandments which were received on Mt. Sinai. Through studying and knowledge of the commandments (613 in all) many people only recognize 10. Sin is revealed to mankind. The commandments act as a "schoolmaster" to teach us what is right and wrong, what is Holy and unholy, and what is clean and unclean. When we apply the commandments to our lives, we correct our unrighteous ways and begin walking in righteousness. (right-living). We are "righteously saved through faith in Yeshua" to begin walking a "righteous lifestyle" through obedience to HIS Word. Yes, 613 commandments were given yet not all can apply for today, especially the commandments for the animal sacrifices. 3. Training in right-living (righteousness) When we correct our faults, we look for guidance in God's WORD, and through the power of the Holy Spirit, begin the process of "right-living" or "righteousness". This is a life-long process which never ends. Righteous salvation is a "one-time event" yet "righteous living" is a constant action which is 24-7. We have been "righteously saved" to walk in "righteous works" 4. The Word of God equips us for all manner of good works (Mitzvot) and for that reason, each believer has been given gifts from the Holy Spirit to enable us to perform these works. When we put into action God's Commandments, we are putting into action good works. These will serve as "rewards" in the "World to Come". So, cease not in good works. continue steadfast until our going home. I commented on this verse in light of beginning anew the study of the Bible from Genesis 1. Our yearly Torah reading cycle. The whole Bible is "Torah" (instruction) all 66 books. The Old Testament looks forward to the New, and the New looks back to the Old. Both the Old and New Covenants tell the whole story of redemption. The Old portrays the "Tzelem Mashiach" (The Shadow of Messiah) and the New "Messiah Yeshua revealed" (The Arm of the LORD revealed) (Isaiah 53:1) May we look forward to another year of Torah study. Ben Avraham

SIMCHAT TORAH (Bible Joy) We have finished our Torah study cycle and are starting over. In many synagogues and Messianic Congregations worldwide, those who have Torah scrolls have rolled back the scrolls to Genesis to start again next week in our study of God's Word. We also did this at our congregation in San Salvador. We did something very special. All members of our congregation lined up and each one took some foreign nation's flag from a chest and held it to their heart. Then, we marched around the sanctuary and prayed for that specific nation. Each person would pray for the nation whose flag was in their hands. The Israeli flag was in front and we marched around the room 7 times. Then, all sat down and the scroll was forwarded to the end of Deuteronomy, and the last verse in Deuteronomy was read, or rather chanted. Then, the scroll was re-rolled back to Genesis, and the first verse of Genesis was chanted. A mother and her daughter helped in re-rolling the scroll back to Genesis. The "Joy of the Bible" is meaningful, in that the Bible plays an important role in our lives. B.I.B.L.E. (Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth). We are only "visitors" and "sojourners" on this planet. We were made "perfect" and "sinless" yet when man sinned, we lost fellowship with God. The Bible helps us find our way back to God through a personal relationship with Yeshua/Jesus. The "Torah" (instruction) points us in the right direction, to help us find "the mark" on the target. The commandments help us live a righteous lifestyle before God and our fellow man. The Bible also teaches us history and errors, mistakes made by our predecessors, and warns us not to commit the same mistakes as in the past. We have 66 books written by inspired writers from all walks of life, inspired by the Holy Spirit, to give us hope. We have the written word and the Living WORD. His spirit helps us understand what is written. So that when we breathe our last, in this world, we will be welcomed by HIM in the World to Come, in the New Jerusalem. There is an interesting fact about the Hebrew Bible. In the Hebrew Bibles that include the vowel points (Nikudim) there are also musical notes below and above the Hebrew letters. Those are "C, D, E, F, G, A, B, and Middle C" So, if we know what markings are which notes, then, we can actually "play' the Torah on the piano or harp. The musical code was found by Susana Haik Ventura, a French Musicologist, and was passed down to a friend of mine who plays the harp and, in turn, gave me a copy. It is interesting that the very last word in Deuteronomy is "Israel" and the first word in Genesis is "In" (The beginning). (Deuteronomy 34:12) and (Genesis 1:1) In Hebrew, the word is "Israel" and in Genesis "B'reisheet. The last letter in "Israel" is of course, the letter "l" and the first letter of Genesis is "B" (in) Now, when we join the "L" with the "B" we have the word "Lev" which, in Hebrew, is the word "heart". Is there symbolism here? One could say that "In the beginning" God had "Israel" in his "heart". He had the whole world in his heart, and Israel would be the "light to the nations" The letter "B" in the Hebrew Bible is enlarged, as it is the first letter in Genesis, it is emphasized. "B" stands for "Blessing" it also symbolizes "house" and "unity or division" What can we say about Genesis then? In the "beginning," God created planet Earth as a "house" for mankind, plant, and animal kinds. In the "beginning" before sin entered the world, the world was indeed a "blessing" for all. death did not exist, only "unity" co-existence in a human-plant-animal world. After sin entered, there was "division" The perfect environment was "split' and "divided" death now came onto the scene, for all living things. The very first verse in Genesis has a lot to say: "In the Beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth" In English, there are 10 words. Ten is the number of completion, the number of Torah. In Hebrew, the verse reads "B'reisheet Bara Elohim Et HaShamayim V'et HaAretz". There are 7 words, 7 being the perfect number of God. We have the "action" of "creation" (Bara) we have "Space" (Heavens/HaShamayim) "Time" (B'reisheet/In the Beginning) and "Matter" (HaAretz/the Earth) The word "Bara" means "creating something for a specific purpose" (not just throwing something out there and leaving it on its own) Yet, the very first word is interesting; "B'resheet" (In the beginning). But what is the "beginning?" the beginning of what? Everything has a "beginning." So, this is the "beginning of what?" One could say; "the beginning of creation, the beginning of "time" as we know it. God steps out of eternity past, speaks into existence all that was created, sets into motion the planets, the moon, etc, to create what we know as "time" (seconds, minutes, hours, days, etc) in order to relate to HIM in special days and times, seasons (moedim). what can we say? We have two timelines. The infinite line, which goes from eternity past to eternity future, yet in the middle, we have the "finite" timeline which starts in Genesis 1:1 and ends in Revelation, when we read about "New Heavens and a new earth". Another aspect or idea; There are 7 words in the first verse of Genesis. Within the 7 words, six of the words contain the letter "Aleph" which is the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The word "aleph" can also mean 1000 (Eleph) but in Hebrew, it is still spelled the same. Could the 6 Alephs in the first verse symbolize 6 thousand years for man on this earth? and then one thousand years for Messiah Yeshua to rule (The Millennium) equaling 7 thousand years? Well, just an idea to throw out here. Next week, we will go more into Genesis. Shalom, and pray for peace in Israel, that the war will end soon.

SIMCHAT TORAH (Bible Joy) We have finished our Torah study cycle and are starting over. In many synagogues and Messianic Congregations worldwide, those who have Torah scrolls have rolled back the scrolls to Genesis to start again next week in our study of God's Word. We also did this at our congregation in San Salvador. We did something very special. All members of our congregation lined up and each one took some foreign nation's flag from a chest and held it to their heart. Then, we marched around the sanctuary and prayed for that specific nation. Each person would pray for the nation whose flag was in their hands. The Israeli flag was in front and we marched around the room 7 times. Then, all sat down and the scroll was forwarded to the end of Deuteronomy, and the last verse in Deuteronomy was read, or rather chanted. Then, the scroll was re-rolled back to Genesis, and the first verse of Genesis was chanted. A mother and her daughter helped in re-rolling the scroll back to Genesis. The "Joy of the Bible" is meaningful, in that the Bible plays an important role in our lives. B.I.B.L.E. (Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth). We are only "visitors" and "sojourners" on this planet. We were made "perfect" and "sinless" yet when man sinned, we lost fellowship with God. The Bible helps us find our way back to God through a personal relationship with Yeshua/Jesus. The "Torah" (instruction) points us in the right direction, to help us find "the mark" on the target. The commandments help us live a righteous lifestyle before God and our fellow man. The Bible also teaches us history and errors, mistakes made by our predecessors, and warns us not to commit the same mistakes as in the past. We have 66 books written by inspired writers from all walks of life, inspired by the Holy Spirit, to give us hope. We have the written word and the Living WORD. His spirit helps us understand what is written. So that when we breathe our last, in this world, we will be welcomed by HIM in the World to Come, in the New Jerusalem. There is an interesting fact about the Hebrew Bible. In the Hebrew Bibles that include the vowel points (Nikudim) there are also musical notes below and above the Hebrew letters. Those are "C, D, E, F, G, A, B, and Middle C" So, if we know what markings are which notes, then, we can actually "play' the Torah on the piano or harp. The musical code was found by Susana Haik Ventura, a French Musicologist, and was passed down to a friend of mine who plays the harp and, in turn, gave me a copy. It is interesting that the very last word in Deuteronomy is "Israel" and the first word in Genesis is "In" (The beginning). (Deuteronomy 34:12) and (Genesis 1:1) In Hebrew, the word is "Israel" and in Genesis "B'reisheet. The last letter in "Israel" is of course, the letter "l" and the first letter of Genesis is "B" (in) Now, when we join the "L" with the "B" we have the word "Lev" which, in Hebrew, is the word "heart". Is there symbolism here? One could say that "In the beginning" God had "Israel" in his "heart". He had the whole world in his heart, and Israel would be the "light to the nations" The letter "B" in the Hebrew Bible is enlarged, as it is the first letter in Genesis, it is emphasized. "B" stands for "Blessing" it also symbolizes "house" and "unity or division" What can we say about Genesis then? In the "beginning," God created planet Earth as a "house" for mankind, plant, and animal kinds. In the "beginning" before sin entered the world, the world was indeed a "blessing" for all. death did not exist, only "unity" co-existence in a human-plant-animal world. After sin entered, there was "division" The perfect environment was "split' and "divided" death now came onto the scene, for all living things. The very first verse in Genesis has a lot to say: "In the Beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth" In English, there are 10 words. Ten is the number of completion, the number of Torah. In Hebrew, the verse reads "B'reisheet Bara Elohim Et HaShamayim V'et HaAretz". There are 7 words, 7 being the perfect number of God. We have the "action" of "creation" (Bara) we have "Space" (Heavens/HaShamayim) "Time" (B'reisheet/In the Beginning) and "Matter" (HaAretz/the Earth) The word "Bara" means "creating something for a specific purpose" (not just throwing something out there and leaving it on its own) Yet, the very first word is interesting; "B'resheet" (In the beginning). But what is the "beginning?" the beginning of what? Everything has a "beginning." So, this is the "beginning of what?" One could say; "the beginning of creation, the beginning of "time" as we know it. God steps out of eternity past, speaks into existence all that was created, sets into motion the planets, the moon, etc, to create what we know as "time" (seconds, minutes, hours, days, etc) in order to relate to HIM in special days and times, seasons (moedim). what can we say? We have two timelines. The infinite line, which goes from eternity past to eternity future, yet in the middle, we have the "finite" timeline which starts in Genesis 1:1 and ends in Revelation, when we read about "New Heavens and a new earth". Another aspect or idea; There are 7 words in the first verse of Genesis. Within the 7 words, six of the words contain the letter "Aleph" which is the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The word "aleph" can also mean 1000 (Eleph) but in Hebrew, it is still spelled the same. Could the 6 Alephs in the first verse symbolize 6 thousand years for man on this earth? and then one thousand years for Messiah Yeshua to rule (The Millennium) equaling 7 thousand years? Well, just an idea to throw out here. Next week, we will go more into Genesis. Shalom, and pray for peace in Israel, that the war will end soon.

vi) 33 Adonai said to Moshe, 34 “Tell the people of Yisrael, ‘On the fifteenth day of this seventh month is the feast of Sukkot for seven days to Adonai. 35 On the first day there is to be a holy convocation; do not do any kind of ordinary work. 36 For seven days you are to bring an offering made by fire to Adonai; on the eighth day you are to have a holy convocation and bring an offering made by fire to Adonai; it is a day of public assembly; do not do any kind of ordinary work. 37 “‘These are the designated times of Adonai that you are to proclaim as holy convocations and bring an offering made by fire to Adonai — a burnt offering, a grain offering, a sacrifice and drink offerings, each on its own day — 38 besides the Shabbats of Adonai, your gifts, all your vows and all your voluntary offerings that you give to Adonai. 39 “‘But on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered the produce of the land, you are to observe the festival of Adonai seven days; the first day is to be a complete rest and the eighth day is to be a complete rest. (40) On the first day you are to take choice fruit, palm fronds, thick branches, and river willows, and celebrate in the presence of Adonai your God for seven days. (41) You are to observe it as a feast to Adonai seven days in the year; it is a permanent regulation, generation after generation; keep it in the seventh month. (42) You are to live in sukkot for seven days; every citizen of Yisrael is to live in a sukkah, (43) so that generation after generation of you will know that I made the people of Yisrael live in sukkot when I brought them out of the land of Egypt; I am Adonai your God.’” (44) Thus Moshe announced to the people of Yisrael the designated times of Adonai. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ So, we ask ourselves, what is this festival all about? Many might think; "This is a Jewish festival, for the Jewish people" yet when we read verse 37, it reads; "these are the designated times of ADONAI" These are God's Holy convocations, it was just announced first to the people of Israel. These are the fall festivals that symbolize the second coming of Yeshua/Jesus. Of course we do not sacrifice animals like before in ancient times, because Yeshua/Jesus was the "ultimate" and "sacrifice Lamb of God". This year, Sukkot, or the "Feast of Tabernacles" started on Friday evening, the 29th of September, and this festival will continue for 7 days, and on the 8th day, (October 7th) will be a special time for rejoicing in the Torah/Bible. Praising God and giving thanks that we have HIS Word in our midst. This is a time when we celebrate the harvest of the fruits of trees. During the time of Passover, it was the harvest time for Barley, then on Pentecost or Shavuot, it was the wheat harvest time, and now during Sukkot, it is time to harvest the fruits of trees and vines, such as grapes, olives, dates, figs, apples, oranges, etc. It is a time to build or spend time in temporary shelters called "Sukkot" or just "huts" (the Israelites lived in tents). It is the time to remember how the people of Israel used to live. Now, not all can do this, if there is no space on property or those who live in flats or apartments, it would be kind of difficult, but one can still take time to study the WORD of God. Just like many people will put out a manger with baby Jesus, Joseph, and Mary, the animals, during Christmas. One could take some small sturdy branches from trees, put them together to form a square, and then cover 4 sides with leaves and plants, leaving the front part open. Inside one could put fruit, could be artificial or real. This is just a suggestion. It symbolizes this time of harvest blessings that God has given us at this time. The time of Thanksgiving by the Pilgrims when they came to the New World in 1620, was celebrated in 1621, and the "Thanksgiving" celebration was fashioned after Sukkot. It is customary to make "Lulav" as stated in verse (40) using those plants and fruit. The "Etrog" is a lemon-like fruit that grows in Israel, yet many people just use large yellow lemons. the word ETROG is the acronym for "Emunah" (faith) "Teshuvah" (repentance) "Refuah" (healing) "Ge-ulah" (redemption) The "Lulav" itself is the tip of a date palm frond. But many people just use a palm branch if a date palm frond cannot be found. The Word "LuLav" can be symbolized as "to him" "heart" (my). "To Him (God) I give my heart" We have the "Hadas" or "leafy branches from a myrtle tree" or any "leafy" tree if one doesn't have a myrtle tree around. The leaves resemble "eyes" yet there are many leaves that resemble "eyes" in their shapes. These symbolize "vision" and "insight" We have the "Aravah" or "branches of a willow tree" These can symbolize humility, also, victory over the enemy. All these are wrapped together to form a Boquete. During the ceremony, this Boquete is "waved" from up to down, from right, to left, front, and behind, symbolizing the blessings of God that come from Heaven to Earth, to bless all nations with harvest blessings, nations in the East, the West, the North, and South. When we look at this from a Messianic view, Messiah Yeshua (Jesus Christ) is the "First Fruits" in Resurrection, who ascended to Heaven from Earth, and will return from Heaven to Earth and will bless all nations in all directions of the earth with his presence during 1000 years. During this festival time, Jerusalem was all lit up with 75-foot poles with oil lamps on top, lighting all of Jerusalem and the towns around the area. This was when Jesus stated; "I am the Light of the World" (John 8:12) " because he was there at that festival. On the 8th day, the Great Day of the Feast, the Levite priests brought up water from the Pool of Siloam and poured out the water on the altar in the temple in a ritual. This was when Yeshua stated: "I am the Living Water" (John 7:37) There is so much more, but I'll leave it here for now. May your understanding of God's Word be blessed, especially during this time. Ben Avraham Congregacion "Salem" San Salvador, El Salvador.

vi) 33 Adonai said to Moshe, 34 “Tell the people of Yisrael, ‘On the fifteenth day of this seventh month is the feast of Sukkot for seven days to Adonai. 35 On the first day there is to be a holy convocation; do not do any kind of ordinary work. 36 For seven days you are to bring an offering made by fire to Adonai; on the eighth day you are to have a holy convocation and bring an offering made by fire to Adonai; it is a day of public assembly; do not do any kind of ordinary work. 37 “‘These are the designated times of Adonai that you are to proclaim as holy convocations and bring an offering made by fire to Adonai — a burnt offering, a grain offering, a sacrifice and drink offerings, each on its own day — 38 besides the Shabbats of Adonai, your gifts, all your vows and all your voluntary offerings that you give to Adonai. 39 “‘But on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered the produce of the land, you are to observe the festival of Adonai seven days; the first day is to be a complete rest and the eighth day is to be a complete rest. (40) On the first day you are to take choice fruit, palm fronds, thick branches, and river willows, and celebrate in the presence of Adonai your God for seven days. (41) You are to observe it as a feast to Adonai seven days in the year; it is a permanent regulation, generation after generation; keep it in the seventh month. (42) You are to live in sukkot for seven days; every citizen of Yisrael is to live in a sukkah, (43) so that generation after generation of you will know that I made the people of Yisrael live in sukkot when I brought them out of the land of Egypt; I am Adonai your God.’” (44) Thus Moshe announced to the people of Yisrael the designated times of Adonai. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ So, we ask ourselves, what is this festival all about? Many might think; "This is a Jewish festival, for the Jewish people" yet when we read verse 37, it reads; "these are the designated times of ADONAI" These are God's Holy convocations, it was just announced first to the people of Israel. These are the fall festivals that symbolize the second coming of Yeshua/Jesus. Of course we do not sacrifice animals like before in ancient times, because Yeshua/Jesus was the "ultimate" and "sacrifice Lamb of God". This year, Sukkot, or the "Feast of Tabernacles" started on Friday evening, the 29th of September, and this festival will continue for 7 days, and on the 8th day, (October 7th) will be a special time for rejoicing in the Torah/Bible. Praising God and giving thanks that we have HIS Word in our midst. This is a time when we celebrate the harvest of the fruits of trees. During the time of Passover, it was the harvest time for Barley, then on Pentecost or Shavuot, it was the wheat harvest time, and now during Sukkot, it is time to harvest the fruits of trees and vines, such as grapes, olives, dates, figs, apples, oranges, etc. It is a time to build or spend time in temporary shelters called "Sukkot" or just "huts" (the Israelites lived in tents). It is the time to remember how the people of Israel used to live. Now, not all can do this, if there is no space on property or those who live in flats or apartments, it would be kind of difficult, but one can still take time to study the WORD of God. Just like many people will put out a manger with baby Jesus, Joseph, and Mary, the animals, during Christmas. One could take some small sturdy branches from trees, put them together to form a square, and then cover 4 sides with leaves and plants, leaving the front part open. Inside one could put fruit, could be artificial or real. This is just a suggestion. It symbolizes this time of harvest blessings that God has given us at this time. The time of Thanksgiving by the Pilgrims when they came to the New World in 1620, was celebrated in 1621, and the "Thanksgiving" celebration was fashioned after Sukkot. It is customary to make "Lulav" as stated in verse (40) using those plants and fruit. The "Etrog" is a lemon-like fruit that grows in Israel, yet many people just use large yellow lemons. the word ETROG is the acronym for "Emunah" (faith) "Teshuvah" (repentance) "Refuah" (healing) "Ge-ulah" (redemption) The "Lulav" itself is the tip of a date palm frond. But many people just use a palm branch if a date palm frond cannot be found. The Word "LuLav" can be symbolized as "to him" "heart" (my). "To Him (God) I give my heart" We have the "Hadas" or "leafy branches from a myrtle tree" or any "leafy" tree if one doesn't have a myrtle tree around. The leaves resemble "eyes" yet there are many leaves that resemble "eyes" in their shapes. These symbolize "vision" and "insight" We have the "Aravah" or "branches of a willow tree" These can symbolize humility, also, victory over the enemy. All these are wrapped together to form a Boquete. During the ceremony, this Boquete is "waved" from up to down, from right, to left, front, and behind, symbolizing the blessings of God that come from Heaven to Earth, to bless all nations with harvest blessings, nations in the East, the West, the North, and South. When we look at this from a Messianic view, Messiah Yeshua (Jesus Christ) is the "First Fruits" in Resurrection, who ascended to Heaven from Earth, and will return from Heaven to Earth and will bless all nations in all directions of the earth with his presence during 1000 years. During this festival time, Jerusalem was all lit up with 75-foot poles with oil lamps on top, lighting all of Jerusalem and the towns around the area. This was when Jesus stated; "I am the Light of the World" (John 8:12) " because he was there at that festival. On the 8th day, the Great Day of the Feast, the Levite priests brought up water from the Pool of Siloam and poured out the water on the altar in the temple in a ritual. This was when Yeshua stated: "I am the Living Water" (John 7:37) There is so much more, but I'll leave it here for now. May your understanding of God's Word be blessed, especially during this time. Ben Avraham Congregacion "Salem" San Salvador, El Salvador.

YOM KIPPUR (Leviticus 16:1-32) This year Yom Kippur, started September 24 (Sunday) and ended September 25 (Monday evening). On The Hebrew calendar, it is always on the 10th day of the Hebrew month of Tishrei. It is a time of fasting and prayer, a time of getting right with God again, and with our family, and neighbors, those around us, it is the holiest time of year. The Hebraic belief was that on Yom Kippur, God's books were closed and those whose names were written in the "Book of Life" were "safe". Those whose names were NOT written would have to wait until next Yom Kippur. Yom Teruah, the day of Trumpet sounding was a reminder and a wake-up call, to start getting right with God, because on Yom Kippur, the destiny of each person would be "signed and sealed" sort of. Yet, as believers, we know that the mercy of God is always there. His "book of Life" is open 24-7 to whoever would repent and accept Jesus/Yeshua as LORD and Savior. As long as the breath of life is within us, as long as our hearts beat, we still have a chance. Yom Kippur was the time when the High Priest went into the Holy of Holies, in the Tabernacle, and in the Temple, Only once a year could he do this, and offered a bull for himself and for his family, for the atonement of their sins, a bull represented strength, and the ancient symbol of God was shown by the outline of a bull's head with horns, that was the ancient Hebrew letter "alef" He also took two goats. One he would sacrifice, and, like with the bull, sprinkle the blood on the altar and on the covering of the Ark of the Covenant (Ha Aron Ha Kodesh) and on the altar, and the other, he would place his hands on its head and symbolically placed all of the sins of Israel, on that goat, then let it go into the wilderness, never to return. These spoke of two things, Messiah Yeshua paid our price in full on Calvary, by His one-time sacrifice and atonement, of His own blood, and our sins were "cast into the sea, never to return" and "as far as the East is from the West, so our sins are separated from us" never to meet. But the Yom Kippur (Yom Ha Kippurim) "Day of Coverings" had to go on year after year, and so, sins were only "covered" for one year at a time, but when Messiah Yeshua took our sins to himself on Calvary, our sins were paid for and atoned once and forever, so, his one-time-only sacrifice was good for all time. Even the Apostle Paul said that we are "under a better covenant" which is based on the blood of Yeshua and not on the blood of animals. In the Tabernacle and Temple times, a red cord was tied on the horns of the "scapegoat." When the scapegoat was taken to a cliff and pushed over so it would die, the scarlet cord turned white, stating that God accepted the sacrifice. However, 40 years before the destruction of the temple by the Roman Emperor Titus in 70 C.E. that cord stopped turning white, it stayed red. This indicated that the sacrifice was no longer valid. The only "valid" sacrifice was that of YESHUA, who was the "sacrifice Lamb" once and forever. God has reached down to you through YESHUA, have you reached up to him? "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. (Isaiah 1:18) Ben Avraham

YOM KIPPUR (Leviticus 16:1-32) This year Yom Kippur, started September 24 (Sunday) and ended September 25 (Monday evening). On The Hebrew calendar, it is always on the 10th day of the Hebrew month of Tishrei. It is a time of fasting and prayer, a time of getting right with God again, and with our family, and neighbors, those around us, it is the holiest time of year. The Hebraic belief was that on Yom Kippur, God's books were closed and those whose names were written in the "Book of Life" were "safe". Those whose names were NOT written would have to wait until next Yom Kippur. Yom Teruah, the day of Trumpet sounding was a reminder and a wake-up call, to start getting right with God, because on Yom Kippur, the destiny of each person would be "signed and sealed" sort of. Yet, as believers, we know that the mercy of God is always there. His "book of Life" is open 24-7 to whoever would repent and accept Jesus/Yeshua as LORD and Savior. As long as the breath of life is within us, as long as our hearts beat, we still have a chance. Yom Kippur was the time when the High Priest went into the Holy of Holies, in the Tabernacle, and in the Temple, Only once a year could he do this, and offered a bull for himself and for his family, for the atonement of their sins, a bull represented strength, and the ancient symbol of God was shown by the outline of a bull's head with horns, that was the ancient Hebrew letter "alef" He also took two goats. One he would sacrifice, and, like with the bull, sprinkle the blood on the altar and on the covering of the Ark of the Covenant (Ha Aron Ha Kodesh) and on the altar, and the other, he would place his hands on its head and symbolically placed all of the sins of Israel, on that goat, then let it go into the wilderness, never to return. These spoke of two things, Messiah Yeshua paid our price in full on Calvary, by His one-time sacrifice and atonement, of His own blood, and our sins were "cast into the sea, never to return" and "as far as the East is from the West, so our sins are separated from us" never to meet. But the Yom Kippur (Yom Ha Kippurim) "Day of Coverings" had to go on year after year, and so, sins were only "covered" for one year at a time, but when Messiah Yeshua took our sins to himself on Calvary, our sins were paid for and atoned once and forever, so, his one-time-only sacrifice was good for all time. Even the Apostle Paul said that we are "under a better covenant" which is based on the blood of Yeshua and not on the blood of animals. In the Tabernacle and Temple times, a red cord was tied on the horns of the "scapegoat." When the scapegoat was taken to a cliff and pushed over so it would die, the scarlet cord turned white, stating that God accepted the sacrifice. However, 40 years before the destruction of the temple by the Roman Emperor Titus in 70 C.E. that cord stopped turning white, it stayed red. This indicated that the sacrifice was no longer valid. The only "valid" sacrifice was that of YESHUA, who was the "sacrifice Lamb" once and forever. God has reached down to you through YESHUA, have you reached up to him? "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. (Isaiah 1:18) Ben Avraham

Numbers 29:1-6 and the "Day of Trumpet Blowing" 29 “‘In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you are to have a holy convocation; do not do any kind of ordinary work; it is a day of blowing the shofar for you. 2 Prepare a burnt offering to make a fragrant aroma for Adonai — one young bull, one ram, and seven male lambs in their first year and without defect — 3 with their grain offering, consisting of fine flour mixed with olive oil — six quarts for the bull, four quarts for the ram, 4 and two quarts for each of the seven lambs — 5 also one male goat as a sin offering to make atonement for you. 6 This is to be in addition to the burnt offering for Rosh-Hodesh with its grain offering, the regular burnt offering with its grain offering, and their drink offerings, according to the rule for them; this will be a fragrant aroma, an offering made by fire to Adonai. In the Messianic Jewish circles, we know this time as "Rosh HaShannah" or "Yom Teruah" (Head of the Year) and (Day of Blowing the trumpet). But is it only for Jews, or for all believers? In Leviticus 23, God is proclaiming these feast days, or days of celebration as "my feasts." They were given to the Children of Israel first, but more were added to the Community of Israel. All believers have been "grafted in" to the Olive Tree. If these are "God's feast days" then they are for ALL who love God and who want to follow His Word. The sacrificial animals in the passage above all are "Shadows" of Messiah Yeshua. They all point to Yeshua/Jesus who gave His life on Calvary's cross and took away the curse of sin and death. The bull symbolizes God as "All-powerful and mighty" as the bull was one of the most powerful animals of the herds in those days. The ram symbolizes the substitute for Isaac when Abraham offered him as a sacrifice on Mt. Moriah. Isaac symbolizes all of us and the ram, our LORD and Savior who took our place. The 7 lambs, "7" is the number of perfection, and the lambs are "The perfect Lamb of God who took away the sins of the world." The grain offering = Yeshua, the Bread of Life; the oil = the Holy Spirit. The male goat reminds us of Yom Kippur, when two goats were presented. One was sacrificed and the other was sent away carrying our sins. This symbolizes "The Lamb of God who took upon the sins of the world and sent away our sins, never to return. The drink offerings consisted of wine, symbolizing the blood of Yeshua. As we can see, these are all the "shadows" of Messiah, who fulfilled them all. The blowing of the trumpet (Israel had silver trumpets) and also the shofar (rams horns and horns of an African antelope, a Kudu) were used during this time. Today we use the rams' horns and antelope horns. The sound of the trumpet is a "wake-up call" to announce "the King is coming. The first 4 feast days (Passover, Unleavened Bread, First Fruits, and Shavuot) were fulfilled in the first coming of Messiah Yeshua. The death of Messiah, who was the unleavened Bread of Life, the First Fruits of resurrection, and the Coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost/Shavuot. The fall feasts are; Yom Teruah or Rosh HaShannah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot or the Feast of Tabernacles. These proclaim the 2nd coming of Messiah, who will come to be crowned King of this earth and all the universe, who gave his life for atonement of our sins, and will come to "tabernacle" among us for One Thousand years and for all eternity. (I guess Yom Kipper can be considered fulfilled at Calvary too). The 4 sounds of the trumpet, and the sounds of "Tekia, Teruah, Shevarim, and Tekia-Gedola" are heard on Rosh HaShannah. They are the "wake-up" call for all to anticipate the second coming of Messiah, a time to cry and sob for our sinfulness and to repent, a time for sadness at the passing of the year, and joy for the coming of this new year. There are two major "new years" in the Bible, Passover marks the month of Nissan, and the "religious" new year. Rosh HaShannah marks the new agricultural year, and the new "calendar year" We are now in the year 5784 (after the creation of the world). Just like in the Gregorian calendar, there is the new solar year, January 1st, there is a "School year" which marks the beginning of school, and probably other "new years" The final trumpet sound "Tekia Gedola" reminds us of when the church will be taken up after the dead in Christ are risen first. We know this as the "rapture" or the "taking away of..." all believers in Messiah; "At the final trumpet call" the "Tekia Gedolah" It is customary to eat apples dipped in honey on Rosh HaShannah and to dance praise and worship songs. It is a time of joy, we want the king to come, and to come soon. Maybe this year, or...the next. Ben Avraham The Fig Tree and Yeshua Ministries in El Salvador

Numbers 29:1-6 and the "Day of Trumpet Blowing" 29 “‘In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you are to have a holy convocation; do not do any kind of ordinary work; it is a day of blowing the shofar for you. 2 Prepare a burnt offering to make a fragrant aroma for Adonai — one young bull, one ram, and seven male lambs in their first year and without defect — 3 with their grain offering, consisting of fine flour mixed with olive oil — six quarts for the bull, four quarts for the ram, 4 and two quarts for each of the seven lambs — 5 also one male goat as a sin offering to make atonement for you. 6 This is to be in addition to the burnt offering for Rosh-Hodesh with its grain offering, the regular burnt offering with its grain offering, and their drink offerings, according to the rule for them; this will be a fragrant aroma, an offering made by fire to Adonai. In the Messianic Jewish circles, we know this time as "Rosh HaShannah" or "Yom Teruah" (Head of the Year) and (Day of Blowing the trumpet). But is it only for Jews, or for all believers? In Leviticus 23, God is proclaiming these feast days, or days of celebration as "my feasts." They were given to the Children of Israel first, but more were added to the Community of Israel. All believers have been "grafted in" to the Olive Tree. If these are "God's feast days" then they are for ALL who love God and who want to follow His Word. The sacrificial animals in the passage above all are "Shadows" of Messiah Yeshua. They all point to Yeshua/Jesus who gave His life on Calvary's cross and took away the curse of sin and death. The bull symbolizes God as "All-powerful and mighty" as the bull was one of the most powerful animals of the herds in those days. The ram symbolizes the substitute for Isaac when Abraham offered him as a sacrifice on Mt. Moriah. Isaac symbolizes all of us and the ram, our LORD and Savior who took our place. The 7 lambs, "7" is the number of perfection, and the lambs are "The perfect Lamb of God who took away the sins of the world." The grain offering = Yeshua, the Bread of Life; the oil = the Holy Spirit. The male goat reminds us of Yom Kippur, when two goats were presented. One was sacrificed and the other was sent away carrying our sins. This symbolizes "The Lamb of God who took upon the sins of the world and sent away our sins, never to return. The drink offerings consisted of wine, symbolizing the blood of Yeshua. As we can see, these are all the "shadows" of Messiah, who fulfilled them all. The blowing of the trumpet (Israel had silver trumpets) and also the shofar (rams horns and horns of an African antelope, a Kudu) were used during this time. Today we use the rams' horns and antelope horns. The sound of the trumpet is a "wake-up call" to announce "the King is coming. The first 4 feast days (Passover, Unleavened Bread, First Fruits, and Shavuot) were fulfilled in the first coming of Messiah Yeshua. The death of Messiah, who was the unleavened Bread of Life, the First Fruits of resurrection, and the Coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost/Shavuot. The fall feasts are; Yom Teruah or Rosh HaShannah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot or the Feast of Tabernacles. These proclaim the 2nd coming of Messiah, who will come to be crowned King of this earth and all the universe, who gave his life for atonement of our sins, and will come to "tabernacle" among us for One Thousand years and for all eternity. (I guess Yom Kipper can be considered fulfilled at Calvary too). The 4 sounds of the trumpet, and the sounds of "Tekia, Teruah, Shevarim, and Tekia-Gedola" are heard on Rosh HaShannah. They are the "wake-up" call for all to anticipate the second coming of Messiah, a time to cry and sob for our sinfulness and to repent, a time for sadness at the passing of the year, and joy for the coming of this new year. There are two major "new years" in the Bible, Passover marks the month of Nissan, and the "religious" new year. Rosh HaShannah marks the new agricultural year, and the new "calendar year" We are now in the year 5784 (after the creation of the world). Just like in the Gregorian calendar, there is the new solar year, January 1st, there is a "School year" which marks the beginning of school, and probably other "new years" The final trumpet sound "Tekia Gedola" reminds us of when the church will be taken up after the dead in Christ are risen first. We know this as the "rapture" or the "taking away of..." all believers in Messiah; "At the final trumpet call" the "Tekia Gedolah" It is customary to eat apples dipped in honey on Rosh HaShannah and to dance praise and worship songs. It is a time of joy, we want the king to come, and to come soon. Maybe this year, or...the next. Ben Avraham The Fig Tree and Yeshua Ministries in El Salvador

Deuteronomy 29:9-14: "You are standing today, all of you, before the LORD (YHVH) the heads of your tribes, your elders, your officers, all the men of Israel, your children and women, the proselyte who is in the midst of your camp from the hewer of your wood to the drawer of your water, to pass into the covenant of YHVH your Elohim who seals with you today, in order to establish you today as a people to Him........Not with you alone do I seal this covenant, but whoever is here, standing with us today before YHVH, our God, and with whoever is NOT here with us today." The grammar starts out plural (Atem) "you all" or in Texan "Ya'all" but Moses also uses the singular form of you. This is one of his final speeches as he gets ready to die, but before that, elects his successor (Joshua) to lead the people into the Promised Land. What is he saying here? He is saying that the covenant of God is a covenant relationship with ALL people, of ALL types, both genders, all professions, all job descriptions, Adonai does not leave anyone out. All Persons included (plural) to establish "Amekha" (people) as a singular, united people. As ONE nation. If this speech were intended for us, (and it is) it would probably read; "You are standing today, all of you, before God, all you mayors, governors, city council members, sanitation workers, clerks, plumbers, HVAC workers, engineers, lawyers, day-laborers, etc... To enter into covenant with God. The Mosaic covenant was based on obedience to the commandments, God's Torah, but it was also based on blood sacrifices, the blood of clean animals, whose blood "covered" sin for a year, and after Yom Kippur, for another year. All the animals sacrificed were "shadows" of "who" would come in the future to pay the price of sin, once and for all time; Yeshua HaMashiach (Jesus the Christ). No wonder Paul said that the "New Covenant" was a "better" covenant, not based on the blood of animals, but on God's own blood in human form. "standing with US today..." that might include "Elohim" who is the Father, The Son, and the Holy Spirit. and who are those who are NOT there? Were YOU there? I wasn't, and neither were you. We were all in the endless mind of God who had a special plan in time for all of us. NOW is our time, back then was the time for Moses. Entering into a special relationship with God through Yeshua is for ALL people, 24-7. Back then, they looked forward to Calvary, and we look back towards the cross. God saw the faith of those who were with Moses. God sees our faith today and will see the faith of those who will follow us. There is no excuse NOT to enter into a covenant of faith. We have ALL been counted in the Lamb's Book of Life. Deuteronomy 31: 1 "I am 120 years old today, I can no longer go out and come in..." This speech was made on Moses' birthday, whenever that was. The Bible doesn't record exact dates for birthdays, however, we know that Moses was born for a special reason and purpose. God divided his life into 3 parts; the first 40 years, the second 40 years, and the final 40 years. The first 40 were in Egypt as a prince and probably Army commander. Then, for 40 years, he was a shepherd working for Jethro, his father-in-law, (quite a change) from commanding troops to commanding sheep. Then, the final 40 as God's chosen leader to take Israel out of Egypt and lead them to the border of the Promised Land. Imagine that, he "began" his ministry at 80 years of age, before that, he was in training. "Going out and coming in" We might say that in those 40 years, we went "out" to the tent of meeting to intercede before his people, and he "came in" to the camp to convey God's messages. That might be one way we could look at that statement. Yeshua "went out" from Heaven and "came into" our lives to pay the price of sin. As He left "for Heaven" again, he ordered his disciples to go into the world and preach the gospel to all nations. He has left behind leaders, rabbis, pastors, ministers, etc to do HIS Work and teach his WORD. That includes all of us. There will be time when we will celebrate our last birthday in this world, yet continue our existence in the World to Come. Joshua (Yehoshua) or "Yeshua" took the people over the border, Yeshua will also take us over the border from planet Earth to planet Heaven, are you ready for that day? Shalom. Just returned back to El Salvador from a trip to Houston. I like the weather here better. Needed to get some papers for Salvadoran residency, I am here to stay. This Friday starts "Rosh HaShannah" or "Yom Teruah" the day of shofar sounding" get ready, the King is coming! Thessalonians 4:17

Deuteronomy 29:9-14: "You are standing today, all of you, before the LORD (YHVH) the heads of your tribes, your elders, your officers, all the men of Israel, your children and women, the proselyte who is in the midst of your camp from the hewer of your wood to the drawer of your water, to pass into the covenant of YHVH your Elohim who seals with you today, in order to establish you today as a people to Him........Not with you alone do I seal this covenant, but whoever is here, standing with us today before YHVH, our God, and with whoever is NOT here with us today." The grammar starts out plural (Atem) "you all" or in Texan "Ya'all" but Moses also uses the singular form of you. This is one of his final speeches as he gets ready to die, but before that, elects his successor (Joshua) to lead the people into the Promised Land. What is he saying here? He is saying that the covenant of God is a covenant relationship with ALL people, of ALL types, both genders, all professions, all job descriptions, Adonai does not leave anyone out. All Persons included (plural) to establish "Amekha" (people) as a singular, united people. As ONE nation. If this speech were intended for us, (and it is) it would probably read; "You are standing today, all of you, before God, all you mayors, governors, city council members, sanitation workers, clerks, plumbers, HVAC workers, engineers, lawyers, day-laborers, etc... To enter into covenant with God. The Mosaic covenant was based on obedience to the commandments, God's Torah, but it was also based on blood sacrifices, the blood of clean animals, whose blood "covered" sin for a year, and after Yom Kippur, for another year. All the animals sacrificed were "shadows" of "who" would come in the future to pay the price of sin, once and for all time; Yeshua HaMashiach (Jesus the Christ). No wonder Paul said that the "New Covenant" was a "better" covenant, not based on the blood of animals, but on God's own blood in human form. "standing with US today..." that might include "Elohim" who is the Father, The Son, and the Holy Spirit. and who are those who are NOT there? Were YOU there? I wasn't, and neither were you. We were all in the endless mind of God who had a special plan in time for all of us. NOW is our time, back then was the time for Moses. Entering into a special relationship with God through Yeshua is for ALL people, 24-7. Back then, they looked forward to Calvary, and we look back towards the cross. God saw the faith of those who were with Moses. God sees our faith today and will see the faith of those who will follow us. There is no excuse NOT to enter into a covenant of faith. We have ALL been counted in the Lamb's Book of Life. Deuteronomy 31: 1 "I am 120 years old today, I can no longer go out and come in..." This speech was made on Moses' birthday, whenever that was. The Bible doesn't record exact dates for birthdays, however, we know that Moses was born for a special reason and purpose. God divided his life into 3 parts; the first 40 years, the second 40 years, and the final 40 years. The first 40 were in Egypt as a prince and probably Army commander. Then, for 40 years, he was a shepherd working for Jethro, his father-in-law, (quite a change) from commanding troops to commanding sheep. Then, the final 40 as God's chosen leader to take Israel out of Egypt and lead them to the border of the Promised Land. Imagine that, he "began" his ministry at 80 years of age, before that, he was in training. "Going out and coming in" We might say that in those 40 years, we went "out" to the tent of meeting to intercede before his people, and he "came in" to the camp to convey God's messages. That might be one way we could look at that statement. Yeshua "went out" from Heaven and "came into" our lives to pay the price of sin. As He left "for Heaven" again, he ordered his disciples to go into the world and preach the gospel to all nations. He has left behind leaders, rabbis, pastors, ministers, etc to do HIS Work and teach his WORD. That includes all of us. There will be time when we will celebrate our last birthday in this world, yet continue our existence in the World to Come. Joshua (Yehoshua) or "Yeshua" took the people over the border, Yeshua will also take us over the border from planet Earth to planet Heaven, are you ready for that day? Shalom. Just returned back to El Salvador from a trip to Houston. I like the weather here better. Needed to get some papers for Salvadoran residency, I am here to stay. This Friday starts "Rosh HaShannah" or "Yom Teruah" the day of shofar sounding" get ready, the King is coming! Thessalonians 4:17

Thanks for sharing. I have always enjoyed the ministry of writing. I have an eBook out (creative writing, faith themes) leave me a note if you want a free copy

Parashah: Ki Tetze” (when you go out) DEUT 21:10-25:19 There are many "highlights" in these chapters, many commandments that we can look at and perhaps relate them to situations in our modern day and time. In this Parashah we see a lot of common-sense mitzvoth that are for today, and we can also see some mitzvoth that we need to take a good look at to see how we can apply them, perhaps not so much literally, but spiritually and morally. In some cases, both. According to some rabbis, there are about 74 commandments within these 5 chapters, many are still for today. (We need to look at the “big picture”) But I would like to take a look at the first verse that says; “When you go out to war against your enemies…” The word “enemies” in the original Hebrew is “o’y’Veykha” In English, we see two “y” s In Hebrew, those are two “yods” In ancient Hebrew, the “yod” was a “hand”. A hand holds a weapon to fight in a war, such as a knife, sword, spear, bow and arrow, sling, etc. The rabbis of old comment that the reason for two “yods” is that we fight against two kinds of enemies, the enemy from without, meaning another person who wishes to do us harm, or harm our families, or fight against our country, and the enemy from within, meaning the “Yetzer Hara” the sin nature, perhaps even bodily diseases. Since we all have that sin nature, it is a constant fight against the enemy inside, and only through the Holy Spirit can we put it underfoot. Like the meaning of the word; “Tzadik” (one who hunts or controls his monkey) the “monkey” being the sin nature. Verse 10 talks about taking a captive woman from the enemy and making her your wife. Well, I wouldn’t recommend that very much, you might end up with your throat cut when you are sleeping. In Biblical times an Israelite soldier had the right to take a woman who was from an enemy city, once captive, and make her his wife if he chose to do so. We might ask ourselves why? Well, the soldier just might like the way she looks, but what is the “bigger picture?” The Israelite soldier shows the captive woman “compassion”. She has lost her family, her city is in ruins, and her “gods” have abandoned her. All she has now is this “soldier” who is from the nation of Israel who has brought her to his camp, his tent, and to his “One God”. Soon she will see the difference between the false gods she left behind and the one and only God; Adonai-Elohim. Perhaps she was ill-treated in her city. But here she is shown compassion. She is allowed to mourn her loss, and in time, she will learn about Adonai and perhaps even love her Israelite husband. At first, it seems to be a bad thing, but in time, it turns into a good thing. This also can be a situation with our own wives, when things happen and she is having a bad day, depressed, something has happened at work, or a family member has passed away, etc...It is up to the husband to be kind and considerate, and give her some space and just "be there" for her. Looking at this from another standpoint, we were at once a time in the enemy’s camp. We were in the camp of HaSatan, and our “bridegroom” (Yeshua) paid the price of ransom and bought our freedom with his own blood. Now he takes us “his bride” to his encampment. All believers are part of the “bride of Messiah” Baruch HaShem! And we will be HIS OWN for all eternity. Vs 18 talks about the “wayward son” in that, if he is rebellious and defiant, refusing correction, his parents have the right to take him to the “shoftim” (judges) and they would order him to be stoned. Rebellion had a death sentence connected to it. We never read in scripture that this actually happened, but it was still written down as a commandment “in case” family rebellion occurred. Try to stone a rebellious child today and you will definitely be standing before the man! (and off to prison you will go). If, as parents, we train up a child in God’s Word, and read him or her Bible stories instead of fairy tales about ghosts and Boogiemen, then, when the child grows into a youth, he or she will have a solid foundation before him/her. It is not about being stoned with rocks, it is all about following the ROCK of ages! Vs 22: Those who have received the death penalty could not be left “hanging around” from either a rope, a cross, or a stake. They had to be taken down and buried. In ancient times, a person who received the death penalty many times was displayed to the public, hanging from a rope for all to see. The dead person was taken and left hanging but had to be taken down and buried before the end of the day. Yeshua was taken down from the cross and buried in a tomb. We see many crucifixes today with Yeshua still on them, the fact is that he did NOT remain on the cross, but was buried and arose on the third day. We worship a risen Savior and not one who is still on the cross It is also good to mention the verse: "Cursed is all who hang on the tree" (Galatians 3:13; Deut 21:22) Yeshua received the curse of sin, and bore the curse for us all. Remember that the cross was made from wood, which came from a tree. Chap 22; 1-4. To help someone find a lost item is a big mitzvah, being the item a lost animal such as a dog or a cat, or a wallet, important papers, etc. Unfortunately, we live in an age of worldly materialism. The ideology is “Finders keepers losers’ weepers.” That is the philosophy of the lost world, not born-again believers. If one finds a wallet with money inside, and there is an ID, we must return it to the person, money intact! Not minus the cash. Taking the cash and returning the wallet empty just makes one a thief’ Vs 5; “A woman must not put on a man’s apparel, not a man, woman’s clothing” In Biblical times, clothing was generally the same; long, flowing tunics tied with a cloth or leather belt or sash and on the feet, sandals. There was, however, a difference between men’s and women’s tunics, perhaps in the material, color, and design being used. Today we see “unisex” clothing such as blue jeans, but even in blue jeans, there are “women’s” jeans. A man had better not put on a skirt unless he’s a Scotsman with a kilt and bagpipes. Let us abide by this commandment. Anyway, a woman looks better in a dress than in pants. (my opinion only). Vs 8; Common sense tells us that when we build a roof, and it is the type of roof where one can go up and sit down and enjoy the coolness of the evenings, one must build a fence or a wall that surrounds the roof, to keep one from falling off in case one gets too close to the edge. The Torah can be like a roof and the commandments the fence that surrounds the roof, they keep us from “falling off into sin” Vs 9; Prohibition of mixing seed, wool, and linen, mixing work animals. These all can be considered “unequally yoked” as an ox is stronger than an ass. It tends to pull stronger and the ass will just slow it down causing undue strain on both animals. Such is an unequally yoked marriage, it strains both parties and causes undue stress and tension. Mixed seeds will take out more chemicals from the soil leaving the soil useless. Wool will shrink in the hot wash and linen will not. Wool comes from an animal (sheep) and linen comes from a plant (cotton). A garment made with both wool and linen will be ruined and will be pulled apart. An unequally yoked marriage or even business partners will “pull apart” when put in “hot water” if you get my drift. Mixing a believer with a non-believer will bring on different goals, ideas, philosophies, mannerisms, etc. One will serve God the other will serve the world. The Torah makes a difference between “Kadosh” and “Non-Kadosh” the holy and the unholy. Vs 12: “You shall make Tzitziot (tassels) on the four corners of your garments” This is still for today and speaks about our relationship with Messiah Yeshua, our relationship with the Torah and the commandments. It also connects us with our Jewish culture. The number of windings and the blue thread is 7,8,11, and 13 which are significant. (7+8=15) (Yod + Hey) and 11 (Vav=6, and Hey = 5) YHVH and “Echad” (ONE in unity) (13) Chapter 24 addresses divorce, if a woman is found in “uncleanness” as some texts state, the man can divorce her. This word is connected to “nudity” and could even go as far as saying, the husband finds the wife nude with another man, (adultery) the word in Hebrew is “Ervat” (uncleanness) yet Yeshua teaches that forgiveness is more important than “putting away the wife” but…the exception remains “adultery” yet even this can be forgiven, marriage is important, and Satan will do everything in his power to destroy marriages. 24:14 “You shall not abuse a needy and destitute laborer, whether a fellow countryman or a STRANGER (foreigner) in one of the communities of your land” Very important to know, that ALL workers, including immigrants, with or without work visas, should be respected, helped, and not HARRASSED! Hello!! The USA was founded by immigrants, Let’s do our best to pray for them, respect them, and help them. Verse 17 says; “You shall NOT subvert the RIGHTS of the stranger…” Every immigrant has the right to the “pursuit of happiness and well-being in this country called the US of A. If the immigrant is an unrepentant criminal, that is a different story. The chapter also talks about the farmer and his crops. He should let the needy take what they need and not consider it stealing. We should not look at everything with $ in mind, we should share the blessings that the LORD has given us and share them with others. 25:4; “You shall not muzzle an ox while it is threshing.” In other words, every employee has the right to his or her lunch break. The ox can work and eat at the same time since its work is demanding. 25:5-10 talks about the “Levirate marriage” when a man dies and leaves no sons, the man’s brother (if single) must marry the man’s widow so as to raise up children. Well, would this be a good thing today? There are some who would say yes, and others would say no. I’ll let you decide, If I were single and, in that situation, if I wasn’t going with anyone, well…. maybe I’d go for it, why not? (especially if she was pretty). I guess it would be good because the marriage is kept within the family. 25:13 talks about “diverse weights” very important to conduct “honest business transactions” not crooked and unfair. Unfortunately, we live in a world of greed and there are people out there, scammers, that want to get over on you. Be careful, especially on the Net. We are approaching the "High Holy Days." We need to be in a state of repentance, and of "returning to God" and making amends if we have offended others. Shalom. (I'll be out of the country for two weeks, I'll be back on September 12th) Ben Avraham

Parashah: Ki Tetze” (when you go out) DEUT 21:10-25:19 There are many "highlights" in these chapters, many commandments that we can look at and perhaps relate them to situations in our modern day and time. In this Parashah we see a lot of common-sense mitzvoth that are for today, and we can also see some mitzvoth that we need to take a good look at to see how we can apply them, perhaps not so much literally, but spiritually and morally. In some cases, both. According to some rabbis, there are about 74 commandments within these 5 chapters, many are still for today. (We need to look at the “big picture”) But I would like to take a look at the first verse that says; “When you go out to war against your enemies…” The word “enemies” in the original Hebrew is “o’y’Veykha” In English, we see two “y” s In Hebrew, those are two “yods” In ancient Hebrew, the “yod” was a “hand”. A hand holds a weapon to fight in a war, such as a knife, sword, spear, bow and arrow, sling, etc. The rabbis of old comment that the reason for two “yods” is that we fight against two kinds of enemies, the enemy from without, meaning another person who wishes to do us harm, or harm our families, or fight against our country, and the enemy from within, meaning the “Yetzer Hara” the sin nature, perhaps even bodily diseases. Since we all have that sin nature, it is a constant fight against the enemy inside, and only through the Holy Spirit can we put it underfoot. Like the meaning of the word; “Tzadik” (one who hunts or controls his monkey) the “monkey” being the sin nature. Verse 10 talks about taking a captive woman from the enemy and making her your wife. Well, I wouldn’t recommend that very much, you might end up with your throat cut when you are sleeping. In Biblical times an Israelite soldier had the right to take a woman who was from an enemy city, once captive, and make her his wife if he chose to do so. We might ask ourselves why? Well, the soldier just might like the way she looks, but what is the “bigger picture?” The Israelite soldier shows the captive woman “compassion”. She has lost her family, her city is in ruins, and her “gods” have abandoned her. All she has now is this “soldier” who is from the nation of Israel who has brought her to his camp, his tent, and to his “One God”. Soon she will see the difference between the false gods she left behind and the one and only God; Adonai-Elohim. Perhaps she was ill-treated in her city. But here she is shown compassion. She is allowed to mourn her loss, and in time, she will learn about Adonai and perhaps even love her Israelite husband. At first, it seems to be a bad thing, but in time, it turns into a good thing. This also can be a situation with our own wives, when things happen and she is having a bad day, depressed, something has happened at work, or a family member has passed away, etc...It is up to the husband to be kind and considerate, and give her some space and just "be there" for her. Looking at this from another standpoint, we were at once a time in the enemy’s camp. We were in the camp of HaSatan, and our “bridegroom” (Yeshua) paid the price of ransom and bought our freedom with his own blood. Now he takes us “his bride” to his encampment. All believers are part of the “bride of Messiah” Baruch HaShem! And we will be HIS OWN for all eternity. Vs 18 talks about the “wayward son” in that, if he is rebellious and defiant, refusing correction, his parents have the right to take him to the “shoftim” (judges) and they would order him to be stoned. Rebellion had a death sentence connected to it. We never read in scripture that this actually happened, but it was still written down as a commandment “in case” family rebellion occurred. Try to stone a rebellious child today and you will definitely be standing before the man! (and off to prison you will go). If, as parents, we train up a child in God’s Word, and read him or her Bible stories instead of fairy tales about ghosts and Boogiemen, then, when the child grows into a youth, he or she will have a solid foundation before him/her. It is not about being stoned with rocks, it is all about following the ROCK of ages! Vs 22: Those who have received the death penalty could not be left “hanging around” from either a rope, a cross, or a stake. They had to be taken down and buried. In ancient times, a person who received the death penalty many times was displayed to the public, hanging from a rope for all to see. The dead person was taken and left hanging but had to be taken down and buried before the end of the day. Yeshua was taken down from the cross and buried in a tomb. We see many crucifixes today with Yeshua still on them, the fact is that he did NOT remain on the cross, but was buried and arose on the third day. We worship a risen Savior and not one who is still on the cross It is also good to mention the verse: "Cursed is all who hang on the tree" (Galatians 3:13; Deut 21:22) Yeshua received the curse of sin, and bore the curse for us all. Remember that the cross was made from wood, which came from a tree. Chap 22; 1-4. To help someone find a lost item is a big mitzvah, being the item a lost animal such as a dog or a cat, or a wallet, important papers, etc. Unfortunately, we live in an age of worldly materialism. The ideology is “Finders keepers losers’ weepers.” That is the philosophy of the lost world, not born-again believers. If one finds a wallet with money inside, and there is an ID, we must return it to the person, money intact! Not minus the cash. Taking the cash and returning the wallet empty just makes one a thief’ Vs 5; “A woman must not put on a man’s apparel, not a man, woman’s clothing” In Biblical times, clothing was generally the same; long, flowing tunics tied with a cloth or leather belt or sash and on the feet, sandals. There was, however, a difference between men’s and women’s tunics, perhaps in the material, color, and design being used. Today we see “unisex” clothing such as blue jeans, but even in blue jeans, there are “women’s” jeans. A man had better not put on a skirt unless he’s a Scotsman with a kilt and bagpipes. Let us abide by this commandment. Anyway, a woman looks better in a dress than in pants. (my opinion only). Vs 8; Common sense tells us that when we build a roof, and it is the type of roof where one can go up and sit down and enjoy the coolness of the evenings, one must build a fence or a wall that surrounds the roof, to keep one from falling off in case one gets too close to the edge. The Torah can be like a roof and the commandments the fence that surrounds the roof, they keep us from “falling off into sin” Vs 9; Prohibition of mixing seed, wool, and linen, mixing work animals. These all can be considered “unequally yoked” as an ox is stronger than an ass. It tends to pull stronger and the ass will just slow it down causing undue strain on both animals. Such is an unequally yoked marriage, it strains both parties and causes undue stress and tension. Mixed seeds will take out more chemicals from the soil leaving the soil useless. Wool will shrink in the hot wash and linen will not. Wool comes from an animal (sheep) and linen comes from a plant (cotton). A garment made with both wool and linen will be ruined and will be pulled apart. An unequally yoked marriage or even business partners will “pull apart” when put in “hot water” if you get my drift. Mixing a believer with a non-believer will bring on different goals, ideas, philosophies, mannerisms, etc. One will serve God the other will serve the world. The Torah makes a difference between “Kadosh” and “Non-Kadosh” the holy and the unholy. Vs 12: “You shall make Tzitziot (tassels) on the four corners of your garments” This is still for today and speaks about our relationship with Messiah Yeshua, our relationship with the Torah and the commandments. It also connects us with our Jewish culture. The number of windings and the blue thread is 7,8,11, and 13 which are significant. (7+8=15) (Yod + Hey) and 11 (Vav=6, and Hey = 5) YHVH and “Echad” (ONE in unity) (13) Chapter 24 addresses divorce, if a woman is found in “uncleanness” as some texts state, the man can divorce her. This word is connected to “nudity” and could even go as far as saying, the husband finds the wife nude with another man, (adultery) the word in Hebrew is “Ervat” (uncleanness) yet Yeshua teaches that forgiveness is more important than “putting away the wife” but…the exception remains “adultery” yet even this can be forgiven, marriage is important, and Satan will do everything in his power to destroy marriages. 24:14 “You shall not abuse a needy and destitute laborer, whether a fellow countryman or a STRANGER (foreigner) in one of the communities of your land” Very important to know, that ALL workers, including immigrants, with or without work visas, should be respected, helped, and not HARRASSED! Hello!! The USA was founded by immigrants, Let’s do our best to pray for them, respect them, and help them. Verse 17 says; “You shall NOT subvert the RIGHTS of the stranger…” Every immigrant has the right to the “pursuit of happiness and well-being in this country called the US of A. If the immigrant is an unrepentant criminal, that is a different story. The chapter also talks about the farmer and his crops. He should let the needy take what they need and not consider it stealing. We should not look at everything with $ in mind, we should share the blessings that the LORD has given us and share them with others. 25:4; “You shall not muzzle an ox while it is threshing.” In other words, every employee has the right to his or her lunch break. The ox can work and eat at the same time since its work is demanding. 25:5-10 talks about the “Levirate marriage” when a man dies and leaves no sons, the man’s brother (if single) must marry the man’s widow so as to raise up children. Well, would this be a good thing today? There are some who would say yes, and others would say no. I’ll let you decide, If I were single and, in that situation, if I wasn’t going with anyone, well…. maybe I’d go for it, why not? (especially if she was pretty). I guess it would be good because the marriage is kept within the family. 25:13 talks about “diverse weights” very important to conduct “honest business transactions” not crooked and unfair. Unfortunately, we live in a world of greed and there are people out there, scammers, that want to get over on you. Be careful, especially on the Net. We are approaching the "High Holy Days." We need to be in a state of repentance, and of "returning to God" and making amends if we have offended others. Shalom. (I'll be out of the country for two weeks, I'll be back on September 12th) Ben Avraham

ISAIAH 51:12-52:12 The prophet speaks through the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) “Therefore, my people shall know MY NAME…..” one thing is to know about God, the other is to KNOW HIM, and “HIS NAME” but we know that God has many names and titles, But his Most Holy Name is Y H V H (Yod Hey Vav Hey) The one who WAS, IS, and WILL BE, whose letters, in the ancient Hebrew, symbolize “Behold the nail, behold the hand” whose name is also YESHUAH which means SALVATION. ” How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger of good tidings, who announces “shalom” who announces YESHUAH (salvation), and who announces “God Rules!” This is the message that every born-again believer should be concerned with. When we talk to people about God, the message is that “YHVH is alive and well, and that He Rules in the hearts of all who come to him through YESHUA and that through YESHUA we get YESHUAH and SHALOM in our lives. ” YHVH hath made bare His HOLY ARM, in the eyes of ALL NATIONS, and all the ends of the earth shalt see the YESHUAH of our God” 2000 years ago, Adonai made bare his HOLY ARM in the person of Yeshua HaMashiach. The word "Arm" in "Holy Arm" is the Hebrew word "Zeroah" which always means the "upper arm", this is where the muscle and strength are. In the ancient sacrifices, it was the "upper arm and shoulder" of the animals which were given to the Levites and priests to eat, after being offered up to Adonai. Before the coming of Yeshua, the presence of God was revealed by fire, a cloud, and the Shekinah glory. The "humanity" of God was hidden, until "Yeshua" came (The Zeroah Kadosh) "God in the flesh." Yeshua walked on this earth, taught the truths of the Torah, healed the sick, raised the dead, and took upon himself all of our sins, the name YAH which is a short form of YAHWEH is spelled with only two Hebrew letters, the YOD, and the HEY, which symbolize “Behold the Arm (or hand) so…YeshuAH has the Y and the H, Salvation is for ALL THE NATIONS, for those who will put their trust in the Messiah Yeshua. One day, ALL the Nations will SEE YESHUA, in the flesh, and HE WILL REIGN! Baruch HaShem! JOHN 11:1-57 This is the story about “Elazar” (Lazarus) who died and was resurrected. We see that Miryam sends word to Yeshua that Elazar, her brother is sick and dying, yet Yeshua tarries, and does not rush to heal Elazar, he waits until he is finally dead, and then, 4 days later, he shows up. He could have arrived in time to heal him, yet he waits! But why? To understand, we need to understand one of the Jewish mindsets of that time. It was believed back then that when a person died, his or her soul left the body, yet stayed near the body for three days, on the fourth day, it left and descended to Sheol, It was believed that after 4 days, only the MESSIAH could resurrect a person, even from the pit of Sheol. When He called out “Elazar, come forth” he did come out of the tomb. As believers, we all look forward to the resurrection of our bodies, when we die, our bodies will be buried, yet WE will be in the presence of the LORD. Our bodies will be transformed into incorruptible bodies, which will join our souls in Heaven. Rav Shaul said, “To be absent from the body is to be in the presence of the LORD” which means, either we are in our bodies, or we are in heaven with the LORD, how else could one interpret that verse? So, take heart, we have “x” number of years to live here on earth, yet, the earth is not our permanent home, our home is in the New Jerusalem, where we will live…well…time is not a factor…FOREVER….is! MATT 7:1-3 “Judge Not lest ye be judged,” I thought I might add this verse since many people misinterpret this verse by saying; “Well, there are judges, and their job is to render decisions and even dictate prison sentences, why does it say that we should not judge?” The type of “judgment” that is being mentioned is “final condemnation” or “pre-judging” a person without knowing all the facts. We might talk to a person, or invite the person to church or synagogue. That person might come twice and then, not return, maybe two shabbats or Sundays, that person might be absent. It would be wrong to say; “So-and-so really didn’t accept Yeshua, where is he (or she)? That person isn’t here, so, that person was not really serious, watch out “so-and-so” You’re on your way to hell!” That person might be sick or had to work, we don’t know the situation. We should not “judge” that person in that way, with a condemning attitude, rather call or visit the person and find out if he or she needs help or what the case could be. Is the car working? Does the person need a ride? Careful that we do not condemn, because we will be “judged” by Adonai in the same way we might “condemn” another person. Let us reach out to the person and offer to advise from the Torah in a loving way if the person is erring, we should “correct” the person according to scripture, privately and in love, and never in a “condemning” fashion. Remember that we will ALL face our righteous “shofet” one day... LUKE 24: 27 This talks about Yeshua walking with two believers on the way to Emmaus, yet they did not realize it was Him. "Don't you realize what has happened? This Yeshua was crucified in Jerusalem, and..." Yet Yeshua speaks up and says; "Didn't the Messiah have to die like this before entering his glory?" and he began to explain the prophecies about Mashiach, starting with Moses and going through all the prophets. Moshe himself spoke about the Messiah in Deuteronomy 18:15 "The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your countrymen, you shall listen to him." Yeshua probably mentioned this verse. The "Arm of the LORD" revealed, a fellow Jew, born in Beit-Lechem (Bethlehem) the "House of Bread" from which the "Bread of Life" came. He came to fulfill all prophecies including Isaiah 52 and 53. He is the "Netzer" (branch) that rose from the House of David. The name "Nazereth" has the root "Netzer" Shalom, have a good and godly week. Coconuts, palm branches, and ocean waves; San Luis Talpa, El Salvador