Purim

Click here to read about Purim.

Until next time... Shalom!

Chanukah

Chanukah was not always celebrated in the way that we know it today with its giving of gifts and all of its lights. In fact, it was believed that the rabbi’s did not want to celebrate something that was commemorating a military victory. This thought eventually changed sometime well into the Talmudic times during the 5th century. At first, the giving of gifts were nothing more than gelt (Yiddish for money). It was not until the Jewish people got closer with the Christians that the giving of money became the giving of gifts learned from their Christmas holiday.

The word Chanukah in Hebrew means, dedication. It was on the 25th day of the Hebrew month of Kislev (usually falls in December - click here for dates), that the temple was rededicated. This holiday, though considered one of the minor ones, is also known as the Festival of Dedication, or Festival of Lights. It is to be a very joyous and happy holiday. Even, fasting and mourning are not allowed during this holiday season.

The History
The story of Chanukah comes from the book of I Maccabees 1-4. It starts with Antiochus Epiphanes, or as some have known him Antiochus the Illustrious, coming into power. He became king in 175 B.C. over Syria, which is a city in Antioch, and he was a very greedy man for both power and wealth. In order to keep people in unity with him, he would persuade them with gold and riches.

After taking over Egypt he then came against Jerusalem with a very strong force. Noticing the way that the Jews lived he did not hate them as a people, just their beliefs, and he wanted all of them to believe like him. Yet there were two groups of Jewish thought. Those that lived and thought like the Greeks were known as Hellenists, and those who held firm to their Jewish ways of life were known as the Hasidim. When Anitochus came along it was no too hard for him to convince the Jewish people to become Hellenistic because of their fear of him.

On the 15th of Kislev in 167 B.C., Antiochus started desecrating the temple and all of its Jewish religious associations by burning Torah scrolls and selling any gold items such as menorahs. In the middle of the temple he placed a large statute of Zeus on the altar. Then on the 25th of Kislev he offered the flesh of pigs to it. The Jews were told that they could not celebrate the Sabbath anymore or be circumcised. Young male boys were forced to run naked in sports events which was was common at that time. Anyone caught going against his decrees would be put to death.

Just outside of Jerusalem in the small town of Modin, there was a man there by the name of Mattathias who had five sons. He was a well respected man and was not willing to give into the ways of the king. One day while Mattathias was in the market one of the hellenistic townspeople sacrificed to Zeus. Anger rose up in Mattathias and he killed him and one of the king's guards, as well as, tore down the altar. Then Mattathias and his 5 sons fled to the hills knowing that they were no longer safe there. As well as some others who were for the Lord fled with them. The place that they fled to not only became their new home, but it was there training ground as well. They even learned how to creep upon the Syrians at night without being seen.

Shortly after this Mattathias died, but before his death he appointed his son Judah, who was warlike ever since a child, to be his successor. And he not only became their new leader, but he also was like a lion in action.

In time his army had grown, they were still smaller than the armies of Antiochus’ men. They would attack either in the daytime or nighttime, and sing praises to God for their victories. Antiochus made different attempts battling against Judah thinking that eventually these men would tire, and that the defeat would be theirs. BUT, when God is on your side, you always know that you have the victory, and as a result Judah and his men defeated Antiochus and his men in 168 B.C. On the 25th of Kislev they rededicated the temple the same day that Antiochus' men had desecrated it. There was much rejoicing with songs, harps, lyres and cymbals, with sacrifices all for 8 days. That Judas, his brothers and all of the congregation of Israel decreed to observe the rededication for 8 days ever year.

As such because of his defeats he was known as Judah the Maccabee. The word Maccabee actually was an acrostic formed from the words that translated to Who among the mighty is like Thee, O God? There are two thoughts on the actual translation or meaning of the name Maccabee. Some thought that it was a war cry against the Syrian-Greeks, or most widely accepted belief is that meant Hammer.

Celebrating
In the book of Maccabees no where does it mention that they found a small cruse of oil which lasted for 8 days. Instead the story talks about how they rededicated the temple and made all new items for it where it had been desecrated (1Maccabees 4:36-51). Judas, his brothers, and all the congregation of Israel decreed that every year starting on the 25th of Kislev that they should celebrate for 8 days the rededication of the temple.

The Menorah
The rabbis felt that this 8 day celebration came about because of a small cruse of oil that was found and should not have lasted more than a day. However, the big miracle of this was that it lasted for 8 days. Since I cannot find this anywhere I see this as a myth and not truth, but that does not stop me from enjoying the holiday. Yet, do not take my word for it instead read the book for yourself.

The candles should be burnt commemorating the miracle that had taken place. In the temple the original menorah used a seven-branched candelabra versus the nine-branched used today for Chanukah. Both menorahs have a center candle called Shamash, meaning either caretaker or servant, which is used to light the other candles. It is placed a little higher than the rest of the candles to show that it not part of the other ones. The other eight candles are considered as the primary candles, and are placed from right to left since Hebrew is read from right to left. Then candles are lit from the left to right because the newest candle is always lit first. This is a practice that is generally followed as a tradition because God is omnipresent.

The practice of why we burn one additional candle each night is because of the sage Hillel. He felt that from a view of holiness it was better to increase, where another sage, Shammai, thought that we should decrease one candle each night.

What We Eat
Generally on this holiday foods fried in oil are eaten, for obvious reasons, since the oil is symbolic of the miracle. Some of these foods are doughnuts and potato latkes (these are potatoes made like pancakes).

Another food is a cheese dish. This is from the book of Judith also found in the Apocrypha. She had fed cheese to the general of Nebuchadnezzar’s army, and as a result he became very thirst. So Judith gave him large amounts of wine, and became very drunk until he passed out. Then while he was asleep she beheaded him, and as a result the when his armies found out what happened they all fled in fear.

Goose, or any of fowl with lots of fat, such as duck, are eaten. Originally it was the fat of these birds that was used in preparing the oily foods like the potato latkes.

The Dreidel
The exact origin of the dreidel seems uncertain. One thought is that the Jews that who rebelled against Antiochus posted children outside playing with the dreidels while they stayed inside to study the Torah. If someone were to come along the kids were there to warn them of it. Another thought was that the Jews who imprisoned for studying the torah would play with them to help pass their time.

The letters on the dreidel stand for A great miracle happened there.

Playing the Dreidel Game
On Chanukah there are different games that can be played. A contest to see who can spin their dreidel the longest, or who can get the most dreidels spinning simultaneously. The most common dreidel game is played with 2 or more people (fun for all ages). It is generally played with Chanuakah gelt (chocolate wrapped in aluminum shaped and designed like coins) and all players start by putting something into the pot. Then taking turns spinning the dreidel the outcomes are as follows:

The player who gets everyone's gelt first is the winner.

Conclusion
We see in Judaism that there are two holidays that have their secular counterfeit (Passover - Easter and Chanukah - Christmas). We also see that in both the secular and the Jewish holidays they both have their traditions and themes that have been added to or taken away from it over time. Yet they all have one thing in common, Yeshua.

How is that you ask? With Passover He is all through it with being the bread of life(John 6:48) with the unleavened bread(matzah). He died and rose again on the third day, and on the third cup the matzah appears which represents Him. In Chanukah He is the light of the world, plus He is the Shamash coming to pass His light on to all men (John 1:4). All things are possible with God only and not our intentions or anyone else's.

Unitl next time shalom.

The Jewish New Year

This festival is a very unique one because it is also known as the Jewish New Year and the Feast of Trumpets.  It is also the only holiday that falls on the first day of the month celebrated along with the monthly festival of Rosh Chodesh (head of the month, also known as celebration of the new moon).

In Leviticus 23:24 in the NKJV it states: "...In the seventh month [Tishri], on the first day of the month you shall have a sabbath-rest, a memorial of blowing trumpets, a holy convocation."   Also Numbers 29:1 calls it a "...day of blowing the trumpets.”  Yet, how can the authors state this when we already said that the word trumpets does not exist in the Hebrew?  The Hebrew word t’ruah means an acclamation of joy or a battle cry especially with trumpets as an alarm. The basic idea is to be noisy, and the root word for this means to be ear splitting loud, or excessively noisy.

Well that is great, but how do we get that this is also the Jewish New Year?  Before 70 A.D., when the 2nd temple was destroyed, on this same day was the civil celebration of the Jewish New Year also known as as Rosh Hashanah (Head of the Year).   After the destruction of the temple the two feasts become one.  That is why there is more than one name for this feast.

It also mentions in Leviticus and Numbers that it is to be a holy (kodesh) convocation (mikrah), a calling together for a meeting as an assembly. The root meaning is to call together for an event or a reading such as from a scroll, or as the KJV describes it, a dress rehearsal.  It also states in both books that it is to be a Sabbath-rest, a memorial (remembrance) of blowing the trumpets a day for no customary work.

According to rabbinic tradition, this feast is to last for two days rather than one day as told in the scriptures.  The purpose of this was so that those living in the outlying areas (diaspora) they could have a chance to celebrate it as well.

So what is the big deal about this festival.  On this special day the shofar is blown 100 times.  Some of the reasons as to why it is blown:

1. Symbol of revelation (Exodus 19:16, 19) – we are reminded of the awesome power of God and the shofar blasts on Mt. Sinai 
2. Symbol of God’s coronation (Psalm 98:6) – It is a reaffirming and sovereignty of God’s kingship over us 
3. Symbol of the binding of Isaac (Genesis 22) – when the ram became the sacrifice for Jacob 
4. Symbol of humankind’s need for repentance (Genesis 3:9) – it is to remind us to confront the sin within us, just as God confronted Adam
5. Symbol of the Messianic Age (Isaiah 27:13) – when the Messiah will redeem us and the “…great trumpet will be blown.” 

The rabbi's also stated that if the shofar is not blown that evil will befall us.  How much more should we as believers know the power behind the shofar.

In the evening of the first night the candles are lit, and some family members will take a piece of challah, or apple and dip it in honey and say a short pray asking God for a “good and sweet year.”  With the challot (plural for challah) it is either made as a round loaf to represent a “good well rounded year”, or in the shape of a ladder to represent one’s year toward God.

To be continued...

Calendar

	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013
	5069	5070	5071	5072	5073
Purim	Mar 10	Feb 28	Mar 20	May 8	Feb 24
Passover	Apr 9	Mar 30	Apr 19	Apr 7	Mar 26
Shavuot	May 29	May 19	Jun 8	May 27	May 15
Rosh Hashanah	Sep 19	Sep 9	Sep 29	Sep 17	Sep 5
Yom Kippur	Sep 28	Sep 18	Oct 8	Sep 26	Sep 14
Sukkot	Oct 3	Sep 23	Oct 13	Oct 1	Sep 19
Chanukah	Dec 12	Dec 2	Dec 21	Dec 9	Nov 28

The 9th of Av

The month of Av is the 5th month in the Biblical calendar, and falls either in the 11th or 12th month* of the civil calendar. It is not a month that most Jewish people look forward to because so many bad things have happened to them, especially on the the 9th day. This is a Biblical event, but rather one of the minor holidays instituted by the Rabbi's.

Tisha b’Av (Hebrew for 9th of Av) mainly commemorates the destruction of the two temples. The first being Solomon’s which was destroyed in 586 BC, and the second in 70 AD. The mourning over this actually starts 3 weeks earlier on the 17th day of Tammuz because this is when battering rams broke through the wall of the first temple before being fully destroyed. During this three-week period there are to be no weddings, haircuts including shaving, nor is music to be played. It is also customary to refrain from eating meat or drinking wine, except on the Sabbath. On the 9th of Av the fasting becomes more intense with no eating or drinking until the nightfall of the following evening, no kind of pleasure is allowed even wearing your favorite perfume or cologne. No bathing or washing, and no wearing of leather shoes since this is considered to be comfortable and is considered a sign of enjoyment. Any other type of material for a shoe is acceptable since leather is generally equated with luxury. People will even sit in a chair or bench no higher than 12inches barefooted. In the synagogues the ark, or cabinet, where the torah is kept is draped in black. Even the book of lamentations is read. According to the Rabbi's this holiday is considered the second most important fast next to Yom Kippur.

Other events that happened on this day:

• According to the Mishnah (Ta'an 4:6) & Numbers 14 after the Israelites arrived at Kadesh-Barnea and lacking the faith to enter the Promised Land. God decreed that this particular generation would never enter His Land.
• 135 AD marks the fall of the last Jewish stronghold during the Bar Kochba rebellion against Rome, where over 100,000 Jews were slaughtered.
• 136 AD the Roman Emperor Hadrian established the heathen temple to Jupiter on the site of the Jewish Temple and rebuilt Jerusalem as a pagan city named Aelia Capitolina, and renamed the land as Palestina, to distance its Jewish heritage.
• 1190 AD the anti-Jewish riots and the mass suicide of the Jews in York, England.
• 1290 AD King Edward I signed the edict compelling the Jews to leave England.
• 1305 AD the Arabs began their riots in the city of Jerusalem which resulted in great tragedy, including the Jewish massacre in Hebron.
• March 31, 1492 the Spanish monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella issued a royal decree that all Jews must leave the Spanish territories within four months. If they were found in Spain after this period they were to be killed. This deadline was later postponed to August 3rd. Boarding their ships before the deadline, at midnight August 2nd, Columbus and his crew set sail at dawn.
• In 1942 the first killings started at Treblinka “The first transport of deportees left Malkinia on July 23, 1942, in the morning hours. It was loaded with Jews from the Warsaw ghetto.
• On August 14th, 2005, Israelites prepare to move from their homes in the Gaza strip the very next day. It is put off one day because of the outcry of the people for all of the bad things that have happened on this day.

Dates for Tisha b'Av:

• July 29, 2009 - July 30, 2009
• July 19, 2010 - July 20, 2010
• August 8, 2011 - August 9, 2011
• July 27, 2012 - July 28, 2012
• July 15, 2013 - July 16, 2013

So until next time... Shalom!

* = A second month of Adar is added in to help offset the Jewish calendar making it 13 months long every few months. This is done because the Jewish calendar is lunar based and not solar based like the standard Gregorian calendar.

The Book of Esther

The next Jewish holiday this calendar year is Purim and it is considered a minor holiday. it is a very festive time for kids of all ages to enjoy. The entire book of Esther (Hadassah in Hebrew meaning myrtle, but her Persian name is Esther-derived after the goddess Ishtar where the name Easter comes from) is read from a scroll known in Hebrew as megillah (a small scroll of parchment on one roller). As the story is read, at every mention of the name of Haman people start booing and making noises with groggers or anything else just to drown out his name. The reason for this comes from Exodus 17:14 where it reads: “…I will utterly blot out the remembrance of the Amalek from under heaven.” Haman’s descendants were believed to be of the Amalekites.

The Story
In the story Haman cast his pur, or lot, to determine on which day the Jewish massacre was to take place. This is where we get the name Purim (Esther 9:18-28) because it is the plural form of pur meaning lots.

The festival occurs on the 14th of Adar, which usually occurs around February-March.  In Jerusalem it is celebrated on the 15th of Adar. This is because the story takes place in the walled city of Shushan, located in Persia, and according to the Mishna (Megilla 1:1) all walled cities are to celebrate it on this day instead. This is why the day after Purim. When there is a leap year, there is a second month of Adar added to the calendar and the Purim is always celebrated in the second month of Adar.

The main event of the story is set in Persia no earlier than 465BC. The story recounts how a seemingly unrelated series of events spun together to save the Jewish people from annihilation. This was all because of Esther’s bravery and faith to speak before the king to save her own people.

God's Hand
Esther is the only book in the Bible where the name of God is never mentioned. Yet, we see His hand working through the entire book, as Mordecai (Esther's Uncle) believes God till the very end. If we look at the Hebrew the name of God is found in four places as an acrostic. Two of these occurrences are written backward in 1:20 and 5:13 quoted by gentiles (Memucan and Haman). The other two are written forward, and are spoken by Jewish people in 5:4 and 7:7 (Esther and the author of the book). There is one more acrostic which mentions the Lord's name as I Am, and is spoken by King Ahasuerus in 7:5.

What We Eat

One of the most enjoyable foods that we have are what are known as Hamantaschen cookies.  These three-sided cookies are named after Haman and the most common belief is that it represents his hat.  Another thought is that it is his ears.  Either way, they are very tasty and can be filled with pretty much any kind of fruit you like.  My wife buys different jellies each year for them.

Also, because this is such an enjoyable time of year, we have a large celebration with various snacks.  Another thing that we personally enjoy is making what is known as Esther's Fruit Punch.  It is various fruits filled with sparkling grape juice and is very delicious.

How We Celebrate It
Finally, we reenact out the story of Esther.  So we have someone narrate the story (actually ours is a play that someone put together for me, and is the Reader's Digest version of the book of Esther) while we have everyone play different characters, each wearing masks and/or costumes for their appropriate parts.

We try to make it funny and enjoyable.  When Esther is mentioned sometimes we have people bow or curtsy, or we even had them say "ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!" like a breath of fresh air has entered the room.   At the name of Mordecai we cheer, but at the name of Haman we do anything and everything we can to drown out his name. This is because he was so ant-semitic.

Hope that you can enjoy it yourself.  Have fun with either some friends or your kids.  Either way, just have fun.

Until next time, Shalom.

Keeping the Feasts

Like the farmer who has a yearly cycle of sowing and reaping, the same is true with the biblical feasts that God has set into place. In Leviticus 23 it clearly lays out for us the 7 feasts that the Lord wants us to continually celebrate. According to verses 14, 21, 30 and 41 the Lord mentions that these feasts are to be kept throughout all generations. Not only does he tell us to keep it ongoing, but he also tells us when he wants us to celebrate it.

There are 4 words that the Lord uses when talking about these times in reference to the feasts:

1. Appointed (Mo-ahd)
2. Convocations or gatherings (Mik-rah)
3. Feast or festival (Chag)
4. Holy (Ko-desh)

Mo-ahd: an appointment or a meeting at a set time. Yet however, its root meaning is to repeat. In other words, it is a meeting that is to be repeated every time that appointment comes up at a set time.

Mik-rah: a calling together for a meeting as an assembly. The root meaning is to call together for an event or a reading such as from a scroll. The King James describes it as a dress rehearsal.

Chag: an outside gathering together for a festival. This is usually in the form of a circle for dancing and feasting. It can also represent that the festival is to be cyclic as if to be kept yearly.

Ko-desh: to be set apart for a special purpose. It is also translated as holy and precedes the word convocation throughout the 23rd chapter.

Putting these four words together in context with the scriptures, they reveal to us that God wants us to come together and meet at the same time every year for a holy gathering. We are to have lots of feasting, rejoicing and dancing at them. Then, when Yehshua returns we will know how to celebrate the great Passover meal with him in a very festive way.

In Daniel 7:25 the Lord is talking about how the devil wants to change these appointed times. Which we see has already happened with Christmas and Easter. If we keep the yearly cycles of celebrating the biblical feasts then there are blessings for us in doing so. The other feasts only give us the blessing of seeing family and friends. In Zechariah 14:17-19 we see how the blessings will not follow the people if they do not honor God on His holy appointments. This was not just for the Jewish people, but He said nations. The Hebrew word for nations is goyim, which refers to the gentiles, or the non-Jewish people.

In Deuteronomy 28 we see the blessings and the cursings. If we diligently obey His voice and His commandments then all the blessings shall follow us.

Until next time shalom.