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Sabbath – A Divine Invitation To Rest

by The Israel Insider January 2, 2024

written by The Israel Insider

Since the beginning of creation God has established life-giving rhythms of rest for his people. The sabbath is the first of those with a divine invitation into rest and communion with the creator of the universe.

What Does Scripture Say About Sabbath

Exodus 20:8-11 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it, you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days, the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore, the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.”

This commandment is not a mere list of do’s and don’ts; it is a profound revelation of God’s heart and His desire for us to experience the fullness of His rest. In these verses, we find three foundational truths about the Sabbath that are as relevant today as they were when Moses first received them on Mount Sinai.

A Day Of Remembrance

It is a day of remembrance. It calls us to remember the God who created the heavens and the earth. Miraculously, He created the universe in six days and rested on the seventh. In our fast-paced lives, it’s easy to forget the Source of our existence. The Sabbath provides a sacred space to pause, reflect, and acknowledge God as the author of our story.

Psalm 46:10 gently reminds us to “Be still, and know that I am God.” The Sabbath beckons us to be still, to carve out intentional moments of quietude in the midst of life’s chaos. It is an opportunity to recognize the God who holds all things together.

A Day Of Release

It is a day of release. God ceased His work on the seventh day. We are invited to release the burdens we carry throughout the week. Matthew 11:28-30 echoes this sentiment: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

In observing the Sabbath, we declare our trust in God’s provision and sovereignty. It’s an act of surrender, laying down our worries and embracing the rest that only He can provide.

A Day of Community

It is a day of community. The commandment extends beyond individual rest to include our families, servants, and even strangers within our gates. Leviticus 23:3 it says, “Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work on it; it is the Sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings.”

The Sabbath is an opportunity to strengthen our bonds with family and community. It fosters a sense of unity and shared purpose. In a world that often promotes isolation, the Sabbath calls us to come together, breaking bread and sharing the joy of God’s rest.

As we embrace these foundational truths, let us approach the Sabbath not as a legalistic obligation but as a divine invitation to experience God’s rest in our lives. May we remember, release, and rejoice in the beauty of this gift.

Is Sabbath For Everyone?

The observance of Sabbath or Shabbat, as it is called in Hebrew, has been honored and kept by Jewish families for millennia, but is the sabbath only set aside for them? We learn in Genesis 2:2-3 that God himself rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done and sanctified it. Later in Mark 2:27 Jesus goes on to say, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.” It is truly is an invitation for all mankind, Jew and Gentile. It is a time to come away and enter into holy rest that God himself exemplified for us.

A Sabbath Prayer

Heavenly Father,

Thank you for the precious gift of the Sabbath. Help me to remember the depth of your love and the beauty of your creation. Give me the grace to release my burdens and find true rest in your presence. I pray also for every Jewish family around the world. We pray that as they celebrate the sabbath and enter into rest their eyes would be opened to Jesus, their Messiah, the embodiment of peace and rest.

Amen.

________________

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Tel Aviv Breaks Ground on Electric Bus System While Light Rail Due to Launch

by The Israel Insider August 11, 2023

written by The Israel Insider

Israeli Transportation Minister Miri Regev on Wednesday laid the cornerstone for the Blue Line, an advanced mass transit system that will connect Tel Aviv, Rishon Lezion, Nes Ziona and Rehovot.

The Bus Rapid Transit system (BRT) is based on advanced, high-capacity electric buses that move on an exclusive and separated transportation route. The buses are given priority at intersections and traffic lights, improving travel experience and achieving more accurate arrival times.

The BRT is scheduled to begin operating in 2028. It is expected to carry approximately 77,000 passengers a day and 56 million per year.

The Blue Line will be 23 kilometers (14 miles) long, with 44 stations. During peak hours, it will operate at a frequency of every 6 minutes.

Electronic displays will be installed in the stations and in the buses, providing real-time information on location and arrival time.

Construction will cost an estimated 2.9 billion shekels ($790 million).

In Israel, the BRT system has been operating for 10 years with great success in Haifa. However, the Transportation Ministry stressed Tel Aviv’s Blue Line will feature more advanced vehicles with quiet and clean electric propulsion, and other new technologies.

The cornerstone-laying comes ahead of the Aug. 18 launch of the first line of Tel Aviv’s light rail.

The 24 kilometer (15 mile) Red Line, which connects the coastal city of Bat Yam on the southern end of Greater Tel Aviv with Petach Tikvah on the eastern side.

Originally scheduled to be launched nearly two years ago, the nearly 19 billion shekel ($5 billion) project was repeatedly derailed by malfunctions, including in its signaling and emergency braking.

The line includes 33 stations and runs from Bat Yam through Jaffa, Tel Aviv, Bnei Brak and Ramat Gan to Petach Tikvah in both directions. Half of the route is underground.

The inauguration of the Red Line is supposed to include a period of free rides, although the length of the grace period is still under discussion.

Two other light rail lines are planned. When complete, the three lines will cover a network in Greater Tel Aviv of 85 km (53 miles).

Also last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced a 100 billion shekel ($27 billion) plan to link the country’s north and south by high-speed rail. Such a rail line would also allow the transport of goods from Israel to Saudi Arabia.

The proposed high-speed rail line would run about 400 kilometers (250 miles), from the northern city of Kiryat Shmona to the southern city of Eilat.

“My vision is for every Israeli citizen to be able to travel to or from the center from anywhere in the country in less than two hours,” said Netanyahu. “In most cases under an hour, and even less than that.”

August 11, 2023 0 comment

Articles Israel Israel Insider

The Power Of Hagar’s Vision

by Rabbi Eric Tokajer July 17, 2023

written by Rabbi Eric Tokajer

I don’t know about you, but to me, when I read about Hagar, Abraham, Sarah, Ishmael, and Isaac, those chapters are some of the most frustrating in the Bible. When we read the short history of their lives that the Bible provides, we are both bewildered by their extreme faith and their extreme lack of faith. As we read their narrative, we see one of the most dysfunctional and broken families in history. Yet,within their story is also one of the most powerful lessons in the Bible, a lesson that the body of believers desperately needs today.

While this lesson is powerful and vital to us as believers, it is not what we would consider the main theme of the story and we might miss something that could be life changing and empowering. For the sake of space, I am going to begin in Genesis 21, which is after Isaac has been born and Ishmael is already a young child. We read these words:

Genesis 21:14 So Abraham got up early in the morning and took bread and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar, putting them on her shoulder, and the child, and sent her away. She went and wandered about in the wilderness of Beer-sheba. 15 When the water from the skin was finished, she abandoned the child under one of the bushes. 16 Then she went and sat herself down opposite, about a bowshot away, for she had said, “I can’t bear to see the child dying!” So she sat down opposite and lifted up her voice and wept.

There are a couple of important things that are within this section of Scripture that most of us do not pay too much attention to because they get lost within the larger story taking place. The first is that as we read Genesis 21, Ishmael is never called by name; he is referred to as a child and a son, but not by his actual name. The second thing is that we are told that when Hagar left, she went to Beer-Sheba. The third thing we notice is the use of “a bowshot away” as a measurement of distance. Each of these things may seem minor parts of the story, but they all are major for our understanding of what is happening. If we don’t understand these three things, we will miss out on something extremely important and strength giving for us as believers in Yeshua.

Let’s start with using a bowshot as a measurement of distance. This measurement is not the traditional measurement we see in the Bible. Remember back just a few chapters when G-D was giving measurement directions to Noah? He used cubits, not a bowshot. The use of a bowshot as a measurement was used by Egyptians, not Hebrews.

This little nugget gives us a glimpse into the mindset of Hagar at this moment in time. Hagar was an Egyptian who left Egypt with Abraham. Yet, when this crisis arose, she returned, at least in her heart and mind, to her Egyptian past – very similar to how the Israelites cried out to return to Egypt when difficulties arose in the wilderness.

The second thing we notice is that Ishmael’s name is not used in these passages. The reason for this may be because Ishmael means “G-D hears” and, again at this point in Hagar’s life, things were not going the way she hoped they would, so she had stopped believing, at least for a short time, in the G-D who hears.

The third thing we notice is the location that Hagar traveled to: Beer-Sheba, which in Hebrew means seven wells.

Let’s look at these events in a broader context now that we know these three things. Abraham and Hagar have a son named Ishmael. G-D tells Abraham that although Ishmael will not be the heir to Abraham, nonetheless, Ishmael will be blessed and become a great Kingdom – Genesis 21:13:

Genesis 21:13 Yet I will also make the son of the slave woman into a nation, because he is your seed.”

Abraham tells Hagar that she and Ishmael must leave and it appears that as soon as this disconcerting event takes place, Hagar travels to Beer-Sheba. She places her son under a bush and travels a bowshot away so she will not hear him as he dies. In her heart, Hagar has turned back to Egypt in the way she thinks. She rejects Ishmael’s name because she no longer has faith that G-D hears. How do we know that her doubt has caused her to become spiritually blinded?

Because she is in Beer-Sheba, a place with abundant water, a place named for its seven wells. Yet, Hagar is so heart-blinded by her disappointment and grief that she is going to let her son die from thirst simply because she can’t see the wells right in front of her. Notice what we read in Genesis 21:17-19:

Genesis 21:17 Then God heard the boy’s voice and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven, and He said to her, “What troubles you, Hagar? Do not be afraid, because God has heard the boy’s voice where he is. 18 Get up! Lift the boy up, and hold on to him with your hand, for I will make him a great nation.” 19 Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water, and she went and filled the water skin, and gave the boy a drink.

These words are powerful. In G-D’s response to Hagar’s situation, the Bible doesn’t say G-D heard Hagar; it says that G-D heard Ishmael, her son, whose name means G-D hears. Then Hagar is reminded of G-D’s promise to make Ishmael a great nation, and it is at this point that G-D opened Hagar’s eyes to see the well of water right in front of her.

You may be saying to yourself, Wow! That is really cool! But, how does this affect me today? The answer is that just like Hagar, G-D has given us promises that He will fulfill in our life. But, also just like Hagar, there are going to be times when G-D’s fulfillment doesn’t happen the way we expect it to. When these times happen (and they will), we must guard our hearts against becoming so disappointed and disillusioned by our dashed expectations that we become blinded to the fullness of G-D’s promises which lie right in front of us.

There is an old Jewish saying that says, “We plan, G-D laughs.” G-D has plans for you. Jeremiah 29:11 is just as true today as when the Prophet spoke it all those years ago:

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans that I have in mind for you,” declares Adonai, “plans for shalom and not calamity—to give you a future and a hope.

One more thing about the story of Hagar that is often missed is that after G-D opens her eyes and reminds her of His promises to her and Ishmael, we read these words:

Genesis 21:20 God was with the boy and he grew. He dwelled in the wilderness and became an archer.

Notice that Ishmael becomes an archer. G-D placed a reminder of Hagar’s moment of doubt (she went a bowshot away) right in front of her eyes. Not so she would remember her doubt, but so she would always be reminded that even in her doubt, G-D hears.

Today, we have a similar reminder: our Bibles, which are right in front of us reminding us of all those that G-D heard even in their doubt. I hope that when life gets difficult, when life isn’t going the way you thought it would, when G-D isn’t following your plans to fulfill His promises, you will remember Hagar’s vision – both when she lost it, and more importantly, how it was restored.

July 17, 2023 0 comment

Articles Israel Israel Insider

Israeli Surgeons Overcome Power Outage During Life-Saving Procedure in Ethiopia

by The Israel Insider July 5, 2023

written by The Israel Insider

A delegation of Israeli surgeons faced a daunting challenge when a general power failure interrupted a life-saving surgery they were performing in Ethiopia. But thanks to their quick thinking and resourcefulness, the team successfully completed the procedure and saved the life of a three-year-old patient.

A humanitarian delegation from Haifa’s Rambam Healthcare Campus had traveled to Addis Ababa to perform a number of surgical procedures at St. Peter’s Specialized Hospital. As part of a medical collaboration between the two hospitals, Rambam periodically sends delegations to St. Peter’s to do procedures that Ethiopian doctors cannot do themselves.

This delegation was primarily doing head and neck operations and gynecological treatments.

The blackout occurred without warning, and a backup generator failed to start up, leaving the operating room without any power.

Without wasting a moment, the Israeli and Ethiopian medical teams sprang into action. Led by Dr. Yotam Shkedy, director of Rambam’s Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Unit, they used the flashlights from their mobile phones to illuminate the surgical site.

And with electric ventilator no longer functioning, the Ethiopian anesthesia team, assisted by Dr. Vasile Recea, deputy director of Rambam’s anesthesia department, manually ventilating the child through the nose.

“Power outages are a part of life in these countries,” Shkedy said. “But usually there is a backup generator that automatically turns on. That did not happen in this case. We had to adapt quickly because our young patient was lying on the operating table and we were in the middle of the procedure.”

Despite the difficult circumstances, the operation continued under the improvised lighting of Shkedy’s surgical headlight and the smartphone flashlights of the medical staff. Power came back on after 15 minutes.

“Lots of thoughts cross your mind when working in third-world countries, but working in an operating room without electricity never crossed my mind,” Dr. Shkedy said. “Happily, our patient’s life was never in danger, despite the power outage.”

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The Hidden Antisemitism Of Misappropriation Of Scripture

by Rabbi Eric Tokajer June 26, 2023

written by Rabbi Eric Tokajer

I know that what I am writing in my blog today will cause some people discomfort. Others will become angry and still others will choose to stop reading my blogs and articles. Yet, knowing that there is a danger of the above happening, it is my hope that most who read this blog all the way through will see the truth in what I am writing and align themselves with that truth and, by doing so, rightly align themselves with the covenants of G-D.

There are things that people say, which when said, make statements that are unintended, such as when someone uses the phrase “The West Bank” when describing Judea and Samaria. They may not intend to be anti-Israel in their use of the phrase, but just by using the phrase “The West Bank” they are being anti-Israel because the phrase “The West Bank” geographically attributes ownership of Judea and Samaria to Jordan because the land is on the West side of the Jordan River.

In this same manner, many quote Scripture in a way that is unintentionally anti-Israel and antisemitic.

While I know that the vast majority of those who will be reading this blog would say that they reject antisemitism in all of its forms, and while I know that most of those who believe in Yeshua understand and fully believe that G-D has made eternal covenants with the descendants of Abraham known today as the Jewish people, they also know that included in the covenants that G-D made with Israel is the covenant promise that the Land of Israel was given to Abraham and his descendants eternally.

Yet, these same believers who would shout their absolute belief in these covenant promises will without knowing it quote and proclaim misappropriate Scriptures out of their context. By doing so, they at best water down G-D’s covenant promises, and at worst reject those promises altogether.

These verses, out of context, feed the headwaters that flow into the divergent streams of a form of antisemitism known as replacement theology. It’s a doctrine that stands in complete opposition to G-D’s promise to Abraham, a promise that didn’t end with the birth, life, death and resurrection of Yeshua.

One such verse quoted and misappropriated in such a way is 2 Chronicles 7:14.

2 Chronicles 7:14 when My people, over whom My Name is called, humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their evil ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

This verse, while being a wonderful verse which demonstrates the power of humility, prayer, and repentance, is often quoted today by preachers and Bible teachers as they point out the sins of America (or other nations). They call their congregations and students to a place of repentance before G-D in hopes that G-D will forgive their sins and heal their land.

Before I go on, I want to make it very clear that I believe that the only hope for G-D’s blessings to be upon the USA (or any other country) is humility, praye, and repentance.

However, the words of 2 Chronicles 7:14 were given specifically by G-D to Solomon, and the people it was speaking to and about were the people of Israel, and the land spoken about was the physical land of Israel.

We know this is true because the next verses tell us this:

2 Chronicles 7:15 Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to the prayer offered in this place. 16 For now I have chosen and consecrated this House so that My Name may be there forever. My eyes and My heart shall be there perpetually.

We also know that these words are directed at the people of Israel and the land of Israel because what G-D says in 2 Chronicles 7:20 would be the result of failure to pray and turn from their sins.

2 Chronicles 7:20 then I will uproot them from My land which I gave them, and this House which I have consecrated for My Name I will cast out of My sight. I will make it a proverb and a byword among all peoples.

You may have read this far and are wondering what does this have to do with hidden antisemitism and replacement theology? The answer is that when these verses and others like them are misappropriated, as if they can be applied directly to believers in the USA (or any other country), these promises are removed from their roots in the covenant promises of G-D made to Israel and made about the land of Israel. They are either expanded to include either the Jewish people and “The Church, The Spiritual Israel,” or even worse, replace the Jewish people with “The Church, Spiritual Israel.” It also changes or expands the covenant promise of the Promised Land to include Israel and all other countries, or even worse, replaces Israel with a “New Israel.”

While on the surface, some might see this as a minor thing not to be concerned about. But, the reality is that misappropriation and misapplication of Scripture is immensely spiritually dangerous. This is because no one has the right to adjust, or expand, G-D’s covenant promises. In 2 Chronicles, G-D was speaking directly to and about the people of Israel and directly about the Land of Israel. To directly quote these words as if they directly apply to people in the USA (or any other country) is to demonstrate knowingly or unknowingly changing and adding to G-D’s Word, and participating in implicit or direct replacement theology and antisemitism.

This isn’t to say that G-D won’t hear the prayers of those in the USA (or any other country) and forgive them and heal their land. But, that is because of G-D’s character and the many verses in which He promised to be faithful to forgive those who repent, and not because of a promise G-D made to King Solomon in 2 Chronicles.

In other words, G-D’s forgiveness is not a zero sum game in which the only way you can be forgiven is to take the promise of forgiveness made to someone else. Or said another way, we don’t have to apply G-D’s promises made to someone else or someplace else to ourselves in order to be forgiven and blessed. G-D made plenty of promises that, in their proper context, were made to me and you.

June 26, 2023 0 comment

Articles Israel Israel Insider

Do You Have A House Or A Tabernacle?

by Rabbi Eric Tokajer March 20, 2023

written by Rabbi Eric Tokajer

Ever since I was a small child in Hebrew School classes, I was fascinated by the Tabernacle. I was amazed that when the Creator of the Universe, the One who was all-knowing, all-powerful, and all places wanted His people to build a home for Him, He asked them to build Him a tent. Not a palace of stone, but a tent.

Years later when I became a believer in Yeshua (Jesus), I found Exodus 25:8, 40 and Hebrews 8:5; these verses caused me to begin studying the Tabernacle in more detail.

Exodus 25:8 “Have them make a Sanctuary for Me, so that I may dwell among them. 9You are to make it all precisely according to everything that I show you—the pattern of the Tabernacle and the pattern of all the furnishings within—just so you must make it.

Exodus 25:40 See that you make them according to their pattern being shown to you on the mountain.

Hebrews 8:5 They offer service in a replica and foreshadower of the heavenlies—one that is just as Moses was instructed by God when he was about to complete the tabernacle. For He says, “See that you make everything according to the design that was shown to you on the mountain.”

The word pattern in the text seemed to pop off of the page as if in 3D and this drove me to look at and search for every element that was commanded to be used in its construction. As I did, I found that everything that was used to build the Tabernacle and its furnishings had a symbolic prophetic nature. From the wood used to build the poles that held up the curtain, to the Ark of the Covenant, each individual piece was designed by G-D and perfectly integrated to share something about His redemptive plan for mankind, and each piece in some way focused our attention on Yeshua.

I spent hours and hours digging into each and every piece and was amazed time after time how intricately G-D designed each cell of the Tabernacle so that every piece connected to every other piece to weave a beautiful tapestry depicting His plan to redeem mankind.

Recently, however, as I was reading through Exodus again, two different words popped off of the page and caused me to read these words from a different perspective. These two words are “sanctuary” and “dwell.” These words changed my focus on the Tabernacle and I hope they will change yours a little also.

While it is absolutely true and extremely important to remember that when G-D provided to Moses the blueprints for the Tabernacle, the materials which were used and the furniture was designed purposely to tell G-D’s prophetic plan.

However, the Bible actually states that the purpose of the Tabernacle was to provide a sanctuary and a dwelling place for G-D. Now, before I go on, please note that I know that G-D didn’t need a tent to have a home. After all, Isaiah 66:1 tells us: “…that Heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool.”

So, because the purpose of the tabernacle was so that it would be a sanctuary and dwelling place for G-D, I began to look into these two concepts. First, a sanctuary by definition is a sacred place or holy place, and a dwelling is a place to abide in or live in.

Being that we know that G-D didn’t need a sacred place or a dwelling for Himself, we must conclude the purpose of the Tabernacle was so that we would have such a place, a sacred or holy place to dwell in with G-D. However, the more I studied, the more I realized that the Tabernacle wasn’t just a replica of what is in Heaven, but was also a visual example for us. If the Tabernacle was G-D’s design for His home on earth, wouldn’t it stand to reason that the Tabernacle was also His design for what our homes should be?

Now, before you start thinking that I am encouraging everyone reading this to sell their houses and move to tents, that is not where I am going. I believe there is a deeper and much more meaningful pattern in the Tabernacle that G-D wants us to design our homes according to.

In this blog, I will only be looking at one aspect of the pattern and its meaning for us. If our homes are to follow the pattern that G-D provided for a home, then our homes must be more than just places in which we eat and sleep. Our homes must also be sanctuaries, holy places, sacred spaces.

I believe the design of the Tabernacle provides a pattern for our homes and there was a reason the Tabernacle had three distinct and separate sections.

The Outer Court: (Our patios, our backyards); this space was open and available not only to the priests and Levites, but also to anyone who chose to come to the Tabernacle. Our homes should likewise have space where everyone is welcome, where both those who know G-D and those who do not yet know Him may come and fellowship.

The Holy Place: (Our living rooms, or Dens); this space was just available to the Levites and Priests. Our homes should have spaces where only those who are in relationship with G-D are welcomed. This space must be sacred and holy, a safe space for our families and friends to fellowship with each other and G-D. (As you read this, please understand that I am not saying we should never invite those who do not yet believe in Yeshua into our homes. I am simply providing a spiritual application for the Tabernacle pattern.)

The Holy of Holies: (Our Bedrooms or Prayer Rooms) This space was only for the High Priest. This space in our home must be limited only to those and that which is holy and sacred. There is a reason for what we read in Matthew 9:23-25: Yeshua was honoring and following this Tabernacle pattern.

Matthew 9:23 When Yeshua came into the synagogue leader’s house and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd wailing, 24 He said, “Go away, for the girl isn’t dead, but sleeping.” And they began jeering at Him. 25 But when the crowd had been cleared out, He went in and took her hand, and the girl got up.

To make what I am describing a little easier to comprehend. In the outer courts you may allow conversations about the news of the day. In the Holy Place we welcome believers and ask G-D to enlighten us concerning the news of the day, to show us in his word how to respond to the news of the day and to pray and worship our way through the news of the day (The Menorah, The Table of Showbread, The Altar of Incense) In the Holy of Holies we as individuals boldly enter into G-D’s presence to intercede concerning the news of the day both good and bad.

This is only one example of the many patterns provided to make our homes a Tabernacle, or Sacred Place of Dwelling. In future blogs, or maybe a new book, I will share more.

March 20, 2023 0 comment

Articles Israel Israel Insider

Brothers Killed In Terror Attack To Be Buried Together In Jerusalem

by The Israel Insider February 27, 2023

written by The Israel Insider

Jerusalem, 27 February, 2023 (TPS) — Settlers began lining the roads and junctions on Monday afternoon as the bodies of Hillel and Yagael Yaniv were about to be brought to Jerusalem for burial.

The brothers, from the community of Har Bracha in Samaria, were killed in the Palestinian village of Huwara, south of Shechem (Nablus) on Sunday when their car was rammed by Palestinians, forcing it to the side of the road. The brothers were then shot to death at point blank range. Israeli security forces are still searching for the terrorists.

Hillel was studying in a “hesder” program which combines military service with religious studies in the northern Israeli town of Kiryat Shemona. According to the Israel Defense Forces, the 21-year-old was a staff sergeant in the Israeli Navy, who served in a patrol boat squadron.

Yagael, who was two weeks away from his twentieth birthday, was studying in a similar hesder program in the coastal town of Givat Olga. He was trying to qualify to serve in a combat unit.

Uri Pinsky, head of the Hesder Yeshivot Association, said the brothers were heading home from their yeshivas at the time of the attack.

“We would like to send a big hug to the dear family, to the settlement of Har Bracha, to the Kiryat Shmona and Givat Olga yeshivot, and to all the students of the hesder yeshivot and Torah students everywhere and anywhere, and call from here on the IDF and the government of Israel not to rest or be quiet until security is restored everywhere throughout our country, to exterminate our wicked enemies and to allow a Jew to travel to yeshiva, home and anywhere he wants with security,” Pinsky said.

The boys’ mother, Esti Yaniv, said, “We have suffered a huge slap in the face from God. We are trying to find the good things and the grace that we were prepared — that we had a family Shabbat, that we had good conversations with the boys yesterday, that we took family photos. God sends us graces. Even with this painful blow, He sends us graces.”

Meanwhile, the Israel National Transplant Center announced on Monday that the brothers carried the organization’s card signifying that they wanted their organs donated. The Center said that with the consent of the parents, Hillel and Yigal’s corneas would be donated to people waiting for transplants to restore their sight.

Header Image: Photo by Rotem Ori/TPS on 27 February, 2023, https://tps.co.il/articles/brothers-killed-in-terror-attack-to-be-buried-together-in-jerusalem/

February 27, 2023 0 comment

Faith Israel Israel Insider

For Crying Out Loud

by Rabbi Eric Tokajer February 27, 2023

written by Rabbi Eric Tokajer

The crossing of the Reed Sea, or Red Sea, is one of the most powerful and miraculous events that we read about in the Bible – just thinking about the millions of Israelites and the mixed multitude walking up to the sea with the Egyptian army chasing them. They had just experienced the Ten Plagues, so they knew some of what G-D was capable of, and they also knew that G-D had promised them that He would deliver them from Egypt and bring them to the Promised Land. Now, they find themselves seemingly caught between a sea and an army, and whatever faith they had seems to have run dry. We read about this moment in time in Exodus 14:10-16:

10 When Pharaoh drew near, Bnei-Yisrael lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them! So they were terrified, and Bnei-Yisrael cried out to Adonai. 11 They said to Moses, “Have you taken us away to die in the wilderness because there were no graves in Egypt? Why have you dealt this way with us, to bring us out of Egypt? 12 Did we not say to you in Egypt, ‘Let us alone, so that we may serve the Egyptians?’ It was better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness!” 13 But Moses said to the people, “Don’t be afraid! Stand still, and see the salvation of Adonai, which He will perform for you today. You have seen the Egyptians today, but you will never see them again, ever! 14 Adonai will fight for you, while you hold your peace.” 15 Then Adonai said to Moses, “Why are you crying to Me? Tell Bnei-Yisrael to go forward. 16 Lift up your staff, stretch out your hand over the sea, and divide it. Then Bnei-Yisrael will go into the midst of the sea on dry ground.

Don’t you find it amazing that just as we are about to read about one of the most powerful examples of G-D’s sovereignty over His creation, at the same time, we are also reading one of the most human experiences? The Children of Israel really are between the Egyptians and the Sea. They can see both with their eyes and they turn to Moses, their leader, and cry out to him in absolute belief in what they see with their eyes. Then Moses responds to their fear by speaking faith to them. Read his words again: ““Don’t be afraid! Stand still, and see the salvation of Adonai, which He will perform for you today.”

However, to our amazement as readers, G-D doesn’t chastise the Children of Israel; He chastises Moses. G-D doesn’t tell the people that their lack of faith is disturbing; He questions Moses, saying: “Why are you crying to Me?” G-D then instructs Moses to tell the Children of Israel to go forward, to step forward trusting in the promises that G-D had given to them. But, that isn’t the end of what G-D said. G-D also said to Moses to “Lift up your staff, stretch out your hand over the sea, and divide it. Then Bnei-Yisrael will go into the midst of the sea on dry ground.”

Notice that the Bible doesn’t say in this text that G-D divided the sea; It says Moses did, and then the people crossed on dry ground.

The people of G-D were caught between an army and a sea, and they, in their humanity, turned to the man that G-D had made their leader and cried out in fear and doubt. But, even though they were being attacked by fear and doubt, they still cried out to Moses. Moses replies exactly like most faith leaders would, by saying “be quiet and let’s see what G-D will do.”

However, that wasn’t what G-D was looking for Moses to do. Once again, when the people cried out to G-D, G-D didn’t chastise them for doing so. But, when Moses cries out to G-D, G-D responds strongly by saying: “Why are you crying out to Me?”

G-D almost seems as if He expects the people to react the way they do, because G-D knows the people’s faith is in the promises they received from Moses. But, G-D has higher expectations for Moses because Moses’ faith was not in the words he heard from another man; Moses heard his promises directly from G-D.

We find a similar faith-challenging sea crossing in the book of Mark 4:

35 Now on that same day in the evening, He says to them, “Let’s cross over to the other side.” 36 After leaving the crowd, they take Him along in the boat, just as He was. And other boats were with Him. 37 A great windstorm arises, and the waves were rushing into the boat. The boat was beginning to fill up. 38 But Yeshua was in the back of the boat, sleeping on a pillow. They wake Him up and say to Him, “Teacher, don’t you care that we are perishing?” 39 So He woke up and rebuked the wind. And He said to the sea, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind stopped, and it became totally calm. 40 And He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Even now you have no faith?” 41 They were struck with awe and said to one another, “Who is this? Even the wind and the sea obey Him!”

Notice the similarities: Both involve crossing a sea. Both involve those following reacting in fear and crying out to their leader. Both have the leader speaking the words “be quiet” or “be still.” There is a difference, and the difference is significant: that Moses told the people to be still or quiet, while Yeshua told the sea to.

After Yeshua calms the seas, He questions His followers, asking why they were afraid. What He was really asking them was: “Why didn’t you speak to the sea?” The same question, it seems, G-D was asking Moses: “Why are you crying out to me?” This is also the same question that G-D is speaking to us today.

Both Moses and the Disciples should have cried out to their seas instead of to G-D. Too often, we, like the Children of Israel, are crying out to G-D when we should be crying out to our sea proclaiming our promises in faith and watching G-D fulfill them.

February 27, 2023 0 comment

Articles Israel Israel Insider

Palestinian Prisoners Launch Disobedience Protest, Threaten Mass Hunger Strike Over Ramadan

by The Israel Insider February 20, 2023

written by The Israel Insider

Jerusalem, 16 February, 2023 (TPS) — Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails began a campaign of disobedience on Thursday and threatened to launch a mass hunger strike during Ramadan against measures taken by Israeli Prison Service in recent days.

But a former senior commander told the Tazpit Press Service that an initiative by Public Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir may be about more than reducing shower times and closing prison bakeries.

In recent days, Ben-Gvir instructed prison officials to provide one hour of running water in each wing after prisoners were found to be deliberately wasting thousands of liters of water by letting showers and faucet taps run for hours at a time. Ben-Gvir also ordered the closure of bakeries inside the Ketziot and Nafha prisons which provided prisoners with fresh pita bread.

Other steps reportedly being discussed include limiting family visits, halting the sale of certain foods and items in the canteens, and restricting families from sending clothes to prisoners.

Dozens of prisoners were recently moved from the Hadarim Prison in central Israel to the Nafha Prison in the Negev, and Palestinian sources told TPS they are concerned that Ben-Gvir plans to break up the prison organizations.

Yishai Fleisher, an advisor to Ben-Gvir, told the Tazpit Press Service, “Terrorists who murder and maim for jihadist and Israel-hating reasons should not expect a fun and rewarding life filled with fresh pitas, entertainment, and university courses waiting for them. Israeli prison should be a form of deterrence, and not a reward.”

The Status Quo

The former senior Israeli Prison Service commander explained to TPS that “the main goal is quiet” for both prison officials and the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet).

“The Shin Bet wants quiet, minimum energy in dealing with the prisoners so this is also giving up values and budget,” he said.

The former commander said that the Shin Bet operates in prisons by appointing a handful of prisoners as leaders. The Shin Bet and guards then deal with the prisoners through these leaders. The status quo is that regular prisoners and guards cannot talk to each other without one of the prisoner leaders being a middleman. According to the source, the leaders benefit from this arrangement by getting perks which are often spread to other prisoners, and the Shin Bet benefits by getting quiet.

“This is a fundamentally rotten system,” he said.

“Conditions given to them in the wings – there are 10-15 cells around a courtyard, and a room assigned to be a supermarket. They have a supermarket. Fresh fruit, huge apples, metal cans. A box like this turns into a knife in a second. Meat, fresh breads, whole trucks of bread every day,” the source said. “Illusory conditions it’s unbelievable. Beyond the food, they have the supermarket that has everything good. Sweets everything.”

“The rooms – when you enter the room you see a jungle – everyone has half a house there – clothes pots pans stoves for cooking, everything is crowded with so many things they can hide many things – make knives toothbrushes, cans, cell phones. You don’t know where to start looking,” he said.

“There is a special unit that takes everything out, and dismantles the room to dig through the piles of garbage to find the things they managed to hide. If they didn’t give them all these conditions – but only clothes, it would be easier to find things.”

The former commander praised Ben-Gvir’s measures, but stressed that the status quo between the prisoners and guards is “the root of the problem.”

Ben-Gvir’s measures “will cause a lot of noise – but in the end it will have an effect,” he said.

Disobedience and Hunger Strike

Palestinian sources told TPS that the approximately 4,800 Palestinians will collectively refuse to cooperate with prison officials by not obeying orders, locking themselves in their cells, refusing to let guards search their cells, and not wearing prison uniforms.

The Ramadan hunger strike, if it happens, would be the largest mass hunger strike staged by the Palestinians, with prisoners affiliated with Fatah, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and other terror groups participating.

During the month of Ramadan, Muslims fast during daylight hours and break their fast at sundown. The hunger striking prisoners will not eat at night either. Ramadan begins at sundown on March 22.

“For the first time since 2004, an agreement has been reached by all the Palestinian factions, in the PA territories, Gaza and abroad, and even inside the prisons, according to which the strike must be held and the prisoners taken back,” a very senior Palestinian Authority official told TPS.

Baruch Yedid contributed to this report.

Header Image: Photo by TPS on 9 September, 2021, https://tps.co.il/articles/palestinian-prisoners-launch-disobedience-protest-threaten-mass-hunger-strike-over-ramadan/ , February 16,2023

February 20, 2023 0 comment

Articles Faith Israel Israel Insider

5 Lessons Moses Taught Us About Honoring Our Parents

by Rabbi Eric Tokajer February 20, 2023

written by Rabbi Eric Tokajer

There are so many faith lessons that we can learn from Moses. Just think about it: Moses stood up to power, and walked in obedience to authority. Moses stood up for the people, and also stood up for the government. Moses taught us about the victories of having great faith, and taught us the tragic results of having moments of weak faith. However, of all the lessons we can learn from Moses’ faith/life experiences, one of, if not the most important, are the five lessons we learn about honoring our parents found in Exodus chapter 18.

I will not be sharing these lessons in the order they appear in the chapter, rather I will be sharing them in the order of importance – at least in my mind.

Lesson One is found in Exodus 18:7:

7 So Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, then bowed down and kissed him. They asked each other about their welfare, and went into the tent.

Moses provides a perfect example of honoring a parent in this verse. Just look at the ways Moses honors his father-in-law in this one verse. Moses, in all of his authority as a leader of all Israel, doesn’t sit in his chair and wait for Yitro to come to him. No. Moses gets up and goes out to meet Yitro. Next, we see that Moses bows down to Yitro. Again, Moses was a leader who showed humility toward his father-in-law. Third, when they have their conversation, Moses isn’t only concerned about himself, but he allows Yitro to share about his welfare also.

Lesson Two is found in Exodus 18:5-6:

5 So Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, came with his sons and his wife to Moses into the wilderness where he was encamped at the mountain of God. 6 He had told Moses, “I, Jethro your father-in-law, am coming to you, along with your wife and her two sons.”

While Moses is clearly grateful for the assistance that Yitro provided by taking care of his wife and sons, when Yitro brought them back to Moses, Moses took responsibility for them. Moses didn’t believe that his leadership responsibilities were more important than his family responsibilities.

Lesson Three is found in Exodus 18:8:

8 Moses told his father-in-law all that Adonai had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel’s sake, as well as all the travail that had come upon them along the way, and how Adonai delivered them.

Moses took the time to share his life and experiences with Yitro, and Moses made sure to include Ad-nai’s involvement in those life experiences. Notice in this one, Moses honored both an earthly father and his heavenly father.

Lesson Four is found in Exodus 18:14:

14 When Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he did for the people, he said, “What’s this you’re doing to the people? Why sit by yourself, alone, with all the people standing around from morning until evening?”

When Yitro challenged the way Moses was serving the people, Moses not only listened to his good advice, but Moses listened to his good advice. Moses didn’t only listen condescendingly and then just continue to do what he was doing. No. Moses accepted that his father-in-law was correct, which meant Moses admitted that he was wrong and then implemented the correction suggested by his father-in-law.

Lesson Five is found in Exodus 18:1:

1 Now Jethro, the priest of Midian and Moses’ father-in-law, heard about everything God had done for Moses and for His people Israel, and how Adonai had brought Israel out of Egypt.

Moses honored his father-in-law, even though they were from different cultures, different countries, different people groups, and possibly different faiths. This didn’t mean that Moses accepted or allowed those differences to change his beliefs and faith, but he didn’t dishonor Yitro just because they were not in alignment in all ways.

I believe it is because Moses honored his father-in-law, even though they didn’t start out aligned in all ways, that we read the following verses in Exodus 18:

9 Jethro rejoiced for all the goodness that Adonai had shown to Israel, since He had delivered them out of the hand of the Egyptians. 10 Jethro said, “Blessed be Adonai, who has delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of Pharaoh, and has delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. 11 Now I know that Adonai is greater than all gods, since they had acted arrogantly against them.” 12 Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, presented a burnt offering and sacrifices to God. Aaron also came along with all the elders of Israel to eat bread with Moses’ father-in-law before God.

Imagine just how much impact we could have in the lives of our parents, especially those who may not yet know Yeshua and have a relationship with the G-D of Israel, if we followed Moses’ example and honored our fathers and mothers. It isn’t a coincidence that the commandment to honor our fathers and mothers is found in the same Torah parsha as Moses’ example of honoring a parent in Exodus chapter 20.

February 20, 2023 0 comment

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