ETERNITY – לְעוֹלָם
In Psalm 119:89, the psalmist declares: לְעוֹלָם יְהוָה– דְּבָרְךָ, נִצָּב בַּשָּׁמָיִם “Forever, O LORD, Thy word standeth fast in heaven.” This verse, which opens the letter לְ Lamedh stanzas, uses the Hebrew word l’olam (לְעוֹלָם), which means ‘eternity’ to affirm that God’s word is permanently fixed in the heavens, unshaken by time or circumstance. l’olam (לְעוֹלָם) […]
HAMOTZI: WHO BRINGS FORTH
“Blessed Be the One Who Brings Forth Bread.” בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה, יְיָ אֱלֹהֵינוּ, מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם הַמּוֹצִיא לֶחֶם מִן הָאָרֶץ Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Sovereign of all, who brings forth bread from the earth. HaMotzi (הַמּוֹצִיא) is the Hebrew blessing recited over bread in Judaism before a meal. It translates to “Who brings forth.” It […]
THE AGRICULTURAL CYCLE REVEALS SPIRITUAL PATTERNS
I dedicate this blog post to Michael Hargraves who passed away on Thursday. See epilogue* This past Thursday marked the beginning of both Shavuot and Pentecost—a timing that has been on my mind as I reflect on how Hashem’s appointed times reveal the way, the truth and the tree of life. On Shavuot, Israel stood […]
SUKKOT, JONAH AND THE DAY OF THE LORD
The Book of Jonah does not end with a tidy resolution; it ends with God’s probing question to the reluctant prophet: “Should I not spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle? Jonah 4:10‑11, KJV Jonah […]
LONELINESS ISN’T JUST SAD
Lord Knows, Loneliness Isn’t Just Sad, It’s Downright Unhealthy. Yesterday a man named Thomas came to my house to test and fill a new propane tank. As he worked, he mentioned that he lost his wife about a year ago and kept her ashes because he didn’t want to bury her by herself. When I […]
COINCIDENCE OR PLAN
Coincidence or Plan: The Mystery of 50 Preface Last night I had the privilege of sitting in an Orthodox rabbi’s class on Kabbalah. He carefully walked us through what Kabbalah is and what it is not, and he did so with a clear pastoral concern for where certain paths can lead. A few years ago […]
PROPHECY HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT
Proverbs 25:2—”It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings is to search out a matter.” First I want to say that there is much more to this blog post than meets the eye. In fact, you would need to read and think about a couple of my blog […]
A Miracle Not to Be Missed: The Rolled‑Away Stone
Matthew 27:62-66— On the next day, which followed the Day of Preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees gathered together to Pilate, saying, “Sir, we remember, while He was still alive, how that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise.’ Therefore command that the tomb be made secure until the third day, lest His disciples come […]
JOY
In this blog post I am examining the parallels concerning “JOY” in the Torah and what Yeshua (Jesus) says in the New Testament (NT). The most common word for “joy” in Hebrew is simcha (שִׂמְחָה). From a Hebrew (Jewish) perspective, “Simcha” (joy) is more than happiness; it is a deep, internal state connected to serving […]
HIDDEN KNOWLEDGE
Genesis 12.1— the Lord had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you. When God tells Abram to leave his father’s house and go to a land “I will show you,” He is not just changing Abram’s address; He […]