Abstract of Commentary by Michael Schneider, Jerusalem:
In Chapter 41 we read about Joseph’s divine gift of interpreting dreams, including Pharaoh’s nightmare of the seven healthy cows and seven weak cows, which represented seven prosperous years and seven years of drought and famine.

GSI: On Shabbat Hanukah – this year the Mikez / or Miketz Shabbat within Festival of Lights – the Haftarah reading from Zechariah is inserted, “behold, there is a lampstand of solid gold with a bowl on top of it, and on the stand seven lamps [eight on →Hanukkah – Change the World] with seven pipes to the seven lamps. Two olive trees are by it, one at the right of the bowl and the other at its left”, this year it falls together with Christmas → Nittel Nacht weekend:

Now, after two years in prison, Joseph was transferred from the dungeon to the Royal palace. This was out of the ordinary, but that’s the way the LORD works when He intervenes. Just like during Exodus, after hundreds of years in slavery, the Hebrews went from being mistreated slaves to a victorious nation in less than 24 hours.

When Joseph was called he made it clear from the beginning that he was a vessel of the Almighty God of Israel (41:25). Do we give God the credit he deserves or take it for ourselves?

With Joseph’s interpretation, Egypt could prepare for the years of drought and so the ‘abundance became the reserve’ (41:34-36).

Joseph was then given the name ‘Zaphenath-Paneah’, meaning ‘Bread of Life’ in ancient-Egyptian. He saved the entire Egyptian empire. Salvation was found in verse 55: “Go to Joseph; whatever he says to you, you shall do.” Bread today is His Word!

Joseph became a Savior to the Gentiles first and then to the Jews because his brothers rejected him. We read in verse 40, “… Only the throne (of Pharaoh) would be greater than you.” Now when the dream the hated Joseph was telling them came true, his brothers bowed down to him as foreseen. Joseph’s time in Egypt, from the beginning was in God’s hand. Not only from saving Egypt, but also – in the end – his father Jacob (Israel) from death of famine.

Joseph like his father Jacob was separated for more than 20 painful years from his father’s home to accomplish a godly task. This Torah portion teaches us that we need to see things through God’s eyes as part of the ‘big picture’ in his plan of Salvation. Even smuggling money and the ‘goblet of the king’ in the sacks of the brothers and blaming them are sadly still anti-Semitic waves, making the Jewish people the scapegoat.

All things served one goal and purpose and that is drawing them closer to Him and protecting them from assimilation and returning home to the land of their forefathers symbolized by sitting at the table of Joseph. In our Torah portion we learn of Joseph’s second weeping (first was in the ditch) when he ‘lifted his eyes and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother’s son… Joseph hurried out for he was deeply stirred (origin in the Hebrew: overwhelmed with mercies – rahamim) over his brother, and he sought a place to weep; and he entered his chamber and wept there’ (43:29-30).

Shabbat Shalom and Hanukkah Sameach

Once a year
heavenly light will be close to us.
Meant is not the Christ but in a very different way Jesus of whom a Jewish tradition says:
“Now it was the Feast of Dedication [Hebrew: Hanukkah] in Jerusalem, and it was winter. And Jesus walked in the temple, in Solomon’s porch.” (Gospel of John 10:22). To make a long story short, Jesus was a regular rabbi coming from Nazareth who refueled on the Temple Feast of Dedication and was about – like every other rabbi around the globe till the time being – to bring The Light into the world because “I [the LORD] have called You [Israel] in righteousness, and will hold Your hand; I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people, as a light to the Gentiles, to open blind eyes” (Isaiah 42:6).
Sh’ma Israel:
“The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart:”
Change the world, You, who are chosen! Bring My Light to the Gentiles, O Israel! That is what – like Jesus – the Lubavitcher Chassidim today do on Hanukkah on behalf of His Israel in U.S. cities and all over the nations.

It is the Jews who were chosen to open the blind eyes of the Gentiles / nations, not visa versa! Even if the church wants us to do the opposite credible – the decision and love of God, baruch HaShem, is eternal: “I will destroy on this mountain the surface of the covering cast over all people, and the veil that is spread over all nations” (Isaiah 25:7). The victory is Me – not the church. That is the story behind, that a small group of Jews (Maccabees and Jews in total compared to the world and the church) were victorious over the hundred times larger Syrian-Greek conversion heer in 164 BCE (→ Seleucid Empire), but after all in the devastated temple of God in Jerusalem was only a single pot of kosher oil for the eternal light to find. Not more than one day, this amount would have been enough oil, but by a heavenly miracle, the light burned for eight days. Which is precisely the time it took to complete the procedure for obtaining new kosher oil. Since that time celebrated all the faithful believers, religious and non-religious one, these eight days a year as Hanukkah (Hebrew: consecration / dedication), till our Second Temple was destroyed . . . by the Romans!

The same Romans had financed with the spoils of the 66 – 70 CE wars against Israel and the destruction of God’s Temple, the construction of the Colosseum from year 72 on (see German Wikipedia which is obviously not allowed to be translated in the American Wikipedia considering tourism collapse from Overseas might be) and later on founded their new religion against God, His Temple, His People, His Shabbat . . . and not least against the teachings of Jesus. . .

• Was it Jesus who – as one of His People a model of all mankind – put Satan to flight with the words of the Holy Scriptures (Deut. 6:13): “You shall worship the LORD your God, and HIM ONLY you shall serve.” Rome made Jesus himself, of all warnings to the contrary, the God, their own Lord.
• Did Jesus warned, “Moses [Torah] and the prophets [Neviim] to hear and obey” in order not to arrive at “the place of eternal torment” instead of eternal life (Luke 16:28), then Romans cultured their own scriptures, which they sanctified and in them is to read to this day, that ” therefore, since we have such hope, we use great boldness of speech – unlike Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the end of what was passing away. But their minds were blinded [instead of that Jews shall open the eyes of the Gentiles – see above]. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ. But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty [such as to murder Israel in Jewish-Roman Wars, Crusades or Luther’s Reichskristallnacht] But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. “(2 Cor. 3:12 ff).

But Adonai, Adon Olam, remains the same (Isaiah 60), He yesterday . . .
. . . and You One in Him today on Hanukkah? . . .
“Arise, shine; for Your light has come! And the glory of the LORD is risen upon You. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the LORD will arise over You, and His glory will be seen upon You. The Gentiles shall come to Your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.”
. . . wherever You are!

Hag Hanukkah Sameach
Eric C. Martienssen

Abstract of the Commentary byMichael Schneider, Jerusalem:
In our Torah portion, ‘Va‘Yeshev,’ last year, we discussed Joseph as a prototype of the Messiah. We saw the parallels between Messiah Ben-Joseph and the Joseph’s life. Through Joseph’s brother’s rejection, he was sent to Egypt where he attained status of being second to Pharaoh and regarded as a deity. The Egyptians also used the concept of the trinity with three Pharaoh’s. He became a stranger to his brothers because he was now ‘Egyptian’ and they could not recognize him.

Hanukkah Sameach

David, like Joseph has a similar story. Both were shepherds and despised by their brothers. Samuel anointed David as king at 17, but it wasn’t until age 30 when he reigned over Israel. Joseph’s life in Egypt began at 17, but he didn’t sit ‘at the right hand’ of Pharaoh until 30. Both, Joseph and David, were sons from another mother, which Jewish scholars claim was the reason for David’s ‘red’ look and why “Israel (Jacob) loved Joseph more than any of his other sons…”

Chapter 38 interrupts with a different story: the deceitful affair between Judah and Tamar, his daughter-in-law. Judah, in the chapter before intervenes and saves his brother’s life (37:26-27). One interpretation says it’s the reason his descendants are of the royal line in the kingdom of Israel. Judah (where the word ‘Jew – yehudi’ comes from) desired for his sons to produce offspring so they could continue his forefather’s blessing.

When Judah’s oldest son, Er, passed away, his wife Tamar was given to Onan. “Lie with your brother’s wife and fulfill your duty to her as a brother-in-law to produce offspring for your brother” (38:8). But, after Onan died, Judah told Tamar to go back to her father’s home until the third son Shela grew up.

Many years passed and the agreement was forgotten. But, when Tamar saw her father-in-law she sought revenge. She took off her widow’s clothes (38:14), which were a sign she was waiting for Judah to fulfill his promise, and covered her face so he couldn’t recognize her. Once protected from evil she was now covered with the mask of sin and deceit. Out of rage and revenge she dressed like a prostitute and Judah fell into ‘her snare’ (Proverbs 7).

Once her sin was made known, Judah confessed, “She is right, I am to blame.” Tamar went on to give birth to – again – twins, Peretz and Zerach (38:25 – 26). Again, the younger (Peretz) struggled to be born first, like with Esau and Jacob.

Another similarity we find is that Tamar shows Judah his three belongings: his ring, cord and staff. She says, “Recognize please…” (Hebrew haker-na; 38:25), which reminds us of the same words used in the chapter before as Judah himself deceived his father with Joseph’s coat and said: “Recognize please…” (37:32). What Judah did to his father through deceit Tamar did to him.

We can ask ourselves why the LORD allowed the marriage to be ‘legitimate’ even though it was incest and allow the heirs to be a part of the Messianic line of David? God allowed it to happen! Tamar even became one of the four ‘non-Jewish’ mothers along with Rahab, Ruth and Bathsheba.

Hag Hanukkah Sameach (Hanukkah →Erev Hanukkah is 2011, December 20)

Abstract of Commentary by
Michael Schneider, israel today, Jerusalem:
In Chapter 41 we read about Joseph’s divine gift of interpreting dreams, including Pharaoh’s nightmare of the seven healthy cows and seven weak cows, which represented seven prosperous years and seven years of drought and famine.

GSI: On Shabbat Hanukah – the Shabbat within Festival of Lights – the Haftarah reading from Zechariah is inserted, “behold, there is a lampstand of solid gold with a bowl on top of it, and on the stand seven lamps [eight on →Hanukkah – Change the World] with seven pipes to the seven lamps. Two olive trees are by it, one at the right of the bowl and the other at its left”:

Now, after two years in prison, Joseph was transferred from the dungeon to the Royal palace. This was out of the ordinary, but that’s the way the LORD works when He intervenes. Just like during Exodus, after hundreds of years in slavery, the Hebrews went from being mistreated slaves to a victorious nation in less than 24 hours.

When Joseph was called he made it clear from the beginning that he was a vessel of the Almighty God of Israel (41:25). Do we give God the credit he deserves or take it for ourselves?

With Joseph’s interpretation, Egypt could prepare for the years of drought and so the ‘abundance became the reserve’ (41:34-36).

Joseph was then given the name ‘Zaphenath-Paneah,’ meaning ‘Bread of Life’ in ancient-Egyptian. He saved the entire Egyptian empire. Salvation was found in verse 55: “Go to Joseph; whatever he says to you, you shall do.” Bread today is His Word!

Joseph became a Savior to the Gentiles first and then to the Jews because his brothers rejected him. We read in verse 40, “… Only the throne (of Pharaoh) would be greater than you.” Now when the dream the hated Joseph was telling them came true, his brothers bowed down to him as foreseen. Joseph’s time in Egypt, from the beginning was in God’s hand. Not only from saving Egypt, but also – in the end – his father Jacob (Israel) from death of famine.

Joseph like his father Jacob was separated for more than 20 painful years from his father’s home to accomplish a godly task. This Torah portion teaches us that we need to see things through God’s eyes as part of the ‘big picture’ in his plan of Salvation. Even smuggling money and the ‘goblet of the king’ in the sacks of the brothers and blaming them are sadly still anti-Semitic waves, making the Jewish people the scapegoat, sometimes done in ‘Jesus name.’

All things served one goal and purpose and that is drawing them closer to Him and protecting them from assimilation and returning home to the land of their forefathers symbolized by sitting at the table of Joseph. In our Torah portion we learn of Joseph’s second weeping (first was in the ditch) when he ‘lifted his eyes and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother’s son… Joseph hurried out for he was deeply stirred (origin in the Hebrew: overwhelmed with mercies – rahamim) over his brother, and he sought a place to weep; and he entered his chamber and wept there’ (43:29-30).

Shabbat Shalom and Hanukkah Sameach

Abstract of the Commentary by
Michael Schneider, israel today, Jerusalem:

In our Torah portion, ‘Va‘Yeshev,’ last year, we discussed Joseph as a prototype of the Messiah. We saw the parallels between Messiah Ben-Joseph and the Joseph’s life. Through Joseph’s brother’s rejection, he was sent to Egypt where he attained status of being second to Pharaoh and regarded as a deity. The Egyptians also used the concept of the trinity with three Pharaoh’s. He became a stranger to his brothers because he was now ‘Egyptian’ and they could not recognize him.

David, like Joseph has a similar story. Both were shepherds and despised by their brothers. Samuel anointed David as king at 17, but it wasn’t until age 30 when he reigned over Israel. Joseph’s life in Egypt began at 17, but he didn’t sit ‘at the right hand’ of Pharaoh until 30. Both, Joseph and David, were sons from another mother, which Jewish scholars claim was the reason for David’s ‘red’ look and why “Israel (Jacob) loved Joseph more than any of his other sons…”

Chapter 38 interrupts with a different story: the deceitful affair between Judah and Tamar, his daughter-in-law. Judah, in the chapter before intervenes and saves his brother’s life (37:26-27). One interpretation says it’s the reason his descendants are of the royal line in the kingdom of Israel. Judah (where the word ‘Jew – yehudi’ comes from) desired for his sons to produce offspring so they could continue his forefather’s blessing.

When Judah’s oldest son, Er, passed away, his wife Tamar was given to Onan. “Lie with your brother’s wife and fulfill your duty to her as a brother-in-law to produce offspring for your brother” (38:8). But, after Onan died, Judah told Tamar to go back to her father’s home until the third son Shela grew up.

Many years passed and the agreement was forgotten. But, when Tamar saw her father-in-law she sought revenge. She took off her widow’s clothes (38:14), which were a sign she was waiting for Judah to fulfill his promise, and covered her face so he couldn’t recognize her. Once protected from evil she was now covered with the mask of sin and deceit. Out of rage and revenge she dressed like a prostitute and Judah fell into ‘her snare’ (Proverbs 7).

Once her sin was made known, Judah confessed, “She is right, I am to blame.” Tamar went on to give birth to – again – twins, Peretz and Zerach (38:25 – 26). Again, the younger (Peretz) struggled to be born first, like with Esau and Jacob.

Another similarity we find is that Tamar shows Judah his three belongings: his ring, cord and staff. She says, “Recognize please…” (Hebrew haker-na; 38:25), which reminds us of the same words used in the chapter before as Judah himself deceived his father with Joseph’s coat and said: “Recognize please…” (37:32). What Judah did to his father through deceit Tamar did to him.

We can ask ourselves why the LORD allowed the marriage to be ‘legitimate’ even though it was incest and allow the heirs to be a part of the Messianic line of David? God allowed it to happen! Tamar even became one of the four ‘non-Jewish’ mothers along with Rahab, Ruth and Bathsheba.

Hag Hanukkah Sameach (Hanukkah →Current Themes)

Chanukkia in Köln

< Hanukkah Menorah in Cologne/Germany 2010
Download Hanukkah Greeting Card here »

Once a year heavenly light will be close to us.
Meant is not the Christ but in a very different way Jesus of whom a Jewish tradition says:
“Now it was the Feast of Dedication [Hebrew: Hanukkah] in Jerusalem, and it was winter. And Jesus walked in the temple, in Solomon’s porch.” (Gospel of John 10:22). To make a long story short, Jesus was a regular rabbi coming from Nazareth who refueled on the Temple Feast of Dedication and was about – like every other rabbi around the globe till the time being – to bring The Light into the world because “I [the LORD] have called You [Israel] in righteousness, and will hold Your hand; I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people, as a light to the Gentiles, to open blind eyes” (Isaiah 42:6).
Sh’ma Israel:
“The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart:”
Change the world, You, who are chosen! Bring My Light to the Gentiles, O Israel! That is what – like Jesus – the Lubavitcher Chassidim today do on Hanukkah on behalf of His Israel in U.S. cities and all over the nations.

It is the Jews who were chosen to open the blind eyes of the Gentiles / nations, not visa versa! Even if the church wants us to do the opposite credible – the decision and love of God, baruch HaShem, is eternal: “I will destroy on this mountain the surface of the covering cast over all people, and the veil that is spread over all nations” (Isaiah 25:7). The victory is Me – not the church. That is the story behind, that a small group of Jews (Maccabees and Jews in total compared to the world and the church) were victorious over the hundred times larger Syrian-Greek conversion heer in 164 BCE (→ Seleucid Empire), but after all in the devastated temple of God in Jerusalem was only a single pot of kosher oil for the eternal light to find. Not more than one day, this amount would have been enough oil, but by a heavenly miracle, the light burned for eight days. Which is precisely the time it took to complete the procedure for obtaining new kosher oil. Since that time celebrated all the faithful believers, religious and non-religious one, these eight days a year as Hanukkah (Hebrew: consecration / dedication), till our Second Temple was destroyed . . . by the Romans!

The same Romans had financed with the spoils of the 66 – 70 CE wars against Israel and the destruction of God’s Temple, the construction of the Colosseum from year 72 on (see German Wikipedia which is obviously not allowed to be translated in the American Wikipedia considering tourism collapse from Overseas might be) and later on founded their new religion against God, His Temple, His People, His Shabbat . . . and not least against the teachings of Jesus. . .

• Was it Jesus who – as one of His People a model of all mankind – put Satan to flight with the words of the Holy Scriptures (Deut. 6:13): “You shall worship the LORD your God, and HIM ONLY you shall serve.” Rome made Jesus himself, of all warnings to the contrary, the God, their own Lord.
• Did Jesus warned, “Moses [Torah] and the prophets [Neviim] to hear and obey” in order not to arrive at “the place of eternal torment” instead of eternal life (Luke 16:28), then Romans cultured their own scriptures, which they sanctified and in them is to read to this day, that ” therefore, since we have such hope, we use great boldness of speech – unlike Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the end of what was passing away. But their minds were blinded [instead of that Jews shall open the eyes of the Gentiles – see above]. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ. But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty [such as to murder Israel in Jewish-Roman Wars, Crusades or Luther’s Reichskristallnacht] But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. “(2 Cor. 3:12 ff).

But Adonai, Adon Olam, remains the same (Isaiah 60), He yesterday . . .
. . . and You One in Him today on Hanukkah? . . .
“Arise, shine; for Your light has come! And the glory of the LORD is risen upon You. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the LORD will arise over You, and His glory will be seen upon You. The Gentiles shall come to Your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.”
. . . wherever You are!

Hag Hanukkah Sameach
Eric C. Martienssen

Abstract of the Commentary by Michael Schneider,
israel today, Jerusalem:
In our Torah portion, ‘Va‘Yeshev,’ last year, we discussed Joseph. Through Joseph’s brother’s rejection, he was sent to Egypt where he attained status of being second to Pharaoh and regarded as a deity. The Egyptians also used the concept of the trinity with three Pharaoh’s. He became a stranger to his brothers because he was now ‘Egyptian’ and they could not recognize him.

David, like Joseph has a similar story. Both were shepherds and despised by their brothers. Samuel anointed David as king at 17, but it wasn’t until age 30 when he reigned over Israel. Joseph’s life in Egypt began at 17, but he didn’t sit ‘at the right hand’ of Pharaoh until 30. Both, Joseph and David, were sons from another mother, which Jewish scholars claim was the reason for David’s ‘red’ look and why “Israel (Jacob) loved Joseph more than any of his other sons…”

Chapter 38 interrupts with a different story: the deceitful affair between Judah and Tamar, his daughter-in-law. Judah, in the chapter before intervenes and saves his brother’s life (37:26-27). One interpretation says it’s the reason his descendants are of the royal line in the kingdom of Israel. Judah (where the word ‘Jew – yehudi’ comes from) desired for his sons to produce offspring so they could continue his forefather’s blessing.

When Judah’s oldest son, Er, passed away, his wife Tamar was given to Onan. “Lie with your brother’s wife and fulfill your duty to her as a brother-in-law to produce offspring for your brother” (38:8). But, after Onan died, Judah told Tamar to go back to her father’s home until the third son Shela grew up.

Many years passed and the agreement was forgotten. But, when Tamar saw her father-in-law she sought revenge. She took off her widow’s clothes (38:14), which were a sign she was waiting for Judah to fulfill his promise, and covered her face so he couldn’t recognize her. Once protected from evil she was now covered with the mask of sin and deceit. Out of rage and revenge she dressed like a prostitute and Judah fell into ‘her snare’ (Proverbs 7).

Once her sin was made known, Judah confessed, “She is right, I am to blame.” Tamar went on to give birth to – again – twins, Peretz and Zerach (38:25 – 26). Again, the younger (Peretz) struggled to be born first, like with Esau and Jacob.

Another similarity we find is that Tamar shows Judah his three belongings: his ring, cord and staff. She says, “Recognize please…” (Hebrew haker-na; 38:25), which reminds us of the same words used in the chapter before as Judah himself deceived his father with Joseph’s coat and said: “Recognize please…” (37:32). What Judah did to his father through deceit Tamar did to him.

We can ask ourselves why the LORD allowed the marriage to be ‘legitimate’ even though it was incest and allow the heirs to be a part of the Messianic line of David? God allowed it to happen! Tamar even became one of the four ‘non-Jewish’ mothers along with Rahab, Ruth and Bathsheba.

That was answered in our reading in Zechariah 2:14-16: “Shout and be glad, O Daughter of Zion. For I am coming, and I will live among you,” declares the LORD… “The LORD will inherit Judah as his portion in the holy land and will again choose Jerusalem.”

Eternal peace between Christians and Jews, or even more? …Meditate about holy matters! Suddenly stands that, what belongs to God (in the Bible called „holy“), in opposition to what mankind made for herself, made herself sanctified. To celebrate my self-made feasts, but am I happy with it, without God? HIS feasts – for Ever holy – HE has called them „moed“ in the Bible/Tanach, which means translated stated appointments. Was it not me myself, who stated new times, on which I wanted to have „a date“ with HIM and wonder now, that HE does not turn up and simply no peace will enter me – and where is the „peace on Earth“?

HE is already here, in you, everything premeditated from the glorious Creator God before all time, in unsearchable love, if we just want to recognize the beauty of His thoughts. For instance, there is Friday – Shabbat – Sunday. Friday has been sanctified by the Ishmaelites to be their holy day, the Christians the Sunday. And in between lies – some day reconciling – the Holy Day of God. Actually from the beginning, as the creation history (Genesis 2:3) shows, He gave „complete rest“ (hebr. Shabbat) for all mankind. Could one not conclude, that Christianity moved as much away from God, as the Ishmaelites? Listen to God:

“In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian will come into Egypt and the Egyptian into Assyria, and the Egyptians will serve with the Assyrians. In that day Israel will be one of three with Egypt and Assyria—a blessing in the midst of the land, whom the LORD of hosts shall bless, saying, “Blessed is Egypt My people, and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel My inheritance.” (Isaiah 19:23-25) – New Jerusalem, did you not feel it? Is „you longing“ not even finding home in every name of God? Pastor Rolf Piller had once the joy to translate some of them (Names of God, PDF).

We wish you a peaceful season, a shining kind light, a soul that touches your longing desire and shares it with you, as well as a blessed start into 2008.

John 10:22-23 Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter. And Yeshua walked in the temple, in Solomon’s porch. (NKJ)

As the secular year rapidly approaches its end, Jewish people in Israel and around the world, are preparing to celebrate Chanukah, the Festival of Lights. This non-Levitical feastival commemorates the defeat of the Greco-Syrian dictator Anitochus Epiphanes 180 years before the birth of Yeshua. Antiochus was definately an anti-Christ and earned his place in the line of evil men who attempted to destroy Israel and the Jewish people. Antiochus banned circumsion and other Jewish practices. His ultimate affront was to sacrifice a pig on the altar of the Holy Temple. The Jews were frozen in fear of the tyrant and the great majority submitted to every ungodly command of Antiochus and his soldiers.

At the height of Greco-Syrian occupation a Jewish zealot, Judah Macabee and his brothers refused to bow down to the pagan occupiers and began a revolt that ended in the defeat and subsequent departure of their far stronger and better equipped oppressors. I am not too familiar with the details of the Jewish victory, but I am sure there were supernatural beings involved, and the hand of God must surely have been the primary reason behind the Jews regaining rule over their own nation. Just to leave His mark on the defeat if His enemies, the LORD performed an undeniable miracle when He supernaturally kept the Eternal Flame burning after the Temple had been cleansed and rededicated. There was only enough oil on hand for one day, but the flame burnt for the full 8 days that it took to produce a new stock of oil. Surely YHVH had His hand on the situation – the same hand that has been on the Jewish people since the time they became a people, continuing until this very day.

As we prepare to celebrate Chanukah 2007, the Annapolis Peace Summit is now behind us. The outcome will not really be known for some time. But the object of the calls for Israel to give away her legitimate hold on Judea and Samaria (the West Bank) including East Jerusalem is not very different from the object of Antiochus 2100 years ago – to abort the plans and purposes of God as spoken through the Hebrew prophets. The ultimate plan for the Jewish
people is to welcome back the Son of God with the words “BARUCH HA BAH B’SHEM ADONAI - Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord”- to be the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. to sit upon the Throne of David in an undivided Jerusalem, capital of the Jewish state.

Israel and Judea and Samara are the heartlands of Israel. Almost every pro Israel commentator has described the calls for Israel to give away Judea and Samaria as a veiled attempt to bring about the end of the Jewish state , thus aborting the plans of God to re-establish Jis Kingdom on the Earth. The same outcome hoped for by Pharaoh, Haman, Antiochus, Herod, Hitler, Arafat and now Armedinejhad. We, the modern day people of God, need to learn a lesson from the Chanukah story. While the unbelievers bow down, consciously or sub-consciously, to the plans of the evil one, we need to be the modern day Macabees and resist the un-Biblical demands of the Annapolis summit.
We need to rise up in prayer and intercession to meet the threat against the Kingdom of God head on ! We also need to make our voices heard in our churches, in our government halls and in our news media.

As we partner with the LORD to defeat His enemies, we can look forward with renewed hope that at a Feast of Dedication not too far away we will see Yeshua walking the temple, in Solomon’s porch.

The Lord bless you as you bless Israel by standing in defense of her right to exist on the land given to the Jewish people by the God of Israel . Lets pray that Israel will turn back to their God. Do not be silent, but share this with your fellow Christians, share it with your pastors, and with anyone you have a chance to speak to. Lets also pray for that breakthrough to the Muslims, and please remember to pray for our son Jordan, and all of his fellow soldiers in the IDF.

Shabbat Shalom
David & Josie