Dear Family in the Messiah Yeshua! Greetings and blessings to you from your brothers and sisters at Holy Land Ministries Israel!
In these days Israel is getting ready for the great Holiday of Shavuot (Pentecost). As many of you know, Shavuot (Hebrew for ‘weeks’) i.e feast of weeks is marking the giving of the Torah to the people of Israel at Mount Sinai, which is celebrated seven weeks after Passover (Pesach). At the same time we, Yeshua’s disciples, are rejoicing in the fulfillment of another promise, the outpouring of the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) on Yeshua’s first disciples two thousand years ago which took place on the exact same date, on the L-rd’s Appointed time, on the Day of Shavuot:
” This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that”, declares the Lord. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their G-d, and they will be my people” ‘. Jeremiah 31:33.
Rav Shaul (Apostle Paul) testified to and recorded the fulfillment of this amazing prophecy in the lives of Yeshua’s disciples at that time:
“You show that you are a letter from Messiah (Christ), the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts”. 2 Cor. 3:3
To be Messiah’s living letter today, as His committed disciples, is indeed our constant prayer and daily challenge. Today more than ever, we need the power of the Holy Spirit, His wisdom and unique anointing given us on the Day of Shavuot.
Since the quarantine orders were lifted in Israel, everything here seems to return to its rapid thundering rhythm and many are feeling caught again in the maelstrom of this glistening modern life. It is so difficult at times to keep focus on the precious eternal things which are truly vital and not get distracted with the temporary attractions, competing for our time, energy and attention.
“Those who cleanse themselves from the latter will be instruments for the special purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.” 2 Timothy 2:21.
Dear Family, this is precisely our prayer in the time of Shavuot, that all of us succeed in this most important inner cleansing and thus get ready for Messiah’s every task and command, following on from this special time of preparation.As usual we would like to share with you the insights and thoughts of our dear rabbi and brother in Yeshua, examining some important principle in observing the Shavuot.Though the official calendar mark for Shavuot Holiday is fixed by the rabbis on the 6th of Jewish month Sivan, which is May 31st according to the Gregorian Calendar this year, our Rabbi friend, the disciple of the Messiah Yeshua, does not agree with them, but strongly suggest a different date for this prime Biblical event based on the literal text of the Scriptures.
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בס״ד
The Festival of Shavuot (Pentecost)Most students of the Bible know that the Festival of Shavuot commemorates to the Jewish community the giving of the Ten Commandments to Israel at Mount Sinai. Followers of Yeshua also understand that it was on this same L-rd’s Appointed Day that the Holy Spirit was first given to believers. There is no doubt about the connection between these two events, for Shavuot teaches that it is through the Holy Spirit that HaShem writes His Torah upon the hearts of every believer (see Jeremiah 31:33). According to the Biblical instruction, one is commanded to count seven complete weeks and the next day, the fiftieth day (Pentecost means fifty) is the Festival of Shavuot. Obviously, this counting is for the purpose of being ready with expectation for what G-d has promised to do. The question which this article will deal with is when should one begin the counting?
There are two primary formulas which are taught in regard to this question. One is rabbinical which has its origin according to tradition from the Pharisees, and the other is more rooted in a literal understanding of Scripture. When examining Leviticus chapter 23 and the list of the L-rds Appointed Days, nearly each festival has a specific date given on which the holiday is commanded to be observed. It is most significant that both the day when the counting begins ראשית and the day that the counting ends, the Festival of Shavuot, have no calendar date given. One must ask, “Why this is?” If the intent of the Torah for when to begin the counting was in fact what the rabbis teach, then a date could easily be given.According to Judaism, the counting always begins on the 16th of Nissan (the month of Aviv) and ends on the 6th of Iyar. This means that Judaism has fixed dates for the first day of counting and for the Festival of Shavuot. If this was what the Torah intended, then Moses could have written these dates, just as he did for every other Festival. The fact that the Torah has no dates for these observances reveals to the student of the Law that there must be other factors which determine when to begin the counting and when to celebrate the Festival of Shavuot. The key phrase in this passage is מִמָּחֳרַת הַשַּׁבָּת which means, “from the day after the Shabbat.” The entire issue depends on how one understands the meaning of הַשַּׁבָּת“the Shabbat” within the context of this passage. What is not debated is that there are two possibilities concerning the meaning of this phrase. The first is how the rabbis understand this term today. Judaism agrees that the meaning of “the Shabbat” within this passage refers to the first High Shabbat of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, which is fixed by the Torah as the 15th day of the month of Nissan (Aviv). The second way to understand the term “the Shabbat” is the weekly Shabbat that falls within the Festival of Unleavened Bread. If the first possibility is accepted, then this means that the counting of the seven weeks and the fifty days begins always on the 16th day of Nissan. If this is indeed correct, then an important question must be answered, “Why did not Moses simply tell the Children of Israel to begin the count on the 16th day of Nissan?” However, Moses does not instruct the Children of Israel in this manner; rather, he states,
וּסְפַרְתֶּם לָכֶם מִמָּחֳרַת הַשַּׁבָּת מִיּוֹם הֲבִיאֲכֶם אֶת-עֹמֶר הַתְּנוּפָה שֶׁבַע שַׁבָּתוֹת תְּמִימֹת תִּהְיֶינָה׃
“And you will count from the day after the Shabbat, from the day you brought the Omer of the waving, there will be seven complete Shabbats.” Leviticus 23:15
עַד מִמָּחֳרַת הַשַּׁבָּת הַשְּׁבִיעִת תִּסְפְּרוּ חֲמִשִּׁים יוֹם וְהִקְרַבְתֶּם מִנְחָה חֲדָשָׁה לַיהוָה׃
“Unto the day after the seventh Shabbat, you will count fifty days and you will bring the new grain offering to the L-rd.” Leviticus 23:16
*The Omer refers to an amount (measurement) of grain. This word is used especially during the Spring harvest of the wheat and barley, which began on Resheet and ended on the Festival of Shavuot.
It is clear from these two verses that no date is provided for beginning or ending the counting. The simple reason for this is that there is no fixed date for the special day known as Resheet or for the Festival of Shavuot. Those who follow the rabbinical methodology and have a fixed date for both of these days encounter a serious problem when examining other Scriptures which are related to this issue. For example, in the book of Judges the Angel of the L-rd came to Gideon during the time which the Children of Israel were enslaved by the Midianites. It is affirmed by all the major commentaries that the Angel visited Gideon on Passover because in Judges 6:19 it states that Gideon prepared an offering for the Angel of a גְּדִי-עִזִּים and מַצּוֹת (a young goat and unleavened bread). These are two of the primary elements for observing Passover.As one continues to read in this account in the book of Judges, it is clear that three nights pass before a very informative event connected to this story. In chapter seven, Gideon is commanded by the L-rd to go down to the camp of the enemy which was exceedingly more numerous than his group. As Gideon went down, he heard one of the Midianite soldiers discussing a dream that he just dreamed.
וַיָּבֹא גִדְעוֹן וְהִנֵּה-אִישׁ מְסַפֵּר לְרֵעֵהוּ חֲלוֹם וַיֹּאמֶר הִנֵּה חֲלוֹם חָלַמְתִּי וְהִנֵּה צְלִיל לֶחֶם שְׂעֹרִים מִתְהַפֵּךְ בְּמַחֲנֵה מִדְיָן וַיָּבֹא עַד-הָאֹהֶל וַיַּכֵּהוּ וַיִּפֹּל וַיַּהַפְכֵהוּ לְמַעְלָה וְנָפַל הָאֹהֶל׃“
“And Gideon went and behold a man telling to his friend a dream and he said, behold, a dream I have dreamed and behold barley bread וְהִנֵּה צְלִיל לֶחֶם שְׂעֹרִים overturning in the camp of Midian and it came unto the tent and it struck it and it fell and it turned it upside down from above and the tent fell.” Judges 7:13
When one carefully reads this section, he will learn that it was due to Gideon’s fear that HaShem commanded him to go down to the camp of the Midianites. Why would hearing this dream instill confidence and faith in Gideon? The dream which the enemy soldier told to his friend focused on a unique loaf of bread. The reader is told it is barley bread, but there is also another interesting piece of information which all English translations which I have encountered simply fail to understand. The Hebrew text has the word צְלִיל which is difficult to translate. However, simply to ignore it or render it as some translations have done with the word “cake” does not capture the intent of the word or the significance of its appearance in the text. In modern Hebrew, this would is used to refer to juice which has been strained, that is to have the pulp removed. The word has a general meaning as clear or pure (but not in a spiritual sense). In Judaism, the sages understand this as referring to bread not having any leaven and it refers to the unleavened bread which was given to the priests on the first day of the counting of the Omer.
דַּבֵּר אֶל-בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵהֶם כִּי-תָבֹאוּ אֶל-הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר אֲנִי נֹתֵן לָכֶם וּקְצַרְתֶּם אֶת-קְצִירָהּ וַהֲבֵאתֶםאֶת-עֹמֶר רֵאשִׁית קְצִירְכֶם אֶל-הַכֹּהֵן׃ וְהֵנִיף אֶת-הָעֹמֶר לִפְנֵי יְהוָה לִרְצֹנְכֶם מִמָּחֳרַת הַשַּׁבָּת יְנִיפֶנּוּ הַכֹּהֵן׃
“Speak to the Children of Israel and you will say to them, for when you will come to the Land which I am giving to you and you will harvest the harvest and you will bring the Resheet Omer of your harvest to the priest. And you will wave the Omer before the L-rd for your acceptance from the day after the Shabbat the priest will wave it” Leviticus 23:10-11
This wave offering traditionally represents victory and this is why G-d had Gideon go down to the camp of the enemy to hear the dream. In other words, the fact that G-d caused the man to dream such a dream which Gideon would understand and to tell it to his friend at the precise time Gideon came and could hear this conversation, served to confirm to Gideon that HaShem has this matter under His sovereign control. For our purposes, it confirms that the observance of ReSheet, is not fixed on the day after the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread as the rabbis teach. In addition to this, the term Shabbat mentioned in the phrase מִמָּחֳרַת הַשַּׁבָּת “the day after the Shabbat” means in this context the normal seventh day weekly Shabbat. Some who have argued against this interpretation cite a verse from the book of Joshua.
וַיֹּאכְלוּ מֵעֲבוּר הָאָרֶץ מִמָּחֳרַת הַפֶּסַח מַצּוֹת וְקָלוּי בְּעֶצֶם הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה׃
“And they ate from produce of the land from the day after the Passover, unleavened bread and toasted grain on this very day.” Joshua 5:11
Passover is one day and it is the 14th day of Nissan. However, the term Passover is frequently used to refer to the entire period of time including not only the 14th day of Nissan, but all the Festival of Unleavened Bread. The Passover is not eaten on the 14th day, but only prepared. It is actually eaten on the beginning of the 15th day of Nissan. It is for this reason that correctly the rabbis understand the phrase מִמָּחֳרַת הַפֶּסַח as relating to the day after the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread. This would demand that according to Joshua chapter 5, מִמָּחֳרַת הַשַּׁבָּת ומִמָּחֳרַת הַפֶּסַח would refer to the same day and it is clear that in Joshua chapter 5 this must be the 16th day of Nissan. Does this fact not undermine what was said earlier? Not at all! Those who correctly understand the term מִמָּחֳרַת הַשַּׁבָּת as referring to the normal seventh day Shabbat certainly acknowledge that there are indeed years when the counting begins on the 16th day of Nissan. This is true when Passover (the 14th day of Nissan) occurs on a Friday. So it is not to be stated that Resheet can never be on the 16th day of Nissan, it frequently is, but there are other years (the majority) when it falls on a different day of the month of Nissan. What the Scripture simply is saying is that both ReSheet and the Festival of Shavuot must be on the first day of the week (i.e. a Sunday). So the simple formula for knowing when is ReSheet is that it is the first day of the week (i.e. a Sunday) after the 15th day of Nissan concludes. The first day of the week is obviously the day after the Shabbat. In order to determine when is the Festival of Shavuot, it is exactly seven Shabbats (weeks) later, as the term Shabbat שבת can also refer to a week.
May each of you have a blessed and meaning Festival of Shavuot, which occurs this year on the 8th day of the month of Sivan or May 31st. According to the rabbis, the observance is 6th day of Sivan or May 29. Please be aware that one begins the Festival on sundown the day before.Shalom
Dear Friends, we are again asking your prayers for our soup-kitchen /outreach to the homeless and poor in Tel Aviv and Beer Sheva. In Israel, like almost every other country, we have been restricted in our public ministry and outreaches due to the government orders about the overall quarantine. During the quarantine regime, we had to change our usual ministry tactics and to use various different ways to reach the people in need. About the same time we also begun the feeding ministry in Beer Sheva. We have been using the kitchen facility of our guest house there to prepare the hot meals and to deliver them to the poor people’s flats and other locations. Although large gatherings were banned during the general isolation period, the authorities did not prevent us from delivering food and helping with other practical needs of the people to whom we were ministering. Right now the quarantine regulations are notably lifted in Israel, and we are renewing our public outreach and other activities in the streets, seeking to bring relief to the most needy and destitute, meeting them in poorest neighborhoods and other such locations.
As you know, the number of needy people is increasing everywhere due to the economic crisis caused by the pandemic, and yet it is not a reason to despair. To the contrary, in an uneasy time like this, the Light of the Messiah shines brighter and the mission of His people is seen clearer. “The Spirit of Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners.” Isaiah 61:1
Please pray with us, dear Friends, that the Lord will bless our efforts, more than ever, in reaching the poor in Israel, using every means and opportunity in these challenging days, helping them not just with temporal material needs, but surely showing them the clear straight way into the eternal coming Kingdom of our Blessed Messiah.
Dear Family, we are asking your prayers for Katya, a gentle sweet girl whom we recently hosted in our Guest House in Beer Sheva. She was referred to us by the local Social Services department dealing with victims of violence. When we first met Katya at the Social Services office, she looked really crushed and frightened, as she had no place to go and felt so lonely and vulnerable in, what to her, was a strange and foreign country. The situation was aggravated by the fact that Katya is deaf and mute, which of course, has made our communication quite challenging. Fortunately, our prayers on this matter have been answered quickly, and it turned out that one of our sisters in Faith from Beer Sheva knows sign language. Thus we found out that Katya is a citizen of Russia and came to Israel from Saint Petersburg several months before the pandemic broke out. She came to Israel on a tourist visa, apparently invited by some distant acquaintances. Being naive and trusting, Katya got involved in an abusive destructive relationship that eventually led to her being stranded and homeless.
Katya stayed with us during the quarantine time, surrounded by the loving protection and care of the dear sisters, tenderly warming her heart with the genuine love of our Messiah. We are so glad that Katya has been among our guests during these challenging times, sheltered by the hospitality of the Messiah’s family in Israel.Currently she has already moved into another safe place within the local believing community and hopefully will be flying home really soon.Please pray with us for this fragile and precious girl whom the Lord has rescued now in the middle of all this hardship and widespread confusion.That Messiah’s guidance and protection will always surround Katya and her heart will be healed and changed forever by His amazing love, which He has revealed to her in Israel, in a such personal and special way.Please continue to pray for our ministry to the new Jewish immigrants, coming to Israel on the Law of Return.
” For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land. “ Ezekiel 36:24.
This ancient promise given by the Mighty G-d and frequently recorded by His prophets in the Scripture has just began its fulfillment in Israel over the last seven decades. The traffic of newcomers hasn’t stopped since 1948, i.e the establishment of the modern state of Israel. Of course, during the recent quarantine period, the flow of newcomers was suspended temporally, as there was no flight connection and everyone had to go through stern quarantine restrictions. This has continued in Israel from mid -March until very recently.But now, life is quickly returning to normal and we have received good news about the resumption of the special flights for the new Jewish immigrants, bringing them to Israel. We are already expecting a new Jewish family from Ukraine coming to our Guest House next week, G-d willing, Baruch HaShem! Right now, the air traffic in Israel, like everywhere else, is still very limited and unstable, but to our joy, the arrival of the new immigrants is a State priority in Israel. We can clearly see that this State policy will soon became a real source of rescue for the many Jewish people who are still scattered in various different countries around the world. In these days we are receiving various reports from Russia and Ukraine from our Christian friends there, telling us about a new round of Antisemitism rising in those regions. Thus recently, in one Ukrainian town, a Jewish rabbi was requested by the regional authorities to deliver the full list of all the Jewish people who were in any way associated with the local synagogue there. ‘But now I will send for many fishermen,’ declares the Lord, ‘and they will catch them. After that I will send for many hunters, and they will hunt them down on every mountain and hill and from the crevices of the rocks ‘ Jeremiah 16:16. This verse above, especially the second part, undoubtedly describes the severe persecution of the Jewish people scattered in different countries, and apparently today it is already urging many of them to seek the shelter of their historical home, Israel.
As the time of ” many fishermen” ministering to the Jewish people will be coming to an end “many hunters” in the world, will be “hunting them down on every mountain and hill and from the crevices of the rocks”. So this persecution will be the next stage in chronological developments causing many Jewish people from around the world to flee home…
There are number of absorption programs in Israel, helping to the new Jewish citizens to gradually and efficiently integrate into the current, complicated life of modern Israeli society.And yet, none of these programs, are dealing with the main necessity of the newcomers, with their spiritual condition and with the huge gap in their understanding of Biblical truth and its historical fulfillment occurring in Israel today.The majority of these Jewish people are coming to Israel now as an amazing fulfillment of the ancient Biblical prophecies and yet for the most part they are completely ignorant about the spiritual reality they are living in and about the One who is responsible for bringing them here.
One of the main goals for us, as Yeshua’s disciples serving the Jewish people coming to Israel today, is to reach them the Good News of our Messiah. Many among these new emigrants have never heard the Gospel Message, or at least, had never heard it in the Jewish Biblical context, which would help them understand the spiritual reality they are encountering in Israel now.
Many of them, coming from different cultures and nations, are used to the the kind of Christianity that would have nothing to do with the Jewish Faith and thus they have never heard the truth about the G-d of Israel, His Word and His Blessed Messiah.It is very significant that in the Jewish Biblical history, the Feast of Shavuot ( The Pentecost) is also given as a festival of Harvest during which G-d’s people were requested to bring their offerings to G-d, demonstrating the fruits of their labor provided by the L-rd’s faithful blessings. Dear Friends, in the same manner, please pray with us, as we are meeting and ministering to these precious Jewish people arriving in Israel, that we might fully use this unique opportunity and not only serve their practical needs but more importantly, to bring a long awaited harvest into the Kingdom of our Messiah! “I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.” John 4: 34(b)
Happy Shavuot to you, dear Family!
William and Debra Wright,
HLM Office On behalf of Holy Land Ministries
Holy Land Ministries 