Purim is not complete without the reading of the story of Esther. She is one of the few, true heroines of the Tanach. But her story isn’t exactly as pretty as her face. It’s gritty and (unfortunately) relatable to readers who may have rocky histories of their own.
Read MoreThere are 19 Jews for Jesus mission staff and their families who serve in Kyiv and Odessa and have been on the front lines of the war in Ukraine.
Read MoreI was born into a secular Jewish family. We loosely practiced some of the Jewish traditions and attended synagogue sometimes. But I didn't feel a spiritual connection to my religion. And as a young adult, I sought spiritual meaning in other places...
Read MoreIs it true that messianic Jews celebrate all the holidays, even Christian ones? If so, why be Jewish after all?
Read MoreRecently a friend and ministry partner told me, “One thing I love about Jews for Jesus is that you have stayed true to your calling to Jewish evangelism.” I told him that passion for the lost is one of our core values, and God has used it to protect us from drifting.
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Historians agree, Jesus was a first-century teacher of Judaism, a rabbi. But then what kind of Judaism did Jesus teach?
Faith is not blind belief that you cling to without evidence. Faith is active trust in what you have reasoned to be true.
Read MoreRedemption starts with Passover, which becomes the pattern for all Biblical history and God’s ultimate plan for the world.
Read MoreTu B’Shvat falls on the 15th day of the Hebrew month Shvat, and is often considered in modern times to be Israel’s Arbor Day. The largest tree planting occurs in Israel where forests have been created. This article talks about the tree plantings worldwide and their significance, particularly in Israel.
Read MoreJoy is something deeper than happiness or pleasure. Jewish sages have taught that it’s a part of the divine, yet accessible to everyone. But can we define it? And how do we find it?
Read MoreThe year: 700 BCE. We Jewish people are waiting for the Hope of Israel. We have been longing for the Messiah since the announcement of this person to come in the Garden of Eden. Now Isaiah announces a new prophecy. The Messiah will be a baby, a boy, and he will stabilize the world’s government like Atlas on his own shoulders. He will have new names including Prince of Peace.
Read MoreIs the Birth of Jesus Based on the Legends of Caesar? Similarities between the stories raise surprising parallels and striking differences between the births of the powerful tyrant and the poor and humble Messiah.
Read MoreContrary to the traditional view of Jesus’ birth date, new astronomical research shows that the time of his birth was closely related to the Jewish holidays.
Read More“Therefore, the Lord Himself will give you a sign. Look! The virgin will conceive and bear a child, and shall call His name Immanuel (meaning, God with us).” Isaiah 7:14
This is outrageous. Virgins don’t have babies. This phrase in the Bible book of Isaiah must be a misprint or a mistranslation. Of course, we are pondering this idea during Advent, the traditional time in the church calendar when we read this passage and think of that wonderful and frightful moment when the angel Gabriel appeared to the virgin Miriam and told her she would conceive a Son.
Read MoreEven in the times of greatest darkness imaginable, when it seems evil is triumphing over all that is good, we remember that after the Temple was rededicated to the Lord, that the lights of the Temple Menorah did not go out. God was always with those who were faithful to Him and who feared His name. Even in the middle of this great ‘period of silence’ the story of Hanukkah gives us a picture of God’s presence and faithfulness and grace to His people, even then.
Read More“Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter. And Jesus walked in the Temple, in Solomon's porch.” John 10:22-3. That is the only biblical reference to a well-known winter holiday that Jesus celebrated, a holiday many will celebrate this month. You know it by another name, (hint: it's not Christmas!). No, my Jewish people will celebrate the Feast of Dedication, commonly known as Hanukkah.
Read MoreDid Jesus invent a new religion? The simple answer is that Jesus was a rabbi – a teacher of Judaism. During the time of Jesus, Judaism took on a variety of forms, most of which are not comparable to today’s expressions.
Read MoreA few months ago, the sun was setting on a beautiful spring evening, and I was sitting outside in a gardening class sponsored by the local community center in Jerusalem. In the midst of a lecture on soil and crop rotation, a loud blitzkrieg-esque siren suddenly wailed overhead.
Read MoreStories from our shop…
Read MoreOne of the reasons we have to be careful about imagery is highlighted in the 10 Commandments. God says not to make imagery so that we bow down to them and serve them. In other words, having a photo of an elephant is ok, but making it into an idol is not ok. Having a sculpture of an angel is ok, but bowing to it is not. Sensible.
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