It is almost the end of April on the Gregorian calendar, so that means we are in the Hebrew month of Iyar. Iyar is its Babylonian name, the Bible refers to it as ‘the second month’ or ‘chodesh haziv’ (the month of shining or blossoming), or simply as the month of Ziv. There are always two days of Rosh Chodesh Iyar (celebration of the new moon), the first of which is the 30th day of Nisan. Iyar always has 29 days. Iyar is known as the month of (natural) healing.
Two memorials commemorating events in history of modern Israel are celebrated in this month. Israel Independence Day is on the 5th of Iyar, and Jerusalem Day, the day Israel reconquered Jerusalem during the Six Day War, is on the 28th day of the month. The 4th of Iyar is Israel's Yom HaZikaron, or Israeli national memorial day for fallen soldiers. There are several dates in Israel's ancient history to note this month, too, as recorded in the pages of scripture. 1) On the first day of Iyar following the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt, the thirsty people reached a well of bitter water. Moses was told to cast a tree into the water. He did and it miraculously became sweet. YHWH then promised that if Israel followed His ways he would not place upon them the diseases he placed upon Egypt. “The diseases I have placed upon Egypt I will not place upon you, for I AM YHWH your Healer.” Exodus 15:26 YHWH Rophe - YHWH our Healer Hebrew letters often have deeper meaning than the simple words they spell. Again, the Hebrew letters that form the word Iyar form an acronym of the Exodus verse above: "I am the Lord your Healer", thus Iyar is seen as a propitious time for healing. 2) On the first day of Iyar, King Solomon began the construction of the First Temple. (Kings I:6:1) 3) On the exact same day, hundreds of years later, Ezra began the construction of the Second Temple. (Ezra 3:8) 4) During the month of Iyar following the exodus from Egypt, mannah began to fall in the desert for the wandering people to eat, and it continued to fall for 40 years. According to Jewish tradition, mannah is supposed to have healing qualities, so there is another association between Iyar and healing. When I ran across this I sat up and took notice. At this very moment.... actually since about the time of the new moon for Iyar ..... I have been in need of physical healing. I'm not sure why or what is going on, but it has definitely gotten my attention. The list of symptoms in interesting: (roving) joint pain, swollen lymph nodes on my neck, extreme fatigue, low grade fever, swollen and/or weak hands and arms, headaches, back and neck pain, not being able to sleep, and a host of other little things that hit pretty much all at once, but I didn't realize were connected or related. Yikes! I was delighted to do some reading about what the Jewish sages say this month means, or what it's essence is all about... I found the essence to be healing, drawing closer to YHWH and building understanding. Although I do not subscribe to Talmudic teachings as being equal with Torah, I do find the associations between this month, it's constellation (the ox plowing the field, sowing new seed and nourishing growth and healing of the land), letter meanings (as in the acronym explained above) and the historical dates of import (also listed above), etc., to be amazing and somehow comforting, if not a little enlightening. Above all, I am just pleased as punch that YHWH brought all this to my attention. I had already determined and understood (through prayer) that the next few weeks were going to have to be a time of healing and recovery and discovery for me because of the number of things in life that recently changed or stopped and how worn out I feel inside and out! It has become (literally) painfully obvious that some of my priorities are out of balance. This has been a confirmation of that decision to rest and seek His healing and comfort. Hallelujah and praise be to the One who opens my eyes... daily... This is REPOSTED from over on Judah Gabriel's blog, Kineti L'Tziyon at http://tinyurl.com/oesz3q5
Shalom fine Kineti reader, and chag sameach. Here are some notes I jotted tonight for the significance of the 4 cups of Passover for Messianic believers. I hope you enjoy! -Judah Gabriel Why do we drink the 4 cups of Passover? The Jewish people have several traditions around the 4 cups. One prominent tradition is that the 4 cups correspond to the 4 “I will…” statements of Exodus 6: I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will save you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment. I will take you to be my people.… We take these 4 cups remembering the works of God, aspects of his saving Israel, facets of his salvation:
We also take these 4 cups in remembrance of Messiah. At Passover, Messiah commands us to “do this in remembrance of Me” – but what are we remembering about Messiah?
Cup 1: Sanctification “I will take you out” With this first cup we remember God pulling Israel out of the nations and setting them apart from the world. We remember how God took a bunch of nobody slaves and called them to be distinct from the nation they were living in. He took people that were suffering and dissolving and disappearing, he listened to their cries for help, and responded to their cries, “I will take you out!” This separate-ness,called sanctification, is why God blessed Israel but judged Egypt. This separate-ness is why God sent plagues on idolaters, but peace and safety to His people. This separateness is why God killed the firstborn of Egypt, but gave life and deliverance to his people Israel. When we drink this cup of sanctification, we remember the Messiah, who called us to the difficult and life-long path of a disciple: separate from the world, distinct from sinful people, a higher calling of discipline and obedience and service to God. We remember that Messiah has taken us out of the world, as it’s written, “Do not love the world, or the things of the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lusts of the flesh and the lusts of the eyes are not of the Father, but of the world. And the world and all of these lusts are passing away. But the one that does the will of God abides forever and ever.” God has called each person in this room to live a holy life. Not one that is so like the world, that we’re indistinguishable from unbelievers. But a life marked by holiness, characterized by shalom, distinguished by obedience to God’s commandments, filled up with the fruit of the Spirit and producing good works for God and the Messiah who sanctifies us. Cup 2: Deliverance “I will save you” Have you ever experienced a difficult time in your life? Maybe you’re struggling with depression, battling addictions, barely surviving a fight-filled marriage? In such times, we call out to God for help. We’re at the end of what we can humanely do. We don’t know how else to fix the situation. “God, help me, I don’t know what else to do!” This is what the people of Israel did in Egypt. Being worked to death in a burning desert for hundreds of years, people were losing hope. At that point, all of God’s promises must have seemed ridiculous. That old promise that God would make them into a great nation must have seemed entirely laughable, a fairy tales you tell to children, but not a tangible reality. Then, God intervened. Then, God performed a divine reversal. Instead of a forgotten people dying in a desert, God puts on a show of divine power, his right arm bared for everyone to see, miracles worked one after another, judgment brought on the captors, release and favor on the captives. This was the salvation of Israel that was to be remembered for generations to come, this was the deliverance of God’s people that became etched throughout the Scriptures, ingrained even in the 10 commandments which begin, “I am the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt, and delivered you from the land of slavery.” Had God not delivered them at that time, there would have been no Exodus from Egypt, no commandments given to Israel, no land of Israel, no prophets of Israel, no books of the Bible, no kings of Israel, no King David, and if not David, then no son of David, the Messiah, and if no Messiah, no disciples, no disciples, and we wouldn’t be here today. As we drink this cup of deliverance, let’s remember that God came through, he didn’t disappoint, and made good on his promise to deliver Israel. Let’s remember that God sent the Messiah, his own Son, who delivers us from sin; we no longer need to be slaves to sin, because we have repentance leading to forgiveness of sin in Yeshua’s name. We will overcome even the difficult circumstances because God will deliver us, as Messiah encouraged us saying, “Have no fear, have no fear, I have overcome the world!” Let’s remember and trust and believe that every man who puts his trust in the Lord will not be disappointed, but will see in his own life God’s complete and total deliverance. Cup 3: Redemption “I will redeem you” The idea of redemption is foreign to us in the 21st century. We might redeem a coupon code, or talk about a person’s sole redeeming quality, but we otherwise don’t deal in redemption. To redeem something is to regain it in exchange for payment. To buy back something. To repurchase or win back something. God is in the redemption business. God is called the Redeemer of Israel repeatedly in the Torah and in the psalms and in the in the prophets. In this 3rd Passover cup, the cup of redemption, we remember that God redeemed Israel from slavery, reclaiming his people for himself through what the Scriptures call an outstretched arm – God’s power on display through repeated miracles for Israel and plagues against Egypt.” This 3rd cup is the cup that our Master Yeshua also said, “This is the cup of the b’rit hachadasha (new covenant, new agreement, new deal), ratified by my blood, which is poured out for you.” This new covenant, this new deal was an agreement in which God agreed that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved, spared from sin and death and judgment. Yeshua said this 3rd cup, the cup of redemption, is the cup of the new covenant, the cup of his blood poured out for humanity. His blood being poured out was what made this new deal possible. Isaiah spoke in advance of Messiah’s coming, foretelling that God’s righteous servant – the Messiah – will justify many people before God. This new deal was made possible by God laying on Messiah the guilt of humanity, that by his being beaten, bruised, and whipped, and speared, and nailed to a tree, Messiah’s shed blood will redeem mankind. This is the blood of the new covenant, the cup of redemption that we are about to drink. The book of Hebrews puts it this way: the priests in the Temple offering sacrifices and appearing before God’s presence is an earthly shadow of a heavenly reality: Messiah shedding his perfect blood, cleaning us of our sin and appearing before God on our behalf. Through Messiah’s shed blood, he took on himself the sins of many, becoming God’s Salvation and God’s Redemption. And because of this Messiah, we are all here today. Because of the merit of Messiah’s life and the pouring out of his blood, God has purchased from all nations a people for himself, a people who once were not a people. We, the billions of believers who call on the name of the God of Israel, have been redeemed by God, purchased through the precious blood of his own son, the spotless Passover lamb, to him be the glory forever! Cup 4: Restoration “I will take you as My own people” The hope we have as disciples of Yeshua is the hope promised in the Scriptures: God is restoring all things to their pristine state, turning evil on its head, rewarding the righteous, setting things straight. Are you distraught at how wicked and sinful people are today? Don’t worry, God will bring every evil act of men into judgment. Do you see confusion among secular people, in the media, and even in the church? God promises he will seal up the deceiver, cast him in the lake of fire, and Satan will no longer be able to deceive the nations. Are you ill? God has promised that when the Kingdom of Heaven arrives, disease will be taken away. Are you suffering? God will wipe every tear from your eye, remove pain and suffering. Are you old and frail? God will raise you up in the last day, give you a new immortal body, and you will reign with him from Jerusalem. In this final cup of Passover, the cup of Restoration, we remember that God kept his promise to restore Israel. It was seemingly impossible – the sons of Abraham to whom God has promised a nation and a great people had been reduced to a lowly group of slaves subject to a harsh master, a disorganized and bickering people dying through forced labor in the desert. God came through and restored the people to the glory he promised them. Abraham’s seed, the Jewish people, saw God at work, restoring his people to their honored state as kings and priests of God, making a reality his promise of a great nation through whom all the families of the earth would be blessed. That nation and that people are still alive today as a testament to God’s faithfulness. It’s important we remember this restoration! In the 1800s, even many of the Jewish people forgot that God is serious about restoration. After nearly 2000 years of being a disorganized, disunited people outside of the land God promised, one of the major branches of Judaism decided God wouldn’t restore the land after all; the Jewish people would never return to the land of Israel, never again to be a nation. That branch of Judaism decided to remove from the siddur all prayers mentioning Israel, Zion, Jerusalem. The Christian world, too, discarded God’s promise of restoration, with one Vatican official writing in the early 1920s that God has “forever cursed the Jewish people to be nomads without a homeland.” But, to the surprise of even the religious, God didn’t forget his promise of restoration. On May 14th of 1948, the nation of Israel was reborn, the Jewish exile ended, the land of Israel brought forth fruit again, and the Hebrew language was restored. God is in the business of restoration, even in the modern age, yes, even in this generation. In the last 20 years, we have seen a renaissance of disciples of eshua who love the Torah, look at God’s commandments as holy and good and righteous. That you are here today, celebrating Passover on the other side of the planet from where Messiah lived, 2000 years after his day – this too is a testament to God at work, God restoring what once was and what will soon be in the Messianic Era. This final cup of Passover Yeshua our master did not drink. He said, “I will not drink of this cup until it finds its fullness in the Kingdom of Heaven”, that day when God wipes every tear from our eyes, when he takes away suffering and pain, causes death itself to die, resurrects his loved ones, all of his holy, faithful children reigning with him, bringing to earth a new earth, a new heaven and a new Jerusalem. Then Messiah’s name Immanuel – God with us will have its full meaning when God dwells with mankind and restores creation itself, making all things new. Chag sameach! The Abib new moon for March 21, 2015, has been confirmed throughout the country, including North Carolina, Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Arkansas, Wisconsin, Iowa, and New Mexico. It has also been seen in Israel.
Based on tonight's sightings, the Passover Memorial will be the evening of April 3 and the Feast of Unleavened Bread from April 5-11. (Picture: Israel, courtesy of Nehemia Gordon) Copied from: http://www.annomundi.com/bible/birth_of_yeshua.htm
Most Gentile Christians wouldn't bother to speculate about the time when Jesus was born. They celebrate it on December 25th even though they know there is no Biblical basis for choosing that date. However, there are some Messianic Jews who believe that they know, with a reasonable degree of certainty, the time of year when Yeshua (Jesus) was born. Taking into account certain Jewish customs and traditions, it's not difficult to calculate it. There is quite a wide consensus of opinion that Yeshua was born at some time during the High Holy Days of Rosh Hashana (New Year) and Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement), or at Succot (Tabernacles) which follows soon afterwards. These festivals normally occur in the Autumn, about September or October, but it varies from year to year because the Jewish calendar is based on the cycles of the moon and doesn't fit in with the Gregorian calendar. The calculation of the time of Yeshua's birth begins with Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist. According to Luke 1:5 he was a priest of the order of Abijah. He was performing his duties, burning incense in the Temple, when an angel appeared and said his wife Elizabeth would conceive and bear a son, and he would be called Yochanan (John). The order in which the priestly families performed their duties is given in 1 Chronicles 24:7-18. According to the Mishnah, the cycle begins on the first Shabbat (Sabbath) of Nisan, and each family of priests would minister in turn for one week. Since there are 24 families, each family would minister about twice a year. The cycle would be delayed slightly because all priests, regardless of their families, were required to be at the Temple for the three festivals of Pesach (Passover), Shavuot (Pentecost) and Succot (Tabernacles). The family of Abijah was eighth in line, so Zechariah would have had his first period of duty during Sivan (about June) and his second period during Kislev about six months later. There is no way of knowing for sure which period of duty is referred to in Luke's Gospel, but if we suppose it is the first period we get some very interesting results. Zechariah finished his first period of duty about the middle of Sivan. Because of his unbelief, God struck him dumb, but his reproductive system was still working. He went home to his wife and she became pregnant. Count off 40 weeks, the usual period of gestation, and we get to the month of Nisan the following year. Beginning on the 14th of Nisan, and lasting for eight days, we have the festival of Pesach (Passover), which roughly coincides with Easter on the Christian calendar. This raises the distinct possibility that John the Baptist was born at Pesach, which coincides with the Jewish expectation that Elijah would come at Pesach. The Jews always put an extra cup of wine on the table at Pesach, in the hope that Elijah will come and drink it. If John the Baptist was born at Pesach, Yeshua (Jesus) must have been born during the High Holy Days or at Succoth. In Luke 1:26 and 36 we are told that Yeshua was six months younger than John. When the decree went out for everyone to go to their home town to be registered, Joseph and Mary set off for Bethlehem. They would have set out in good time, before Mary was fully 40 weeks pregnant, because she wouldn't want to be jogged into childbirth while riding on a donkey. Besides, they would have wanted to complete the journey before Rosh Hashana. We are given a clue about the time of the birth by the angel who appeared to the shepherds and said "Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people". (Luke 2:10). There are actually two clues here. Succot is a festival of joy, and it is also known as the "Festival of the Nations". The angel was actually giving them a greeting for the Festival of Succot. This is the only festival where the nations are positively encouraged to participate. (Zechariah 14:16-19). During Succot, the Jews contruct flimsy shelters called "Succah", using wood and leaves, and eat or sleep in them. This is to remember how they were completely dependent on God as they wandered around for forty years in the desert when they came out of Egypt. They are celebrating "God with us". The birth of Yeshua at Succot fulfils another prophecy: "Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us". (Matt. 1:23, a quotation from Isaiah 7:14). If this is not enough, we also have to consider the type of dwelling in which Yeshua was born. Had it not been for the inconvenience caused by the census, he would have been born in a house like all other children. But he wasn't, he was born in a stable, a flimsy dwelling where they kept sheep and cattle. So he was born in a Succah, to indicate that God had come to earth to dwell with humanity. Eight days later, according to Luke 2:21, he was circumcised. NOT in the Temple as some suppose, but in Bethlehem, probably in the Succah where he was born. Mary would still be ceremonially unclean for 33 days after the circumcision according to Leviticus 12. Besides, she would be unlikely to travel to Jerusalem so soon after the birth even though it was not very far. If the day of his birth was the first day of Succot, the day of his circumcision would be the eighth day of Succot which, like the first day, is a day of sacred assembly. (Leviticus 23:39). On this day, or traditionally the day after, the Jews complete their annual cycle of Torah readings and start again from Bereshit (Genesis). It is called Simchat Torah (Rejoicing of the Law), and is considered to be a time of "fulfilment" of the Torah. The circumcision of Yeshua at this time indicates how he had come to fulfil the Law and the Prophets (Matt. 5:17-18). Also in John 1:14 we read about how "The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us" - another obvious reference to Succot. When the days of Mary's purification were over (33 days after the circumcision), they would have made their way to Jerusalem to sacrifice a pair of doves or young pigeons. (Luke 2:22-24). Then they went back to Nazareth (Luke 2:39). Every year they went to Jerusalem for Pesach. (Luke 2:41). During one of these visits, probably when Yeshua was two years old, they went to Bethlehem and stayed, not in a stable, but in a house. (Matt. 2:11). They were visited by the Magi, and then had to flee to Egypt to escape from Herod because he was killing all the male children two years old and under. Starting from Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, and his first period of duty in the Temple, and doing a few simple calculations, we arrive at a result which gives a new and profound meaning to many passages of Scripture, and for that reason, I think Yeshua is very likely to have been born at Succot. So what are we going to do now? Are we going to continue observing Christmas on December 25th (which incidentally has pagan origins), or are we going to celebrate the birth of Yeshua at Succot? If we do (and we don't have to become Jewish to do it) we will be creating the conditions in which Zechariah 14:16-19 can be fulfilled. People will say "Since we are celebrating Succot, why not do it in Jerusalem?". Up to a point, this is already being fulfilled by large numbers of Christians who go to Jerusalem for a Succot celebration each year, but it could get bigger. Proof that Yeshua/Jesus was NOT born in December!
copied from: http://therefinersfire.org/yeshuas_birthday2.htm Many Christians insist on celebrating the man-made "holiday" of Christmas, even though many of them know that our Savior was not born in December. Many have written to The Refiner's Fire with comments such as, "Who cares when He was born - we celebrate His birth in December!" Apparently they can't grasp the fact that God's commands override mankind's desire to concoct their own "holy days".... YHWH, The Creator, arranged for His Son to be born in His timing - as revealed in His Mo'edim -Biblical Feasts/Appointed Times. Yeshua has so far fulfilled on the first FOUR of the SEVEN Biblical Feasts and there are just three more to go! One of the Feasts Yeshua fulfilled was His own birthday: The first day of Sukkot - the Feast of Tabernacles, which falls in the September/October timeframe on our man-made Gregorian calendars - three months before "Christmas"! This makes Christmas a lie on many levels, especially the "Santa Claus" lie we tell our children. Most know that lying is a sin.... Please read this link about His birthday, and then consider the facts below. --Shepherds do not "abide in the fields" in December with their sheep in Israel, not 2,000 years ago and not now. It is well known that shepherds stay in shelters starting in November, with the arrival of the rainy season. --If you know what the Star of Bethlehem is (Jupiter) then you know when the Nativity was. The Magi told Herod "the time the star appeared" and Herod killed infants two years and under in response. That means the Magi were tracking the "king's star" for two years, because Herod didn't stop from killing his own children and his favorite wife, per Josephus. In fact, Josephus says that Augustus Caesar himself remarked that he would rather be one of Herod's dogs than one of his children. The only "star of kings" that Magi would have known was Jupiter. "Magi" refers to Zoroastrian priests from either Babylon or Persia (Iran or Iraq), both of which are EAST of Israel and both tracked a triple conjunction of Jupiter (the king's planet) and Saturn (the savior planet for the Jews) in Aries (the zodiac sing for Syria and Israel in their mythology). Zoroastrians had a myth that their version of Messiah, called "Saoshyant" in their scriptures, would be born "in the west, in a foreign land." When the triple conjunction, along with a comet and other things, all began in 7 BCE, they knew they had to grab the incense and go. Jupiter even went behind the sun and "died" - was invisible, for more than a year. It emerged triumphantly from behind the sun in mid 6 BCE and tracked west for 4 months, pausing over Bethlehem on Sept. 5 BCE. --As if that isn't compelling enough, remember Luke tells us Zechariah, John the Baptist's father, served 15 months in the Temple before Messiah was born. Luke gives us the name of the course: Abijah (Luke 1:5). Guess what? We know when Abijah served during this time, and when we add 15 months it comes again to Sept, 5 BCE. --Likewise we can date the first census of Qurinius as well, as Romans counted folks every 14 years and people in Egypt - like Josef and Mary - were forced to return to their ANCESTRAL HOMES to pay the tax. This is verified in the Bible; it is not open to interpretation! --Luke and John synch on the same year for the beginning of Messiah's ministry: 27 BCE. How do we know that? Forty-six years from the beginning of Herod's temple and the 15th year of Tiberius bring us to the same year. Co-regencies were counted as part of Roman rule, so Tiberius co-ruled with Augustus starting in 12 CE. Josephus says Herod began building the Temple in 19 BCE. Then Luke says Y'shua was "about 30" when he began his ministry. By this clock, he would be 30 years exactly and a few months. (No year 0 in the timeline so 4 years to 1 BCE +26 to get to Rosh hashanna = 30). Reposted from "Holidays" & "Feasts" | Updated on Mar 9, 2011 http://www.perfect-word.org/2010/02/18/for-a-time-such-as-puriym/
Just before the renewal of Israel’s annual calendar, the last month of the year hosts the Feast of Puriym, as birthed out of the events reported in the book of Esther. The story of Esther and the Jews living in Persia takes place around 500 BC, near the end of Israel’s expulsion to Babylon. The historical account concludes with Esther and Mordechai’s triumph over Haman and the spirit of anti-Semitism, securing the Jewish peoples’ momentary safety in a foreign land. In short, …Haman… the ’Agagiy, adversary of all the Jews, had devised [a plot] concerning the Jews to destroy them, and had caused pur to fall—that is, the lot—to crush them and to destroy them. But in [Esther’s uncovering of Haman’s plot and] coming in before the king, [the king responded] with the [written proclamation] letter, “Let [Haman’s] evil device that he devised against the Jews turn back upon his own head!” And they hanged him and his sons on the tree. (Esther 9:24-25) The ensuing “days of banquet and of joy, and of sending portions [of food] one to another, and gifts to the needy” were celebrated “as days on which the Jews have rested from their enemies, and the month that has been turned to them from sorrow to joy, and from mourning to a good day.” (vs. 22) These days inaugurated an annual memorial—“Puriym—by the name of the lot”—established by Mordechai’s letter to the Jews of Persia. Therefore, because of all the words of this letter, and what they have seen concerning this, and what has come to them, the Jews have established and received upon themselves and upon their seed and upon all those joined to them—and it may not pass away—to be keeping these two days according to their writing, and according to their season, in every year and year. And these days are [to be] remembered and kept in every generation and generation, family and family, province and province, and city and city. And these days of Puriym may not pass away from the midst of the Jews, and their memorial may not [be] ended from their seed. (Esther 9:26-28) So by royal decree, the Jews of Persia escaped an onslaught against them, and instituted Puriym as an annual reminder to all Israel of this “good day.” Puriym is to be celebrated “the fourteenth day of the month of Adar [the twelfth month], and the fifteenth day of it, in every year and year…” (Esther 9:21) The Silence of GodOne of the historical criticisms levied against the book of Esther is that neither the name of Adonai, nor any reference to the God of Israel, is found in its text. The defense of the book’s inclusion in the canon of Scripture, however, comes from the allegedly underlying theme of divine providence, which may be encapsulated in the famous line uttered by Mordechai to the reluctant Queen Esther, “and who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for a time such as this?” (Esther 4:14) It is therefore traditionally understood that God’s silent role in the story of Esther is what brought about the protection and salvation of the Jewish people of Persia. But with the voice of God sounding so loudly throughout the bulk of Scripture, His “silence” in the book of Esther rings ever so conspicuously where the authoritative establishment of Puriym is concerned. Indeed, it is absolutely clear from the text that Adonai in no way authorized and implemented Puriym as a feast to be kept by Israel. Rather, it is a self-appointed time of celebration—much like that of Chanukah, another self-proclaimed feast which commemorates Israel facing and defeating a similar foe. In the end, there can be no argument that Mordechai and the Jews in Persia unilaterally imposed the annual celebration and memorial of Puriym upon their descendants forever—an appointment which was never explicitly sanctioned by Adonai. How, then, are we to handle this precarious—and somewhat presumptuous—command, which has been preserved for us in the context of Scripture? Puriym Like Chanukah: Memorial of Historic Significance The story of Esther is not the first account in which the Jewish people faced atrocities at the hands of the Gentiles. Even before she became a nation, Israel’s future was severely threatened while she remained enslaved by Pharaoh in Egypt. Though Adonai clearly deems the Exodus story as a monumental and super-significant event, we can also see the incitive spirit of anti-Semitism weaved like a thread throughout the tapestry of Israel’s volatile history. When she was not destroying herself by following other gods and losing her own way, she was being squeezed by the nations—forced to worship and follow other gods and other ways, or face the sting of persecution and death. Puriym is therefore akin not to the appointed times of Adonai, but to the historical events that have shaped Israel’s identity as a persecuted people. As a pre-Messianic-era event, Puriym is most like Chanukah—indeed, their historic similarities are compelling. But as just one more event in a long line of persecution-related narratives, Puriym joins a host of Jewish “histori-days,” such as the modern Yom Yerushalayim, which celebrates the retaking of the old city of Jerusalem during the six day war of 1967, ending the reign of Gentile rule over Jerusalem for the first time in two millennia.Puriym is, of course, unique, since it alone appears in the Hebrew canon of Scripture, but its themes reverberate through the annals of time. Clearly, there is a call from Israel’s fathers to which the sons of Israel are obliged to hearken—a voice of instruction exhorting us to remember and “never forget” what has been done for us—and to us—as the chosen people. And yet, a most curious dynamic develops from this preoccupation with Jewish victory over Gentile enemies, and suffering at the hands of foreigners—and it is vividly portrayed in the way Puriym is presently celebrated in the Jewish community… a way that is in marked contrast to the divinely ordained appointed times of Adonai. Setting Priorities Israel’s annual calendar is most clearly outlined in Leviticus 23, which places Passover at the beginning of the year in early Spring, and Sukot (followed by Yom HaSh’miymiy ’Atzeret) at the end of the year in the Fall. For the remainder of the annual cycle—from around mid-October through March—no once-a-year appointments exist on Israel’s officially sanctioned calendar. Like the Land, it enters a time of winter dormancy until it emerges again with new life in the Spring. It is in this wintry void that Chanukah and Puriym find their oddly upbeat voices—the former joyfully shouting “Draydl!” while the latter happily heckles Haman. At the very least, we should ask ourselves why—in a season without days designated by the Father—we are so quick to faithfully honor our ancestors’ incidental institutions. This is not so much a question of whether or not such remembrances should be observed, but to what degree we celebrate, innovate and emphasize; especially considering that our modern observances of Chanukah and Puriym are usually more soiree than substance—and almost always pursued and commemorated with greater zeal and grander spectacle than the days instituted by Adonai Himself. Surely, the remembrance of Jewish victories should be met with joy and celebration… but that doesn’t mean Puriym has to become the Jewish answer to Halloween any more than Chanukah should continue to reign as Christmas for Jews. The Pur (Poor) You Will Always Have With You Over the course of any given year, there are many opportunities to remember significant events in our lives and the lives of our ancestors—and none of them require an edict from God. It is perfectly fine and normal to remember anniversaries of dates that mean something to us personally, and for our parents to ask (or even demand) us to remember dates that were important to them and their parents. But like everything in life, we are required to temper our perceived needs and wants with the instructions given to us by Adonai… and if our remembrances begin to rival those appointed to us by the Father, we put our present and our future in grave jeopardy. We are what we remember—this is why Israel was given appointed times in the first place: so that we will remember Adonai, and we willbe only who He wants us to be. So this year when you celebrate Puriym, and you’re decked out in your Puriym costume, wildly swinging your grogger, and stuffing your face with Hamentashen, check yourself: do I put this much effort—and more—into all the days that Adonai has designated for remembrance? Remember your heritage and the history of our people with joy, but don’t forget the One who set you apart and made you for a purpose… a purpose far greater than parties, performances and pastries… |
musings: (noun)a period of reflection or thought, introspection, ponderance, rumination, contemplation, deliberation, deep thinking Isra'eli red poppiesCategories
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