More often than not, the world has different definitions than God does. The values and principles we find in the Bible should be where we get our definitions primarily. One such subject that is brought up during this time of year is “Love.” This word can be used in a multitude of ways such as “I love my car” or I love my dog” or even “I love hanging out with you!” Yet, the word was never meant to be used so casually. In Hebrew, there are multiple words associated with love, such as Ahava, Chesed, Rachamim, and Dod. In Greek, love also has multiple words such as, Agapē, Philia, or Storge. The p ..read more

Hanukkah, the festival of lights, is upon us! If you've celebrated with us before, you'll know that this is one of the Jewish memorial holidays. And while not one of the appointed times or feasts of Adonai, Hanukkah remains a tremendous testimony of God's faithfulness to His people throughout all generations.    The interesting thing about Hanukkah is that it takes place in what's called the Intertestamental Period - the time between what we know as the end of the Old Testament and the beginning the New Testament. In Judaism, this is referred to as the Years of Longing or the Years o ..read more

'You are to keep the Feast of Sukkot for seven days, after gathering in the produce from your threshing floor and winepress.' So you will rejoice in your feast—you, your son and daughter, slave and maid, Levite and outsider, orphan and widow within your gates. Seven days you will feast to Adonai your God in the place He chooses, because Adonai your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hand, and you will be completely filled with joy. - Deuteronomy 16:13-15 TLV Every year when Sukkot comes around, our little, not-so-athletic, Jewish family suddenly turns into a cl ..read more

29 “It is to be a statute to you forever, that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you are to afflict your souls, and do no kind of work—both the native-born and the outsider dwelling among you. 30 For on this day atonement will be made for you, to cleanse you. From all your sins you will be clean before Adonai. 31 It is a Shabbat of solemn rest to you, and you are to afflict your souls. It is a statute forever. - Leviticus 16:29-31   Over the centuries, through exile, captivity, assimilation attempts, and hundreds of years of per ..read more

Today's culture is all about obtaining, maintaining, and repeatedly keeping your attention by any means necessary. Whether it's with shorter and shorter videos, crazier story lines, or bolder statements, the amount of messaging that blasts our senses is nothing short of overwhelming.   In simpler times, despite them having issues of their own, getting someone's attention took a sound much more intentional than a phone ping. It took giant brass bells, loud horns, and booming drums. Armies marched at certain sounds and retreats were called through specific trumpet calls. Trains were announc ..read more

As a child, the feast of Shavuot was always a unique experience for me. Since we don't currently live in a mainly agricultural society, I had no idea that Shavuot was supposed to be a day of celebrating the new grain harvest. But what I did know was that on this particular holiday, my mother always commissioned two huge loaves of Challah to be made. And by huge, I mean that they were upwards of 10lbs each!    It was always a delight to see these challah loaves, which I customarily saw on Shabbat, in gargantuan form. Then, when we had our celebration service, these loaves would get pa ..read more

The human condition of anticipation and excitement is a universal one. Everyone likes a countdown, right? Imagine what Times Square would look like on New Year's Eve if we didn't. For whatever reason, humans love counting the months, weeks, days, hours, minutes, or even seconds until their goal is reached. This is why we have advent calendars, digital countdown clocks, timers, and stopwatches. There are hundreds and thousands of cardboard boxes with tiny doors to cultivate excitement in children when leading up to modern holidays like Christmas and Easter. Entire industries have sprung up arou ..read more

With the mandate to keep leavening out of the territories of Israel for seven days after the feast of Pesach (Leviticus 23:5-6?), it can become a struggle to enjoy the taste of it after a while. So, every year it becomes my mission to find a new way to use matzah. Sometimes they're successful. Sometimes not. Most of the time, we use matzah as a cracker - slathered in butter or cream cheese or jam! Some people like hummus or even a festive bean dip! However you choose to matzah, there are many ways to enjoy it. But when you're -so over- dipping your matzah into different dips, here are some of ..read more

The feast of Pesach is a family affair, with singing and eating, pounding on the table and hunting for the afikomen. It's a rite that all Jewish people experience year after year. But, year after year, it's the same prayers, the same songs, and the same story. Eventually, it can all start to seem ... rote. As the years progress, the Passover Seder can become an obligation instead of a celebration. So, here are a few things you can do to have a memorable and mindful Passover seder this year!    Be aware of what your expectations are for your seder. If you have infants and toddlers, b ..read more

5 During the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month in the evening, is Adonai’s Passover. 6 On the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Matzot to Adonai. For seven days you are to eat matzah. 7 On the first day you are to have a holy convocation and you should do no regular work. 8 Instead you are to present an offering made by fire to Adonai for seven days. On the seventh day is a holy convocation, when you are to do no regular work.” - Leviticus 23:5-8?   For centuries, the Jewish people hav ..read more