Weekly Torah Commentary VaYechi

Can we do תפילות prayers for:

Mordecai Silver and Tree of Life Messianic Ministries

That also through them The האור Light, רפואה The Healing and The ואהבה Love of ישועת יהוה Yeshuath YHWH may come back to הארץ The Land of Israel?

 

Weekly Torah Commentary from Mordecai Silver   Tree of Life Messianic Ministries PO Box 467 Organ, NM 88052 866-874-7250 (Toll free) Fax: 866-800-2390 (Toll free) tolmm@etz-chayim.org   Bringing the truth of Yeshua and Torah to all!

Message 12-18-10 VaYechi-And He Lived Genesis 47:28-50:26 1 Kings 2:1-12 Introduction The story of Joseph is all but over. The Patriarchal epic is drawing to a close, but there is still some unfinished business and it serves as a logical lead-in to the main story of the Torah, the exile and redemption of Israel, the giving of the Torah, and the fulfillment of God’s promise of the “land flowing with milk and honey.” Just as the Parashah VaYechi encompasses the last will and testament of Jacob, the haftarah portion includes the final will of David. Both the Torah portion and the haftarah portion close with the death of a great leader, Joseph and David, respectively.   Shalom Chaverim! You will find the weekly Torah, Haftarah, and Apostolic Scripture portions attached as a pdf file. This will be our normal means for sending out the weekly studies. For audio teachings on the weekly portions go to: www.etz-chayim.org/audio/audio.htm. These are free. We now have our weekly TV show Our Jewish Heritage: Exploring our Hebrew Roots on the Internet at www.lascruceschannel.com. Click on the Video on Demand link and then the Etz Chayim link. We have over 40 shows archived there for free. While there check out our on-line store at www.etz-chayim.org/store/store.htm. Purchases from our store help to support the on-going ministry of Sharan and Mordecai Silver - Tree of Life Messianic Ministries. You can also donate to our ministry by mail or through our website. All donations are tax deductable. May the Lord bless you and yours… Mordecai Silver ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you have been blessed by what you have read in these daily e-mails or by what you have read or listened to on our website at www.etz-chayim.org please make a donation to Tree of Life Messianic Ministries on our website by clicking on the donation button in increments of $25.00 and you can increase your donation by changing the quantity… ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you would like to have your group listed on our website at www.etz-chayim.org/directory.htm drop us an e-mail with your information… ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tree of Life Messianic Ministries is a legally incorporated non-profit ministry with 501 (c) (3) status… VaYechi 12-18-10.pdf 260K

 

commentaries from Ardelle on Vayechi

Can we do תפילות prayers for:

Ardelle and Cal

That also through them The האור Light, רפואה The Healing and The ואהבה Love of ישועת יהוה Yeshuath YHWH may come back to הארץ The Land of Israel?

 

Shalom!

This week we conclude the book of Bereshith (Genesis).  Our study is rich with Messianic and end times parallels.  If you have an interest in knowing more about Yeshua and our future, then I encourage you to dig deeply this week!

Each Shabbat, many bless their sons and grandsons with the blessing, “may you be like Ephraim and Manasseh,” based on the blessing from this week’s Torah portion.  What is so special about these grandsons of Ya’acov?  Why not bless our sons with the names of the Patriarchs?  One reason is that we desire for our descendents to be strong enough to keep their Hebrew identity even when it is in a hostile and pagan environment.  Ephraim and Manasseh were most likely brought up in Egypt amidst comfort and prosperity.  They were children of the Diaspora with no connection to the Land of Israel.  But with Ya’acov’s adoption, they were elevated to a position of status like the other tribes.  They were given a future inheritance in the Land of Promise.  This is also what we hope for our children!

Shabbat Shalom!

Ardelle

Vayechi-Commentary-2008.pdf 111K

Vayechi-Commentary-2009.pdf 67K

 Nederlands: 12 Vayechi

Rabbi Wein - Parshas Vayechi

Can we do תפילות prayers for:

Rabbi Wein and torah.org

That also through them The האור Light, רפואה The Healing and The ואהבה Love of ישועת יהוה Yeshuath YHWH may come back to הארץ The Land of Israel?

Rabbi Berel Wein         Print Version
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Parshas Vayechi Make the Most of It The book of Bereshith ends this week on a seemingly upbeat note. The family of Yaakov, united and now more numerous, live in an apparently friendly Egyptian environment, rather smugly protected by their political influence and their growing wealth. The last seventeen years of the life of Yaakov are the most serene of his existence. He studies Torah with his descendants and the Lord does not allow him, so to speak, to truly envision the disaster to his people and family that looms in the coming years. In the back of everyone’s mind is the haunting vision shown to Abraham that his children will be enslaved and brutalized, but that prophecy apparently does not yet weigh heavily on the minds and behavior of Jacob’s children and family living currently in Egypt. The nature of humans is to postpone acting on troubling signs and biter forecasts. So the immediate troubles of the book of Shemot do not make their appearance or mark here at the conclusion of the book of Bereshith. The Torah itself apparently wishes to dwell on the good part of the narrative of Israel in Egypt before continuing later to detail the horrors of slavery and persecution that are already lurking in the wings. Why is this so? Why is the Torah not more straightforward early on in the Egyptian section of the story of the Jewish people? And even more puzzlingly why didn’t God speed up the process, so to speak, and begin the bondage sooner so that the redemption would also have happened earlier? What was this 130 year delay meant to accomplish? There is a pattern set here that continues to appear throughout Jewish history. Our story always goes in waves and not in lurches. The problems that befall us may seem to be sudden and unexpected but in the long view that retrospective history provides, they arrive inevitably and gradually. The Lord, so to speak, provides us with respite between tragedies. The 130 years of good times in Egypt enabled the Jews to somehow survive the eighty years of slavery and persecution. Spanish Jewry enjoyed a “golden age” of centuries before its three century decline into expulsion and forced apostasy. Polish Jews also enjoyed hundreds of years of autonomy and governmental favor and protection before declining in the three centuries which ended with its destruction. Eighteenth and nineteenth century anti-Semitism clearly laid the groundwork for the murderous Holocaust. Yet, at the same time Western and Central European Jewry enjoyed civil rights and great social and economic success and achievement. In the constant turbulence of First Temple times, the Bible nevertheless records for us peaceful and prosperous times – forty years, eighty years – and diplomatic and military stability. Nothing lasts forever but the history of Israel as a people provides us with the understanding that God’s will will be done but that the periods of respite afforded us are necessary for our survival and development as a people. Far be it from me to analyze our current situation and what wave of history we are in. But whatever it is we should attempt to make the most of it for now and for our future. Shabat shalom. Rabbi Berel Wein     Rabbi Berel Wein, Copyright &copy 2010 by Rabbi Berel Wein and Torah.org Rabbi Berel Wein- Jewish historian, author and international lecturer offers a complete selection of CDs, audio tapes, video tapes, DVDs, and books on Jewish history at www.rabbiwein.com Questions or comments? Email feedback@torah.org. Join the Jewish Learning Revolution! Torah.org: The Judaism Site brings this and a host of other classes to you every week. Visit http://torah.org or email learn@torah.org to get your own free copy of this mailing. Permission is granted to redistribute, but please give proper attribution and copyright to the author and Torah.org. Both the author and Torah.org reserve certain rights. Email copyrights@torah.org for full information.

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Legacy - Parshas Vayechi

Can we do תפילות prayers for:

Rabbi Naftali Reich and torah.org

That also through them The האור Light, רפואה The Healing and The ואהבה Love of ישועת יהוה Yeshuath YHWH may come back to הארץ The Land of Israel?

Legacy         by Rabbi Naftali Reich         Print Version
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Parshas Vayechi Stolen Crafts How terrible the disappointment must have been for Simon and Levi! How crushing! They had come to their father’s bedside together with all their brothers with the expectation that they would receive the old patriarch’s blessing, but all they received was a sharp reprimand. As we read in this week’s Torah portion, Jacob, sensing the end of his life drawing near, summons his sons to his side and blessed them. But this is far more than a father’s deathbed blessing to his children. Jacob, the third and final of the Patriarchs, has completed the work of laying the foundation for the Jewish nation, and now, his twelve sons, patriarchs of the individual tribes, are poised to build the rich, multi- hued edifice that would stand forever upon that solid foundation. To help them achieve this transcendent goal, Jacob’s blessings define the characters of each of the tribes, their strengths, their obligations, their contributions to the overall tapestry of Jewish peoplehood. His holy words empower them to fulfill their particular roles in the greater scheme of Jewish destiny. At this critical juncture, when Judah is assigned the crown of royalty, Isachar the role of scholar, Zebulun the role of philanthropist and so on, what does Jacob say to Simon and Levi? He reminds them of the outburst of bloody rage in which they destroyed the city of Shechem. “Their weaponry is a stolen craft,” he declares, behavior unfit for the exalted family of Jacob, a page stolen from the book of Esau. And that is it! Where is their blessing? Are they to be deprived for all eternity of the patriarchal fortification which the other tribes received? How could Jacob leave them standing their without a kind word, a compassionate gesture of conciliation? This is how the scene appears to us at first glance. The commentators, however, have an entirely different perspective on it. Jacob did not exclude Simon and Levi from his blessings, they explain. On the contrary, Jacob gave them a very great and critical blessing, a blessing that would facilitate their participation in the formation of the Jewish people. During the Shechem incident, Simon and Levi had displayed a dark and violent side to their natures. They had shown themselves capable of underhanded conniving and a disregard for human life. With such decidedly un-Jewish traits, how could Simon and Levi take part in building a nation whose very existence is predicated on spirituality, kindness, truth and the nobler traits of the human character, a nation to which violence and deceit are abhorrent? Simon and Levi, fully aware of how they had dishonored the Jewish ideal through their own shortcomings, were heartbroken at the prospect of losing for all the eternity the opportunity to take part in the building of the Jewish nation. But Jacob was a loving father, and in his blessing to his two headstrong sons, he gave them profound reassurance. Your self-image is wrong, he told them. Do not think of yourselves as violent, deceitful people. Violence and deceit are an aberration to you, a craft stolen from Esau. Do not despair. You have it in your power to purge yourselves of this contamination and resume your honored place among the other tribes of Israel. It is a undoubtedly a difficult thing to do, but I give you my blessing that your efforts should be blessed with success. Two boys were expelled from school for pulling a nasty prank on one of their teachers. As time went by, one of them became a notorious criminal, while the other became a great sage. Years later, the principal had occasion to meet the sage. “Tell me,” he said. “You both started from the same point. How come you are a sage and your friend is a criminal?” “It’s very simple,” the sage replied. “When we were expelled, my friend’s father ranted and raved at him and punished him severely. But my father was wiser. He said to me, ‘You are such a fine, good boy. What got into you to do such a cruel thing? It’s so out of character!’ You know what? I realized he was right, and I never did such a thing again.” In our own lives, we are often overcome with remorse and mortification over some terrible misdeed we committed, whether in the conduct of our relationship with Hashem or with friends and family. Remorse can be a very positive reaction, but not if it drags us down into despair and self- loathing. Let us take heart in Jacob’s reassurance that as descendants of the holy patriarchs we are essentially good and decent people, that any misdeeds of which we may be guilty are the product of stolen crafts, alien influences we can and will eradicate from our hearts.     Legacy, Copyright &copy 2010 by Rabbi Naftali Reich and Torah.org. Rabbi Reich is on the faculty of the Ohr Somayach Tanenbaum Education Center. Questions or comments? Email feedback@torah.org. Join the Jewish Learning Revolution! Torah.org: The Judaism Site brings this and a host of other classes to you every week. Visit http://torah.org or email learn@torah.org to get your own free copy of this mailing. Permission is granted to redistribute, but please give proper attribution and copyright to the author and Torah.org. Both the author and Torah.org reserve certain rights. Email copyrights@torah.org for full information.

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Perceptions - Parshas Vayechi

Can we do תפילות prayers for:

Rabbi Pinchas Winston and torah.org

That also through them The האור Light, רפואה The Healing and The ואהבה Love of ישועת יהוה Yeshuath YHWH may come back to הארץ The Land of Israel?

 

Perceptions         by Rabbi Pinchas Winston         Print Version
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Parshas Vayechi The Blessing of Ephraim and Menashe: A Spiritual GPS He blessed them that day saying, “Israel will bless through you saying, ‘May God make you like Ephraim and Menashe.’” (Bereishis 48:20) Irony of ironies. This special blessing which is repeated week after week by so many families as they bless their sons on Friday night and Erev Yom Kippur, is amazing. It is amazing because, of all the many children and grandchildren that Ya’akov Avinu had to choose from as role models for Jewish children until the end of history as we know it, he chose the only two that had been born outside of the Land of Israel. On one hand, it could have been because they were the sons of his favorite son, Yosef, whom had almost been lost forever. But on the other hand, even were that so, Ya’akov Avinu could still only choose a role model based upon attributes, for his own good, and the good of the future of all of his descendants. If so, then what was it specifically about Ephraim and Menashe that caught Ya’akov’s attention that they became the symbol of blessing for the Jewish people? And, if the answer is not apparent from this week’s parshah, perhaps it is more apparent from what we learn about Ephraim and Menashe later on in history. Two specific episodes come to mind, one in the Torah itself, and one in the Midrash. We are told that the descendants of Ephraim were the first to leave Egypt. In fact they left 30 years too early, and as a result, were attacked and killed along the way. They never made it to Eretz Yisroel at that time, but then again, neither did the generation that left Egypt with Moshe Rabbeinu on time. Indeed, Bnei Ephraim were the ones that the prophet Yechezkel brought back to life in the Valley of Dry Bones. And once brought back to life, they made aliyah and raised families there, unlike the Jews who died in the desert following Moshe Rabbeinu to the Promised Land. It may have been their tremendous yearning to live in Eretz Yisroel that resulted in their early deaths, but it was probably also the reason for their reincarnation and second chance to live in the Holy Land. Likewise, it was the daughters of Tzelofchad, descendants of Menashe, whose intense love of Eretz Yisroel resulted in their being mentioned in the Torah by name (more than once), a great honor to be sure. And, it also resulted in the introduction of an important law in their names regarding the laws of inheritance, an even greater merit. As Rashi points out there, we shouldn’t be so surprised. After all, they were descendants of Yosef, whose love of Eretz Yisroel is legendary, perhaps because he spent most of his life away from it. In fact, out of 110 years of life, Yosef only lived on the land between the ages of 8 and 17, nine years altogether, not a lot of time. How does one develop such a love of a land if they spend so little time living there? In everyday language, we call it a personality type. You see that some people seem to have a ‘natural’ appreciation of Eretz Yisroel, which results in a natural love of the land. However, behind every personality type is a soul-type, and that has a lot, actually almost everything to do with the way we relate to things in life. Yosef was the attribute of Yesod. Literally, Yesod means ‘foundation,’ and there is a reason for that. But, for the sake of this essay, the main thing to understand about the attribute of Yesod is its role in the system of things. Indeed, understanding the role of Yesod is crucial for increasing blessing in one’s life. The Zohar compares Yesod to a flowing river, and says that it is responsible for shalom in the world. Indeed, the Zohar says, Yesod is the attribute of peace, which is why the Talmud (Brochos 56b) says that anyone who has a dream of a river will likely see peace in life (Zohar, 1:193b). Hence, the dream that Yosef interpreted for Pharaoh included a river, and Yosef spoke about the ‘peace of Pharaoh.” Therefore, in spite of the fact that Yosef’s brothers hated him, Ya’akov Avinu, who was aware of this, sent Yosef to check on the shalom of his brothers who were tending their sheep in Shechem at the time. Without shalom, the brothers could not carry on the rectification that began with the Forefathers, and the only one capable of bringing shalom was Yosef, the representative of the trait of Yesod and shalom. As the rabbis explain, the Hebrew word for ‘blessing’ is brochah, from the word breichah, which is a spring of water. This indicates that blessing is the result of a flow of Divine light from the world above to the world in which we live, something that seemed to happen everywhere Yosef went. Hence, even his master couldn’t help but recognize how God blessed everything Yosef did. Does Yesod create the flow of light? No. Kabbalah explains that the flow of Divine light is always there, just waiting to come down into our world and bless us with good. However, without a faucet, how can the water go from the sealed pipe in the wall to the shiny new basin that awaits it? Likewise, without Yesod to connect the upper eight sefiros with the final one, the Malchus, which corresponds to the world in which we live, how can the Divine light flow to us in abundance? The Arizal explains in Sha’ar HaGilgulim that the best teachers of Torah usually function in the role of Yesod. This means that they have opened themselves up as a vehicle to receive Divine light, and to pass it on to those whom they are teaching. For, the knowledge they give over is Divine light that also requires a spiritual ‘faucet’ through which to pour into the world of man. That is why, like it or not, it was Yosef’s responsibility to feed everyone, including his own father and brothers. They all had different talents and responsibilities, but Yosef was the trait of Yesod, and therefore, the Divinely-ordained conduit through which the blessing of sustenance was destined to flow. And, this is why he was a great educator as well. Hence, Yosef was a great source of chayn, and people swarmed to be in his presence. Like thirsty people around a single ‘faucet,’ they came to drink from the well-spring of Divine light that could only result in additional blessing in life. And, nothing reveals chayn more than when the light of God passes through a person in an obvious way. Eretz Yisroel functions in the same way. Kabbalah explains that there is only one opening to Heaven, and it is over Eretz Yisroel, mirroring its borders, something that Ya’akov Avinu’s dream revealed to him, and us. The Divine light that blesses the world descends over Eretz Yisroel only, and especially over the Western Wall, before going out to the rest of the world (Tuv HaAretz; Sha’arei Leshem). But we are not simply talking about increasing one’s blessing in life, but about increasing one’s connection to the Divine Presence, because they are one and the same thing. This is why Yosef longed to live in Eretz Yisroel, and insisted on being buried there, especially in Shechem. In Eretz Yisroel, he could increase his capacity to act in the role of Yesod, and therefore enhance his ability to draw light down into the world, and increase his connection to the Shechinah—the Divine Presence. And, since Yesod acts in the same way that Eretz Yisroel does, it is an especially important quality to have while living in the Diaspora. For, it allows a person to do a remarkable thing: to spiritually stretch the borders of Eretz Yisroel to wherever they may be. Hence, though the person may have the physical status of being in the Diaspora, spiritually e may have the status of actually still being in Eretz Yisroel. This is what happened to Ya’akov Avinu when he fled Eisav and lived with Lavan for 22 years. His love for Eretz Yisroel, evident in last week’s parshah, meant that God allowed some of the kedushah to envelope him while he lived away from the land, since doing so, at that time, had clearly been the will of God. This is what allowed the Shechinah to remain with him even while living in such a profane place with such a person as Lavan. It is also what protected Ya’akov Avinu all those years from the machinations of Lavan until remaining there ceased to serve any purpose of God’s. Once Ya’akov Avinu had fulfilled in exile all that he had been sent there to achieve, he headed home once again, taking with him the spiritual reality of Eretz Yisroel until he was finally able to cross the actual physical border and allow his physical reality to match his spiritual one. Being a true disciple of his father, and being rooted in Yesod as well, this was a trait that Yosef had mastered. Hence, even though he had physically lived in Egypt, he had managed, in such an impure place, to live, spiritually-speaking, in Eretz Yisroel. For that reason, he longed to live there physically as well, something that was not only not lost on his two sons, but was given over to them, even though they had never lived in Eretz Yisroel. Hence, Ephraim and Menashe represent the Jewish people’s ability to not lose our way as we travel through the darkness of exile. Therefore, when we bless our sons to be like Ephraim and Menashe, something that we learn from Bnos Tzelofchad and the women of Moshe Rabbeinu’s time is not confined to the male element of the nation, we are giving over to them a spiritual GPS. We are blessing them with an ability to never get lost as Jews, something that happen even should they continue to keep Torah and perform mitzvos. “But,” you may ask, “is that not redundant?” Not really. Keeping Torah and doing the mitzvos is one thing. But, remaining focused on the long term goals of the Jewish nation, and trying to fulfill them is something else. This is why, even for those who learn Torah and perform the mitzvos, it is possible to stay too long in exile, and suffer the consequences of doing so. We have so many times already. As the Maharal points out in his explanation of the Haggadah, one of the main messages of the matzah, which is called ‘Poor Man’s Bread,’ is to live like a poor man, at least inasmuch as we don’t become overly attached to our physical possessions, particularly the land we own in the Diaspora. Every time we have been, we failed to leave exile on time in spite of the warning signs to do so. Not Ya’akov Avinu, though. When the time came to go, no matter how rooted he had become in the Diaspora, he left immediately. And, so would have Yosef, given the chance, not to mention Ephraim and Menashe. And, hopefully us, b”H, if and when the time comes to move on because the exile has clearly come to an end.     Perceptions, Copyright &copy 2010 by Rabbi Pinchas Winston and Torah.org. Questions or comments? Email feedback@torah.org. Join the Jewish Learning Revolution! Torah.org: The Judaism Site brings this and a host of other classes to you every week. Visit http://torah.org or email learn@torah.org to get your own free copy of this mailing. Permission is granted to redistribute, but please give proper attribution and copyright to the author and Torah.org. Both the author and Torah.org reserve certain rights. Email copyrights@torah.org for full information.

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Our Israelite Faith - What Should We Believe?

Can we do תפילות prayers for:

Key of David - Zechariah's Patrol Report

That also through them The האור Light, רפואה The Healing and The ואהבה Love of ישועת יהוה Yeshuath YHWH may come back to הארץ The Land of Israel?

 

Prophetic Insights: Seeing Events From Heaven's Throne Room

Our Israelite Faith What Should We Believe? by Angus and Batya Wootten Shalom Ariel,     How does one begin to answer the all-important question, "What should I believe now that I have begun to understand my role as part of the people of Israel?"     In our day, we find an infinite number of answers about faith through the internet, television, and other media venues. We are flooded with words on the subject, and we are warned of a latter-day flood of words that comes forth from Satan's mouth. Moreover, he spews out these words in order to sweep the believing children Israel away from the truth (Rev 12:15).     In this hour, we who seek to follow the Messiah of Israel need to be especially careful about what we believe. The abundance of opinions available to us in an instant makes for a gigantic religious smorgasbord at which we can freely dine. However, we need to beware this buffet because some of the offerings are seasoned with "spiritual arsenic." Moreover, after passing through this dinner line, it seems that Believers seldom end up with similar plates of food. For this reason, we ask, what basic truths and understandings must we have on our eternal plates? What essential foods will best strengthen us and help us to fulfill our Father's plan to restore the whole house of Israel?     To begin, we note that the first Adam was disobedient and ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. There was "good" food on Adam's plate, but the little bit of evil found there brought about a death sentence that affects us to this day. And yet... the Father continued to love Adam's heirs. He even sent His Son Yeshua, the second Adam, to re-gather us. Our Messiah offers us His empowering Bread of Life to eat. In Him we find the eternal redemption that we so desperately need.     On a cross made of two sticks/trees (etz), Messiah Yeshua took our place - He bore our sins and paid the price for our transgressions - so we could find eternal forgiveness and become one new man in Him. It is essential that we understand that He could not pay this high price in man's behalf unless He was our Elohim, unless He was truly God come in the flesh (Psa 49:10,15; John 1:1; Eph 2:15). Having paid that high price, He left life on this earth and then rose from the grave. He  ascended into heaven and sent us the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, the Ruach haKodesh.     When we invite Yeshua into our hearts, the Holy Spirit begins to change us from within. He woos and draws us and seeks to conform us into the image of our Messiah. He works to write YHVH's eternal Torah on our hearts - for that is the essence of the promise of the New Covenant. He wants to empower us to have a faith like that of Yeshua, to walk as He walked, and to do that which is pleasing to the Father. So it is that, to have the power Israel needs in order to prevail in the last days, we must have the Holy Spirit (Jer 31:31-33; Zec 4:6; John 5:19; Heb 8:10; 1 John 5:4-6).     These are essential truths that must always be on our proverbial faith plates. Having A Working Faith     Concerning faithfulness (fidelity/faith), we see in the Old Covenant that YHVH is a God of faithfulness, that only the faithful will enter into His Gates, that in this life, faithful friends are hard to find, and that they bring healing and will not lie (Deu 32:20; Pro 13:17; 14:5; Pro 20:6; Isa 26:2). In the New Covenant, Yeshua told His disciples to have faith in YHVH, that righteous men must live by it, that it comes from hearing the Word of God, we all have an adequate measure of it, and, we are called to walk by faith and not by sight (Mark 11:22; Rom 1:17; 10:17; 12:3; 2 Cor 5:7).     YHVH chose us for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit, and by faith in His Word of truth. He declares that, "My righteous one shall live by faith; and if he shrinks back, My soul has no pleasure in him."     Faith preserves our soul. It is "the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." By it, the men of old gained approval. Without it, it is "impossible" to please God. He who comes to YHVH "must believe [must have faith in the fact] that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him" (2 Th 2:13; Heb 10:38-39; 11:1-2,6).     Concerning our faith, James warns us that it will be tested - because testing produces endurance. Testing comes so we can be made perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. When being tested we must ask for help in faith and without any doubting. The one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. In this unstable state, one should not expect to receive anything from YHVH (James 1:3-8).     Faith is more than just believing something. The devil "believes" that God exists. Our faith must consist of more than just believing, as in assenting to a fact. Faith calls for action on our part. James says, "What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works?" Faith alone will not save us, without accompanying works it is useless, even dead faith. If we see a brother in need to do more than just pray, we must also help provide him with the necessities of life. In this way, we show our faith by our works. Abraham was justified by works when he offered up Isaac (his son) on the altar. His faith resulted in works and that combination was credited to him as "righteousness" (James 2:14-26).     So, what kind of works should Israelites have on their proverbial faith plates?     John sums up the essence, call, hope and purpose of our faith when he says, "Whatever is born of YHVH overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world - our faith" (1 John 5:4). We are given the gift of faith to help us in our call - which is to overcome the world. We do that by helping to establish our Messiah's eternal Kingdom, here, on earth (Mat 6:10). It is not enough for us to believe that Yeshua wants to one day establish a Kingdom. We must couple our faith with works that move us toward His stated goal. We must not be idle and think He will one day do all of the work. Yes, our works must truly be faith-based and God-inspired. Moreover, if we do something in the flesh, it will ultimately be exposed as a work of the flesh - but doing nothing will similarly be exposed as being of faithless flesh. Our God uses His people to accomplish His work in the earth. If we know that He wants to establish His Kingdom here, that knowing must be alive in our hearts.     We also must better understand the role of Jerusalem and the Believer.     Our Messiah will one day return to a particular Land and to His chosen city, Jerusalem. From there He will rule the earth. Although the whole Earth is YHVH's, Jerusalem is its center. She is the promised "Bride." We learn much by seeing ourselves as Messiah's Bride, but we also learn if we see Him as the Bridegroom and ourselves as His Body. In this way, we see ourselves as Jerusalem's Bridegroom/Protector. Like a bride, we will become one with her, so we pray without ceasing for her well being. Like a husband, we care for her and protect her from those who would molest her. There is a higher call that is yet to be realized by the modern Nation of Israel, because the city they so dearly love, and have fought so hard to protect, is destined to become the "City of the great King" (Isa 62:1-7; Psa 122:6; 48:1-2; Mat 5:35; Mark 2:19; Eph 5:24-31; Rev 21:2,9-10).     Our promised "dessert" is the New Jerusalem, and we, the Believers in Messiah Yeshua, are now being called to help prepare this delicate dish. Keeping the Word - Genesis to Revelation - On Our Plates.     The night before Messiah Yeshua went to the cross for us, He prayed to the Father concerning both His disciples and each one of us. He said, "I have given them Your word...I also have sent them into the world...I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word, that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are One: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. Father...I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them" (John 17: 14-26).     The "words" Messiah Yeshua spoke to His disciples (which words they believed and ultimately wrote about) were foretold in Torah. Yeshua  is the promised Prophet likened unto, and even greater than Moses. As promised, YHVH put His Words into the mouth of His Son. The Son then spoke those words of promise to us, and we must believe in them - even as we believe in the Torah that foretold of them. Either we believe in the Messiah's Word, or Father will call us to account for our unbelief (Deu 18:15-19; Mat 12:6,41-43; John 5:36; 12:48; Heb 1:1; 3:1-6).     We must have an abundance of the Father's Word, Genesis to Revelation, on our plates. We cannot eat too much of this nourishing food. It is like Manna that we must hide in our hearts. It will strengthen us in the days when we need to run with horses. Faith and Israel's Restoration     Messiah Yeshua is gathering His flock and that flock belongs to His Commonwealth of Israel. His ministry was about re-gathering Israel's lost sheep. He called for us to be "One," even as He and the Father are "One." His plan for us is that, as a truly repentant people, we might be re-gathered back to our own soil; that we might be a nation set apart in holiness and true dedication to our God (Jer 3:21; 23:1-8; 31:9; 50:4; Eze 34; John 10:30; 17:22; Eph 2:10-20).     The Holy One of Israel is now in the process of restoring His chosen nation, and we are part of that nation. He is now making its "two sticks" one in His Holy hand (Eze 37:15-28). Even so, we need to recognize its other members even as we do with our actual families, knowing that each one of us can be "in a different place with the Father," yet still be "family." We do not compromise what we know to be the truth, and we treat them with the loving respect due to family members. Through our walk (which is our true testimony), we try to help draw them closer to the Father.     We are being re-gathered as a Nation, thus we need to seek unity wherever possible. However, unity is not the same as uniformity. Each one of us is unique and very special to the Father. Each of us needs to see, know, understand and trust in the fact that, He has a good plan in store for us. He says, "I know the plans that I have for you...plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope."     YHVH follows this promise with the declaration that, once we begin to grasp His plan, and to trust in it, something glorious will happen: "Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart."     We are about to find, discover, and know the Holy One of Israel in a new, more profound, and powerful way than ever before. For He has sworn, "'I will be found by you...and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and...places where I have driven you,' declares the LORD, 'and I will bring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile'" (Jer 29:11-14).     Our plates must always be liberally sprinkled with loving concern for the whole house of Israel.     As Believers in Messiah, we have been blessed with the unmerited grace and favor to see the truth about our heritage. Most importantly, we are getting a glimpse of the coming glory that awaits a redeemed, reunited, and restored House of Israel. We have been uniquely chosen to be in the forefront of this prophesied re-gathering of the whole house of Israel. This knowledge has changed our lives. However, we must realize that there is a reason why we have been  chosen to be in the forefront at this time.     Glory lies just ahead. But, we will not enter into that glory alone. Again, YHVH wants to restore us as a nation, thus, He wants us to share with others about the life-changing truth which He has blessed us. Paul said, "Whoever will call on the name of YHVH will be saved." But he also asked, "How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, 'how beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things!'" (Rom 10:13-15).     We are being called to share the good news that has changed our lives with those to whom the Ruach leads us. As good students of the Word, it is time for us to cease to be spectators in this amazing restoration that is presently taking place. It is time for us to become active and effective participants and pioneers. We know the essentials that must be on our plates and it is time for us to step up and help guide others through the end-time buffet. It is time for us to share the truth, to tell others about what we have found to be both true and nourishing  (2 Cor 7:7).     The world was created with God's spoken words and is even held together with His Word: Genesis to Revelation. Everything involves words, whether spoken, written, thought, sung or depicted. Words are important and so is choosing the right ones. Messiah Yeshua said He spoke only as the Father directed Him so speak (John 8:26,28; 8:38; 12:50). We need to learn to do the same.     Words that are inspired by the Ruach HaKodesh can change lives for the better. So let us ask the Father to give us an opportunity to speak such words. Let us ask Him to allow us to work this day toward rebuilding His glorious Kingdom. Amen and Amen. May it be so in our day!   Your thoughts and comments.        This is a team effort, so we would like to hear your thoughts and comments.  To share them, go to ZechariahsPatrol.com.  Click on the title of the report you would like to comment on, then go to the end of the report. There, you can post your comments and review comments made by others.          At Key of David Publishing words are very important to us.  So it is that we are pleased to present to you a new publication. It is a light, and yet most satisfying fare. It is economically priced so you can feed it to the masses. It is pleasing to the eye and pleasant to the palate.     It is our newest book, Who Is Israel? Redeemed Israel - A Primer.     This powerful and concise 96 page book readily defines our Israelite faith. It lifts up the Messiah and points us toward the restoration of the whole House of Israel. Those who proof-read the manuscript have said that this is Batya's best work ever! It is an easy read that gets the essentials of our faith across in a short time. It includes charts and graphics, plus chapters that can be used as an outline for Bible Studies. Most importantly, this encouraging little book points the way toward the glory that lies ahead for those of Redeemed Israel. You will surely be blessed and inspired as you read this informative little book - so be sure to order additional copies for friends and loved ones! We believe you will want to give a copy of it to everyone you know!     Who Is Israel? Redeemed Israel - A Primer, is being printed and is scheduled to be shipped on January 7, 2011.     Who Is Israel? Redeemed Israel - A Primer will be available as a 96 page paperback book, as an audio book on CD, it will be down loadable to Iphones and similar devices, and as an electronic book that can be read on Ipads and similar devices, plus we are making a PowerPoint video teaching that is based on the book. This latest work is now at the printer and is scheduled to be shipped on January 7, 2011. Special prepublication prices are available on all pre-orders placed prior to January 7, 2011.     To pre-order books go to Key of David Marketplace     To download the Table of Contents, Foreword, Introduction and the First Chapter at no cost go to Book Sample Chapters. Previous Postings Zachariah's Patrol Reports in 2010Hanukkah - the Feast of Dedication Decoding the Priesthood Genetic Memory Part IZionist Christians might be from Israel's "Ten Lost tribes" There is Another... Open Letter to Pope Benedict XVI Two Wrongs Don't Make A Right Fulfilling Your Destiny! Worldwide Response to the Letter to the Prime Minister Mr. Prime Minister, Help Ephraim and Bring Him Back to the Land Lord, Is It Now...? Running Israel's Restoration Marathom Battle for Israel 2010 - The Importance of Numbers Israeli-Palestinian Talks at an Impasse - Time for DecisionA Personal Visit to Heaven's Throne Room Why Does God Allow His People To Suffer? Approaching God - Terms and Consequences The Challenge of Being a Watchman The Story of the Rest of Your Life Zachariah's Vision and "The Quartet" Key of David of Publication Updates Our Israelite Faith - What Should We Believe? A Call to Action  Ephraim, My First Born, Can You Hear Me? Yom Teruah or Roah HaShanah? The End-time Call of Yom Teruah I Am YHVH    We encourage you to listen to a new song, written by Batya and recorded by our friend, Will Spires. The song is titled "I AM YHVH" and it is truly inspiring. You might want to listen to it before you pray. The song is about the Father's heart cry for His chosen people: Judah and Ephraim. You can hear it as you enter the Zachariah's Patrol website or Key of David Marketplace, and it can be downloaded for free at Key of David Marketplace. Several people have asked for the song on a CD so they can play it in their cars. So we have made available at Key of David Marketplace. a CD that has seven renditions of the song for $4 (to cover shipping and handling costs). Upcoming Events         The Messianic Israel Alliance Southwest Regional Conference will be held in Henderson, Nevada, on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, January 28-30, 2011.     For more information go to Upcoming Events Contact Information Key of David Publishing's Books are available at the Messianic Israel Alliance Marketplace (Phone 800-829-8777). They also are available at Key of David Publishing Marketplace, where Bookstores, Ministries, and Way Stations are eligible for a quantity discount.   Websites to visit:   Messianic Israel Alliance  The MIA will help you to understand the Hope of Messianic Israel plus Messianic Israel Inclusion Theology. The MIA gives you the options of being an Ally, Friend or a Partner in restoring the Kingdom to Israel. Bnai' Ephraim International This is the premier online presence that advocates for this generation's sons and daughters of Ephraim.   Zechariah's Patrol Reports This exciting site offers an abundance of prophetic insights that will help you see how events on earth and in our own lives are viewed from Heaven's Throne Room.   To support Key of David and Zachariah Patrol Reports go to Key of David Marketplace. Or to the Messianic Israel Alliance. Or send snail mail to Key of David, PO Box 700217, Saint Cloud, FL 34770. Or call us at 407-344-7700.