NIEUWS UIT HET HEARTLAND – Maart 2023
Wat we allen kunnen leren van de Sabbat Toen ik onlangs in de VS … Read more
Celebrating Tu B’Shvat after the Shemittah year!
Each winter we celebrate the Jewish Holiday of Tu B’Shvat, the 15th day of the Biblical 11th month, known in Hebrew as Shvat. It is a time when we all go out and plant trees, setting down roots in the Land of Israel and celebrating the return of the Jewish people to our land. This year was particularly joyous as it marked the first Tu B’Shvat after the Sabbatical year, when we did not plant any trees.
Trumah (Offering) – Exodus 25:1 – 27:19
G-d does not need our worship. He does not need for us to build Him a house. G-d wants us to build that house so that it can be an effective tool for us to come close to G-d. May we never lose our ability to distinguish between the medium and the ultimate goal, between the vehicles of our faith and faith itself.
A Visit With Shmuel: Karnei Shomron
One of the things that distinguishes Nofei Nechemiah from so many other communities is the fact that it was established by young people who themselves had grown up in Judea and Samaria and wanted to continue the pioneering life-style and values of their parents.
Mishpatim (Laws) – Exodus 21:1 – 24:18
Most of this week’s Torah portion involves various civil laws which help govern a kind and generous society. The portion begins with the laws of slavery, which when compared to the norms of society in Biblical times, are particularly humane.
The Land of Israel
For years, we have been talking about the Land of Israel. It is a land holy to both Jews and Christians and people of both faiths are responding to current events in Israel from a Biblical perspective. But how do Christians and Jews each see the Land?
Yitro (Jethro) – Exodus 18:1 – 20:23
This week’s portion begins with Jethro’s historic visit to the Children of Israel in the desert. The story begins in Exodus Chapter 18: “And Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses’s father-in-law, heard of all that G-d did to Moses and to his nation Israel, that He brought Israel out of Egypt.”
A Call for Reasoned Debate
There is an enormous amount of unrest in our country these days, coming both from within the country and from without. Just over a week ago, on Friday night, seven people were murdered outside a synagogue in Jerusalem, by an Arab terrorist resident of Jerusalem.
Beshalach (As He Sent) – Exodus 13:17 – 17:16
This week’s portion tells the story of the parting of the Red Sea, the culmination of the Exodus from Egypt, and includes the Song of Moses (and the shorter Song of Miriam). Grand events happen in this week’s Torah reading and it is, indeed, an awe- inspiring few chapters.
Nahala (Inheritance) -Winter 2023
We are at the start of a new year, a year that we pray will be free of illness, a year of new beginnings. And while we have yearned to return to normal, we know that there will be a new normal. But some things never change. In each edition of Nahala, we introduce you to Christian and Jewish individuals who have done amazing things for Israel, often despite terrible hardships. And this edition is no different!