Teaching Team

Random and unpredictable, creative overflow from the Teaching Team and writers at FFOZ.

 

Help Wanted: German Translator for Lichtenstein Project

By Daniel Lancaster  | Comments (8)
Posted on May 12, 2008

FFOZ is looking for a volunteer with German to English translation skills who can assist us by translating an 1886 publication by Rabbi Isaac Lichtenstein titled Der Talmud uaf der Anklagebank durch begeisterten Verehrer des Judenthum. The translated work may...
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Frankie Lee and the Baal Shem Tov

By Toby Janicki  | Comments (2)
Posted on May 12, 2008

I got home from work last Thursday with a lot on my mind. It had been a busy day and there was a lot I still wanted to accomplish before I went to bed. I walked in the door...
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How did you begin observing Shabbat?

By Boaz Michael  | Comments (25)
Posted on May 8, 2008

We need some of your experience and ideas. We're developing a new resource called "Guarding Shabbat." We want to make a list of 10 helpful steps for implementing Shabbat into one's life. Remember the beginning of your Torah journey? Recall...
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Followup: Bible Contest Results

By Aaron Eby  | Comments (4)
Posted on May 8, 2008

In a previous post, Seth told us about the International Bible Contest in Israel (חידון התנ"ך, Chidon HaTanach), a part of the celebrations of Yom Ha'atzma'ut, or Israel's Independence Day. One Israeli finalist in the competition was a girl by...
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Yom Haatzmaut

By Boaz Michael  | Comments (1)
Posted on May 7, 2008

Thursday May 8 is Yom Haatzmaut, the Israeli Independence Day. In Israel, it's a day off work for parades, celebrations and picnics. This year's Independence Day marks 60 years since Israel became a state. As an Israeli citizen, I feel...
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Israeli Messianics Again in the Limelight

By Seth Dralle  | Comments (0)
Posted on May 7, 2008

Bat-El Levy, a teenage Messianic Jewish girl from Beersheva, has stirred up more controversy in Israel. As part of the Israeli Independence Day celebrations, the Bible Quiz tests the Bible knowledge of Israeli youths and is broadcast over national television....
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The Ghosts of Auschwitz

By Daniel Lancaster  | Comments (6)
Posted on April 30, 2008

Many of us in the Messianic Jewish movement are not Jewish. I myself have been a Gentile my entire life, so the Holocaust is something that did not happen to me or my family, but nevertheless it has dramatically affected me and all of us. Were it not for the events of the Holocaust, I know I would not be working for First Fruits of Zion,
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Messianic News from Israel

By Daniel Lancaster  | Comments (6)
Posted on April 24, 2008

The Supreme Court of Israel has apparently reached a landmark decision regarding the rights of Messianic Jews in Israel.
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Good Friday Revisited

By Toby Janicki  | Comments (12)
Posted on April 16, 2008

Whenever I approach a much debated topic, the lines from a song called "Field of Opportunity" come to mind: "I've been wrong before and I'll be there again." Certainly this line has a ring of truth to it especially when...
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Passover and the Death of James the Just

By Toby Janicki  | Comments (7)
Posted on April 8, 2008

In issue 94 of Messiah Magazine I discussed the yarzeit (anniversary of the death) of Simon Peter as it is recorded in rabbinic literature. Since then I have become interested in trying to discover yarzeit dates for the rest of...
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Eat Parsley In Remembrance of Me (Part 2 of 2)

By Aaron Eby  | Comments (7)
Posted on April 8, 2008

This is a continuation from a previous post. I highly recommend that you read Eat Parsley In Remembrance of Me Part 1 before proceeding. Weaving it Together There are two garments in the Bible that are described using the unclear...
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Eat Parsley In Remembrance of Me (Part 1 of 2)

By Aaron Eby  | Comments (7)
Posted on April 7, 2008

Are you looking for ways to memorialize Yeshua in your Passover seder? That's easy to do with the wine and the matzah, and even with the shankbone on the seder plate. But what about the karpas? The karpas is a...
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eRosh: Parshat HaChodesh

By Brian Reed  | Comments (0)
Posted on April 4, 2008

The Shabbat that falls on or before the first day of Rosh Chodesh Nisan is known as Shabbat HaChodesh. This is a special Sabbath in that it recounts when God spoke to Moses in Egypt two weeks before the Exodus...
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Israeli Messianic Victim of Terror

By Daniel Lancaster  | Comments (6)
Posted on April 2, 2008

At 2:30 PM on Thursday March 20th, during the Fast of Esther and just hours before the festival of Purim began, 15 year old Ami Oritz picked up a Purim basket someone had left outside of his family's apartment in Ariel, Israel.
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Cleaning for Pesach: In Your Home and Heart

By Seth Dralle  | Comments (2)
Posted on April 1, 2008

This year, the Passover seder is eaten on Saturday night, April 19th. That means all of our chametz (leaven) must be searched out and removed by Thursday night, April 17th and burned the next Friday morning [1]. That gives us...
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eRosh: Parshat Parah

By Toby Janicki  | Comments (0)
Posted on March 26, 2008

During the days when the Holy Temple stood in Jerusalem, all who were to bring a lamb for the Pesach offering needed to be in a state of ritual purity. Numbers 9:10 says, "Speak to the sons of Israel, saying,...
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Time is Flying: Hudson in View

By Toby Janicki  | Comments (2)
Posted on March 20, 2008

At 7:45 this morning, I pulled up to Boaz's house to pick up Boaz and his son Jeremiah; we were on our way to the office. I hadn't had time to grab breakfast before heading out the door so as...
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eRosh: Purim and Shushan Purim

By Toby Janicki  | Comments (3)
Posted on March 20, 2008

The celebration of Purim and Shushan Purim occurs this year on 14-15 Adar II 5768 (Friday March 21-Shabbat March 22, 2008). The events of the Purim story as found in the book of Esther occured over a period of several...
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eRosh: Parshat Zachor

By Toby Janicki  | Comments (2)
Posted on March 14, 2008

Parshat Zachor is one of the four special Sabbaths that occur before or during the month of Adar or Adar II in leap years. On Parshat Zachor, the Sabbath before Purim, we read Deuteronomy 25:17-19 which mentions the commandment to...
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eRosh Blog: Shabbat Shekalim

By Toby Janicki  | Comments (0)
Posted on March 6, 2008

This year on the second day of Rosh Chodesh on the first of Adar II 5768 (March 8) is Shabbat Shekalim. This commemorates a special day during the era when the Holy Temple stood in Jerusalem on which the annual...
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eRosh Blog: The Birth and Death of Moses

By Toby Janicki  | Comments (1)
Posted on February 19, 2008

This year, 5768, being a leap year creates some minor difficulties in observing and celebrating select customs and mitzvot. There is a discussion in the Talmud b.Nedarim 63a in which Rabbi Meir and Rabbi Judah each give a valid reason...
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Textual Criticism of an E-mail

By Aaron Eby  | Comments (4)
Posted on February 15, 2008

During my recent visit to the FFOZ offices in Missouri, Toby called me over to take the opportunity to help him with one of his projects. He was writing a piece on the late Rabbi Yitzchak Kaduri, but the only...
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Step Into My Office……..

By Toby Janicki  | Comments (4)
Posted on February 13, 2008

This blog was written by Michael Cundiff, First Fruits of Zion's Director of Administration. On Sunday I read Boaz’s Blog Post on Facing West in Prayer. It reminded me of several things, mainly the importance of prayer no matter where...
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eRosh Blog: The Birth and Death of Moses

By Toby Janicki  | Comments (4)
Posted on February 13, 2008

The seventh of Adar is a special date in the history of Judaism. According to tradition it was on this date that Moses was both born and died. Note the following scriptures on these two events: Now a man from...
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New eRosh Calendar Blogs

By Toby Janicki  | Comments (1)
Posted on February 10, 2008

Members who join Myffoz receive premium content each month. One of the features is a monthly eRosh calendar which lists both biblical and Gregorian calendrical dates. Listed according to the biblical calendar are the various biblical feasts and festivals as...
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Suffering for Torah

By Daniel Lancaster  | Comments (19)
Posted on February 1, 2008

Shalom FFOZ family, I need your fervent prayers and your words of encouragement for my "nephew-in-the-Lord," John Omongin of Tororo, Uganda. John came from an unbelievably poor Karamajong family. When he was four years old his father died. His mother...
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Snow in Jerusalem

By Daniel Lancaster  | Comments (6)
Posted on January 30, 2008

When I drove home last night the temperature was already 12 below zero on the Fahrenheit scale as it made its slide to -20. Wind chills brought it down another to the negative thirties. That’s starting to get cold even...
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Thomas Game: Round Three

By Daniel Lancaster  | Comments (13)
Posted on January 29, 2008

It’s time for round three of the Thomas Game. If you missed the earlier rounds, just follow these links to round one and round two. In the apocryphal Gospel of Thomas, plausibly genuine sayings of the Master, transmitted orally or...
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Torah, Perfection and Packing Boxes

By Seth Dralle  | Comments (3)
Posted on January 28, 2008

Since shifting my responsibilities from the event coordinator to the manager of the fulfillment and shipping department at the new office, I have had little time to blog, unfortunately. Things around the office are humming. Phones ringing, packages arriving in,...
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Changing a Light Bulb

By Toby Janicki  | Comments (22)
Posted on January 24, 2008

I got this funny list in an e-mail yesterday entitled "How many Christians does it take to change a light bulb?" It answers the questions of how many people in a particular denomination of Christianity it takes to change a...
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New Find from City of David

By Daniel Lancaster  | Comments (1)
Posted on January 23, 2008

Archaeologist Dr. Eilat Mazar's excavations in the City of David have turned up another interesting find. The January 17, 2008 Jerusalem Post reports the discovery of a black stone seal that belonged to one of the Jews who returned from...
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Conversion Denied

By Toby Janicki  | Comments (5)
Posted on January 22, 2008

A few weeks ago, a young man sought conversion to Orthodox Judaism in Israel. An article from a Chabad source stated that he had learned Torah through Chabad, and had become meticulously observant. However, when he appeared before a beit...
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The Back of the Bus, part 2

By Aaron Eby  | Comments (18)
Posted on January 20, 2008

In an earlier post, the controversial topic was brought up of gender-segregated bus lines in Israel. One woman who dared to defy the gender separation by refusing to sit in the section designated for women--the back of the bus--is...
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The Jesus Tomb Discovered Part 2

By Toby Janicki  | Comments (2)
Posted on January 18, 2008

On Wednesday a new article was posted on Time magazine’s website about the supposed Tomb of Jesus. About a year ago Daniel Lancaster wrote a blog post on the original hype surrounding this discovery. Well, once again, this infamous tomb...
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The Back of the Bus

By Toby Janicki  | Comments (25)
Posted on January 18, 2008

It is easy to think that bus segregation is a thing of the past put to an end by Rosa Parks. However, a modern day anti-segregation legal battle is being waged today in Israel read about it here. This battle...
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The Back of the Bus

By Toby Janicki  | Comments (25)
Posted on January 18, 2008

It is easy to think that bus segregation is a thing of the past put to an end by Rosa Parks. However, a modern day anti-segregation legal battle is being waged today in Israel read about it here. This battle...
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Do Miracles Still Happen?

By Toby Janicki  | Comments (5)
Posted on January 16, 2008

Some people in this present age ask if miracles still happen. Many are expecting the marvelous miracles that were performed by the Master, the Apostles, or even the Talmudic Sages. One only needs to look at life and realize that...
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Is Kosher Better?

By Toby Janicki  | Comments (41)
Posted on January 10, 2008

An article recently appeared on the Fox news website stating that the kosher symbol is the most popular label claim in America for 2007. It beat out “All Natural” and “No Preservatives Added.” You can read the full article here....
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Thomas Game: Round Two

By Daniel Lancaster  | Comments (7)
Posted on January 9, 2008

It’s time for round two of the Thomas Game. If you missed round one, you can catch up on it here. Here’s how it works. In the apocryphal Gospel of Thomas, plausibly genuine sayings of the Master, transmitted orally or...
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Yartzeit of Yitzchak Kaduri

By Toby Janicki  | Comments (3)
Posted on January 6, 2008

Normally the yartzeits posted on the blogs relate to Jewish believers in order to help perpetuate their memory and honor their life. However, this blog will deviate from this normalization (sort of). Rabbi Yitzchak Kaduri (born in 1898 in Baghdad)...
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Looking for a Mohel?

By Seth Dralle  | Comments (9)
Posted on January 3, 2008

At First Fruits of Zion, we frequently get emails from frantic parents looking for a messianic mohel to circumcise their newly born baby boy. Eight days goes by quick. As if the stress of having a child wasn’t enough, looking...
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Yeshua vs. YAHshua

By Daniel Lancaster  | Comments (73)
Posted on January 2, 2008

I often receive letters and comments from people who write the name of Yeshua as YAHshua. More than a simple mispronunciation or spelling error, the implication is that the Master’s name contained the sacred syllable “Yah,” that is the first...
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Sabbath Campaign

By Toby Janicki  | Comments (6)
Posted on January 1, 2008

In the past I have written two blogs on articles by Rabbi Shmuely Boteach. He is an Orthodox Rabbi who seems to have a unique perspective on spreading Torah values to a degrading American culture. In the latest article I...
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Christian Tefillin?

By Toby Janicki  | Comments (12)
Posted on December 25, 2007

With the release of the new Mezuzah book this fall, First Fruits of Zion has re-launched the Mayim Chayim series. Mayim Chayim means “Living Water” and it is in this series of books that we will be exploring individual commandments...
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Thomas Game: Round One

By Daniel Lancaster  | Comments (18)
Posted on December 24, 2007

Shalom FFOZ Blog Readers: It’s time to play a game. Here’s how it works. In the apocryphal Gospel of Thomas, genuine sayings of the Master, transmitted orally or through lost written sources, are preserved alongside lots of Gnostic nonsense. A...
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HaYesod: Digging the Foundation Again

By Toby Janicki  | Comments (5)
Posted on December 18, 2007

In the past week here in Missouri we have survived an ice storm, as well as our first winter snow. Yet it still seems like yesterday that we were filming some of the new HaYesod:The Foundation in the middle of...
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Chanukah in Kakamega

By Daniel Lancaster  | Comments (8)
Posted on December 12, 2007

This year I spent most of Chanukah in Kakamega, Kenya. While my wife and children have been home lighting the candles each night, I have been doing the same halfway around the world. Chanukah lights are supposed to be a...
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Hanukkah Controversy and Concert

By Toby Janicki  | Comments (0)
Posted on December 5, 2007

As we are in the Festival of Hanukkah I daily am getting e-mail links to articles and other various sundries relating to the Festival of Lights. I thought I would share two of them with you. The first is an...
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Conversions: Cheaper by the Dozen Part 2

By Toby Janicki  | Comments (0)
Posted on November 30, 2007

I wanted to personally thank all of you who have commented in my last blog post about the mass conversion to Judaism. It was meaningful for all of us here at FFOZ to hear the encouragement to go forward with...
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Conversions: Cheaper by the Dozen

By Toby Janicki  | Comments (13)
Posted on November 27, 2007

As most of you are aware this year one of our main focuses while on the road was a conference entitled, “To Whom Shall We Go.” The goal of this seminar it to equip people who are or know someone...
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Torah for Africa

By Daniel Lancaster  | Comments (5)
Posted on November 26, 2007

We’re taking the Torah to Africa. Tomorrow I will be traveling with Messianic Congregational Leader Grant Luton (Beth Tikkun in Akron, Ohio) to Africa. After landing in Kenya, we are going to take a short road trip across the Kenyan...
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Yartzeit of Leon Levison

By Toby Janicki  | Comments (1)
Posted on November 21, 2007

Leon Levison was born in 1882 in the holy city of Tzfat in the Galilee to Rabbi Nachum Levison. Leon’s father wanted the best Jewish education for his children so he acquired the educational services of Rabbi Joshua of Acre....
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Meeting the Needs of Others: Boaz the Barista

By Toby Janicki  | Comments (1)
Posted on November 21, 2007

Often times in our Torah walk one of the most difficult things is being gracious with others whose standards are different from ours. Sometimes it means communicating with a fellow Torah believer that while they think something is OK on...
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Urim and Tumim Research

By Daniel Lancaster  | Comments (7)
Posted on November 19, 2007

Shalom Torah Scholars, While doing some online research into the Urim and Tumim (see Exodus 28:30) for the all new Torah Club Volume One, Unrolling the Scroll, I came upon a fascinating website which has put to rest some questions...
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Bloom where I’m planted?

By Hope Egan  | Comments (17)
Posted on November 15, 2007

I believe that God wants me to be content with all things, including where I live. But as a new mom living in our city’s “Sodom and Gomorra” neighborhood, I have serious concerns for my son Daniel. Even more concerning...
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The Joy of the Sabbath

By Daniel Lancaster  | Comments (5)
Posted on November 15, 2007

A teaching from the Sabbath table of Reb Nachman of Breslov One Friday night at the Sabbath table of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov, his disciples were gathered around when Reb Nachman turned to one of them and asked, “Are...
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Israel Tour Returns

By Daniel Lancaster  | Comments (9)
Posted on November 12, 2007

The 5768 FFOZ Israel Study Tour is complete. We arrived back in Atlanta today after an exhilarating and exhausting two week tour of the land of Israel. My brother Steven Lancaster was our guide on the ancient paths of the...
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Ann Coulter Part 3

By Toby Janicki  | Comments (3)
Posted on November 12, 2007

On this blog we have run a series of posts on the comments of Ann Coulter and the reaction of the Jewish community. In the last post (here) I gave a link to an article by a Rabbi who came...
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A Sabbath Keeping Oven?

By Toby Janicki  | Comments (4)
Posted on November 7, 2007

One of the most well known commandments in regards to Shabbat observance is not kindling a fire. This prohibition is found in Exodus 35:3: You shall not kindle a fire in any of your dwellings on the Sabbath day. This...
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Wake Me Up! Part 2

By Seth Dralle  | Comments (3)
Posted on November 6, 2007

A few weeks ago, I wrote a blog about my difficulty within getting out of bed in the morning (see here). It generated a lot of helpful responses (and empathy) from our blog readers. I took these suggestions to heart...
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More Tunes

By Toby Janicki  | Comments (2)
Posted on November 5, 2007

In response to my last blog post entitled Ur Tunes , a friend of mine, Frank Houtz, sent me a link on You Tube to another music video, “Shine.” This is a group of Chassidic Orthodox Jews who sing a...
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Archaeology Part 2: The Tomb of Ezekiel

By Toby Janicki  | Comments (1)
Posted on November 4, 2007

Archaeological and historical sites provide one with a fascinating and up-close glimpse of the world of antiquity. This series of posts provides a brief glimpse into the tombs of the prophets. These mysterious men and women helped bring Israel back...
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Heavy Burdens

By Toby Janicki  | Comments (11)
Posted on October 31, 2007

There is a lot of misconceptions and skepticism regarding the Oral Law in Messianic Judaism. There are various opinions as to how it should be applied, if at all. Recently I began reading a book that has helped me understand...
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Become Familiar With...the Siddur

By Seth Dralle  | Comments (1)
Posted on October 31, 2007

As in my last blog on the Mishnah (click here), I am continuing to showcase some of the brand new entries that have been added to our Online Torah Club Dictionary. Thanks to the diligent work of Aaron Eby, the...
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Strife over the Shemittah

By Seth Dralle  | Comments (4)
Posted on October 30, 2007

In Israel, the debate over the Shemittah (Sabbatical year) continues. A few months ago, Toby wrote a blog discussing various issues surrounding this practice (you can read it here). Generally speaking, there are two major sides in the debate this...
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Ann Coulter Part 2

By Toby Janicki  | Comments (4)
Posted on October 29, 2007

Over a week ago Daniel posted a blog on Ann Coulter and here opinion of Jews. If you have not read this yet you might want to get the full context. (You can find it here.) In response to her...
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The Mitzvah of Happiness

By Toby Janicki  | Comments (5)
Posted on October 26, 2007

The Torah teaches us in Deuteronomy 28:45-47, “So all these curses shall come on you and pursue you and overtake you until you are destroyed, because you would not obey Hashem your God by keeping His commandments and His statutes...
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Moslem Digs Reveal First Temple Part 2

By Toby Janicki  | Comments (1)
Posted on October 24, 2007

Yesterday I posted some links about the recent archeological activity on the Temple mount. You can read that (Here) I found two more links about this story today. The first is a request for a probe into the permissions for...
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The Cry of Rachel

By Toby Janicki  | Comments (1)
Posted on October 24, 2007

On 11 Cheshvan 2208 from creation (1553 BCE), Monday night through Tuesday of 22-23 October 2007, the annual yartzeit of the Matriarch Rachel was observed. Rachel passed away along the road to Ephrath in Bethlehem and was buried by her...
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Lancasters Abroad

By Daniel Lancaster  | Comments (7)
Posted on October 24, 2007

When I was born, one of the wealthy men in my father’s church scolded my father for having so many children. I was number six. My father replied, “The world needs more Lancasters!” I’m not sure if it does or...
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Moslem Digs Reveal First Temple

By Toby Janicki  | Comments (0)
Posted on October 23, 2007

Some of you may have heard a recent uproar in Israel from Zionists in regards to supposed unauthorized digging in Israel on top of the Temple Mount. The Moslem Waqf dug trenches in order to replace power lines to the...
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Our Opponents Say Part 3

By Toby Janicki  | Comments (14)
Posted on October 21, 2007

Another argument against the validity of our faith is toward the validity of the Apostolic texts and the use of Tanakh therein. Many arguments are used in this area but one of the more common examples will suffice for now....
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Ur-Tunes

By Toby Janicki  | Comments (2)
Posted on October 18, 2007

This Shabbat will be Torah portion Lech Lecha (Genesis 12:1–17:27). Here we begin for several weeks to focus on the life of Abraham. Last week we read that Abraham’s journey began in Ur of the Chaldeans: Terah took Abram his...
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Wake Me Up!

By Seth Dralle  | Comments (11)
Posted on October 18, 2007

Our Master was known to be an early riser. Mark 1:35 gives us a glimpse of this: “In the early morning, while it was still dark, Yeshua got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and...
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Spreading Simcha Part 4

By Boaz Michael  | Comments (0)
Posted on October 15, 2007

Before Sukkot I made a petition on behalf of an organization in Israel that is directed by a good friend of mine. You can read about his work here. Those of you following these blog posts, know that originally I...
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Ann Coulter’s Big Idea about Jews and Christians

By Daniel Lancaster  | Comments (18)
Posted on October 15, 2007

The conservative and always controversial political mogul Ann Coulter, author of the book If Democrats Had Any Brains They’d Be Republicans stuck her foot in her mouth last Monday on Donny Deutsch’s CNBC show “The Big Idea.” Essentially, Coulter offered...
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Jesus the Chasid

By Toby Janicki  | Comments (4)
Posted on October 15, 2007

It is said that a person should be artful in piety (b.Brachot 17a) the artfulness lies in him making sure his piety is noticed by no one at all. We know that a number of early Chassidim concealed themselves and...
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The Next Generation of the Torah Club Dictionary

By Seth Dralle  | Comments (0)
Posted on October 15, 2007

Plunging into the depths of Torah, Scripture, ancient history and the numerous volumes of Jewish literature is an ominous task. Living in a society two thousand years and half a world removed from the Land of Israel presents its challenges...
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Temple and Sacrifices in Torah Club Five

By Daniel Lancaster  | Comments (4)
Posted on October 9, 2007

I received the following letter from one of our subscribers today: I am blessed to receive your teachings on the Torah. I have a question that I hope you will be able to answer. A friend of mine is a...
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Farewell to the Sukkah

By Seth Dralle  | Comments (2)
Posted on October 8, 2007

Yesterday, with a bit of sadness, I disassembled my sukkah (booth) and put it away in storage. The end of Sukkot is always bittersweet. Sweet because the long week of festivities are over and it can get tiring after a...
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Please HaShem Save Now!

By Toby Janicki  | Comments (1)
Posted on October 3, 2007

Now on the last day [Hoshanna Rabba], the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From...
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Yartzeit of Rabbi Isaac Lichtenstein

By Toby Janicki  | Comments (2)
Posted on October 2, 2007

Rabbi Isaac (Ignatz) Lichtenstein, z”l, was born into an Orthodox home in Hungary in 1824. He was an ordained rabbi by the age of twenty and went on to become the district rabbi for the Hungarian city of Taiposzele. His...
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Tibie Wechsler: A Story for Your Sukkah

By Daniel Lancaster  | Comments (7)
Posted on October 2, 2007

Tibie Wechsler has turned eighty years old. Last Sunday my family went to her birthday celebration, sponsored by the messianic congregation Seed of Abraham of St. Louis Park, Minnesota. Tibie has been a star-student in my weekly Torah studies for...
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The Fallen Sukkot of Denver

By Toby Janicki  | Comments (2)
Posted on October 1, 2007

This post was written by Michele Bartlett. Michele lives in Colorado and is both a constituent and volunteer editor for FFOZ. On Shabbat this week of Sukkot in Denver, many people were dismayed to find the wind wreaking havoc on...
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New Synagogue in Munich

By Toby Janicki  | Comments (4)
Posted on October 1, 2007

This post comes from Johann Stoll. Johann is an FFOZ constituent and Torah Club Member who lives in Germany. Munich. Its name is associated with many things: the capital of Bavaria, King Ludwig, Oktoberfest, Hofbräuhaus, Olympics 1972, etc. Basically, Munich...
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The Mysteries of God

By Toby Janicki  | Comments (2)
Posted on September 25, 2007

The Master often taught in parables, which was similar to the style of the other sages of His day. In Luke 8 He gives an explanation for this practice: And He said, “To you it has been granted to know...
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Temple Mount Quarry Discovered!

By Daniel Lancaster  | Comments (0)
Posted on September 24, 2007

The archaeology of Jerusalem continues to render exciting new discoveries. A few weeks ago we heard about the new discovery of a water tunnel used as an escape route by the citizens of Jerusalem during the Roman siege in 70...
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Because of the Nazarenes

By Toby Janicki  | Comments (1)
Posted on September 18, 2007

As believers, the weekly havdalah celebration holds special significance. It was on the havdalah after Passover that our beloved Master was resurrected from the dead as part of His grand mission as the Chosen One of Hashem. While it was...
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Finally Saw the Light

By Toby Janicki  | Comments (2)
Posted on September 17, 2007

With all the festivals this fall, those of you who traditionally light the Shabbat and Yom Tov [holiday] candles will be doing so many times over the next few weeks. I thought it might be fun to talk a little...
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Fabulous New Discovery in Jerusalem

By Daniel Lancaster  | Comments (1)
Posted on September 11, 2007

Two years ago a water system repair in Jerusalem’s City of David area led to the chance discovery of the Herodian-era Pool of Siloam mentioned in the Talmud and in the Gospels. The 2005 FFOZ Israel trip was thrilled to...
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Honey Bees in Ancient Israel

By Daniel Lancaster  | Comments (1)
Posted on September 11, 2007

“May you be inscribed for a sweet new year.” That’s one of the traditional greetings for Rosh Hashanah. It is customary to eat apples dipped in honey on Rosh Hashanah as a symbolic gesture of our wish for a sweet...
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Double Trouble

By Toby Janicki  | Comments (1)
Posted on September 10, 2007

Many of you by now have received in the mail hard copies of next month’s e-Rosh materials for Tishrei. Tishrei is an extremely busy month filled with lots of dates and anniversaries. In fact there was so much material on...
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A Shofar Story

By Daniel Lancaster  | Comments (9)
Posted on September 9, 2007

This Wednesday night the holy festival of Rosh Hashanah begins. On this festival we hear the blast of the shofar and we are reminded of Messiah’s second coming, an event that will be heralded by the trumpeting fanfare of the...
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The Merits of Education

By Seth Dralle  | Comments (6)
Posted on September 5, 2007

The long days of summer are beginning to creep away a little bit earlier each day. The heat wave is starting to subside, and the nights are a little bit cooler. Yep, the last days of summer are upon us,...
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Our Opponents Say... (Part 2)

By Toby Janicki  | Comments (1)
Posted on September 4, 2007

No doubt many are familiar with Psalm 2. This Psalm speaks of the nations coming against Hashem and His Anointed. The text continues with Hashem asking the Messiah to request anything, even up to the nations, as an inheritance. Although...
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Over Yonder Mountain…

By Toby Janicki  | Comments (1)
Posted on September 3, 2007

Over the past few months my interest in bluegrass music has been rekindled. I really got into bluegrass music for a while in Colorado but it has resurfaced once again here in Missouri. Last night I was listening to one...
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Muslims Destroy Temple Archaeology

By Daniel Lancaster  | Comments (2)
Posted on August 31, 2007

The Temple Mount Muslim Waqf is at it again on the Temple Mount with heavy construction equipment, and once again, Israeli officials refuse to intervene to stop this great act of archaeological vandalism. The Temple Mount surface has never been...
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Hit-bo-de-what?

By Toby Janicki  | Comments (3)
Posted on August 30, 2007

I was once at an Orthodox Jewish Torah study during the month of Elul when the Rabbi began explaining a prayer practice called Hitbodedut. Hitbodedut, as he told us, is a Hebrew word that means “prayer that takes place in...
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More Lost Teachings of the Master

By Daniel Lancaster  | Comments (5)
Posted on August 28, 2007

A few months ago Toby put a blog up asking for your favorite non-canonical sayings of the Master. It was called “Lost Teachings of the Master.” A non-canonical saying of the Master is a teaching or saying of Yeshua that...
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The Attitude of Teshuva

By Toby Janicki  | Comments (0)
Posted on August 27, 2007

As the month of Elul presses on, we continue our self-introspection in preparation for the High Holidays. We should evaluate every quality and characteristic of our life and thus make the necessary corrections. If we judge ourselves then we prevent...
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With a Little Help from My Friends

By Toby Janicki  | Comments (1)
Posted on August 27, 2007

A while back, I read a paragraph in a book about the main difference between a rasha and a tzaddik. A rasha is a wicked person while a tzaddik is one who is righteous. The gist of the idea presented...
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The Halachah of E-Mail

By Toby Janicki  | Comments (13)
Posted on August 24, 2007

Halachah comes from the root word “walk” and it is defined as how Torah is walked out. Halachah governs every area of life. I believe this even includes e-mail. Let me tell you a story. Last week I got a...
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Have We Forgiven Our Debtors?

By Seth Dralle  | Comments (5)
Posted on August 22, 2007

As we have discussed in previous blogs, the current month on the Jewish calendar emphasizes repentance and forgiveness in preparation for the appointed times of next month. This month, and the Ten Days of Awe next month, sees an increased...
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Who’s Counting? The Shemittah Year is Coming

By Toby Janicki  | Comments (5)
Posted on August 22, 2007

The Torah commands that every seventh year is a Shemittah year: Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When you come into the land which I shall give you, then the land shall have a sabbath to...
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Elul: Objects In The Mirror are Closer Than They Appear

By Toby Janicki  | Comments (9)
Posted on August 20, 2007

As we have now entered into the days of Elul, it is time for a baseball analogy. I have long argued that the Biblical calendar actually has a parallel in the baseball season. For example, the start of the season...
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Unrolling the Scroll

By Daniel Lancaster  | Comments (1)
Posted on August 20, 2007

Let us cleave to God’s blessing, and think about how to lay hold of it. Let us unroll the things which have taken place from the beginning. (1 Clement 31:1) Who would not want God's blessing in their lives?...
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Yartzheit of the Chacham Ephraim

By Toby Janicki  | Comments (0)
Posted on August 19, 2007

In Judaism, the memory of a loved one is recalled yearly on the aniversary of his/her death (in Yiddish, yartzeit). One special yartzeit for believers is that of a little known Tiberias rabbi who remained faithful to the Messiah and...
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Sabbatarians in WWII

By Daniel Lancaster  | Comments (1)
Posted on August 17, 2007

Solid news about the war was hard to come by in Szekley villages of old Transylvania where the last of the Sabbatarians lived with their Lutheran, Catholic and Unitarian neighbors. When newspapers could be obtained from neighboring villages, everyone gathered...
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It’s Elul, Shofar Up!

By Boaz Michael  | Comments (0)
Posted on August 15, 2007

Today is Rosh Chodesh Elul and thus we begin the forty days before Yom Kippur. This is a time of solemn reflection and repentance. It’s a time to make right relationships that have gone astray and mend fences that have...
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Elul One

By Daniel Lancaster  | Comments (2)
Posted on August 15, 2007

Just a reminder to everyone. Today is Elul One, the first day of the month of Elul and the Season of Repentance. Today begins a forty day period of time that culminates with the Day of Atonement. This is a...
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Insights from the "Lost" Epistles

By Daniel Lancaster  | Comments (1)
Posted on August 10, 2007

On late Sabbath afternoons during the summer at Beth Immanuel Sabbath Fellowship, those still hanging around the congregation building have been studying through some favorite books together. The women have been reading the works of Esther Jungreis together. Since June,...
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Archaeology Part 1: The Tomb of John the Baptist

By Toby Janicki  | Comments (0)
Posted on August 10, 2007

Archaeological and historical sites provide one with a fascinating and up-close glimpse of the world of antiquity. Students of the Bible are often very excited at the discovery of something that sheds light on these sacred texts. Over a small...
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The Ten Commandments and Frankie Lee

By Toby Janicki  | Comments (1)
Posted on August 7, 2007

In the days of the Master the Ten Commandments were recited daily in the Temple along with the Shema. This was most likely the practice throughout all of Israel. Then for various reasons which I won’t go into right now...
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The Last Transylvanian Sabbatarian

By Daniel Lancaster  | Comments (7)
Posted on August 7, 2007

There used to be a thriving Messianic movement in Transylvania. They were gentile believers who came into an understanding of Torah. They kept the Sabbath; they kept kosher; they kept the festivals, and they developed a Messianic Gentile culture that...
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Got Hebrew Skills?

By Toby Janicki  | Comments (7)
Posted on August 6, 2007

Over the last couple of years at FFOZ, we have been publishing a few articles in messiah magazine about Orthodox Jews from the 19th Century who came to faith in Messiah and maintained their Jewishness. In a lot of ways...
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Show-me, I’m from Missouri

By Seth Dralle  | Comments (3)
Posted on August 2, 2007

If you haven’t figured it out by now, we all like our new home of Missouri. The more I’m here, the more I grow fond of this state. Just as an example, last night I went to my first Springfield...
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Minneapolis Bridge: Baruch Dayan HaEmet

By Daniel Lancaster  | Comments (4)
Posted on August 2, 2007

Wednesday night, during rush hour, the I-35W bridge over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis, Minnesota collapsed, injuring perhaps as many as 70 people and killing dozens. For those of us who live in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis/Saint Paul, it...
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Our Opponents Say…

By Boaz Michael  | Comments (5)
Posted on August 2, 2007

The story of the woman caught in the act of adultery is a familiar one. In John 8:4 some of the scribes and Pharisees say “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the adultery, in the very act. Now in...
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Excuse Me Superman, are you Jewish?

By Boaz Michael  | Comments (2)
Posted on August 1, 2007

What do you get when you collect all your favorite superheroes together in a room. Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, etc. Well, it depends on who you ask. You may notice that with the aforementioned you have a...
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New Torah Club Name Announcement!

By Daniel Lancaster  | Comments (2)
Posted on August 1, 2007

Shalom FFOZ readers, Last month I asked you to give me your ideas for titling the new, rewrite of Torah Club Volume One. Many of you responded with some great ideas. You can read about the new Torah Club...
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The Apostle Paul in Rabbinic Literature?

By Boaz Michael  | Comments (11)
Posted on July 31, 2007

It is 2:07 in the morning. I’m sitting in the passenger seat of the FFOZ Shalom Hauler (the RV) Toby is driving which means he gets to select the music. Can anyone guess what we are listening too? We’re heading...
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DaVinci and the Jewish Code

By Daniel Lancaster
Posted on July 30, 2007

Once again people are searching Leonardo DaVinci's painting of the Last Supper for clues about Gospel. By creating a mirror image of the picture, new suggestive shapes allegedly emerge, including a baby and blessing. See the story here: Last Supper....
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What Would the Torah Say about Michael Vick?

By Toby Janicki  | Comments (3)
Posted on July 29, 2007

It’s all over the news. NFL star Michael Vick has been accused of a federal felony for breeding and training dogs for the purpose of fighting and death. He is also allegedly responsible for killing and severely mistreating some of...
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OPPONENTS TO THE GOSPEL SAY…

By Boaz Michael  | Comments (4)
Posted on July 29, 2007

One of our volunteers had an idea to create a series of posts on common objections to Yeshua. These entires will also be part of the larger "To Whom Shall We Go?" project that we are currently developing. Here is...
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Sparing a Maysit

By Toby Janicki  | Comments (8)
Posted on July 26, 2007

About a month ago I signed up to receive a daily study on the 613 commandments from a well-known Orthodox Jewish Group. Each day I get an e-mail with a few of the 613 commandments explained in detail. Today the...
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Seven Consolations

By Daniel Lancaster  | Comments (1)
Posted on July 26, 2007

On the Shabbat following the fast of Av and the commemoration of the destruction of Jerusalem and the holy Temple, the synagogue reading cycle begins a series of seven special haftarah readings from the book of Isaiah. The haftarah reading...
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New Dead Sea Scrolls

By Toby Janicki  | Comments (4)
Posted on July 25, 2007

Biblical scholar James Charlesworth announced that he has found a new fragment of Genesis from the Dead Sea Scrolls (read about it here). He also announced that he has obtained 30 new Dead Sea Scroll fragments and will be publishing...
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Reflections on My Fast

By Seth Dralle  | Comments (4)
Posted on July 25, 2007

As I mentioned in my previous blog, I successfully weaned myself off of coffee this year, making my fast a much more enjoyable experience. I finally was able to get beyond the headaches and pains and use the fast as...
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The Breath of our Nostrils

By Daniel Lancaster  | Comments (2)
Posted on July 24, 2007

Today is the ninth of Av, the day we remember the destruction of Jerusalem, the burning of the Holy Temple and the end of the Davidic monarchy. On this day, the book of Lamentations is read. In the book of...
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The Ninth of Av Part 3

By Toby Janicki  | Comments (1)
Posted on July 23, 2007

Here is the third and final part. Have a meaningful fast! Fasting to Commemorate the Ninth of Av Traditionally, the Ninth of Av is remembered with a complete fast from sundown to sundown, marked by refraining from both food and...
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The Ninth of Av Part 2

By Toby Janicki  | Comments (2)
Posted on July 23, 2007

Here is the second installment of the Ninth of Av Article: The Loss of the Temple The Temple is the focal point of life for Israel and without it, a void exists. In the Torah HaShem instructs Israel to build...
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Tzom Kol - Easy Fast!

By Seth Dralle  | Comments (4)
Posted on July 23, 2007

My experience on the last traditional fast - 17 Tammuz - was less than pleasant. I am an admitted coffee addict (Hi, my name is Seth, I am a coffee-aholic). If I don't get two cups in the morning, I...
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The Ninth of Av Part 1

By Toby Janicki  | Comments (1)
Posted on July 22, 2007

On this date in the year 586 BCE the siege began on the first Temple in Jerusalem. Now on the seventh day of the fifth month, which was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan the captain...
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Hoppsy Havdallah

By Toby Janicki  | Comments (16)
Posted on July 20, 2007

After Shabbat there is a ritual which ushers it out called Havdallah [literally “separation”]. It consists of blessings, a candle, spices, and wine. For those of you choosing to observe the nine day morning customs before the Ninth of Av,...
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Warriors at Qumran

By Toby Janicki  | Comments (3)
Posted on July 19, 2007

To add onto post yesterday about the wonders of Archeology check out this article on the theory that before the peaceful Essenes occupied Qumran, the warrior Hasmoneans lived there. Qumran of course is where it is believed that many of...
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No-Name Torah Club Volume One

By Daniel Lancaster  | Comments (19)
Posted on July 19, 2007

For more than a decade, Torah Club has been the staple product of the ministry of First Fruits of Zion. It began with a monthly commentary on the Torah: the Torah Club. After completing a year’s worth of study material...
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Seven Wonders of Biblical Archeology

By Toby Janicki  | Comments (2)
Posted on July 18, 2007

Here is an interesting link that discusses seven great discoveries in the archaeology of the Biblical world. The blogger lists: 1. The Dead Sea Scrolls 2. The House of David Inscriptions 3. The Amulet Scrolls 4. The Galilee Boat 5....
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The Execution Stake in Texas

By Toby Janicki  | Comments (6)
Posted on July 17, 2007

On our way back from Phoenix, Boaz and I just drove past the biggest cross in the western hemisphere. Well at least it used to be. Its 190 feet tall but apparently a 198 foot cross has been recently constructed...
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Ezra’s Restoration, Our Restoration

By Seth Dralle  | Comments (0)
Posted on July 16, 2007

Today is the anniversary of Ezra’s return to Jerusalem from Babylonia. We read in Ezra 7:1-10 of his five month-long journey with the Israelites, Levites, and priests. The people of Judah had experienced devastating exile from their land and witnessed...
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Rosh Chodesh Av: Remembering Aaron and Feivel

By Toby Janicki  | Comments (0)
Posted on July 15, 2007

Tonight, as we noted in an earlier blog post, begins Rosh Chodesh Av. On this day of the Hebrew calendar two very significant fathers of our faith died. The anniversary of the day someone died is called a yartzeit in...
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The Nine Days

By Toby Janicki  | Comments (1)
Posted on July 15, 2007

Tonight begins Rosh Chodesh for the month of Av. Traditionally a period of increased mourning takes place for the first nine days of Av. This period of mourning began last month with the fast on the seventeenth of Tammuz and...
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The Alhambra Decree

By Toby Janicki  | Comments (3)
Posted on July 13, 2007

As we approach the ninth of Av it would behoove us to remember another tragic event that took place on the 8th of Av. It was the issuing of the Alhambra decree in Spain. The Alhambra decree required all Jews...
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Peter’s Early Mincha

By Toby Janicki  | Comments (5)
Posted on July 12, 2007

One of the things I enjoy most in studying the Apostolic Writigns is finding allusions to traditional halacha. To me this not only adds authentication to the Writings but it also helps me in figuring out my own Torah practice....
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Top 10 Things People Say On Their First Visit To A Messianic Congregation

By Daniel Lancaster  | Comments (9)
Posted on July 12, 2007

The Top Ten Things People Say When They First Come to a Messianic Congregation 10. "Hey, my prayer book is going backwards." 9. "Isn't it impolite to sleep when the minister is talking?" 8. “Why do people keep coming in...
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Who In The World Is Sar-sekim?

By Toby Janicki  | Comments (2)
Posted on July 11, 2007

Ever heard of this guy? To be honest I don’t remember ever reading about him either but he is in the Bible. He appears in Jeremiah: Then all the officials of the king of Babylon came in and sat down...
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Knock-out punch magazine issue!

By Daniel Lancaster  | Comments (4)
Posted on July 10, 2007

messiah magazine knock-out punch issue! Shalom FFOZ people. By now you should have received issue 96 of messiah magazine, our “knock-out punch” issue on matters relating to anti-missionary objections to the Gospel. The entire issue is devoted to defending our...
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Hechsher Tzedek - Is it Kosher?

By Seth Dralle  | Comments (6)
Posted on July 9, 2007

The Rabbinical Assembly and the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism have recently launched a campaign to promote a new kashrut certification called hechsher tzedek (justice certification). This level of hechsher would take into account the treatment of workers at kosher...
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Destruction in Jerusalem: The Spirit vs. the Letter

By Toby Janicki  | Comments (2)
Posted on July 6, 2007

At FFOZ we often get asked the question what is the difference between the spirit and the letter of the law. After all the Apostle Paul tells us: …for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. (2 Corinthians 3:6)...
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Shabbat and Mourning

By Seth Dralle  | Comments (1)
Posted on July 6, 2007

With all the recent focus on mourning, lament, and general gloominess the past few months of the calendar, some may wonder if we are simply spiraling further and further down into a nihilistic dungeon of despair. Rest assured, there is...
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Eikah! An Introduction

By Seth Dralle  | Comments (1)
Posted on July 5, 2007

As Daniel mentioned in his previous blog, we are “between the straights” on the Hebrew calendar. This three week period of lament between 17 Tammuz and 9 Av points our thoughts back to the destruction of the first and second...
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Between the Straits

By Daniel Lancaster  | Comments (2)
Posted on July 4, 2007

Happy Fourth of July to all you American readers. Baruch HaShem that you live in a country founded on godliness and which allows you to practice the religion of your conscience. For you non-American readers, Baruch HaShem anyway. Though today...
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The Trouble with “To Whom”

By Boaz Michael  | Comments (13)
Posted on July 3, 2007

Boaz and I (Toby) were discussing on the way home from Dallas how it seems that every time we do the conference “To Whom Shall we Go” we run into trouble. For example, when we did this in Florida Daniel’s...
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Thank You Etz Chaim

By Daniel Lancaster  | Comments (2)
Posted on July 2, 2007

Thank you to congregation Etz Chaim in Dallas for hosting this last weekend’s “To Whom Shall We Go” conference. Your congregation is a shining example, a model to the Messianic Jewish movement, a beautiful balance of a traditional approach to...
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Non-Kosher Cow

By Toby Janicki  | Comments (0)
Posted on July 2, 2007

Today is the 16th of Tammuz which marks the traditional anniversary of the making of the Golden Calf. Now when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people assembled about Aaron and said to...
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Hermeneutics of a Stop Sign (Messianic)

By Daniel Lancaster  | Comments (4)
Posted on July 2, 2007

STOP Sign Hermeneutics This is really funny. You may have seen it before floating around the internet, but this version includes Jewish perspectives, and we asked the FFOZ staff members to add some Messianic Jewish perspectives. Hermeneutics is "the science...
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Ahavat Yeshua

By Toby Janicki  | Comments (7)
Posted on July 1, 2007

Here is a thread that was started on the TC Forum. In this season of mourning, I believe this message is key. Shalom, all I always appreciate Daniel Lancaster’s teachings, specifically, his emphasis lately on Love. The Master’s Love and...
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Lost Teachings of the Master

By Toby Janicki  |