FFOZ Blogs

Category: Teaching Team

 

Hosting Your First Passover Seder

Passover is coming! The Torah instructs us about many things on this holiday, including: We are to treat this season a holy and festive time (Leviticus 23:4-6). There are special foods that we are to eat (Exodus 12:8) and not eat (Exodus 12:15-19). We are to tell our children on that day about how God took us out from slavery in Egypt (Exodus 13:8). Since ancient times, all of...
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What is the Meal of Messiah? Part 3 of 3

As you may have heard Vine of David is publishing the Vine of David Passover Haggadah and the Vine of David Meal of Messiah this year in time for Passover. (For pre-order and general information click here) While most believers in Messiah are familiar Passover and the traditional seder, very few have heard of the Meal of Messiah. To aid with this we have decided to post my forthcoming article...
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What is the Meal of Messiah? Part 2 of 3

As you may have heard Vine of David is publishing the Vine of David Passover Haggadah and the Vine of David Meal of Messiah this year in time for Passover. (For pre-order and general information click here) While most believers in Messiah are familiar Passover and the traditional seder, very few have heard of the Meal of Messiah. To aid with this we have decided to post my forthcoming article...
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What is the Meal of Messiah? Part 1 of 3

As you may have heard Vine of David is publishing the Vine of David Passover Haggadah and the Vine of David Meal of Messiah this year in time for Passover. (For pre-order and general information click here) While most believers in Messiah are familiar Passover and the traditional seder, very few have heard of the Meal of Messiah. To aid with this we have decided to post my forthcoming article...
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eRosh: Adar

Due to time constraints on the Haggadah project we were unable to send out the monthly eRosh e-mail at the beginning of Adar. The Adar calendar has now been uploaded to the eRosh home page and we will have the children's and teen's material up in the next day or two. God willing we will be back on track with our regular eRosh e-mail next month. We apologize for any...
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J-BOM is Coming

As previously announced on MJM, this coming March begins the Messianic Jewish blogosphere's "Jewish Book of the Month Club," or J-BOM. Each month, participating bloggers will be reading through a selection of Jewish books, and blogging their reviews and feedback. Hopefully, in so doing, we can further our dialogue in the Messianic Jewish movement, and grow together in learning. Perhaps more important, we can take the Messianic Jewish blogosphere to...
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Common Objections: Acts 10

As we begin to explore the study and lifestyle of the Torah, many passages come to mind throughout the Gospels and Apostolic Scriptures that appear to speak against the Torah and its observance. In these blog posts we will explore some of these objections and try to answer them. As Noah is getting ready to get on the ark God gives him specific instructions regarding the animals of the earth:...
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Common Objections: John 1:17

As we begin to explore the study and lifestyle of the Torah, many passages come to mind throughout the Gospels and Apostolic Scriptures that appear to speak against the Torah and its observance. In these blog posts we will explore some of these objections and try to answer them. The Torah opens with the phrase "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." This passage is alluded to...
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Taking Torah to the Nations

Lately I am often asked the question, "Now that you guys are done with HaYesod what are you working on?" The answer is HaYesod. In all seriousness although the materials have been fully completed and groups are up and running, we have more "HaYesod" work than ever before. The task of managing all the different leaders and taking care of their personal needs is so large, that most of us...
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Free from the Law?

Being free is a wonderful thing. We like having free time--time when we can do whatever we desire. We enjoy living in a free country--a place where we can choose our way of life and pursue happiness. But have you ever heard the phrases "free in Christ" or "free from the law"? What does that mean? At first glance, it might seem like being spiritually free would mean that we...
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Burying a Bible

In Jewish tradition, when a manuscript or item contains God's name and/or passages from the Bible it is treated with the utmost respect. It is never placed on the ground or brought into a bathroom. When it is no longer usable it is buried underground in much the same way a person would be. Although typically this is only done with Hebrew materials, it can be a worthwhile practice for...
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Yartzeit of Rabbi Yitzchak Kaduri

Thursday evening, January 14, begins the 29th of Tevet which is the yahrzeit of Rabbi Yitzchak Kaduri. Rabbi Yitzchak Kaduri (born in 1898 in Baghdad) was a Sephardic Orthodox rabbi and Jewish mystic. As a Torah prodigy Kaduri began his studies in Jewish mysticism while still in his teens. His studies were conducted under the famed Sephardic Rabbi, Yosef Chaim of Baghdad, the Ben Ish Chai. Having moved to Israel...
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Answering Anti-Missionaries

Anti-missionaries have questions. We have answers. Judaism has objections. We have solutions. At Vine of David and First Fruits of Zion, we are going to begin utilizing our blog post space for answering Judaism's arguments against faith in Messiah. This is not our first foray into the battle for faith. In 2007, First Fruits of Zion offered a conference dedicated to answering anti-missionary arguments. The conference was a response to...
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My Wife--My Life!

The church is broken, increasingly ineffective, and in some ways self-serving. As men we tend to see the broken state of the church and quietly rejoice in her brokenness because it gives us an excuse to pull back and withdraw. The cycle will continue to spiral downward until the church's complete destruction--and we, a gang of male revelers--will rejoice in its destruction ... b-e-c-a-u-s-e that means we will be free...
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True Love

HaYesod is a great resource for teaching and learning about Christianity's Jewish foundation. But how important is that Jewish foundation? One might think that learning about the Jewish worldview fills in some details, but the basics are already well understood. But instead, you will find that the even the most central concepts of the Gospel are grasped better from a Jewish perspective. Jesus said that the greatest commandment is to...
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The Ninth of Tevet: Simon Peter's Yahrzeit

Friday evening, December 25, begins the 9th of Tevet which, according to Jewish tradition, is the anniversary of the death of Simon Peter. Simon Peter holds a special place in the hearts of many believers. We find camaraderie and consolation in a man who could sail from the highest points of discipleship to the lows of denying his Master. His struggles are our struggles; his challenges are our challenges, and,...
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First Century Nazareth House

Archaeologists in Nazareth announced the discovery of the remains of a house dating back to the time of our Master. The first-century-era house is the only one dating to the days of Yeshua discovered in Nazareth. Read about the discovery here. Nazareth was a small Jewish community probably pioneered by descendants of the royal line of David. Villages tended to be large extended families. Children rarely left home. Families built...
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Christmas & Virgin Birth

Tags:  Chanukkah, Christmas, Isaac, Mary, miraculous birth, perpetual virginity, virgin birth

During the Christmas season, the majority of our brothers and sisters in Messiah honor His birth. Even for those of us who are keeping Chanukkah, the Christmas season inevitably turns one's mind back to the nativity stories as we hear strains of carols come drifting through the air: "Round yon virgin mother and child, Holy Infant, so tender and mild." I have often wondered exactly what a "round yon virgin"...
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Doing Something

I have great news to share. The HaYesod Student Workbook has been sent to the printer! It was an incredible amount of work and we are very pleased with how it turned out. We expect delivery the first week of December. Here is a note I sent our registered leaders on Friday: We continue to be encouraged with the development of the material. It is, God willing, going to make...
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Hidden Person of the Heart

Let [wives] exhibit the beautiful behavior of purity, let them show an honest attitude of meekness; let them demonstrate the control they have over their tongue by the way they speak; let them display their love for others, not by showing favoritism just to best friends, but by showing the same affection to everyone who piously fears God. (1 Clement 21:6-7) These were the years of the life of Sarah....
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Yahrzeit of Rabbi Daniel Zion

Monday evening, November 10, begins the 23rd of Cheshvan which is the yahrzeit of Rabbi Daniel Zion, a holocaust-era hero and pioneer in incorporating faith in Messiah Yeshua with Orthodox Judasim. Vine of David is honored to offer one of his many works written in Bulgarian Jewish Feasts and Traditions for download. Rabbi Daniel Zion: Chief Rabbi of Bulgaria During WWII by Joseph Shulam With the beginning of World War...
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If She Can Do It...You Can as Well.

We have several test groups running through the HaYesod program. We are blessed to hear the early feedback. This note from the Armbrust Family in Flint, MI was encouraging to me, I hope it is to you as well. Michelle is writing, she sings in the church choir, home schools 3 kids and is helping to run two HaYesod groups. None of the people in her group are predisposed to...
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Prayers Needed

This month, and especially this week, brings the culmination of four years of work at FFOZ as we labor to put the final touches and last edits on the new HaYesod program. We will need your prayers. We need to sort through hundreds of details that remain. We need prayer for the strength to get the work completed. I have been honored to labor alongside men and women devoted to...
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Messiah Journal 102

One of the fun things about working at First Fruits of Zion is watching the publications take shape. I just got a peek at the early proofs for the new issue of Messiah Journal (Issue 102). If you are not a Messiah Journal subscriber, I encourage you to get signed up now, before the next issue comes out. Issue 102 is packed with good stuff. Seth Dralle has a feature...
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How Firm a Foundation?

No man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 3:11). The firm foundation of God stands. (2 Timothy 2:19) Jesus is the foundation of Christianity. The Christian faith is "built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone" (Ephesians 2:20). Just as the foundation of a house supports and shapes the structure built...
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The Double-Standard of Abolishing Torah

President Obama is definitely seen in religious terms: by some as a messiah-like figure, by others as the Antichrist. But imagine what would happen if, at the end of his term, Obama arose and declared, "Over the course of the past four years I have fulfilled the Constitution of the United States perfectly. Now that it is fulfilled, its authority over this nation has been put to an end in...
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Daily Dose of the Apostles

I enjoy rabbinic literature. I am happy to curl up with a tractate of the Talmud the way many people are happy to curl up with a detective novel. As I slog through the obscure and sometimes impenetrable arguments and legal wrangling of long-gone rabbis, I occasionally find a maxim or aphorism that leaps off the page--the wisdom of Torah distilled. The minds of those saintly sages were saturated with...
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Heavy Matters: Stealing

"While you preach against stealing, do you steal?" Romans 2:21 Not many of us would consider ourselves thieves--but perhaps there is an admonishment in Jewish wisdom that will guard our lives from sin, sharpen us, establish our testimonies, and build his kingdom. One may not buy wool, milk or kids from shepherds. Nor may one buy wood or fruits from the watchman of orchards.... Mishnah, Bava Kamma 10:9 "Common sense...
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Voiding The Torah

Paul sums it up quite well "Without love I am nothing" teaching whatever we are doing, if we do not do it with selfless love, we do it in vain. ...I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing....
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Sukkah Contest Winners

Shalom and Shanah Tovah! It's time to announce the winners for this year's 2009 Sukkah Contest! But, before we do, we'd like to thank everyone who participated. We were blessed and inspired by the creativity and energy that was put into keeping the mitzvah of dwelling in a sukkah. Entries came in every day of the feast, and by the last day, there were more than 50 different sukkah pictures...
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Rejoice We're Starting Over

At times I sigh when I have to start over. Currently there are several things in my life that I feel frustrated at the thought of beginning again. One is my running--I have to start over. After breaking my arm I could not run, I lost my base, and I now have to start over. Running a mile now hurts, whereas months ago I could run 10 without as much...
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Mishkan: Levertoff

We are honored that our Vine of David republication of Paul Philip Levertoff's Love in the Messianic Age was reviewed in the current issue of Mishkan (Issue #60). Miskhan is a pre-eminent Messianic academic journal published by the Pasche Institute of Jewish Studies. Both Levertoff's original work as well as our Vine of David study guide received favorable reviews. You can read the review here. Perhaps, though, the most exciting...
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Torah Does Not Mean Law!

"The Torah of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul." That's a bold statement, but it seems a bit misguided! After all, isn't Jesus the restorer of our souls, rather than the Torah? Maybe King David said this because he didn't know Jesus. On the other hand, maybe it only seems misguided to us because we don't understand the Torah. How could the Torah restore anyone's soul? We need to...
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Jesus Was Here

First century synagogue discovered in Magdala. Happy Sukkot. Here is something to increase the simcha (joy) for disciples of Yeshua. Archaeologists last month uncovered a first century Galilean synagogue at Magdala, one in which our Master surely taught and prayed. This is the first Galilean synagogue ever discovered from the time of Yeshua. Every time I go to the Galilee, I drive past the site of ancient Magdala, the town...
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The Hunger of Man

For all you Yom Kippur well wishers, those of you that posted notes on blogs, Facebook, and closed out our conversations, with "May your fast be easy:" Thank you. It was a great fast and an absolutely beautiful Yom Kippur. For me it was a day of being spiritually refreshed and was a time to re-focus on God. Our services were a marathon--our morning service was the longest, it was...
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Closing the Gates

This evening I will stand before God on the most serious day of prayer in the year. Yom Kippur, the Day of Judgment, begins tonight; I will stand before my Creator, account for my actions, words, and intentions. May God have mercy on my soul. May he show me his grace through the atoning sacrifice of his Son. I write this note at the end of the Days of Awe,...
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Sin and Torah

At First Fruits of Zion, we desire to see the whole body of Messiah understand their faith within the context of the Land, the People and the Scriptures of Israel. Our entire ministry is dedicated to "proclaiming the Torah, and its way of life, fully centered on Messiah, to today's people of God." We produce teachings, seminars, books, publications, and Bible study programs advocating Jewish and Gentile observance of the...
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Part 2) "One Law" in the Late Second Temple Era

Continued from previous blog, "Part One: 'One Law' in Context" Co-authored by Aaron Eby and Toby Janicki By the end of the Second Temple Era in which the apostolic community lived, ideas had changed. The semantic value of the word ger had shifted somewhat. In each of the "one law" passages in which the word ger appears, the predominant view in Judaism was that the term did not denote a...
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Part 1) "One Law" in Context

Co-authored by Aaron Eby and Toby Janicki First Fruits of Zion is dedicated to teaching Gentiles to keep as much of the Torah as they are able. We strongly encourage both Jews and Gentiles to take hold of their biblical heritage, to commemorate and observe God's appointed times, and to eat according the menu the Torah provides. However, we teach that Gentile believers are not held accountable to certain commandments...
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Part 3) The Lone Voice of FFOZ

Part Three, continued from previous blog: Acts 15 Re-Examined. First Fruits of Zion was, for a long time, the lone voice advancing the idea that Jews and Gentiles had identical obligations to the Torah. We created many of the arguments one commonly hears today in the Messianic movement to refute the plain meaning of Acts 15 and 21. We worked out explanations to try to prove that the Bible is...
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Part 2) Acts 15 Re-Examined

Part Two, continued from "The Tipping Point." What was the original question in Acts 15? The council of the apostles in Jerusalem met to determine whether or not Gentile believers should be compelled to be circumcised (legally convert to become Jewish) and therefore placed under full obligation to the Torah of Moses in order to attain legal status within the community of Israel. The theological consideration at hand was a...
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Part 1) The Tipping Point: Acts 15; 21

Since the release of our article, "One Law, and the Messianic Gentile," in Messiah Journal 101, we have heard from lots of our readers who are confused about the apostolic decision in Acts 15. What did the apostles mean by exempting the Gentile believers from circumcision and burdening them with nothing more than the four essentials? In the following three blog posts, beginning with this one, I will attempt to...
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Rosh Hashanah: Hitting Reset

L'Shanah Tova First Fruits of Zion family and friends, There is a party taking place this weekend; tonight is an auspicious time when Rosh Hashanah and Shabbat occur on the same day. The holiness of the Sabbath is sweetened with the holiness of the festival. We have the opportunity to herald the Messiah King and the Sabbath Queen. Will you be there? Everyone is invited to come to the King's...
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Q&A: Divine Invitation

Let me start out by saying how much I respect everyone at FFOZ. I consider you my brothers. Thank you for writing. I want you to know that I have devoted my life to the establishment of Torah and its implementation in the lives of Christians, Jewish and Gentile both, and that mission and call for which I have sacrificed my entire life, remains steadfastly the same. I want you...
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An Unbearable Yoke: Acts 15:10

The Apostle Peter objected, saying, ""Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear?" (Acts 15:10). What does Peter mean by the word "yoke?" Would the apostle Peter dare refer to God's holy Torah as an unbearable yoke?
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Moral vs. Ceremonial

At First Fruits of Zion, we teach that the Torah is not cancelled by the Gospel. Unlike the common Christian theology that teaches Jesus abolished the Law, we believe that the Torah is God's eternal, unchanging word. We believe that the Torah's commandments like the Sabbath, the festivals, the dietary laws, and so forth are still relevant to all believers today. However, we see a biblical distinction between a Jewish...
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One Simple Verse: Galatians 5:3

Galatians 5:3 is irrefutably simple to understand. To our knowledge, no credible scholar within mainstream Christianity, Judaism, Messianic Judaism, or biblical criticism has ever interpreted the verse to support a One Law theology.
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Reasoning Together

"Come now, let us reason together" (Isaiah 1:18) the LORD said through his prophet Isaiah. Over the next few weeks and through the holiday season, I invite you to visit these FFOZ blogs and reason together with us at First Fruits of Zion as we talk through the biblical basis for our recent rejection of One Law theology that defined much of our ministry in past years. At First Fruits...
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Will We Be Ready?

Will we be ready to greet the Jewish Jesus when He returns, or will He be like a stranger to us? He is coming soon. Time is short. Listen to this exciting new introduction to the booklet, "HaYesod: Exploring the Jewish Foundation of Christianity." Audio: How Firm a Foundation? Become a HaYesod leader: HaYesod...
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Exile! When Does It End?

"At First Fruits of Zion, we are listening, waiting, and longing for that day when the Torah will flow forth from our land--the land of Israel. Day cannot exist without night, but even the longest night must come to an end. At the end of darkness, there is a light. The prophets of Israel predicted an end to the current exile, a light at the end of the tunnel, and...
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Elul: The Month of Repentance

Elul: The Month of Repentance I am My Beloved's and My Beloved is Mine [Chaim Yedidah] Ben Yisrael AKA: Theophilus Lucky (1890) Reprinted from the Edut L'Yisrael, Volume 4, Elul 5650 (1890), pp 91-97. Translated to English, edited and adapted by Vine of David, 2007. Chaim Yedidah (Theophilus Lucky) became a believer near the end of the nineteenth century at which time he began to publish a Hebrew periodical written...
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Close Call

Jennifer seemed to be an answer to prayer. I met her last spring at a church Passover seder-ish event. Eager to share her story with a kindred spirit (me), she wept and explained how lonely she felt, stranded between Christianity and Judaism. She really thought that she was the only person to both believe in Jesus as Messiah and believe that the Torah was for her. She had never heard...
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R"Lichtenstein's Prayer

Almighty Heavenly Father, Eheyeh asher Eheyeh, Sovereign Ruler of past, present and future; we bless You for our past, and thank You, that in Your inscrutable wisdom, You have chosen us out of all peoples of the earth, to give us knowledge of the truth, and to make us witnesses of Your Covenant of everlasting life. Our present is dark, gloomy and desolate; but we trust Your word, O Father,...
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Friend, Move Up Higher

Have you ever noticed how the Kingdom of Heaven turns everything upside down? "Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted" (Mathew 23:12). I believe that the greatest impediment to spiritual growth is spiritual pride. Those of us in the Torah movement seem particularly susceptible to the sin of spiritual pride. It's something I wrestle with, and we all need to wrestle with. When we...
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Recent Theological Shifts at FFOZ

We have received several inquiries regarding alleged recent changes in First Fruits of Zion theology. We are deeply concerned with Mr. Hegg's characterization of First Fruits of Zion. Mr. Hegg of Torah Resources International voluntarily served as our theological review chair for several years. In 2006, we added several more members to the theological review team. The review team critiques and offers input on our materials before publication. We wanted...
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The Messianic Movement In Prison

At First Fruits of Zion we often receive requests from prisoners for books, materials, and teachings. Sometimes prisoners write us for advice or are just looking for someone to bounce ideas off someone. One inmate who we have been communicating with desired to wrote a testimony about the Torah movement in prison. The following is his observations. If you would like to donate to the First Fruits of Zion Corner's...
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Hearing Impairment

Do you realize that those that suffer from various disabilities are often left out from Bible teaching or are such a minority that it is not cost effective to address their needs? Years ago a good friend and advisor implored us integrate aids into our resources that would address the often-neglected community of the hearing impaired. He felt that it was a great opportunity for the message of Torah and...
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In the Hands of Hatred

"May God have mercy and say "enough!" to the affliction of the Jewish people and to my personal torment. May He return to me my dear, sweet, and modest daughter Rekhil Yehudit, long life to her, who was kidnapped from me on the second day of Rosh Chodesh Elul, Friday in the week of Shoftim 5702 [August 14, 1942]." R'Kalonymus Kalman Shapira Rabbi Kalonymus [tz"l] lost his life by the...
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The Folded Napkin--Balderdash!

Tags:  folded napkin, John 20:7

This entire explanation is a fabrication--pure balderdash. Not only was this so-called "Hebrew tradition" unknown to "every Jewish boy," it is completely unknown to the whole of Jewish literature and history. There is no such custom in ancient or modern Judaism regarding napkins. As far as I am aware, there is no such custom in Greek or Roman society either.
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Good Friday?

As Passover fast approaches we have been receiving a flood of e-mails at First Fruits of Zion in regards to the eRosh calendar saying that the Master dies on the afternoon of the 14th and rose after sundown at the beginning of the 16th. How can that be three days and three nights? Since I was the one who created this calendar, I decided to repost a blog I wrote...
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Our Task in Life

During Passover, we are to "do this" in remembrance of our Master. The "this" to which Yeshua referred was the cup and the matzah of Passover, but also the whole of the festival, and ultimately, all of life should be conducted in remembrance of our Master. Tonight (by Johanine reckoning), Tuesday April 7, we remember the Master's early seder with his disciples, we remember the agony in the garden, the...
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Birkat HaChammah: The Blessing of the Sun

Tags:  biblical calendar, birkat hachammah, blessings, liturgy, Nisan, prayer, redemption, sun

(image source) See the bottom of this page for free PDF downloads. A certain traditional Jewish ceremony has been in the news and blogs lately, known as Birkat HaChammah, or the Blessing of the Sun. This blessing is recited on an extraordinarily infrequent basis: only once every 28 years! The last time it was recited was 1981, which means that this is the year for the blessing to come...
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A Minyan at the Kotel

In my work for First Fruits of Zion, I have the blessed opportunity to travel Israel frequently. Whenever in the holy city of Jerusalem, I try to pray three times a day at the wall. Our Master quotes Isaiah the prophet saying that the Temple shall be "a house of prayer for all nations." This works well for me as a Gentile believer, and I feel spiritually confident praying in...
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Purim Home Companion

Tags:  Beth Immanuel, Purim, Purim home companion, Purim Schpiel

In anticipation of the coming festival of Purim, make some popcorn, pull up some chairs, gather the family round the warm glow of the computer monitor, and enjoy Beth Immanuel's "Purim Home Companion." Recorded 3-21-2008.
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Does Gentile Mean Pagan?

One recurring theme that seems to present itself over and over again in Messianic Movement is the notion that somehow the term "Gentile" always refers to pagans. This presents major identity problems for those of us (myself included) who are Gentile by birth. We wonder--"If Gentile means pagan, and we are not ethically Jewish, then what should we call ourselves? Where does that leave us?" In response to this problem,...
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New Hebrew Bible

Tags:  Reader's Hebrew Bible

The Bible changes lives, and the Reader's Hebrew Bible has changed mine--well at least my enjoyment of the Bible. Reading the Hebrew Bible can be frustrating if you don't have a competent mastery of Hebrew vocabulary. For me, it has often been a slow, painful process, requiring consultation of a lexicon several times in a single passage. Thanks to Zondervan press, however, that has changed. The new Reader's Hebrew Bible...
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Maimonides and Messiah

Tags:  Rabbi Isaac Lichtenstein

What do Maimonides and the Messiah have in common? When Rabbi Isaac Lichtenstein, the district rabbi of the Hungarian city of Tapioszele, openly declared his faith in Yeshua of Nazareth as the promised Messiah, a storm of persecution broke out. His adult son, Emmanuel Lichtenstein, wrote a concerned letter asking his father several pointed questions about his decision. Among the objections that Emmanuel posed to his beloved father was the...
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A Bar Mitzvah and Tu'B'shvat

Tags:  barley, carob, dates, figs, fruits, grapes, olives, plant, pomegranates, tradition, Tu B'Shvat Seder, wheat

A personal milestone in our life is upon us and we wanted to take the time to share the simcha (joy) with our First Fruits friends. Family and friends have gathered to our home here, and to Missouri for this special time. We will host a Tu B'Shvat seder in our home this evening for our family members and as a unique remembrance of our son's birth and brit milah...
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Gentiles and Torah

Tags:  Boundary Stones, commandments, four prohibitions, Gentiles, Israel's mission, Jewish people, knowledge of God, light to the nations, replacement theology, supercessionism

Most Christian theologians dismiss the applicability of the Torah for believers whatsoever. This view, of course, is what the book Boundary Stones aims to confront. However, some Christian and Messianic teachers are comfortable with the idea that Jewish believers in Jesus can or should continue with Torah observance, but for Gentiles, it is either not recommended or entirely forbidden. It is easy for Gentiles to feel a loss of identity...
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Yartzeit of Rabbi Yitzchak Kaduri

Tags:  Kaduri, Messiah Journal, name of the Messiah, Schneerson, Yehoshua, Yeshua, Yitzchak Kaduri

Rabbi Yitzchak Kaduri (born in 1898 in Baghdad) was a Sephardic Orthodox rabbi and Jewish mystic. As a Torah prodigy Kaduri began his studies in Jewish mysticism while still in his teens. His studies were conducted under the famed Sephardic Rabbi, Yosef Chaim of Baghdad, the Ben Ish Chai. Having moved to Israel in 1922, Kaduri's life was characterized by poverty as well as privacy and secrecy. Although Kaduri wrote...
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Torah Teaching 101: Lesson 1

Tags:  outreach, PORTIONS, torahportions.org

Last night we had another successful Torah outreach class to the local community. The class is growing each week. It is a blessing and honor to teach and study through the word of God with other brothers and sisters in the Messiah. This group is one of several test sites for the new PORTIONS classes that First Fruits hopes to launch next fall. PORTIONS is our effort to take the...
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Asarah B'Tevet (10th of Tevet)

Tags:  10th of Tevet, confess, destruction of Jerusalem, fast, repentance

The Fast of the 10th of Tevet begins Tuesday January 6th sunrise to sunset. The book of Zechariah mentions a fast that takes place in the tenth month. (Zechariah 8:19) Traditionally this is seen as a commemoration of the destruction of Jerusalem which began in the year 588 BCE: And the word of the LORD came to me in the ninth year, in the tenth month, on the tenth of...
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Exonerating Dinah

Tags:  anah, Dinah, edrash, Rashi, Shechem, Shechem the Canaanite, Vayishlach, ענה

In the new edition of Torah Club Volume One, Unrolling the Scroll, I commented on the affair of Dinah and Shechem in Genesis 34. That commentary was excerpted and sent out as this last week's edrash Torah commentary for parashat Vayishlach. Following Rashi's lead, I pointed out that the problem began when Dinah "went out to visit the daughters of the land." I also wondered about the traditional reading which...
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Volunteer Request

As part of a project that will likely span the period of several years, First Fruits of Zion is hoping to make the literature of the Jewish believers from the 19th and early 20th centuries available once again in newly published volumes. These works range from books to scholarly journals and are, in their original format, in the various languages of Hebrew, German, Yiddish, and others. Often times, the journals...
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Show Her Honor

Continuing with the last post, "Learning From the Mothers," we continue our series on the importance of the woman as seen in Judaism. In the upcoming parashah, Vayishlach, we encounter the story of Dinah's abduction (see the aforementioned post on more about this subject). This week we will look more at the significance of Dinah's actions and why she was the one who could have succeeded where the Patriarchs did...
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Keeping Focused

Boaz and I carpool to work just about every day. During the drives we usually engage in some kind of conversation on a variety of topics from projects at First Fruits, politics, Torah, or family life. Last night on the way home we had one of those kind of discussions that you need every once in a while to keep you focused. As many of you know at First Fruits...
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Learning From the Mothers

In the Torah we read, "Dinah, the daughter of Leah, whom she had borne to Jacob" (Genesis 34:1).(1) In his commentary to the Torah, Rashi offers some insightful remarks as to why this sentence is worded in such a manner. He states, the daughter of Leah And not the daughter of Jacob? However, because of her going out she was called the daughter of Leah, since she (Leah) too was...
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Happy Thanksgiving

For many of us Thanksgiving is one of the few holidays left that we celebrate with non-Torah families. For me and my wife it is a wonderful time to get together with relatives and celebrate what we are thankful for. Interestingly enough some scholars have felt that the early pilgrims might have even modeled the first Thanksgiving after the Torah festival of Sukkot. Besides having the time of year (fall)...
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The ESV Study Bible

Yesterday I received an email question about one of the new products First Fruits is distributing in our new webstore and catalog. First Fruits recently released a new product catalog for the Jewish calendar year 5769. To see our new catalog, click here. But question I received asked why we, as a Messianic organization, were distributing the ESV Study Bible, which is largely Evangelical in its theology. They understood distributing...
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Amazing "Millie" Grace

It was last Friday afternoon and about an hour and a half before Shabbat began here in the Ozarks. I rushed out the door to do one last errand before Shabbat began. As I ran out to the car and quickly pulled it out of the garage, I noticed that our dog Millie was outside. I knew that as soon as I started driving down the driveway that she would...
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Hallowed on the Radio

As most of you probably are aware, we released a new book on God's name entitled Hallowed be Your Name. After seeing so much controversy, confusion, and division in the Messianic movement over the pronunciation of God's name, we decided to tackle this head on. The book is an in-depth study of God's name and covers topics such the Hebraic background of "Name," should we be pronouncing the name, and...
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David's Water Tunnel

In a recent archaeological dig in Jerusalem, a water tunnel was discovered that is believed to be the "water shaft" mentioned in 2 Samuel 5:8 which says: And David said on that day, "Whoever would strike the Jebusites, let him get up the water shaft to attack 'the lame and the blind,' who are hated by David's soul." Therefore it is said, "The blind and the lame shall not come...
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The Five-fold Blessing

Genesis is a book of beginnings. The beginning of the world. The beginning of man and woman. The unfortunate beginning of sin and exile. The beginning of the nations of the world, their languages, and their spreading out over the earth. These grand events transpired in the last two weekly Torah portions: B'reisheet and Noach. As important as these matters are in the book of Genesis, they actually serve as...
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First Temple Seal Found

In a recent archaeological dig performed at the behest of the Western Wall Heritage Foundation, an amazing discovery was made. Near the northwestern side of the Western Wall plaza a rare Hebrew seal dating from the latter part of the First Temple era was found; the seal dates to the 7th century BCE from the reigns of King Menasseh and King Josiah. According to the excavation director and archaeologist Shlomit...
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New Evidence: The Master Played Baseball!

I always knew that there was something Divine about my love for baseball... Armenian scholar Dr. Abraham Terian has uncovered a reference in an ancient Syraic account of Yeshua's childhood that our Rabbi played some sort of sport with a bat and ball. He suggests that it was an ancient form of cricket but I think us baseball fans know better. The passage cited has the Master playing hooky from...
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Letter Codes Reveal Messiah?

The information in this post is for entertainment purposes only. To put it simply, I am employing a method of biblical analysis somewhat akin to the so-called Bible Code. Although the method I am using is more attested in Jewish tradition, it is hardly the type of interpretation one should turn to in order to determine or substantiate core beliefs. Nonetheless, it is fascinating and fun. Please don't mistake this...
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First Reactions

Hundreds of people have visited the new Torah PORTIONS website. We have had many people write kind compliments and words of encouragement. A comment came in this morning that was simple—yet to the very heart of this new endeavored. They said, I read part of the Torah this morning and just wanted to tell you how much I enjoy it. Blessings to you! Torah PORTIONS goals are to make the...
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Fringe Benefits

First Fruits has begun creating a series of small books called Mayim Chayim "Living Water" which discuss the practical applications of various laws of the Torah. It is our idea to create books that are geared toward those who desire to observe a particular commandment of Torah and would like a resource which discusses it from a Messiah centered perspective. So far we have created three: Breaking Bread, Hallowed Be...
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Something New!

Yesterday my family walked to a friend's home a couple of miles from our house. While walking down the road, I read aloud the book of James. We entered into discussion on various points throughout the reading. Something different stood out to each person. Each person was convicted in a different area as the Word was read. There is something powerful in simply hearing and reading the Word. The Lord...
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Happy Sukkot

Blog posts have been sparse on the FFOZ website since the festival season began this fall. We have all been busy keeping festivals and trying to get things done in between Sabbaths and holy days. It's been an eventful holiday season so far at Beth Immanuel in Hudson, Wisconsin, the congregation where I attend. We heard the shofar at Rosh Hashanah, fasted on Yom Kippur and had two babies...
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Doing Business With God

The offices of First Fruits of Zion will be closed early today and all day tomorrow for the fast day and appointed time of Yom Kippur (The Day of Atonement). Although there is no Temple today, the annual observance of Yom Kippur is still an important spiritual discipline and a commandment. The apostles teach that believers constitute a collective Temple of the Holy Spirit. The concentrated day of fasting,...
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Tomb of the High Priest's Son

Yom Kippur begins Wednesday night. In the days of the Apostles, Yom Kippur was the day that the high priest entered the holy of holies. For a week before Yom Kippur, he remained sequestered in the Temple preparing for the day. On the night before Yom Kippur, he kept vigil through the night, studying the scriptures and preparing for the following day's ceremonies. Coinciding with the week before Yom Kippur,...
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Our Master is Coming!

May you have a sweet New Year, and rejoice that your names are written in the Lamb's book of life. Rosh Hashanah greetings from all of us at First Fruits of Zion and from myself and my family. As we close out the biblical year 5768 and look ahead to the coming year, it is with a deep sense of gratitude to God, gratitude for all of you, our readers,...
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Rosh Hashanah Observances

Rosh Hashanah is less than a week away (this year, it starts on the evening of Monday, Sept. 29 and continues through nightfall on Wednesday, Oct. 1). Reasons for doubling days can be found in a previous FFOZ blog found here. In order for people who are less familiar with the various customs and the like, I will offer a brief description of the order of the two days to...
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Being Noticed

I read a quote from Bob Dylan the other day that caused me to stop and think: Being noticed can be a burden. Jesus got himself crucified because he got himself noticed. So I disappear a lot. After reading this I chuckled to myself at both the irony and the truth in what Dylan was saying. While to me this it is an over simplification of the reason for the...
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"Pagan" Jewish Names

It has been alleged by some that the name "Jesus" is pagan. If you've been part of a Messianic congregation for long, you've probably heard this. It is usually explained that the "sus" of "Je-sus" comes from "Zeus," the head of the Greek pantheon. Needless to say, First Fruits of Zion does not ascribe to this teaching. We think the name Jesus is a perfectly acceptable form of our Master's...
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New Synagogue in Germany

After over 70 years, the German city of Krefeld will once again have a synagogue after the Nazis destroyed the original structure during World War II. The synagogue, which was dedicated this past Sunday on September 14, was inaugurated by members of the local Jewish community as well as local politicians. The newly rebuilt synagogue represents the Jewish community that has flourished in the years following the Nazi persecutions under...
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I was in Prison...

The other day we received a peculiar package here at the First Fruits of Zion office in Missouri. It contained a book entitled Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia. It is a Hebrew text of the Tanakh that is considered by many Jews and Christians alike as the most accurate edition of the Hebrew Scriptures. It contains an exact copy of the Massoretic text along with critical notes. The strange thing was...
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The Name Game

Tags:  messianic, Yahshua, Yahweh, Yaveh, YHVH, YHWH

Should we be pronouncing the Name of God aloud? It's about time someone in the Messianic movement addressed this issue in a formal manner. When I was a teenager, I once made the mistake of calling my father by his first name. He sternly corrected me, saying, "Familiarity breeds contempt." His point was that he and I are not peers. Though our relationship is that of a father and son,...
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Hear Our Sabbath Prayer

Brothers and sisters in Messiah, we have much to be thankful and grateful as the Sabbath approaches: salvation in Messiah, the blessing of Torah, food, clothing, shelter, and our health. And yet, I was reminded this week that sometimes these basic needs go unfulfilled. Sometimes, inexplicably, life isn't so easy. This week, tragically, our friend and fellow blogger Bill Beyer was crossing the street when he was struck by an...
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Second Temple Walls Discovered

In a recent archaeological dig which began over a year ago on Mount Zion in the land of Israel a wall dating to the Hasmonean era was discovered. A part of the expanded sourthern city wall, which was part of Jerusalem when it was at its largest, is approximately 2,100 years old. Also discovered was a Byzantine era wall (342-640 CE) which was built on top of the older Hasmonean...
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Beit Midrash Pictures

In my blog last Friday ("Beit Midrash Nearing Completion"), I described the recent happenings around the Missouri office in regards to the recent construction on the Beit Midrash Library. Sometimes, words can only go so far. Thus, here are some pictures of the recent construction and painting of the First Fruits of Zion Beit Midrash. Enjoy! Once again, thank you for your support of the mission and work of First...
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Beit Midrash Nearing Completion

In our new distribution office in MO there has been a lot of construction the last few months. Circular saws have been whirling, hammers pounding, and boards clanking on the floor. The future First Fruits Beit Midrash Library is underway and it has been a long process. Construction began over six months ago with the frame for the walls and installation of the wiring. But two weeks ago, a new...
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Persecution in India

I am sure many are aware of the growing violence in India directed towards Christians. Going back as far as 1999 the state of Orissa along India's east coast, horrific attacks on Christians have been on the rise. In December 2007, a number of Christian establishments were destroyed including 5 churches, 48 local village chapels as well as two seminaries, six hostels, and four convents. The violence has only increased...
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Little Messiahs

We are now in the month of Elul, and this is traditionally the time when we begin taking a spiritual inventory of ourselves as we prepare for the High Holidays, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Psalm 27 is read at the end of the three daily prayer services and the sofar is sounded in the morning as a call to repentence. Last week I found something that I feel is...
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Hu Ben Ha'Elohim

"He is the Son of God." Such are the first words of faith preached by Sha'ul of Tarsus in the synagogues of Damascus (Acts 9:20). Earlier in Acts, the acceptance of the faith by Samaritans (8:4-8) and Ethiopians (8:26-40) through the work of Philip, served as a foreshadowing of the fullness of the nations that will come to know the Messiah of Israel through the work of Paul. We were...
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Dead Sea Scrolls Online

According to a report from the New York Times, Israel plans to make the Dead Sea Scrolls available online in the near future. Using high-powered cameras that do not emit heat or ultra-violet rays, Simon Tanner who is the head of this massive project notes that these cameras will produce images will a far greater clarity than conventional models. This effort is also "uncovering previously illegible sections and letters of...
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Remembering Paul

In issue number 94 of messiah magazine I wrote about how rabbinic literature has preserved a number of legends about the apostle Simon Peter including the date of his death. Later in a blog post I discussed a possible death date for James the Just based on evidence from the church father Eusebius and the Jewish historian Josephus. I was therefore pleasantly surprised to find out that likewise a death...
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The God of the Orphan and Widow

In this week's portion we read these powerful words: For the LORD your God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords, the great, mighty, and awesome God who does not show partiality nor take a bribe. He executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and shows his love for the alien by giving him food and clothing. So show your love for the alien, for you...
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You can trust your Abba

Emunah is often translated "faith" or "faithfulness." It is walking in simple and pure trust. I have young children, so I often find myself boiling down lofty concepts into the simplest terms. I tell my children that emunah is "knowing that HaShem is very good and very big." They understand that what makes a person do bad things is a failure to understand one of those two characteristics of...
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Never Too Late

Surely nearly everyone is familiar with the rite of passage in Judaism for young boys and girls in which each enters into the stage in life where he or she is reckoned as an adult. This of course is known as a bar mitzvah (for boys) and a bat mitzvah (for girls). Upon reaching the age of 13 years (12 years for a girl), a boy will be considered as...
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Loving the Divine in Your Neighbor

A while back I wrote an article in messiah magazine 93 entitled "Who is my Neighbor?". One of the things I discuss in there is the connection the Master Yeshua draws between "loving God" and "loving your neighbor" when answering the question about which is the greatest commandment in the Torah: And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all...
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Messianic Oddballs

The call of discipleship and the message of Torah result in a decidedly counter-culture type of life. The great American author Flannery O'Connor once said, "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you--odd." The Messianic movement is beset with oddity. We are those who have taken the call to be a "peculiar people" quite literally. This oddness is manifest in every aspect of our lives. The...
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Blessing God at Meals

When you have eaten and are satisfied, you shall bless the LORD your God for the good land which He has given you. (Deuteronomy 8:10) In Christian homes, it is traditional to offer a prayer of thanksgiving before meals. This is a Christian tradition inherited from Judaism. In Judaism, it is traditional to bless God for the food He has provided prior to partaking of it. We read of Yeshua...
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"So I went digging..."

On Wednesday I gave final approval for our newest book to go to press. God willing it will be ready to ship sometime towards the end of the month. We will be making a formal announcement of the publication on the 28th of August. I think you are going to appreciate this new book and its audio companion entitled Hallowed Be Thy Name: Sanctifying God's Sacred Name. Here is a...
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Shabbat Nachamu and Tu B'Av

Arising from the fast and mourning of Tisha B'Av (the Ninth of Av) comes a time of consolation. The Shabbat following the Ninth of Av is known as Shabbat Nachamu (the Sabbath of Consolation) based on the first verse of the Haftarah reading, Isaiah 40:1, "Console, console my people, says your God." This Haftarot begins what is known as "the Seven of Consolation," the seven weeks between Tisha B'Av and...
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Post Tisha B'Av Thoughts

It's Tuesday morning after Tisha B'Av and I think for the first time since the fast on Sunday I am reflecting about how the day went. Boaz and I along with our families spent the day at the MIA conference in St. Louis, Missouri. Surprisingly I would say that this year was one of the easiest day-long fasts I had in a long time. Although I would like to think...
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Prophet of the Second Exile (Part 2)

Why the Second Exile? As I had noted in my previous post, although the First Temple's destruction occurred because of blatant disobedience, the people in the days of the Second Temple were scrupulously Torah observant. So why was Israel exiled a second time? The Talmud offers some explanations of why the Temple was destroyed: R. Johanan said: Jerusalem was destroyed only because they gave judgments therein in accordance with Biblical...
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Prophet of the Second Exile (Part 1)

Sometimes people wonder if we as believers should fast to commemorate the destruction of the Temple. I think that we most certainly should, because our master mourned about the destruction of the Temple when it hadn't even happened yet. And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, "Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But...
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Rise of Anti-Semitism in UK

In a recent report by the Community Security Trust (a charity that ensures the safety and security of the Jewish community in Britain) figures show that anti-semitism is on the rise in the UK from 244 incidents to 266 within the first six months of 2008; this number is a 9% increase from this same period during 2007. Although actual violent assaults were down 24% (bless God), the number of...
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The Cup of Blessing

In First Fruits of Zion's new book on the commandment of Grace After Meals, Breaking Bread, we discuss the ancient custom of some to say this after meal prayer over a cup of wine. This practice is very old, pre-dating the time of the Master, and is still practiced today by some groups within Orthodox Judaism. Here is a sampling of the various customs surrounding this practice: For some it...
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The Yahrzeit of Paul Phillip Levertoff

Tonight begins the month of Av, the fifth month of the biblical Jewish calendar. Among the many events that have occurred in this month throughout the history of the Jewish people, the Messianic community has a very special event to commemorate-honoring the life and work of Paul Phillip Levertoff. His yahrzeit (anniversary of his death) is 1 Av. In Judaism, a yahrzeit is a special opportunity to reflect upon a...
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Archaeological Find Names Zedekiah's Official

(Image: Fancesco Hayez - La distruzione del Tempio di Gerusalemme.) The Jerusalem Post is reporting a new archaeological find: a small clay seal that bears the name of Gedaliah the son of Pashhur (Gedalyahu ben Pashchur, גדליהו בן פשחור). This name is found in the book of Jeremiah: Now Shephatiah the son of Mattan, Gedaliah the son of Pashhur, Jucal the son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur the son of...
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The Song of the Sun

Within Judaism, there is a collection of prayers known as Perek Shira which is the Song of Creation. The text of these prayers are primarily taken from the Scriptures; each line mentions an object within creation and proceeds to tell the song of that specific creature or entity. To many, these songs may be perceived as metaphorical or just beautiful poetry with no literal meaning. Yet, if one were to...
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Are You Really Listening?

On Sunday my wife Shannon and I headed out from Missouri to pay a visit to her hometown of Boalsburg, Pennsylvania. Her parents were selling the multi-bedroom house Shannon and her sisters grew up in, in an attempt to downsize a bit. We were coming to say good bye to the house and collect some of furniture and memories of the past. On Monday, my Father in law invited me...
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Jews for Jesus pt. 2

As I read some of the comments coming through on the original Jews for Jesus post, I was admittedly disappointed with the tenor of some of the responses in the thread ... Well, maybe "embarrassed" may be a better expression of my emotion. Anyone can string together a series of verses, make them say what they want them to say, and then use them as a club to beat, condemn,...
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The Leviticus Challenge

Tags:  stoning, Year of Living Biblically

Last year A. J. Jacobs, a Jew who describes himself as Jewish the same way that the Olive Garden is Italian, released a sarcastic and whimsical book about trying to live according to the commandments. Jacobs titled the book The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible. It describes his year long experiment with the Bible. He set out to follow...
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Jews for Jesus

An Open Letter to "Jews for Jesus" director David Brickner from Boaz Michael. Shalom Mr. Brickner, I read your article "Concerns and Hopes for Our Messianic Movement" in the latest issue (#55) of the messianic journal Mishkan. It's a good article. It gave me an opportunity to reflect upon our respective ministries. When people first find out that First Fruits of Zion is a messianic organization, they often exclaim, "Oh!...
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Unless You Say... ברוך הבא

As mentioned in previous blogs here, here and here, we are currently in a period called the "Three Weeks" or "Between the Straights" on the biblical Jewish calendar. In Jewish communities around the world, the destructions of the First and Second Temples are remembered and "joy is decreased." Another major calamity that is recalled during these days is the current exile of the Jewish people. Though many Jews see the...
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Messianic Jews in Prison Are Denied Kosher Meals

Messianic Jewish inmates at an Ohio prison are claiming that they are the victims of discrimination. While Ohio prisons provide kosher-certified meals to traditional Jewish inmates, messianic Jews are excluded. Ohio's prison system classifies messianic Jews as Protestants. Four years ago, Rev. Gary Sims, religious-services administrator for the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, consulted with messianic rabbis about the dietary needs of messianic Jews, who told them that kosher...
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Vessels for the Third Temple

Undoubtedly, many have heard of the Temple Mount Institute that is preparing the necessary implements for the Third Temple.Their goal is to fulfill the Biblical mitzvah of building a dwelling place for Hashem on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Many of the vessels include the menorah, silver trumpets, and the priestly robes. After many years of research they are currently in the process of creating the garments of the Hight...
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The Mezuzah and Discrimination

Last week a mezuzah made an appearance in international news when a Chicago woman was told by an American appeals court after challenging the request of her land lord that she was forbidden to put a mezuzah up outside of her condominium. The mezuzah is a small box with a scroll of Scripture inside it that is placed on the right side of the doorposts of our house in fulfillment...
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Hebrew Darth Vader

Last Wednesday my sons and I, Boaz Michael and his son Noach, and another friend took a trip to the Science Museum of Minnesota to see the Star Wars exhibit. I think Boaz came along as a favor for me and his son Noach. As for me, I have been a Star Wars fan since the original movie came out in the late 1970s. A long time ago, I spent...
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Apostomos and the Abomination of Desolation

As Toby and Brian have mentioned, the Fast of Tammuz is on Sunday. In his blog Toby listed some of the more well known reasons given for this day as a fast day. You can read his blog here. But three more seemingly obscure reasons given for the Fast of Tammuz are also cited in the Mishnah. It says that on the 17th of Tammuz, "the daily offering was discontinued,"...
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The Fast of Tammuz

Sunday is the Fast of Tammuz, which comes three weeks before the Ninth of Av. This is traditionally associated with the "fast of the fourth month" in Zechariah 8:19 and takes place on the seventeenth of the fourth month. It is said that this day is the anniversary of Moses breaking the first set of tablets at Mount Sinai upon seeing the Golden Calf (Exodus 32:19, b.Ta'anit 28b). Trouble came...
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Making Teshuvah

As we prepare to enter the Three Weeks, the period beginning with the Fast of Tammuz and ending with Tisha b'Av which recalls the destruction of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem and the long bitter exile we are in, it seems appropriate to give a reminder on the essentials of repentance to better prepare ourselves for the coming of the Messiah and the rebuilding of the Temple, speedily in our...
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The Home Run Derby and Sanctifying the Name

As most of the frequent readers of these blogs have figured out, I'm a baseball fan. So it should come as no surprise that I spent a few hours last night watching the home run derby. To be honest most of the time watching guys hit home runs off softball speed pitches gets old in about 10 minutes. But last night something special happened. Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers...
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Online List of Messianic Congregations

Tags:  messianic, messianic congregations, messianic Jews, messianic judaism

In the mailroom at First Fruits of Zion, one of the most common requests we receive is a query regarding local communities and Messianic congregations. A person begins to study Torah and soon he or she is hungering for fellowship with other believers who are on the same path of discipleship. We often get letters and emails asking us, "Can you please tell me if there are any Messianic congregations...
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What Does the LORD Require of You?

This week's haftarah portion, Haftarah Balak (Micah 5:6-6:8), contains perhaps one of the most powerful and moving verses in the Prophets. Micah was a prophet that focused on the social injustices of Israel and Judah. The prophet Isaiah was a contemporary of Micah and preached much the same message. The spiritual mediocrity in worship led to social injustice and governmental corruption: Now hear this, heads of the house of...
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Our Opponents Say # 4

One of the tenets of the Messianic Age is that there will be universal peace. Because of this, opponents of the Gospel often say that Yeshua cannot be the promised Messiah because he did not bring peace. They even say, "Look, he said it himself that he did not come to bring peace but a sword and to bring division between members of a household." Based upon their use of...
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I Wear a Head Covering

I cover my head 100% of the time except when I am sleeping. Although this is a personal practice, it is not necessarily a personal conviction. There is a difference. I do not understand the head covering to be a commandment of Torah. I am clearly aware that covering one's head is a tradition within Judaism. I cover my head for many reasons that go beyond the point of this...
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A Dead Sea Stone: In Three Days You Shall Live

While most of us who are faithful followers of Yeshua of Nazareth take the idea of the Messiah dying and then resurrecting in three days for granted, much of the scholarly community has debated the origin of this gospel story for years. Some scholars suggest that the story of someone rising after three days has its roots in paganism and ancient non-Jewish folklore. Others simply suggest it was a brand...
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Our 4th of July Bang!

Our American readers know that this weekend will have a lot of fireworks going off, bottle-rockets flying, sparklers sparkling, and good times for everyone involved. A firework is properly defined as, "a low explosive, pyrotechnic device used primarily for aesthetic and entertainment purposes." At First Fruits of Zion we will be launching some of our own fireworks this weekend in the form of a formal announcement of the "first fruits"...
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America Believes in God

A recent survey of over 35,000 U.S. respondents has atheism activists in despair -- and lots of people scratching their heads. Despite the efforts of atheists in public forums to convince others that God does not exist, American belief in God remains strong, according to findings from the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. In a survey that asked the question, "Do you believe in God or a universal...
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Shabbat and Fireworks

For many the fourth of July is a time of family gatherings and celebration often including the enjoyment of fireworks. Nontheless, the evening of the 4th of July occurs on Erev Shabbat this year (Friday night). I was invited to a family's home for this Shabbat. The neighbors across the street will be observing their 4th of July extravaganza with fireworks being the same night as we welcome in the...
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Blind Ambition

Our batteries are dead as we approach the final weekend away from our Missouri home. We have been on the road for seven weeks teaching on the "Commandment to Bless." We have spoken in dozens of homes, fellowships, and conference facilities sharing the simple message of blessing God at our mealtimes. Seems like a simple message, which it is, but it is a bit complicated as there is a history,...
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A Shot in the Dark: A Bulgarian Translator

In the latest issue of Messiah Magazine #99 you'll find an excellent article on Rabbi Daniel Zion. Rabbi Zion is another one of the Jewish believers of the early 20th century who received formal rabbinical training and ordination. He remained faithful to the Torah his entire life. While praying one morning the Master Yeshua revealed himself to Rabbi Zion in a vision. From that moment on, Rabbi Zion's life was...
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Obama and Dobson Talk Some Torah

Tags:  Dobson, Obama, torah

Like it or not, the 2008 Presidential campaign is in full swing. First Fruits of Zion typically does not delve into the political arena. Normally, we're interested in a different kind of politics, namely the Kingdom of God. But recent criticisms from James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family, lodged at Democratic candidate Barack Obama got our attention. Commenting on the diversity of Christian interpretations of Scripture and the...
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I Cried Today

Today I cried. It felt very good. I rarely cry, so when I do it is assuring that I have not lost touch with my emotions. I do have a sensitive side. It is so nice to be on the road, in communities, and in touch with other Torah families. Currently my family is in Ohio; we have been on the road for close to six weeks now and will...
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The World's Oldest Church?

Last week a Jordanian archeologist made the claim that he had found the world's oldest church. The claim was made after a cave was discovered under St. George's Church which is also believed to be one of the world's oldest known churches. A mosaic on the floor of St. George's church reads "the 70 beloved by God and the Divine," and therefore it is thought by this archeologist that the...
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It's Summer...Now What?

It is bittersweet when we bid farewell to the springtime festivals of Pesach, First fruits, the Omer count and Shavuot. They seemed to go as fast as they came. Yet, we are excited for the upcoming fall festivals of Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Sukkot. So, the spring is gone, but fall is a few months away...what do we do in the meantime? Aside from a few traditional fast days,...
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Help Wanted: Artist

Whether you know it or not, volunteers are an integral part of our success here at First Fruits of Zion. From translators to proofers to researchers, we couldn't do it without all the extra help we receive. They are truly the unsung heroes behind the scenes. Recently we have had much success soliciting specific volunteer help using these blogs. We are presently in need of a volunteer artist. The project...
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New Testament Burning In Israel

Messianic Jews in Israel are in the news again, this time because of a public burning of New Testaments allegedly distributed in Israel by missionary groups. You can read the story at CNN at the following link: Bible Burning in Israel In the article, several Jewish voices speak out against the act of burning another religion's sacred books. Judaism well-remembers how over the centuries their own sacred texts, including whole...
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Shavuot Definitions Primer

"Say what?" "What was that?" "Can you please give that to me in English?" Such are the thoughts of many newer (and perhaps many not so newer) visitors to a Messianic conference. I know because I have thought (and sometimes, still think) these same things. It seems like whenever Messianic believers get together, the Hebrew terms start going at an extraordinary rate. After all, Hebrew is the lashon kodesh (oops,...
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Mem B'Omer

Tags:  omer

Thursday night is the fortieth day of the Omer. According to Acts 1:3, that makes this Thursday night (and Friday day) the anniversary of the Ascension of the Master. To these He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God. (Acts 1:3) The Ascension is an event in...
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I'm Dreaming of a...Green Lag B'Omer?

Lag B'Omer (33 days of the Omer) begins tonight. In Jewish communities around the world, this mid-way point of the Omer count will be celebrated with music, dancing, a few hair cuts and roaring bonfires. Yet, the Chief Rabbis of Israel have issued a statement this year to the communities in Israel to keep environmental concerns in mind when building bonfires. In Israel, where both lumber and water are scarce...
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Help Wanted: German Translator for Lichtenstein Project

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 be included in a forthcoming FFOZ anthology of Rabbi Lichtenstein's writings. Isaac Lichtenstein was born in an Orthodox Jewish home in northern Hungary in 1824. He had a yeshiva education...
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Frankie Lee and the Baal Shem Tov

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 and got the usual greetings from my family and then my wife Shannon informed me, "Frankie Lee is here again." Frankie Lee is a neighbor dog that we met last...
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How did you begin observing Shabbat?

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 the steps that you made over time to successfully transition into an observance of Sabbath. "Guarding Shabbat" will be an introductory tool for Torah newcomers to remember and observe the...
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Followup: Bible Contest Results

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 the name of Bat-El Levy. Her participation in the event generated an immense amount of controversy, because it was revealed that she is a Messianic Jew. It is important to...
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Yom Haatzmaut

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 a certain sense of pride that Israel has survived these six decades despite all adversity. One cannot help but see the clear hand of God in the formation and protection...
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Israeli Messianics Again in the Limelight

Tags:  Bat-El Levy, Bible Quiz, Israel, messianic, messianic Jews

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. Bat-El is one of four finalists in this quiz show. Anti-missionary organization Yad L'Achim found out about Bat-El's Messianic beliefs and with the help of other rabbis, are calling for...
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The Ghosts of Auschwitz

Tags:  Auschwitz, Holocaust, Jewish, messianic, replacement theology, Yad V'Shem

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

Tags:  Israel, Jesus, Jewish, messianic, Supreme Court

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

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 it comes to biblical issues. The topic of "on what day did Yeshua actually die" seems to naturally permeate this time of year more than any other. Most of us...
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Passover and the Death of James the Just

Tags:  stoned, stoning

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 the Apostles. Unfortunately, this is almost impossible to do for most Apostles because there are simply no records. One exception is Yaakov HaTzaddik (James the Just) the brother of Yeshua....
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Eat Parsley In Remembrance of Me (Part 2 of 2)

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 term ketonet passim. One is the garment given to Joseph by his father Jacob (Genesis 37:3), and the other was the garment worn by Tamar at her brother Amnon's house...
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Eat Parsley In Remembrance of Me (Part 1 of 2)

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 vegetable, commonly parsley, celery or a potato. It is not a bitter herb. It is commonly dipped in salt water and then eaten near the beginning of the seder. What...
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eRosh: Parshat HaChodesh

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 concerning the establishment of the Jewish calendar (which is the first commandment they were given as a nation, i.e. to sanctify the new moon) as well as the instructions for...
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Israeli Messianic Victim of Terror

Tags:  Ami Oritz, blast, bomb, messianic, Purim

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

Tags:  chametz, hametz, leaven, Passover, Pesach

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 about three weeks until our homes must be chametz free. If you haven't already, it is highly advised that one start cleaning now. All leavened products should be eaten up....
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eRosh: Parshat Parah

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, 'If any one of you or of your generations becomes unclean because of a dead person, or is on a distant journey..." and in Numbers 9:13, "But the man who...
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Time is Flying: Hudson in View

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 I waited for them I nursed my freshly brewed cup of coffee. There's something about coffee that just starts the day out right for me. Jeremiah headed out to the...
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eRosh: Purim and Shushan Purim

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 years beginning in 369 BCE with Ahasuerus’ ascent to the throne and culminating with the decree to celebrate Purim in 355 BCE. The Purim celebration in the days of Esther...
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eRosh: Parshat Zachor

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 remember and exterminate the evil of Amalek and his memory. The special Haftarah reading for Zachor is 1Samuel 15:2-34 which speaks of God's command to King Saul to destroy the...
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eRosh Blog: Shabbat Shekalim

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 Temple tax was collected. According to the Talmud in tractate Shekalim, men were sent throughout the Land of Israel and the Diaspora beginning on the 15th of Adar to collect...
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eRosh Blog: The Birth and Death of Moses

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 as to which of the two Adars during a leap year is the official Adar. The decision of Rabbi Meir was accepted and thus Adar II is deemed the official...
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Textual Criticism of an E-mail

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 biography written about him so far is in Hebrew. So I helped him translate bits and pieces from that book. Toby's article will appear in issue 100 of messiah magazine....
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Step Into My Office……..

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 you are. Prayer has become a much more important aspect of my life over the past two years. It all started at the First Fruits of Zion Seminar called Wooden...
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eRosh Blog: The Birth and Death of Moses

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 the house of Levi went and took as his wife a Levite woman. The woman conceived and bore a son, and when she saw that he was a fine child,...
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New eRosh Calendar Blogs

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 well as the traditional Judaic and Apostolic dates. Various Biblical Feasts and Festivals are listed according to the Biblical Calendar; within the calendar traditional Judaic and Apostolic dates and commemorations...
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Suffering for Torah

Tags:  acts for messiah

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 was poor and sickly and could not provide for her five children, so John was out on the streets, surviving as a street orphan, begging, cheating and stealing for ten...
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Snow in Jerusalem

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 for native Minnesotans. My fingers began to tingle numb with cold even though they were in my gloves and I had my vehicle’s heat on, but I comforted myself with...
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Thomas Game: Round Three

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 through lost written sources, are preserved alongside lots of Gnostic nonsense. A quick survey of the Gospel of Thomas reveals that about fifty percent of the material contained therein is...
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Torah, Perfection and Packing Boxes

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, packages shipping out, tape guns cracking, copiers churning. It’s hectic, but incredibly exciting. My “orders folder” never seems to be empty. As I go through my day, I am encouraged...
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Changing a Light Bulb

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 light bulb. Charismatic : Only 1 – Hands are already in the air. Pentecostal : 10 – One to change the bulb, and nine to pray against the spirit of...
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New Find from City of David

Tags:  archaeology, city of david, eilat, mazar, temech

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 Babylon after the Babylonian exile. The seal depicts two priests at an incense altar and bears the name Temech, the family name of levitical Temple servants which appears in Nehemiah...
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Conversion Denied

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 din [house of judges] in Jerusalem they denied his conversion. Everything was going well until they asked him if he believed that the late Lubavitcher Rebbe, Menachem Mendel Schneerson, was...
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The Back of the Bus, part 2

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 being heralded as a modern-day Rosa Parks. I would like to offer another perspective on the matter. Is a gender-separated bus an example of Orthodox Jewish sexism or misogyny, or...
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The Jesus Tomb Discovered Part 2

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 is making headlines as the New Testament Bible scholar James Charlesworth has recently organized a conference in Israel with over 50 participants to re-examine all the evidence. Here are some...
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The Back of the Bus

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 started with a “Rosa Parks” named Naomi Ragen who is an Orthodox Jew. The battle began when she refused to be seated in the back of an Israeli bus just...
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Do Miracles Still Happen?

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 miracles happen everyday. These miracles range from waking up in the morning to people being healed of terminal illnesses. However, people still wonder if miracles that one would consider "extravagant"...
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Is Kosher Better?

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. I would suspect that the Torah Movement in general has varied views on whether or not they look for a hechsher (a kosher symbol) on the food products they buy....
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Thomas Game: Round Two

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 through lost written sources, are preserved alongside lots of Gnostic nonsense. A quick survey of the Gospel of Thomas reveals that about fifty percent of the material contained therein is...
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Yartzeit of Yitzchak Kaduri

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) was a Sephardic Orthodox rabbi and Jewish mystic. As a Torah prodigy Kaduri began his studies in Jewish mysticism while still in his teens. His studies were conducted under the...
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Looking for a Mohel?

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 for someone able and capable of performing a circumcision only adds to what should be a very joyous occasion. It may be helpful to know that some Orthodox mohels are...
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Yeshua vs. YAHshua

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 syllable in the divine name of HaShem (Y/H/V/H). Rather than simply ignore this theologically loaded nomenclature, I have begun to simply correct people and assure them that the name of...
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Sabbath Campaign

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 read by him he actually advocates a Shabbat campaign that would spread Shabbat observance across America. He writes: “The next great Jewish campaign, and the one that would create the...
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Christian Tefillin?

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 in depth and give instructions for practical application. We hope, God willing, to do a double launch this spring of both a book on God’s Sacred Name entitled “Hallowed Be...
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Thomas Game: Round One

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 quick survey of the Gospel of Thomas reveals that about fifty percent of the material contained therein is patently Gnostic and definitely did not originate with Yeshua. However, the other...
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HaYesod: Digging the Foundation Again

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 an Israeli heat wave. We didn’t find out until later that the temperature reached 105+ degrees. It was so hot that we often had difficulty even sitting down for shots...
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Chanukah in Kakamega

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 light in the darkness, and the Dark Continent is really dark at night. Today, the seventh day of the festival, I am in Nairobi, waiting for a plane, but I...
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Hanukkah Controversy and Concert

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 article form the Jerusalem Post regarding the traditional story about the miracle of the oil. Some of you might know that there is a lot of debate as to whether...
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Conversions: Cheaper by the Dozen Part 2

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 our message and particularly that of the “To Whom Shall We Go” conference. Some of you might know that although we have only released two of Daniel’s sessions form this...
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Conversions: Cheaper by the Dozen

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 thinking about converting to Judaism with solid scholarly information about the truth of our faith. With Heaven’s help we have sought to strengthen the body and uplift our Master Yeshua...
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Torah for Africa

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 border into neighboring Uganda where we will spend time with Messianic Missionary, Emily Dwyer and her Acts for Messiah orphan home. We will spend this Sabbath with Emily and be...
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Yartzeit of Leon Levison

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. While under the tutelage of Rabbi Joshua, Leon wanted to follow in the paths of the ancient rabbis and not only study Torah but also work with his hands. His...
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Meeting the Needs of Others: Boaz the Barista

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 Shabbat and you have no problem with them doing it, you will not be able to participate in it. Other times the situation is reversed and we must be gracious...
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Urim and Tumim Research

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 which have vexed me for years. I wonder if it is conceivable that the Urim and Tumim might have worked in a similar fashion. What do you think? Inscrutable Oracular...
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Bloom where I’m planted?

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 to me is the lack of believers in my son’s life. With no believing family on either side, and with virtually no neighborhood believers, our baby’s exposure to godly people...
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The Joy of the Sabbath

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 you joyous on the Sabbath?” The disciple answered, “I feel religious reverence on the Sabbath.” Reb Nachman replied, “This is not the proper path. The main thing is joy.” He...
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Israel Tour Returns

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 Bible as we visited archaeological and historic sites from Dan to Beersheva. Steve’s knowledge of the land and his mastery of the Bible and its geography brought the biblical text...
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Ann Coulter Part 3

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 back at Ann Coulter by suggesting that Jesus was fully Jewish and observant of Torah. In a new article by the same rabbi he proposes that Judaism actually has things...
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A Sabbath Keeping Oven?

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 has been variously interpreted in the Torah movement today. In Judaism it is taken literally as not lighting a fire at all and extends all the way to the prohibition...
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Wake Me Up! Part 2

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 and began implementing some of them. I'm happy to say my mornings have been much better thanks to the advice of our readers. I right up this morning and had...
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More Tunes

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 sort of Hip-Hop rock. What I most liked about the song was the words. Very powerful. Check it out for yourself and let me know what you think. Here it...
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Archaeology Part 2: The Tomb of Ezekiel

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 to repentance and service of the one true God. For the second post in this series, I want to speak briefly about the traditional (but not necessarily archeological) tomb of...
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Heavy Burdens

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 the Oral Law a little better. It is called “The Oral Law” by H. Chaim Schimmel published by Feldheim. Certainly not a book for the faint of heart, it might...
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Become Familiar With...the Siddur

Tags:  Siddur

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 online dictionary contains definitions for many of the core prayers of the Siddur (prayerbook). It is important to know the meaning of what you are praying. Though not an exhaustive...
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Strife over the Shemittah

Tags:  Shemittah

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 year. Chasidic Jews, going by a more literal reading of the Torah, believe that produce grown by Jewish farmers should be considered sanctified. While this seems good at first glance,...
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Ann Coulter Part 2

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 comments Orthodox Rabbi Shmuley Boteach wrote an article in the Jerusalem Post. He sought to show that the Master was indeed Jewish and that his entire expression of faith was...
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The Mitzvah of Happiness

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 which He commanded you. They shall become a sign and a wonder on you and your descendants forever. Because you did not serve Hashem your God with joy and a...
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Moslem Digs Reveal First Temple Part 2

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 the dig (here). The second is more details on the archeological finds (here)....
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The Cry of Rachel

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 husband Jacob. Many travel to her tomb every year to remember their mother and to implore Hashem to hear their cries. Given the recent turn of events with the Lebanon...
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Lancasters Abroad

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 not, but I do know that there are going to plenty of them on this years FFOZ Israel Study Trip. My son, Isaac, and I are planning on flying to...
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Moslem Digs Reveal First Temple

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 al Aqsa mosque. In the process they unexpectedly for the first time in modern history uncovered relics from the First Temple. These included pottery and animal bones that dated back...
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Our Opponents Say Part 3

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. Our opponents say: In the book of Acts 7:14, Stephen misquotes the Tanakh by saying that seventy-five persons went down to Egypt. However, in Genesis 46:27 and other places it...
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Ur-Tunes

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 son, and Lot the son of Haran, his grandson, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram’s wife; and they went out together from Ur of the Chaldeans in order to...
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Wake Me Up!

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 was praying there." Getting up earlier has many advantages. Instead of rushing to shower, getting dressed, praying a shorter prayer than you’d like, and grabbing some breakfast for the road...
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Spreading Simcha Part 4

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 promised three blogs but I thought it might be good to share with you about what we were able to do and how thankful my friend Tomer was for your...
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Ann Coulter’s Big Idea about Jews and Christians

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 a stereotyped assessment of Judaism and stated that Jews should become Christians in order to escape the requirement of obeying God. She refers to this as being a “perfected Jew.”...
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Jesus the Chasid

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 when discovered were distressed greatly. (Hayom Yom, Tishri 8) The Master echoed this same teaching many hundreds of years before this was written. It should pride us that these great...
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The Next Generation of the Torah Club Dictionary

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 when trying to understand the meaning of the Bible. Yet, this is the task we at First Fruits of Zion wish to meet head on. We are dedicated as a...
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Temple and Sacrifices in Torah Club Five

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 new subscriber to the Torah Club. She brought to my attention some information she received about Vol. 5 Rejoicing Of The Torah. The paragraph states: Learn how the sacrificial system...
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Farewell to the Sukkah

Tags:  booth, feast of booths, feast of tabernacles, hut, sukkah, sukkot, tabernacle

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 while, but bitter because we'll have to wait another year to celebrate it. There is nothing like the serenity of sitting in the sukkah eating a meal, reading a book,...
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Please HaShem Save Now!

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 his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’” But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not...
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Yartzeit of Rabbi Isaac Lichtenstein

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 first encounter with the gospel was when one of his students had shown him a copy of the Apostolic Writings. Angry at the student for possessing such a book, he...
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Tibie Wechsler: A Story for Your Sukkah

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 several years and has often served as a Torah Club small group leader in her home. She is a stalwart promoter of First Fruits of Zion. In honor of her...
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The Fallen Sukkot of Denver

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 their carefully and lovingly built “booths.” All over the metro area on Sunday morning, families awoke to the ruins of fallen tabernacles. What leapt to mind as I stood surveying...
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New Synagogue in Munich

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 calls to mind a lifestyle of “Prosit und Gemütlichkeit,” of live and let live, the world-village with its heart in the right place. Unfortunately it is also remembered as the...
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The Mysteries of God

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 the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is in parables, ‘so that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.’” (Luke 8:10)...
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Temple Mount Quarry Discovered!

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 CE. If you missed it, read about it here: New Discovery. Today we learn that the quarry from which the Temple Mount’s retaining wall stones were hewn has been discovered....
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Because of the Nazarenes

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 common for the believers and all of Judaism during the first century to celebrate havdalah, for the believers it was a weekly reminder of Messiah. In the Talmud b.Taanit 27b...
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Finally Saw the Light

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 bit about the history of this tradition. Contrary to some messianic folklore, this custom did not arise out of paganism or imitation of its practices. Rather it is based off...
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Fabulous New Discovery in Jerusalem

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 be able to see this pool of Siloam only months after archaeologists had uncovered it. Digging around that fabulous discovery led to a further discovery, the uncovering of a Herodian-era...
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Honey Bees in Ancient Israel

“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 New Year. You would think that honey plays a prominent part in the Bible. After all, the land of Israel is described as a land flowing with milk and honey....
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Double Trouble

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 Tishrei’s calendar we had to cut quite a bit out to make it fit. One of the points of discussion that came up surrounded Rosh Chodesh [the new moon or...
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A Shofar Story

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 great shofar. I have a good shofar story. A friend of mine named Jose is a Mexican Messianic believer and a shaliach (apostle) for Messiah that God has chosen to...
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The Merits of Education

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, and that means one thing…school. For many children across the country, school is now in session. But it’s not just kids returning to the classroom. Many adults, including myself, are...
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Our Opponents Say... (Part 2)

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 many of our opponents will say that the psalmist is referring to David as Hashem’s Anointed (a topic of later discussion God willing), the main voice of opposition relates to...
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Over Yonder Mountain…

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 of my favorite groups and here is a line they sang: “I used to think it was the bad things that you do that you pay for in the end,...
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Muslims Destroy Temple Archaeology

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 excavated by archaeologists, primarily because the Muslim world wants to believe that the sight is not a Jewish holy site and that there never was a Jewish temple located on...
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Hit-bo-de-what?

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 seclusion” and it was taught extensively by Rabbi Nachman of Breslov. He added that this was the time of year when we really needed to be practicing it as we...
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More Lost Teachings of the Master

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 does not appear in the NT text but has been preserved and transmitted in other collections. We know that during the Apostolic period the majority of the Master’s teachings were...
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The Attitude of Teshuva

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 the Heavenly court from passing strict judgment upon us. Hashem sees our desire to improve and therefore has compassion. With all of the introspection, we must be sure to remember...
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With a Little Help from My Friends

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 was that a rasha and a tzaddik both sin but a rasha simply lays down in surrender while the tzaddik gets back up and pushes forward. Yesterday, I experienced a...
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The Halachah of E-Mail

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 feedback e-mail from the FFOZ website that I was assigned to answer. It contained a normal question about what FFOZ’s position was on a particular group. He wanted to know...
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Have We Forgiven Our Debtors?

Tags:  Elul, forgiveness, Lord's Prayer, prodigal son

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 amount of prayers focusing on repentance, supplication and confession. Yet, it would be a mistake to assume that forgiveness is solely attained through prayer. It’s true. In fact, this was...
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Who’s Counting? The Shemittah Year is Coming

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 the LORD. Six years you shall sow your field, and six years you shall prune your vineyard and gather in its crop, but during the seventh year the land shall...
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Elul: Objects In The Mirror are Closer Than They Appear

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 and opening day take place in the spring, the same time the Torah kicks things off with Passover. After Passover we begin the long journey of working out what we...
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Unrolling the Scroll

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? Clement of Rome, one of the disciples of Simon Peter, advised the believers in Corinth to consider how they might lay hold of God’s blessing. His letter to the Corinthians...
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Yartzheit of the Chacham Ephraim

Tags:  stoning

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 to the faith of his fathers. Ephraim ben Joseph Eliakim was the son of the leading Tiberias rabbi. He rose quickly and eventually became one of the local rabbinical judges...
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Sabbatarians in WWII

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 in the streets to hear the news from “the other side of the river.” Women would sew, men would stand about and children would sit with their grandparents while someone...
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It’s Elul, Shofar Up!

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 been broken. While forty days might seem like a long time to do this, we need all the time we can get for self introspection. It is even possible that...
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Elul One

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 season for serious introspection, confession and mending of ways. Today may also be the anniversary of the Master’s immersion and the occasion of the heavens opening, the Spirit descending like...
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Insights from the "Lost" Epistles

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, a group of us Shabbatnicks have been studying Paul Philip Levertoff’s mystical and inspiring Love and the Messianic Age. Last week we finished it. (Rumor has it that FFOZ is...
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Archaeology Part 1: The Tomb of John the Baptist

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 series of posts, I want to provide a brief glimpse into the tombs of the prophets. These mysterious men and women helped bring Israel back to repentance and service of...
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The Ten Commandments and Frankie Lee

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 it was eliminated from a prominent position in the daily liturgy. Today it is found in most prayer books as part of the after Shacharit [morning prayers] readings. Since it...
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The Last Transylvanian Sabbatarian

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 thrived despite intense persecution for hundreds of years. They’ve been gone a long time. Most of their few survivors died in the camps during World War II or disappeared into...
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Got Hebrew Skills?

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 these guys were the forerunners of the modern Torah movement. What is most exciting is that many of them left us writings that are unparalleled in today’s movement. They had...
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Show-me, I’m from Missouri

Tags:  1 Timothy 6:20, Acts 17, Missouri, skepticism

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 Cardinals game, where they beat the Arkansas Travelers 12-8. Another great thing is that I’ve found out that Missourians are known for their skepticism and down-to-earth candor. In fact, I've...
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Minneapolis Bridge: Baruch Dayan HaEmet

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 is a horrific nightmare that strikes very close to home. We all know the route well, and most everyone in town crosses that bridge routinely. When I told my sons...
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Our Opponents Say…

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 the Torah Moses commanded us to stone such women; what then do You say?” The response of the Master is somewhat perplexing. A clearer understanding of the context should help...
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Excuse Me Superman, are you Jewish?

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 minyan, the required number of males to create a prayer service in a synagogue. What you may not know is that all of these superheroes were created by Jewish people...
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New Torah Club Name Announcement!

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 and the many fine, suggested titles here: No-Name Torah Club After going through all of your suggestions, there was one particular title that Boaz Michael and I both thought would...
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The Apostle Paul in Rabbinic Literature?

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 home. We should be in bed around 4:30. Regarding Paul… Sometimes believers are asked if any extra-biblical literature mentions the Master or any of His apostles. In fact one may...
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DaVinci and the Jewish Code

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. When The DaVinci Code was all the rage, I suggested in my book King of the Jews that the real secret code of the Gospel is actually found in its...
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What Would the Torah Say about Michael Vick?

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 the animals himself. So no doubt those of us who have read about this and watched this on the news have heard countless people’s opinions about what he has done....
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OPPONENTS TO THE GOSPEL SAY…

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 the first installment: As many continue to uncover the Torah roots of the Gospel and the Master they often find themselves having to defend this position as well. Such a...
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Sparing a Maysit

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 theme was on a maysit. A maysit is one who seduces the children of Israel into idolatry. Here’s a few of the mitzvot from today: 1. Negative Mitzvah 17: You...
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Seven Consolations

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 is ordinarily a section from the prophets that corresponds in some manner to the content of the weekly Torah reading. The seven readings that follow the fast of Av, however,...
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New Dead Sea Scrolls

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 them online (here) in late August. The Dead Sea Scrolls have revolutionized the study of the Bible in the last 50 years by giving us a window into a sectarian...
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Reflections on My Fast

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 an opportunity to focus more on God and spiritual matters. As Tisha b'Av approached, I felt almost a sense of excitement for the fast (strange, I know, but true). As...
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The Breath of our Nostrils

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 Lamentations, the Davidic King is compared to very air we breathe. The people of Judea regarded the Son of David ruling out of Jerusalem as essential to life as the...
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The Ninth of Av Part 3

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 water. It is also a custom to read the book of Lamentations on this day. Although there is no command to fast on the Ninth of Av found in the...
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The Ninth of Av Part 2

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 Him a tabernacle so that He could, “dwell among them.” This was to be the place where the Israelites would experience His presence to the fullest extent possible. That’s not...
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Tzom Kol - Easy Fast!

Tags:  caffeine, coffee, fasting, ninth of Av, tisha b'Av

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 don't function very well. Usually, I also need a cup right around Minchah as well. The last fast left me cranky, in pain, and longing for some java. So I...
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The Ninth of Av Part 1

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 of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem.(2 Kings 25:8) Although we are nearing the end of the three weeks of mourning the worst is...
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Hoppsy Havdallah

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, remember that the restriction of drinking wine is only lifted on Shabbat. Therefore strictly speaking wine at Havdallah (which comes after Shabbat is over) should not be consumed. One way...
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Warriors at Qumran

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 the Dead Sea Scrolls were written. Wikipedia define s the Hasmoneans as follows: The Hasmoneans (Hebrew: חשמונאים‎, Hashmonaiym, Audio) were the ruling dynasty of the Hasmonean Kingdom (140 BCE–37 BCE),[1]...
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No-Name Torah Club Volume One

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 to accompany the weekly synagogue reading schedule, we began to add subsequent volumes. Torah Club Volume Two was titled “Yeshua in the Torah.” (Last year we rewrote this volume under...
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Seven Wonders of Biblical Archeology

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. The Baruch Bulla 6. The Caiaphas Ossuary 7. The Pontius Pilate Inscription I have a couple of favorites myself, like the Capernaum synagogue. While over in Israel, it was exciting...
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The Execution Stake in Texas

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 in Illinois. Here’s a picture of it. Anyway, it got me thinking about the Master’s words in Luke 9: And he said to them all, “If any man will come...
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Ezra’s Restoration, Our Restoration

Tags:  Ezra, rebuilding the Temple

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 the destruction of the Holy Place. The prominent people of the nation had been scattered by exile and deported to Babylonia. But, God had prophesied through the prophet Jeremiah that...
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Rosh Chodesh Av: Remembering Aaron and Feivel

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 Yiddish. In order to remember a yartzeit people often light a candle and spend sometime discussing positive memories of the departed. The first yartzeit on Rosh Chodesh Av is that...
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The Nine Days

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 continues until the day after Tisha B’Av [the ninth of Av]. There are numerous customs during this period of three weeks and even more for these final nine days. These...
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The Alhambra Decree

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 to leave Spain by midnight July 31, 1492 (the 8th of Av). What is most astonishing about this is that the decree names Judaizers as the problem and interaction between...
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Peter’s Early Mincha

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. The other day I was reading a commentary on the book of Acts that commented on this verse: “On the next day, as they were on their way and approaching...
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Top 10 Things People Say On Their First Visit To A Messianic Congregation

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 late? Don’t they know what time it starts?” 7. "I get the standing and the sitting; when do we kneel?” 6. "Does your prayer book have writing in a funny...
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Who In The World Is Sar-sekim?

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 at the Middle Gate: Nergal-sar-ezer, Samgar-nebu, Sar-sekim the Rab-saris, Nergal-sar-ezer the Rab-mag, and all the rest of the officials of the king of Babylon. (Jeremiah 39:3) He is listed once...
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Knock-out punch magazine issue!

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 faith in Yeshua in the face of greater Judaism's polemics. You might think to yourself, "The Messianic movement has been doing apologetics like this for over a century. Before that,...
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Hechsher Tzedek - Is it Kosher?

Tags:  conservative judaism, hechsher tzedek, kosher, labor issues, social justice

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 food plants and their safety. One reason this issue has arisen is due to the allegations of the unethical treatment of workers at various kosher food plants in America. The...
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Destruction in Jerusalem: The Spirit vs. the Letter

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) I was taught while growing up that this meant that the letter of the law was what was written whereas the spirit behind it is what counted. For example in...
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Shabbat and Mourning

Tags:  Heschel, Mashiach, Shabbat, the three weeks, Yeshua

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 also joy in the midst of our grief. As the wise Abraham Joshua Heschel wrote in his classic work The Sabbath, Shabbat is a sanctuary in time. Even during the...
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Eikah! An Introduction

Tags:  9 Av, eichah, Eikah, fast of Av, Jeremiah, lamentations, repentance, teshuvah, Three Weeks

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 Temple. It is a long-standing tradition to read the book of Lamentations on the Fast of 9 Av. In preparation for this, I would like to do a series of...
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Between the Straits

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 is a day of fireworks and celebration in the US, it is a day of semi-mourning in Jewish practice. Yesterday (July 3; Tammuz 17) marked the beginning of a three...
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The Trouble with “To Whom”

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 flight was cancelled due to snow and ice. While he was stuck in Philadelphia for 3 days, we were forced to do the conference without him. Going into Norman, OK...
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Thank You Etz Chaim

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 Torah with an abundant measure of grace and chesed. The Shabbat service was beautiful and inspiring, the community members, in all their wide diversity, were warm, gracious and beautiful examples...
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Non-Kosher Cow

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 him, "Come, make us a god who will go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know...
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Hermeneutics of a Stop Sign (Messianic)

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 or art of interpretation, especially of Scripture.", Suppose you're trave ling to work and you see a stop sign. What you do depends on your implicit hermeneutics. 1 A postmodernist...
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Ahavat Yeshua

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 our love for Messiah form the foundation of Torah and our ability to walk it out as His disciples. In my opinion, his notion that keeping Torah without Love is...
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Lost Teachings of the Master

Back a few issues in messiah magazine, I wrote an article about Jacob of Kefar Sekania. In the Talmud, Jacob (who seems to be James the Less) transmits a halachic ruling of Yeshua's in regards to a harlot who desires to give charity to the Temple. (b.Avodah Zarah 17a) This is one of my favorite non-gospel teachings of the Master. There is actually one of these in the book of...
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On the Road Again…

As we begin our journey in the Shalom Hauler down to Dallas, I thought it would be interesting to share with you the range of topics that Boaz and I are discussing. He is driving while I am in the passenger’s seat. Seth, Jeremiah, and Drew are in the back. After discussing Torah for about an hour, they are now watching the Discovery Channel’s Planet Earth (which by the way...
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A Vanished World

When my sons were younger, every Friday night at the Sabbath table I would read them a Chassidic story. They loved the tales of the wonder working rabbis and miraculous reversals that populated the vanished world of pre-war Eastern Europe. With rapt attention, they followed the adventures and struggles of simple peasants faced with hardships, persecutions and challenges quite foreign to our modern American world. My kids could not tell...
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Fast of Tammuz

Next Tuesday at sunrise begins the tradtional Fast of Tammuz. This is traditionally associated with the “fast of the fourth month” in Zechariah 8:19 and takes place on the seventeenth of the fourth month. It is said that this day is the anniversary of Moses breaking the first set of tablets at Mount Sinai upon seeing the Golden Calf. Trouble came upon Jewish communities in Spain and Prague during the...
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A Lithuanian Torah Scroll

Tags:  Jewish, Lithuania, S.S. Harry S. Truman, Torah, Torah scroll, U.S. Navy

Lithuania once boasted a large Jewish community. Vilna, the capital of Lithuania, was the center of a very large and influential Jewish community. The famous Rabbi Eliyahu (1720-1797), known as the Gaon of Vilna, came from this country. Nearly 10% of Lithuania's population was Jewish. Tragically, nearly 95% of that community was brutally slaughtered in Hilter's "final solution." Yet, the "final solution" did not prevail, thankfully. Despite Nazism's attempt, they...
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Baseball in the Land

Yesterday, a notable event took place in both Baseball and Israeli history. With over 2,500 Israelis in attendance, the Modi'in Miracle beat the Petach Tikva Pioneers 9 to 1. This marked the first ever professional game of baseball that was played in Israel... or so some think. Apparently an ancient baseball game is hidden within the Hebrew text of the Tanakh. Here is the evidence “clearly” laid out by an...
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Phishing for Eternal Truth

Since I came out of the closet on a past blog post (here) that I was an avid Bob Dylan fan, I figured it was time to admit another of my musical vices: Phish. A quartet jam-band from Vermont that started performing in 1983, Phish’s musical style ranged from rock and roll, to bluegrass and jazz, to barbershop quartet. While they rarely received radio airplay and did not sell gold...
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Renouncing Yeshua

This weekend I will be rendezvousing with FFOZ staff in the Dallas, TX area to present the “To Whom Shall We Go” material at a conference there on Sunday. Last week the relevance and urgent need for this material was brought home to me again as I heard of yet another family from the Messianic Jewish Torah movement, a family I used to know well, that is now on the...
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Ezekiel's Merkavah Vision (Part 2)

Today is the 5th of Tammuz on the Hebrew calendar. It marks the day that Ezekiel received the vision of the chariot [merkavah]: Now it came about in the thirtieth year, on the fifth day of the fourth month, while I was by the river Chebar among the exiles, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God. (Ezekiel 1:1) This strange vision is described in detail in the...
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Ezekiel's Merkavah Vision (Part 1)

Tags:  5 Tammuz, Ezekiel, God's chariot, Merkaba

On this day, 5 Tammuz (1), around the year 593 B.C.E, the prophet Ezekiel received his fantastic vision of the God's throne-chariot (merkavah). This chariot of angelic cheruvim (near-ones), ofanim (wheels), and chayot (living-ones) transported the Divine Glory of God in a storm. The opening chapter of Ezekiel goes into great detail describing these beings and how they related to one another. This highly mystical text has been the source...
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Out on a Limb

Tags:  biblical calendar, fourth month, Jewish calendar, pagan origins, Rosh Chodesh, Tammuz

The name of the fourth month on the biblical calendar can make some people squeamish or uncomfortable. "Tammuz," as many of you know, is also the name of a Babylonian idol identified in Ezekiel 8:14-15. We went out on a limb this month on the eRosh and made a defense for the use of this name on the calendar; not out of any reverence for this false god, but to...
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Who Is My Neighbor: A Different Rabbinic Perspective

A few months ago I wrote an article in messiah magazine 93 entitled “Who is my Neighbor?” (here) In it I came to the conclusion that a possible halachic difference between Yeshua and Rabbinic Judaism is that He extended "neighbor" to include everyone, i.e. not just fellow Israelites. I was then delighted to find an article by Rabbi Shlomo Riskin on the subject of loving your neighbor where he comes...
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A History of Terrorism

Shalom Zionists, It has been extremely interesting to watch events unfold in Gaza over the last week. Israel is now effectively dealing with two separate Palestinian governments, Hamas in Gaza and Fatah in the West Bank. As you know, FFOZ is a pro-Torah and pro-Zionist, Messianic organization. Zionism is right in our name. For a brief history of the ongoing war against Zion, check out this brief flash document from...
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Tumult and Commotion at FFOZ

Shalom FFOZ people. There is so much going on here at First Fruits of Zion that it makes my head spin. You should see the pile on my desk. I honestly cannot remember a time when the ministry has had this much commotion. But it’s all good commotion. Here’s a list of what’s up. 1. The U.S. Office is in the process to moving to Marshfield, MO. 2. The...
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Shavuot in Hudson: Are You In?

It was just an hour before sundown on the eve of Shavuot. Boaz and his family had invited the FFOZ staff to the RV Park where they were staying for dinner. Almost the entire staff of FFOZ was present for the combined Shavuot/To Whom Shall We Go conference in Hudson Wisconsin. The conference was held at Beth Immanuel’s new building. After dinner, Daniel and I began discussing the idea of...
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HaYesod Trip to Israel

Shalom from Saint Paul, MN where Boaz and I landed last Friday morning at about 1:00 AM after nearly two crazy weeks back in Israel. It was good to be back in the land, but our trip to Israel with colleagues Joel Powell and Toby Janicki was not a vacation. We were in Israel specifically to film segments for the new, completely revised HaYesod program which is currently under...
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The Mourning of the Omer

We all are in the midst of the Omer count between Passover and Pentecost. One would assume that this would be a period of great rejoicing for Israel. But in traditional Judaism, this period is considered to be a time of mourning. The reasons for this go all the way back to the days of the second temple and the revolt of the false messiah, Bar Kozeba (aka, Bar Kochba)....
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HaYesod in the Land

Time just seems to fly. Last week I was sitting at a Colorado Rockies baseball game with a good friend, and we realized that we had known each other for over seven years. I met him before any of my children were born, and before I had a mortgage. We had gone through a lot together in those seven years, but nevertheless we are still friends. Life at FFOZ is...
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Passover and the Death of James the Just

Tags:  stoned, stoning

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 the Apostles. Unfortunately this is almost impossible to do for most Apostles because there are simply no records. One exception is Yaakov HaZaddik (James the Just) the brother of Yeshua....
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Fortifying Walls: A Trip to Florida

It was Friday afternoon, and I had just arrived in Tampa, Florida for the weekend. Upon arrival I was greeted with warm weather and lush, green scenery. Daniel, Boaz and I would be presenting for the second time what we consider to be one of the most critical messages for the movement today: our “To Whom Shall We Go” seminar, which focus on answering Jewish Objections to Yeshua. But there...
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A Trip to the Frozen Tundra

About three weeks ago my family and I embarked on two-week trip to the Canadian providence of Saskatchewan. Many FFOZ constituents are now familiar with the budding Torah Community located in their small town called Sedley, due to a recent article about them in messiah magazine. The congregation is called Beit Ohr ("Lighthouse to the Communities"), and it has a steady attendance of about 80 people every Shabbat. The elders...
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Yeshua’s Tomb Discovered!

Is it possible to know where the original tomb of Yeshua is? Has it been discovered? The answer to both questions is a resounding “Yes!” On March 4, the Discovery Channel aired a documentary produced by James Cameron about the Talpiot tomb complex which was discovered in 1980. Pseudo-scholar Simcha Jacobovici wrote a book entitled The Jesus Family Tomb: The Discovery, the Investigation, and the Evidence that could Change History...
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Be Happy! It’s Adar!

The month of Adar has begun. Adar is the last month on the biblical calendar. Adar is the month of the happy holiday of Purim, the celebration of the miracle of the story of Esther. The Sages say that in the month of Adar, joy increases. As the days grow longer and warmer and we sense the approach of springtime, our hearts begin to rise. Just as Eskimos allegedly have...
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Torah in the Pacific Northwest

Last Friday afternoon, a few hours before Shabbat, I was on scenic interstate 5 under the shadow of Mount St. Helens National Monument again. This was my third trip to the Pacific Northwest in a year. Last weekend, I had the privilege of teaching at congregation Lion of Judah in Lacey, WA, a suburb of Olympia. My writing responsibilities with FFOZ don’t allow me to get out on the road...
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The Rise and Fall of Kingdoms

“Draw near, O nations, to hear; and listen, O peoples! Let the earth and all it contains hear, and the world and all the springs from it. For the Lord’s indignation is against all the nations, and His wrath against all their armies; He has utterly destroyed them, He has given them over to slaughter.” (Isaiah 34:1-2) Kingdoms come and kingdoms go. This world has seen many civilizations rise from...
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Bob Dylan: A Messianic Jew

The background (or "wallpaper") on my computer's desktop screen is a blurry picture of a man in desperate need of a haircut, wearing tefillin. People often say, "Cool picture, but who is that?" When I tell that it's Bob Dylan at the Western Wall attending his son's bar mitzvah, I get a mix of reactions that range from "I didn't know he was Jewish" to "Who's Bob Dylan?" I was...
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New White Papers

This summer Boaz and I went out the road teaching across the US. For the most part we both taught the new seminar “Knocking on Heaven’s Gates”. In this teaching we introduce what we consider to be the “Lost Appointed Time” of prayer. This seminar really begins to get at the heart of the direction of FFOZ in the next couple of years especially with the siddur project in progress....
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That Which Defiles the Entire Body

Is there anything more defiling than unclean food? Is there anything more levitically defiling than a corpse? According to the Master, there is something that is even more defiling than levitical uncleanness, something that defiles not just the flesh, but also the soul. Yeshua says, "That which proceeds out of the man, that is what defiles the man“ (Mark 7:20). Yeshua's little brother echoed his teaching when he wrote,...
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Exod'US

As we soon begin in the Torah through book of Exodus, I am reminded of the many parallels the wilderness journey of the Israelites has to our own journey in faith. Many of us have come out of our own Egypts and much like the Israelites did not really know what to expect. The Torah is given in fire, smoke, and thunder while the Israelites stand by and say "All...
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Asarah B'Tevet (10th of Tevet)

The Fast of the 10th of Tevet begins Sunday December 31st sunrise to sunset. The book of Zechariah mentions a fast that takes place in the tenth month. (Zechariah 8:19) Traditionally this is seen as a commemoration of the destruction of Jerusalem which began in the year 588 BCE: And the word of the LORD came to me in the ninth year, in the tenth month, on the tenth of...
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Round Yon Virgin: Reflections on the Virgin Birth

We are coming off of the Christmas season when the majority of our brothers and sisters in Messiah honor His birth. Most of us at FFOZ remember the Master’s birth during the festival of Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles). Like much of the Messianic movement, we have decided not to keep Christmas in our homes because it is not a biblical holy day, and its celebration tends to eclipse the...
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The Torah Underground

I'd like to share some of our adventures during the last week in the Torah Underground. For years we've been hearing rumors of Torah Club being taught in an extremely large, influential evangelical congregation. When D. Thomas Lancaster and I showed up to teach an FFOZ conference at that congregation, we found 350 people eager to hear the message
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Israel Study Tour, 2005

Study Torah in Israel with FFOZ this fall. Sign up now! Only 20 spots remain open for this intensive Bible study tour�
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