Articles by Toby Janicki
Toby Janicki is a teacher and writer for First Fruits of Zion. He is also the Theological Support Coordinator for the Torah Club program and has authored several books including God-Fearers and a comprehensive commentary on the Didache titled: The Way of Life.
Assumptions about the Assumption
It’s time to redeem Miriam the mother of our Master and give her the honor and respect that she deserves and is in fact given in the Gospels themselves. The best way to do that in Messianic Judaism is to look at how holy figures are honored in Jewish tradition.
Topics:
7-min
The Master's Minhag: The Manners and Customs of Yeshua
Minhag is defined as a particular and specific custom. Great rabbis had their own unique set of customs, and students of these sages would carry out these customs exactly the same way their beloved rabbis did. As imitators of the Master, we should learn about our Master's customs.
Topics:
16-min
Omer Day 9: Is Seeing Believing?
True faith that lasts is not sustained on experiencing signs and wonders but on working out our faith “with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12). That’s what this period of counting the Omer is all about and this is the lesson that the Master taught to Thomas.
Topics:
6-min
Passover and Non-Jews: A Universal Exodus
There is ample evidence that, for the earliest Gentile believers, the celebration of Passover was an important holiday celebrated by all believers in Messiah—both Jewish and Gentile. Paul wrote the book of 1 Corinthians to a predominately Gentile audience who attended both synagogue and weekly gatherings of believers.
Topics:
12-min
Rosh Chodesh Nisan: A Time of Renewal
Rosh Chodesh is a time of renewal. Just as the moon is made new again so there is a spiritual power present at that time for us to begin again and transform our lives. But Rosh Chodesh Nisan is even more special.
Topics:
6-min
Shabbat Zachor
Shabbat Zachor is one of the four special Sabbaths that occur before or during the month of Adar or Adar II in leap years. On Shabbat 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.
Topics:
6-min
Shabbat: Practical Advice for Messianic Gentiles
Jew and Gentile both need to set aside a holy day for rest and sanctification. We need a time to reconnect, both with our family and with God himself. Sabbath is the day we prepare for ahead of time, so all that we have left to do is to enjoy and delight in this precious gift.
Topics:
12-min
Asarah B'Tevet: The Fast of the Tenth Month
The siege was headed up by the notorious Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar and eventually led to the total destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple. Therefore a fast takes place every year in the tenth month (Tevet) on the tenth day.
Topics:
3-min
Remembering 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, with the help of Heaven, his triumphs are our triumphs.
Topics:
15-min
Hanukkah and the Light of Creation
According to the Rokeach, when we light the hanukkiah each day of Hanukkah we are lighting the light of the Messiah and it is a foreshadow of the return of this great light in the kingdom of heaven. It also adds a bit of a universal flavor to the holiday by connecting it with the creation of man and the light of creation.
Topics:
5-min
The Fast of Gedaliah
The Fast of Gedaliah is another wonderful opportunity for both Messianic Jews and Gentiles to connect with the Master’s words, mourn, and pray for the current state of the world, and it serves as a physical reminder that we need to be eagerly anticipating and working toward Yeshua’s second coming.
Topics:
7-min
Remembering Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles
The date the the death of the Apostle Paul has been preserved in the Syriac Church tradition. The source is called “The Book of the Bee.” It was compiled in the twelfth century by Solomon, the Bishop of Bassora and preserves a lot of very Semitic-sounding material, which may indeed go back to the early Jewish believers.
6-min
Earth Day and Genesis
When we piece all this together, we can truly agree with the Psalmist: “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork” (Psalm 19:1). Should we not seek to preserve and care for such a precious revelation?
Topics:
8-min
Passover and COVID-19: Serenity and Solitude
The book of Ecclesiastes states: “Everything has an appointed season, and there is a time for every matter under the heaven” (3:1). That means for whatever reason, HaShem, in his infinite wisdom, has allowed this season to come upon us.
7-min
The Jews and All Who Joined Them: A Purim Celebration for All Nations
Whether or not the original writer of Esther had this intention, based on Isaiah 56, I believe this passage prophetically alludes to Gentiles who have been grafted into the olive tree of Israel. Purim is a Jewish holiday but it is also for Gentiles who have found Messiah and cast their lot with the Jewish people.
Topics:
8-min
The Great Commission: Revelation through Prayer
I remember reading these verses and wondering where the basis for this commission was in the Hebrew Scriptures? Yes, Israel is called to be a light to the nations but where are they told to go among the nations and actively turn people to the God of Israel?
Topics:
5-min
Parashat Bo: Tefillin and the Four Houses of Israel
The “house of Israel” refers to the regular Israelite, the “house of Aaron” refers to the priests, the “house of Levi” refers to the Levites, and those “who fear the LORD” refers to those from the nations who have joined themselves to the God of Israel, the God-fearers, the strangers who dwell among you (gerim).
6-min
The Rain Came Down
Moses passed away on Adar 7, so Jewish tradition teaches that he spent the month of Shevat to give his last instructions and warnings to the people. He also is said to have translated the Torah into seventy languages during Shevat.
Topics:
3-min
VaYechi: Rav Kook on the Blessing of Fish
The phrase “Let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth” can be better translated as “Let them increase like fish in the land.” If this is correct, this seems like a strange blessing. Yes, fish multiply and grow abundant but so do many other species. And why say “in the land” when fish live in the water?
5-min
The Didache and Chasidus: The Long but Short Way
What the Didache and Chasidus both teach us about the two ways is that it takes hard work to reach our full spiritual potential. The choice is ever before us and as disciples of Yeshua we must choose the more difficult path, for it is only on it that we will reach the destination of the kingdom.
Topics:
9-min
Abraham, Father of the Nations
These seemingly insignificant details about Abraham marrying Keturah point to God’s larger picture of redemption. The purpose of calling Abraham and bringing the Jewish people through his lineage was not just for the salvation of Israel but also for all people from every nation.
Topics:
4-min
Rav Shlomo, Abraham, and the Pagans
We must remember that Abraham does not know that these men are angels and has no idea that they are coming to announce the birth of a son. All this happened just a few days after he had fulfilled the mitzvah of circumcision and most certainly he was in pain. Yet Abraham welcomes them.
Topics:
6-min
Abraham's Passover
This week’s Torah portion, Vayera (“and he appeared”), is packed full of some of the most exciting narratives in Genesis. Hidden in these narratives is something that I feel is of great significance. There is evidence of a Passover-type celebration that pre-dates the Exodus and Mount Sinai.
6-min
Abraham’s Covenant, Circumcision, and Non-Jews
Obviously this mitzvah is still in place for Jewish males today. Yeshua was circumcised on the eighth day and we even see the Apostle Paul circumcising the Jewish disciple Timothy. But what about Gentile believers? Do they have to be circumcised?
Topics:
9-min
Noach the Tzaddik
According to apostolic tradition we should view Noah as a tzaddik who was able to stand strong for God despite the wicked ways of the world around him. Noah was not just righteous in his generation but righteous in spite of his generation.
Topics:
Ham, Japheth, Noach, Noah, Rashi, righteousness, Shem, Torah portion
7-min
B’reisheet: The God Who Created You
What if the Chasidic masters had a chance to read and interpret the Didache? Might they see a connection between this Chasidic two ways and the phrase “the God who made you”? While it’s certainly way beyond what the writers of the Didache had in mind, Chasidus often breathes new life into old texts even if it goes beyond the plain intended meaning.
Topics:
9-min
Torah and the Environment
Tikkun olam is the idea that we are preparing the world for the Messianic Era. Although it is the Almighty who will finally complete the healing process, we can prepare the world for the Messianic Age by doing our best with God's help to begin the work of restoration now.
Topics:
24-min
Please, HaShem, Save Now!
Hoshana Rabbah is the seventh day of the festival of Sukkot. It is written that “…on the last day, 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.”’”
Topics:
3-min
Sukkot, Gentiles, and the Messianic Kingdom
Sukkot is a foretaste of the Messianic Kingdom, when there will be peace on earth, Israel’s enemies will be defeated, and Jew and Gentile will dwell together serving the one true God. Sukkot is a prophetic shadow of the coming kingdom of heaven.
Topics:
7-min
Sukkot in Genesis
It is interesting that in Jewish tradition Sukkot and Shemini Atzeret are related to the Messianic Era and the World to Come. How fitting would it be if Joseph, a type and shadow of our Master, revealed himself to his brothers during this time?
Topics:
5-min
Yom Kippur and the Way of Death
Only through the study and contemplation of evil traits can we completely rid these qualities from our lives. If we don’t know how to recognize wrongdoing, we will not be able to purge it.
Topics:
7-min
From Generation to Generation
This is what I want Camp Tzadi to be for our campers. A place where discipleship to the Master and a dedication to a Torah life becomes not just something they do because they grew up in it but instead because it’s real and something they own themselves.
Topics:
4-min
Festivals in Genesis: Rosh HaShanah
Although the festivals were later committed and entrusted to the Jewish nation, they contain universal truths and applications for all mankind to celebrate. God set up these holy appointments with his people from the beginning of creation. It’s no wonder then that we find the festivals alluded to in the book of Genesis.
Topics:
16-min
The Little Apocalypse
While at first glance this chapter appears to be merely predicting future events surrounding Yeshua’s second coming, the material highlights the urgency that disciples must continue daily walking in the Way of Life and avoiding the Way of Death. The little apocalypse makes several allusions to previous material in the Didache.
Topics:
7-min
Debate in Birmingham
It was a historic night to have both of these theological heavyweights presenting together on the same topic. Just the fact that N.T. Wright would agree to have a discussion on this topic with a rabbi from Messianic Judaism so just how far the church has come in their acceptance of the movement in the last fifty years or so.
Topics:
3-min
Appointing Leadership
The brevity and language with which the Didache delivers instructions about designating leaders in the community indicates that it is not introducing something new but rather alluding to an already existing structure. Judaism of the first century had a well-established system of overseers and administrators. The believing communities simply replicated an existing model.
Topics:
7-min
The Day of the Lord
In addition to meeting at the conclusion of the Sabbath in memory of the resurrection of the Master, it is possible that the community expected his return at this time. Jewish tradition states that Messiah will not come on the Sabbath because there is much work to do upon his arrival. Therefore, the first possible time for his appearance would be at Melaveh Malkah.
Topics:
10-min
Tithing Halachah for Gentile Believers
So why did the Didache direct its readers to give their gifts to prophets and teachers rather than to Levitical priests? We must remember that the Didache was written to Gentile believers in Messiah who lived in the Diaspora.
Topics:
6-min
Those Pesky Messiah-Peddlers
It is true today that everyone in a community needs to do their share. The community should be on guard not to overburden its members by continually providing for the needs of a few individuals who are fully capable of doing so themselves.
Topics:
6-min
Hit-bo-what? The Master and Rebbe Nachman
Praying alone with our Father and talking to him from our heart can do nothing but strengthen our walk with him. In the daily hustle and bustle of life we need time alone with HaShem. What better method of attaching ourselves to God is there than the one that Yeshua has shown us in his life of prayer?
Topics:
3-min
Apostolic Gemara on the Words of the Master
These sayings of the Master laid down a principle that required disciples to receive agents of Yeshua who came in his name, offer them hospitality and sustenance, and heed their instruction. While hospitality and respect for teachers, prophets, and emissaries were important parts of discipleship, they could not be practiced without discretion and regulation. Hospitality exercised without discernment could quickly be abused
Topics:
5-min
Praying for the Ingathering
We must not confuse the Didache’s fervent petitions for the imminent inauguration of the Messianic Age as endorsing the idea of an escapism eschatology. The Didache firmly lays out the Way of Life with a call to all followers of Messiah to walk in the Torah daily.
Topics:
8-min
Job, Gentiles, and the Ninth of the Month of Av
Many non-Jewish disciples of Yeshua with whom I come into contact express a lack of interest and disconnect with these fast days and the traditions that surround them. They dismiss them as “traditions of men” that are “not biblical, just Jewish” as if somehow just because they are Jewish they are not for us or, worse yet, are not important.
Topics:
6-min
Sacred Dining: Pre-Meal Blessings for Community Gatherings
Although the blessings in the Didache are extensive, they do not contain any of the themes that we would expect to be present in a Eucharist ceremony. Namely, the text does not mention the suffering, death, or resurrection of Yeshua; sin, sacrifice, atonement, or forgiveness; the final Passover meal; or Yeshua’s blood, Yeshua’s body, the new covenant, or the phrase “in remembrance of me.”
7-min
From Despair to Hope: The Month of Av
Even at the beginning of exile and the destruction of the Temple, God promises that one day the Messiah will come and redeem Israel. The story is not so much about predicting when the Messiah will be born but to point out that even in total darkness there is light in the distance.
Topics:
7-min
Pray as the Lord Commanded
The Master’s rulings on prayer are much the same as they are for fasting. We are not to make an ostentatious show of our prayer life. Furthermore, the hypocrites that Yeshua criticized as those who “heap up empty words” were Gentiles, not Jews. It is hypocrisy and showmanship that the Didache urges us to avoid, not traditional Jewish prayer, worship, or liturgy.
Topics:
7-min
Instructions Concerning Immersion
The instructions are completely devoid of theological or mystical teachings about being born again or the death of Messiah. They read more like a section out of the Mishnah than from one of Paul’s epistles.
5-min
The Fast of Tammuz
Three weeks before the fast of Tisha b’Av is the 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.
Topics:
4-min
Do Not Be Led Astray
The Didache begins chapter 6 with a warning against false teachers who lead people away from God and the Way of Life. This is a continuation of the exhortation at the end of 5.2: “Children, may you be rescued from all of these!” All that has been taught so far is to be carefully guarded, and new Gentile disciples are to watch out for those who would lead them astray from the Way of Life.
5-min
The Way of Death
In chapter 5 the Didache, as it continues the Two Ways section, turns from illustrating the Way of Life to expounding the Way of Death. What is striking is the stark contrast between the amount of space it gives to the Way of Death and that given to the Way of Life.
Topics:
6-min
A Different Kind of Hypocrite
By commanding us to hate “hypocrisy,” the Didache warns us not to perform good deeds for the sake of receiving praise from men. Rather, we should observe the commandments because they are God’s will and, through their performance, we bring godliness into this world and honor to his name.
Topics:
5-min
The Characteristics of Humility
According to Judaism, one of the biggest aspects of humility is learning from others and constantly refining oneself. The Didache gives us a six-step program to help us progress on the path of humility and mold our image more into the likeness of Messiah.
Topics:
8-min
The Selfless Yoke
To love God with all our heart requires curbing our desires, which include arrogance and maliciousness. To love God with all our life requires that we die to ourselves and live to serve God only. A hypocrite lives to serve himself and receive praise. In turn, a hypocrite does not love God with all his life.
7-min
The Two Ways
All disciples of Messiah have a choice: the way of life or the way of death. A biblical worldview supports the fact that life is about choices. The path we choose each day will ultimately determine our destiny. Not only is life full of choices, but it is also a progressive journey that never stops.
7-min
A Window in Time
We have not truly left the slavery of Egypt until we have received God’s instructions and his Holy Spirit dwells within us enabling us to perform his will. In that sense the Counting of the Omer is a count that should count for something. This is not a passive count but an active count.
Topics:
5-min
Passover and the Death of James the Just
The most important detail we receive is that James’ death took place right before Passover. Although neither Jewish nor Church literature preserves an actual date for James’ death, it seems from Josephus’ and Eusebius’ information we may conclude that James was martyred in 62 CE during the week before Passover.
10-min
Birds of a Feather: Haman, Amalek, and Shabbat Zachor
The Amalekites struck down not the warriors and soldiers but the weak, sick, and elderly who were traveling at the back of the pack. These were not the tactics of an army that sought to win a battle or a war but the merciless strategy of an enemy that desired to see Israel wiped off the face of the earth.
Topics:
8-min
Bag It and Tag It
This coming Shabbat is Shabbat Shekalim. On this Sabbath a special maftir reading of Exodus 30:11-16 occurs to remind us that in the days of the Temple, the annual half-shekel Temple tax was collected during the month of Adar. It is around this time that the story of the shekel in the fish’s mouth from Matthew 17:24-17 took place
Topics:
5-min
Lest You Eat of His Sacrifice
The sages interpreted “abominable thing” in this verse as referring to that which had been tainted by idolatry. This included things that were offered up to an idol or connected with idolatry. In turn, it was forbidden to benefit in any way from things connected to idolatry, which would include consuming idol food.
Topics:
9-min
Tu B'Av: Mourning into Dancing
While we as disciples of the Master can access a taste of the future kingdom now, we await the fullness when Yeshua returns and ends the exile. It is at that time that the great metaphorical marriage will take place between Yeshua and his bride Israel. It is in that day that our mourning will be turned into dancing.
Topics:
5-min
The Idolatry of the Vessel: The Didache and Misplaced Worship
For us who live in the modern world, it's often easy to skip over prohibitions on idolatry like this because we think these kinds of things don't exist anymore. To be sure, idol worship is still around, but it is indeed not as in style as it was in the days of the apostles.
6-min
Five Levels of Love: The Didache and Loving Your Neighbor as Yourself
At any rate, this should encourage us as followers of the Master to keep striving to higher levels of love and not be complacent with the lower rungs. If we will be known by our love may it be of the highest quality.
Topics:
10-min
The Laughing Rabbi: Remembering Menachem Froman
Rabbi Froman was an Orthodox rabbi who was the spiritual head of the Tekoa settlement on the West Bank in Israel. He served his time in the IDF and was one of the paratroopers who took part in the recapture of the Western Wall in 1967.
Topics:
5-min
Born Again Again: Remembering the Reverend Billy Graham
I know I stand with countless others as being forever grateful for the impact that Reverend Graham’s work had on my life. While I am saddened by his passing, no one could argue that he did not fulfill his life’s work for Yeshua to the fullest.
Topics:
5-min
12-21 Winter Shabbaton: Explaining Messianic Judaism
From the incredible teachings to the delicious food to the crazy activities to the rousing prayer times, it was an unforgettable experience that I am confident to say made a deep impact on the hearts of all who attended.
Topics:
5-min
Every Living Thing Will Acknowledge You
All nations will thank God “for all these things,” which includes the miracle of Hanukkah. In turn, the prayer itself becomes a prophetic prelude to Gentiles from all over the world joining in with the Jewish people and embracing the celebration of Hanukkah.
5-min
The Way of Life: A Scholarly Book Review
Unbeknownst to me one Didache scholar, Daniel Nessim, had written a full review of The Way of Life. Nessim is a Messianic Jew who is currently working on his doctoral thesis on the Didache. I have read some of his papers before, but I eagerly await to see his full work.
Topics:
4-min
A Buddhist Didache? The Way of Life in Chinese
The Didache was widely used and circulated during the early years of the church. So much so that it was even used in a document to introduce Chinese people to Yeshua in the seventh century.
Topics:
9-min
A Place on the Shelf
There to my surprise was a used copy of the DHE on a shelf in the Judaica section. Not only that, it was on a shelf marked “Jewish Holy Books.” My wife Shannon and my son Aharon and I all took a double-take. It was remarkable. There it was sitting under the Zohar and next to the Tanach. I couldn’t believe it.
Topics:
3-min
The Fruit of the Ground: The Rabbis and the Didache on Gentile Tithing Obligations
Why did the Didache direct its readers to give their gifts to prophets and teachers rather than to Levitical priests? We should remember that the Didache was written to Gentile believers in Messiah who lived in the Diaspora. The laws of trumah in the Torah apply only within the land of Israel.
8-min
New Messianic Jewish Music from Bob Dylan
Ever since being introduced to Bob Dylan many moons ago at summer camp I have been enthralled with his music. Whether it’s his acoustic folk ballads or his electric rockers, I love his style, sound, and lyrics. I’m also convinced the Jewish born Dylan is still a follower of Messiah.
3-min
The Nations’ Inheritance
HaShem has also given the nations of the world an inheritance. According to the sages, “when he divided mankind” refers to the dispersion of mankind after the tower of Babel. It was then that God divided the world into the seventy nations. Then what is their inheritance?
Topics:
5-min
The Witness of the Nations
Deuteronomy 29 tells us that when Israel turns away from HaShem and his Torah, God will bring judgment upon the Jewish people and their land. Then the nations of the world will remind the people of Israel of their sins and the reason this punishment has come upon them.
Topics:
6-min
Camp Tzadi: No Longer Different
My goal from the very beginning was to create a safe place where Messianic Jewish and Gentile teens could experience their faith and make it their own. From the first Shacharit service to the last campfire, it was abundantly clear to me that Camp Tzadi was just that.
Topics:
4-min
Camp Tzadi: A Messianic Summer Camp
Messianic Judaism is still a small and marginalized religion. Many of these kids have grown up more-or-less isolated from other Messianic kids, and they have struggled to find ways to fit in. Here at Camp Tzadi, they discover a peer group with the same religious background and same convictions.
Topics:
5-min
A Small Miracle and Bram’s Symbol of Messianic Judaism
The attendant asked me which parent would get the Star of David. He then asked, “Was she Messianic?” When I replied, “Yes,” he informed me that there was a symbol for Messianic Judaism. It was a Star of David with a cross inside. I could not believe it!
Topics:
5-min
Blessed Are Those Who Mourn
It appears that right now God is saying "no" to the rebuilding of the Temple. The sages have said, "Any generation in which the Temple is not rebuilt is considered as if it had destroyed it." Why has the Temple not been rebuilt? Perhaps it is because of us.
Topics:
12-min
Finding a Messianic Luminary’s Grave on the Mount of Olives
Moshe’s story is quite an inspiration as he lived in Israel and became a follower of Yeshua right about the time the State of Israel was formed. He paid dearly for his faith in Yeshua. He refused to convert to Christianity nor did he remain silent with his Jewish brothers and sisters about the Master.
6-min
Out of Zion: Teaching on the Didache at the Bram Center
The way I can tell what people thought of the material was when the Q and A began. The attendees asked very sophisticated questions. The kind of questions where I could tell they had been paying attention, internalizing what I was saying, and imagining the implications that the Didache’s teachings would have upon the community.
Topics:
5-min
The Red Heifer: Purity through a Gentile
The method of purity was brought forth not from within Israel but from the outside, from the unclean, so to speak. In this way, although the mitzvah of the red heifer traditionally does not apply to Gentiles, HaShem allowed them to participate with Israel in this most important mitzvah.
Topics:
6-min
Choose Life: The 2017 National Shavu’ot Conference
Sitting in my office I can’t help but have a smile on my face as I recall this year’s conference. In a lot of ways it is like a family reunion that just keeps getting better and better each year. I am blessed and humbled to be a part of an organization like First Fruits of Zion, and I pray that HaShem gives us many more years of these conferences.
Topics:
5-min
Three Kinds of People
In the Didache and the teachings of the Master, our love for God is displayed in our love for our fellow. Indeed, the sages interpret “with all your soul” as a willingness to give up our lives (m.Brachot 9:5). In the Didache, “love your neighbor as yourself” becomes “love your neighbor more than yourself.”
6-min
Strangers and Sojourners
It makes sense that Abraham uses this language while he is still awaiting the promise from HaShem to be fulfilled for his descendants to inherit the land but why does David still use this terminology when the Jewish people are firmly within the land?
Topics:
5-min
Egypt My People
He chose Israel not just to be an island unto themselves but that Israel would be a blessing to all peoples spreading the light and knowledge of God to the other nations of the earth. After this is the end goal of the kingdom of heaven, the Messianic Era, when all mankind will know God and worship him alone.
6-min
Dry Bones: Hear the Word of the LORD!
We have been resurrected in Yeshua from the death of sin and brought into the fullness of life in HaShem. As disciples of Messiah we have individually experienced the prophecy of the valley of dry bones. Passover and the exodus from Egypt symbolize this for us. Just as the Israelites left the slavery and death of Egypt, so we have left the slavery and death of sin.
6-min
Passover and Gentiles: A Universal Exodus
In the days of the apostles there were many God-fearing Gentiles who celebrated Passover along with the Jewish people. Even rabbinic literature made room for non-Jews at a seder. In the Second Temple Era, Gentiles were not permitted to eat the actual Pesach sacrifice, but they were allowed to participate in the rest of the meal.
Topics:
11-min
The Purim Fish
Why the shekel in the fish’s mouth? Yeshua could have just produced a coin from behind Peter’s ear like magicians do today, or perhaps he could have just told him to look in a place one might normally expect to find a lost coin such as under a bed or between the stones of the floor. I believe that the key to understanding this passage is the story of Purim.
Topics:
festivals, fish, half-shekel, miracles, Peter, Purim, redemption, tax
5-min
Thought, Speech, and Action: Connecting to the Commandments
According to the approach offered here, every Jew can connect with all of the 613 mitzvot on at least two of the three levels, that of thought and speech. When they study a mitzvah that is not incumbent upon them and discuss its implications, they are connecting to the commandment.
Topics:
5-min
A Sabbath Rest Remains—A Universal Shabbat
The Sabbath commandment was given directly to the children of Israel. This means that here in Exodus we have evidence of Gentiles joining themselves to Israel and voluntarily observing the Sabbath in solidarity with the Jewish people and in honor of the God of Israel.
Topics:
7-min
Let’s Take This Thing Worldwide!
We are excited to announce the launch of the 12-21 website. With this website and our focused presence on 12-21 social media, we hope to be reaching and connecting with kids worldwide. If we don’t reach the next generation, this movement dies with us.
Topics:
3-min
By the Hair of My Chinny Chin Chin: Facial Hair in the Bible
One gentleman took a look at me and my colleagues and asked “Are any of you guys related? You sure look similar.” We all looked at one another and said, “No, it’s just the beards and the hats.” Am I just trying to be cool or is there a reason I have a beard?
Topics:
8-min
The Man to Whom Messiah Revealed His Name
Kaduri’s disciples came across a note written by Kaduri in which was encrypted the name of the Messiah. This note contained instructions saying that it was not to be opened until a year after Kaduri’s passing. After a year passed, Kaduri’s disciples opened the note and discovered the name the Messiah revealed to Kaduri: Yehoshua (the Hebrew form of the Aramaic Yeshua).
Topics:
4-min
12-21 Hanukkah Shabbaton: The Beginning of Something Beautiful
It’s not easy being a disciple of Yeshua in the world today, let alone a Messianic Jewish or Gentile teen or young adult. It can be a lonely and difficult road. It is important to surround yourself with like-minded friends who will help you stay on the narrow path and uplift your identity. That may have been the most powerful aspect of the whole event.
Topics:
8-min
C.S. Lewis and the Jews
On this day, November 22nd in 1963, Lewis passed on into the world of truth. May his writings continue to inspire us all and may the humility he expressed as a Gentile believer toward the Jewish people be an example to us in the Messianic movement today.
5-min
The God of the Living: The Master on the Resurrection
The Sadducees did not believe in a resurrection, while the Pharisees did. One of the reasons that the Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection is that it is difficult to see it in the literal exegesis of the Hebrew Scriptures. The Pharisees on the other hand, were skilled in the area of midrash, which often probed beyond the literal meaning within the Scriptures.
Topics:
15-min
Answering Anti-Missionaries
If you took Troki’s arguments and applied them to rabbinic literature, then the Talmud, the Midrash, and virtually all rabbinic interpretations would fail by the same criteria. It is not fair for the midrashic content of the Gospels to be criticized by the people who use the same midrashic methods.
Topics:
15-min
The Blessings of Shem
As believers in Messiah Yeshua I like to think that we are dwelling in the tents of Shem. We have chosen not to be slaves of Israel but to become partners with them in working toward the kingdom of heaven. Indeed we can also say “Blessed is the God of Shem!”
8-min
Sabbath Fish: A Foretaste of the Kingdom
As disciples of the Master I think we have some additionally reasons to partake in fish on Shabbat. For one, many of the Master’s disciples were fishermen and many of the gospel stories involving food make mention of fish. The point is that we are tasting something physical to remind us of something spiritual.
Topics:
6-min
Bob Dylan: A Messianic Jew
For Dylan it was not an either/or scenario between Judaism and Christianity. He was comfortable with a world that drew from both. I saw a man who struggled with his identity much as we do today — stuck in between Christianity and Judaism.
7-min
Sukkot and the Early Believers
For the earliest believers, both Jewish and Gentile, the rhythm of the biblical festivals complete with the celebration of Sukkot, was a natural part of their faith. In fact, when we get attuned to the symbolism of the holiday, we realize that so many passages in the New Testament simply assume that all followers of Messiah are observing Sukkot.
Topics:
6-min
Holy Guests: Sukkot and the Transfiguration
One of the most important aspects of Sukkot is inviting guests into one’s sukkah (booth). All throughout the week celebrants travel from sukkah to sukkah, enjoying hospitality and extending hospitality from their sukkot (booths). A peculiar custom that developed was not just inviting physical guests to one’s sukkah, but spiritual guests as well.
Topics:
7-min
A Day of Judgment for All Nations
It is not just Israel who is judged during this time but all the nations. Even as the Jewish people are repenting and praying that they will be sealed for life in the coming New Year, so is God also judging the nations.
Topics:
6-min
The High Holidays in the Early Church
With Rosh HaShanah and the beginning of the High Holidays only a few days away, I thought I would post a blog reviewing some of my material on this from my book, God-Fearers. It should be no shock to anyone that the early believers both Jew and Gentile celebrated the festivals of Israel even after coming to Messiah.
Topics:
6-min
The Universal Sh'ma
The full verse from Zechariah 14:9 reads: “And the LORD will be king over all the earth. On that day the LORD will be one and his name one.” This represents the fullness of the Sh’ma message. God is king and he is the one God not only of Israel but of all of the nations on the earth.
Topics:
6-min
A Lawyer's Case
Jim Jacob presents evidence for the existence of God, as well as the historical validity of the Bible, and the life, death, and resurrection of Yeshua, among many other topics. As he would do in a courtroom, Jacob anticipates and systematically refutes many of the rebuttal arguments often offered by skeptics because he was once one himself.
Topics:
3-min
Resolution 5: Southern Baptists Stand with Israel
We are seeing more and more disciples of the Master turn against Israel and find reasons to side with their enemies. The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is the largest protestant denomination in the United States. At their meeting they passed a resolution for the continued support of the State of Israel.
Topics:
4-min
Yom HaAliyah: The Celebration of Ascension Day
Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy still celebrate the day as one of the great feasts of the Christian year. So what about Messianic Judaism? Should we be celebrating Ascension Day? I think the answer is a resounding “yes!” It represents an event in the life of the Master that is at least as important as his death and resurrection.
Topics:
5-min
Back to College — Reconnecting with Millennials
This year at our national conference we will not only have our usual teaching track for adults, but an additional track for young adults. It is our prayer that this will be the first of many similar events and that we can, with God’s help, energize young people for this important work of the kingdom.
Topics:
8-min
FFOZ on Christian Television
What would happen if a Christian television broadcaster caught the vision for the kingdom and Messianic Jewish teaching? God’s Learning Channel is broadcasting the First Fruits of Zion television show, “A Promise of What Is to Come,” along with other Messianic content, to televisions throughout the United States through various cable networks.
4-min
Tears and Tear Gas
It was finally time to pay a visit to the tomb of the matriarch Rachel. I had been longing to visit her tomb for years. It’s kind of tricky to get to, or at least used to be, because it’s near Bethlehem, which is in a territory controlled by the Palestinian Authority.
Topics:
8-min
A Trip Down South
I have decided that, God willing, I would like my next house to have a big front porch where I can have a couple of rocking chairs to sit in. I have a feeling that we established a relationship with the community in Baton Rouge that will continue for years to come and I look forward to seeing all the fruit it will produce.
Topics:
5-min
The Dubrovin Farm
Every time I visit Israel, I see something I’ve never seen before. While there are sites such as the Kotel, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Master’s cave in the Galilee that I feel must be a pilgrimage each time I travel to Israel, there is just too much to see to not visit some places for the first time.
Topics:
8-min
The Bram Center: The Lectures Begin
Toby Janicki’s recent trip to Israel with his family featured the debut guest-lecture event of the Bram Center in Jerusalem. The young demographic of Israeli Yeshua-disciples attending the lecture offers hope for the future of Messianic Judaism in Israel and around the world.
Topics:
6-min
Jeremiah 10 and the Christmas Tree
If we want to argue against observing non-biblical Christian and secular holidays, we have to be careful to leave the emotion and junk scholarship out of the discussion, otherwise our criticisms lack credibility. To directly link the Christmas tree with Jeremiah 10 is anachronistic and a violation of context.
Topics:
3-min
The Four Craftsmen: Agents of Redemption
When salvation and the knowledge of God is spread to all the nations of the earth, the final redemption is close. These righteous Gentiles will join in with Messiah and Elijah to help “cast down the horns of the nations who lifted up their horns against the land of Judah to scatter it” (Zechariah 1:21) and in turn help usher in the final redemption.
Topics:
7-min
Fasting with Intention
Yom Kippur (or "The Day of Atonement") is synonymous with fasting. For many people in both Jewish and Messianic communities, Yom Kippur is quite possibly the only day of the year on which they fast. Even secular Jews who are not religious will sometimes fast on Yom Kippur.
Topics:
12-min
Spiritual Lessons from the Didache: The Two Ways
All disciples of Messiah have a choice: the way of life or the way of death. A biblical worldview supports the fact that life is about choices. The path we choose each day will ultimately determine our destiny. Yet not only is life full of choices, it is also a progressive journey that never stops.
Topics:
7-min
The World of the Ger
Unlike many books for the Noachide that rely heavily on an in-depth overview of the seven Noachide laws, The World of the Ger focuses on “parables, stories, and historical narratives that form the character and worldview of a people”. The result is a work is both encouraging and inspiring.
Topics:
6-min
Rediscovered! 2000 Year Old Tefillin
It seems like every week there is a report from Israel of an exciting new archeological find. Many exciting sites and artifacts have been discovered since the Jewish people returned to their homeland in 1948. Each new discovery helps shed light on the Scriptures and confirm their truth. Last week was no different when The...
2-min
Can Women Wear Tzitzit and Tefillin?
The Hebrew in Numbers 15 where this commandment appears is in the masculine form. Additionally, in Deuteronomy 22, where the mitzvah of tzitzit appears again, the commandment appears in close conjunction with the mitzvah “A woman shall not wear a man's garment
4-min
Why Don't More Orthodox Jews Wear Techelet?
There is an ongoing debate as to what the source of the techelet blue in the Bible really was. This new discovery has caused some to say that this adds significant credibility to the argument that the techelet blue dye of the Bible was from the Murex trunculus.
5-min
Techelet: A New Discovery!
In Numbers 15 the Torah commands the Israelite males to place fringes (tzitzit) on the four corners of their garments. The purpose of these fringes was so that the Israelite would look upon them and remember the commandments of the Torah and do them.
4-min
