“We have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Messiah Jesus once for all.” (Hebrews 10:10) The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) falls this year on October 4-5. It is the holiest Levitical feast in the biblical calendar. Yom Kippur is the day on which Israel’s high priest…...
What Really is Lag b’Omer?
Tomorrow, May18-19, 2022, the annual holiday of Lag b’Omer will be celebrated in Israel. Lag b’Omer, which is neither directly nor indirectly referenced in the Bible, literally means the 33rd day of counting the omer. According to Jewish tradition, this minor festival commemorates an ancient mystical sage, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, and…...
COUNTING THE OMER: Israel’s Independence Day and Memorial Day
Blessings of the season to you as we commemorate an often overlooked, minor festival on God’s biblical calendar, Counting the Omer. Counting the Omer (in Hebrew, “Sefirat HaOmer”) lasts 49 days, beginning with the Sabbath of Passover. The 50th day is celebrated as the Feast of Weeks (in Hebrew, “Shavuot.”) During…...
This Hanukkah, What Would the Maccabees Say to Us?
This week we welcome the radiance of Hanukkah, the Feast of Dedication described in John 10:22. Annually, Hanukkah casts its faithful glow of heaven’s life-light into our hearts. It reminds us that no darkness can or will extinguish the fire of God’s covenant love. That love burns eternally for you,…...
A Season of Revelation – Counting the Omer
Blessings tonight on Second Passover and Day 28 of the Omer Count! Second Passover (Pesach Sheni) occurs on the biblical date of Iyar 13-14, corresponding this year to May 7-8. According to Numbers 9:6-13, Pesach Sheni was offered to those few Israelites who were unable to celebrate Passover at the…...