First Fruits Celebration

This time of year I usually post pictures from Passover but I thought it would be fun to mix it up and share some from a First Fruits celebration I attended. First Fruits is when Israel historically presented the first of the barley harvest to YHWH, and it is also when Yahusha was raised from the dead. What reasons we have to celebrate this Biblical holiday!

It was a simple get together; just an informal 'bring a snack or dessert.' We turned on some music, ate and chatted. Then talked about the Messiah's resurrection and read Scripture related to that.

Since the omer count begins on First Fruits, some sort of omer counter makes the perfect party favor! You could also make your own counters at the party for a fun group activity.

Here's a great idea for Matzah Week: if you're making homemade matzah, try rolling it into smaller pieces to use like you would crackers. It can still be soft or you can bake it longer to have it be crunchy. It's great with hummus and other spreads like this smoked salmon dip.

I love getting to celebrate this truth with a group of believers and would definitely encourage everyone to do so as well! Messiah rose from the grave = best day ever, right?! As Paul said, "Let us keep the feast!" (1 Corinthians 5:8)

Do you guys know about resurrection cookies? They are a meringue cookie and each step of the recipe symbolizes the story of the Messiah's death and resurrection, like beating the walnuts to symbolize how Yahusha was beaten by soldiers. You leave them in the oven over night and then they are empty when they are finished. I can share the recipe if anyone is interested.

Happy First Fruits everyone! What do you guys do to celebrate?

A Peek at the New Torah Sisters Magazine - Passover Special Edition

Have you seen the latest issue of Torah Sisters Magazine? It is just beautiful and stuffed full of ideas for Passover and the Spring feasts! It is 56 pages of tangible encouragement, ideas, and inspiration - not just for the feasts, but for daily life as a follower of YHWH.

Even though it's called Torah Sisters, I think Hebrew men would also enjoy its content, and there are even a few activity pages for children. With more than fifteen contributors, topics in this issue include: recipes for Passover, spiritual housecleaning, DIY tzitzit holder, 10 Scripture verses on gardening, Torah portions list, Passover bucket list, Scripture poster for Passover, how to make kombucha, plans for deep cleaning your home, saving a bad homeschool day, Passover coloring pages and lots more.

I loved this piece from Kayte Abaffy about spring cleaning your diet. It had practical and doable advice for healthier eating habits, and I especially enjoyed how she tied that into the process of cleaning the leaven out of our homes before the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

The Torah portions page is just beautiful, and you can easily remove it from the magazine to put on your fridge or bulletin board or in your Bible. In this issue there is another poster, coloring pages, and my Passover Bucket List that you can also remove for real life use!

Can I just add that I even like the advertising in the magazine? I know that sounds crazy - most of the time when an article title lures me on the front of a magazine, I turn page after page of ads and eventually give up without finding what I actually wanted to see. That is definitely not the case here: there are only a few ads (maybe six in this issue?), and they are actually pertinent to your life as a believer! Advertisements are from companies selling things like Hebrew apparel, tzitzits, and resources for teaching Scripture to children. Yay!

There are lots of pictures of different ideas for Passover tablescapes. You will hear from a number of believers about how they celebrate this feast. It's so nice to have something tangible that is an inspiration for keeping Torah and celebrating the feasts. I think that it's fun and lighthearted make it easier for others to approach the Hebrew faith when they see it sticking out of your bag or in the break room at work or on your coffee table. It's a great way to start a conversation about faith!

You can head to the Torah Sisters website to order your copy of the magazine in time for Passover. It is also available as a PDF if a digital version would better suit your needs. Amy and Crystal have done a wonderful job of putting together a beautiful magazine that you will certainly enjoy. It would also make a great Passover gift for a friend.

Why I Don't Argue Semantics

Today I'm sharing why you don't see much in the way of semantics arguments here or on any Land of Honey social media. What I mean by that is I am definitely going to talk about Scripture's instructions and that we should all be following them, but I am not going to get bent out of shape about how you are following them (so long as you are actually keeping the commandments). So you can bet I am going to encourage you to keep the seventh day Sabbath, but I'm not going to tell you that it has to be evening to evening or sunlight to sunlight or midnight to midnight. I recognize that there are areas of Scripture that we don't fully understand yet and that there is room for self expression in some of the commands. 

Plus, is it just me or do we have enough division in the faith community already? There is a time and a place for correction and teaching particulars but it's nauseating to see so many Hebrew ministries (and individuals) waste much time attacking or arguing with others who have very similar beliefs to them. It's sad to see people isolating themselves from other believers because 2% of their theology doesn't match up. So many Hebrew small groups fall apart after a short time over tiny differences. How is this edifying to anyone in or out of the community?

When I see things getting nasty in Scripture debates it makes me think of the cooking competitions my brother and I would watch together in high school. Several popular shows would include very specific challenges for the contestants. Instructions were not just, "make us something delicious to eat." It would be more like, "Cook spaghetti with one hand tied behind your back," or "Create a vegetarian spaghetti and use potato chips in it." And episode after episode, the contestants could be so unkind to each other. Comments like, I look at what the others are doing and I'm not impressed or When spaghetti was invented they didn't intend for it to go in the oven, so only someone ignorant would try that. As contestants, it really wasn't their job to decide who could cook or not, their job was to do their best.

On a side note - we were always baffled when someone would blatantly disregard the rules to make something else entirely. It never went well for them. The dish they created might have been spectacular but the judge didn't care because the rules weren't followed. It wasn't what was asked of them.

Unfortunately the faith community can often look like contestants on a cooking show arguing about who made the best spaghetti. And you know what? That's really not their job. Their opinion does not matter, the judge will decide if it's good or not. Their job is just to make spaghetti.

There are a lot of ways to make spaghetti.

You could spend hours making marinara from homegrown tomatoes. Or you could open a jar of sauce.

Toss in some peppers. Or spinach.

Use whole wheat or gluten free pasta instead of regular.

Garnish with fresh basil. Or use cheese. Maybe both!

You could serve the sauce on top the pasta. Or mix it all together.

And whatever combination of choices are made, all of these dishes would still be considered spaghetti. As with spaghetti variations there are a different ways to uphold YHWH's instructions. I'm definitely not saying you can make any old dish you want and present it to the judge and expect him to be pleased. No, you can't make ravioli because you like it better and call it spaghetti. Nor does macaroni and cheese count. If you want to win the spaghetti contest, you are going to have to make some sort of spaghetti. How you do that though is going to depend on what ingredients are available to you, your cooking ability, and your taste preferences.

YHWH has rules for a reason and wants us to do our best following them. But within those instructions there is room for self expression. I doubt YHWH expected Shabbat in the wilderness thousands of years ago to look exactly like Shabbat in Yahusha's time or in 1700s France or today in your part of the world. Obviously, yes the theme of resting carries through and ties all of these times and places together. Shabbat for Yahusha often looked like healing people, but sometimes it was spent walking with the disciples. Maybe for you it looks like watching a live stream service online or snuggling with your kids and reading Bible stories to them. YHWH gave simple and straightforward commands so that we could uphold them no matter the culture we live in or the season of our lives.

So that's why I don't get to hung up on calendar debates or if you said the traditional blessings at the traditional time. I have my preferences, but I don't know everything. Neither does any other ministry or person. We can only do our best and be willing to change as we learn more. And show kindness and patience to people who see things differently than us.

"Observe the waters and know when they flow together, they sweep along stones, trees, earth, and other things. But if they are divided into many streams, the earth swallows them up and they vanish away. So shall you also be if you are divided."
-Testament of Zebulun 9:1-3

Praying Psalm 78 - That the Generations to Come Would Know the Torah

The 78th Psalm jumped out at me recently.

Give ear, o my people, to my Torah: incline your ears to the words of my mouth. (Verse 1)

For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a Torah in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children: that the final generation to come might know them, even the children who would be born, who would arise and declare them to their own children, that they might see their hope in YHWH and not forget his works, but keep his commandments. (Verse 5-7)

Let's make this our prayer shall we? That our ears would be inclined to the words of YHWH and that all the generations would know his Torah and remember his amazing works!

A prayer from Psalm 78:

YHWH, give your people ears to hear your Torah. Let us incline our ears to your words. Give us understanding and teach us who you are. Don't let us hide your words from our families and friends. Give us wisdom and creativity to share your truth in all areas of our lives. Help us to teach your word to our children, that every generation would praise you, YHWH. Let every generation know your strength and remember the wonderful works you have done, both in our lives and your mighty acts for our spiritual and physical ancestors in Scripture. Let all the generations know of your great Torah. Let the final generation to come know your Torah, your truth, and keep your commandments. Even the children who have yet to be born: let them arise and declare your word. Let us and all the generations set our hope upon you, YHWH. Don't let us forget your works and help us to keep your commandments.

More:
How to Pray for Our World + Verse on Prayer
Praying Psalm 1
Seven Simple Ways to Pray More

Five Scriptures To Keep Today

Th Most of us desire to live in a way that honors God, but sometimes it can be unclear of how to do that. The easiest way to start is very simple, start doing what the Bible says! While there are challenges to keeping the commandments in a secular society, Deuteronomy 30:11 says that it is not too hard for us.

These are a few examples of how we can live out certain Scriptures in order to honor YHWH. Of course there are many others that we are not covering today, and this is by no means an exhaustive list! But hopefully it gets us thinking about often overlooked Biblical instructions that are simple and beneficial. 

-Remember the name of YHWH. In Exodus 3:15 God tells Moses that his name is YHWH forever, and that his name is a memorial to all generations, and not taking his name in vain, and thereby forgetting it is one of the ten commandments. Refer to God by YHWH at least once today as a way to remember his true name and to distinguish the Living God from the 'gods' of other religions. 

-"Speak only beneficial words." -Ephesians 4:29 Is complaining about your boss going to improve the situation? Will being rude to the cashier make her day better? Ephesians goes on to say get rid of bitter and angry speech, gossiping, loud yelling, coarse jokes, and insults. It says we should give thanks instead. Watch your words today and offer a sincere thank you to a family member or coworker. Fill your words with gratitude and encouragement.

-Honor your parents. There are no perfect parents but honor them anyway. Speak highly of them to others. Be intentional about spending time with them. Make sure they know they are loved and appreciated by you! Exodus 20:12 actually says that honoring your father and mother will lead to a long life.

-Make plans not to buy anything on Saturday. Along with working, shopping is forbidden on the Sabbath day (Deuteronomy 5:13, Nehemiah 13:5). Skip the online shopping or getting groceries until after the Sabbath. You will be keeping an instruction from YHWH and saving money as a bonus.

-Start and end the day with Scripture. Deuteronomy 6:7 says that we should speak of God's word when we go to bed and when we rise up. This could be reading a paragraph, meditating on a verse, reciting one from memory, study time, or listening to an audio Bible as you head into work. Hearing Scripture is the perfect way to align ourselves with his truth!

Related posts:
How to Have an Extraordinary Life
How to Stop Working on the Sabbath

Six Reasons to Keep the Sabbath Today

Insulting Elohim

The Aramaic English New Testament translates Romans 2 beautifully.

Reading this version of Scripture is a great help to understanding Paul's writings in particular. Rabbi Shaul upholds the Torah as the standard for righteousness. Contrary to widespread opinion he does not contradict or teach against the Torah. Like Yeshua, he always honored it.

Romans 2:23 in the AENT reads,
"Don't you by acting contrary to the Torah, insult Elohim himself?"

Seven Simple Ways To Pray More

In Isaiah 56:7 YHWH mentions that his house will be known as a house of prayer. He even says that his people will be joyful in this beit tefillah. Most of us have good intentions about prayer, but sadly this often gets placed on the back burner in our busy lives and often comes out only at meal times or in destress. While those are excellent times to pray, we would do well to incorporate more prayer into our lives.

Here are some simple ideas to pray more:

-Set aside a few minutes. Take five minutes to pray in the morning or on your lunch break. Set a reminder on  your phone. Sit in the car or pray in the shower if you need to. You can make this happen!

-Correlate! If Pavlov trained his dog to correlate eating with the sound of a bell we can learn to correlate prayer with a daily task. Pray for the thirty seconds of walking from your car into the office. Pray through mundane tasks like vacuuming or emptying the dishwasher. Correlate getting dressed with "clothing yourself with compassion and kindness," from Colossians 3:12.

-Pray for what you see. When you hear an ambulance or police siren ask YHWH to move on behalf of the person who needs help. Give thanks for the emergency responders and ask YHWH to fill them with wisdom. If you notice a mom with small children at the library, pray for her. Say a quick prayer for a coworker if they are having a bad day.

-At the places you go. When we are on the way to a wedding my husband and I make it a point to ask YHWH to bless the marriage. Pray for your friend before ringing their doorbell. At businesses you frequent ask YHWH to draw the owners and employees to him while you're waiting in line.

-Place reminders. Instead of getting caught up in what you need to get done, refocus yourself by placing sticky notes of prayer requests on the bathroom mirror, refrigerator door, or near your computer.

-Pray with someone else. Make it a point to pray with your family or a friend each Sabbath or before going to bed. When you are with a like-minded friend pray together before parting ways.

-Shut off your music. Shut off the radio on your next commute and pray instead. Leave behind your headphones when you go for a walk and use that time for prayer.

Let 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says, "Pray without ceasing." I'd like to remind you that it takes practice to do so. Be gentle with yourself as you learn.

More on prayer:
How to Pray for Our World
Praying Scripture: Luke 8:48

The Meaning of Yom Kippur (Day of Covering)

What is the point of Yom Kippur for believers in the Messiah today? Do we still need this Biblical holiday in light of the Messiah's sacrifice? Yom Kippur is often called the Day of Atonement, and that's caused many believers to think that this holiday is outdated, because the Messiah has already atoned for our sins. But there is a more accurate translation of Yom Kippur that will help us to better understand the importance of this time for believers today.

The root of kippur is kapar (Strong's 3722), which means covering. Yom Kippur is the Day of Covering. Atonement is another word entirely, with different etymological roots.

The Bible does not refer to Yom Kippur as the Day of Atonement. Atonement means, "to stand as an equivalent, satisfaction, to make amends, or to procure reconciliation." That means that this would be a one-time event, like the way the death of the Messiah procured reconciliation. Did the day of Yom Kippur ever provide this sort of reconciliation? It did not.

Yom Kippur provides covering, not atonement. It is a limited, conditional reprieve. If it provided all-encompassing reconciliation to YHWH it wouldn't need to be done year after year.

Scripture does not teach that the blood of bulls and goats brings atonement or brought atonement before the Messiah. The Bible does not say that animals were sacrificed to be punished in our place. While the Levitical priesthood pointed to the work of the Messiah, it's work was ultimately very different than what the Messiah accomplished.

The root of kippur, kapar is spelled with a qof, peh, and resh. Their meanings in Paleo Hebrew:

Qof  q = open hand

Peh   p = open mouth

Resh r = head of a person

Or when you put them together, "The open hand covering the mouth of the accuser." This is what Yom Kippur is all about!

Yom Kippur is the day when YHWH stretches out his hand to cover the accusations against us. This is absolutely something we should participate in. While our sins are atoned for in the Messiah, we still live with their consequences. YHWH graciously covers us from accusation and condemnation.

Yom Kippur accomplishes covering, not atonement. YHWH commands us to keep this holy day in Leviticus 23 and Numbers 29. There is no instruction from the Messiah or Paul or anyone else in the New Testament to discontinue it. Celebrating Yom Kippur is an outward expression of our inward repentance and it enables YHWH to cover the accusations against us.

Only in the Messiah is a person fully reconciled, but Yom Kippur brings the opportunity to have the accusations against us be silenced. Don't miss out on the chance to take part in this Biblical holiday!

More on Yom Kippur:
Honoring Yom Kippur as a Believer in Messiah
What You Need to Know About Yom Kippur

Ephesians 1:7 Printable for Yom Kippur

What You Need To Know About Yom Kippur

Yom Kippur is one of the most significant days of the year. When the Levitical priesthood was in effect it was the only day of the year the high priest was permitted to enter the Holiest Place in the Temple. Vayikra 16 details the Azazel goat that was to be "presented to YHWH alive to be used for making atonement over it by sending it away into the desert." Though YHWH no longer requires animal sacrifices because of Yahusha's sacrificial death, we have a lot to learn about this time that YHWH deemed significant.

In Vayikra 23:31 YHWH himself declares that participating in Yom Kippur is a permanent regulation for all generations, no matter where they are living. This reason alone is enough to celebrate Yom Kippur but it is also mentioned several times in the Renewed Covenant. Paul used Yom Kippur to explain the significance of our atonement through Yahusha in Romans 3:23. Many scholars believe that Yahusha's reading of Isaiah 61 in Luke 4:16-22 happened on Yom Kippur.

Yom Kippur is a day of "humbling your soul." This is traditionally acted out in a 25 hour fast of food and water, from sundown to dark. While fasting is mentioned many places in Scripture, it is not conclusive that this text requires fasting. We do know that Yahusha pointedly mentions in Matthew 6:16 that he expects his followers to fast, so that wouldn't necessarily be an inappropriate expression of humbling yourself.

An all day fast is the perfect reason to make a lovely meal to enjoy before sundown the evening prior. You will also want to plan ahead of time what you will eat when you break your fast. Traditionally wine and challah bread and other sweet things are included in both the pre Yom Kippur dinner and in the breaking of the fast, but Scripture gives no instructions on this so decide for yourself what you would like to eat. Have food prepared in advance to break the fast with - your energy will be low from not eating all day and you won't feel like cooking come nightfall.

We are instructed to have a holy convocation on Yom Kippur and a tradition is to wear white clothing to your congregational service. If you don't have a congregation to attend, consider gathering friends and family for a time of prayer and worship.

In Judaism, a prayer known as the Kol Nidre is a significant part of Yom Kippur services. The idea behind this prayer is that it annuls all your vows for the next year, and it is said to have started during times of persecution when Jews were forced to renounce their faith. I am not sure this is an idea that fits with Scripture. Yahusa said, "let your yes be yes," not, "say whatever's handy and it won't count against you." Instead of the Kol Nidre, pray that you would be wise with your words and commitments.

So what to do for Yom Kippur?

-Prepare for a fast - if you choose
-If you're not fasting decide how you will humble your soul
-Meet with a group of believers for prayer, worship, and Scripture reading
-Wear white to represent your sins being washed away
-Pray! Spend time with your family writing down prayer requests and have each person pray for another.
-Study Scripture
-Give thanks that Yahusha's death covers our sins

Scriptures to be read on Yom Kippur include:
Vayikra 16
Numbers 29:7-11
Isaiah 57:14 - 58:14
Isaiah 61
Book of Jonah
Romans 3:21-26
Book of Hebrews
Colossians 1:14

Please share if you have special Scripture you like to read or a favorite prayer or Yom Kippur tradition below!