Passover Giveaway from Torah Sisters

Hey hey, we've got a Passover giveaway! Amy from Torah Sisters just came out with a brand new set of Passover greeting cards and invitations and she is generously giving away a PDF set along with a Doodle Portions Coloring Book to a Land of Honey reader. Thanks Amy for the fun giveaway! Be sure to get entered at the bottom of this post. :)

I love that the Passover cards/invites are beautiful! These cards do justice to showcasing Passover as a set apart time of YHWH. Four designs are included with matzah and fresh flowers featured on each. Different wording is available for two of the designs, and she even included a blank option for you to write your own message if that works better for you.

Not hosting a Passover gathering? These printables are multi purpose. Use them as cards to wish friends and family happy Passover or decorate around your home with them. As a child, receiving cards was always a marker of a special time for me, so I especially like the idea of putting these in the mail. It's a great way to communicate to others the significance of this time of year and that you're thinking of them. They are designed to be folded in half, so you can print them on regular 8 by 11 paper and end up with a blank card. I trimmed mine in more of a post card style, where you can put a note on the back.

The winner will also receive Torah Sisters' Doodle Portions coloring book! This would be the perfect way to occupy the littles at Seder or just a fun treat for yourself during Unleavened Bread week. Amy also created a free Passover busy book that will entertain the kids and teach them about the Passover story.

Get entered to win below! Just to be clear, both prizes are for digital files that you can print at home or take to a print shop. This ensures that you will receive them in plenty of time before Passover!

Be sure to visit Torah Sisters store and let us know what your favorite item is for extra entries! While you're there don't forget about the free Passover goodies Amy offers including the Passover busy book for kids, the Gospel Centered Haggadah, and omer counters!

Deadline to enter is March 22 at 12:00am eastern time. 

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Preparing Spiritually and Emotionally for Passover

With Passover, Unleavened Bread, and First Fruits coming up I think we should take a moment to talk about preparing spiritually for these set apart times.

Since Matzah Week calls for a cleaning out of the leaven in our homes it's easy to get focused on that, and end up neglecting emotional and spiritual care in the busyness. But the point of cleaning our homes serves as a picture of what we should be doing internally. Cleaning out the fridge or cupboard let's us find what has gone bad or gotten stale, so that we can remove it before it attracts bugs or spreads it's rottenness to anything else. To make room for something fresh and wonderful. Same thing with evaluating where we are emotionally and with our faith. Get rid of the bad stuff and make room for something better.

How can we do this? Take a few minutes to honestly assess where you are right now, where you came from, and where you would like to be. The Passover season brings us back to the Israelites leaving a place of less (Egypt) and journeying to the Promised Land. Where is YHWH inviting you to if you leave behind what you've settled for? What steps can you take to get there? This time is a celebration of freedom with slaves being set free and that the sacrifice of the Messiah makes this possible for us.

I also recommend reading the story of Exodus and the accounts of the Last Supper to see what jumps out at you. I have no doubt that YHWH has much to speak to you through these parts of Scripture. How does what he is saying fit with your own journey or what steps is he asking you to take to follow him more?

The following are a few simple questions for you to help evaluate yourself. The goal is just to be honest and say what your past year (or so, you can pick how long) was like, and what you're hoping for the upcoming year. You can also do this with your spouse or your family. Pray about the state of your spiritual and emotional health, and then come up with a few doable steps you can take for more positive change in your life. 

Questions to Evaluate Spiritual and Emotional Health:

How was this past year for you? What changes did you go through?

In what ways have you grown recently?

In what ways have you seen YHWH move or be faithful this past year?

Some of your favorite moments from the past year were:

What changes have you made in the past year for spiritual, physical, and emotional health?

Are there changes that YHWH is asking you to make now?

Is there an area you would like to be quicker to turn to prayer in?

The time you most often pray is:

Your favorite time to read Scripture is:

You feel closest to YHWH when:

How do you handle and cope with stress, anxiety, anger, sadness, etc.?

What are three things you do for self care?

What aspect of self care do you need to get better at?

Three things you do for joy are:

Verses you turn to for comfort include:

What are your goals and hopes for the upcoming year? Spiritual or otherwise.

I'm also including this link so you can download and print these questions, so you can contemplate them somewhere other than a device. Asking myself questions like these help me to to have a better sense of the path I have walked on and where I am headed. This is a special part of the Passover season, to remember our own personal exodus and to praise YHWH for the work he has done in our lives. I hope you find this a helpful way to prepare!

Related posts:
Six Things You Can Do Now to Get Ready for the Spring Feasts
The Beginner's Guide to Passover
Five Reasons Why Believers Should Keep Passover

Sukkah Inspiration

This year pushed Sukkos style to the next level! So many gorgeous sukkahs showed up in my inbox this year and I wanted to share a few. Thanks to everyone that sent their photos to me, it's an absolute joy to see YHWH's festivals being celebrated worldwide. I would be thrilled to celebrate Sukkot in any of these!

From @coralmesahomeschool

From @taliacarbis of The Climbing Tree

From @taliacarbis of The Climbing Tree

From @shiveringstarsfarm

From @elysamary

From @chalkontheboard

From @shasse714

From @shasse714

From @meycarbo

#sukkahgoals for sure!

For more inspiration check out last year's favorite sukkahs or my sukkah.

Stargazing Sukkot Party

This little get together is the perfect low-maintenance way to get together with friends to celebrate the feast of Sukkot. Grab some blankets and head outside to gaze upon the stars and to remember the promises of YHWH. That's all you need. Decorations, snacks, and pillows are all optional and can be whatever is doable or desirable to you.

So this banner is just paper letters and yarn. It's lightweight and easy to put up and you can make any verse or a chag sameach or happy Sukkot into a banner.

I used a trunk, some suitcases, and a crate for table space. You could go without or take a coffee table outside or use a picnic table.

These cupcake toppers though.

These are the best kosher marshmallows I have found! They are vegan and kosher, available at Trader Joe's.

He knows the stars by name. -Psalm 147:4

Four Species Lemonade.

So this is a globe...of the moon. Strangely fascinating.

Star charts can offer some education into what you're looking at. The Gospel in the Stars is a neat read to learn of constellations representing Biblical stories and prophecies.

This party idea would also work well for Yom Teruah, and I think something like this could be a good introduction for friends and families that don't celebrate YHWH's feasts.

Chocolate einkorn cupcakes. I don't really like frosting, so there isn't any.

Have a beautiful Sukkot!

Feast of Trumpets Scripture Reading List (Yom Teruah)

Here are verses to be read during the Feast of Trumpets, or studied in this time leading up to this day that YHWH asked us to set apart. Also known as Yom Teruah, or the Day of Sounding, Trumpets is a multifaceted day and there a ton of different Scriptures and topics that would be fitting to study.

As the main themes of the Feast of Trumpets are remembrance, and the sounding of the shofar it would be very appropriate to study each on this day. You could do a word study of all of the things YHWH or Yahusha say to remember. I did this as I was gathering this reading list and I would definitely recommend that. You could totally do some art journaling or another activity based on these verses too. Taking a look at where we see shofars and what they stand for throughout Scripture is also time well spent. Of course, a special emphasis on repentance is fitting for all the feast days and we would do well to brush up on a few verses about that.

Prophetically it is believed that the Messiah will return on Trumpets, which would be another great study topic! The return of the Messiah and the start of his reign here on earth. Many verses mention his return and the sounding of shofars together so we can easily see the connection to the Feast of Trumpets.

Here are a few of my favorites to read during this time.

Scriptures to Read During the Feast of Trumpets:

Leviticus 23:23-25 - instruction for this holiday.

Numbers 29:1-6 - instructions for offerings on this day.

Genesis 21:1-13 - a traditional passage to read. 

Genesis 22 - the sounding of the shofar is connected with the ram being sacrificed instead of Isaac.

1 Samuel 1-2:10 - it is traditionally believed that Hannah conceived during Yom Teruah.

Jeremiah 31  - Trumpets is described as a day of remembering and this passage is about YHWH remembering his people.

Psalm 98:6 - with shofars shout joyfully before YHWH.

John 15-16:4 - the Messiah instructs us to remember these words.

1 Corinthians 15:51-52 - this significant event could be happening during a future Feast of Trumpets.

1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 - The Messiah will return during a blast of the shofar.

Revelation 8-11 - the seven shofar blasts.

More on the Feast of Trumpets:
The Beginner's Guide to the Feast of Trumpets
The Meaning of Yom Teruah
The Significance of the Shofar During Trumpets

How To Hang a Mezuzah

This post is done in conjunction with the mezuzah giveaway from Turtle Lane Pottery.

Let's talk mezuzahs. Deuteronomy 6:9 says that we should have the words of YHWH on the doorposts of our homes. A mezuzah is a case that holds a scroll of part of Scripture, usually the surrounding passage from Deuteronomy. Mezuzahs are one way to keep this commandment. Other ideas would be hanging a plaque on the door, writing a verse on the door frame, framing a verse for the entrance, or even painting or inscribing a verse on the door itself. Whichever you decide will serve as a reminder and encouragement when you go in and out.

Traditional Judaism has more than 2,000 laws on how to properly hang a mezuzah. If you are looking for those instructions, you will not find them here. The commandment that we have from YHWH regarding this is simply to do it, so I will be sharing one way of going about that.

When you purchase a mezuzah, what you are buying is the case. Typically it will not come with the scroll inside, though sometimes that is an option for an extra charge. Chances are, any sort of color or pattern you may be interested in is out there. You could also make your own using anything from clay to wood to Legos if you are so inclined. My Turtle Lane mezuzah did not come with a scroll so my first step in hanging it was to write out Scripture. Judaism teaches that this should be done by a qualified scribe who will hand write it, but I don't see that requirement in Scripture. In fact when Moses said, "You shall write this," he was speaking to all Israel, not just a group of qualified scribes. At our house we want to take responsibility for our faith so we wrote it ourselves instead of outsourcing that task.

We chose to write out Deuteronomy 6:4-6, which Yahusha of course described as the most important commandment. You could write more or less depending on what you feel is best. Feel free to write it in your native language; include Hebrew if you would like.

You will want to measure your mezuzah and trim down your paper as needed to fit.

Once your Scripture is written out, roll it tightly to fit into the mezuzah.

Turtle Lane Pottery's mezuzahs come with the two small screws you will need to affix this in your house. If you need to supply your own screws the ones we used were half an inch.

You will need to decide where your mezuzah is going. Inside or outside? Which side of the door? To the left or the right? On the door, the frame, or next to it? This really isn't complicated, though Judaism has rules for all these things. Pick what works best for the design of your home to showcase your mezuzah. If you would like to put one outside, be sure it can handle the elements.

If you are familiar with mezuzahs, chances are you have seen them at an angle. There's nothing wrong with this, but if you are going to do it you should learn the story behind it. Hundreds of years ago, in the 13th and 14th centuries there were conflicting opinions about how to hang a mezuzah. One school of thought was vertically, another was horizontally. In lieu of picking a side or letting homeowners make their own choice, rabbis began instructing that mezuzahs should be placed at a slant so that both sides would be placated. So there you have it.

When YHWH commanded us to have his words on the doorposts of our homes he was not very specific. He did not add, "at a 45° degree angle," or "in this font." It would be wrong to say otherwise. He gives us room for creativity. Make your own choice about this. We chose to hang ours vertically because we thought it looked the best. :)

With the scroll inside, use a drill to screw the mezuzah into your door/post/wall. Use a lighter hand when you drill as mezuzahs don't weigh much and you don't want to crack or break yours.

It is traditional to say a blessing when you hang the mezuzah. You could say, "Blessed are you YHWH our Eloheinu, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us with his commandments and commanded us to have his words on our doorposts." You could also pray that your home would be a place where YHWH's commandments are kept and guarded, and that this mezuzah would be a reminder to turn to him each day.

There you have it: the mezuzah is up. This lovely thing has reminded me to say a quick prayer each time I see it. Who knew an object could help you to turn your heart to YHWH? I want to thank Corrine from Turtle Lane for this thoughtful gift. If you are in need of your own mezuzah be sure to head over to our giveaway post to win a set of your own!

Shavuot Scripture Reading List

Happy Shavuot if you are celebrating today! If you already celebrated I hope your set apart time was a lovely burst of growth and truth. If you are new to celebrating the Festivals of YHWH, hang in there! It gets better each time, as we understand more. The best is still ahead.

I wanted to share a few passages of Scripture that I enjoy reading at this time of year to prepare for and celebrate Shavuot. Since this is a time to reflect on the Word of YHWH and the Ruach HaKodesh I picked Scriptures related to that, but this is by no means an extensive list! The Set Apart Spirit is mentioned hundreds of times throughout all the books from the very Beresheet to the judges and prophets and the Psalms, Yahusha spoke of the Spirit, and it appears throughout Revelation. Not to mention how hard pressed you would be to find a passage of the Word that doesn't emphasize or point to the importance of the instructions of YHWH. So feel free to add your favorites to this. Here's a few of mine.

Scriptures to Read During Shavuot:
Exodus 19-20 - the giving of the Covenant after the Israelites left Egypt.
Vayikra 23:15-21 - this passage is about Shavuot itself.
Deuteronomy 16:9-12 - this passage gives further instruction for Shavuot.
Ten Commandments - this is in Exodus 20:1-17. I like to emphasize these because of course the infamous Golden Calf story also happened around Shavuot, so it's important to know how to live correctly so we also do not break Covenant with YHWH.
Book of Ruth - this is traditional to read because the story takes place around the spring harvest time, like Shavuot itself. It also beautifully parallels the story of many of us who weren't born into a Torah based community but chose that path with the help of a redeemer. 
Jeremiah 31:33 - the Torah will be written on our hearts.
Ezekiel 36:27 - talks about the Holy Spirit helping us to keep YHWH's instructions.
2 Chronicles 8:13 - Israel kept the Feasts under King Shlomo.
John 14:15-29 - Yahusha talks about the Ruach HaKodesh.
Luke 24:49 - Yahusha's instruction to wait.
Acts 1:4-5 - the disciples wait to be immersed.
Acts 2 - this is where the Ruach HaKodesh was poured out on believers, just ten days after the ascension of Yahusha. It happened at Shavuot. 
Book of Acts - I love Acts because it is about those who lived both as followers of Yahusha and as keepers of Torah. This is the lifestyle we should have today.
1 Corinthians 12 - the gifts of the Spirit.
Galatians 5:22 - the fruit of the Spirit.

My Matzah Week: What Celebrating Unleavened Bread Looks Like

A unique element to the Feast of Unleavened Bread (and Sukkot) is the duration of it: one whole week. That's something Western culture is not familiar with. Holidays, from birthdays to weddings to Christmas are one and done. There is anticipation building up to one special day and then it's over. This can create a lot of pressure to make that day spectacular. One of the great things about these Feasts is that since they are so long there is less pressure to have a big blowout day. But this can also seem a little underwhelming. A few times I have come out of Matzah Week thinking that it wasn't terribly different from any other week.

I decided to intentionally make this week a little bit different. I didn't take off work entirely but I did take a few days off. I also spontaneously decided to limit my internet consumption, and didn't read the handful of blogs I check regularly. I put zero thought into this decision but it worked out super well, as when I caught up with them the following week I realized many of the posts centered around easter preparation. I'm happy to have missed that, particularly during a set  apart time of YHWH. Spiritually, I focused on the final days and statements of Yahusha.  A couple of things I did weren't really feast themed but they were things that I enjoy that make the week a little more special, like picking fresh flowers and reading a new book.  Another thing I'm glad I did was to jot down a few of the Feast centered things that I did each day. It's cool to see that not only was I taking steps to celebrate a Feast of YHWH but that this week really was different for me.

I'm sharing with you what my week was like not because I think everyone should copy my schedule, but because the first few times I celebrated Unleavened Bread I kept wondering, but what should we do? So here is what Matzah Week was like for me this year. I think we don't have more instructions on this holy day because YHWH doesn't want us to be carbon copies of each other. We have a few guidelines, the no-work days, not consuming anything leavened, and celebrating but we also have a little creative wiggle room in how we choose to honor him this week.

Monday was a no-work day. My husband and myself took the day off from our professional jobs and also set aside the perpetual to do list for the day so that we could rest and enjoy YHWH's feast.
-We read the Exodus story together.
-The house had some decorations up already but we set out the decorations I brought back from our Pesach celebration. Including my matzah pinata, chocolate Seder plate, coasters, and lots of printables.
-We ate leftovers from the Passover meal, including matzah.
-We watched The Prince of Egypt.

Tuesday:
-Made a fresh batch of homemade matzah.

-Read the Prince of Egypt story.

-Watched the Joshua episode of Stories from the Bible (since it happened right after Passover).

-I got my flair omer counter set up and ready to go.

-Made spaghetti squash with marinara for dinner.

Wednesdays I run errands with my grandmother. Our tradition is visiting a coffee shop at the end of our outing. This time we had to be mindful of not consuming leavened treats.

-Wore my matzah socks!

-Read a new cookbook from the library.

-Matzah for lunch and dinner. Homemade matzah can be soft like a pita or tortilla, so I used mine to make 'tacos' of roasted root vegetables from the Passover meal. Great with cream cheese and a sprinkle of tabbouleh.

Thursday I worked most of the day. I made it a point to still be mindful of this being a special time.

-Read a verse related to Unleavened Bread every few hours.

-Listened to some Passover music throughout the day.

-Wore my clay matzah ring.

-I baked unleavened coconut cookies.

-Watched Torah to the Tribes' Passover.

Friday:

-Made plenty of fresh matzah to prepare for the back to back Shabbats this week.

-Listened to Torah to the Tribes' Unleavened Bread teaching while cooking and getting ready for Shabbat.

-Finally assembled my clay matzah picture frame for an extra decoration.

Shabbat:

-Attended congregation.

-Had a family lunch of black bean soup with matzah.

-Read the Last Supper accounts in the Besorah.

-Got a card around to send to friends also celebrating Matzah Week.

-More Passover music.

Sunday was the other no-work day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

-We slept in.

-Began our omer counting. (There are many different theories on when to start this, so don't feel bad if you started another day.)

-Went for a walk in beautiful weather.

-Picked a few flowers. The first of the year for me.

-Read the remaining Scriptures from this list.

How do you like to spend your Matzah Week? Again, please don't feel like your week needs to be just like mine. Hopefully this gave you some visual inspiration for keeping this feast. More ideas for Unleavened Bread can be found here.
How do celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread?