In the Vine, we see the older trunk as a representation of Judaism and the Law, which has no end. The cross was made into the healthy part of the root trunk and the new bud was placed into position. At the time of the crucifixion, the only way to G-d was to convert to Judaism if you were a non-Jew. The slit is made in the root trunk to reduce sap pressure and represents the soldiers’ spear piercing His side. Yeshua was a representation of the joining of the new vine into the root trunk. He hung between the two. The cross was nothing more than a crude tree trunk fashioned with a pointed end to stick firmly into the ground or a tree with deep roots that was used over and over for crucifixion. A notch was made about 6 feet from the bottom of the trunk in order to hold a crossbeam for the arms. A notch was made about 3 ft. from the ground as the area for the feet to be nailed to and the head would be above the arms. When He was nailed to the cross, Yeshua’s feet were nailed to the old trunk and his arms to the inserted crossbeam; once again representing the old and the new. When His blood flowed, it flowed into the old trunk and into the crossbeam. Both were forever joined when he was nailed (secured) to the tree so that “new bud would not be removed from its position in the old root”. According to tradition, when Yeshua walked the streets of Yerushalyim to His death, He carried this cross. This is not quite right. He carried the crossbeam that would be laid onto the trunk of the crucifixion tree. Quite literally, he carried the “new” to the “old."
A problem with grape vines is that sometimes they can appear to have a “bumper crop”, when in all actuality, the vines are producing more than the root trunk can afford to “feed”. This weakens the whole vine and the root and threatens the longevity of the entire plant. If a vine begins to show signs of weakness in upholding and feeding the over-abundance of new fruit, then the gardener removes half of the new fruit so that the fruit remaining will receive more nutrients and will become healthier and more rich at the time of harvest. My own quote: Better a basket of good, succulent grapes than a bushel of small, bitter grapes. What would be YOUR choice if you were the one to eat the grapes?
In these last days, many congregations and congregants are becoming “over-zealous” and they want to bear fruit before they have been instructed and matured in the Word of G-d. When you see a congregation begin to grow very rapidly, one of two things is happening. Either the Spirit of Hashem is drawing people to repentance and a life of servanthood OR there are too many young vines who are not properly grafted into the root trunk. Yes, they produce fruit in great quantity but the fruit does not remain because there was not enough nourishment to sustain it. Lulled into believing salvation is a hype and a form of entertainment, these vines are moved from the root trunk and begin to grow wild on their own. Not only is this damaging to a congregation, the congregant is allowed to commit spiritual suicide because the gardener (pastor) is not watching and shaping the vines as they grow and their relationship with the root trunk is all but pushed out because the new vine can’t stand under the pressure of the “sap rising” because it’s not firmly attached to begin with.
Those of us dedicated to serving G-d will sometimes find ourselves being stripped of “things”. This is because G-d wants us to get our nourishment from His root trunk and not something wild growing in the hedges. If He did not remove things from us from time to time, we would wither and die or we would become over-zealous and cause great spiritual harm to ourselves and to others.
The basis of this whole passage is that we should never depend on anything or anyone for our source of strength and nourishment. We should always depend on Abba our Father for all things with Yeshua as our connection.
Isaiah 5:1-11 – On the hills of Judah, the grapes in Biblical times and now are plentiful with beautiful grape vines. The richest of wines was produced from the grapes grown in this area during the times of David HaMelech (David our king) until the destruction of the second Beit HaMikdash (the Holy Temple). In order to have a vineyard in Israel, the soil is so rocky, one must plow the area and remove stones, sometimes a dozen times to make it fit for planting. Farming in Israel for a beginner, is not an easy task. At the time of the Babylonian captivity, Jerusalem had fallen into a state of ill repair and ill repute. Yes, the Temple was still there and the people learned Torah. However, they learned Torah as a ritual and not as a lifestyle. Service in the Temple because a ritual and not a service to Hashem because He is Holy. Yes, there were prophets, but the people didn’t hear their warnings; they wanted to shut the prophets up. Only when it was too late did they realize what they had done. The reference to less fruit in this passage refers to the small amount of people who truly loved G-d and Torah. Because the people had sinned so greatly, G-d wanted to destroy them but he had made a covenant with David HaMelech that His throne would endure forever. He had made a covenant with Abraham that this would be his land and an inheritance to his people through Isaac and Jacob. G-d cannot break a covenant. So instead of destroying His people, He took His wrath out on the stones of the first Beit HaMikdash and destroyed it. Yes, people say there was a Babylonian soldier who set the fire but they are mistaken. True Jewish history says that at the moment the soldier was about the set the torch to the Temple, G-d’s fire came and consumed the soldier’s fire and everything around it.
Because of their great sin, Judah was taken into captivity and Yerushalayim was laid desolate. However, in later years there was a Babylonian king named Cyrus who believed in the G-d of the Jews and he sent them home with whatever they needed to rebuild the Temple and the city of Yerushalayim. These accounts are written down in the books of Nehemiah and Ezra. And in case you are interested, the wall built by Hezekiah and rebuilt by Nehemiah is still here and can be seen in Yerushalayim. Even today the rocks cry out that there is a G-d and He is the G-d of Israel!
Psalm 80 – Asaf was the chief musician and director of the Temple music and choir. This Tehillim (Psalm) was written by him and sung to Hashem. Why? Because He wanted to remind G-d of His covenant. The punishment was decreed and set forth but in the midst of the punishment, the covenant was everlasting. Asaf was homesick and he wanted to be back at his work in the Temple leading in the praises of Adonai. Today, in Yerushalayim, there is still a musical school that remains operational and was formed by generations of musicians who carried with them in the dispersions the songs of the Temple. It is called simply “The School of Asaf” and is located near Mt. Zion.
Purge – The idea of purging is one of purification… a burning away of all that is contaminated. Hyssop is used continually with the idea of purging. Hyssop, known today as a popular Israeli spice called Za’atar, is a spice that is cleansing to the blood and purges the body of unhealthy toxins. The people and the city were purged not once, but twice by fire. The next time it is purged, it will be from the fire of the Torah, which has already begun but will not be complete until the final Redemption.
John 15:9-17 – Yeshua gave the greatest of Jewish commandments (outside of the 613 commandments of the Torah) when He said we are to love each other, even to the point of laying down our lives for each other. This still remains the most prominent of Jewish standards today. The Jewish people love and care for their own (if they are followers of Torah as they should be) and they love and care for the “strangers and aliens” among them. Every Jew and every Believer should know they have a support system through the love and the blood of Yeshua. Unfortunately, this has been robbed from Christians today. Pastors and leaders show no compassion to the disciples and sheep and the disciples and sheep turn into vicious people, doing many atrocious things in the name of Yeshua, while abusing the Shechinah – The Holy Spirit, and completely ignoring the Father.
In this passage Yeshua says that He chooses us. In Matthew 22:14, He says that many are called but few are chosen. This would read more accurately as follows: Many are invited but few choose to come. Each person has a calling on their life but it is up to them to decide between following G-d or following selfish desires. I know people who are called to be ministers, missionaries, evangelists… but they refuse to choose to serve G-d in that capacity. They were invited, but they chose to refuse the invitation. The ones who choose sincerely will see fruit, abundant fruit, and fruit that will be preserved. There are many ways to serve G-d but if we refuse to serve him in the capacity He has called us to, we are guilty of refusing the invitation just as much as those people who choose to ignore Him.
Music has always been an important part of my life and up until a few years ago, I enjoyed singing for Hashem and I even had my minister’s license, but He was calling me to do something else. He had been grooming me all my life to immerse myself in Judaism and to teach Christians the nutrients of the root trunk that had been thrown away by the church. Even though I heard His invitation, I chose to go my own way with singing and ministry. In the winter of 2000, I got very sick with an upper respiratory illness that left me with a depleted singing range and unable to lead in any kind of singing without losing my voice. I knew this was a decree of punishment. My next test was to give back my minister’s license. He kept urging me and urging me and finally in September of 2001, I relinquished that license to the denomination I was under. Within one week, a lady from Karen Wheaton Ministries called and told me that she had the unction to send me materials about Israel and her own books to study about the prophecies written about the Land and the People. This was the beginning of my ministry of servanthood to Israel and my ministry of teaching Christians what they have lost and what they have been taught that is not correct. In May of 2004, I made my first journey to Israel and I have never looked back. This is what I was created to do. And in the process of it all, G-d gave me a double blessing when I found out my maternal great-grandparents were Jews. I am a Jew by birth. Never would I have imagined such a thing. If G-d had not pruned me by taking my singing voice and my minister’s license, I would never have been so blessed to learn under a special anointing and travel and serve my people why learning so much about the Land of Israel, this special land that is my heartbeat. Pruning is not easy and it hurts; sometimes we bleed a bit, but it’s worth it to choose what HE has for us and not what we want. Just because we minister in a good way in a particular area does not mean it is the area Hashem has chosen for us. We have to learn the difference and then be willing to follow His lead. For our joy to be complete, it will only come through serving as He has called us to serve.
Psalm 51 – This Psalm is a Psalm of Teshuva or repentance. Without a heart of repentance at all times, G-d cannot and will not use us in the area of His choosing.
Isaiah 61 – One of the greatest joys of Jewish life is the marriage of one’s children. The Jewish wedding is a prelude to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. The groom and bride are separated until they are under the Chuppah (marriage canopy). Even in the joy following the ceremony, the bride is attended to by women and the groom by the men. There is much singing and dancing but it is only on the marriage night that the two are alone with themselves and G-d. Yeshua has been sent and is arrayed in his royal finery to receive His bride. What are the jewels of the bride that she must adorn herself with? Teshuvah (repentance), mitzvoth (performing good deeds), and the learning of Torah. Why Torah? Remember what John 1:1-5… it refers to the Word. Christians mistakenly believe this means the Bible as a whole with the Old and New Testaments. Wrong! This refers to the Torah. Yeshua did not come to take away the law, He came to fulfill it. Yeshua is the Word that was given to Moshe our Rabbi.
In these last days, the Shechinah is awakening people, especially Christians, to the fact that some of the things we have been taught are not necessarily the whole truth and that there is so much more to what we have been taught on the surface. This is what will make the Bride adorn herself. Those who realize and recognize what is happening are moving themselves to repentence, to serving others gladly with a whole heart, and learning the basics of what the first “church” really was. Yeshua didn’t teach a new thing to the people when he was on the earth. He taught them Torah in the manner that it was supposed to be taught. Over the years, the Priesthood had been infiltrated with those who used the Law / Torah as a weapon and slavemaster over the Jews. The same is being done in the churches today. When Yeshua came and gave the Torah so simple a child could understand, that’s when they said “we’ve never heard anyone speak like you”. It was not a new thing; it was the revival of the REAL thing!
John 15:18-25 – Hate… yes there is much hate for those who choose to follow Hashem’s course and not their own or someone else’s. I have a problem with many ministers and church leaders who force a person, regardless of their maturity and calling, into a position they have no business taking over. This is spiritually destructive for the person in position and for those under the person in that position. Mature Christians are supposed to recognize qualities in Believers around them and work to nourish and encourage and help that Believer grow into the calling G-d has for them. However, I recognize that in many, many instances when a person has a powerful calling, the authorities turn their backs or try to undermine. Why? Simple…jealousy. The authorities are not secure in their own area of service and are jealous and afraid of someone who is moving forward into what G-d has for them.
After choosing to follow G-d’s plans for me concerning teaching, serving Israel, and leaning more into my Judaic background, I have been hated by many. But I have come to the conclusion that this is THEIR problem and not mine. Unfortunately, many marriages and homes become a battleground when G-d lays a heavy calling on a person. There is the opportunity for issues of controlling spirits to enter, not only to delay action in the person who chooses to serve, but to disrupt the home and cause lack of Beit Shalom (shalom in the home). Retaliation against those that hate comes to nothing and destroys your own anointing. The hard way, I have learned to let it go. This does not mean I’m not careful about anyone who would plan to undermine or control my ministry, but it does mean that I leave G-d’s decree of judgment between Him and them. As I said… if they have a problem with me, it’s their problem. Not mine.
1 Peter 4:12-19 – When you are persecuted, ridiculed, and torn down by jealous people, don’t be alarmed. This has occurred for centuries without end. Don’t give up… keep doing what you were created to do. You know if people are attacking you, they are being used by the enemy. The enemy only wants to make you afraid so you will stop what you are doing. The most dangerous people to the enemy are those who choose to follow G-d’s path and are undaunted by circumstances, failures, successes, or anything else. You have a made up mind and spirit that has one goal… to complete the mission G-d has laid before you.
Psalm 69 – Do not ever think you are the only one to be persecuted. And don’t ever be surprised if the people closest to you are the ones who try to destroy you. By attacking within, the enemy gains a stronger foothold. Don’t be fooled. Be wise and continue on your journey. David HaMelech was not a perfect person but his praise for G-d was His calling and he did it well. He loved G-d enough to do what He wanted. Sure he strayed sometimes and did things he shouldn’t have, but if you will notice, teshuvah (repentance) was right on the heels of the transgression.
There are people in my family who shun me because of what I do. Most of them think I’ve really lost my mind. Little do they know that I have my full capacity of understanding in what G-d wants.
Christianity has been persecuted to a certain extent but I believe it is retribution for the harm they have caused the Jews in the last 2000 years. The Holocaust is but one pogrom enlisted to abolish the Jews. Why are they hated so much? Because G-d chose them. And in 1948 when G-d restored Israel as a sovereign nation, THEY CHOSE G-D! Every year since then brings in more Jews from the Diaspora, which infuriates those who choose another G-d over the G-d of Israel. Christianity has had its day but it is sort of fading except for those who are willing to go back to the roots of the religion and learn from mistakes made through the centuries. I think Christianity is also being persecuted because it lacks depth and reality. Ask anyone within a 10 mile radius of your home if they are a Christian and 99% will say yes. Is this a realistic answer? No. The actual statistic would be more like 15%, with that 15% comprised of those seeking and doing the will of G-d. Just because someone believes there is a G-d and that Jesus is Messiah does not make a person a Christian. Believing something to be true is one thing, experiencing its truth is something else.
John 15 & 14 – Yeshua is the Vine; Hashem is the gardener; the Shechinah is the fertilizer
The greatest work of the Holy Spirit is not a work that humans harness Him to do; it is a work He does in G-d’s people. The greatest work of the Shechinah is when you see a person following G-d, doing what G-d has chosen for them, and progressing in that calling. The Shechinah transforms the grafted vine into a harvest producer whose fruit is succulent and not bitter and of bad quality.
My opinion on Yeshua, the Shechinah, and Hashem… I mean this in no blasphemous way or to take away from the sacrifice Yeshua made… many “Believers” have used Yeshua as a cover for their own wickedness. Many things are done in His name that He does not approve of. When He came to the earth, He came to tell of the Father. EVERYTHING He said and did was to draw people to the Father. The Holy Spirit does the same thing… He speaks and does that which is decreed by the Father. Somehow, Hashem is left out. Worship, teaching…everything is about the cross and Yeshua but this is out of balance. When we realize that our Father is our Creator and we pursue a relationship with him through Yeshua and the Shechinah, then we will be moving in the right direction spiritually.
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The Torah portion for the week after Hanukkah is “Vayigash” (Genesis 44:18-47:27). “Vayigash” means being a good and mature person regardless of circumstances. This portion is about Joseph and the obstacles he faced in his life but because he remained true in his calling of Hashem, all was made well in the end when he was reunited with his father and his family. Because of his integrity, both of his sons inherited Joseph’s portion of Land in Israel. Efraim and Manashe were the only grandchildren decreed by Jacob to receive an inheritance! Joseph had a triple blessing!
When in Egypt before the brothers know who Joseph was, Joseph approached Judah and asked him “Do you have a father?” He replied, “Yes, an old father and we have a little child”. (The “little child” referred to Benjamin, Joseph’s younger brother). We all know why Joseph asked this question; he wanted to know if Jacob and Benjamin were still alive. In the Hebrew, the literal meaning of this question is “Is your father alive?”
However, if we take the question and look deeper, it could almost seem to be ludicrous question… “do you have a father”. Everyone has a father of some kind or they would not have been born into the world. Joseph wanted know that he would be reunited with his father but he also wanted to know if his brothers were still “rooted” with their father. He had been gone for many years and had no way of knowing the destiny of the family after he had been sold into slavery. There was a reason he needed to know… he wanted to know if the brothers had committed themselves to the care of their father; he wanted to know if they knew their roots and origins from Abraham to Jacob at the present time and if they acknowledged those roots; he wanted to know if the brothers looked to their father, the Patriarch of the Jewish nation and root trunk, for their spiritual and existential sustenance; when I left, did you turn into what you had become…a band of wandering shepherds who left their roots behind and went from place to place without a home; and lastly, are you proud of your father?
In accordance to our devotional for this past month, we can take Joseph’s question and ask the same thing of ourselves and others… Is your Father alive? Do you allow your Father to direct you and care for you? Are you attached to the ancient root of your Father? Are you attached to the ancient root of origins from Abraham through Jacob through Judah through Yeshua? Is the Father your root trunk and the nourishment for your spiritual and physical well-being? OR are you a wanderer who has forgotten your Father? Have you left the deep roots of your beliefs and gone wandering? Are you left with no spiritual home? Are you proud of the Father? Can you go out and tell others what He means to you and what He has done for you?
“Atik Yomim” – He of Ancient Days – HE is our Father and that encompasses His position as our Father, He extends to us as His children.
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