Filed under Lifestyle, Positive thoughts, Religious affairs, Welfare matters
Dear readers,
Hopefully, you are all in good health.
On April 02 there are 5,552 people registered in Belgium that are infected with the novel coronavirus who are receiving treatment in Belgian hospitals.
That there are only 1,143 deaths of the CoViD-19 virus at the moment is thanks to the exceptional precautions that the government has taken and which a large part of the population adheres to.
The coming week brings us, what in normal circumstances would be the busiest time for gatherings, in our effort to remember how God has liberated us, and to make sure that the younger generation would come aware how we always should remember how God Helps and Guides His People.
14 Nisan is normally the Day of The Memorial Meal.
This year that shall be different from all other years.
In Lockdown times, best not to meet too many people and to keep social distance, nowhere in Belgium, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal shall there be an open public Memorial Meal or Pesach Seder.
While you might not be able to physically gather around the seder table this Passover, do not forget that you can come together online.
Check out our 10 tips for creating a meaningful and fun seder experience for your family and friends, near and far.
You could make and can use a Haggadah you could send out by e-mail beforehand and/or screen-share it with your guests, or encourage everyone to print their own copy.
It can be very helpful to pick someone to lead the virtual seder. Make sure this person has experience successfully using Zoom, FaceTime, Google Hangouts, Skype, etc..
He can play Moshe and let us remember how Moshe ditched his desert aesthetic and returned to the Egyptian palace to deliver God’s message, with the help of his brother and hype man, Aaron.
Telling the exodus story he may not forget to bring forth how Moshe spoke about God commands and how God clapped back at the Egyptians. Children perhaps can have drawings made of the pathway formed between the walls of water and the Israelites who made it to the other side without harm.
This year there can best not swapped places. Best is to have everybody all night using the same place at the table, and if possible having enough distance between each household member.
But this year we should also account for the virtual seated next speaker. Figure out ahead of time who is going to read what. Throughout the seder, text the person you’d be sitting next to. Be careful when all speakers are on there shall be too much echo and everything could become too chaotic. Therefore, let everybody stay muted and follow an order of speaking plus having put up an arm or (funny) sign requesting to speak.
Let us not forget to show our love to God by remembering what He has done and still does, and let us show our love to others by taking enough precautions to keep everybody safe and in good health. Even when we might be very isolated in our own cosy home, let us feel the union with brothers and sisters all over the world, and let our prayers be with them all.
Please pray:
I will seek to make this world a better place, for all people, today and tomorrow. To this, in their memory, I pledge myself. Ani ma’amin. Am Yisrael chai.
A Jewish community eating the symbolic Passover food during the Seder evening, the evening before the Passover festival (picture-alliance / dpa / Robert Fishman)
As you come to the end of the seder, remember that this uncertainty, while it already feels like 40 years of wandering in the desert, is temporary. The Israelites made it eventually. So will we.
Next year, in person!
For 2020:
Keep safe and well, having a lovely Passover seder.
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Preceding
Anxiety Management During Pandemic Days~
Hope on the Horizon: Pandemic Anxiety Management II~
Mel Brooks saying “go home” to Max Brooks
Christian Response to the Covid-19 Pandemic
7 Ways To Boost Your Immune System in Lockdown
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Tonight starts the celebration of Purim, for many known as the Jewish carnival. In many families it is a pleasant day for the kids they being allowed to dress up and them looking for presents which are sent by family members and friends. First the children were asked to fast and to keep those things that the like much, to share with others who have less then them.
From today until Schmini Shel Pesach the final day of Passover on Nisan 22, commemorating the Splitting of the Red Sea, the climax of the Exodus from Egypt, and the day when we focus on the final liberation, the one that’s yet to happen. We look at the days of or moments of liberation the Hashem has given to His People. These days we remember the time of Moshe and Estêr, but also we reflect on the way God is with us all the time.
Starting with the commemoration of the salvation of the Jewish people in ancient Persia from the wicked Haman his plot
“to destroy, kill and annihilate all the Jews, young and old, infants and women, in a single day,”
as recorded in the Megillah (book of Esther).
Esther before Ahasuerus, by Franciszek Smuglewicz, 1778
The Jew-hating Haman, appointed prime minister of the Persian Empire under King Aḥašvērōš, convinced the king to issue a decree ordering the extermination of all the Jews on the 13th of Adar, a date chosen by a lottery Haman made.
Mardəkī or Mordecai galvanized all the Jews, convincing them to repent, fast and pray to the Most High Elohim. After the first wife of the king had been executed for failing to follow his orders, he arranged a beauty pageant to find a new queen. A Jewish girl, Esther, found favour in the king’s eyes and became the new queen, though she refused to divulge her nationality. After Haman had required to kill the Jews Esther revealed to the king her Jewish identity, which would mean when the decree would be executed his beauty and loved one would be killed also. To avoid such drama Haman was hanged and instead of him Mordechai was appointed prime minister. A new decree was issued, granting the Jews the right to defend themselves against their enemies.
On the 13th of Adar, the Jews mobilized and killed many of their enemies. On the 14th of Adar, they rested and celebrated. In the capital city of Shushan, they took one more day to finish the job.
Since Haman had thrown lots to determine when he would carry out his diabolical scheme this remembrance period is also called “Feast of lots”.
Queen Estêr (Esther) is the heroine of the Megillah tale, and has been a character used in several films and some ballets. From a simple girl she could take a very high position, which made her able to use her influence to save the Jewish people. But this was only possible by revealing her nationality. She could have been quiet and let the Jews been killed, but preferred to speak, endangering herself. Though the king madly in love with her did not kill her but killed the man who had asked for the Jews to be killed.
Married to a non-Jew she was stuck having the privilege to live in a palace, and the years after this event was still unable to join her people in their celebrations. She had saved her people, but could not save herself from her ‘castle-walls’. She was trapped, living between two worlds.
We have to take care we get not trapped, but also that we do not stay silent. Certainly in these times when we can find more and more people who do find that this world only belongs to (trinitarian) Christians. Looking around and following the news, we hear several times a week how Jews are bullied or even how certain people try to kill Jews on the street (like the incident in Antwerp last week).
Rabbi Michael Knopf who writes extensively on matters of halakhah (the Jewish legal tradition) a few days ago wrote about Purim and the Responsibilities of Privilege and looking at our position in this world wrote:
We cannot be truly safe, truly free, truly prosperous, until everyone is safe, free, and prosperous.
He also remembered Martin Luther King, Jr. who wrote,
“I cannot sit idly by in Atlanta and not be concerned about what happens in Birmingham. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” (“Letter from a Birmingham Jail”).
These coming days we especially look at the way God helped His People and how they acted in their life on the way to the Promised Land. Most of them never saw that place which could have been an ‘heaven on earth’. Throughout history we have seen many pogroms and years of torture and killings of our ancestors. These days we can remember them but also remember the liberation of so many. Because these days that is going to be our focus, how the Elohim is there to help us and to guide us to be able to live in a world which does not like the Children of God. Going up to Pesach, the climax of the year 15-22 Nisan, remembering the Passover and liberation of Gods people.
The Rabbi reminds us:
If you are reading this column, chances are good that you are among the ranks of the most fortunate people to ever live.
Mordechai‘ s challenge to Esther is, therefore, our challenge as well. When there are those in our world, in our country, whose lives are at risk, do we stand by, fearful that speaking up will cost us our position? Or do we remember that our fate is bound up in their fate, too, and perhaps we have attained our privilege for just such a crisis?This was the question of Esther’s time. This is the question of our time. As we celebrate Purim, let us honor Mordechai’s challenge, and recall Esther’s heroic response. {Purim and the Responsibilities of Privilege }
On the Israel Forever Foundation website and on Inspiration from Zion: This is a Love Story we also find the warning
Today we are not witnessing the Holocaust but there are world leaders who advocate for the elimination of the Jewish State. There are individuals who openly declare that the genocide of the Jewish people should have been completed. Antisemitism is again becoming something that is socially acceptable to express in public. {Purim: Not to speak is to speak}
And a question
In a world where Antisemitism is again becoming socially acceptable, where Jews are told that they cannot be both feminists and Zionists and many Jews are afraid to speak out about the injustices against our people – what message could be more relevant? {Purim: Not to speak is to speak}
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Over enkele uren begint 10 Nisan en weldra mogen wij deelgenoten zijn van het belangrijkste herinneringsmoment van het jaar, 14 – 22 Nisan.
Op maandag 10 Nisan sprak Jezus in de tempel over zijn naderende dood. Hij had een goed idee van wat er hem te wachten stond. Begrijpelijk was hij hier toch ook om bezorgd. Indien hij alwetend zou geweest zijn zoals God alwetend is zou hij zich geen zorgen hebben gebaard. Ook indien hij eeuwig zou geweest zijn, zoals zijn hemelse Vader eeuwig is en aldus onsterfelijk is, moest hij zich ook geen zorgen maken. Maar nu als een gewone mens van vlees en bloed moest hij wel tegen iets aankijken waarvan hij niet wist wat daarna zou komen. Hij moest geloof hechten aan wat zijn hemelse Vader in petto had voor hem na zijn dood.
Over de uitwerking die zijn dood ging hebben op Gods naam, zei hij:
‘Vader, verhoog uw naam.’
Dan klinkt er een machtige stem uit de hemel:
‘Ik heb hem verhoogd en zal hem opnieuw verhogen’ (Johannes 12:27, 28).
Zoals Abraham geloof hechte aan God en zoals Mozes wist dat Jehovah betrouwbaar was en geloof stelde in Zijn belofte dat de eerstgeboren zoons van Egypte gedood zouden worden, moest Jezus nu geloven dat hij de eerstgeborene kon zijn van een nieuwe generatie die een nog grotere bevrijding kon krijgen dan zij die uit de slavernij van de Egyptenaren verlost werden.
Jezus die dagelijks in de tempel kwam om te onderwijzen (Luk. 19:47; 20:1) had met zijn ijver en wonderbaarlijke handelingen heel wat na-ijver veroorzaakt. Maar nu wist hij dat zijn openbare bediening tot een einde ging komen. Slechts enkele jaren kon hij zich richten tot de mensen om hen duidelijk te maken dat hij de Weg naar God is, de beloofde Messias, de gezondene van God die kwam verklaren wat God werkelijk van de mens wil.
Nu was de tijd gekomen om zich voor die mens te gegeven om hen van elke soort van wetteloosheid te bevrijden en zich een volk te reinigen dat uitsluitend zijn eigendom zou zijn, ijverig voor voortreffelijke werken. (Tit. 2:14). Nu was de tijd gekomen dat de Zoon des mensen verheerlijkt moest worden. (Johannes 12:23).
Wat Jezus te wachten staat, kan niet vermeden worden.
„Niettemin”,
zegt hij,
„ben ik juist hierom tot dit uur gekomen.”
Ook al is er die angst voor het onbekende, het gebeuren na de dood, vertoont Jezus de rust in de zekerheid dat God het beste met hem voor heeft. Hij is bereid om zich ten volle aan God te geven. Voor Jezus is het duidelijk dat niet zijn wil maar de Wil van God moet geschieden. Hiertoe is hij bereid om tot aan zijn offerandelijk dood zijn daden door Gods wil te laten leiden (Johannes 12:27).
Wat een voorbeeld heeft hij ons gegeven — een voorbeeld van volledige onderwerping aan Gods wil!
Dat onderwerpen aan Gods Wil is één van de moeilijke zaken die de mensen vandaag nog parten spelen. Nog steeds rebelleren mensen tegen God en willen velen niet leven volgens de Wil van God. Nog steeds vinden de meeste mensen het belangrijker om hun omgeving of de wereld te behagen in plaats van God. Voor hen zijn de wereldse feesten zoals Kerstmis en Pasen belangrijker dan de feesten die God heeft opgedragen aan de mensheid.
Na Jezus zijn offerdood en de aanlevering van inzicht door Gods Heilige Geest begrepen de apostelen de rol van Jezus en hoe hij de Christus,
“ons Pascha, is (…) geslacht” (1 Kor. 5:7).
Ook toen zij op 14 Nisan samen met Jezus aan tafel zaten (of lagen) begrepen zij niet goed waar hij het allemaal over had. Vreemd leek het hun ook dat hij vroeg zijn lichaam en bloed te delen, er van te eten en er van te drinken.
Over enkele dagen wordt die gebeurtenis uitvoerig herdacht en besproken in vele gemeenschappen over de gehele wereld. Al de ware gelovigen die opkijken naar het zoenoffer van Jezus Christus zullen dan die belangrijke dagen ter herinnering gedenken en diep in hun hart dragen.
Hopelijk zal u ook één van de gelovigen zijn op zulk een herinneringsmaaltijd.
Mogen wij u er verwachten?
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Voorgaande
Neem afstand van heidense vastenperiodes
Saturnus, Janus, Zeus, Sol, donkerte, licht, eindejaarsfeesten en geschenken
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The Catholics may have started their Lenten Season and try to lessen what they normally would eat and cut in entertainment activities. When we look around us we may find a few people who want to take the time to go over to a willing abstinence or reduction from some or all food, drink, or both, for a period of time.
Many religious observances have fasting in their program.
You should know that it is not bad to have every year some cleaning of the body and mind. Also in the house many may do a Spring cleaning. Abstinence from food or drink or both may be done for health, ritualistic, religious, or ethical purposes. All over the world we can find peoples taking abstention which may be complete or partial, lengthy, of short duration, or intermittent. Fasting has been promoted and practised from antiquity worldwide by physicians, by the founders and followers of many religions, by culturally designated individuals (e.g., hunters or candidates for initiation rites), and by individuals or groups as an expression of protest against what they believe are violations of social, ethical, or political principles.
Since at least the 5th century bce fasting has been used therapeutically. The ancient Greek physician who lived during Greece’s Classical period and is traditionally regarded as the father of medicine, Hippocrates recommended abstinence from food or drink for patients who exhibited certain symptoms of illness.
Northern district, Mevo’ot HaHermon council, moshav Beit Hillel
Detail of the Knesset Menorah, Jerusalem: Hillel the Elder teaching a man the meaning of the whole Torah while he stands on one foot
In almost every rabbinic book we can find mention of 9 Adar as a fast day. Though we must admit that during the last 2,000 years, not many Jews actually observed it. According to tradition, 9 Adar was the day on which initially peaceful and constructive disagreements between Beit Hillel and Beit Shammai, the two great schools of thought during the Mishnaic period, erupted into a violent conflict over 18 points of law. The 1st century Jewish scholar Shammai was the most eminent contemporary, an important figure in Judaism‘s core work of rabbinic literature, the Mishnah, and the halakhic opponent of Hillel, the highest authority among the Pharisees (predecessors to Rabbinic Judaism), founder of the House of Hillel school for Tannaïm (Sages of the Mishnah) and the founder of a dynasty of Sages who stood at the head of the Jews living in the Land of Israel until roughly the fifth century of the Common Era.
Hillel was the head of the great school, at first associated with Menahem the Essene, who might be the same Menahem the Essene as the one mentioned by Flavius Josephus in relation to King Herod, afterward with Shammai, Hillel’s peer in the teaching of Jewish Law. The family of Jesus Christ also belonged to the Essenes.
Hillel and his Torah colleague Shammai were both disciples of Shemaya and Avtalyon as well as the last of the Zugos. (The five generations of Zugos were Jose ben Joezer and Jose ben Jochanan, Joshua ben Perachiah and Nitai HaArbeli, Judah ben Tabbai and Shimon ben Shatach, Shemaya and Avtalyon, and Hillel and Shammai.) Both were fearless upholders of the Torah’s honour, standing up to Herod and brooking no mockery of Judaism.
Due to increased Roman persecution, Hillel and Shammai their disciples were unable to analyze new situations as deeply as Jewish scholars once could. As a result, the emerging scholars broke off into two schools of thought, known as Bais Shammai and Bais Hillel or Beit Hillel and Beit Shammai, and wound up disputing more than 300 cases. This beginning of large-scale argumentation (machlokes) is viewed by the Talmud as a sad diminution in Torah scholarship, which, due to the lack of clarity, had drastic results for the Jewish people.
At first the scholars personally treated each other with great love and respect. But according to various sources 9 Adar was the day on which initially peaceful and constructive disagreements between Beit Hillel and Beit Shammai, erupted into a violent conflict over 18 points of law, killing as many as 3,000 students in the fighting which should have been avoided.
We can take 9 Adar as a cautionary tale. There is a timely and pressing need to examine how the model of machloket l’shem shamayim (dispute for the sake of Heaven) between Beit Hillel, which produced 14 generations of great leaders, spanning nearly 400 years, and guiding the Jewish people through some of their most difficult times, and Beit Shammai devolved into a Jewish civil war. The lesson from that occasion is that
if we don’t work to resolve conflict peaceably and in a way in which everyone walks out stronger and the community is strengthened,
notes Nurit Bachrach, director of Mosaica: The Center for Consensual Conflict Resolution.
9 Adar, may be looked at as a day we should recognize the urgency to impart skills for constructive conflict to future Jewish leaders and therefore the Pardes Center for Judaism and Conflict Resolution has therefore chosen this day to be the international Jewish Day of Constructive Conflict (machloket l’shem shamayim), dedicated to both the study and practice of Judaism and conflict resolution.
People need to have their minds open for different thoughts. They should always try to negotiate with those of other opinions and should always remember that all people are creations of the Most High, in His image, which we should show respect.
As in any community there may be different thoughts or different schools. All created in the image of God should respect the others around them. We also should know that nobody can know everything, but God. We as fallible human beings shall have to try to work things out. God has given us time to do that. He also has given His Word and His Law, which we remembered this last weekend. That Torah or Written Law should be our guide. We should follow those instructions.
There are 18 ways you or your organization can participate in your home, workplace, synagogue, school and community, recalling the 18 matters over which the conflict erupted.
Traditional Fast Day Customs (Minhagim)
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Learn/Teach (Talmud Torah)
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Be a Rodef Shalom for the Day
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On this day it is also important that we do think about the reason why we received the Torah and how we should use it as a guide to construct our life. If we want to be a Child of God we should behave like one. As children of God we do have to feel like brothers and sisters of each other, respecting and loving each other, trying together to please our heavenly Father.
When we treasure our friendship with the Most High Elohim Hashem Jehovah, we should strive to please Him in every aspect of our life, including our thoughts. Preparing ourselves for the coming period, living up to Erev Pesach or 14 Nisan on Monday April the 10th in 2017 and hoping to have a joyful Pesach the next two days days, we may take the coming days to think how we can better our life and cleanse our inner soul. Fasting, or trying not to be tempted by certain things we so love, is a good way to train our self.
Everybody has to work at himself or herself to come to have “a pure heart”. This has to happen by focusing our minds on what is chaste, virtuous, and praiseworthy. (Ps. 24:3, 4; 51:6; Phil. 4:8) Granted, Jehovah makes allowances for our imperfect nature. He knows that we are prone to improper desires. But we do have to recognize that it saddens Him when we nurture wrong thoughts instead of doing all we can to reject them. (Gen. 6:5, 6) Therefore let us remember those squabbling studious Jewish followers of Hillel and his Torah colleague Shammai, and make sure that we do not fall in the trap of discussing so much smaller things that they grow above our head into something which would bring us to fight and do something against the Will of the Most High.
Going up to the days of Pesach we can take time to meditate on the Word of God plus His Works and to reflect on our way of living. It can be a good thing to avoid being tempted to eat or drink certain things we love, and to stand still by those who were going day in day out through the desert, hoping to find the promised Holy Land soon. We too still have our hopes on the Holy Land and look forward to see it coming to a time of peace. We therefore should take enough time to consider what it is what God wants and to come to accept that Jews, Christians and Muslims should all be partakers of that Holy Land. In the end all the world should know that the Kingdom of God shall be the place for all lovers of God, no matter from which school they came of from which denomination they were part of. Jerusalem shall be the capital of God’s Kingdom here on earth and there shall be place enough for all those who want to do the Will of God.
Doing the Will of God should be our aim. To do that Will of God we may only worship One True God and keep ourselves away form all sorts of heathen rites and traditions. So, if you want to fast, do it, but do it with a pure heart, not mixing with pagan traditions and keep your thoughts chaste or spotless. An important way to show our complete reliance on Jehovah is by making our fight against unclean thoughts and staying restraint a matter of prayer. When we draw close to Jehovah in prayer, he draws close to us. He generously gives us his holy spirit, thus strengthening our resolve to resist immoral thoughts and remain chaste. Let us these days remember that and let peace grow in our hearts and share it with others around us.
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Preceding articles
Happy First Day of Spring: Spring Cleaning!
7 Ways To Become A Better Christian
Reactions against those of the other sex
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Vooral de Katholieke Kerk heeft in het verleden handig gebruik gemaakt van bepaalde jaargetijden om de mensen geld af te trochelen en hen intens te binden aan hun kerkgemeenschap. Katholieken in velerlei landen werden regelmatig opgeroepen om zich te bezinnen en voor hun aflaten geld te geven aan de Kerk van Rome.
Freelance auteur en chocolade verslaafde (zoals ik) Annemarie Latour, kijkt in haar artikel “Haal de buikriem aan en vier de Keltische advent” naar die vroege kerk en naar de Ierse christenen. Zij schrijft
Vasten… de vroege Ierse kerk lustte er wel pap van. Niet één, niet twee, maar drie keer per jaar haalden Ierse christenen de buikriem aan. Allereerst gebeurde dat veertig dagen voor Pasen (in het Iers corgas erraig), gevolgd door veertig dagen na Drievuldigheidszondag (samcorgas), om het jaar in stijl af te sluiten met veertig dagen vasten voorafgaand aan Kerstmis (gamcorgas). {Haal de buikriem aan en vier de Keltische advent}
Verkleedfeest en een paradefeest Mardi Gras in New Orleans
In de Benelux en vele andere landen hebben de Katholieken vorige dinsdag, op Vastenavond, de carnavalsperiode afgesloten met allerlei zotte fratsen en omkleedpartijen. Na hun pannenkoeken avond op Vette dinsdag (mardi gras), een feest dat terug gaat tot in de tijd dat er geen bewaarmogelijkheden waren voor de voedingswaren enerzijds, en de aanvang van de vastentijd op Aswoensdag anderzijds en al het eten dat de winter had overleefd moest opgegeten worden tot iedereen vet genoeg was om de periode te kunnen overbruggen tot de nieuwe lente met nieuwe gewassen, zijn sommigen op Aswoensdag naar de kerk gegaan om een askruisje te gaan halen als teken van hun verbondenheid met de Katholieke Kerk en met hun ‘treurnis voor zonde’. Voor hun is Aswoensdag de eerste vastendag van een 40 dagen lange vastenperiode. In mijn kindertijd werd er nog echt gevast, met die verstande dat alles werd geminderd en er van ons ‘versterving’ werd verwacht en extra ‘goede daden’. Vandaag zijn er zelfs al mensen die denken dat vegetarisch eten al vasten is, wat maakt dat ik al jaren alle aan het vasten zou zijn. Wel geef ik toe dat in de jaren 40-60 van vorige eeuw het ontberen van vlees ook werd aanzien al zich een tekort aan doen. Toen was het doorheen het jaar trouwens de gewoonte om op woensdag en vrijdag niets van vlees te eten. Op vrijdag mocht er dan wel vis gegeten worden. Snoep dat niet meer zo veel gegeten mocht worden, was voor ons kinderen toen wel al een opdracht, maar toch niet zo erg als men het nu zou moeten vragen aan jongeren. Vermoedelijk om dat men weet dat de huidige generaties zulk een vasten niet zouden kunnen verdragen wordt het hen ook niet meer opgelegd.
Een priester die een askruisje toedient op het voorhoofd.
Zo wel bij de Katholieken als bij de Moslims kan men een vasten van 40 dagen vinden waarbij eigenlijk wordt gehoopt dat mensen zich bezinnen en in die periode werkelijk alle moeite doen om het zondige van zich af te zetten, en zo niet te denken aan schunnige dingen of verkeerde gedachten te laten opkomen. Bij Katholieken wil men in die periode in het bijzonder denken aan Jezus welke zo een 40 dagen ter herinnering aan de 40 jaren doortocht in de woestijn ook een periode doorbracht in de woestijn. Door te vasten zouden die Katholieken dan meer tijd moeten nemen om hun ‘Heer’ te ontmoeten, de bijbel te lezen, zich te bezinnen (bidden) en zich zo voor te bereiden op hun Pasen.
Velen vergeten hier bij dat het vasten terug gaat op oudtestamentische tijden (vgl. Leviticus en Numeri) maar ook op het Nieuwe Testament (vgl. Handelingen). Al in de eerste eeuw aten christenen geen vlees (van warmbloedige dieren) op vrijdag om zo de “kruisdood van Jezus” in ere te houden.
Hoe er werd gevast hing af van plaatselijke tradities en hierbij valt ook op dat in veel gemeenschappen de heidense gebruiken ook gretig intrek vonden.
Het ‘wintervasten’ van de Keltische monniken was een mildere variant dan de strenge vastentijd die aan Pasen voorafging. In plaats van het normale rantsoen, kregen monniken een half rantsoen brood, een klein stukje boter – als ze geluk hadden – en waterige melk. Dat kon worden aangevuld met bosvruchten, appels of bijvoorbeeld kool. {Haal de buikriem aan en vier de Keltische advent} (Merk hierbij op dat het daarbij steeds om het heidens Pasen van de Katholieken ging, dat niets vandoen heeft met de joodse en ware Christenen hun ‘paasviering‘)
Naargelang de streek waren er kloosters die alleen op maandag, woensdag en vrijdag vastten, terwijl anderen dat de hele week deden met uitzondering van zon- en feestdagen. Volgen sommigen moest dat ook wel omdat het anders zogezegd fysiek niet vol te houden was, want er moest gewoon worden gewerkt. Hierbij kan ik u verzekeren dat dit was omdat zij op de verkeerde wijze vasten en niet werkelijk volledig over gingen tot niets eten. (Als ik vastte ging ik van vaste voeding over tot vloeibare voeding om dan verder verscheidene dagen werkelijk niets te eten en slechts alleen zuiver water te drinken voor meerdere dagen, terwijl ik als danser toch zwaar werk verrichte, en dit over een periode van totaal zes weken, waarbij de meerdere dagen van helemaal geen voeding werden opgevolgd door een overgang van zeer lichte kruidenthees tot sterk verdunde fruit en groenten sappen, om dan van vloeibare voeding terug over te gaan tot vaste voeding.)
Voor zowel de Keltische monniken als kloosterlingen elders was het vasten bedoeld om het hoofd en hart helder te krijgen. Minder eten en meer biechten, bidden en boete doen, hielpen daarbij. In de aanloopperiode naar Kerst, zuiverden ze zo hun geest van alles wat er volgens de kloosterregel niet in thuishoorde. {Haal de buikriem aan en vier de Keltische advent}
Voor de lente vasten was de idee om zich voor te bereiden op de offergave van Jezus Christus, waarbij wij als nietige mens het ook op ons moeten nemen om iets op te offeren. Zo waren er de gebruiken om dingen met anderen te delen en zich speciaal in te zetten op de meer behoevende. Vandaag zijn er gerust nog steeds voldoende armen die alle hulp kunnen gebruiken. Vluchtelingen zijn er nu ook bij gekomen, alhoewel wij die in onze kindertijd ook kenden, de oorlogsslachtoffers en de voor het communisme op de vlucht gegane mensen. Op dat vlak is er eigenlijk niets nieuws, want oorlogsvluchtelingen zijn er steeds geweest, maar hun aantallen zijn nu wel zeer erg toe genomen en uitvergroot door de media.
Goede Vrijdag herdenkingsdag bij bepaalde christenen van de kruisiging en dood van Jezus op de heuvel Golgotha nabij de stad Jeruzalem – Kreusigingstriptychon, Rogier van der Weyden, 1445
Voor Katholieken is de vasten periode in de lente ook een tijd die opbouwt tot Goede Vrijdag, de dag waarbij zij het overlijden van Jezus herinneren. Op die dag zwijgen de kerkklokken en haalt men het ‘tabernakel’ leeg. Wat daarna volgt met Stille zaterdag en Paaszondag is dan weer een verbintenis met een ander heidense gebeurtenis.
Ware Christenen echter zouden zich moeten onthouden van zulke heidense gebeurtenissen en tradities. Zij kunnen over gaan tot een 40 dagen van bezinning indien zij wensen. Daarbij kunnen zij denken aan de moeilijke jaren die de Israëlieten moeten doorgebracht hebben in de woestijn, bij de tocht naar het Beloofde land of het Heilige Land. Dat was trouwens wat Jezus er toe bracht om ook naar de woestijn te trekken om die gebeurtenis te herinneren en zich te bezinnen vooraleer hij zijn belangrijke publiek taak zou gaan opnemen.
Het kan gerust geen kwaad om ofwel deze Katholieke bezinningstijd of een andere periode ook even stil te staan bij die trektocht door de woestijn en na te denken over wat Mozes in die woestijn kreeg op de berg Sinaï. Daar werd aan Moses de Wet gegeven. Voorgaand weekend, op 6 en 7 Adar, herdachten wij die gebeurtenis en de optekening van de gebeurtenissen van Gods gekozen volk door Moses.
Zoals de Katholieke Kerk niet enkel de drie goden over nam van de Grieken en Romeinen voerde zij ook de gebruiken van andere drie-eenheden-godsdiensten zoals die van de Kelten in en nam ze er vele gebruiken van over. – Drievoudige godin (illustratie: Paul Dempsey)
Vast staat wel dat wij niet het Keltisch gebruik moeten over nemen om de overgang van donker naar licht op te nemen, zoals de Katholieken doen met o.a. Lichtmis en andere feesten.
Een belangrijk kenmerk van Imbolc – en daarmee van de godin Bríg en Sint Brigid – is het element vuur. Dit element is overgenomen in de katholieke traditie. Er bestaat bijvoorbeeld een oud verhaal waarin de naam van Sint Brigid verbonden wordt aan het gebruik van kaarsen in een heilige, religieuze ruimte.
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Maria-Lichtmis wordt dus op 2 februari gevierd. Deze datum valt precies veertig dagen na Kerstmis, waarmee een afgesloten periode van geestelijke groei wordt gesymboliseerd. Op Maria-Lichtmis worden in de katholieke Kerk traditioneel kaarsen gewijd en wordt soms ook een speciale kaarsenprocessie gehouden voor aanvang van de eucharistieviering. {Keltische lente en katholieke kaarsjes: Imbolc voor beginners}
Vast en zeker mag onze bezinning dezer dagen niet leiden naar het heidense ‘Christelijk Paasfeest’ maar moet het dan een voorbereiding zijn op Pesach. Het moet er ons toe brengen om 14 en 15 Nisan waardig te herdenken.
Door te vasten kunnen wij de exodus herdenken en op 14 Nisan een speciale Vastendag houden vanwege de eerstgeborenen of bij de aanvang van 14 Nisan (‘s avonds) bijeenkomen voor de herinneringsmaaltijd waarbij wij Jezus zijn samenkomst in de bovenkamer te Jeruzalem herinneren. Die bijeenkomst horen wij jaarlijks als het voornaamste herdenkingsmoment van het jaar als hoogtepunt van het kerkelijk of religieus jaar te aanschouwen. die dag is dan ook de openingsdag voor 15-22 Nisan of Pesach.
Als wij werkelijk als Christenen willen door gaan moeten wij Christus Jezus volgen en zoals hem ons voorbereiden op Pesach. Hierbij komt het er op aan dat wij onze vriendschap met Jehovah voorop stellen. Als wij dat belangrijk vinden, willen we graag dat Hij blij is met alles wat we denken en doen. Wij moeten beseffen dat God het belangrijk vindt dat wij ons afhouden van alles wat onrein is. Daarmee moeten wij alles wat maar raakt aan heidense gebruiken terzijde leggen. doch moeten wij beseffen dat het vasten of het ‘ont-houden’ van iets bij alle volkeren voorkwam. Steeds hebben mensen beseft dat zij zich moesten reinigen. Al eeuwen hebben allerlei volkeren jaarlijks zich er toe genomen om hun lichaam te zuiveren. Ook wij willen ‘rein van hart’ zijn. Ook wij beseffen dat een gezuiverd lichaam belangrijk is voor onze gezondheid. Maar ook een gezuiverde geest is zeer belangrijk. De periode naar Pesach toegaande kunnen wij proberen onze geest te zuiveren, door ons te concentreren op dingen die zuiver en eerbaar zijn (Ps. 24:3, 4; 51:6; Fil. 4:8).
Ons helemaal ‘clean’ krijgen zal wel niet echt lukken, maar wij mogen er op aan dat Jehovah er gelukkig rekening mee houdt dat we onvolmaakt zijn. Hij weet dat er oneerbare gedachten in ons op kunnen komen. Maar in het besef dat het Hem verdriet doet als we zulke gedachten zouden voeden in plaats van ze te verwerpen (Gen. 6:5, 6) willen wij er ons op toe leggen om verkeerde gedachtengangen te vermijden. Daarom doen we alles wat we kunnen om onze gedachten rein te houden. Het is belangrijk dat we ons gevecht tegen verkeerde gedachten blijven benoemen in onze gebeden. Zo laten we zien dat we echt op Jehovah vertrouwen. Jehovah zal zulke gebeden beantwoorden door ons royaal zijn heilige geest te geven, waardoor we immorele gedachten beter kunnen weerstaan en eerbaar kunnen blijven.
Als je dus wil vasten, neem dan afstand van het Katholieke vasten, Goede Vrijdag en Stille Zaterdag, maar bereid je voor op 14 Nisan en kom dan samen met ons Jezus laatste avondmaal op Erev Pesach herinneren. die gelegenheid zal dit jaar (2017) plaatsvinden op maandag 10 april, gevolgd door Pesach op dinsdag 11 april. Noteer alvast deze data in uw agenda.
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Voorgaande
Alleen ogen die geweend hebben kunnen helder zien
Adar 6, Matan Torah remembering the giving of Torah
Adar 7 Moshe’s review of the Torah contained in the Book of Deuteronomy
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Having these special days we think about whom God wanted to save and whom He is willing to come to His Holy Land and His Holy Kingdom.
It are days that we wonder what sort of person is the Most High Divine Creator looking for and Who is He willing to call?
In the Christadelphian Bible readings for April the 26th we look what happened after the gathering at the upper room and the killing of rabbi Jeshua, when his disciples were so much afraid that they hid in a house and did not dare to show themselves outside in town.
Shavuot by Moritz Daniel Oppenheim
Today we encounter also many who say they believe in Christ but do not dare to tell about him. Perhaps they also better remind what happened to the apostles. When the Day of the Festival of Shaḇu‛ota had come, they were all with one mind in one place. About three years they had followed their master, listened intensively to his marvellous preaching about the Most High God and explaining the Torah. That master was never afraid to speak or to show others what he believed. But they were so afraid. Sitting in their hiding place suddenly there came a sound from the heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues like flames, as of fire that separated and each flame came to rest on each of them. First full of awe they found themselves now filled with something special, an inner fire which seemed to fill themselves with energy. They heard the Holy Spirit and they themselves were surprised to hear themselves being able to speak in other languages as the Spirit gave them that ability.
Acts 2:1-4 (TS98)
Acts 2
1 And when the Day of the Festival of Weeks had come, they were all with one mind in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from the heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. 3 And there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and settled on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Set-apart Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them to speak.
Can you imagine how a remarkable speech was presented in that town where the people were together having had celebrated the most important event of the year. At such occasions the town was filled with several nationalities, all people speaking different tongues. And now those Galileans could intrigue this great crowd speaking in their own languages.
Of course we only have the essential kernel of his speech, as the record says how the onlookers came to understand those people speaking in tongues were not drunk, as you suppose, since it was only the third hour of the day. But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel that in the last days it shall be that the Elohim Jehovah God will pour out His Spirit on all flesh, and that there would be sons and daughters prophesying.
Today when we can see more of those signs as prophesies foretold, blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke, we can see that many loose hope and see their sun turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day.
Acts 2:20 (TS98)
20 ‘The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and splendid day of יהוה.
We are told of the importance of calling upon the name of the Host of host יהוה to be saved. Like the people in the time of Moses had to believe him, now the coming generations shall have to hear these words that Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to the world by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in the midst of the Israelites, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God was raised up by his heavenly Father, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.
Acts 2:24 (TS98)
24 “Him Elohim raised up, having loosed the pangs of death, because it was impossible that He could be held in its grip.
In Moses his time god’s people could see how the angel of death passed their doors. Many after that liberation from slavery and the Egyptians put their hope in the One God Who they placed before themselves like David always saw God before him.
Jeshua had asked God why He had abandoned him; but God was always by him and did also not abandon his soul to Hades, when Jesus was three days in hell (sheol/hades). Patriarch David both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption.
The apostles were witnesses that this master teacher, they had followed for such a short period, was raised up from the dead. They also were convinced that this man of flesh and blood was exalted at the right hand of God, not sitting on god’s throne or not taking in the place of God, like so many Christians want others to believe today. No, real Christians believe in this sent one from God to be like Moses, a leader who can bring us unto liberation, getting us free from those chains of the curse of death.
All who die shall stay in the graves and shall like David who also did not ascend into the heavens, have to look at the blessings God provided.
Acts 2:29-36 (TS98)
29 “Men and brothers, let me speak boldly to you of the ancestor Dawiḏ, that he died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 “Being a prophet, then, and knowing that Elohim had sworn with an oath to him: of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, to raise up the Messiah to sit on his throne, 31 foreseeing this he spoke concerning the resurrection of the Messiah, that His being was neither left in the grave, nor did His flesh see corruption. 32 “Elohim has raised up this יהושע, of which we are all witnesses. 33 “Therefore, having been exalted to the right hand of Elohim, and having received from the Father the promise of the Set-apart Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear. 34 “For Dawiḏ did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself said, ‘יהוה said to my Master, “Sit at My right hand, 35 until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.” ’ 36 “Therefore let all the house of Yisra’ĕl know for certain that Elohim has made this יהושע, whom you impaled, both Master and Messiah.”
It appears almost impossible that those who have been redeemed by the blood of the dying Lamb, Jesus giving his body as a ransom for all man, is been ridiculed by telling that he should be God because no man can be without sin and fulfil God’s Wishes. It also makes a cruel God of the Creator because then they insinuate that God, at the beginning of man, gave such commandments to man He knew they would never be able to follow.
We should see and understand that this man who sat a the table when he had given thanks, broke the bread, and said,
“This is my body, which is for you. Do this in memory of me.”
and afterwards in the same way took the cup, after supper, saying,
“This cup is the New Covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink, in memory of me.”
also asked us to remember this act
1 Corinthians 11:26 (TS98)
For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the death of the Master until He comes.
The liberation from slavery of death is what Christ Jesus has brought to mankind. And we should not forget that love of this Nazarene man. With an everlasting love by the eternal Son of God, we should not forget that gracious Saviour and look forward to the same hope god’s chosen People was given, the Holy Land and a precious Kingdom of God.
So many, today, have forgotten him who never forgot God nor us! The majority has forgotten him who poured his blood forth for our sins! He whom we should make the abiding tenant of our memories is but a visitor therein. The stake where one would think that memory would linger, and unmindfulness would be an unknown intruder, is desecrated by the feet of forgetfulness and by those who do not want to believe that Jesus was a real man of flesh, blood and bones who managed to do the Will of God instead of doing his own will. In case he is God he naturally always would have done his own will.
Does not your conscience say that this is true? Do you not find yourselves forgetful of Jesus? Can it not be that some creatures steals away your heart, and you are unmindful of him upon whom your affection ought to be set, because you prefer to keep to human doctrines and to human traditions? Is it not that some earthly business engrosses your attention when you should fix your eye steadily upon the stake which brought Jesus to the end of his life?
Real Christians should not only let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made Jeshua both Lord and Christ and that this Jesus whom was put on the stake with the inscription that he is the “King of the Jews”, but should tell the whole world about him and his God.
St. Peter Preaching at Pentecost by Benjamin West (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Peter asked the people around them to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of their sins so that they too could receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Acts 2:38 (TS98)
And Kĕpha said to them, “Repent, and let each one of you be immersed in the Name of יהושע Messiah for the forgiveness of sins. And you shall receive the gift of the Set-apart Spirit.
At Pesach we can think of those who died and those who were able to escape death. Around the holiday period those apostles were filled with so much fear they could say
“We die daily.”
This was the life of the early Christians; they went everywhere with their lives in their hands.
We are not in this day called to pass through the same fearful persecutions: if we were, the Lord would give us grace to bear the test; but the tests of Christian life, at the present moment, though outwardly not so terrible, are yet more likely to overcome us than even those of the fiery age.
We have to bear the sneer of the world-that is little; its blandishments, its soft words, its oily speeches, its fawning, its hypocrisy, are far worse. Our danger is lest we grow rich and become proud, lest we give ourselves up to the fashions of this present evil world, and lose our faith. Or if wealth be not the trial, worldly care is quite as mischievous. If we cannot be torn in pieces by the roaring lion, if we may be hugged to death by the bear, the devil little cares which it is, so long as he destroys our love to Christ, and our confidence in him. {Spurgeon}
Spurgeon had good reason to fear that the Christian church is far more likely to lose her integrity in these soft and silken days than in those rougher times.
We must be awake now, for we traverse the enchanted ground, and are most likely to fall asleep to our own undoing, unless our faith in Jesus be a reality, and our love to Jesus a vehement flame. Many in these days of easy profession are likely to prove tares, and not wheat; hypocrites with fair masks on their faces, but not the true-born children of the living God. Christian, do not think that these are times in which you can dispense with watchfulness or with holy ardour; you need these things more than ever, and may God the eternal Spirit display his omnipotence in you, that you may be able to say, in all these softer things, as well as in the rougher,
“We are more than conquerors through him that loved us.” {Spurgeon}
The promise was for the Jews but now it has come to be also for the Gentiles and for their children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Almighty God of gods calls to Himself.
Acts 2:39-40 (TS98)
39 “For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are far off, as many as יהוה our Elohim shall call.” 40 And with many other words he earnestly witnessed and urged them, saying, “Be saved from this crooked generation.”
The Jews were saved from the Egyptians and from the pressure which was on them by their slavery. Today many are slave of this crooked generation, though many want to stay chained to this crooked world with its heathen rituals and pagan festivals.
All generations are ‘crooked’ to differing degrees but today we live in one that is extremely so! Peter had quoted king David his Psalm (verse 28)
“You have made known to me the paths of life; you will make me full of gladness with your presence”.
Icon of the Pentecost (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
At the time of the apostles the people around them did not hesitate to be baptised. All those who received the words spoken by the apostles who suddenly dared to come out of the house and speak in tongues, were baptised.
Around Pesach much time is taken to hear to the Words of God. Like at other times it is very important to hear (or read) to receive into the heart the Infallible Word of God. Today it is even to hear at more places than in the time of the apostles. A pity is to notice that it not necessarily means that people come to realise what it has to mean for them personally. Not enough people are willing to put away their fear for the world. Lots of people are more afraid of not taking part of such pagan feasts as Christmas, Easter, Halloween or others instead holding to those festivals God has given.
Today we are also reading in Deuteronomy (chapter 12) of those who heard Moses final stirring messages before he died – they received his words and so entered the promised land and were faithful in their lives.
The initial effect on those who received Peter’s words and were baptised was that they “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and prayers” (verse 42). This is the result when God calls men and women to himself.
Our thoughts then went to those most moving words in Hebrews,
Hebrews 10:22-25 (TS98)
22 let us draw near with a true heart in completeness of belief, having our hearts sprinkled from a wicked conscience and our bodies washed with clean water. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our expectation without yielding, for He who promised is trustworthy. 24 And let us be concerned for one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging, and so much more as you see the Day coming near.
Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering … all the more as we see the day approaching.
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Preceding articles:
Days of Nisan, Pesach, Pasach, Pascha and Easter
Responsibilities of Parenthood for sharing the Word of God
Counting Each Day – and Making them Count
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Filed under Being and Feeling, History, Reflection Texts, Religious affairs
To remember:
- some new approaches to making our seder more spiritually meaningful > this essay = reflection upon that process at greatest night of Jewish storytelling
- desire to better “hear” + “experience” story unfolding at seder table
- as a people lost so much storytelling tradition, at least in the sense of the listener hearing deeply and allowing the story to draw them into altered states of consciousness or deeper awareness of their reality.
- simple changes made in the seder.
- Saturday night after Shabbat > explore ways of making the seder more deeply meaningful
- breaking of the matzah should be a moment that opens us up spiritually + makes us “hear” Haggadah in a deeper way
- slowing up chanting of the brachot = way to deepen awareness of blessing + set stage for a more spiritual experience of the seder.
- Rav Shmuel’s Shabbat HaGadol shuir explored act of reclining during seder, various commentary on it, rules around it, + spiritual reasons behind it.
- Imrei Emet > exodus only an imperfect redemption => each generation + each person uncovers some new aspect of freedom, of perfecting the redemption
- open our minds to the depth of the seder, > create possibility of spiritual experience in which we can uncover something.
- spiritual one-ness = oneness of G-d > interrelated system operating in balance producing beauty + wholeness => humans may strengthen or disrupt that unity => you can hear + hearken to G-d as One, + to the responsibility you assume for the world.
- Rebbe Nachman’s reflection on the idea that each person must say:
- “The entire world was created only for my sake.” (Sanhedrin, 37a) “Consequently, because the world was created for my sake, I must constantly look into and consider ways of making the world better; to provide what is missing in the world and pray on its behalf.” (Likutey Moharan 5:1) {Autumn Musings – Kayaks, Sukkahs, and Chuppahs}
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- We are instructed to immediately start building our sukkah as soon as the Yom Kippur fast ends. It seems that all the self-examination and repenting and striving needs to be for something. We may know ourselves better, but now we need to build – and quickly, so we don’t lose momentum. {Autumn Musings – Kayaks, Sukkahs, and Chuppahs}
- Haggadah should be heard more than read = we should seek to hear something below the surface.
- seven-day festival of Matzot becomes a festival of Pesach = “‘Bread of affliction’” (Devarim 15:3) (Pesachim 115b).
- Pesach = moment when the finite world of the Israelites changed dramatically, opening up limitless possibility to them
- liberation of Israel = act of love
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Preceding articles:
The Last Supper was a Passover meal
Thought for the third day of the Omer
Counting each day and making them count
Machine matzo produced from shmura wheat in Israel (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
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Additional reading for this most important weekend of the year:
- Most important weekend of the year 2016
- 1 -15 Nisan
- Yom Hey, Eve of Passover and liberation of many people
- This day shall be unto you for a memorial and you shall keep it a feast to the Most High God
- 14-15 Nisan and Easter
- Days of Nisan, Pesach, Pasach, Pascha and Easter
- Getting out of the dark corners of this world
- A Holy week in remembrance of the Blood of life
- Around the feast of Unleavened Bread
- The son of David and the first day of the feast of unleavened bread
- Day of remembrance coming near
- A new exodus and offering of a Lamb
- Observance of a day to Remember
- Jesus memorial
- Holidays, holy days and traditions
- Seven Bible Feasts of JHWH
- High Holidays not only for Israel
- White Privilege Conference (WPC) wanting to keep the press out for obvious reasons
- First month of the year and predictions
- Entrance of a king to question our position #2 Who do we want to see and to be
- Death of Christ on the day of preparation
- A Great Gift commemorated
- Shabbat Pesach service reading 1/2
- Passover and Liberation Theology
- Seven days of Passover
- Kingdom Visions of Rainbowed angel, Lamb in Mount Zion
- Kingdom Visions of God’s judgements and Marriage of the Lamb
- The Song of The Lamb #2 Sevens
- The Song of The Lamb #7 Revelation 15
- Why we do not keep to a Sabbath or a Sunday or Lord’s Day #3 Days to be kept holy or set apart
- Easter holiday, fun and rejoicing
- Like grasshoppers
- Peter Cottontail and a Bunny laying Eastereggs
- Who Would You Rather Listen To?
- Focus on outward appearances
- After darkness a moment of life renewal
- Deliverance and establishment of a theocracy
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Related articles
By Rick Gwynallen
This year we tried some new approaches to making our seder more spiritually meaningful, and this essay is a reflection upon that process. Most of these thoughts grew from a desire to better “hear” and “experience” the story unfolding at the seder table. I feel like we have as a people lost so much storytelling tradition, at least in the sense of the listener hearing deeply and allowing the story to draw them into altered states of consciousness or deeper awareness of their reality. Yet, this is the greatest night of Jewish storytelling and could also produce a deep experience of the story.
Usually ideas do not come out of nowhere. They arise from experiences and and the sharing of thoughts. There were a set of interactions and readings this year that fed into these reflections, and I should credit them right away.
View original post 1,810 more words
Filed under Re-Blogs and Great Blogs, Religious affairs
In the Hebrew year 5774 (or 2013), a girl had more or less just started learning about Judaism and was still touching on the basics of each topic. Rosh Hashana had just ended and she was speaking with a friend about it, when she suddenly said,
“I’m sad because Yom Kippur is on a Shabbos this year.”
She came to learn that Shabbos is not actually the “day of the rest” that most people view it as
Following that line of thought, it would seem that the purpose of resting on Shabbos would be to regain energy for working the other days of the week. It would seem that Shabbos is serving the workweek. But in reality, the Only purpose of the previous 6 days is to serve the Shabbos. In Eliezer’s words:
“We work only to be able to properly sanctify Shabbos, we cook to be able to eat on the Holy day. We are fulfilling our physical requirements and monetary gain to be able to only connect and come close to G-d without any distractions. Ideally, we would have Shabbos 24/7/365. And there will be a time for that, soon.” {Shabbos}
As the young writer of this reblogged article writes “this is the month to be freeing ourselves from the things keeping us enslaved”.
Too many people get caught by the world and enjoy celebrating traditional holidays, without thinking about the background of them.
This can be clearly seen in Christendom where many have taken heathen feast and planted them in their religious calendar but still keeping all the pagan traditions, like decorating trees, having elfs and a Father Christmas coming from the North (Christmas) or bells from Rome and Easter bunnies laying eggs (Easter).In Christianity the Christians also have to be careful not to become trapped by the world and just holding certain days because it is planned in the religious calendar.
For Pesach for Christians and Jews the period should have them seriously consider them about slavery God’s people had but also the slavery many of us have today.
The Jews had already their salvation from the slavery in Egypt but the gentiles had to wait to the sacrificial offering of the Messiah, the Kristos Jeshua (Jesus Christ). He has liberated all people from the slavery of death and asks us to liberate ourselves from the slavery of this world. But most people want to stay “of this world” and keep to the traditional feasts and enjoy all those worldly pagan festivals instead concentrating on the feast Jehovah ‘G’d’ gave the world to celebrate.
Every year we should remember to have that year’s Passover our own personal freedom from something. And this applies to all holidays and months The Elohim Hashem Jehovah ‘G’d’ has prepared for us.
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Preceding articles:
The Last Supper was a Passover meal
Thought for the third day of the Omer
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Additional reading for this most important weekend of the year:
- Most important weekend of the year 2016
- 1 -15 Nisan
- Yom Hey, Eve of Passover and liberation of many people
- This day shall be unto you for a memorial and you shall keep it a feast to the Most High God
- 14-15 Nisan and Easter
- Days of Nisan, Pesach, Pasach, Pascha and Easter
- Getting out of the dark corners of this world
- A Holy week in remembrance of the Blood of life
- Around the feast of Unleavened Bread
- The son of David and the first day of the feast of unleavened bread
- Day of remembrance coming near
- A new exodus and offering of a Lamb
- Observance of a day to Remember
- Jesus memorial
- Holidays, holy days and traditions
- Seven Bible Feasts of JHWH
- High Holidays not only for Israel
- White Privilege Conference (WPC) wanting to keep the press out for obvious reasons
- First month of the year and predictions
- Entrance of a king to question our position #2 Who do we want to see and to be
- Death of Christ on the day of preparation
- A Great Gift commemorated
- Shabbat Pesach service reading 1/2
- Passover and Liberation Theology
- Seven days of Passover
- Kingdom Visions of Rainbowed angel, Lamb in Mount Zion
- Kingdom Visions of God’s judgements and Marriage of the Lamb
- The Song of The Lamb #2 Sevens
- The Song of The Lamb #7 Revelation 15
- Why we do not keep to a Sabbath or a Sunday or Lord’s Day #3 Days to be kept holy or set apart
- Easter holiday, fun and rejoicing
- Like grasshoppers
- Peter Cottontail and a Bunny laying Eastereggs
- Who Would You Rather Listen To?
- Focus on outward appearances
- After darkness a moment of life renewal
- Deliverance and establishment of a theocracy
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Related articles
Last Friday night I had my first Passover seder ever. I have no picture for evidence since it was on Shabbos (and a yom tov!), but I’d like to thank my friend rebbetzin Tiferes Levy and Chabad Manila a million times over for letting me come! It was an incredible experience, and my understanding of Judaism got that much richer because of it. I also have been very smiley all weekend thinking back on it, and not because I had too much wine. 🙂
Passover is a very special time for me personally because it was when I “officially” systematically started studying Judaism (for the simple reason that my friend Rivky wouldn’t be available to talk to for a week, so I began learning on my own). It was back in 2013 when I took a notebook and wrote down everything I could find online about each Jewish holiday, as…
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Filed under Lifestyle, Re-Blogs and Great Blogs, Religious affairs
Photographer Mike Powell knows that spring has truly arrived when he starts to walk around with a macro lens on his camera. You may find some nice shots of a Bold Jumping Spider (Phidippus audax) on the boardwalk the 4th of April at Huntley Meadows Park in his article Jumping spider in early April.
With new vegetation springing up near the edges of the ponds at Huntley Meadows Park, some of the ducks are now hanging out within range of his camera rather than in the middle of the pond. This past weekend he was able to capture the unusual beauty of this male Northern Shoveler (Anas clypeata). (See: Unusual beauty)
In Belgium the temperatures are still low for the time of year and the sun does not seem to be able to get through the clouds. Hyacinths may stand droopy, but the hortensia (or hydrangea) coloured green in just three days, as soon as we got, at last, some higher temperature. For some kids and adults again a time to play ducks and drakes (throwing flat stones so that they skim along the surface of water)
Female Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon) at Mike Powell’s favourite marshland park.
At moments we can see the Great Blue Herons hover over the bare fields, him not having to fear that a Belted Kingfisher would catch our attention, him sitting on a throne of a piece of wood, overlooking everything as a king. (See: Old faithful & Look both ways)
After the terrorist attacks the people living in Belgium are not at all afraid to get some fresh air and to go places. They find lesser tourists on their track. Many of those who had planned their vacation cancelled the trip to France and Belgium, but those who were already underway enjoy the less busy squares and enjoy very much their stay in this small country.
Every season heralds the might and mystery of superior designs emergent on earth and it is up to people to see the beauty of it all or to adapt to them as needed, respecting their place in the botanical, animal and mineral kingdoms, and our place in theirs.
For lovers of God once more every season is a whirlwind of proofs of the Hand behind this wonderful world. By all the changes taking place around us we can see how wonderfully made this nature world is and how it is impossible for man to create himself such a marvellous world.
In certain countries ‘Spring Break’ and ‘Holy Week’ coincided. In Belgium people do have their Easter holiday. Being a so called Catholic country there was the time to reflect with ‘Holy Week’, but where most went to look for sun and warmthin an other country or went on to the traditional Belgian coast Easter holiday.
Having had the pagan Easter Sunday with kids looking for eggs, others went to have a walk in parks.
Sue, a Presbyterian who lives in Missouri, the California girl Lori, living in Kansas and Ruth, living in New Jersey, having no particular religious affiliation, also look at Spring and write
In this part of Missouri, spring is making an appearance. The land is still a little grim looking, all grey and brown, but there are also signs of growth, signs of hope. {Easter: Making Time for God}
SueBE recognises that it is easier when she is alone and when she has some time to both wander and wonder. she writes
I know, I know. It means I missed time that could have been spent in group worship. And we missed a dinner. But I also got to connect with God and having done that I can say it was truly worth it. His message?
Breathe. Just take a moment, stand still, and breathe.
It isn’t a message I would have received in worship or with family but it was definitely a message that I needed to hear.
We can spend time in group worship, but than we also should wonder if we are worshipping the right God and not a human concoction of a three-headed god. Though we do know that also in such groups or churches people can connect with God. there they should come to listen to Him and should follow His Wishes. Often for many living in this materialistic world that is very difficult. Most people prefer to keep to the human traditions, like Easter and Easter bunnies, Christmas and Christmas trees, instead of keeping to the by god given holidays like 14 Nisan or Pesach.
Belgian traditions are full of pagan rituals. All our culture is interwoven with Celtic and Germanic traditions, people having those gods interposed on their Catholic gods and religious figures.
Those looking for God shall have the difficulty to step aside and to leave those human traditions for what they are and abandoning those human teachings which have made integral part of the West European culture for centuries. Not only the Roman Catholic Church made use of those old customs. For man it is not always easy to finish such habits or to come to see that those are not laudable customs but are abominations in the eyes of God.
As Spring is a time of refreshment it is also an ideal time to start a fresh. It is a time to begin a new life, like nature also brings new life in view.
A God called Love, full of Grace and Mercy, tenderly loving us, is looking at this world and hoping His children will come back to Him. He is calling the, every moment of the day and night.
Now the darker days diminish we should come to see more of the beauties God has given this world and should take time to renew our sense of purpose by building the house of our life on the foundation of God’s Word. {Life with a Purpose}
There are so many things that can affect the flow of God’s word and presence into our lives. Like deep sea divers, we must continually remind ourselves that nothing—nothing—is as important as that life-giving flow. {Pray as if Your Life Depends on It!}
writes Mitch Teemley in one of his ‘Stories with a Message.’
the Belted Kingfisher is a large, conspicuous and noisy kingfisher, the only member of that group commonly found in the northern United States and Canada. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
But to have God being able to work at you, you shall have to open up yourself and be willing to listen to His Words. We ourselves have to decide if we shall stay connected with this world, being of this world, or wanting to belong to God, being of His world.
Lots of name Christians who as a child had some religious activities have become ‘dried up’. Frustrated with the dryness in their spiritual life they do not know which way to turn. Instead of daring to take a step back and to explore again the magic of this world around them, seeing the Creator His acts in it. when they would go up a mountain or do some long walk and give their mind to nature, they will be surprised to hear something and to feel something special in them. That are the moments we can come close to God, and of which we should take use.
Such photographers like Mike Powell, Cindy Dydyer, Cindy Barton Knoke, and sites like Purple Rays are there on the net to bring beauty for beauty and show those things which are so much greater than a human being, and are the ‘given presence’ of the Greatest Designer of all universe.
If you are limited by the limitations or boundaries of your body, the chains in this life, such writers on the net make it possible to go all over the world and see the beauty of this world. When you are bounded to a wheelchair or not able to move far places, do enjoy their pictures and let you be taken away on a magic journey. Let the pain disappear by enjoying the beautiful pictures and please do take time to let your mind hover over thoughts which can bring you closer to That Maker of everything.
Taking His Book of books shall ad wisdom to it all and bring you to see who is who and what you shall have to believe and how you too can look forward to a much better life than this one you might have in this system of things, this time of this world.
Even if we can not be sure about the seasons, you should know that God is not hiding so that He can not be found. He is there … to be found by you.
Find also to read: All about love, not needing disasters
Preceding: Springtime is coming
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Event Turkey has broken Nato unity on Finland and Sweden’s push to join the alliance, blocking an initial vote on accession after President Erdogan demanded that the two countries hand over dozens of Turkish exiles he accused of “terrorism”. The veto came hours after Jens Stoltenberg, the Nato secretary-general, hailed a historic moment for western […]
The Times, May 2, 2022 Event Ukraine, one of the most fertile and productive countries in the world, has been known historically as the “bread basket of Europe”. Now it is facing a complex and unprecedented agricultural crisis, in which landmines are only one of numerous interlinked problems. The United Nations estimates this year’s harvest […]
BBC, April 22 + Audit of antisemitic incidents Event The number of anti-Semitic incidents around the world dramatically increased last year, a study by Tel Aviv University has found. The report identifies the US, Canada, the UK, Germany and Australia as among countries where there was a sharp rise. This was fueled by radical left- […]
The Times, April 16 Russia’s setbacks could prompt President Putin to use tactical nuclear weapons, William Burns, the CIA director, has said. Moscow has a stockpile of about 2,000 tactical nuclear weapons, also known as low-yield or battlefield munitions, that can be deployed by air, sea or artillery. These are generally less potent than the […]
Event: The United Nations general assembly has voted to suspend Russia from the human rights council after images of atrocities apparently showing civilians left dead in the streets with their hands bound emerged following Russian troops’ withdrawal from around Kyiv. The call for Russia’s removal from the UN’s top human rights body was led by […]
Originally posted on Seeking Redemption:
To those now deep into biblical scripture you are probably aware of the difference between reading the bible and meditating on the world. Naturally, like many young Christians, I had assumed that once you read the bible, and you knew God’s words and it was enough. But I kept hearing…
Originally posted on EttingerWriting.com:
By David Ettinger A Fruitful DiscussionI recently had a nice discussion with a blogging friend regarding the Bible version I use. This fruitful dialogue led to this post, which won’t analyze the many English versions of the Bible, but serve merely as my commentary on the issue. This is one…
“The Bible is indeed the greatest book ever written. It has shaped the cultures of the world in countless ways, and it contains the words of everlasting life. But for so many today, it is largely opaque, indecipherable – at best a puzzling text from a prescientific age.” Bishop Robert Barron, The Word on […]
We admit that the Bible is not easy for everyone to follow. But usually, this is because the person does not believe in himself enough and is too much weighed down by entrenched human doctrines or dogmas that obscure the Biblical text.
The inability of Christians to grasp the meaning and message of both Genesis and Revelation create a great divide in America. Christians struggle with both the beginning and culmination of the Scriptures — the Alpha and the Omega as they might be called. Both Genesis and Revelation bring a lot of baggage with them to […]
Wie een sociale woning wil huren, zal vanaf 2024 de afschriften van zijn of haar bankrekeningen moeten laten zien. Wie te veel op zijn rekeningen heeft staan, krijgt geen sociale woning.
In the face of the despicable attack on a major department store, we cannot help but wonder how long the international community will stand by and watch all those war crimes that Russia continues to commit with impunity.
Bij de verachtelijke aanval op een groot warenhuis kunnen wij niet nalaten ons af te vragen hoe lang de Internationale gemeenschap zal toezien op al die oorlogsmisdaden die Rusland ongestraft blijft uitvoeren.
Beginning of the end for Boris Johnson Incredible, after all the lies and absurdities, the Tories in the UK still did not need it necessary for their clown to step down. The Tory leader, who has undermined British values by “downgrading, debasing and demeaning” the standards expected of ministers in public life, survived a confidence […]
After the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Soviet Union, the symbols of the capitalist states were able to conquer Russian territory. In the big cities, those marks appeared in Russia that we can find in every city in Europe. It was the CEO of McDonald’s Canada, American-Canadian citizen George Cohon, […]
2022 May 16 On the 30th of April Russian forces pressed the attack in eastern Ukraine on Saturday April 30, but failed to capture their three main objectives, the Ukrainian military said. Per the general staff of Ukraine’s armed forces, the Russians were attempting to capture the city of Lyman in the Donetsk Oblast and […]
2022, May 16 Since Russia invaded Ukraine, the West took measures to get Russia on its knees to stop the war. Though for the European Union, a blockade on shipments of Russian oil looked a distant possibility just two months ago. But there were many voices that uttered it would be best that Europe made […]
Het komt er heden op aan dat de Vivaldi-partijen een signaal geven dat zij niet van plan zijn te plooien voor rechts-conservatieve krachten en dat ze resoluut kiezen voor vrouwenrechten.
Een stand van zaken betreft deze website, halfweg 2022
If enough readers come and see our newspaper selections and find them worth posting here, we hope to bring our readers a compelling overview of fascinating articles about the ups and downs of our planet. We are pleased to be able to present to you some interesting articles to read, by The New York Times […]
From now onwards, we hope to present you regularly with some pieces of exceptional writing from The New York Times — a narrative or essay that takes you some place you might not expect to go.
From now onwards we are pleased to offer you also some selection of articles from an American newspaper with standing, worthy of your attention.
Event Western allies must avoid provoking “thin-skinned” President Putin who now has a “messianic obsession” with Russian greatness, a former Nato secretary general has said. Lord Robertson of Port Ellen, who led the alliance between 1999 and 2003, said Britain and other nations should be careful with their language because the Russian leader now has […]
Doorheen de tijden hebben heel wat mensen hun toevlucht genomen tot gebeden om uit bepaalde situaties te komen of om voor anderen te bidden zodat hun lijden tot een einde zou mogen komen. Als we terugkijken naar de jonge kerk in Jeruzalem, dan was hun reputatie niet alleen het breken van het brood en de […]
When we look back at the infant church in Jerusalem, their reputation was not only for breaking bread, and the Apostles’ doctrine, but for prayer. They were a community that prayed often. They prayed individually. They prayed in meetings together. They prayed in the Temple. They saw prayer as a way to serve others, like […]
Er zijn heel wat mensen die beweren gelovig te zijn. Maar in wat en wie geloven zij? Er zijn heel wat Christenen die beweren in God te geloven. Maar als wij navraag doen over hun god, komen wij te horen dat zij in een heel andere god geloven dan in de God van de Bijbel. […]
Nothing ever goes smoothly, it seems. Or if something does it’s almost a shock. Our culture has a name for it: Murphy’s Law. No point in going into all the ways it shows up in daily living. But it might be worth thinking about it in a spiritual context. Head for your Bible, and the […]
Een overste van de Joden, lid van het sanhedrin en leraar in Israël luistert naar Christus die over de wedergeboorte uit water en Geest spreekt .
God verblijft in de hemel maar is ook overal op de wereld, maar niet verdoken in kerken geplaatste tabernakels.
Sommigen nemen aan dat Gods Koninkrijk geen wereldomvattend Vrederijk is maar eerder een geestelijke toestand in het hart van de vromen zou zijn. Voor hetzelfde woord vindt men zowel de vertaling “koninkrijk” als “koningschap” waarbij het Koninkrijk door zijn omvangrijkheid overal te merken zal zijn en terugslaat op het Vrederijk van Christus Jezus.
Uit de spreukachtige gezegden die Jezus gebruikt tijdens zijn bergrede blijkt hoe de ene uitspraak slechts één kant van een zaak belicht terwijl een andere betrekking heeft op een ander aspect hiervan.
In Jezus tijd was mondelinge overlevering heel belangrijk. Daarom gebruikte Jezus als leerkracht spreekvormen die het makkelijker maakten om het gezegde te onthouden, zoals bijvoorbeeld een spreukachtige taal.
Looking a.o. at the families Ibn Tibbōn, Kalonymos and Hillel and ibn Ezra of the Levant.
Today we come to one of the most important figures of Jewish literature of the medieval period, the Jewish philosopher, jurist, and physician Maimonides often better known as Rambam.
Looking at 12th and 13th centuries literature and Jewish travellers.
The French school of the 11th century was hardly less important. Gershom ben Judah, the “Light of the Exile” (d. in 1040 at Mainz), a famous Talmudist and commentator, his pupil Jacob ben Yaqar, and Moses of Narbonne, called ha-Darshan, the “Exegete,” were the forerunners of the greatest of all Jewish commentators, Solomon ben Isaac […]
The aim of the grammatical studies of the Spanish school was ultimately exegesis. This had already been cultivated in the East. In the 9th century Ḥīvī of Balkh wrote a rationalistic treatise [A fragment of such a work, probably emanating from the school of Ḥīvī was found by Schechter and published in J.Q.R., xiii. 345 […]
Looking at the Huqoq discovery dating back 1,500 years; artwork depicting biblical story of Samson
You don’t need a religion to do soul management, but having a sacred calendar certainly helps. Far from being an endless list of tasks, the Torah itself is a blueprint for management.Judaism, and especially Leviticus, wants us to build a civilization that prioritizes the parts of us that make us most human – our fragility, […]
The Anti-Semitism Worldwide Report 2021 and the Anti-Defamation League report about anti-Semitism show the rise of hate against Jews.
The British four-part television drama Ridley Road which premiered on BBC One on 3 October 2021 can now also be seen on PBS. The mini-series Ridley Road is set in the East End of London in the early 1960s and follows the story of a Jewish woman who infiltrates the ranks of the neo-Nazis, posing […]
Originally posted on SRQ Jew:
We humans live with one foot firmly in the physical world, and yet we have an inexplicable urge to dip a toe in the spiritual world. However strong or tentative that impulse may be, we all have our moments when we long to transcend our physical being and soar. Where…
Originally posted on Walking the Bridge Books:
Isaac said, Let’s speak about the water of life. Water comes in several forms. But it is still and always Water, just as the One is always One. Water can be ice, liquid or steam. Consider that ice is form; water could represent consciousness; steam represents awareness. We…
2022 May 20 Event A Russian counter-attack on Israeli forces in Syria has raised fears of a potential escalation to the conflict, with experts fearing a similar provocation “within days”. This week, Russia launched missiles on Israeli jets that had flown over Syria and struck targets north of Damascus. Several casualties were reported and the Syrian army returned fire […]
Forbes, April 28, 2022 Event Quite a few billionaires born in Russia have taken advantage of the “Law of Return,” otherwise known as “Aliyah,” which grants automatic entry and passports to any Jew, or anyone who can prove they have at least one Jewish grandparent. According to Forbes’ research, more than 40% of the 111 Russian-born billionaires […]
The feeling that their own nation is sacred and should be protected against outside forces makes people choose right-wing politicians who promise them an ideal flourishing prosperous nation
Tel Aviv Univ. echoing recent ADL study on antisemitism in the US, find worldwide increase in Jew-hatred over the past year.
Does one need proof to come to a certain belief? We can look at the signs in nature and find out what happened to certain people in the past, such as Noah and Paul. With the Book of Books, Allah has provided the world with His Interpretative Word.
Heeft men bewijzen nodig om tot een bepaald geloof te komen? Wij kunnen naar de tekenen in de natuur kijken en nagaan wat er in het verleden met bepaalde mensen, zoals Noach en Paulus is gebeurd. Met het Boek der boeken heeft Allah de wereld van Zijn Alzeggend Woord voorzien.
When we speak about “Faith” (iman) we look at acceptance of the Belief in the existence and oneness of God (Allah).and the existence of the Book of books of which God is the author, existing of five main parts, the Torah (revealed to Moses),,the Psalms (revealed to David).and the Writings of Kings and prophets as well as the Gospel (revealed to Jesus) with the writings of his apostles,
Wanneer wij over “Geloof” (iman) spreken, zien wij op de aanvaarding van het Geloof in het bestaan en de eenheid van God (Allah) en het bestaan van het Boek der boeken waarvan God de auteur is, bestaande uit vijf hoofdstukken, de Torah (geopenbaard aan Mozes), de Psalmen (geopenbaard aan David) en de Geschriften van Koningen en Profeten, alsmede het Evangelie (geopenbaard aan Jezus) met de geschriften van zijn apostelen,
One may wonder in which or what kind of god people want to believe. It is striking that many people like to have a certain form of mystery around their deity and therefore do not choose the God Who pours clear wine and sends very reliable Words to earth.
die stil man (5 jaar terug) dit is my stapmaat en ons oefen vir die Camino as ons ses-uur op ‘n Saterdag-oggend begin stap dan loop hy voor en vinnig sy vuiste gebal van al die spanning genade, sê almal hierdie man praat nie ‘n woord nie, hoe hou jy dit? dan sê ek nee, […]
Ek kry die boksie as my afskeidsgeskenk, binne-in drie vouchers vir drie kunsklasse. Ek weet dadelik wat ek wil verf en wag geduldig vir tyd om oop te val. Ek bel Svetlana en bespreek drie oggend-sessies, in een week. I’ve been waiting for your call, sê sy. Can you paint? the world will tell you […]
From guestwriters 