Shalom Life October-December 2022

The High Holidays are here at last!

During the delightful Rosh Hashanah seder to ring in the New Year, we welcomed the first of the Fall Feasts with the sounding of shofars! What a blessing it is to hear the sound of the shofar. It captures the attention, calling all to prepare for battle or for the arrival of the King. Let us continue to prepare ourselves as we look forward to the next feasts and eagerly await to see what G-d has in store for us.

High Holidays

The next holiday on our calendar is Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. This is a solemn day in which we afflict ourselves as Scripture prescribes and make teshuva, repenting of our sins and returning to G-d. Yom Kippur begins the evening of Tuesday, October 4th, with Kol Nidre. Kol Nidre means “all vowsâ€. The purpose of this service is to unbind ourselves to any vows we made that we cannot keep as the Torah tells us it is a sin to break our oaths. No one knows when or where this prayer originated, but some scholars believe it could date back to the 6th century AD and was used to nullify forced conversion. It later on became part of the Yom Kippur service as a means of repentance from vain oaths. Click here to learn more about Yom Kippur.

Our Kol Nidre service begins at 7pm on October 4th, and our Yom Kippur service will resume the following day (Oct. 5th) at 4pm.

After Yom Kippur comes Sukkot. This is a joyous feast known as the Feast of Tabernacles or Booths when we are instructed to live inside little dwellings called sukkahs for seven days. On the eighth day, Shemini Atzeret, we have a day of holy convocation, assembling before G-d and doing no laborious work. The next day we observe Simchat Torah (rejoicing with the Torah) in which we’ll parade the Torah around the shul before we rewind the scroll back to Beresheet. This is an opportunity to see the entire Sefer Torah up close. It is certainly an amazing experience. Click here to learn more out this feast.

Our first Sukkot service is Sunday, Oct. 9th, at 7pm, and our Shemini Atzeret/ Simchat Torah service is Monday, Oct. 17, at 5pm.

You won’t want to miss these Feasts!

Yeshivat Shuvu International Conference

The Yeshivat Shuvu International Conference draws closer and registration is still open. The conference runs from November 4th through the 6th and will be held at the Florida Mall Hotel. The focus of this conference is the Great Remnant: who is the remnant, and what is their role, our role, in the end times.

“What is the role of the Remnant? What is the role of Jews and Gentiles in the end-times? Ahavat Ammi Ministries and Yeshua Bread of Life want to invite you to the Yeshivat Shuvu Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida. Join Rabbi Itzhak Shapira, Rabbi Steven Bernstein, Pastor Matt McKeown and Dr. Doug Wheeler and many others to understand and discover your role in the end-days. Come and be part of this special movement of G-d.â€

There will be Shacharit services, Shabbat service (including Kabbalat, Torah, and Havdalah services), special classes, guest panels and Q&A, and much more. Speakers also include Pastor Mark Biltz, Pastor Braulio Portes, Rabbi Eric Tokajer, Arleen Ramirez, and many more.

The conference is nearly a month away. Don’t miss out on this exciting event! Check out https://remnant2022.com/ for more information and to register. Registration is required for the hotel stay and access to other special perks.

Chanukkah

Chanukkah is coming! Chanukkah is coming!

This festival has always been this author’s favorite time of year. It’s beautiful to see the lights on the chanukkiah burning brilliantly in the night. It always seems to bring out a special sense of community and warmth no matter the weather outside. 

Chanukkah this year starts December 18th. We will light our community menorah that evening at 5pm.Then bring your chanukkiah and join us at the shul for our Chanukkah celebration Dec. 24th at 4pm. Click here to learn more about Chanukkah

Please note that this will double as our regular Shabbat service. There will not be a service at noon on this day.

Faith Nugget

“For if you forgive others their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions.†Mat. 6:14-15 TLV

Yeshua teaches us that we are to forgive one another just as G-d forgives us. Even as he was dying on the tree, Yeshua cried out to the Father to forgive those who condemned him (Luke 23:34). He set for us the example of how we are to absolve others.

Another example is found in Numbers 14 when B’nei Yisrael complained against Moses, Aaron, and ultimately G-d. They were terrified to enter the land G-d promised them and wished they had stayed in Egypt. They also threatened to stone Moses and Aaron after they told the people to not be frightened. For this, G-d threatened to wipe out the people and make a greater nation out of Moses. But Moses, pleaded with G-d to forgive the people, for not only were they transgressing against G-d but Moses too. And G-d forgave them.

We also find an example in Yeshua’s parable in Matthew 18:21-35 of the slave who owed his master a great deal of money. The slave begged his master to forgive him, and his master was compassionate and did as he asked. Then the slave went to his fellow slave, who owed him much less, and attacked him, demanding he pay back what he owed. What an insult that was to the master. When the master heard this, he handed the slave, whom he had previously forgiven, over to torturers and made him pay back what he owed.

It is difficult for us to pardon those who have wronged us, especially if they’ve hurt us deeply. However, we must forgive if we are to be forgiven by G-d. After all, how can we expect to be forgiven by G-d if we are not prepared to forgive others?

What does it mean to truly forgive someone? Ephesians 4:31-32 says, “Get rid of all bitterness and rage and anger and quarreling and slander, along with all malice. Instead, be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving each other just as God in Messiah also forgave you.†This is essentially the definition of forgiveness; do not be bitter nor angry towards them, but rather be kind and still love them as your neighbor.

Did you know forgiving also affects us physiologically. According to everdayhealth.com, studies have shown that unresolved anger can damage the body in several ways. It increases the risk of heart attack and stroke, weakens the immune system, worsens mental health with anxiety and depression, and overall can reduce lifespan. Whereas kindness has the total opposite effect. Not only does forgiving affect us spiritually, it benefits us physically as well.

Let us follow the example of our master, Yeshua and forgive each other, so that we may be forgiven by our heavenly Father just as he has forgiven us time and time again, and so that we may live abundantly.

Please be sure to follow us on our Church Center app to stay tuned for upcoming announcements, events, and details.

If you have any ideas or suggestions to include in the next newsletter (Jan.-Mar.), please feel free to drop it in the comments or email me at [email protected]. 

Until next time, Shalom! 

Shana Tova Umetukah! שנה טובה ומתוקה