FROM THE PRESIDENT
Shalom in the great name of our
Messiah Jesus,
SUMMER MINISTRY
We had an exciting summer
of ministry. First of all, we enjoyed
celebrating the 70th anniversary of
the modern State of Israel with 600
fellow believers from 14 countries
who joined us in Jerusalem! We
had various Israeli teams lead us in
worship each evening after touring
all day. Then we listened to some
great messages on the topic of Israel’s
restoration to the Land. It was
wonderful!
Back home, we held another
Shalom Brooklyn outreach with
dozens of Chosen
People Ministries
staff and volunteers
“hitting the streets”
in New York City
to talk with Jewish
people about the
Lord. We especially
focused some of
our efforts toward
reaching very religious
Jewish people,
and we are
continuing to learn
how to approach
these precious people.
We also held
two children’s camping programs
in the United States (East and West
Coast) and a few in Israel, as well.
I was especially blessed by this
year’s Living Waters retreat, where
we spent a long weekend with 30
Israeli young adults between the ages
of 18 and 35. Lawrence Hirsch, our
Australian director, taught through
the book of First Peter. It is exciting
to see this new generation of young
Israelis who love the Lord growing in
their faith and desire to reach their
fellow young Israelis!
FALL FEASTS
The summer was fruitful, but now, along with Jewish people
across the globe, we are turning our hearts and minds to the
fall festivals of Israel according to the Hebrew calendar. These
festivals include the New Year (Rosh Hashanah), the Day of
Atonement (Yom Kippur), and the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot).
The first holiday we celebrate is Rosh Hashanah, as the Bible
instructs in Leviticus 23. The Hebrew name of the holiday, Yom
Teruah, literally refers to the sound the trumpet makes.
“Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘In the seventh month on
the first of the month you shall have a rest, a reminder by
blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation’” (Leviticus 23:24).
In Jewish tradition, the holiday became known as the New
Year and usually refers to the beginning of the civil year for
the Jewish people. However, according to the Bible, Passover
initiates the new year and is described as the beginning of the
“religious year.” You would have to understand thousands of
years of Jewish tradition to figure this out!
SEPTEMBER 2018 / THE CHOSEN PEOPLE - 2
Allow me to make reference to
the book The Fall Feasts of Israel, which
I wrote with my wife, Zhava, and which
was published by Moody Press. We have
included a full explanation in the book of
how this tradition developed. You can order
the book on the enclosed card or by
going online to our Chosen People Ministries
store at chosenpeople.com/store.
THE MEANING OF THE
TRUMPET
On Rosh Hashanah, trumpets are
sounded in synagogues all over the world
and the story of the binding of Isaac in
Genesis 22 is read. This story is called
the Akedah, which means “binding” in
Hebrew. The blowing of the shofar, the ram’s horn, reminds
us of the ram caught in the thicket, which was sacrificed as a
substitute for Isaac.
According to the Jewish sages, the blowing of the shofar and
the reading of the Akedah on Rosh Hashanah remind us of the
righteousness of our father Abraham and of his willingness to
sacrifice his son, Isaac. Classical Judaism teaches that forgiveness
of sin comes through repentance, merit that is earned by our
good works, and obedience to the Law.
Traditional Judaism also reminds us that, if our efforts fall
short of pleasing God, we have merit available to us from the
overflow and abundance earned by Abraham in this one act of
obedience. This makes up for where we are deficient. Therefore
in Judaism, the blowing of the shofar and the reading of the
CELEBRATING THE
HIGH HOLY DAYS
Old Covenant
Instructions Fulfilled in
Jesus and the
New Covenant
/store