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Sarah's Tent E-Magazine December 2011
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From the Editor
Shalom and welcome to the December 2010 issue of Sarah's Tent. This issue is a little late coming out, and we sincerely apologize for the delay. Family and health issues prevented us from publishing on time.
The subject of this issue is one that many of us must deal with - being alone. The majority of us find that on our Torah walk we are alone, without fellowship or congregation. Why is this? Could The Creator of the universe have made a mistake by not allowing us to have interaction with other like-minded believers? Can we learn anything from those in Scripture who went before us?
Besides the articles we have some delicious recipes from Kosher Kitchen, along with reviews on reading material, and links to aids to help you delve deeper into Torah with your children. I pray that everything here will be a blessing to you, as you continue to walk in His Way.
Shalom,
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Many of us know the difficulties and the heart ache of being alone in our Torah walk. Perhaps the internet is all the fellowship that you have. Perhaps you have been praying for like-minded fellowship or just to have one other person that you can share with? Has the lack of fellowship caused you to settle for less? If you are alone, had been alone in the past, or are contemplating how alone you will be when you have fully committed yourself to walking Torah, then you need to read this article.
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| Alone |
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Many of us know the difficulties and the heart ache of being alone in our Torah walk. Perhaps the internet is all the fellowship that you have. Perhaps you have been praying for like-minded fellowship or just to have one other person that you can share with? Has the lack of fellowship caused you to settle for less? If you are alone, had been alone in the past, or are contemplating how alone you will be when you have fully committed yourself to walking Torah, then you need to read this article.
(This article is in pdf format. Please feel free to forward to others, but keep intact.)
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The following is an edited down version of a dream I had spring of 1998. Although I didn’t understand it fully in the beginning, in hindsight I can see more clearly what Yah was trying to show me. At the time I had no idea that in a few short years I would go from being in a well established Christian community to being cast out, alone, and in the desert. For the first few years of my exile I desired so much to re-establish community, and tried very hard with no avail to have them. But, once I surrendered to Almighty Elohim and accepted my home in the desert. He showed me wonders I never knew and our relationship has flourished, Baruch Hashem. I pray that this be an inspiration to you, sisters of my heart, and fellow desert nomad followers of Yeshua. ~ Moriah
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| The Dream |
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** You may occasionally see a recipe on Sarah's Tent which contains meat and dairy. This is because the majority of our readers keep Biblical kosher - not rabbinical kosher. We are not in any way criticizing those who do follow rabbinical kosher and I personally believe that this is a decision best left up to each household seeking the will of The Eternal in this matter.*
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If you are new to kosher cooking, you may want to see the Kosher Kitchen of the Summer 2006 issue, which gives instructions on how to kasher meat (remove the blood). We are instructed in the Torah (Leviticus 7:26 -27; 17:10;17:12-14; 19:26; Deuteronomy 12:16, 23-24; 15:23) not to eat blood, and so we need to remove as much blood as we can from the meat.
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| Ingredients
3 pounds of chicken wings (about 16) 1 onion 1 cup of soy sauce 1 cup of brown sugar 2 teaspoons ground ginger 2 cloves of garlic, crushed 2 tablespoons of kosher salt
Preparation
1. Soak chicken in water and 2 tablespoons of kosher salt. 2. Rinse chicken and pat dry. 3. Broil wings for about 10 minutes on each side, or until brown. 4. Transfer to crock pot. 5. Mix all remaining ingredients together and pour over chicken wings. 5. Cook covered on low for 5 -6 hours or on high for 2 to 3 hours. 6. Stir once or twice to keep wings coated in sauce.
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| Ingredients
2 pounds of cubed stew meat 1/2 cup of all purpose flour 2 tablespoons of kosher salt 3 tablespoons margarine 1 onion chopped 4 carrots, sliced 3 stalks of celery sliced 1 clove of garlic 2 bay leaves 1 teaspoons of salt 1 teaspoons white sugar 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper 1/2 teaspoons paprika 1/8 teaspoons of ground cloves 1 teaspoon lemon juice 1 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce 4 cups of water
Preparation
1. Cover beef cubes in water and 2 tablespoons of kosher salt for 20 minutes. 2. Rinse beef and dredge in flour until evenly coated. 3. Transfer beef to crock pot and add onions, carrots, celery, garlic, bay leaves, salt, sugar, pepper, paprika, cloves, lemon juice, and Worcestershire sauce. Pour in 4 cups of water and stir 4. Cover and cook on low 10 to 12 hours or on high for 5 to 6 hours. Serve hot. (Can also be served over rice)
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The following article is written by Aliyah Jacobs. Aliyah lives in Cape Town, South Africa with her wonderful husband Tim; together their hearts are to reach out to others through the love of Yeshua and share with them the blessing of Torah Truth. Aliyah is a trauma counselor and is currently writing her Masters dissertation on women and verbal abuse. Her heart is to see the women of YHWH rise up and take their rightful place in the Kingdom of the King. You may visit Aliyah's blog at http://seekingtruthintorah.blogspot.com/ .
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Isolation - Triumph or Defeat
We often read the bible as though it were an uncomplicated storybook, reading it through without comprehension or acknowledgement that the lives we are reading about are in fact biographical. The lives we encounter upon the pages of the Bible really lived! The people we read about were flesh and blood, much like you and I and just like you and I they struggled, suffered, were at times overcome with sorrow or grief, fear and pain. Other times these Biblical characters experienced joy unspeakable, love unimaginable and miracles unreachable, because the Bible documents their stories in a linear fashion we are not told of the many other details of their lives. Because of this we often believe that these characters did not share similar experiences that we have experienced, we do not realize that characters such as Elijah experienced post traumatic stress, or that Batsheva David’s wife felt the pain of a losing a child. We do not acknowledge the loneliness and pain of Jonah or that of a young Jewish girl that became queen to a pagan king, that young Jewish girl named Esther.
Esther was a Jewish exile living in a pagan society; the Jewish people of her time found themselves caught up within a difficult and hard empire. Esther herself was forcibly removed from her home and made to live in the palace awaiting one night which could change any young woman’s life. The bible tells us that Esther was chosen queen of Persia but tradition tells us that Esther lived a hard and solitary life. She did not reveal her identity or faith to anyone, let alone the king; Esther was truly alone. Alone in her identity and alone in her faith. One could say the members of her own home and even her husband could not fully identify with her, as her true and ultimate God breathed self had to be hidden for fear of negative consequences. Jewish tradition tells us that Esther was in fact queen for five long years until she revealed her identity and heritage to the king on that Yahweh-ordained evening that saved a people. Up until that point Esther lived in a state of loneliness and isolation that cannot be comprehended, however it was her isolation that kept her separated until the time of greatest triumph.
In the book of Judges chapter four we are told about a woman that won a great victory by the hand of Yahweh. In this chapter the Tanach relates the story of Devorah and Barak, Barak had been chosen to lead the army of Yahweh out to battle against the ruler Sisra, the army was ten thousand strong however Elohim ordained that not one of these soldiers would win the war. The ruler Sisra is overcome by the army and he flees on foot to a lonely tent where he encounters the woman named Yael. Yael is alone within the tent and offers Sisra a place to hide, and by her hand Sisra is defeated and once again the Israelites enjoy a time of peace. An unlikely heroine to the story, Yael is chosen by God a woman living a life of isolation and set-apartness; until her moment of purpose, ordained for her alone.
One of my favorite Biblical figures is our patriarch Yaakov, in Genesis thirty two we find him in a fearful, anxious state. About to meet his estranged brother Esau whose last desire was for Yaakov’s death, Yaakov is overcome by fear and turmoil. Without direction he divides his household and livestock into different camps and sends them over the river Yabok. The Torah tells us that Yaakov found himself alone in the dark hours of a dreadful night, it is here however that he encounters the Malach-Yahweh; the angel of God. He wrestles with this angel until the breaking of the dawn finally the angel of God blesses him and gives him a new name, that of Israel; the overcomer or prince with God. It is in within Yaakov’s time of greatest distress and loneliness that he meets Yahweh and finally breaks through to become Israel, the father of the twelve tribes of Israel. Here he fully inherits the promises given to his forefathers Yitzchak and Avraham through the mouth of Elohim.
What similar thread weaves the stories of Esther, Yael and Yaakov together? Each one of them found themselves alone before the time of greatest victory or triumph. Each one of them encountered isolation before Yahweh’s purposes for their lives became apparent.
In our modern day society we encounter the Jewish people in the same state as these three biblical figures. Living in exile for almost two thousand years the Jewish people face assimilation, persecution and intermarriage which threatens their existence and faith. These three components claim the identity and faith of hundreds of Jews worldwide, each year. Without a centralized place of worship, without a temple or sacrificial system upon which their faith is established it becomes easy to forget the calling and purpose they were created for, to be a light to all nations of the earth! Within the exiled place can come a natural defeat or the place of exile and loneliness can usher in the moments of greatest triumph. When people have all they need it becomes easy to lift up the voice to praise God, however when a people or individual find themselves alone without someone to encourage or without someone to remind them of their calling and they still can hold on to Yahweh, this becomes the moment of greatest triumph.
Esther, Yael and Yaakov did not realize what we ourselves fail to recognize, that within loneliness comes preparedness. Yeshua and His talmidim withdrew often to remote places, away from the voices, the opinions, the accusations and desires of others. Away from the throng of the crowds Yeshua and His twelve could pray and seek that still small voice heard in the moments of isolation and silence, Yeshua knew this; which is why He often withdrew. Praying without ceasing in the isolation leads to times of readiness for Yahweh’s greatest purposes. Isolation can be the place of greatest defeat or unfathomable preparedness. If we allow ourselves to reach the point where we rely upon our Elohim in our loneliness and our isolation, He will give us what we need to continue the race and He will likewise lead us to the point of greatest fulfillment; the point where we completely discover and live out our created purpose and what more could we ask for! Reach for the hand of Yeshua in the alone times, in the isolation and the hard times and begin to see the stories of our Bible as being filled with real hurt and pain but through these we can draw hope to fulfill the greatest victories and triumphs. Yahweh never forgets us or leaves us alone. If we are misunderstood He understands us, if we are overcome He comes over to be alongside us. If our family disowns us, He takes us in; if people cannot accept us He loves us for who we are because He formed us in the womb. If we find ourselves in a place of loneliness or isolation, perhaps and most likely we are being set apart for a purpose, a unique purpose; one precious enough that Abba wants all of our time to prepare for. May your loneliness lead to a greater preparedness, the preparedness that comes before purpose and purpose fulfilled even when we die, is within itself ageless.
(c) Aliyah Jacobs 2011
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| The Negev |
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Alone
It is human to stand with the crowd, it is Divine to stand alone. It is man-like to follow the people, to drift with the tide; it is God-like to follow a principle, to stem the tide.
It is natural to compromise conscience and follow the social and religious fashion for the sake of gain or pleasure; it is divine to sacrifice both on the altar of truth and duty.
"No man stood with me, but all men forsook me," wrote the battle-scarred apostle in describing his first appearance before Nero to answer for his life for believing and teaching contrary to the Roman world. Truth has been out of fashion since man changed his robe of fadeless light for a garment of faded leaves.
Noah built and voyaged alone. His neighbors laughed at his strangeness and perished in style.
Abraham wandered and worshipped alone. Sodomites smiled at the simple shepherd, followed the fashion, and fed the flames.
Daniel dined and prayed alone. Elijah sacrificed and witnessed alone. Jeremiah prophesied and wept alone. Yeshua loved and died alone.
Of the lonely way His talmidim (disciples) should walk, He said: "Straight is the gate and narrow the way which leads to life, and few there be that find it." Of their treatment by the many who walk in the broad way, He said: "If you were of the world, the world would love his own; but because you are not of the world, the world hates you."
The congregation of the wilderness praised Abraham, and persecuted Moses. The congregation of the Kings praised Moses and persecuted the prophets.
The congregation of Caiaphas praised the prophets and persecuted Yeshua. The congregation of popes praised Messiah and persecuted the saints. And multitudes now both in the "church" and the world, applaud the courage, and fortitude of the patriarch and prophets, the apostles and martyrs, but condemn as stubbornness or foolishness , like faithfulness of today.
Wanted: men and women, young and old, who will obey their convictions of truth and duty at the cost of fortune and friends, and life itself.
Submitted by Hadassah
-Author Unknown.
From an old track I found in my savta's Bible. It appears to be from the 1940s. I changed some of the words to be consistent with our Natsari/Messianic understanding.
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Reviews
Exposing Difficult Passages By Timothy & Lauren Beukman
This an ebook which examines commonly held ideas on women such as headcoverings, a woman's ability to teach, and being submissive. The Beukmans start at the beginning with Genesis and the creation to examine the origin of these concepts, and also the writings of Shaul (Paul).
Below is the introduction.
A growing concern for both my wife and I over the past few months is that of the constant quarrel among the body of Messiah about whether or not women are to wear head coverings and whether or not they are allowed to teach. The aim of this book is to inform you the reader and hopefully you in the end will be able to make a decision that is lead by the Spirit of YHWH.
Within the pages of this book you will be exposed to the history and background of two different congregations that the Apostle Paul established. Without a correct understanding of the culture and religions at the time interpreting key passages will become very difficult. How did Paul see headship and what was his view of woman in ministry. Is there scriptural proof for women who teach in the assemblies? Are women who are married meant to cover their heads? What about submission? These are the topics that will be discussed and expounded on within the pages of this book.
We trust that you will be blessed with the information presented throughout the pages that follow. Shalom Tim and Lauren
This ebook is not long, (about 4o pages), and gives the reader a very good understanding based on Scripture, history, and culture of where certain attitudes and concepts originated. These ideas have affected women for centuries. It is well written, scholarly, but easy to understand. I would highly recommend it to women, particularly women just beginning in their Torah walk, and to our husbands as well. It will be an asset to any woman who is searching for and questioning what her place is in Torah and in marriage. To order the ebook visit: Chronicles of the King Series by Lynn Austin
This is a series of books that I first reviewed in the Summer 2006 issue. The reason why I am mentioning it again is that many of you are new to Sarah's Tent, and perhaps your Torah walk as well. I can not recommend this series highly enough. It is one we all should read. The books chronicle the life of King Hezekiah, King of Judah, from the time he is a small boy subject to his idol worshipping father's whims all the way to his son Manasseh's rule.
These books take us from the dark days of a people who has forgotten their God, to restoration, temptation, crisis, despair and triumph. Throughout it all you see the hand of The Eternal. It is a series that every Torah obedient son and daughter of Elohim should read.
These books are suitable for young adults, but I encourage you to read the books first, because everyone has a different view of when they want their children exposed to certain materials.
The series contains the following books (in order):
God's and Kings
Song of Redemption
The Strength of His hand
Faith of My Fathers
Among the Gods
The series is available in different formats: paperback, audio (at audible.com) and for Kindle.
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| To midrash is to discuss and seek answers to Scriptural questions. The word midrash comes from the root word D-R-SH which mens to inquire into a matter. If you have older children and you have read the the Torah a couple of times, the next step would be to introduce them to the midrash. Midrash is not the same as Bible study. Bible study is one teacher over the students. In a midrash, everyone participates, AND they don't have to always agree! When we midrash we excercise our spiritual muscle and gain insights we would have otherwise overlooked from simply reading the text. Everyone's perception or insight may be different, so there are no right or wrong answers.
Also of great importance for youth (and adults) is learning the 4 levels of Scriptural interpretation. An excellent article explaining these levels can be found here: http://restorationoftorah.org/WeeklyParsha/PaRDes.pdf The same website also teaches on Thematic Analysis of Scripture and provides a children activity pages for each parasha . The link for the Torah studies is http://restorationoftorah.org/WeeklyParsha/ParashatHaShavuah.htm The Restoration of Torah website is a good place to begin to introduce your older child to deeper Torah understanding.
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Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever;
wisdom and power are his.
He changes times and seasons;
he deposes kings and raises up others.
He gives wisdom to the wise
and knowledge to the discerning.
He reveals deep and hidden things;
he knows what lies in darkness,
and light dwells with him.
I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors. Daniel 2:20-23
Moriah, I appreciate you more than you will ever know! Thank you sis!
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You may save the articles to your computer, and also print. Feel free to pass them on, but please keep them intact.
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