Contents
Editor’s Note
The Well……………………On His Mind Part 1
Kosher Kitchen….. ……………How to Kasher Meat/Recipe
Study on the Book of Ruth….………..…Bonnie Wills
Children’s Corner
Arts & Leisure
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Editor's Note
Shalom and welcome to the summer issue of Sarah's Tent. The last issue we were preparing for Passover and there is always a great deal of excitement at that time. For those of us in the northern hemisphere, we are now in the 'lazy hazy days of summer' and things have slowed down a bit. School is out for the majority, families are going on vacations and having barbecues. Everything is laid back as we slip into a relaxed attitude; enjoying the longer days, fussing over gardens and flowers, and savoring the beautiful but hot (depending where you are) weather. I wondered, while I was preparing for this issue, if there was a teaching about summer we were missing. The spring feast days represent our Messiah's first coming. The fall represents His second coming. Could the summer months have some meaning or teaching for us? Since Yisrael is an agricultural based society, and Yahweh used the feasts in conjunction with seasons to instruct us, I believe that the Yisrael?s summers have a lesson for us as well.
To those not living in the land the seasons in Yisrael may seem a bit backward, particularly for those living in the west. Our winter is cold. Nothing can be grown, and vegetation goes dormant. However in Eretz Yisrael (the land of Israel) this is when the crops grow, thanks to the former rains. The former rains begin around the end of October. There are no rains in the summer months in Yisrael, and it is extremely hot, so summer would be the equivalent of our western winter when nothing grows. Although I was raised in an area where summer droughts were rare, I did have the opportunity to experience an inkling of what happens in Yisrael during the summer. A few years ago our family moved to the country in Nebraska. From July until the end of August there is no rain. At the time I was very into gardening, and our first year there I was caught off guard by the shorter growing season and the lack of rain. Unless you had a good sprinkler system there was no need to mow. We did not. Every year our grass died and crunched beneath our feet. Keeping the plants in the garden alive during this time was hard work. The only thing that grew in abundance were the annoying swarms of grasshoppers that would move in waves as you walked through the dry grass.
Just as the spring and fall instruct us about Messiah, what could summer represent but our waiting and longing for Him to return? It is a difficult time - oppressive heat, and no rain. There are trials and tribulations while we work hard to keep what has been started alive. That is life on earth without the Messiah. Smith's Bible Dictionary describes this time as 'parched, dry, and brown'. However, when we become believers in Messiah He gives the us water that will sustain us during this time (John 4:14) so we do not lose hope.
We look forward to the former rains to refresh us and give us life, (our Messiah Yeshua), but until then we must toil and suffer the parched and dry ground around us. What can we do? Encourage each other with the water we have been given. Continue to toil for Him even though we do not immediately see the fruits of our labor and everything appears dry and brown.
Sow to yourselves in righteousness, Reap according to kindness. Break up your fallow ground; For it is time to seek Yahweh, Until he comes and rains righteousness on you. Hosea 10:12 WEB
This is the time to seek Yahweh. It is a difficult time but we need to share the hope we have in Him with others so they may be refreshed in this season of summer.
Neither say they in their heart, Let us now fear Yahweh our God, who gives rain, both the former and the latter, in its season; who preserves to us the appointed weeks of the harvest. Jeremiah 5:24 WEB |
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| THE WELL |
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On His Mind - Part 1
Within the story of the conversion of Cornelius is a teaching that reveals to us how to be "on the mind" of our God. This is something that every believer should strive for. To be on the mind of the Eternal is to be in His will and we can expect that He will reveal more of Himself to us.
Cornelius was an unusual man for his time. He was a God-fearer, a Roman officer who believed in the God of Israel and worshiped Him. An angel appeared to Cornelius while he was in prayer. He was terrified, but then regained his composure and asked the angel what he wanted with him. "Your prayers, replied the angel, ""and your acts of charity have gone up into God’s presence, so that he has you on His mind." (Acts 10:4). Yahweh had something special in mind for Cornelius, and He had sent a messenger to tell him. Why Cornelius? There were other God-fearers, but Cornelius stood out so that he was on the mind of God. The answer to this question is found in the very beginning of the chapter. The angel told Cornelius that his prayers and acts of charity had caused him to be on God’s mind. I believe these two things are essential in our worship of Yahweh. Just as Cornelius was, so we too can be on His mind. Part one of this article will deal with prayer.
There has been much written on prayer, and why a regular communication with Yahweh is essential in our relationship with Him, but it is not why we should pray, but when that is the subject here. In the Torah Yahweh gave Moses instructions on how He was to be worshiped. These instructions also included daily worship. Exodus 29:38-46 tells us there were to be two daily sacrifices. This was the time when Yahweh would meet with Moses and His people. A meeting implies that both parties are present. The Hebrew word for meet (ya ‘ad) means by agreement or appointment. Interestingly it also means to engage (for marriage) to betroth.
Scripture tells us these two times of meeting were in the morning and evening. At that time incense would be burned. This incense was a "special blend" that was used for this purpose. Any other use would result in the person being cut off from Israel. (Exodus 30:34-38) It was at these times that the people would gather together in the doors of their tents to worship and pray to Yahweh.
In Luke 1:5-22 we find Zacharias, the father of Yochanan (John) performing the duty of burning incense in the Temple during the morning sacrifice. The angel Gabriel visited him at this time and revealed that he would have a son. All of the people were outside worshipping and praying ( Luke 1:10 ). Incense, according to scripture, represents our prayers to Yahweh.
Let my prayer be like incense set before you, my uplifted hands like an evening sacrifice.
Psalm 141:2
When he took the scroll, the four living beings and the twenty-four elders fell down in front of the Lamb. Each one held a harp and gold bowls filled with pieces of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people;
Revelation 5:8
The smoke of the incense went up with the prayers of God’s people from the hand of the angel before God. Revelation 8:4
We have daily appointments with Yahweh where we meet with Him and worship Him in prayer. This was the time of the evening and morning sacrifice. Some time later, before the time of King David the noon prayer time was added. Psalm 55:17 says "Evening, morning, and at noon I cry aloud and he shall hear my voice." Daniel was thrown into the Lions’ den because he prayed three times a day facing Jerusalem. Daniel kept these appointments with Yahweh knowing the punishment was death. (Daniel 6)
Specific Hours
In ancient times the twenty-four hour day is divided into two twelve-hour periods - the morning (6:00 A.M. - 6:00 P.M.) and the evening (6:00 P.M. to 6:00 A.M.). The hours of the morning period are numbered beginning with 6:00 A.M.. When the Bible refers to a numbered hour of the day, for example the third hour of the day, we know this means 9:00 A.M.. Remembering that our meetings with Yahweh are appointments, specific times when we worship and the incense of our prayers goes up, does Scripture tell us what hours these times are?
In Hebrew these three prayer times are called Shacharit ("morning"), Minchah, ("gift offering" perhaps so named because it was not originally part of the daily sacrifices given in Exodus) and Ma’ ariv (evening). Respectively these times according to Scripture are at 9:00 A.M., Noon, and 3:00 P.M.. (At 3:00 P.M. the sun has begun its descent.)
At the feast of Shavuot (Pentecost), the disciples were gathered together and were of one accord when they were filled with the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit). Later in Acts 2:15 Peter tells us that it was the third hour of the day. (9:00 A.M.). In the third chapter of Acts Peter and John were going up to the Temple for prayers at the ninth hour (3:00 P.M.) when they came upon a man who had been crippled since birth. The Bible calls this "the hour of prayer." (Acts 3:1) Cornelius was in prayer at the ninth hour when he was visited by the angel. Acts 10:3,30 When Peter received his vision that would prepare him to meet and witness to Cornelius it was noon and he had gone up on the roof to pray. (Acts 10:9). When did Cornelius pray? I think it is clear that Cornelius, being a God-fearer, kept his daily appointments with Yahweh as did the disciples.
Is this something we should be doing? Absolutely! Think of it as making a doctor or business appointment. You make a call and are given an appointment time. The person you have arranged to see has blocked off time for you, and you don't want to miss it! So it is with Yahweh. He does not do things haphazardly or on a whim, and we are not to worship Him in that manner. He is a God of order and has designed a right way for everything to be done. Shaul says "but let all things be done in a proper and orderly way." 1 Corinthians 14:40 He is waiting for you at the appointed times and you want to meet Him there, within your prayer closet. If we believe that the yearly feasts of Yahweh have not been done away with, then it is easy to understand that He doesn't just want our attention on these yearly dates, but every day of our lives. He is the Eternal who has established daily (prayer), weekly (Shabbat - Sabbath), and annual (feasts) appointments with him.
Just think how it would be when we keep these prayer appointments with the Creator of the universe. First we are acknowledging that He is in control of our day to day lives. We are submitting to Him. Second we are truly drawing closer to Him by keeping these daily appointments. He is on our minds as we take the time to acknowledge him. And what does scripture say will happen when we do this? Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. James 4:8. As He is more on our minds then so shall we be on His!
Do we only pray at these times? Absolutely not! We should always be ready at a moment’s notice to go before the throne of grace due circumstances of life on behalf of others, and for ourselves. And at these times the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we don't know how to pray the way we should, but the Spirit himself pleads on our behalf with groanings to deep for words. Romans 8:26
What about Ephesians 6:18? In this verse Shaul seems to be telling us to be in prayer all the time. However, the Greek word for always (kairos) in this verse literally means an occasion, appointed or fixed time. Paul is actually telling us to pray at the appointed times. To the church in Thessalonica Shaul said to pray without ceasing. Is it possible to be in prayer twenty-four hours a day? The Greek word for ceasing (adialeiptos) means uninterruptedly, i.e. without omission (on an appropriate occasion) without ceasing. In other words, don't forget to pray at the appointed time or occasion.
Did Yeshua pray at the appointed times? Since He kept Torah perfectly He would have prayed at the appointed times as well as all other times when prayer was needed. We know that the disciples did from the verses cited earlier. Yeshua also instructed us to pray at the appointed times:
He said, Watch ye therefore, and pray always (kairos: at the appointed times), that ye may be counted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man. Luke 21:36
If we pray at the appointed times Yesuha says we will be considered worthy to escape the things that shall come to pass. What things? The previous verses of chapter 21 are speaking of the trials the world will endure in the Tribulation.
Something else to consider! Yeshua was nailed to the cross at the third hour of the day. (Mark 15:25) Darkness covered all the land at the sixth hour during his crucifixion. (Mark 15:33; Luke 23:44). At the ninth hour the Messiah died. (Mark 15:34-37)
...abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming. 1 John 2:28
© Hadassah Veirs 2003, Updated 2008
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Shalom in Yeshua! And welcome to the second issue of Kosher Kitchen!
In this issue, we are going to talk how to remove blood from our meat, or to "kasher" them. Following that will be a tasty recipe 
Salting and soaking:
In order to kasher meat, it first must be soaked and salted (I recommend using kosher salt, which can be found at your local grocery store). The first step in soaking is to wash off all of the blood. Soaking is done to enable the pores to open. The following are some important points in the process of soaking:
1. First the meat should be rinsed of all surface blood, then it can be soaked. The water should be at room temperature. The meat should be soaked for half an hour. Then the meat should be salted and left to stand for an hour.
2. Kashering must be done while the meat is fresh (not frozen). After that time, it can be koshered over an open fire. (Sprinkle a little salt on it before kashering on the fire.)
3. After salting, rinse the meat very good.
Broiling over an open flame:
An alternate and acceptable means of "koshering" meat is through broiling or barbequing.
1. The meat must first be thoroughly washed to remove all surface blood and then salted slightly on all sides. Those on salt-restricted diets can skip this salting altogether.
2. Broil using a grate that is sufficiently open to allow the blood to drip away from the meat, over an open fire, which draws out the internal blood.
Editor's note: For those of you who are liver lovers, the liver contains so much blood that it must be koshered in a special way. Broil it under an open flame in the oven, or over hot coals. You don't have to, but some people do sprinkle a little salt on it before broiling.
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I wanted to share a recipe that I made last Shabbat. It is called "Balkan Aubergines with Cheese", taken from the cookbook Jewish Cooking. It is a dish of eggplant, covered in a thick cheese sauce. It takes a little longer to prepare but well worth it! Great served hot, or cold. We had a beautiful side salad, challah bread, and red wine to complement this great dish.
Balkan Aubergines with Cheese
Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
2 large eggplant, cut into 1/4 in. thick slices
4 T olive oil
2 T. butter
2 T plain all-purpose flour
2 1/4 cups hot milk
1/8 tsp. nutmeg and cayenne pepper
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 1/2 cups grated cheese, such as kashkaval, Gruyere, or a mixture of parmesan and cheddar
salt and ground black pepper.
1. Layer the aubergine slices (eggplant) in a bowl or colander, sprinkling each layer with salt, and leave to drain for at least 30 minutes. Rinse well, then pat dry with kitchen paper.
2. Heat oil in a frying pan, then fry the aubergine slices until golden brown on both sides. Remove from the pan and set aside.
3. Melt the butter in a pan, then add the flour and cook for one minute, stirring. Remove from the heat and gradually stir in the hot milk. Return to the heat and slowly bring to the boil, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens and becomes smooth. Season with nutmeg, cayenne pepper, salt and black pepper. Leave to cool.
4. When the sauce is cool, beat in the eggs, then mix in the grated cheese, reserving a little to sprinkle on top of the dish. Preheat the overn to 350 F.
5. In an ovenproof dish, arrange a layer of the aubergine, then pour over some sauce. Repeat, ending with sauce. Sprinkle with the reserved cheese and bake for 35-40 minutes until golden and firm.
Enjoy!
Until next time!
Vered
You can email Vered at kosherKitchen@sarahstent.info
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| Boaz & Ruth |
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Study of the Book of Ruth
by Bonnie Wills
Bonnie Wills is a gifted writer who has been sharing her work with me for some time. She also wrote the Haggadah we made available to you in the Spring issue. Bonnie is wife to Radar and homeschools their four children. Bonnie can be reached at radarsgang@yahoo.com
To read the study click on the star below. (You will need Microsoft Word to view /print it. If you don't have it, you can download the Word Viewer here.
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| Study of the Book of Ruth |
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This issue of Children's Corner will be concentrating on activities for children when celebrating the weekly Sabbath. In addition to the free worksheets I created, and the coloring pages that my son has donated, I have also included links other activities and resources for Sabbath. Some are free others are not. Enjoy!
Sarah's Tent Worksheets
These worksheets were created by me, and are offered to our readers free of charge. Some use the Hebrew spellings, some do not. There are no answer sheets, but if you need an answer sheet please contact me at editor@sarahstent.info and I will be happy to email it to you. All worksheets are in pdf format and you will need Adobe Reader to view and print. If you don't have this program, please go to the Sarah's Tent home page and click on the Adobe icon that will take you where you can download the free reader. You may save them to your computer and print as many as you need. Please feel free to share.To access the worksheets just click on the name. A few have more than one page. ~Hadassa
Moedim
A crossword puzzle on the Feast of Yahweh. (Hebrew spellings)
People in the Torah page 1 People in the Torah page 2 (Hebrew spellings)
A word search puzzle.
People in the Torah page 1 People in the Torah page 2
A word search puzzle that is a little harder than one above. It gives only clues to who the person is - no names. Hebrew spellings)
Twelve Tribes Word Jumble (English) Twelve Tribes Word Jumble (Hebrew)
Unscramble the names of the Twelve Tribes of Israel
Sayings of Yeshua pg. 1, pg. 2
Quotations of Yeshua from the book of Yochanan (John). Fill in the blank, multiple choice.
Prophet Crossword Puzzle page 1 page 2 (English spellings)
Prophet Crossword Puzzle page 1 page 2 (Hebrew spellings)
Prophet Word Jumble (English spellings)
Unscramble the names of the prophets
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Sarah's Tent Coloring Pages
All coloring pages were drawn and donated by my son Samuel. If you would like to see more of his work please visit his web site at S.J. Veirs Web Gallery. As with the worksheets, all the drawings are in pdf format. To view and print for your children to color just click on the name. Some of the drawings are more detailed for older children. We hope you enjoy them.
Abraham's Faith
Baby Moses
Daniel in the lions den
Moses with the Ten Commandments
The spies return
Jonah and the whale 1 Jonah and the whale 2
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Links to other resources on the web
Restoration of Torah Ministries now has children studies for almost all of the Torah portions, and are quickly working on the others. They are wonderful handouts, and they are FREE.
Did you know that Aish.com has coloring pages for each of the Torah portions? Very nice! *
First Fruits of Zion has a Children's Torah Club program. This is a subscription and costs approximately $20 a month (includes shipping). $10 a month if you are already a member of their Torah Club. For ages 6-10, (but I have seen children as old as 12 use them.
Akhlah is a wonderful site. They have great activities for children. Their Shabbat pages include a stories for the Haftarah lesson, crafts, worksheets, a quiz, and hebrew lesson for each portion. Wonderful! Just click on the book, and then the portion name to get to all the activities. *
http://puritan55.tripod.com/id50.htm Activities for Shabbat
http://www.geocities.com/javerimve/ Torah page for youth in Spanish
http://www.cmy.on.ca/kids/yaledimsite/index.htm This site contains Messianic information for children on all the Feasts. Nice site, but it looks as if it hasn't been updated in a while. It's still worth visiiting.
http://www.torah.net/eng/kids/ Stories for teens; other interesting information. *
http://www.torah4kids.net/ Stories on each Torah portion. Activities to do as a family. *
* Not Messianic
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The Reading Corner
The Voice of the Lord by David J. Rudolph
The Voice of the Lord is not your typical devotional. It is the first Messianic Jewish daily devotional. It is easy to use, and contains a guide, the names of the Hebrew months with corresponding western months, information on the feast days, and the Torah reading cycle.The daily inspirational readings follow the Hebrew calendar and begins with the month of Tishri. This is a wonderful resource and devotional for those believing in Yeshua and living a Torah obedient life style.The Voice of the Lord can be purchased from Amazon.com.
Chronicles of the King Series by Lynn Austin http://www.lynnaustin.org
This is a series of five books and is a fictional account of the story of King Hezekiah. I purchased these books one at time, and I was sitting on pins and needles waiting for the next one to be released. Lynn Austin very succesfully transports you back in time to the days of the Judean kings Ahaz, Hezekiah, and Manasseh. Her writng style is so vivid that I actually felt as if I was in the palace, on the streets of Jerusalem, and hiding in the northern kingdom from the dreaded Assyrian army. There was however a different familiarity with this series that the messianic believer will experience as opposed to the Christian reader who believes that Torah is finished. This series is about children of Israel coming into the obedience of Torah and all the things that go along with it. It is our story. I felt great empathy with the characters while reading these books and I knew it was no accident. I couldn't put these books down, and I know you won't be able to either.
The series can be purchased individually from Amazon.com for about $10 per book.
The titles are in order are:
Gods and Kings
Song of Redemption
The Strength of His Hand
Faith of My Fathers
Among the Gods |
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An interesting note....
According to the Christian Churches of God, Ambrose of Milan (339-397 AD) allegedly kept Sabbath in Milan, and Sunday when in Rome, hence giving rise to the saying, "When in Rome do as the Romans do."
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Thank you reading our summer issue of Sarah's Tent. I pray that it has been a blessing to you. Our next issue will be out the end of October. May you and your families be blessed with shalom from our Messiah Yeshua!
Please remember to keep Israel in your prayers and all of the victims of this war.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Those who love you will prosper.
Psalm 122:6 |
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