Ten Days

Shalom:
From Luke 24: 45-53
⁴⁵ Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. ⁴⁶ He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, ⁴⁷ and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. ⁴⁸ You are witnesses of these things. ⁴⁹ I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”
5⁰ When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. ⁵¹ While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. ⁵² Then they worshipped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. ⁵³ And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God.

From Acts 1: 1-10:

1 In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Yeshua began to do and to teach ² until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. ³ After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. ⁴ On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. ⁵ For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

 6 Then they gathered around him and asked him, “L-rd, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
 7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. ⁸ But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
 9 After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.
 ¹⁰ They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. ¹¹ “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”

The Ascension of Yeshua.
After Yeshua HaMessiah rose from the dead, He was seen by His followers to prove He was indeed alive. Yeshua remained with His followers for forty day after that. He opened the Torah and teaching of Moshe to His followers, showing how He had fulfilled the scriptures. Yes, I know that there are those who disagree with me on this point. That's fine and your right.
One day, all will be put right.
But back to my entry. I have always wondered what those days must have been like; forty days, walking and talking, being taught by the Master Himself. How I wish I could be there to hear, to learn.
And a few years ago while reading this passage, the thought came to me: I can know exactly what Yeshua taught.
I have the Torah! I have the Five Books of Moses! I have the writing of the prophets, right at my finger tips. All I have to do is open my bible and after blessing G-d for His Word, learn of Him.
So many times we ask and we ask and we ask. And sometimes the answer is right before our eyes.
If we wish to know what Yeshua taught His followers during that time. Read the Five Books of Moses.

The Chosen People

Shalom:

Shavuot; the celebration of the giving and receiving of Torah.
This beautiful Holy Day also answers the question: why are the Jews called the Chosen People?

Genesis 17:7 - And I will establish My covenant between Me and you ( Abraham) and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be G_d to you and your descendants after you."
Abraham sought G_D, found G_D and then by chose, entered into covenant with G_D. To "cut covenant" in the Middle East, then and now, was a big deal. Like when I and a childhood friend of my (I wish I could remember his name) we cut our wrist and mingled our blood together, making up "blood brothers," it met our lives were now and forever intertwined. The only thing that could break that bond would be death. Of course, as kids we didn't know this at the time. We just thought was cool to exchange names and now we can now drink out of the same soda can and not get yelled at.
 G_d makes promises o His friend Abraham that passes down to Abraham's seed, his children.
This was the setting of Mount Sinai. G_D, keeping His promise to free the Hebrews and bring them to the Land Promised to them, chose this point and according to Exodus 24:7:
"Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people. They responded, "We will do everything the L-RD has said; we will obey."
Just as father Abraham chose, we too, each of us make the choice whether we will accept, we will obey G_D's law. No Hebrew man. woman or child was force to enter the covenant.
It is said that The L-RD offered the covenant to all seventy nations, but all refused to accept it unconditionally. We, the Jews were the last ones He asked and knowing we had nothing to lose (or  that there was a mountain held over our heads.) To this day, every Hebrew child who reaches the age of 13 years, may chose to entere the covenant or no. To embrace the Torah as their. This is why during the celebration when we rejoice with a family who's daughter is now Bat Mitzvah (daughter of the commandment) or son becomes Bar Mitzvah (son of the commandment)" the Torah Scroll is passed from father to son (or daughter) and the child draws the scroll to their heart, embracing these Holy Words as their own and G-d willing, one day will past onto their children.

We are called the Chosen People because we chose G_D, we chose to follow His commandments, to walk in His way. Our being "The Chosen People" doesn't make us superior,  for Judaism teaches that all humans are equal. G_D gave us the Torah, we now in turn give the Torah to any and all who will receive her. With each Shavuot, we are encourage to not only rejoice, but to reflect upon the spiritual choices we have made, the Torah we have accepted, the G_D we adore and crazy about us.
For me, when I think of Shavuot, it reminds of another covenant I made, one on our wedding night we cut in blood.
And just as the years of being Mark's wife have given given sweeter, so has Torah. And The One Who gave her.

The Giving and Recieving of Torah

Shalom:
In a few weeks, the Jewish world will celebrate one of the greatest of Holy Days.
 Shavuot.
Shavuot is the time when we  rejoice in the giving of the Torah and the Giver of the Torah. Well also rejoice in our receiving of Torah and entering into convenat with the Giver of Torah.

Shavuot has many names. "Chag (or Hag) Shavuot" means the Feast of Weeks. "Hag Matan Torateinu" means the Feast of the Giving of the Torah. Many considered  this day to be "Chag HaBikkurim" or a day of First Fruits.  As "Atzeret" a day of "being held back or drawn close to the L-rd. 
Shavuot also means "oaths", with the giving of the Torah, the Hebrews and G_D exchanged oaths, forming an everlasting covenant, not to forsake one. Which is why the Day is often pictured as a wedding day. Many Shul are decorated, even the Huppah is raised and the Torah is chanted underneath.

 Nor is it not uncommon for Jewish couples to renew their promises to each other.
Like Mark and I did last year.

(These pictures were taken after Shavuot was over, not during the Holy Day)

Finally, this day is also called “Chag HaKatzit”, the day of the cutting of the crop. This name refers to the wheat harvest, which is the last of the crops to be reaped. This reaping took place at this time. We also read from the Bible Book of Ruth, which places the time of the events described in that book as occurring at Shavuot. Ruth says the events of the book happened “at the beginning of the cutting of the barley crop.”
Just as when Mark asked me to be his wife, sealing it with a gold ring and I had to say yes and then receive the ring, The Torah was given to Israel, never forced upon her. When we stood at the foot of Mount Sinai, we were asked "Will you take this Torah to yourselves," we as a people said yes, we shall. It is said that every Hebrew stood at Sinai, and every Hebrew has the right to accept or reject Torah.
There are three trains of thought as to why the Torah was given to Israel and not another nation.
One is that, the Holy One, Blessed be He offered the Torah to all the nations of the earth, each nation had its own reason for turning it down, the Jews being the only ones who accepted it.  Another thought, one I have most often is that the Jews were offered the Torah last, and we accepted it only because G_D held a mountain over our heads!
Still, another suggests that God chose the Jews because they were the lowliest of nations, and their success would be attributed to God's might rather than their own ability.
For me, I find the answer in Torah herself.
The Holy One made a promise, a covenant with our father Abraham, to bless the nations through him and his seed. One of the ways that we are to "bless the nations," is His giving us the Torah, not to keep for ourselves, but to give to the world.
On Sinai, G_D entered an everlasting covenant with Israel, a covenant that still stands.
Each year, we celebrate the giving and the receiving of Torah, we celebrate the receiving the G_D of Torah.
And I like to think, He rejoices in receiving us.