Israel 365 News

Shalom Zahara, Please enjoy today's Daily Inspiration from Israel.

People could not see one another, and for three days no one could get up from where he was; but all the Israelites enjoyed light in their dwellings.
לֹא־רָאוּ אִישׁ אֶת־אָחִיו וְלֹא־קָמוּ אִישׁ מִתַּחְתָּיו שְׁלֹשֶׁת יָמִים וּלְכׇל־בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הָיָה אוֹר בְּמוֹשְׁבֹתָם
Exodus 10:23 (The Israel Bible)
lo ra-U eesh et a-KHEEV v'-lo KA-mu EESH mi-takh-TAV sh'-LO-shet ya-MEEM ul-khol b'-NAY yis-ra-AYL HA-yah OR b'-mo-sh'-vo-TAM
Light in a Darkened World
By Shira Schechter
The Torah portion of Bo (Exodus 10:1–13:16) tells of the final three plagues visited upon the Egyptians before the Exodus from Egypt. The Torah notes that during the ninth plague of darkness, while the Egyptians could not see one another or move around, "all the Israelites enjoyed light in their dwellings" (Exodus 10:23). This contrast between light and darkness serves as a powerful metaphor for the enduring struggle between good and evil that resonates throughout Jewish history and into our present times.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE
https://theisraelbible.com/light-in-a-darkened-world/?

Shalom Zahara, Please enjoy today's Daily Inspiration from Israel.

In all your ways know Him, and He will straighten your paths
בְּכׇל־דְּרָכֶיךָ דָעֵהוּ וְהוּא יְיַשֵּׁר אֹרְחֹתֶיךָ
Proverbs 3:6 (The Israel Bible, p. 1656)
b'-KHOL d'-ra-KHE-kha da-AY-hu v'-HU y'-ya-SHAYR o-r'-kho-TE-kha
The following article is taken from Rabbi Pesach Wolicki's new book, Verses for Zion.
Verses for Zion offers a profound exploration of devotional Bible teachings, intricately woven around the land, people, and God of Israel. Each page is a journey through history and faith, illuminating biblical narratives with insightful interpretations and spiritual wisdom. Verses for Zion will give readers the strength they need to stand up for God, the Bible and the chosen people. Click here to order your copy of Verses for Zion now.
What Does it Mean to Know God?
By Rabbi Pesach Wolicki
The most striking word in this verse is "know." The verse does not say “In all your ways remember Him.” It does not say, “In all your ways think of Him.” If the lesson of this verse was simply that being aware of God keeps one on the straight path, the verb used would not have been “know.”

It is also worth noting that the verse does not say, “At all times know Him,” or “Know Him all of your days.” If the point of the verse is that we should think about God at all times, why does it tie knowledge of Him to behavior – “all your ways” - rather than time?
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE
https://theisraelbible.com/what-it-means-to-know-god/?utm_source=ActiveCampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_content=What+Does+it+Mean+to+Know+God%3F&utm_campaign=I365+-+Daily+-+January+16%2C+2024

https://theisraelbible.com/developing-true-trust-in-god/?utm_source=ActiveCampaign&utm_medium=email
January 14, 2024 / 4 Sh'vat 5784
Shalom Zahara, Please enjoy today's Daily Inspiration from Israel.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And do not rely on your own understanding.
בְּטַח אֶל־יְהֹוָה בְּכׇל־לִבֶּךָ וְאֶל־בִּינָתְךָ אַל־תִּשָּׁעֵן
Proverbs 3:5 (The Israel Bible, p. 1656)
b'-TAKH el a-do-NAI b'-khol li-BE-kha v'-el bi-na-t'-KHA al ti-sha-AYN
The following article is taken from Rabbi Pesach Wolicki's new book, Verses for Zion.
Verses for Zion offers a profound exploration of devotional Bible teachings, intricately woven around the land, people, and God of Israel. Each page is a journey through history and faith, illuminating biblical narratives with insightful interpretations and spiritual wisdom. Verses for Zion will give readers the strength they need to stand up for God, the Bible and the chosen people. Click here to order your copy of Verses for Zion now.
Developing True Trust in God
By Rabbi Pesach Wolicki
What does it really mean to trust in the Lord? How do we actualize the lesson of this verse? What is it calling on us to do?

The beginning of this verse calls on us to “trust in the Lord.” As always, the precise Hebrew contains a nuance that is not apparent from the English translations.

The Hebrew for “Trust in the Lord” in our verse is made up of three words:

B’tach - Trust

el - in (to)

ADONAI - the Lord

To anyone familiar with Hebrew grammar and syntax, the anomaly in this verse is clear. The second word of the verse does not mean “in.” The word el means “to” or “toward”. The verb “trust” appears 120 times in the Bible. In almost all cases, this verb is followed by the prefix be meaning “in” or the word al meaning “upon”. In only 10 verses, this verb is followed by the word el, as it is here. In other words, the literal translation here is "Trust to the Lord."

What is the significance of this uncommon usage?
What does “Trust to” mean?
Nine of the ten times that “trust” is followed by el – “to”, the context is trust in God. In eight of these nine, i.e. all verses with the exception of our verse, the context is prayer in the face of imminent danger. This is an important point. Not all verses that mention trust in God share this context. For example, here is a conventional “trust in God” verse, which does not use our unusual “trust to” form:

Vindicate me, Lord, for I have led a blameless life; I have trusted in the Lord and have not faltered. – Psalm 26:1

David attributes his avoidance of sin to his trust in the Lord. He is not referring to trusting in God’s protection at a dangerous moment when facing enemies. Rather, trust in the Lord here refers to obedience to God.

Now, here are a few examples of “trust to” God in the Bible:

My adversaries pursue me all day long; in their pride many are attacking me. When I am afraid, I put my trust – el – to You. – Psalm 56:2-3

I hate those who cling to worthless idols; as for me, I trust – el – to the Lord…. You have not given me into the hands of the enemy. – Psalm 31:6,8

From these and other verses that use the word el – “to” – with the verb “trust,” it is clear that “trust” here is not an emotional sense of security and reliance upon God. Rather, to trust “to” God means to direct one’s energy toward trusting in God through prayer in times of crisis.

Although this may sound awkward in English, it actually makes sense. The Bible uses “trust to” in situations where the enemy is closing in and there is a legitimate reason to be afraid. This is a natural intuitive feeling at a time of acute danger. Even a person of strong faith in God will have a difficult time feeling completely secure and protected. Trust in God at such times requires effort. This is what our verse is describing. Trust to the Lord is different from trust in the Lord. Trust in the Lord is that common feeling of security that faith brings under normal circumstances. To trust to the Lord means directing one’s energy to use faith to overcome the feeling of precariousness and danger from an enemy that is about to attack.

To sum up: When I trust in the Lord, I am describing how I feel under normal circumstances. When I trust to the Lord, I am describing the effort to move away from fear and towards God at a moment of crisis when my natural instinct is to feel distant from Him.

Moving Towards Trust in the Lord
Trust in [EL – to] the Lord with all your heart, and on your own understanding do not lean.

While our verse does not describe any explicit enemy about to attack, it does describe a situation where we might feel distant from God. When we put too much trust in our own understanding, we allow God to slip into the background. When this happens, we are vulnerable to attack by the enemy. At such times, we are called to put in the effort to regain that sense of trust. This is the message of our verse.
When we lean too much on our own wisdom and understanding rather than humbly submitting to the word of God, we are weakened. This verse calls on us to “trust to the Lord”, to work to move towards trust in God to save us from our own arrogant trust in our own understanding.

This article was taken from Rabbi Pesach Wolicki’s new book, Verses for Zion. Verses for Zion offers a profound exploration of devotional Bible teachings, intricately woven around the land, people, and God of Israel. Each page is a journey through history and faith, illuminating biblical narratives with insightful interpretations and spiritual wisdom. Click here https://israel365store.com/products/verses-for-zion
to order your copy of Verses for Zion now.

Rabbi Pesach Wolicki serves as Executive Director of Ohr Torah Stone’s Center for Jewish-Christian Understanding and Cooperation, and he is cohost of the Shoulder to Shoulder podcast

Shalom Zahara, Please enjoy today's Daily Inspiration from Israel.

And I will take you to be My people, and I will be your God. And you shall know that I, the LORD, am your God who freed you from the labors of the Egyptians.
וְלָקַחְתִּי אֶתְכֶם לִי לְעָם וְהָיִיתִי לָכֶם לֵאלֹהִים וִידַעְתֶּם כִּי אֲנִי יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם הַמּוֹצִיא אֶתְכֶם מִתַּחַת סִבְלוֹת מִצְרָיִם
Exodus 6:7 (The Israel Bible)
v'-la-kakh-TEE et-KHEM LEE l'-AM v'-ha-YEE-tee la-KHEM lay-lo-HEEM vee-da-TEM KEE a-NEE a-do-NAI e-lo-hay-KHEM ha-mo-TZEE et-KHEM mi-TA-khat siv-LOT mitz-RA-yim
Miracles of Faith
By Shira Schechter
Have you ever wondered why, in the story of the Exodus from Egypt, God chose to perform such grand miracles? What was the reason behind turning rivers into blood or parting the Red Sea? God certainly didn't need to perform miracles to save the Israelites from Egypt.

The medieval biblical commentator known as Nachmanides explains that when began began to worship idols, their beliefs in God began to stray. Some denied the very existence of God. Others acknowledged a divine being but doubted His involvement in worldly affairs. This skepticism extended to denying divine providence, likening humans to mere fishes in the sea, subject to the whims of chance rather than divine oversight.

The miracles performed during the Exodus were not just flashy shows of power. They were profound demonstrations meant to shatter these beliefs and doubts. Each miracle was a clear sign that the world has a Creator, a God who is actively involved, who listens, and who can change the course of nature. In essence, these miracles reaffirmed three crucial principles: the existence of God, His providence, and His might.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE https://theisraelbible.com/miracles-of-faith/?utm_source=ActiveCampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Miracles+of+Faith&utm_campaign=I365+-+Daily+-+January+11%2C+2024


REPORT: EU Helping PA Set up for Oct 7 Assault on Judea and Samaria
The Regavim Movement released a report on Monday illustrating that the security concepts that enabled Hamas to carry out the October 7th massacre along Israel’s southern security fence are alive and well – along the security barrier of Judea and Samaria.
READ MORE https://www.israel365news.com/381994/report-eu-helping-pa-set-up-for-oct-7-assault-on-judea-and-samaria/?

Shalom Zahara, Please enjoy today's Daily Inspiration from Israel.

Indeed, Gaza shall be deserted and Ashkelon desolate; Ashdod’s people shall be expelled in broad daylight, and Ekron shall be uprooted.
כִּי עַזָּה עֲזוּבָה תִהְיֶה וְאַשְׁקְלוֹן לִשְׁמָמָה אַשְׁדּוֹד בַּצׇּהֳרַיִם יְגָרְשׁוּהָ וְעֶקְרוֹן תֵּעָקֵר
Zephaniah 2:4 (The Israel Bible)
KEE a-ZAH a-zu-VAH tih-YEH, v'-ash-k'-LON lish-ma-MAH, ash-DOD ba-tza-ho-RA-yim y'-ga-r'-SHU-ha, v'-ek-RON tay-a-KAYR
Zephaniah’s Cry: Don’t Rely on America!
By Rabbi Elie Mischel
As a synagogue rabbi, I was fascinated by the power and influence that certain wealthy congregants held over the synagogue and the rest of the community. CEOs and owners of companies, these wealthy people employed several members of the community. And of course, the synagogue depended on their large contributions to pay its bills.

Their generosity, of course, was admirable. But it was also a double edged sword. Due to their largesse, these congregants wielded enormous influence in ways that could be quite destructive to the very community they so generously supported. The synagogue made questionable decisions intended to please these donors, who also held sway over their social circles. Money brings influence, in more ways than one. There is no such thing as a free lunch.

Ever since Hamas invaded Israel on October 7, murdering, torturing and raping over 1,200 innocent Jews, Israel’s complex relationship with the United States has impeded the course of its righteous war against Hamas. It’s true that America supplies Israel with the weapons and ammunition it needs to eradicate Hamas. But this largesse, like that of wealthy congregants, comes at a very steep cost.

Though the US gives over $3.3 billion in foreign aid to Israel each year, the long term impact of this support are deeply damaging to the nation it is meant to help. It has a suffocating effect on the development of domestic Israeli defense companies, because the terms of the aid package require Israel to purchase the great majority of its arms and ammunition from American companies. The result is that Israel has ceded its arms manufacturing to the United States, placing all of its eggs in the American basket. Given the tenuousness of America’s support for Israel over the years, this approach has left Israel vulnerable to American pressure, in more ways than one.

Israel’s dependence on America is not merely bad policy. As the prophet Zephanaiah teaches, it is a national sin and a spiritual brokenness that is preventing the people of Israel from fulfilling its Godly mission on this Earth.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE https://www.israel365news.com/381996/zephaniahs-cry-dont-rely-on-america/

https://www.israel365news.com/382102/biden-promised-gaza-aid-wouldnt-go-to-hamas-he-lied/?
Biden promised Gaza aid wouldn’t go to Hamas. He lied.
OPINION
JANUARY 10, 2024
Home » Biden promised Gaza aid wouldn’t go to Hamas. He lied.
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU BIDEN HAMAS ISRAEL PALESTINIANS TERRORISM UNITED STATES (AMERICA)
And now an official who funded the murder of a 17-year-old girl is in charge.

A week after the horrors of Oct. 7, when the Biden administration first convinced Israel to open up the siege of Gaza and allow in international aid, it promised Hamas would not get it.

“If Hamas in any way blocks humanitarian assistance from reaching civilians, including by seizing the aid itself, we’ll be the first to condemn it. And we will work to prevent it from happening again,” Secretary of State Blinken pledged.

The problem with such a promise was obvious once Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer struggled to explain to CNN how it would stop Hamas from taking the aid.


Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu holds a private meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken at IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv, Jan. 9, 2024. Photo by Kobi Gideon/GPO. (source: JNS)
“How is the United States going to ensure that none of that ends up in the hands of Hamas?” a CNN anchor asked.

Finer claimed that “this was a primary focus of the president’s diplomacy” and that “it involves securing an understanding among Hamas fighters who control the checkpoints on the other side of the border.”

The Deputy National Security Advisor assured that “the president was quite clear that if this assistance goes in, it cannot be misappropriated, it cannot be taken by Hamas fighters and so we are going to be watching that very closely.”


If anyone is watching, there’s been plenty to see as armed Hamas fighters have hijacked aid convoys in videos taken both by the IDF and civilians in Gaza. In video after video, Hamas terrorists seize aid and assault civilians, who in some cases respond by hurling abuse and stones.

On Halloween, John Kirby, Biden’s national security spokesman, denied anything was going on.

“We have seen no indication, none, that Hamas has gotten their hands on any of the humanitarian assistance that has gone in. None of it. It goes from these U.N. trucks to humanitarian organizations and the U.N. for delivery to the people of Gaza. That’s what we’ve seen with every single one of them,” he claimed.

Then he insisted that our “U.N. partners” were monitoring aid with “diligence.” What were the U.N. partners actually doing?

In mid October, UNRWA, the U.N. aid agency dedicated to the so-called “Palestinian” settlers and staffed by Hamas, tweeted that it “received reports that yesterday a group of people with trucks purporting to be from the Ministry of Health of the de facto authorities in Gaza removed fuel and medical equipment from the agency’s compound in Gaza City.”


Trucks with humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians in Gaza arrive via the Rafah border crossing with Egypt on Nov. 2, 2023. Photo by Abed Rahim Khatib/Flash90. (Source: JNS)
UNRWA then deleted the tweet accusing Hamas of stealing aid and pretended it never happened.

In late December, an UNRWA official claimed that, “There’s no hijacking of our [UNRWA] supplies by Hamas.” The official then argued that accusations that Hamas was taking aid were a “disinformation campaign” which was “aimed at the very agency trying to help people.”

The disinformation campaign apparently included UNRWA’s own Twitter account.

Earlier that same month, a Gazan woman had told Al Jazeera that, “all of it goes down [into Hamas’s tunnels]. They take it and will even shoot me or do whatever they want, Hamas.”

She must have also been part of the “disinformation campaign” against UNRWA.

Months after all the assurances from the Biden administration that the aid would not end up in the hands of Hamas, it routinely does and without a word of protest or any end to the aid trucks.


The entrance to a terror tunnel in Gaza City. Credit: Israel Defense Forces.
Where is our aid even going?

USAID, already facing an investigation by a government watchdog and Congress over Afghan aid going to terrorists, refused to “name the nongovernmental organizations it is working with to deliver the supplies, citing security concerns” in its response to USA Today.

Since Hamas knows which organizations are working in Gaza and distributing aid, from whom are Samantha Power and USAID keeping the information?

What does it say about Power and USAID that they’re more worried about USA Today readers finding out where the aid is going?

American aid workers are in contact with Hamas, one of them said anonymously, there “just can’t be anything political.” As if there’s a non-political way to work with an Islamic terror group.

A massive fortune in aid is being handed over to Hamas for distribution by nameless aid organizations that video evidence and eyewitness testimony shows is going to terrorists.


Trucks with humanitarian aid arrive at the Palestinian side of the Kerem Shalom border crossing, in the southern Gaza Strip, on Dec. 18, 2023. Photo by Abed Rahim Khatib/Flash90.
So much for Biden’s commitment “to ensuring that civilians in Gaza will continue to have access to food, water, medical care and other assistance, without diversion by Hamas.”

And the $100 million in “humanitarian aid” promised by Biden is just the beginning of a larger program to “reconstruct” Gaza. Much as the program to reconstruct Afghanistan put a fortune in the pockets of the Taliban that enabled them to retake the country, programs to reconstruct Gaza after previous wars allowed Hamas to build its vast network of tunnels and develop massive fortunes, some of which were then plowed into terror programs.

The Biden administration issued a press release “welcoming” the appointment of Sigrid Kaag, as the U.N. Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for aid to Gaza.

Kaag’s actual last name is Al-Qaq; she’s a former leftist Dutch politician who married Anis al-Qaq, a deputy minister in Arafat’s PLO government, and has been caught funding terrorists.

In 2019, Rina Shnerb was hiking with her family when a bomb went off.


Israeli Flag hung up at Kibbutz Be’eri, in the Gaza envelope, which was destroyed by Hamas
“I wanted to believe it was just a dream,” said her father, Rabbi Shnerb. “I have experienced several bombs in my life and been saved, thank God, but this one got us…I immediately called to Rina, shouting ‘Rina, Rina,’ I looked down and saw that she was not alive.”

One of the terrorists accused of aiding the attack had taken pictures with Dutch officials while working as a director at a non-profit linked to terrorists and financed by the Dutch government. Despite having received multiple warnings, Kaag claimed she was unaware of the connection.

Geert Wilders had condemned Kaag for having been “photographed with terrorist Arafat and financed Palestinian terrorists.”

The Shnerb family told JNS that, “Kaag was in a position to decide whether to fund homicidal terrorists who, like the Nazis, were trying to murder Jews simply for being Jews. Kaag ignored all the warning signs and insisted on funding the PFLP terrorists. Those terrorists then murdered Rina.”

Now, Kaag is in a position to do it all over again with the backing of the Biden administration.


Kaag had previously accused Israel’s government of being “racist” and denounced Jews living in parts of the country claimed by terrorists as “illegal colonists on confiscated land.”

After violating its commitment to stop Hamas from seizing aid, the Biden administration has approved of the appointment of an official who funded terrorists who killed Jews.

The Biden administration has focused all of its efforts on a plan to strengthen the Palestinian Authority and have it take over Gaza. It’s doing so even though elements of the P.A. actually took part in the Oct. 7 massacre and Fatah, which is the ruling part of the P.A., endorsed it. Fatah’s Secretary-General Jibril Rajoub declared that, “What happened on Oct. 7 was in the context of the defensive war our people are waging. Hamas is part of our political and social fabric.”

Furthermore, the P.A. has reportedly begun paying salaries to arrested Oct. 7 perpetrators.
It’s not a question of whether our aid to the terrorist areas goes to terrorists, but which terrorists.
The State Department recently announced that the “United States has provided more than $110 million in humanitarian assistance for Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank since October 7.”
Kill over a thousand people and you get over $100 million in aid. That’s $100,000 per murder.
If we really want to stop terrorism, we should stop funding it.
Share this article

https://www.israel365news.com/382102/biden-promised-gaza-aid-wouldnt-go-to-hamas-he-lied/?
Biden promised Gaza aid wouldn’t go to Hamas. He lied.
OPINION
JANUARY 10, 2024
Home » Biden promised Gaza aid wouldn’t go to Hamas. He lied.
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU BIDEN HAMAS ISRAEL PALESTINIANS TERRORISM UNITED STATES (AMERICA)
And now an official who funded the murder of a 17-year-old girl is in charge.

A week after the horrors of Oct. 7, when the Biden administration first convinced Israel to open up the siege of Gaza and allow in international aid, it promised Hamas would not get it.

“If Hamas in any way blocks humanitarian assistance from reaching civilians, including by seizing the aid itself, we’ll be the first to condemn it. And we will work to prevent it from happening again,” Secretary of State Blinken pledged.

The problem with such a promise was obvious once Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer struggled to explain to CNN how it would stop Hamas from taking the aid.


Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu holds a private meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken at IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv, Jan. 9, 2024. Photo by Kobi Gideon/GPO. (source: JNS)
“How is the United States going to ensure that none of that ends up in the hands of Hamas?” a CNN anchor asked.

Finer claimed that “this was a primary focus of the president’s diplomacy” and that “it involves securing an understanding among Hamas fighters who control the checkpoints on the other side of the border.”

The Deputy National Security Advisor assured that “the president was quite clear that if this assistance goes in, it cannot be misappropriated, it cannot be taken by Hamas fighters and so we are going to be watching that very closely.”


If anyone is watching, there’s been plenty to see as armed Hamas fighters have hijacked aid convoys in videos taken both by the IDF and civilians in Gaza. In video after video, Hamas terrorists seize aid and assault civilians, who in some cases respond by hurling abuse and stones.

On Halloween, John Kirby, Biden’s national security spokesman, denied anything was going on.

“We have seen no indication, none, that Hamas has gotten their hands on any of the humanitarian assistance that has gone in. None of it. It goes from these U.N. trucks to humanitarian organizations and the U.N. for delivery to the people of Gaza. That’s what we’ve seen with every single one of them,” he claimed.

Then he insisted that our “U.N. partners” were monitoring aid with “diligence.” What were the U.N. partners actually doing?

In mid October, UNRWA, the U.N. aid agency dedicated to the so-called “Palestinian” settlers and staffed by Hamas, tweeted that it “received reports that yesterday a group of people with trucks purporting to be from the Ministry of Health of the de facto authorities in Gaza removed fuel and medical equipment from the agency’s compound in Gaza City.”


Trucks with humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians in Gaza arrive via the Rafah border crossing with Egypt on Nov. 2, 2023. Photo by Abed Rahim Khatib/Flash90. (Source: JNS)
UNRWA then deleted the tweet accusing Hamas of stealing aid and pretended it never happened.

In late December, an UNRWA official claimed that, “There’s no hijacking of our [UNRWA] supplies by Hamas.” The official then argued that accusations that Hamas was taking aid were a “disinformation campaign” which was “aimed at the very agency trying to help people.”

The disinformation campaign apparently included UNRWA’s own Twitter account.

Earlier that same month, a Gazan woman had told Al Jazeera that, “all of it goes down [into Hamas’s tunnels]. They take it and will even shoot me or do whatever they want, Hamas.”

She must have also been part of the “disinformation campaign” against UNRWA.

Months after all the assurances from the Biden administration that the aid would not end up in the hands of Hamas, it routinely does and without a word of protest or any end to the aid trucks.


The entrance to a terror tunnel in Gaza City. Credit: Israel Defense Forces.
Where is our aid even going?

USAID, already facing an investigation by a government watchdog and Congress over Afghan aid going to terrorists, refused to “name the nongovernmental organizations it is working with to deliver the supplies, citing security concerns” in its response to USA Today.

Since Hamas knows which organizations are working in Gaza and distributing aid, from whom are Samantha Power and USAID keeping the information?

What does it say about Power and USAID that they’re more worried about USA Today readers finding out where the aid is going?

American aid workers are in contact with Hamas, one of them said anonymously, there “just can’t be anything political.” As if there’s a non-political way to work with an Islamic terror group.

A massive fortune in aid is being handed over to Hamas for distribution by nameless aid organizations that video evidence and eyewitness testimony shows is going to terrorists.


Trucks with humanitarian aid arrive at the Palestinian side of the Kerem Shalom border crossing, in the southern Gaza Strip, on Dec. 18, 2023. Photo by Abed Rahim Khatib/Flash90.
So much for Biden’s commitment “to ensuring that civilians in Gaza will continue to have access to food, water, medical care and other assistance, without diversion by Hamas.”

And the $100 million in “humanitarian aid” promised by Biden is just the beginning of a larger program to “reconstruct” Gaza. Much as the program to reconstruct Afghanistan put a fortune in the pockets of the Taliban that enabled them to retake the country, programs to reconstruct Gaza after previous wars allowed Hamas to build its vast network of tunnels and develop massive fortunes, some of which were then plowed into terror programs.

The Biden administration issued a press release “welcoming” the appointment of Sigrid Kaag, as the U.N. Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for aid to Gaza.

Kaag’s actual last name is Al-Qaq; she’s a former leftist Dutch politician who married Anis al-Qaq, a deputy minister in Arafat’s PLO government, and has been caught funding terrorists.

In 2019, Rina Shnerb was hiking with her family when a bomb went off.


Israeli Flag hung up at Kibbutz Be’eri, in the Gaza envelope, which was destroyed by Hamas
“I wanted to believe it was just a dream,” said her father, Rabbi Shnerb. “I have experienced several bombs in my life and been saved, thank God, but this one got us…I immediately called to Rina, shouting ‘Rina, Rina,’ I looked down and saw that she was not alive.”

One of the terrorists accused of aiding the attack had taken pictures with Dutch officials while working as a director at a non-profit linked to terrorists and financed by the Dutch government. Despite having received multiple warnings, Kaag claimed she was unaware of the connection.

Geert Wilders had condemned Kaag for having been “photographed with terrorist Arafat and financed Palestinian terrorists.”

The Shnerb family told JNS that, “Kaag was in a position to decide whether to fund homicidal terrorists who, like the Nazis, were trying to murder Jews simply for being Jews. Kaag ignored all the warning signs and insisted on funding the PFLP terrorists. Those terrorists then murdered Rina.”

Now, Kaag is in a position to do it all over again with the backing of the Biden administration.


Kaag had previously accused Israel’s government of being “racist” and denounced Jews living in parts of the country claimed by terrorists as “illegal colonists on confiscated land.”

After violating its commitment to stop Hamas from seizing aid, the Biden administration has approved of the appointment of an official who funded terrorists who killed Jews.

The Biden administration has focused all of its efforts on a plan to strengthen the Palestinian Authority and have it take over Gaza. It’s doing so even though elements of the P.A. actually took part in the Oct. 7 massacre and Fatah, which is the ruling part of the P.A., endorsed it. Fatah’s Secretary-General Jibril Rajoub declared that, “What happened on Oct. 7 was in the context of the defensive war our people are waging. Hamas is part of our political and social fabric.”

Furthermore, the P.A. has reportedly begun paying salaries to arrested Oct. 7 perpetrators.
It’s not a question of whether our aid to the terrorist areas goes to terrorists, but which terrorists.
The State Department recently announced that the “United States has provided more than $110 million in humanitarian assistance for Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank since October 7.”
Kill over a thousand people and you get over $100 million in aid. That’s $100,000 per murder.
If we really want to stop terrorism, we should stop funding it.
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https://www.israel365news.com/382034/you-expelled-your-jews-we-want-to-do-the-same/?
You expelled your Jews, we want to do the same!
They encircle me with words of hate; they attack me without cause.
PSALMS109:3
(THE ISRAEL BIBLE)
Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz
ANTISEMITISM
JANUARY 9, 2024
2 MIN READ
Home » You expelled your Jews, we want to do the same!


ANTISEMITISM EUROPEAN UNION HAMAS HEZBOLLAH ISRAEL LEBANON TERRORISM
Mohammad Raad, a Lebanese politician of Hezbollah, who serves as member of parliament representing Nabatieh district, met with the European Union’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell Fontelles, in Beirut on Saturday. The meeting was described as an attempt to prevent the expansion of Israel’s war against Hamas.

Arab-language media reported that Raad made the following comments in a speech at the meeting:

“We are now witnessing the downward fall of the Israeli enemy, despite international protection for its project and its entity, but the enemy is on a downward path,” Raad said.

He then addressed the delegations that came from Europe:

“You expelled the Jews from your country in order to protect your society, and we have the right to protect our society as well,” Raad reportedly said. “If you cannot promise that the Israelis will stop their aggression against Gaza, why do you come to us and what do you guarantee for us, what we tell you and what we demand of you?”


Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh arrives to attend a meeting of EU foreign ministers at the European Council building in Brussels, Belgium on January 23, 2023. (source: Shutterstock)
“If you want a wide war in which you attack our country, we will go to the end and we are not afraid of your threats, bombing, or aggression, and we have prepared for you what you never imagined.”

This statement was widely reported in Arab language but the Elder of Ziyon blog was the only English language media that reported Raad’s comments to Borell.

Borell was criticized for breaking with EU policy when

On Friday, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah told supporters at a rally in Beirut that the terrorist organization has launched 670 military actions on Lebanon’s border with Israel since October 7.


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Joshua’s Altar on Mount Ebal Vandalized by Arabs
Only the fixed Jewish presence of a farm or town will prevent further damage or destruction.
READ MORE »https://www.israel365news.com/381900/joshuas-altar-on-mount-ebal-vandalized-by-arabs/?

[OP-ED] US Aid to Israel is Vital, But so is Addressing the Border Crisis
by JNS
A wartime aid package for the Jewish state should be a congressional priority. That said, it’s no good pretending that the collapse of American security can continue to be ignored.
READ MORE » https://www.israel365news.com/381911/us-aid-to-israel-is-vital-but-so-is-addressing-the-border-crisis/?

Gazans Have the Right to Leave
While fleeing a combat zone is a basic and universal human right, many foreign leaders have come out strongly against this.
READ MORE » https://www.israel365news.com/381938/gazans-have-the-right-to-leave/?

IDF Reservists Unearth 1,900-Year-Old Byzantine Vessel
Israeli reserve soldiers on patrol near a Gaza border staging area stumbled upon a Byzantine-era vessel used for grinding grain.
READ MORE » https://www.israel365news.com/381887/idf-reservists-unearth-1900-year-old-byzantine-vessel/?

Rejoicing in a Future We Will Not Live to See

Psalm 122 is the third in a series of fifteen psalms that begin with the words, A song of ascents. Of these fifteen chapters, only four name David as the author. One chapter names David’s son Solomon (Psalm 127).
READ MORE » https://theisraelbible.com/rejoicing-in-a-future-we-will-not-live-to-see/?

[WATCH] The Arab Christians Who Help Jews During the War

The amazing story of the Arab Christians who helped Jews during the conflict. These Christians dedicated their lives to help their Jewish neighbors and showed remarkable courage.
WATCH » https://www.israel365news.com/video/the-arab-christians-who-help-jews-during-the-war/?

[WATCH] Powerful Letter From Israeli Soldier on Front Lines in Gaza
Ollie reads out a letter an inspiring letter from "Simcha Sam" - a paratrooper fighting in Gaza.
WATCH » https://www.israel365news.com/video/powerful-letter-from-israeli-soldier-on-front-lines-in-gaza/?


Israeli Killed in Samaria Terror Shooting

An Israeli man was killed on Sunday morning in a shooting along Route 465, between the towns of Ofra and Eli in the Binyamin region of Samaria.
READ MORE » https://www.israel365news.com/381891/israeli-killed-in-samaria-terror-shooting/?

[OP-ED] The Morality of IDF Maneuvers in Gaza
by JNS
The Israeli military has taken all reasonable measures to achieve its mission while minimizing harm to the civilian population and maximizing humanitarian relief.
READ MORE » https://www.israel365news.com/381921/the-morality-of-idf-maneuvers-in-gaza/?

No Money For You! Donors Suspend Rutgers Funding Over Jew-Hatred
"Our checkbook is closed until we see action on the part of the administration at Rutgers that they are committed to protecting Jewish students," said Marvin and Eva Schlanger.
READ MORE » https://www.israel365news.com/381896/no-money-for-you-donors-suspend-rutgers-funding-over-jew-hatred/?

Toronto Police Defends Delivering Coffee to Anti-Israel Activists
The Toronto Police Service is evidently taking a page from the motto of the Los Angeles Police Department: "To protect and to serve."
READ MORE » https://www.israel365news.com/381906/toronto-police-defends-delivering-coffee-to-anti-israel-activists/?


[ICYMI] Israel’s Population Tops 9.8 Million in 2023 as its Christian Population Grows
While Christians are persecuted and dwindling in the Middle East, Israel is the notable exception.
While Christians are persecuted and dwindling in the Middle East, Israel is the notable exception.
READ MORE » https://www.israel365news.com/381871/israels-population-tops-9-8-million-in-2023-as-its-christian-population-grows/?

In Gaza Push, IDF Kills Hamas Terrorists in Tunnels, Others Surrender
Terrorists counting down until Israel's departure from Gaza "need to change the count until the end of their lives," warned Israel's defense minister.
READ MORE » https://www.israel365news.com/381859/in-gaza-push-idf-kills-hamas-terrorists-in-tunnels-others-surrender/?

Report: Biden Justice Dept Ordered Stop Investigating Po-Hamas/Antisemitic Activities
A report by the Washington Free Beacon claims that the US Justice Department issued a "stand-down order", telling federal law enforcement and US attorneys to stop investigating "incitement, violence, and vandalism" committed by Hamas supporters who hold US visas.
READ MORE »https://www.israel365news.com/381875/report-biden-justice-dept-ordered-stop-investigating-po-hamas-antisemitic-activities/?


Israel’s Population Tops 9.8 Million in 2023 as its Christian Population Grows
While Christians are persecuted and dwindling in the Middle East, Israel is the notable exception.
READ MORE » https://www.israel365news.com/381871/israels-population-tops-9-8-million-in-2023-as-its-christian-population-grows/?

US Rebukes South Africa for ‘Meritless’ Genocide Suit Against Israel
“We find this submission meritless, counterproductive, completely without any basis in fact whatsoever,” said U.S. National Security Council Spokesperson John Kirby.
READ MORE » https://www.israel365news.com/381840/us-rebukes-south-africa-for-meritless-genocide-suit-against-israel/?


Growth Through Challenge
The beginning of the Israelites' slavery in Egypt is marked by Pharaoh's fearful decree: “Let us deal shrewdly with them, so that they may not increase” (Exodus 1:10).
READ MORE » https://theisraelbible.com/growth-through-challenge/?

Shalom Zahara, Please enjoy today's Daily Inspiration from Israel.

Let my tongue stick to my palate if I cease to think of you, if I do not keep Jerusalem in memory even at my happiest hour
תִּדְבַּק־לְשׁוֹנִי  לְחִכִּי אִם־לֹא אֶזְכְּרֵכִי אִם־לֹא אַעֲלֶה אֶת־יְרוּשָׁלַ͏ִם עַל רֹאשׁ שִׂמְחָתִי
Psalms 137:6 (The Israel Bible)
id-BAK l'-sho-NEE l'-khi-KEE im LO ez-k'-RAY-khee im LO a-a-LEH et y'-ru-sha-LA-im AL ROSH sim-kha-TEE
The following article is taken from Rabbi Pesach Wolicki's new book, Verses for Zion.

Verses for Zion offers a profound exploration of devotional Bible teachings, intricately woven around the land, people, and God of Israel. Each page is a journey through history and faith, illuminating biblical narratives with insightful interpretations and spiritual wisdom. Verses for Zion will give readers the strength they need to stand up for God, the Bible and the chosen people. Click here to order your copy of Verses for Zion now.
Taking History Personally
By Rabbi Pesach Wolicki
In verse 5 of Psalm 137, the psalmist declares that he would lose his strength should he ever forget Jerusalem. Now, in verse 6, he says that he will lose the ability to express himself as well. In fulfillment of the sentiment of this verse, numerous Jewish customs and practices ensure that Jerusalem will never be forgotten. For example, Jews have a practice of leaving a portion of their homes unfinished as a reminder of Jerusalem.

When Jews pray three times each day, morning, afternoon, and evening, the liturgy includes this paragraph:

May You return to Jerusalem with mercy and may You rest within it, as you have spoken. May You rebuild it soon in our days as an eternal edifice, and may You soon establish the throne of David within it. Blessed are You Lord, builder of Jerusalem.

After every meal, the grace after meals includes this line:

Rebuild Jerusalem, the holy city, soon in our days. Blessed are You Lord, builder of Jerusalem.

The life of a Jew is filled with reminders of Jerusalem throughout the day, every day. This has been the case for thousands of years. Simply put, to live a Jewish life is to never forget Jerusalem.

Among the many Jewish customs that remind us of Jerusalem, one is based directly on our verse.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE
https://theisraelbible.com/taking-history-personally/?

My 2024 New Year’s Prayer
Tuly Weisz
TULY WEISZ
OPINION
JANUARY 1, 2024
3 MIN READ
Home » My 2024 New Year’s Prayer

United States Israel Flag
CHRISTIAN HAMAS ISRAEL NEW YEAR PRAYER TERRORISM
Even though the Jewish calendar begins with Rosh Hashana, New Year’s has special significance for me. As a fresh, new immigrant to Israel, I sent out my first Israel365 email newsletter on January 1, 2012. Little did I know that 12 years later close to 1,000,000 people from all over the world would be receiving our inspirational messages and connecting with the Land and People of Israel each day!

After this difficult and painful year, I believe that our mission is more essential than ever and that Israel365 is the most important email you receive each day. Simply opening our newsletter allows you to follow the God of Israel in seeking out the welfare of the Land of Israel “from the beginning of the year, till the end of the year” (Deut. 11:12).

Over more than a decade, Israel365 has grown far beyond our email newsletter. Each and every day of the year, we provide lifesaving humanitarian assistance to IDF soldiers, holocaust survivors, and victims of terrorism. At the same time, we are at the forefront of faith-based Israel advocacy and Biblical education aimed at strengthening relations between Christians and Jews. And we couldn’t do it without you, so if you have been with us “from the beginning of the year” or joined in the middle, thank you for standing with Israel and the Jewish people in 2023.


Rabbi Tuly Weisz speaking at Israel365 Joint Prayer Event, November 2023
2023 will forever be associated with the horrific war that was launched against us on October 7th. Since then you, our incredible community, have stepped forward with unmatched compassion and generosity, allowing Israel365 to do even more for the people of Israel. Take a look at just some of the incredible charitable activities and vitally important advocacy initiatives that you supported this year.

Finally, I would like to express my personal gratitude and extend a special thank you to the incredible staff of Israel365 who put their heart and soul into providing your daily connection to IsraeI: Robbie Frohlinger, Shlomo Schreibman, Rabbi Elie Mischel, Kalman Labovitz, Eliyahu Adam Berkowitz, Mordechai Levi, Rafi Weinstein, Talia Eisen, Dan Gruhn, Rabbi Rami Goldberg, Donna Jollay, Sharon Michaels, Rabbi Pesach Wolicki, Inbal Rose, Yehudit Weingarten, Aaron Mendelovitz, Shira Shechter, Shuey Fogel, Avraham Perlmutter, Zahava Schwartz, Hadassah Goldberg, Bella Shuman, Paul Isaacs, Shaya Foreman and Clarinda Yuvienco.
srael365 Staff and Families at the Israel365 offices on Chanukah family day, Dec. 2023
There’s a Hebrew prayer we say on the Jewish New Year of Rosh Hashana, “End the year and its curses, start the new year and its blessings.” For Israel and her allies, 2023 can’t end fast enough, and we eagerly await the blessings Hashem has in store for us in 2024.

Father in Heaven, the God of Israel, we place ourselves in Your merciful hands and turn to you in prayer that during the coming year, Israel will emerge victorious over her evil enemies. Protect the brave fighting men and women of the IDF who are defending Your chosen people in Your Holy Land. Grant immediate freedom from captivity for the 120 hostages held in captivity. Comfort the more than 1,000 grieving and mourning families whose loved ones have been killed in recent weeks. May You bless Israel and the world with true and lasting peace “from the beginning of the year till the end,” Amen.

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January 1, 2023 / 20 Tevet 5784
Shalom Zahara, Please enjoy today's Daily Inspiration from Israel.

But Judah shall be inhabited forever, And Jerusalem throughout the ages.
וִיהוּדָה לְעוֹלָם תֵּשֵׁב וִירוּשָׁלַ͏ִם לְדוֹר וָדוֹר
Joel 4:20 (The Israel Bible, p. 1509)
vee-hu-DAH l'-o-LAM tay-SHAYV vee-ru-sha-LA-im l'-DOR va-DOR
The Valley of Jehoshaphat and Biden’s Two-State Solution
By Rabbi Elie Mischel
Imagine that a genocidal Mexican regime attacked the United States, overwhelming US border patrol with thousands of terrorist fighters, who then raped, tortured and murdered over 1,200 innocent American men, women and children throughout southern Texas, while also taking hundreds of Americans hostage. Imagine that 83% of Mexican-Americans living in Texas proudly told US pollsters that they approved of the attack on the United States, saying “violent American oppression of Mexicans will inevitably lead to resistance.” And imagine that President Biden responded to this by calling for a “two-state Solution,” in which parts of Texas would be separated from the United States and become a new, independent country, a “Mexico 2.0,” claiming that this will bring peace and stability to the region.

If what I’m saying sounds implausible or crazy to you, you haven’t been paying attention to the war in Israel. After Hamas terrorists raped, tortured and murdered over 1,200 Jews on October 7, 83% of Arabs in Judea and Samaria stated that they support the atrocities that Hamas committed on that dark day. Yet President Biden, unbelievably, has repeatedly declared that Israel must go forward with a “two-state Solution,” in which the Arabs of Judea, Samaria and Gaza – whose goal is the genocide of Israel – will be given an independent state in Judea and Samaria, the biblical heartland of Israel. On November 26, 2023, President Biden said: “A two-state solution is the only way to guarantee the long-term security of both the Israeli and Palestinian people,” adding that his administration “will not give up on working towards this goal.”

President Biden’s two-state “delusion” would bring unspeakable horror and destruction upon the people of Israel. It would also directly violate God’s will that the land of Israel belong to the people of Israel – a sin that was foretold thousands of years ago by the prophet Joel.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE https://www.israel365news.com/381566/the-valley-of-jehoshaphat-and-bidens-2-state-solution/?

Shalom Zahara, Please enjoy today's Daily Inspiration from Israel.

But Joseph said to them, “Have no fear! Am I a substitute for God?
וַיֹּאמֶר אֲלֵהֶם יוֹסֵף אַל־תִּירָאוּ כִּי הֲתַחַת אֱלֹהִים אָנִי
Genesis 50:19 (The Israel Bible)
va-YO-mer a-lay-HEN yo-SAYF al tee-RA-u, KEE ha-TA-khat e-lo-HEEM A-nee
The Power of Perspective
By Shira Schechter
Following the death of their father, Jacob, Joseph's brothers are gripped by a foreboding fear. They anticipate that Joseph, now free from any obligation to his father, might seek retribution for the grave injustice they had done to him years ago. This fear is encapsulated in Genesis 50:15: "When Joseph's brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, 'What if Joseph holds a grudge against us and pays us back for all the wrongs we did to him?'"

Joseph's Perspective: Seeing Through the Lens of the Divine

However, Joseph's reaction is a testament to his extraordinary character and faith in God. Far from harboring thoughts of revenge, Joseph displays a profound understanding of God's providence. He reassures his brothers in Genesis 50:19-20, saying, "Have no fear! Am I a substitute for God? Besides, although you intended me harm, God intended it for good, so as to bring about the present result—the survival of many people." Joseph's response is not just an act of forgiveness; it is an acknowledgment of a greater divine plan at work. He perceives his suffering and subsequent rise to power not as random or unjust, but as integral parts of a divine orchestration aimed at a greater good.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE https://theisraelbible.com/the-power-of-perspective/?

Shalom Zahara, Please enjoy today's Daily Inspiration from Israel.

And Jacob called his sons and said, “Come together that I may tell you what is to befall you in days to come.
וַיִּקְרָא יַעֲקֹב אֶל־בָּנָיו וַיֹּאמֶר הֵאָסְפוּ וְאַגִּידָה לָכֶם אֵת אֲשֶׁר־יִקְרָא אֶתְכֶם בְּאַחֲרִית הַיָּמִים
Genesis 49:1 (The Israel Bible)
va-yik-RA ya-a-KOV el ba-NAV va-YO-mer hay-a-s'-FU v'-a-GEE-dah la-KHEM AYT a-sher yik-RA et-KHEM b'-a-kha-REET ha-ya-MEEM
One God, One Legacy
By Shira Schechter
When Jacob neared the end of his life, he called his children together to impart his blessings and share with them his final thoughts. As he gathered them he spoke with prophetic intent, "Come together that I may tell you what is to befall you in days to come" (Genesis 49:1). The sages interpret this gathering as more than a mere farewell. They explain that Jacob had hoped to unveil to his children the secrets of the end of days. However, the Divine Presence departed from him at that moment, and with it, the prophetic knowledge of that time.

Jacob was concerned that the departure of the Divine Presence was the result of a lack of faith among his children, similar to how Abraham and Isaac each had a son who deviated from the path of monotheism. However, his concerns were dispelled when his children collectively affirmed their faith, declaring, "Hear, O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One" (Deuteronomy 6:4). This wasn't just reassurance to their father; it was a declaration of their unwavering belief in God's oneness, a belief that they each passed down to their children and that courses through the veins of every Jew.

https://www.israel365news.com/video/how-the-palestinian-authority-tricked-the-world-episode-5/?
How the Palestinian Authority TRICKED the World | EPISODE #5
Video Manager
VIDEO MANAGER
With the Hamas massacre of October 7, and Israel’s subsequent ground operation to rid Gaza of the brutal terror group, the question arises, who is fit to govern Gaza when the dust settles?

A bit of background: Hamas was elected to power in the Gaza Strip in 2006, overturning 40 years of rival-faction Fatah dominance. After the 2007 Battle of Gaza, Hamas took complete control of the Gaza strip, while the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority maintained their hold on the West Bank.

Many now naturally consider the Palestinian Authority to be the best choice to take over governance of Gaza. Hamas would be gone from power, the PA would move in, Israel wouldn’t have to worry about terrorism, and innocent civilians in Gaza would have a government that truly cares about them, right?

Unfortunately, this is the furthest thing from the truth. Not only does the Palestinian Authority not care for their own people, they are also thoroughly corrupt and just as anti-Israel as Hamas.

Let me be clear, the Palestinian Authority is not the peaceful alternative to Hamas. All this and more on Episode #5 of Confronting Radicals (Hamas)!
https://www.israel365news.com/video/how-the-palestinian-authority-tricked-the-world-episode-5/?


Shalom Zahara, Please enjoy today's Daily Inspiration from Israel.

And Jacob called his sons and said, “Come together that I may tell you what is to befall you in days to come.
וַיִּקְרָא יַעֲקֹב אֶל־בָּנָיו וַיֹּאמֶר הֵאָסְפוּ וְאַגִּידָה לָכֶם אֵת אֲשֶׁר־יִקְרָא אֶתְכֶם בְּאַחֲרִית הַיָּמִים
Genesis 49:1 (The Israel Bible)
va-yik-RA ya-a-KOV el ba-NAV va-YO-mer hay-a-s'-FU v'-a-GEE-dah la-KHEM AYT a-sher yik-RA et-KHEM b'-a-kha-REET ha-ya-MEEM
One God, One Legacy
By Shira Schechter
When Jacob neared the end of his life, he called his children together to impart his blessings and share with them his final thoughts. As he gathered them he spoke with prophetic intent, "Come together that I may tell you what is to befall you in days to come" (Genesis 49:1). The sages interpret this gathering as more than a mere farewell. They explain that Jacob had hoped to unveil to his children the secrets of the end of days. However, the Divine Presence departed from him at that moment, and with it, the prophetic knowledge of that time.

Jacob was concerned that the departure of the Divine Presence was the result of a lack of faith among his children, similar to how Abraham and Isaac each had a son who deviated from the path of monotheism. However, his concerns were dispelled when his children collectively affirmed their faith, declaring, "Hear, O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One" (Deuteronomy 6:4). This wasn't just reassurance to their father; it was a declaration of their unwavering belief in God's oneness, a belief that they each passed down to their children and that courses through the veins of every Jew.



Knesset Member Declares From Podium: “I believe in the Messiah”
Likud Member of Knesset Galit Distel-Atbaryan addressed the plenum on Wednesday, and despite self-identifying as non-religious, her address praised the “messianic” manifestations appearing among the IDF in Gaza.
READ MORE https://www.israel365news.com/381305/knesset-member-declares-from-podium-i-believe-in-the-messiah/?

Tiktok Accused of Pro-Hamas Bias as it Bans Ads Featuring Hostages for Being “Too Political”
Accusations that TikTok has an anti-Israel bias were strengthened when the Chinese-owned video social media platform refused to run paid advertisements from Israel’s Hostages and Missing Persons Forum.
READ MORE https://www.israel365news.com/381353/tiktok-accused-of-pro-hamas-bias-as-it-bans-ads-featuring-hostages-for-being-too-political/?

https://theisraelbible.com/a-tale-of-two-judgments/?
A Tale of Two Judgments
Dec 24, 2023
Soldier Image-6

וַיַּ֥רְא יוֹסֵ֛ף אֶת־אֶחָ֖יו וַיַּכִּרֵ֑ם וַיִּתְנַכֵּ֨ר אֲלֵיהֶ֜ם וַיְדַבֵּ֧ר אִתָּ֣ם קָשׁ֗וֹת וַיֹּ֤אמֶר אֲלֵהֶם֙ מֵאַ֣יִן בָּאתֶ֔ם וַיֹּ֣אמְר֔וּ מֵאֶ֥רֶץ כְּנַ֖עַן לִשְׁבׇּר־אֹֽכֶל׃

When Yosef saw his brothers, he recognized them; but he acted like a stranger toward them and spoke harshly to them. He asked them, “Where do you come from?” And they said, “From the land of Canaan, to procure food.”

va-YAR yo-SAYF et e-KHAV va-ya-ki-RAYM va-yit-na-KAYR a-lay-HEM vai-da-BAYR i-TAM ka-SHOT va-YO-mer a-lay-HEM may-A-yin ba-TEM va-YO-m'-RU may-E-retz k'-NA-an lish-bor O-khel

Genesis 42:7
Rabbi Mordechai Kamenetzky told a tale about a poor groom who, due to limited funds, could not afford a skilled tailor and instead entrusted his wedding suit to a less competent one. The result was disastrous: one sleeve turned out ridiculously short and the other unusually long, while the pants were twisted bizarrely. On his wedding day, the groom had to maneuver his body to fit into this poorly-made suit, shortening one arm, elongating the other, and bending his leg in an awkward angle. As he clumsily shuffled down the aisle, guests were shocked, feeling pity for the bride but ironically admiring the tailor’s perceived ingenuity in outfitting such a uniquely shaped client.

Rabbi Kamenetzky uses this story to shed light on a striking aspect of the biblical narrative of Joseph and his brothers.

Years after selling Joseph into slavery, his brothers encountered him again in Egypt, where they had gone in search of food. Amid a severe regional famine, Egypt thrived, thanks to Joseph’s foresight and administrative skills. Now a powerful viceroy, Joseph was unrecognizable to his brothers. But instead of revealing his identity, he behaved enigmatically, accusing them of espionage, detaining Simeon, and demanding they bring their brother Benjamin to Egypt. Even with Benjamin before him, Joseph maintained his facade, falsely accusing him of theft.

Why did Joseph adopt this approach with his brothers? What lesson was he trying to impart through this elaborate charade? Joseph wanted his brothers to confront their past misjudgments and understand that things aren’t always as they seem. They stood facing the viceroy of Egypt, the very man who saved the world from famine, who was exhibiting seemingly irrational behavior. Similarly, they had misinterpreted their younger brother and his dreams, judged him unworthy, and sold him into slavery. Like the guests at the poor groom’s wedding, they were quick to assume, failing to look beyond the surface to discern the truth about their brother.

This idea also parallels a core message of Hanukkah, observed during the weeks when the story of Joseph and his brothers is read. While the military victory of the Jews over the Greeks was extraordinary, Hanukkah primarily celebrates the miracle of the oil: a small amount, seemingly enough for only one day, miraculously lasted eight. This too emphasizes that first impressions can be deceptive and that initial judgments often need reevaluation.

In observing Hanukkah and revisiting the story of Joseph, we are encouraged to look past superficial appearances and seek deeper truths. The flames of the menorah and Joseph’s rise from a disparaged brother to a respected leader symbolize the unseen strengths and potential in the seemingly ordinary or insignificant. As Rabbi Kamenetzky taught, a little bit of oil, like a pesky younger brother, both initially underestimated, can indeed illuminate our path.

Let us always remember to reevaluate our perspectives, see beyond initial impressions, and discover the extraordinary in what might at first seem mundane.

https://www.israel365news.com/381226/gazans-need-a-little-jesus-this-christmas/?
Gazans Need A Little Jesus this Christmas
Jonathan Feldstein
JONATHAN FELDSTEIN
GAZA WAR, OPINION
DECEMBER 24, 2023
Home » Gazans Need A Little Jesus this Christmas
With the war against Hamas raging, scores of Israeli soldiers having been killed in combat along with many more injured, and still some 130 hostages who were kidnapped from Israel on October 7 being held in captivity, it might be intuitive that this Christmas I would be praying for anything other than the swift and full eradication of Hamas, the safe return of all our soldiers including my son and son in law, and release of all the hostages.

Then again, as an Orthodox Jew, one might think it odd that I would be praying for anything specifically on Christmas. But I am. I am praying for Gazans to get a little Jesus.

As talks of another cease-fire loom, the UN and other international bodies pressing for a cessation of all combat (even without the return of all the hostages), I am looking to the day after the war ends. Whenever that may be.

Israel has a different vision for what the day after will look like. The US, western powers, along with the Arab world still call for a two-state solution, as if stuttering a worn-out policy that has no meaning, and no practical means of implementation. Recently, Vice President Kamila Harris echoed apparent US policy that the two-state illusion is with Gaza and other areas under the authority of a Palestinian state, to be under (a perhaps revamped) PLO-led Palestinian Authority.

Others have discussed an international (Arab-led) coalition to rebuild and provide long-term stability for Gazans, without Hamas or any terror organization controlling the territory and its population again. Most echo that they will only do so under the guise of the long-touted, and yet still impractical, two-state solution.

Israel is not being so foolish because it knows that the PLO is nothing more than a kinder and gentler terror group that also does not accept Israel’s right to exist, incites terror, and pays pensions to terrorists as if they are national heroes. Even if it were a practical solution once upon a time, it is not practical now, and the idea is a gift to terrorists that if they keep slaughtering Jews, they will get a state.

Eventually, Gaza will need to be rebuilt. No matter what, there are some two million Gazans who need a place to live. The destruction of Gaza has been commensurate with how deeply Hamas embedded itself among the population and within civilian infrastructure such as schools, mosques, hospitals, UN facilities, and residential areas. There’s lots of work to be done. Perhaps this time, unlike in 2007 when Hamas took control and began its reign of terror over the population, Gazans will want to get it right. If rebuilt properly, purging the terrorists, and supervised responsibly, Gaza can become a thriving entity like Singapore. Maybe, just maybe, there can be peace.

Rebuilding needs to start from under the ground up, first with anything left of the underground city that’s a maze of terrorist tunnels being destroyed along with the evil Islamic ideology that birthed Hamas originally, and nurtured from Iran all these decades.

But who can do the long-term full-time recovery that’s needed? It’s not clear that any of the Arab states individually, or as a consortium, can or are even willing to do so. Certainly not Islamists whether from Iran or Turkey or anywhere else. None of these would be objective players, each looking out for their own interests, also turning a blind eye to the smuggling of weapons that threaten Israel. The last thing Israel and Gaza need is a rebuilding of the extremist Islamic ideology at the foundation of rebuilding the territory, and resumption of arms smuggling. If there’s ever hope for a lasting peace, there needs to be an overhaul of more than the physical infrastructure. There needs to be a change of heart.

I was asked in an interview recently if I thought Jesus should come back, suggesting that he would bring peace. I replied that I didn’t know if Jesus coming back would bring peace, but that Gazans sure could use a lot more Jesus.

I responded that if it were up to me, Billy Graham would come back and hold months of crusades throughout Gaza. There are also many former Muslims who have become Christians, many speak Arabic and know the culture, who I would bring along as well. I’d be sure that from day one, Gazans are fed a diet of Christian faith to counteract the buffet of hate that they have ingested. I told my interviewer that the only chance I saw for real peace is that Gazans become real Christians. In doing so they will not just abandon Allah in favor of the God of Israel, but they will also come to love Israel: the Land, the people, and the State, as a realization of God’s promise to His people.

I would send along Franklin Graham, Samaritan’s Purse, and other ministries that can bring thousands of volunteers of all backgrounds and skills, charged with education, medical and spiritual well-being, and physical reconstruction. Ministries like these can bring masses of the most faithful and committed volunteers. They will be the most objective, with the greatest ability to succeed in rebuilding Gaza by both genuinely loving and caring about Israel and its safety, but also about the well-being of Palestinian Arabs. They will not allow the restoration of a massive terrorist infrastructure under their noses as the UN, Red Cross, and other “humanitarian” groups have allowed over the decades. These are not contradictory.

The best and safest way to change the situation and bring peace is for the masses of Gazans, and Palestinian Arabs in general, to convert to Christianity. Any Christian who understands the Biblical covenant between God and the Jewish people, that it’s eternal and unbreakable, will transform his or her heart. That’s how true peace can be achieved.

This is not a task for the Jewish people. Our covenant is unique. We are meant to be a light unto the nations. Nobody wants to live in peace more than the Jewish and Israeli people. But to really bring lasting peace, we need an army of Christians to restore Gaza.

It may sound crazy, an Orthodox Israeli Jew proposing a plan to establish peace in Israel not based on a mistaken formula of two states, but by calling for our neighbors living in spiritual darkness to become spiritual allies by becoming Christians. However, the reality is that anger among Gazans toward Hamas is growing to such a degree that if presented a viable alternative, one based in morality that can bring prosperity, the ground is fertile for such an opportunity.

Let’s pray that Gazans’ dissatisfaction with Hamas increases and that they all get a little Jesus this Christmas.

Shalom Zahara, Please enjoy today's Daily Inspiration from Israel.

Jerusalem, hills enfold it, and the LORD enfolds His people now and forever.
יְרוּשָׁלַ͏ִם הָרִים סָבִיב לָהּ וַיהֹוָה סָבִיב לְעַמּוֹ מֵעַתָּה וְעַד־עוֹלָם
Psalms 125:2 (The Israel Bible)
y'-ru-sha-LA-im ha-REEM sa-VEEV LAH va-do-NAI sa-VEEV l'-a-MO may-a-TAH v'-ad o-LAM
Jerusalem and the Battle Against Evil
By Rabbi Pesach Wolicki
In Psalms 125:2, Jerusalem is presented as a metaphor for the people of Israel, and the mountains that surround Jerusalem are a metaphor for God who protects His people. The previous verse in Psalm 125 uses similar imagery regarding those who put their trust in God.

It is important to note that the subject of this psalm is neither Jerusalem nor Mount Zion. Rather, in these two verses the psalmist describes how God protects the righteous who put their trust in Him. Jerusalem and Mount Zion are brought as metaphors to describe this relationship. In fact, after these opening verses, Jerusalem is not mentioned again in the psalm.

The metaphors of Mount Zion and Jerusalem for “those who trust in the Lord” and “His people” respectively, are worth looking at more closely. Verse 1 states that “those who trust in the Lord” will never fall, just as Mount Zion “will never topple.” What exactly does this mean? Is it not the case that most mountains on earth are never going to topple? Couldn’t the verse have stated that those who trust in the Lord are like a mountain that will never topple, without mentioning a specific mountain? Why is Mount Zion singled out if the point of the verse is that those who trust in the Lord will endure like mountains?
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE https://theisraelbible.com/jerusalem-israel-and-the-battle-against-evil/?utm_source=ActiveCampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Jerusalem+and+the+Battle+Against+Evil&utm_campaign=I365+-+Daily+-+December+24%2C+2023

Shalom Zahara, Please enjoy today's Daily Inspiration from Israel.

And in the ninth year of his reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar moved against Yerushalayim with his whole army. He besieged it; and they built towers against it all around.
וַיְהִי בִשְׁנַת הַתְּשִׁיעִית לְמָלְכוֹ בַּחֹדֶשׁ הָעֲשִׂירִי בֶּעָשׂוֹר לַחֹדֶשׁ בָּא נְבֻכַדְנֶאצַּר מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶל הוּא וְכָל־חֵילוֹ עַל־יְרוּשָׁלִַם וַיִּחַן עָלֶיהָ וַיִּבְנוּ עָלֶיהָ דָּיֵק סָבִיב
II Kings 25:1 (The Israel Bible)
vai-HEE vish-NAT ha-t'-shee-EET l'-mol-KHO ba-KHO-desh ha-a-see-REE be-a-SOR la-KHO-desh BA n'-vu-khad-ne-TZAR ME-lekh ba-VEL HU v'-KHOL khay-LO al y'-ru-sha-LA-yim va-yi-KHAN a-LE-ha va-yiv-NU a-LE-ha da-YAYK sa-VEEV
II Kings 25:1
By Rabbi Tuly Weisz
Today is the tenth day of the Hebrew month of Tevet.

There a number of fast days on the Jewish calendar. Most famous is Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. However, there are other fast days on the Jewish calendar including the 17th of Tamuz, the 9th of Av and Asarah B’Tevet, or the Fast of the 10th of Tevet.

Why do Jews fast on the 10th day of the Hebrew month of Tevet, and why should Christians care about this day?
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE
https://theisraelbible.com/why-christians-should-care-about-the-jewish-fast-of-tevet/?

Bridgebuilder Spotlight: Martin and Nathalie Blackham
This month’s bridgebuilders are Martin and Nathalie Blackham from Israel First, Har Adar, Israel.
READ MORE https://www.israel365news.com/381082/bridgebuilder-spotlight-martin-and-nathalie-blackham/?

Lies About Civilian Casualties
The IDF’s “civilian casualty ratio”—the ratio of civilian casualties vs. combatant casualties—is the best in the world.
READ MORE https://www.israel365news.com/380888/lies-about-civilian-casualties/?utm_source=ActiveCampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Why+Christians+Should+Care+About+the+Jewish+Fast+of+Tevet

Pastor Keith Johnson Visits Kfar Aza: “the scene of the crime”
“What I saw today, the first day of Hanukkah, inside one of the communities that was attacked on October 7th almost had me at a loss for words,” Pastor Johnson said.
WATCH https://www.israel365news.com/video/pastor-keith-johnson-visits-kfar-aza-the-scene-of-the-crime/?utm_source=ActiveCampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Why+Christians+Should+Care+About+the+Jewish+Fast+of+Tevet
Happy Hebrew Birthday

https://www.israel365news.com/380956/evangelical-soldier-killed-in-combat-in-gaza/?
Evangelical Soldier Killed in Combat in Gaza
Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz
ADAM ELIYAHU BERKOWITZ
CHRISTIAN ZIONISM
DECEMBER 19, 2023
3 MIN READ
Home » Evangelical Soldier Killed in Combat in Gaza
The IDF announced on Monday that Sgt. First Class Urija Bayer, a 20-year-old Maglan Commando Brigade soldier, died of wounds sustained in fighting in the southern Gaza Strip. He suffered a head injury on Thursday and the doctors had to pronounce him dead on Sunday.


Urija was an Evangelical Christian who volunteered with the IDF. His family released the following statement:

“It is with great sadness that we have to announce that our beloved Urija Bayer has left us and is with our Lord Jesus the Messiah.”

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plan for peace and not for evil, to give you future and hope” Jermiah 29:11

“We are thankful for the prayers and love we receive”


The funeral will take place on Tuesday 19/12/23 at the Ma’alot military cemetery.

Bayer was from Ma’alot Tarshiha, where his family runs Bet Eliezer, a kosher old age home for Holocaust survivors. Bet Eliezer is run entirely by Christian volunteers from Europe, who live in the facility with the residents.

The home was founded by Bayer’s grandparents, Hans and Crystal Bayer, who came to Israel from the Black Forest region of Germany in the late 1960s and wanted to atone for their country’s sins. They established Beth El guest house in Shavei Zion, a free guesthouse for Holocaust survivors in Nahariya.

All of Urija’s siblings (Rachel, Odelia, Zuriel, and Eliaw) serve in the IDF. Zuriel and Eliaw are currently serving in Gaza.

Urija left behind his parents, Gideon and Nili, a brother and two sisters.

“He believed in what he was doing deeply,” his uncle said. “On Sunday, at the hospital, I met a friend from his unit who was also injured, and he said that Urija was the strongest person in the team, both physically and mentally.”

Micha Bayer, a member of the Evangelical church, added that “Urija was a quiet and modest boy, but full of joy, and it was fun to be with him. His brother Tzuriel and his sisters Racheli and Odelia are also combat soldiers, and they all volunteer and participate in the war.”

“We’re here under the divine command which calls on us to comfort and assist the people of Israel, and we see it as our mission,” Bayer explained two weeks before the outbreak of the war. “We don’t engage in missionary activity here. We operate for the benefit of the helpless out of our love for Israel, which stems from the scriptures.”

Uriah’s sister, Odelia, spoke about her family history in a Ynet interview four years ago when she placed first in the IDF Combat Officer Competition.

“My grandfather is a German national who spent his whole life in Germany and remembers very well Nazi Germany and how they abused innocent Jews. He always dreamed of fixing, changing and trying to atone for everything that happened by helping the Jewish people.”

“As a result, just over 50 years ago, they joined the Zedakah organization and ran the Beit El rehabilitation center in Shavei Tzion,” she said. “Later, my grandfather and grandmother understood that it was not enough; there was still more to be done. So they founded the Beit Eliezer nursing home for Holocaust survivors in Ma’alot Tarshiha.”

As non-civilians, they are not required to serve in the IDF.

In an interview with J-Post, Juergen Buehler, president of the International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem and also a German Christian, there are around 100 Evangelical Christian volunteers in the Israeli army, including two of his sons.

Buehler said that the Bayer family witnessed the atrocities of Germany against the Jewish people and wanted to do good, so they came to Israel. Buehler’s father served in World War II and was rescued and saved by a Jewish doctor in a Russian prison camp. He grew up knowing “there is a special relationship between our family and the Jewish people.”

Shalom Zahara, Please enjoy today's Daily Inspiration from Israel.

Said he, "Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with beings divine and human, and have prevailed."
וַיֹּאמֶר לֹא יַעֲקֹב יֵאָמֵר עוֹד שִׁמְךָ כִּי אִם־יִשְׂרָאֵל כִּי־שָׂרִיתָ עִם־אֱלֹהִים וְעִם־אֲנָשִׁים וַתּוּכָל
Genesis 32:29 (The Israel Bible)
va-YO-mer LO ya-a-KOV yay-a-MAYR OD shim-KHA, KEE im yis-ra-AYL, kee sa-REE-ta im e-lo-HEEM v'-im a-na-SHEEM va-tu-KHAL
Defying History, Reclaiming Destiny
By Shira Schechter
The enduring existence of Israel through the centuries is a remarkable chapter in human history. The fact that the nation of Israel continues to exist despite being exiled from its land for 2,000 years is unprecedented. Even more unique is the Jewish people's unwavering connection to their homeland, despite being scattered across the world. What other nation has been praying daily from all four corners of the world, while facing their homeland, for over two millennia?

But how has this nation not only survived through history but also returned to its ancestral land after such a prolonged exile? What explains Israel's ability to defy norms, survive exile and relentless persecution, and ultimately reclaim their homeland?
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE
https://theisraelbible.com/defying-history-reclaiming-destiny/?

Shalom Zahara, Please enjoy today's Daily Inspiration from Israel.

And Pharaoh said to his courtiers, “Could we find another like him—a man with the divine spirit?”
וַיֹּאמֶר פַּרְעֹה אֶל־עֲבָדָיו הֲנִמְצָא כָזֶה אִישׁ אֲשֶׁר רוּחַ אֱלֹהִים בּוֹ
Genesis 41:38 (The Israel Bible, p. 107)
vai-YO-mer par-OH el a-va-DAV: ha-nim-TZA kha-ZEH, EESH a-SHER RU-akh e-lo-HEEM BO
Mikeitz: The Spirit of God in Joseph
By Rabbi Pesach Wolicki
The Torah portion of Mikeitz (Genesis 41:1-44:17), opens with Pharaoh’s dreams. After Pharaoh’s wizards and wise men failed to interpret the dreams accurately, Joseph was summoned from prison. His interpretations rang true to Pharaoh. Pharaoh was impressed. What impressed Pharaoh was not only that he interpreted the dreams, but what Joseph added to this interpretation. Joseph described the seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine that are foretold in the dreams, but he did not stop there. Joseph proceeded to present a comprehensive economic plan to prevent the seven years of famine from hurting Egypt. At this point, Pharaoh expressed his admiration for Joseph.

“And Pharaoh said to his courtiers, “Could we find another like him, a man in whom is the spirit of God?”.” (Gen. 41:38)

The Hebrew term for “spirit of God” is ru’ach E-lohim. What precise characteristics are implied by this term? It is clear that Pharaoh was impressed with Joseph. And obviously, Pharaoh was not speaking in Biblical Hebrew, but in the ancient Egyptian tongue. In other words, the Bible here is translating what Pharaoh said into Hebrew. What did Pharaoh mean when he referred to Joseph as being filled with ru’ach E-lohim?
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-QJPBJoGjw&t=59s

https://theisraelbible.com/miketz-the-spirit-of-god-in-joseph/?

Iron Dome Intercepts Hamas Rocket Over Temple Mount as Jerusalem Arabs Cheer
A Hamas rocket was intercepted over the Al-Aksa mosque. Gilad Erdan, Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations, told the General Assembly of the attack. "Hamas cares more about murdering Israelis than defending Islamic holy sites.
READ MORE https://www.israel365news.com/380784/iron-dome-intercepts-hamas-rocket-over-temple-mount-as-jerusalem-arabs-cheer/?

Shalom Zahara, Please enjoy today's Daily Inspiration from Israel.

And the many peoples shall go and say: “Come, let us go up to the Mount of GOD, to the House of the God of Jacob; That we may be instructed in God’s ways, and that we may walk in God’s paths.” For instruction shall come forth from Zion, the word of GOD from Jerusalem.
וְהָלְכוּ עַמִּים רַבִּים וְאָמְרוּ לְכוּ  וְנַעֲלֶה אֶל־הַר־יְהֹוָה אֶל־בֵּית אֱלֹהֵי יַעֲקֹב וְיֹרֵנוּ מִדְּרָכָיו וְנֵלְכָה בְּאֹרְחֹתָיו כִּי מִצִּיּוֹן תֵּצֵא תוֹרָה וּדְבַר־יְהֹוָה מִירוּשָׁלָ͏ִם
Isaiah 2:3 (The Israel Bible)
v'-ha-l'-KHU a-MEEM ra-BEEM v'-a-m'-RU l'-KHU v'-na-a-LEH el har a-do-NAI el BAYT e-lo-HAY ya-a-KOV v'-yo-RAY-nu mi-d'-ra-KHAV v'-nay-l'-KHAH b'-o-r'-kho-TAV KEE mi-tzi-YON tay-TZAY to-RAH ud-var a-do-NAI mee-ru-sha-LA-im
The following article is taken from Rabbi Pesach Wolicki's new book, Verses for Zion.
Verses for Zion offers a profound exploration of devotional Bible teachings, intricately woven around the land, people, and God of Israel. Each page is a journey through history and faith, illuminating biblical narratives with insightful interpretations and spiritual wisdom. Verses for Zion will give readers the strength they need to stand up for God, the Bible and the chosen people. Click here to order your copy of Verses for Zion now.
Why the God of Jacob?
By Rabbi Pesach Wolicki
In this prophecy, Isaiah foretells that in the future, when Israel is restored to the Land of Israel and to Jerusalem, there will be a mass movement among the nations to come to Jerusalem to worship the God of Israel at the site of the Holy Temple. This prophecy has clearly begun to be fulfilled in our days. Each year, millions of Christians, believers in the Bible and in the God of Israel, stream to Jerusalem to draw close to the God of the Bible.

It is all too easy to lose sight of just how miraculous this is. Isaiah lived many centuries before the advent of Christianity. Although this verse obviously does not refer to any such thing as Christianity, the fact that Isaiah lived so long before Christianity is critical to understanding just how wondrous this prophecy is. Simply put, when Isaiah wrote these words there were no people in the world who worshipped the God of Israel other than the Nation of Israel. When Isaiah described multitudes from the nations of the world streaming to Jerusalem to worship the God of Israel, those who heard this prophecy at the time must have wondered about the unrealistic nature of what Isaiah was saying. After all, why would the nations come to Jerusalem to worship the God of Israel if they are not part of the nation of Israel? Nobody outside of Israel even knew about the God of Israel at that time. How and why would this happen?

Of course, we now know exactly how it happened. The founding of Christianity, while leading to centuries of suffering of the Jewish people at the hands of those who professed its belief, also led directly to the spread of the Bible and the God of Israel to much of the earth’s population. This is the irony of the historical relationship between Christianity and Judaism. On one hand, centuries of Christian leaders preached anti-Semitic theological ideas that had devastating consequences. On the other hand, it is only through Christianity that the world has learned about God and the Bible. Without Christianity, it is impossible to imagine the millions of pilgrims who fill the streets of Jerusalem every year; pilgrims who know and love the Bible and the people and land of Israel.

Interestingly, God is identified in this verse as the God of Jacob. This is an unusual description of God in the Bible. It is used almost exclusively in the book of Psalms. What is intended by this description? Why doesn’t the verse refer to the house of the God of Israel?
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE
https://theisraelbible.com/why-the-god-of-jacob/?