It was on this day that Nehemiah dedicated the rebuilt outer wall of Jerusalem. On this same day, approximately 500 years later, the Jews surrendered that same wall to the Romans. Nehemiah had to rebuild the wall because, decades before him, the people of Judah did not heed the warnings of the prophets and did […]
It was on this day in 1948 that the British Mandate over Palestine officially came to an end, 28 years to the day, after it had begun in 1920. And as we shared in the previous devotion, it was on this day that Israel officially became a nation. It was also on this day that […]
It was on this day in the year 1948 – May 14th, 1948 to be exact – that Israel was proclaimed to be a free and independent state. Technically, the British mandate didn’t expire until after midnight, which would have been May 15, 1948. Against all odds the nation of Israel rose from the ashes […]
In 1939, the English apologist C. S. Lewis made this statement in a letter: “The process of living seems to consist in coming to realize truths so ancient and simple that, if stated, they sound like barren platitudes.” Here’s my translation of what Mr. Lewis was trying to say, in the context of trying to […]
It was on this day that King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain issued a warning to Jews that, beginning on the following day and by the end of July, all Jews must depart their country. Even as they were issuing this edit to expel all Jews from their country, they were also sponsoring a […]
It was on this day that Solomon began construction of the Temple in Jerusalem. The Holy Temple was one of the most magnificent structures that existed in the ancient world. Though the wealth and treasure that went into the building of this Temple were vast, one of the most fascinating aspects of the Temple were […]
Today is the final day of the month of Aviv and we are currently in the time of “counting the Omer.” The word, omer, is an unit of dry measure for things like grains and other dry commodities that was used in the era of the Sanctuary. It is estimated to be about 3.64 liters […]
It was on this day that the walls of Jericho fell down flat, as recorded in Joshua 6: “It came to pass on the seventh day that they rose early, about the dawning of the day, and marched around the city seven times in the same manner. On that day only they marched around the […]
It was on this day in 1951 that the Israeli Knesset passed a resolution proclaiming this day as Holocaust Remembrance Day, or in Hebrew, Yom Hashoah. This day commemorates the execution of six million Jews and the attempted extermination of all European Jews by the Nazis in the 1930s and 40s. Others, besides the Jews, […]
According to tradition, it was on this day that Joshua, the son of Nun, passed away, as recorded in Joshua 24: “Now it came to pass after these things that Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died, being one hundred and ten years old. And they buried him within the border […]
On this day, Israel arrived at Elim where they discovered twelve springs and remained there for twenty days. This is recorded in Exodus 15. “Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve wells of water and seventy palm trees so they camped there by the waters.” (Exodus 15:27) Yesterday we spoke of the bitter […]
It was on this day that Israel paused at Marah after crossing the Red Sea. It’s recorded in Exodus 15: “So Moses brought Israel from the Red Sea; then they went out into the Wilderness of Shur. And they went three days in the wilderness and found no water. Now when they came to Marah, […]
