It was on this day in 1508 that Don Isaac Abravanel, leader of Spanish Jewry, died. This is the same man who played a very integral role in Christopher Columbus’ initial voyage by securing sponsorship from Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain. Of course, this expedition to the Indies led to the discovery of the New […]
Our words become self-fulfilling prophecies. If you allow your thoughts to defeat you and then give birth to negative ideas through your words, your actions will follow suit. That’s why we need to be extremely careful about what we think and especially careful about what we say. Sadly, many people are living discouraged lives because […]
It was on this day in the year 1187 that the sultan Saladin captured and conquered Jerusalem allowing Jews to return to the city after an 88-year absence. If you are a student of the Bible then you know that the storied history of Jerusalem is full of war, conquest, defeat, and victory. Ever since […]
It was on this day in 1927 that the Israeli city of Netanyah was named after the New York philanthropist, Nathan Strauss. Strauss was a co-owner of Macy’s Department Store in New York with his brother, Isidor. Sadly, the latter Strauss perished on the Titanic along with his wife, Ida. If you have ever journeyed […]
A wise old sailor once said, “No one can change the direction of the wind. All you can do is adjust your sails.” It’s true: no person can turn a storm away or diminish its intensity. All one can do is adjust to it. Likewise, we can’t control everything that life throws at us; sometimes […]
Most everyone is familiar with a conversation between Christ and Peter that occurred after the Messiah’s resurrection. In John 21, the Messiah repeatedly asked Peter, “Do you love Me?” Peter responded by saying, “You know that I love You,” to which Christ said, “Well, feed My sheep.” This exchange took place a total of three […]
It was on this day in the year 444 B.C.E. that Ezra and Nehemiah convened the Jewish community in Jerusalem in order to purge a contingent of pagan strangers from their midst and to renew the ancient covenant. This is recorded in Nehemiah 9:1-2: “Now on the twenty-fourth day of this month the children of […]
Today, the 23rd day of Tishri is called Simchat Torah or “Rejoicing in the Torah.” Today marks the end of the yearlong Torah reading cycle. In synagogues, our Jewish friends will reverently roll the Torah scroll all the way back to its beginning, to the book of Genesis and prepare to read the portion called, […]
One of the ways God is revealed in our lives is by what we call Jesus. If we call Him a good teacher, He will instruct us. If we call Him a wise counselor, He will impart wisdom. But when Jesus is called on by the name of the Christ, Son of the Living God, […]
Today, the 22nd day of Tishri is called Shemini Atzeret (Eighth Day). Traditionally, it was on this day that Moses received the message that he was soon to die and that he would not enter into Canaan. This was greatly disappointing to Moses who, on more than one occasion, petitioned the LORD to allow him […]
