Chabad – 11:3 Restoration

Growing up in the Christian church, it was hard for me to understand why a Jew was utterly rejected by his family, friends and culture if he professed Jesus as his Messiah. Essentially, the Jew who dared to breath the name of Jesus in anything other than an epithet or curse was cast out of the family and community as a pariah and treated as dead. Understanding the complicated and multifaceted issues, not the least of which is a Torah-less Egyptian/Gentile looking Jesus who bears no real resemblance or connection to Yeshua, the Jewish Rabbi of Scripture, began to help me understand why Jews so violently and radically reject Jesus, a false Messiah.

Christendom generally expects and historically has required any Jew who believes Jesus/Yeshua is the Messiah to reject the Torah, a radical ‘no-no’ according to much Scripture. I could not relate to how ‘out of place’ this forced the Jew to be until the Holy Spirit began to awaken me to the everlasting unchanging Torah that is the Way of Righteousness, even today! It was at this point that I could not only understand the plight of the Jew cast out of his community, but could empathize. I had committed the ‘unpardonable sin’ Continue reading “Living in ‘no man’s land’ … but, there is hope!!”

The eighth day of Passover (Unleavened) is often celebrated with a big feast called Seudat Moshiach. The Feast of the Messiah was instituted by Rabbi Yisroel ben Eliezer, better known as Baal Shem Tov, in the 18th century. His purpose was to establish a feast that made tangible the reality of the coming Moshiach with lively Scriptural discussion, food, nigunim, celebration and four cups of wine.

Rabbi Amichaye Even-Israel, son of the eminent scholar and author Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz, told Breaking Israel News, “The main goal of Seudat Mashiach is to try and internalize the issue of the coming of the Mashiach (Messiah) as a ‘real’ issue and not as a myth or a fairy tale. This is why we eat and drink while discussing this issue – to symbolize that it is real and could be ‘digested’”.

Texts such as Isaiah 11, Ezekiel 37:15ff, Isaiah 60-62, Zechariah 14, among others are passages that are discussed along with eating, singing, dancing and generally rejoicing in Moshiach!

I searched for ‘Seudat Moshiach’ and could not find a Seder to get some ideas from, but did find a number of announcements for synagogue and Messianic celebrations in the coming days. Chabad Chayil in North Miami Beach Continue reading “Seudat Moshiach!! (Feast of the Messiah)”