3 Adar – He Shall Reign
It was on this day in 1949 that the first permanent government of the State of Israel assumed office. Ironically or not, this was also the same day that the security council recommended Israel’s admission into the United Nations. Though it was, indeed, the first...
2 Adar – On the Same Page
It was on this day in the year 553 A.D. that Emperor Justinian of the Byzantine Empire issued an order that provided for the public reading of the Greek translation of the biblical portion, or the Torah portion, that was being read in Jewish synagogues each Sabbath....
1 Adar — In The Presence Of My Enemies
Jewish tradition believes that it was on this day that the the ninth plague, the plague of darkness, descended upon Egypt. It’s recorded in Exodus 10:21-23. “Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of...
30 Shevat — Finish The Race
It was on this day in 1667 that the practice of forcing Jews to run a footrace in the Roman carnival, while being buffeted and harassed, came to an end. This carnival typically opened on a Monday, and so to the Jews that day became known as Black Monday. On Black...
29 Shevat — Focus on Being Focused
Today we are going to focus on being focused. In Luke’s gospel, we see that a couple of Messiah’s disciples had a particularly nasty attitude toward a Samaritan village. Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His...
28 Shevat — The Greatest Love
It was on this day in 1943, while en route to Greenland, the troop ship SS Dorchester was sunk by a German U-boat, taking the lives of 600 men who were aboard. Among the lost were four chaplains, dubbed the “Four Immortals”—a Catholic Priest, a Methodist minister, a...
27 Shevat –The Stone Cut From the Mountain
It was on this day in 1943 that the last German Army in Stalingrad, Russia, surrendered to the Red Army. This marked the turning point on the eastern front and ended an enormous string of victories for the Nazis. In fact, this battle was the beginning of the end for...
26 Shevat — Treasures Old and New
It was on this day in 1959 that Israel began exporting copper, mined from the same copper mines that had once been used in the days of King Solomon. In fact, this was the first such export of this metal since the days of that ancient kingdom. Copper was one of many...
25 Shevat –The Pure Milk of the Word
In his first epistle, Peter addressed those of God’s people who were in the Diaspora (the “dispersion”) - people that were scattered abroad and not living in the land of Israel. In the second chapter, Peter said something we need to take note of today. He wrote:...
24 Shevat — The Generation To Come
It was on this day in the year 519 B.C. that the prophet Zechariah received the Word of the Lord in a vision that predicted the restoration of Zion. This is recorded in the very first chapter of Zechariah and also includes a question asked by the Angel of the Lord: “O...
23 Shevat — The Debacle At Gibeah
According to rabbinical commentaries, it was on this day that several Israelite tribes gathered together to make war on the tribe of Benjamin. It is recorded in Judges 20:1-2: So all the children of Israel came out, from Dan to Beersheba, as well as from the...
22 Shevat — He Is One, Not Another
It was on this day in the year 41 A.D. that a decree by Caius Caligula allowed graven images to be placed in the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. This decree was eventually nullified by his assassination. So in ancient Judea, this day was celebrated as a holiday - not...