11 Tevet — Unity, Not Uniformity
It was on this day in the year 921 that the Jews of Egypt were made aware of a different calendar that had been adopted by a group of Jews in the land of Canaan. The Hebrew calendar, also known as the Hillel calendar, was initially instituted in a time when the...
Daily Bread — Saturday, January 11, 2025
Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his...
10 Tevet — He Chastens Those He Loves
Jewish tradition believes that, on this day, Jeremiah purchased a field in the region of Benjamin and then prophesied: "Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘Take these deeds, both this purchase deed which is sealed and this deed which is open, and...
Daily Bread — Friday, January 10, 2025
The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein. For He has founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the waters. (Psalm 24:1-2) Consider this scenario: a very wealthy man builds a great housing complex replete with all the...
9 Tevet — The Repairer of the Breach
Tradition believes that it was on this day that Ezra the priest passed away. Ezra holds a very prominent place in Jewish history, regarded as being the restorer of the Torah after the Babylonian captivity. He came to prominence at a critical time in Jewish history...
Daily Bread — Thursday, January 9, 2025
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. (Psalm 23:6) In Hebrew, the words “goodness” and “mercy” are טוב tov and חסד chesed respectively. The first of these words, tov, denotes things that...
8 Tevet — Who Will Say, “Restore”?
In Judaism, today is considered to be a fast day commemorating the completion of the Greek translation of the Hebrew Scripture, otherwise called the Septuagint. The original purpose of the Septuagint was to meet the needs of those Greek speaking Jews who lived...
Daily Bread — Wednesday, January 8, 2025
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over. (Psalm 23:5) It is always been of great interest to me that God situated the land of Israel in one of the most violent and explosive regions on earth. In fact,...
7 Tevet — My Redeemer Lives
Have you ever gone through a difficult time and wondered, “Is this a test or is this a consequence of something I did or didn’t do?” Most likely, we have all felt that same way at some point and sometimes have discovered that the answer we receive is, “Both.”...
Daily Bread — Tuesday, January 7, 2025
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. (Psalm 23:4) As I mentioned in the previous devotion, there is a place in the Judean wilderness that matches up perfectly...
6 Tevet — What Expresses Your Identity?
It was on this day in the year 1216 that, by order of Pope Innocent III, a special badge was to be worn by all Jews in Europe. This was the first time that this edict had been handed down in the Middle Ages, but it wasn’t a new thing. It was something used by the...
Daily Bread — Monday, January 6, 2025
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. (Psalm 23:4) Several decades ago, I made my first visit to the Holy Land. One of the many interesting sights we visited...