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Biblical Israel: Gamla
The ancient site Gamla sits in the central Golan Heights about six miles east of the northern end of the Sea of Galilee and the Bethsaida Valley. The ancient village sat on the spur of a hill created by two streams, Nahal Gamla and Nahal Daliyyot. The spur that the…...
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Weekly Devotional: The Trumpets Are Blowing
Rosh Hashanah (“Head of the Year”) is the first of the High Holy Days, which happens this time every year. It is observed as the start of the civil year on the Jewish calendar (in comparison to the religious year, which starts with Pesach or Passover)....
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Rosh Hashanah: Feast of Trumpets
Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. On the first day of the appointed month in early autumn, you are to observe a day of complete rest. It will be an official day for holy assembly, a day commemorated with loud blasts of a trumpet. You must do...
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Queen Elizabeth II and the United Nations: A Contrast in Character
On Monday, September 19, an estimated 4 billion people gathered in homes and public places worldwide to say their goodbyes to the beloved monarch, Queen Elizabeth II. Among 2,000 guests, some five 500 dignitaries—composed of prime ministers...
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New Immigrant: Anton’s Story
Anton’s nerves were shattered. His town in Donetsk, Ukraine, has been under siege since 2014. As the brutal fighting took its toll on him, he finally moved to Israel, looking for peace. Anton arrived a year ago in a new country, suffering from post-traumatic...
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Biblical Israel: Wilderness of Zin
Many travelers to the modern State of Israel make the mistaken assumption that the boundaries of the modern entity of Israel overlap biblical Israel. Apart from the fact that even within the Bible what constitutes the boundaries of Israel shifts from period to period, the modern State of Israel does...
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Weekly Devotional: True Discipleship
In both Hebrew and Greek, the word for “disciple” means “student.” A disciple, then, is one who studies. We tend to use the term disciple to mean a follower, but that is not the biblical idea of discipleship. Ezra provides the model of a biblical disciple: one who...
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Israel: Living Up to its Promise as the Holy Land—Full of Blessings for the World
There is so much more to Israel and her extraordinary people than what is often portrayed by the global mainstream media. Today, our smart phones, tablets, laptops, and TVs are bombarded with news stories and commentary obsessed with negatives about this...
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Holocaust Survivor: Maria’s Story
Maria’s family fled to Uzbekistan when the Nazis invaded Belarus during World War II. Struggling to live, she worked in a factory seven days a week. After the war, her family returned to Belarus, only to find their home was destroyed. So Maria lived with her...
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Biblical Artifact: Temple Warning Inscription
The first century Jewish historian Josephus described the Jerusalem Temple in great detail. He noted that the large outer court was separated from the holy precincts by a balustrade that had inscriptions in Greek and Latin forbidding non-Jews from passing this wall. Non-Jews were permitted to be in the outer…...
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Weekly Devotional: The Path of True Blessedness
"Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in obedience to Him” (Psalm 128:1). The Bible often speaks about the “fear of the Lord.” That seems odd to us because we often present God as love and loving, someone we want to draw near to, not a being to…...
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U.S. Congress, Israel, Arabs, and American Christian Leaders Rally Against a New Iran Deal
Over the last seven years, the unsuccessful 2015 Iran deal—engineered by former President Obama and then-Vice President Biden—has been on full display. Today, the on-again, off-again negotiations have created an uproar from clear-thinking leaders in the...
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Elderly Immigrant: Michael’s Story
Michael grew up in hardship during World War II in Uzbekistan, when it was part of the Soviet Union. At age nine, he labored long hours on a collective farm to support his mother and siblings. His father was drafted to fight the Nazis but was sent home...
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Biblical Israel: Jerusalem
The most mentioned city in the Bible is Jerusalem. From the time that David made it the capital of his kingdom, it became the focal point of the kingdoms of Israel and Judah, and later of the Jewish people and faith. ...
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Weekly Devotional: What’s Your Source?
“This is the LORD’s declaration. For My people have committed a double evil: They have abandoned Me, the fountain of living water, and dug cisterns for themselves, cracked cisterns that cannot hold water” (Jeremiah 2:12-13 HCSB). God spoke to the...
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The Lasting Legacy of the First Zionist Congress
A significant quasquicentennial celebration ended yesterday: the 125th anniversary of the First Zionist Congress held August 29–31, 1897. That inaugural congress convened on these dates in Basel, Switzerland. Theodore Herzl, father of Modern Zionism and...
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Biblical Israel: Wadi Qilt
Roadways are one of the most significant aspects of biblical geography. Roads often gave significance to locations, villages, and cities. In fact, roadways influenced and dictated settlement patterns, the building and establishing of cities and villages. Controlling roadways meant control of travel, commerce, and...
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Weekly Devotional: The Law of Christ
“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2 NKJV). How do we obey Jesus and fulfill what He commanded us? According to Paul, we bear one another’s burdens. It’s that simple....
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Seventeen Years After the Disengagement, Israel is Still Reaching Out to Help Gaza
You will not hear this at the United Nations or in mainstream media: Israel will allow more work permits for carefully screened Gazans to enter Israel for jobs through the Erez crossing in Gaza’s north. Meanwhile, along Gaza’s oceanfront, Iranian proxies are...
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Biblical Israel: Sepphoris
Sepphoris was the capital of the Galilee during the first part of the 1st century A.D., when Jesus was a boy. Located four miles north of Nazareth, Sepphoris sat in the Beth Netofa Valley, which provided a main east-west roadway in the Lower Galilee from the northwestern part of the…...
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Weekly Devotional: Daily Bread
When the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness, God provided for their daily sustenance by giving them manna: “I am going to rain bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day” (Exodus 16:4)...
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The Famous Ben-Yehuda Street: A Walk Into Jerusalem’s History
In the last decade, Jews making Aliyah have immigrated to their ancestral homeland from 150 countries in the diaspora that reaches from Asia, to America, to Ethiopia, Europe, and beyond. Israel’s capital bustles with a mosaic of ...
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Family in Crisis: Amelia’s Story
Years ago in Russia, Amelia married young and had a daughter. The difficult labor left Amelia temporarily paralyzed, but she recovered. Then, sadly, her husband left her. Devastated, Amelia moved ahead, immigrating with her...
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Biblical Israel: Mount Nebo
God also buried him on Mount Nebo (Deuteronomy 34:1-8). The two and a half tribes that remained east of the Jordan River (Reuben, Gad, and half of the tribe of Manasseh) name Mount Nebo as part of the territory they requested from Moses. Its situation near to the southern end…...
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Weekly Devotional: What the Lord Requires of You
As you read the Bible, have you ever felt overwhelmed with everything that’s in it? Do you ever wonder, how can I possibly live this way? If you have, don’t feel bad; you’re not alone. The biblical authors themselves recognized the...
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Liberating Art From BDS and Lies About Israel
Entertainment industry insider Lana Melman is a formidable trailblazer. After two decades in executive positions at CBS, Columbia Pictures Television, Warner Brothers, and Paramount, and as a scriptwriter and executive producer,...
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Serving Holocaust Survivors and the Elderly
For our Holocaust survivors and the elderly in Israel, growing old can be lonely— especially for those who are widowed or have no family. Often beset by health and financial challenges, many live in low-income housing on a...
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Biblical Israel: Southern Steps
Pilgrims to Jerusalem in the first century A.D. approached the Temple Mount from the south. After ritually purifying themselves, either in the Pool of Siloam, at the southern end of the City of David, or in one of the ritual immersion baths located along the southern end of the Temple…...
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Weekly Devotional: Give Life
“The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence” (Proverbs 10:11 HCSB). Do the things you say, the things you communicate, act as a source of life to people? If not, then...
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Celebration and Triumph: The Jewish Olympics in Israel
What a triumph! It made headlines around the globe. Ten thousand Jewish athletes from 62 countries traveled to Israel for the Maccabiah Games, which took place from July 21-26. Appropriately dubbed the “Jewish Olympics,”...
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Elderly Immigrant: Janna’s Story
Janna’s life is hard and lonely. Immigrating to Israel from Ukraine years ago, this elderly woman lives alone in a small apartment in Sderot—which is often bombarded with rocket attacks from Hamas-ruled Gaza. And she...
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Biblical Israel: Tower of David
The only gate on the western side of the modern Old City of Jerusalem is Jaffa Gate (so named because the road leading to Jaffa goes through this gate). Inside Jaffa Gate stands the Citadel or the Tower of David. This structure has nothing to do with David, which can…...
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Weekly Devotional: Longing for God
He imagines a deer thirsty from the heat seeking out the refreshing water of the stream, and he says that he thirsts after God in the same manner. What brought about this yearning in his heart?...
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Iran: Civilian Population at Risk and Christian Persecution on the Rise
Israel and the broader Middle East are not the only targets of Iran’s brutal theocratic government. Intent on controlling their 88 million citizens through fear and intimidation, Iran’s Islamic leaders are grievously neglecting their...
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Biblical Israel: Damascus Gate
Visitors to the Old City of Jerusalem today can enter the city through seven gates scattered around its eastern, southern, western, and northern sides. These gates, like the walls of the Old City, date to the Ottoman Period (16th-20th centuries). Along the northern stretch of the Old City walls are three…...
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Weekly Devotional: The Sign of Love
“If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15 NKJV). When we speak about love, we often refer to an emotional feeling, something that moves our emotions. Love for another, ourselves, and even God often boils down to that which we feel. If my...
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Are Nazi-Style Tactics Swaying Our Culture Against Jews and Christians Today?
Readers may be surprised to know that Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf (“My Struggle”), a book first published in 1925, is still read today. From 1925 until 1945, when the book was rightly banned in Germany, it sold 12 million copies in German and...
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Single Mother: Anna’s Story
When Anna learned her baby might be born disabled, her husband pressured her to get an abortion. She refused, and he left her. So she moved in with her mother, found a great paying job—and her baby boy was born with no disability!...
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Biblical Israel: Western Wall
The Western Wall refers to the western retaining wall built to support the Temple Mount platform. In the first century, this wall faced the city of Jerusalem, and as such, it had four gates in it that led onto the Temple Mount platform. The gates alternated in their access lower…...
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Weekly Devotional: Living at the Crossroads
Have you ever wondered why God brought Abraham from Ur in Mesopotamia to the land of Canaan? After all, Mesopotamia was far more developed culturally and economically than Canaan. Did you ever speculate why Samuel—...
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The Abraham Accords and President Biden’s Visit to the Middle East
When former President Donald J. Trump officially launched the Abraham Accords from the White House lawn, it marked the beginning of unprecedented transformative relationships in the Middle East. Since then, the benefits have soared as...
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Summer Youth Camps
How can CBN Israel help youth within the believing community say “yes” to God? That’s a question echoed by many youth pastors around Israel. Our youth lack programs, such as youth conferences, youth trips, gatherings,” says one...
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Biblical Israel: Mount Tabor
In the northeastern corner of the Jezreel Valley sits the solitary, dome shaped hill of Mount Tabor. The steep slopes on all sides of the mountain lead to plateau on top, 1000 meters by 400 meters in area. The tribal territories of Zebulun, Issachar, and Naphtali meet at Mount Tabor....
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Weekly Devotional: Rivers of Living Water
Have you ever been in a desert or dry wilderness and seen what happens when there is water from a spring or river? The land closest to the water is transformed into a garden oasis. The brown dryness of the desert may...
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Presbyterian Church USA Promotes Anti-Semitic Policies Against the World’s Only Jewish Nation
Millions of Christians who support the Jewish nation and people are confident in God’s eternal covenants with Israel and the inerrant truths of Scripture. That’s why recent resolutions of the Presbyterian Church USA’s (PCUSA) Committee on International...
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Widow in Need: Polina’s Story
When Polina and her husband immigrated to Israel in 2004, they found the historic Galilee area a beautiful place to put down roots. But soon, they discovered that there were few good job opportunities—and the very low socio-economic conditions made...
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Biblical Israel: Hebron
The city of Hebron played an important role, particularly within the Old Testament narratives. The city features prominently in the stories of the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as well as Joshua and Caleb, and, eventually, David, who reigned for his first seven years at Hebron. ...
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Weekly Devotional: Freed to Serve
“Let My people go, so they can serve Me.” Moses repeatedly uttered this refrain to Pharaoh, insisting the Egyptian ruler release the Israelites, the descendants of Abraham. Many modern translations translate Moses’ command as “Let My people go, so they can...
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Israel’s Paradoxes in Politics, Religion, and More
Some readers may not be aware that in the Holy Land, approximately 80 percent of Jewish Israelis are secular, and 20 percent are religious. The land is a vivid tapestry of Jews from across the world, populating Israel from dramatically distinct nations, such...
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Biblical Israel: City of David
The first seven and a half years that David reigned, he reigned in Hebron, which sat in the heart of the tribal territory of Judah, David’s tribe (2 Samuel 5:5). As he expanded his rule to all of Israel, he decided to conquer the city of Jerusalem, which until...
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Weekly Devotional: A Tree of Life
“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night” (Psalm 1:1-2 NKJV)....
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Trilateral Agreement Cements Israel’s Role on Global Energy Stage
In past centuries, explorers could never have imagined sailing the seas in search of underwater treasures beyond those in sunken ships. However, in today’s explorations, another kind of fortune lies deep: natural offshore riches accessible only through modern...
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Biblical Israel: Beth Shean
Located at the intersection of two significant roads that crossed the land of Israel from west to east, through the Jezreel and Harod Valleys towards the land east of the Jordan River, and north to south, through the Jordan River Valley, Beth Shean’s prominence came due to its location. The…...
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Weekly Devotional: Bringing Glory to Your Father in Heaven
Have you ever thought seriously about Jesus’ statement: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16 NKJV)? It is common for Christians to blame the secular world, the media, government,...
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Israel’s “Chariots of Fire” War Games Primed for Air, Sea, Land, and Cyber
Warily eyeing Iran’s escalating belligerence with its new centrifuges spinning deadlier amounts of nuclear-grade uranium, and the steady weapons transfers from Iran into Syria, Israel recently engaged in month-long “Chariots of Fire” war games. This large-scale...
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Lifesaving Surgery: Yostena’s Story
Sometimes, the littlest people need the most help. In Ethiopia, tiny Yostena was born premature. The frail infant spent 10 days in a hospital’s newborn intensive care unit—where she was diagnosed with a hole in her heart. Her parents feared for her future. ...
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Biblical Israel: Ein Gedi
The name Ein Gedi means “spring of the kid (young goat).” Ein Gedi, which is the largest oasis on the western shore of the Dead Sea, sits between two riverbeds (in Hebrew, nahal, in Arabic, wadi): Nahal David to the north and Nahal Arugot to the south. The oasis contains…...
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Weekly Devotional: Far from the Promise
David found himself for a period of his life having to flee from Saul. Saul pursued him wherever he went. David felt so pressed that he even had to seek refuge with Achish, the Philistine king of Gath (Goliath’s hometown)....
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Fulfilling God’s Promises: The Miracles of Israel’s Six-Day War
Fifty-five years ago—June 5, 1967—marked the beginning of Israel’s Six-Day War (June 5-10). On that day, God fulfilled His ancient promises as recorded in 1 Kings 11:36, where He proclaimed Jerusalem as “the city where I have chosen for Myself to put My name.”...
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New Immigrant: Olga’s Story
It’s a story behind the headlines. With Russia’s invasion continuing to devastate Ukraine, thousands of Jewish refugees have fled to Israel, seeking safety in the Promised Land. The hardest hit have been poor families, children, and the elderly—most coming with very...
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Biblical Israel: Temple Mount
The Golden Dome of the Rock provides one of the most iconic and recognizable images of any city’s skyline within the world. The Islamic shrine completed in A.D. 692 by the Umayyad Caliph Abd al-Malik stands upon the platform of the Temple Mount, which was constructed during the first centuries…...
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Weekly Devotional: First Fruits
Moses outlined for the Israelites the ordinances of the Festival of Weeks (Shavuot or Pentecost). This festival commemorated the harvest seven weeks and one day (50 days, hence “Pentecost”) after the first Sabbath following the Festival of Unleavened...
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Shavuot (Pentecost): The Festival of Weeks
“On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place. Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on…...
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A Hard Left Turn Against Israel in the U.S. Congress
Decades of support for Israel among Democrats and Republicans in the United States Congress have created a win-win of countless advantages for both nations over the years. For example, in multilevel ventures ranging from intelligence sharing and...
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Business Development: Claudia’s Story
“My parents had no money, and so I found a way to make money myself,” Claudia said, remembering back to her impoverished childhood. At the age of eleven, she taught herself to sew and began making dolls to sell....
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Biblical Israel: Shrine of the Book
The discovery at Qumran of the first seven Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947 required a suitable place to house them. The American Jewish architects Armand Bartos and Frederic Kiesler were tasked with designing a home for the scrolls at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. On April 20, 1965, the...
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Weekly Devotional: As the Mountains Surround Jerusalem
Psalm 125 is the sixth psalm of the Psalms of Ascent (Psalms 120–134). Pilgrims sang these psalms as they approached the Temple at times of pilgrimage, especially the festivals of Pesach (Passover), Shavuot (Pentecost),...
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Yom Yerushalayim: Israel’s Jerusalem Day
“I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they shall never hold their peace day or night. You who make mention of the LORD, do not keep silent, and give Him no rest till He establishes and till He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth” (Isaiah 62:6-7 NKJV)....
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The Long-Term Effects of Palestinian Disinformation
Comparing the Palestinian Authority (PA) disinformation and United States’ First Amendment is a lesson in dictatorship versus democracy. The contrast also includes Israel’s freedoms, which are set out in its Declaration of...
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Biblical Israel: Second Temple Model
The large, scale model of Jerusalem in A.D. 66 offers one of the main attractions at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. Hans Kroch, who owner of the Holy Land Hotel in Jerusalem, commissioned Professor Michael Avi-Yonah and his students to create the model in...
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Weekly Devotional: Go Into the Wilderness
The dry and arid wilderness south of Beersheva where Elijah traveled is harsh and inhospitable. God takes people into the wilderness in the Bible. It serves as His classroom. Yet, often before they encounter Him in the wilderness, they . ...
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The Nakba, the Temple Mount, and a Magnanimous Tragedy
Last Friday, Jordan’s King Abdullah II met with President Joe Biden at the White House. Their May 13 meeting focused in part on restoring order after hostilities intensified at the Temple Mount—Judaism’s holiest site for 3,000 years, and...
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Victim of Terrorism: Alexander’s Story
Alexander’s family lives in the lovely seacoast city of Ashdod, located in southern Israel. But due to its close proximity to Gaza, it has become a target of rocket attacks from Hamas terrorists. ...
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Biblical Israel: Pool of Siloam
Located on the southern part of the rock cliff that marks the hill of the City of David (in Jerusalem), near the southern end of the Tyropoean Valley sits the Pool of Siloam. The pool was accidentally discovered in 2004 by workmen laying a new sewage line in the...
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Weekly Devotional: Forgive to Be Forgiven
Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. And since he could not pay, his...
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We Cannot Ignore Iran’s Global Goals
“Those who fail to learn from history are condemned to repeat it.” Winston Churchill’s paraphrase of Santayana’s famous saying could easily be applied to Iran’s malicious behavior in world affairs. ...
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Emergency Relief for Ukrainian Jewish Refugees
We left Kyiv on the first day after the bombs exploded near our house in a few kilometers, and then we decided to leave Kyiv. But my husband returned to defend it,” says Olga. You could see the sadness and exhaustion in their eyes...
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Biblical Israel: Avdat
Located in the modern Negev Desert on the spur of a mountain ridge, overlooking the plain around the canyon of En Avdat (the “Spring of Avdat”), sits the ancient ruins of the Nabatean city of Avdat. Avdat sits along the ancient caravan routes that crossed the barren lands from Elat…...
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Weekly Devotional: Little Is Much
And again He said, “To what shall I liken the kingdom of God? It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened” (Luke 13:20-21 NKJV). A little leaven can leaven a larger amount of dough....
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Yom HaAtzma’ut: Israel’s Independence Day
“Who has ever seen anything as strange as this? Who ever heard of such a thing? Has a nation ever been born in a single day? Has a country ever come forth in a mere moment? But by the time Jerusalem’s birth pains begin, her children will be born” (Isaiah…...
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The Resilience of the Jewish Nation and People
Yesterday at sundown, on Israel’s Memorial Day, the Jewish nation and people made an incredible leap from remembering their fallen soldiers and victims of terrorism to celebrating Israel’s Independence Day....
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Yom HaZikaron: Israel’s Memorial Day
A week after Yom HaShoah, Israelis mark Yom HaZikaron (“Israel’s Memorial Day”) remembering those who died fighting for the country even before it was established and for those murdered in terror attacks....
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Biblical Israel: Shiloh
Shiloh served as the place where the Israelites erected the Tabernacle and placed the Ark of the Covenant after they conquered the land (Joshua 18:1). It became a place for religious pilgrimage and the celebration of festivals (Judges 21:19; 1 Samuel 1:3). The parents of Samuel,...
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Weekly Devotional: A King and His Servants
It’s interesting to listen to how people speak about their faith. If you pay attention, you may detect that they speak in a manner of what God has done for them. That’s not wrong. The Bible provides people’s reflections on their ...
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Holocaust Remembrance Tour Captivates American Audiences and Hearts
Eighty-three years ago, the steel-plated treads of 2,500 Nazi tanks clattered ominously over Poland’s border along with a million-and-a-half German soldiers bent on destruction. That same day, 2,000 warplanes flew overhead to help subdue the...
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Israel’s National Holocaust Memorial Day
The Holocaust is etched in Israel’s national memory. Each year, its victims are honored on one special national holiday called Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Memorial Day.) All places of entertainment are closed. That morning, a siren sounds across the country—and everything stops for two...
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Biblical Israel: Megiddo
Situated in the western Jezreel Valley at the foot of the lowlands of Mount Carmel stands the ancient mound of Megiddo. It overlooks where Nahal Iron crosses through the Carmel lowlands, which provided passage for one of the branches of the most important...
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Weekly Devotional: Who is My Neighbor?
“Just then an expert in the law stood up to test [Jesus], saying, ‘Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ ‘What is written in the law?’ He asked him. ‘How do you read it?’ He answered: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your…...
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The Torn Veil: Why Christians Care About the Temple Mount
Arbel sits high upon the sheer limestone cliffs along the northwest corner of the lake of Galilee, northwest of Tiberias, overlooking the fertile plain of Gennesar. The Arbel Cliffs form the southern boundary of the plain of Gennesar and provide a striking visual landmark along the northwest shores of the…...
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Biblical Israel: Arbel
Arbel sits high upon the sheer limestone cliffs along the northwest corner of the lake of Galilee, northwest of Tiberias, overlooking the fertile plain of Gennesar. The Arbel Cliffs form the southern boundary of the plain of Gennesar and provide a striking visual landmark along the northwest shores of the…...
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Weekly Devotional: The Resurrection
“Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus....
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Passover: The Feast of Unleavened Bread
For thousands of years, the Jewish people have told the story from the book of Exodus on the eve of Passover, “the fourteenth day of the first month” (Leviticus 23:5) in a special meal with symbolic food called a Seder, which means “order” in Hebrew. There are many traditions from…...
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The Perfect Lamb Crushed in Gethsemane
When Jesus, the Perfect Lamb of God, rode into Jerusalem at the age of 33, He was about to experience His last Passover on earth. He had arrived in Jerusalem on lamb selection day, when thousands of lambs were chosen for the Temple sacrifices....
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Single Mother: Masaret’s Story
The future looked bright when Masaret first met and married her husband in Ethiopia—and they both planned to live in Israel. But problems arose when they attempted to move here in 1993. Masaret was allowed to immigrate from Ethiopia to Israel, but...
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Biblical Israel: Church of the Holy Sepulchre
The traditional location of the crucifixion, burial, and resurrection of Jesus is the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which sits within the heart of the Christian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem. The origin of the church goes back to the Emperor...
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Weekly Devotional: Blessed Is the King
Jesus came to Jerusalem riding a wave of popularity and redemptive expectations. As He ascended toward Jerusalem, Luke tells us that those traveling with Him were anticipating that the kingdom of God would appear immediately....
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Six Predictions on How the Biden Iran Deal Will Impact the Middle East and Weaken U.S. Power
Reports from the Vienna talks indicate that a new “Iran Deal” is expected to be announced imminently. Based on the public information on the probable terms of this agreement, there are six outcomes that I predict are likely consequences of this new...
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Palm Sunday and the Day of the Lambs
When John the Baptist saw Jesus walking toward him at the Jordan River, he announced, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” Those awaiting baptism may have been startled. They knew all about lambs....
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Victims of Terrorism: Rima and Yaakov’s Story
Rima and Yaakov came to Israel from Belarus and became citizens in 2007—and they’ve always been happy about their decision to immigrate. These senior citizens are committed to staying in their town of Sderot, despite the fact that it is a target...
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Biblical Israel: Garden of Gethsemane
Mark and Matthew identify Gethsemane as the place Jesus went with His disciples after eating the Passover within the city of Jerusalem, prior to His arrest (Matthew 26:36; Mark 14:32). These two Gospels provide the only mention of this place within ancient...
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Weekly Devotional: Hiding from God
When Adam and Eve disobeyed God by eating the fruit from the forbidden tree and God came to walk with them in the garden, they responded by hiding themselves. Children who disobey a parent often respond in the same manner; they hide themselves....
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Israel’s Archaeological Findings Continue to Prove the Bible’s Authenticity
Palm Sunday and Resurrection Day are fast approaching. For Christians, our Holy Week is the most momentous time of the year and the Holy Land is the most sacred place—because it is the land of our Jewish Savior’s birth, where He taught, healed, died, and was...
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Biblical Israel: Masada
Masada, a palace-fortress built by Herod the Great (Matthew 2), sits on the south-western shore of the Dead Sea, fifteen and a half miles south of Ein Gedi. The fortress sits atop an isolated rock plateau that overlooks the Dead Sea Valley below....
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Weekly Devotional: Are You Only the God of the Past?
Have you ever found yourself frustrated reading the Bible? Not confused, but frustrated. Frustrated because in its pages you read about God’s mighty acts, His deliverance of His people, His signs and wonders, then you look to our world, to your life, and the...
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Iran’s Persian New Year: What Will It Bring?
To Iranians, Sunday March 20 marked not only Iran’s Persian new year—the year 1401, according to their solar calendar—but also a new century. Iranians worldwide celebrate their beloved new year holiday, called Nowruz—“new day”—on the first day of spring....
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Emergency Relief for Ukrainian Jewish Refugees
Israel needs your help! She needs Christians like you to stand in solidarity with her and help care for her people who are streaming in by the thousands from Ukraine. “They lost everything. That’s the reality,” said an Israeli medic at an overwhelmed Ukrainian...
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Biblical Israel: Dead Sea
The Jordan River flows into the Dead Sea, the lowest place on earth, at 1,300 feet below sea level. It formerly received six million tons of water daily from the Jordan River. It forms part of the Rift Valley. It is forty-three...
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Weekly Devotional: Be Prepared
A Jewish sage, a contemporary of Jesus, told his disciples, “Repent the day before you die.” His disciples responded with the question: “Who knows the day of his death?” To which their master replied, “Yes, therefore, one should repent...
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Purim 2022: Modern Hamans Spawn Global Terror
Last night and today, the Jewish community is celebrating Purim, which commemorates the saving of the Jewish people from Haman in the ancient Persian Empire. Queen Esther acted on her cousin Mordechai’s wise counsel after he...
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Purim: The Story of Esther
Purim celebrates the Jewish people’s rescue from and victory over a wicked government minister who wanted to destroy them thousands of years ago as recorded in the book of Esther in the Bible. And although it’s the only book in the Bible...
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Lifesaving Bomb Shelters
The ongoing threat of attacks from Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon causes Israeli families and communities to live in a perpetual state of high alert and anxiety. Every time a siren goes off—at all hours of the day or night—the people...
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Biblical Israel: Mount of Olives
The Mount of Olives is a north-south ridge that sits on the eastern watershed of the hills around Jerusalem. To its east, the land slopes drastically down towards the Jordan River Valley and the area around Jericho, towards the Dead Sea. ...
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Weekly Devotional: The Right Paths
God’s name is at stake in us, and we can trust in His care for this very reason. The psalmist used the image of sheep and a shepherd to convey this reality. Shepherding in the land of Israel is challenging. The climate of parts of the land can...
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Russia Adding Ukrainian Refugees to the Bitter Fruit of Communism and Dictatorships
Victimized under Vladimir Putin’s campaign of unrestrained violence, Ukraine is another nation to suffer the bitter fruit of oppressive regimes since World War II. At this writing, upwards of 2 million Ukrainians are now classified as refugees...
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Victim of Terrorism: Nina’s Story
When they learned that a barrage of rockets from Gaza had hit their apartment building, Nina and her husband rushed home from work. Staring at their destroyed home, they were in shock. At age 52, Nina felt that life had just begun to...
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Biblical Israel: Jordan River
The most dramatic geographical feature of the biblical land of Israel is the scar of the Rift Valley. Created by the tectonic plates, this forms part of the Syro-African Rift, the longest scar on the face of the planet. Within the land of Israel...
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Weekly Devotional: Doing the Father’s Will
We’ve all heard the saying, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Jesus told this parable to underscore a very important fact: doing God’s will is what matters most. Jesus, His brother James, and even Paul placed a premium on obedience to God’s will. ...
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Finding Light While Combatting Hate: My Discovery of Evangelical Christian Friends
Antisemitism is the world’s oldest hatred and has plagued humanity from the beginning of recorded history. As the Trump Administration’s U.S. Deputy Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism, I spent my days tracking antisemitic incidents and...
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Ukraine: Overcoming Darkness with Light
Ukraine has enjoyed freedom ever since 1991, when it crawled out from under the collapse of the Soviet Union. Putin’s callous disregard for Ukraine’s population is a grim reminder of Joseph Stalin, one of the world’s most monstrous killers, who ruled the Union...
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Victims of Terrorism: Irena and Suzanna’s Story
The air was filled with red-alert sirens. People were frantically rushing to nearby bomb shelters. This was Irena’s life in the city of Holon near Tel Aviv, during a conflict with Hamas terrorists in Gaza. She was 48, a single mother to her daughter Suzanna—and their city was...
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Biblical Israel: Sea of Galilee
The Sea of Galilee is the lowest freshwater lake on earth. It sits 600 feet below sea level. It is a lake, and not a sea; thus, the Evangelist Luke correctly describes it often as a lake (5:1; 8:22, 33). The Lake of Galilee sits in the Jordan River Valley, which…...
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Weekly Devotional: A Broken Spirit
Despair is a common human emotion. As finite beings, we often struggle to see beyond the moment, and when circumstances overwhelm us, we can all too easily find our emotions swept away. The floodwaters come over us, and we despair. And that’s okay—as...
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Iran Negotiations 2022: Landmark or Land Mine?
President Obama and Vice President Biden viewed their 2015 Iran deal as a landmark agreement, believing it the best way to rein in Iran’s nuclear ambitions. The last seven years, however, have shown it to be quite ill-conceived...
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Biblical Israel: Dan Spring
The land of Israel did not merely provide the stage upon which biblical events played out, its flora, fauna, climate, and geology provide the images, metaphors, and vocabulary that biblical writers used to...
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Weekly Devotional: When Adversity Strikes
When the chief priests of Jerusalem commanded Peter and John to no longer speak in Jesus’ name, the two disciples had a choice to make. They went to their community and together they prayed. ...
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United Nations: No Valentines for Israel
For Valentine’s Day this past Monday, Americans rushed to buy flowers, candy, and greeting cards for loved ones. That same day, the United Nations watchdog, UN Watch, sent another kind of greeting calling out the...
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Victim of Terrorism: Liat’s Story
Liat’s life has never been easy. Married to a violent husband for years, at age 44 she is now a single mother, raising her two children alone on a limited income. Although she struggles to make ends meet, she is grateful...
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Biblical Israel: Mount Carmel
Mount Carmel is a limestone ridge that bisects the coastal plain of the land of Israel branching off from the mountains of Samaria west towards the Mediterranean coast. It is most famous as the location for the...
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Weekly Devotional: Do Not Abandon Your Love
Write to the angel of the church in Ephesus: “The One who holds the seven stars in His right hand and who walks among the seven gold lampstands says: I know your works, your labor, and your endurance, and that you...
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Amnesty International Offers No Amnesty to Israel
Amnesty International describes itself as a global movement that protects people wherever justice, freedom, truth, and dignity are denied. And there’s no question that this human rights organization has a...
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Living with Disability: Gila and Noam’s Story
Living in Israel, Gila is 60, and a single mom of four grown children. Three live on their own—but Noam, her youngest at almost 20, was born with cerebral palsy, a severe disability. ...
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Biblical Israel: First Century Tombs and Burial
Bible readers find the issue of Jewish burial customs and tombs interesting due to the story of the death and resurrection of Jesus. While the Gospels do not provide an exact location for the tomb of Jesus...
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Weekly Devotional: If It Had Not Been the Lord
When things get difficult, whom do you turn to for aid? Do you try to figure it out yourself? Do you look to family or friends? Or do you look to God? This does not mean simply throwing a prayer heavenward in a moment of crisis; do...
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Isaiah’s Prophecy, Professor Sukenik, and the United Nations
Last week, the Jewish community and millions of caring people worldwide observed International Holocaust Remembrance Day. In 2005, the United Nations finally called for an International Holocaust Remembrance Day to be observed each January 27, the day that in 1945 saw Auschwitz-Birkenau finally liberated....
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Victim of Terrorism: Ronen’s Story
Imagine being a disabled senior who can barely walk and living in a city that is a target for rocket attacks—with less than a minute’s warning to rush for cover when the sirens sound. For 60-year-old Ronen and her husband, this was...
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Biblical Israel: Capernaum
Mentioned more than any other location in the Gospels, apart from Jerusalem, Capernaum sits on the northern shore of the lake of Galilee. The Gospels indicate it served as an important base during Jesus’ ministry around the lake...
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Weekly Devotional: Who Are You To Judge?
A Jewish contemporary of Jesus said, “Do not judge your neighbor until you have come to his place.” It’s an ancient version of our modern saying: “Don’t judge a person until you’ve walked a mile in his shoes.” ...
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On International Holocaust Remembrance Day, a Little-Known Story Offers Inspiration
Today, January 27, is International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Amid the worldwide resurgence of anti-Semitism, recommitting to the rallying cry of “Never Again” is vital. The venom of hatred is once again poisoning the world against the Jews, God’s chosen...
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Remembering the Holocaust
In 2005, the United Nations designated January 27—the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau—as International Holocaust Remembrance Day. On this solemn day, the world remembers the 6 million Jewish ...
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Biblical Israel: Qumran
Located on the northwestern shore of the Dead Sea, about seven miles south of Jericho and twenty miles north of Ein Gedi, sits the ruins of Qumran. Eleven caves around Qumran yielded, arguably, the most important...
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Weekly Devotional: What Matters to God?
If someone asked you, “What matters to God?”—how would you respond? We sometimes struggle to feel the impact of the words of the Bible because we do not belong to the world of the Bible. We do not understand worshiping God with sacrifices; we think we do, but we don’t....
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The Miracle of Aliyah: Israel’s Historic Puzzle Pieces Fall into Place
“Go forth from your land and from your birthplace and from your father’s house, to the land that I will show you” (Genesis 12:1). Aliyah is a Hebrew word meaning “to ascend.” When we read Psalms 120-134, in essence we are participating in the “Songs of Ascent” much...
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Single Mother: Elvira’s Story
After her first child was born, Elvira* was weak and exhausted. Plus, she and her husband were in dire financial straits, with no improvement in sight. So, she suggested they wait to have more children until things improved. Instead, he insisted that they have...
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Biblical Israel: Chorazin
Located two and a half miles north of Capernaum, Chorazin sits in the hills overlooking the lake of Galilee at 45-46 meters above sea level and 267-273 meters above the lake. Although only mentioned once in the Gospels (Matthew 11:21-24; Luke 10:13-16), Jesus...
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Weekly Devotional: Do Justice
“He has told you, mortal one, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8 NASB)....
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Israel’s Golan: Rising to New Heights
Traveling north to Israel’s Golan Heights is an adventuresome journey of hairpin turns, vineyards, and vistas of the snow-capped 9,000-foot Mount Hermon. Yet despite an ancient history wrapped in boundless beauty, ominous warning signs about uncleared...
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Victim of Terrorism: Ludmilla’s Story
Ludmilla and her husband moved to Israel from Ukraine in 2000 and settled in Sderot. Her husband is now disabled—and at 62, she is his primary caregiver. With four children and eight grandchildren in Ukraine, the couple has no relatives nearby....
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Biblical Israel: Magdala
The site of Magdala sits a little over three miles north of Tiberias, on the southern edge of the plain of Gennesar, on the shore of the lake of Galilee. Ancient sources seemingly refer to this site by three names; Greek and Latin sources refer to it as Taricheae; Hebrew...
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Weekly Devotional: On Display
One day the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them. The LORD asked Satan, “Where have you come from?” “From roaming through the earth,” Satan answered Him, “and walking around on it.” Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered…...
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Hope in the Holy Land? One Film Casts a Light
Peace between Jews and Palestinian Arabs seems as distant as the earth from the moon. Ancients and moderns worldwide have been fascinated by this celestial body, and the Jewish community sets its time by the lunar clock....
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Victim of Terrorism: Malka’s Story
Malka and her husband have weathered many challenges living in Israel. He has been disabled for years with severe spinal problems—and has undergone long periods of treatment. Walking and speaking are now difficult for him, and the struggle has been discouraging. ...
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Biblical Israel: Elah Valley
The biblical writers often assume their readers knew the geographic and regional dynamics of the land of Israel. Sites and locations offer more than simply places on a map; they provide the living landscape that shaped and formed the biblical stories. In addition, the...
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Weekly Devotional: Pursued by God
We are often told to “pursue God” and “draw near to God.” The Bible encourages it: “Your face, LORD, I will seek” (Psalm 27:8 NKJV). The Bible makes clear that God can be found by those who pursue Him. So, at times, the action falls upon us to pursue God. ...
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In 2022, Israelis Are Staring At Some Good News and Some Bad News
Most of us have used or made jokes with the idiomatic expression, “What do you want to hear first—the good news or the bad news?” One psychological study showed that most respondents preferred the bad news first, thinking that ending with the good news...
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Biblical Israel: Caesarea
The book of Acts mentions Caesarea a number of times. In Caesarea, the Gospel came to the Gentiles for the first time as Peter proclaimed Jesus to the God-fearing Roman Centurion Cornelius and his family, who subsequently received the Holy Spirit as the Jews had (Acts 10). ...
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Weekly Devotional: Waiting for Redemption
“And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had...
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Immanuel: God With Us
When seen within its world, the Advent story has a different look and feel from how we tend to envision it. It certainly is foreign to the modern spirit of Christmas. Yet, when we view it within its historical and cultural context, we find a world that many felt was…...
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Better Together: Christmas Comfort from Israel, American Jews, Christians, and Businesses
Mayfield, Kentucky, where tornadoes practically crushed the town of 10,000 into kindling wood earlier this month, is now experiencing the calming currents of help and hope in expressions of Christmas giving. Mayfield is hardly alone, since other towns in four states also suffered along 250 miles of whirling terror. Ninety-two…...
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Winter Heater Distribution
Imagine living in an old, frigid apartment with little or no heating—and your fixed income barely makes ends meet… Whenever the weather turns cold in Israel, this is the plight of many impoverished seniors, single mothers, new immigrants, and others trying to survive. ...
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Biblical Israel: Bethlehem
Bethlehem gains its notoriety as the birthplace of Jesus (Matthew 2:1; Luke 2:1-7); however, by the time of Jesus’ birth, the village already had quite a history. Bethlehem first appears in the Amarna Letters (14th century B.C.) as a Canaanite town. Its name comes from this period and means “house”…...
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Weekly Devotional: Glory to God in the Highest
Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be…...
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Jerusalem, the “City of Three Christmases” in Israel, the Land of Religious Freedom
Israel, the world’s only Jewish nation, is historically a beacon of religious freedom for the three monotheistic faiths of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. Christmas observances last for days in Israel with a vast array of decorations, festivities, and...
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Holocaust Survivor: Eugenia’s Story
Yafit was young, Ethiopian, and Jewish—and she fulfilled a major dream when she immigrated to Israel in 1991. Surviving the transition of leaving her little farming village for a new country, she eventually got a great job, married, and had four children....
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Biblical Israel: Herodium
Three miles southeast of Bethlehem sits Herodium, the palace fortress built by Herod the Great (Matthew 2). Overlooking the birthplace of Jesus, Herod’s fortress guarded the eastern roads through the wilderness from Bethlehem to En Gedi....
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Weekly Devotional: God Steps Into Our Turmoil
“And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria” (Luke 2:1-2 NKJV). ...
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The Connection Between King David, Christmas, and Palm Sunday
The candles are extinguished for Hanukkah 2021, the Jewish Festival of Lights, replaced now with the lights of glowing Christmas trees and decorated homes. Our Christian nativity scenes are on display, with Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus in a manger....
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Single Mother: Yafit’s Story
Yafit was young, Ethiopian, and Jewish—and she fulfilled a major dream when she immigrated to Israel in 1991. Surviving the transition of leaving her little farming village for a new country, she eventually got a great job, married, and had four children....
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Biblical Israel: Beersheva
The site of Beersheva figures prominently within the Patriarchal stories of the Old Testament, particularly with Abraham. It also became the defining limit of the southern extent of the kingdom of Israel, from Dan to Beersheva (1 Samuel 3:20; 17:11; 24:2; 1 Kings 4:25)....
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Weekly Devotional: The Nature of Redemption
Then his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied: “Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, because He has visited and provided redemption for His people. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David,...
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Hanukkah in Ancient and Modern Israel: “A Great Miracle Happened There”
On Sunday, November 28, Jewish families worldwide began celebrating Hanukkah—lighting up their homes each day with candles in their Hanukkiahs, their menorah candelabras. By December 6, when the festival ends, all the candles will be glowing. Children are enjoying eight days of gifts and playing dreidel games, and families are…...
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Victim of Terrorism: Rivka’s Story
Rivka and her husband immigrated to Israel from Russia in 1973, and they have established deep roots. Living in the coastal city of Ashdod, they both worked from home as structural engineers, and shared a business computer with all the specialized software they used. ...
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Biblical Artifact: Theodotus Synagogue Inscription
In the centuries between the Old and New Testaments, an important institution developed within Judaism, the synagogue. The Gospels and Acts mention synagogues frequently; they played an important role in the lives of Jesus, His followers, and the growth of His movement....
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Weekly Devotional: The Magnificat
“He has shown strength with His arm; He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He has sent away empty. He has helped...
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Thankful for Israel: A Blessing to the World
Today, as we observe a national day of thanksgiving and count our many blessings, I pray that we would also be extra mindful of those who are distressed and in need throughout our world. This is where I especially encourage you to take to heart the extraordinary example of our…...
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Widowed Single Mother: Anna’s Story
When Anna moved from Ukraine to Israel, she started a new life—and found romance. It’s where she met her husband—an Israeli citizen who was also from Ukraine. They had a little girl, and everything was going well. Then, without warning, tragedy struck. ...
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Biblical Israel: Nazareth
Nazareth—the boyhood home of Jesus—sits on a limestone ridge (the Nazareth Ridge) in the Lower Galilee that separates the Jezreel Valley to the south from the Beit Netofa Valley to the north. Nazareth first appears in ancient literary sources in the New Testament (Matthew 2:23; Luke 1:26; Luke 2:4, 39,…...
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Weekly Devotional: The Annunciation
Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?” And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born…...
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Israel Hosts Fifth Christian Media Summit in Friendship and Unity
A week ago, I attended Israel’s Government Press Office (GPO) Christian Media Summit (CMS). Held virtually in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19, this year’s summit drew more than 100 media professionals and opinion leaders from across the world. According to the CMS website, the summit’s goal is to “foster…...
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Single Mother: Makdes’ Story
Life was already hard for Makdes, a single mother with three kids, living in Jerusalem. She hadno contact withherchildren’s father, who abandoned them long ago—and shestruggledalonejust to survive....
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Biblical Israel: Galilee
Galilee is the northernmost region of the central mountain range that runs like a spine (north-south) through the land of Israel. The mountains of Galilee have the highest elevations within the hill country, and therefore, offer the coolest temperatures along with lush...
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Weekly Devotional: Clothe Yourself
“So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone...
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How Anti-Semitism Reproduces and How to Stop it
By the time World War II ended, the world was reeling in shock and chaos from the ravages of hate gone viral. In Europe alone, an estimated 15-20 million people died in a war viewed as the most destructive in history. ...
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Lone Soldier: Anna’s Story
When Anna was a young girl, her family immigrated to Israel. Although she was not from a religious family, Anna came to faith in God as a Messianic Jew when she was 14. But in her teens, conflicts at home grew so intense that she was forced to leave and…...
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Biblical Israel: Jordan Valley
The Jordan Valley is a narrow valley the extends from the Sea of Galilee in the north to the Dead Sea in the south. It is part of the great Syro-African Rift, the longest scar on the face of the planet, that spans from Syria to Lake Victoria in Africa....
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Weekly Devotional: True Humility
In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus tells a provocative parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and looked down on everyone else: “Two men went up to the temple complex to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee took his...
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UN Watch: Resolving to Fix the United Nations’ Anti-Israel Bias
Gilad Erdan, Israel’s ambassador to the U.S. and the UN, strode to the podium on October 29 at a special session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHCR) at the UN General Assembly in New York. “It’s always open season on Israel at the Human Rights...
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Victim of Terrorism: Sarah’s Story
Ashdod is an idyllic seacoast city, which Sarah’s family calls home. At age 74 years old, she and her husband have lived there for years—with their three children and five grandchildren nearby. However, being so close to the Gaza Strip, it has gradually become a target for...
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Biblical Israel: Edom
The land of Edom lay south of the land of Moab in the Transjordan. The Zered Ravine, which empties into the southern end of the Dead Sea, formed the boundary between these two kingdoms. The Bible refers to Edom also as Mount Seir (Genesis 36:21; Ezekiel 35:15). ...
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Weekly Devotional: Radical Devotion to God
“Now great multitudes went with Him. And He turned and said to them, ‘If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple’” (Luke 14:25-26 NKJV). ...
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Restoration and Restitution for Massive WWII Art Heist
Recent news about the upcoming auction of a van Gogh watercolor titled Meules de Blé (“Haystacks”) jubilantly swept through the art world. The Dutch artist’s painting has not appeared in public since 1905, when Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam exhibited it. ...
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Biblical Artifact: Tel Dan Inscription
Excavations in the 1990s at the site of Dan in northern Israel, which sits at the foot of Mount Hermon, uncovered three fragments of an inscription from the 9th century B.C. Written in Old Aramaic the fragments form part of a victory stela of an Aramean king (Hazael?) who claims…...
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Weekly Devotional: Who Are You Causing To Stumble?
“But take care that this freedom of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. For if someone sees you, the one who has knowledge, dining in an idol’s temple, will his conscience, if he is weak, not be strengthened to eat things sacrificed to idols?...
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The Truth About “Palestine”—Then and Now
Calling Israel “Palestine” is commonplace today. However, the history of that name goes back millennia. First coined by the ancient Greeks for the five-city area in the Philistine confederacy and then adopted by Roman emperor Hadrian, Palestine was more recently copied by former Palestinian...
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Single Mother: Monica’s Story
When Monica and her husband immigrated to Israel in 2000 with their infant son, they were full of hope. Settling in Ashkelon, their family grew to nine children, and Monica’s husband worked hard to provide for his wife and kids. But this past year, life took a tragic turn. ...
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Biblical Israel: Lachish
Lachish was one of the largest cities within the kingdom of Judah. Located in the Judean lowlands (Shephelah), it sat in the southern branch of the Beth Guvrin-Lachish Valley system, which provided an east-west corridor between the hill country (the area around...
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Weekly Devotional: Our Prayer Is Our Life
“Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:9-10 NKJV).When Jesus taught His disciples to pray, He instructed them to begin their prayer with these three phrases. Hebrew poetry, like prayers, often utilizes parallelism; it is a way of…...
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The Twelfth Man for Israel
In a stunning upset on October 9, “The Twelfth Man” seemed to play a significant role in the victory in College Station, Texas, when the Texas A&M (Aggies) football team beat the No. 1 University of Alabama Crimson Tide. It ended Alabama’s 19-game winning streak in a game that Aggies…...
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Victim of Terrorism: Kalia and Havier’s Story
Kalia and Havier became Israeli citizens in 2000, and lived in Beersheva with their four children. Havier has been the full-time pastor of a large Spanish-speaking congregation...
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Biblical Israel: Yodfat
The Galilean village of Yodfat lies in the hills three miles north of Nazareth, Jesus’ hometown, across Beit Netofa Valley, an easy day’s walk. Its primary industries were textiles and pottery manufacturing. The inhabitants of Yodfat herded...
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Weekly Devotional: True Religion
“If anyone thinks himself to be religious, yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this person’s religion is worthless. Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this:...
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The Gush Etzion Tree: A Symbol of Hope in Israel’s Heartland
When tourists visit Israel, some sites are absolute essentials for Christians. The Garden Tomb, Western Wall, the Old City, Capernaum, Church of the Holy Sepulcher, and the Galilee are top priorities on most Holy Land trip itineraries....
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Elderly Widow: Eliana’s Story
During World War II, when Eliana’s father was drafted, her mother and siblings fled Ukraine for Uzbekistan. A year after her father came home from serving on the front lines, Eliana was born. But the war was still raging, and food and essentials were scarce—especially for a family with five children....
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Biblical Israel: Ashkelon
Ashkelon sits on the southern Mediterranean coast in the modern State of Israel. The Bible identifies it as one of the five Philistine cities along with Gaza, Ashdod, Ekron, and Gath. Ashkelon sits on the Mediterranean coast between Gaza and Ashdod. The ancient site sat on a ridge of cemented…...
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Weekly Devotional: Have You Ever Wanted to Give Up?
Jeremiah lived in troubled days. God called him to prophesy to the kingdom of Judah in the years leading up to the Babylonian invasion of Judah and the destruction of Jerusalem, its Temple, and the deportation of many of its citizens to Babylon....
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Joel Rosenberg’s Newest Book Enemies and Allies: Stepping Into Middle East History
Author Joel C. Rosenberg’s latest book links his front row seat to history with his page-turning style. It’s as if he stepped into one of his previous sixteen thrillers. However, his newest book is not a novel. It is real. ...
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Giving Food and Care to Elderly Jewish Widows
Starvation. Assault. Forced to sleep on the cold, wet ground. And the constant threat of death. These are the unthinkable deprivations that many Jewish children experienced as they were seized from their villages and marched to the horrors of concentration camps. No one should have to experience that brutality, then…...
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Biblical Israel: Gamla
The ancient site Gamla sits in the central Golan Heights about six miles east of the northern end of the Sea of Galilee and the Bethsaida Valley. The ancient village sat on the spur of a hill created by two streams, Nahal Gamla and Nahal Daliyyot. The spur that the…...
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Weekly Devotional: Who Is Your God?
And the LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the…...
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Apartheid Accusations Against Israel Misplaced
Apartheid is an ugly term with an ugly history. Dutch for “separate” or “apartness,” apartheid was the official policy of racial segregation against nonwhites as formerly practiced in the Republic of South Africa. Between 1948 and 1994, 170,000 white Afrikaners—descendants of Dutch, German and French settlers—wielded cruel policies against 40…...
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Biblical Israel: Wilderness of Zin
Many travelers to the modern State of Israel make the mistaken assumption that the boundaries of the modern entity of Israel overlap biblical Israel. Apart from the fact that even within the Bible what constitutes the boundaries of Israel shifts from period to period, the modern State of Israel does...
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Sukkot: Feast of Tabernacles
“On the fifteenth day of the seventh month the LORD’s Festival of Tabernacles begins, and it lasts for seven days. The first day is a sacred assembly; do no regular work. For seven days present food offerings to the LORD, and on the eighth day hold a sacred assembly and…...
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Weekly Devotional: Remember Where You Have Come From
“Remember that the LORD your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not” (Deuteronomy 8:2 NKJV)....
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Yom Kippur: An Ancient Goat, a War, and a Risen Savior
The Day of Atonement (Hebrew: Yom Kippur) is the holiest day of the year for the Jewish community worldwide. It began yesterday at sundown and ends tonight, September 16, when the stars become visible in the night skies. No work is done. Traditions of fasting and prayer fill the day…...
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Victim of Terrorism: Dalia’s Story
As a 69-year-old widow, Dalia has two adult children who live on their own. Yet, one grown child still lives with her—a son who suffers from kidney disease. He is not able to work, and they survive mostly on Dalia’s pension. Living a simple life, they have managed to get…...
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Yom Kippur: The Day of Atonement
“Be careful to celebrate the Day of Atonement on the tenth day of that same month—nine days after the Festival of Trumpets. You must observe it as an official day for holy assembly, a day to deny yourselves and present special gifts to the LORD” (Leviticus 23:27 NLT). ...
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Biblical Artifact: Temple Warning Inscription
The first century Jewish historian Josephus described the Jerusalem Temple in great detail. He noted that the large outer court was separated from the holy precincts by a balustrade that had inscriptions in Greek and Latin forbidding non-Jews from passing this wall. Non-Jews were permitted to be in the outer…...
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Weekly Devotional: Go and Be Reconciled
“So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God” (Matthew 5:23-24 NLT)....
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Remembering 9/11 and Praying for Afghanistan
Saturday, September 11, 2021, marks the 20th anniversary of the terrorist flights of radical Islamic death and destruction that took place on a sky-blue Tuesday morning. The hijacked planes—United Airlines 175, American Airlines 11, American Airlines 77, and United Airlines 93—became...
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Single Mother: Ludmila’s Story
He lived in a depressed area, where the economy was weak, and work choices were few. Carmi was grateful for his factory job—and it provided enough for his wife and two children. But when the pandemic hit, the economy worsened. Carmi lost his job—leaving his wife as the sole breadwinner with…...
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Rosh Hashanah: Feast of Trumpets
“Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. On the first day of the appointed month in early autumn, you are to observe a day of complete rest. It will be an official day for holy assembly, a day commemorated with loud blasts of a trumpet. You must do…...
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Biblical Israel: Jerusalem
The most mentioned city in the Bible is Jerusalem. From the time that David made it the capital of his kingdom, it became the focal point of the kingdoms of Israel and Judah, and later of the Jewish people and faith. ...
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Weekly Devotional: The Trumpets Are Blowing
“In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a sabbath-rest, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation. You shall do no customary work on it; and you shall offer an offering made by fire to the Lord ... Also the tenth day of this seventh month shall be the...
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Wishing Our Jewish Friends A Sweet New Year
Rosh Hashanah (“head of the year” in Hebrew) is another miracle of promise-keeping by the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This Jewish New Year celebration—the 5,782nd—commences at sundown on Monday, September 6, and ends at sundown on Wednesday, September 8. Israel continues to survive and thrive!...
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Victim of Terrorism: Carmi’s Story
He lived in a depressed area, where the economy was weak, and work choices were few. Carmi was grateful for his factory job—and it provided enough for his wife and two children. But when the pandemic hit, the economy worsened. Carmi lost his job—leaving his wife as the sole breadwinner with…...
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Biblical Israel: Wadi Qilt
Roadways are one of the most significant aspects of biblical geography. Roads often gave significance to locations, villages, and cities. In fact, roadways influenced and dictated settlement patterns, the building and establishing of cities and villages. Controlling roadways meant control of travel, commerce, and...
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Weekly Devotional: Overcome Dead Faith
“What use is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone says he has faith, but he has no works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed…...
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Defying Nazis: An American Hero Saved Jewish Soldiers Under His Command
If you stood outside the East Tennessee History Center on one of Knoxville’s busy streets, you couldn’t miss the handsome new blue marker with gold lettering extolling the heroism of a native son. Last Friday, August 20, this was the site of a memorial celebration attended by the Reverend Chris…...
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Business Development: Aya’s Story
Aya was living out her dream. A 53-year-old married Ukrainian immigrant with two children, she had settled in northern Israel—and had a thriving clothing boutique. Then, the pandemic struck… and the economy took a hit. People were not spending money as they had. Aya’s business was deemed non-essential during the...
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Biblical Israel: Sepphoris
Sepphoris was the capital of the Galilee during the first part of the 1st century A.D., when Jesus was a boy. Located four miles north of Nazareth, Sepphoris sat in the Beth Netofa Valley, which provided a main east-west roadway in the Lower Galilee from the northwestern part of the…...
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Weekly Devotional: Choose Life
“See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil, in that I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments, that you may live and multiply; and the LORD your…...
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Abraham Accords—A Year Later, Hope is Taking Hold
The Abraham Accords, signed on the White House lawn on September 15, 2020, heralded an unexpected miracle. After President Trump announced the upcoming agreements on August 13, 2020, the three monotheistic faiths represented at the table—Christian, Jewish, and Muslim—not only honored Father Abraham, but set a new Middle East direction…...
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Single Mother: Ava’s Story
At age 46, Ava was suddenly starting over. She had moved to Israel from Eritrea, got married, and had six children. But her hopes for a good life were dashed when her husband became violent. Israel’s social services had to intervene—placing the children in foster homes and boarding schools. Finally,…...
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Biblical Israel: Mount Nebo
God also buried him on Mount Nebo (Deuteronomy 34:1-8). The two and a half tribes that remained east of the Jordan River (Reuben, Gad, and half of the tribe of Manasseh) name Mount Nebo as part of the territory they requested from Moses. Its situation near to the southern end…...
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Weekly Devotional: His Word Is Near to You
“For this commandment which I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you, nor is it far away. It is not in heaven, that you could say, ‘Who will go up to heaven for us and get it for us, and proclaim it to us, so that we…...
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Economic Zionism: A Powerful and Peaceful Way to Oppose Economic Warfare Against Israel
Israel’s biblical heartland is Judea and Samaria. This region is widely known as the “West Bank,” as it lies west of the Jordan River. Much of the world considers Israel as “occupying” this area—but they are wrong. God deeded Judea and Samaria to modern Israel’s ancient ancestors. Genesis 15:18 records it…...
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Holocaust survivor: Zinaida’s Story
It was 1941, and Zinaida was terrified. The Nazis had invaded her Jewish village in Belarus, and the Holocaust began. This child and her family were rounded up and had to live in a barn with the animals. Laboring in their own fields, all their harvests went to Germany—while they…...
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Biblical Israel: Southern Steps
Pilgrims to Jerusalem in the first century A.D. approached the Temple Mount from the south. After ritually purifying themselves, either in the Pool of Siloam, at the southern end of the City of David, or in one of the ritual immersion baths located along the southern end of the Temple…...
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Weekly Devotional: The Secret of Contentment
“For I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with little, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and…...
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Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas: The Man Behind the Mask
Decades before the COVID-19 pandemic swept across the world, prompting the widespread use of face masks, Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas had twisted together his own version of a mask—one that hid his lifelong motives and remade him into a credible world leader....
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Single Mother: Mila’s Story
Less than two years ago, Mila and her husband immigrated to Israel. They brought their five younger children, while their two adult children decided to stay in Ukraine. Just as they were beginning to navigate the challenges of being in a new country, COVID-19 struck. ...
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Biblical Israel: Tower of David
The only gate on the western side of the modern Old City of Jerusalem is Jaffa Gate (so named because the road leading to Jaffa goes through this gate). Inside Jaffa Gate stands the Citadel or the Tower of David. This structure has nothing to do with David, which can…...
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Weekly Devotional: Be Steadfast
“He gives strength to the weary, and to the one who lacks might He increases power. Though youths grow weary and tired, and vigorous young men stumble badly, yet those who wait for the LORD will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run…...
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The Ice Cream Wars: Will Anti-Israel Hostility Melt?
The founders of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, have suffered a brain freeze—but not from eating too much ice cream at one time. No, their brain freeze is due to backing the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement (BDS)....
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Mourning Mother and Widow: Zoya’s Story
Zoya is an older widow who had immigrated to Israel in 1995 with her husband, and her son, Pavel. Since her husband’s death several years ago, Pavel, who was 42 and lived at home, was her only family. He was kind, generous, and loved by many—and he was a blessing…...
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Biblical Israel: Damascus Gate
Visitors to the Old City of Jerusalem today can enter the city through seven gates scattered around its eastern, southern, western, and northern sides. These gates, like the walls of the Old City, date to the Ottoman Period (16th-20th centuries). Along the northern stretch of the Old City walls are three…...
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Weekly Devotional: The Path of Wisdom
“My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, listening closely to wisdom and directing your heart to understanding; furthermore, if you call out to insight and lift your voice to understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it like...
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Israelis and the Summer Olympics: Will Anti-Semitism Compete, Too?
Due to COVID-19’s untimely appearance last year, the Tokyo Summer Games are still called the 2020 Olympics. Ninety athletes—55 men and 35 women, Israel’s biggest delegation yet—are vying for medals in 18 sports. The games begin tomorrow, July 23, and last until August 8, offering sports fans worldwide the thrill…...
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Holocaust Survivor: Tauba’s Story
“I never thought I would hear the horrifying sound of bombings again, especially in Israel,” said Tauba, an 83-year-old Holocaust survivor. When the Nazis invaded Latvia, she was just a little girl living in Riga. Her father put her and her mother on the last train to Kazakhstan—where they hid...
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Biblical Israel: Western Wall
The Western Wall refers to the western retaining wall built to support the Temple Mount platform. In the first century, this wall faced the city of Jerusalem, and as such, it had four gates in it that led onto the Temple Mount platform. The gates alternated in their access lower…...
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Weekly Devotional: The Value of One
All the tax collectors and sinners were approaching to listen to Him. And the Pharisees and scribes were complaining, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them!” So He told them this parable:...
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Christians and Jews in Israel Connect Through Modern Readings of Ancient Scripture
An American-based reading-aloud Bible initiative—the Nationwide Bible Reading Marathon—was just completed yesterday morning, July 14, at 7:14 across the world virtually in respective time zones. In Israel, the birthplace of the Bible, the reading uniquely brought Jews and Christians together to recite the assigned chapters 25-66 in Isaiah....
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Lone Soldier: Shoshana’s Story
Shortly after her parents emigrated from Bulgaria to Israel, Shoshana was born. Growing up, sadly, her home never felt like “home.” The fighting and screaming… Her childhood was filled with constant anxiety and stress, and she had a difficult relationship with...
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Biblical Israel: Mount Tabor
In the northeastern corner of the Jezreel Valley sits the solitary, dome shaped hill of Mount Tabor. The steep slopes on all sides of the mountain lead to plateau on top, 1000 meters by 400 meters in area. The tribal territories of Zebulun, Issachar, and Naphtali meet at Mount Tabor....
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Weekly Devotional: How Do You Want To Be Judged?
“Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you” (Luke 6:37-38 NKJV). Matthew’s parallel adds, “For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure…...
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Israel: Money Well Spent for America’s Most Beneficial Ally
Most American taxpayers are distressed by the way the United States Congress wheels and deals with our national budget. While members of Congress jockey for political advantage, the unwieldy budgets have now contributed to a colossal $28 trillion debt at this writing. Nevertheless, despite its recurring budget power-struggles and often reckless…...
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Elderly Widow: Huana’s Story
When Huana immigrated to Israel with her husband and two children in 1989, the couple worked in a factory, and for years they were content. They lived in Sderot, and despite rocket attacks from Gaza, the family adapted. But then, her husband started...
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Biblical Israel: Hebron
The city of Hebron played an important role, particularly within the Old Testament narratives. The city features prominently in the stories of the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as well as Joshua and Caleb, and, eventually, David, who reigned for his first seven years at Hebron. ...
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Weekly Devotional: Wisdom Is a Skill You Learn
“The beginning of wisdom is: Acquire wisdom; and with all your possessions, acquire understanding. … I have instructed you in the way of wisdom; I have led you in upright paths” (Proverbs 4:7, 11 NASB). Our modern world often equates wisdom with intelligence, or wisdom as the result of life…...
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Israel’s Search and Rescue Unit in Florida on Another Heroic Mission of Mercy
Even before the expert Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Search and Rescue Brigade arrived in Florida, they had already mapped via satellite the collapsed Champlain Towers South. Carrying with them the hope that their survey would add to the lifesaving efforts of all rescuers on the site, Israel’s “Helping Hand” operation…...
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Hope and Rehabilitation
They had once been homeless, living on the streets, with many of them survivors of drug or alcohol addiction. This group of men had successfully completed a rigorous live-in rehabilitation program. Now, in a half-way home in Israel, facing the Mediterranean Sea, they were given a place...
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Biblical Israel: City of David
The first seven and a half years that David reigned, he reigned in Hebron, which sat in the heart of the tribal territory of Judah, David’s tribe (2 Samuel 5:5). As he expanded his rule to all of Israel, he decided to conquer the city of Jerusalem, which until...
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Deeds Worthy of Repentance
“Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, but declared first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem, and throughout all the region of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent, turn to God, and do works befitting repentance” (Acts 26:19-20 NKJV). A key…...
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Arson by Balloons: Floating Incendiary and Explosive Devices Target Innocent Israeli Civilians
For generations, toy balloons have been a source of fun and joy. That was certainly true in Israel—until Hamas turned these instruments of amusement into implements of terror....
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Biblical Israel: Beth Shean
Located at the intersection of two significant roads that crossed the land of Israel from west to east, through the Jezreel and Harod Valleys towards the land east of the Jordan River, and north to south, through the Jordan River Valley, Beth Shean’s prominence came due to its location. The…...
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Weekly Devotional: Slow to Anger in a World of Tempers
“Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but one who has a hasty temper exalts folly” (Proverbs 14:29 NRSV). We live in a world full of tempers. On our streets, in our homes, on our social media, people express their temper often and loudly. Anger seems to simmer under…...
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Anti-Israel Hostility Is Soaring While Dictatorships Get a Free Pass
When it comes to what drives spiraling anti-Semitism and anti-Israel sentiment, hate is always at the helm. The global mainstream media’s anti-Israel bias could not be clearer. By frequently abandoning or twisting context and facts, they often reveal unrelenting hostility toward the world’s only Jewish state. Astonishingly, they will single…...
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Family in Crisis: Aviva’s Story
For many in Israel, COVID-19 has not only caused financial hardships, but it has also taken a mental and emotional toll on people. The isolation and restrictions made life even worse for those already struggling to get by. And for Aviva, a single mother raising two children by herself, it…...
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Biblical Israel: Ein Gedi
The name Ein Gedi means “spring of the kid (young goat).” Ein Gedi, which is the largest oasis on the western shore of the Dead Sea, sits between two riverbeds (in Hebrew, nahal, in Arabic, wadi): Nahal David to the north and Nahal Arugot to the south. The oasis contains…...
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Weekly Devotional: Do You Sanctify His Name?
“But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, ‘Because you did not trust Me to show My holiness in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this assembly into the land I have given them’” (Numbers 20:12 HCSB). The children of Israel found themselves in the wilderness of…...
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Israel’s Ancient Political Dramas: Good Kings, Bad Kings, No Kings, and the King of Kings
Drama has dominated Israeli politics going back to ancient times, when the Jewish nation experienced seasons with good kings, bad kings, and no kings. Its political baggage is packed full of successes, failures, prosperity, disaster, peace, war, unity, betrayal, and...
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Holocaust Survivor: Lisa’s Story
“I was seven when we were forced by the Nazis into the ghetto,” Lisa recalled sadly. “Food was very hard to come by, and you’d wake up not knowing if you’d have anything to eat that day. Then each evening, we’d see carts going down the road—filled with the bodies…...
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Biblical Israel: Shrine of the Book
The discovery at Qumran of the first seven Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947 required a suitable place to house them. The American Jewish architects Armand Bartos and Frederic Kiesler were tasked with designing a home for the scrolls at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. On April 20, 1965, the...
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What Would World Health Look Like Without Jewish Medical Discoveries?
Older Americans will recall the panic when polio struck their children, either crippling them or resulting in their deaths. In 1952, 58,000 new cases broke out in the United States and more than 3,000 children died. Polio dominated the minds of fearful parents. Enter Dr. Jonas Salk, who in 1953…...
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Life-saving Bomb Shelter: Gil’s Story
Imagine waiting at a bus stop and suddenly hearing a bomb siren—with only 15 seconds to find shelter. Tragically, this is the trauma many Israelis face today, and it is taking its toll. Israel is no stranger to war and terrorism. The Israeli communities next to Hamas-ruled Gaza have endured years…...
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Biblical Israel: Temple Mount
The Golden Dome of the Rock provides one of the most iconic and recognizable images of any city’s skyline within the world. The Islamic shrine completed in A.D. 692 by the Umayyad Caliph Abd al-Malik stands upon the platform of the Temple Mount, which was constructed during the first centuries…...
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Arab Journalists and Pro-Israel Christians Agree: Hamas is the Problem
When United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Israel, and the United States signed the Abraham Accords on the White House lawn on August 13, 2020, it signaled a historic, miraculous opening of cooperation and benefits to each nation. Morocco and Sudan then joined the Accords,...
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Biblical Israel: Second Temple Model
The large, scale model of Jerusalem in A.D. 66 offers one of the main attractions at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. Hans Kroch, who owner of the Holy Land Hotel in Jerusalem, commissioned Professor Michael Avi-Yonah and his students to create the model in...
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Weekly Devotional: Outpouring of the Holy Spirit
“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Luke 1:8 NKJV)....
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The Gaza Strip: What Could Have Been
With 28,000 miles of stunning shoreline, the Mediterranean Sea annually beckons a third of the world’s international tourists to its gentle waves and pleasant climate. Twenty-two countries and over 3,000 islands show off a tapestry of assorted cultures, geographies, languages,...
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Victim of Terrorism: Yelena’s Story
When her father died in battle during World War II, Yelena was a young girl living in Russia. This loss devastated her for a long time. But Lena overcame her grief, and went on to earn a medical degree, working as a maternity doctor for nearly 35 years. In 1996,...
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Biblical Israel: Pool of Siloam
Located on the southern part of the rock cliff that marks the hill of the City of David (in Jerusalem), near the southern end of the Tyropoean Valley sits the Pool of Siloam. The pool was accidentally discovered in 2004 by workmen laying a new sewage line in the...
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Weekly Devotional: Do You Consider the Poor?
Blessed is he who considers the poor; the LORD will deliver him in time of trouble. The LORD will preserve him and keep him alive, and he will be blessed on the earth; you will not deliver him to the will of his enemies. The LORD will strengthen him on…...
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Shavuot (Pentecost): The Feast of Weeks
“On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place. Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on…...
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The U.S. Congress Has a Chance to Help Veterans in Our Country and in Israel
A bipartisan light sometimes shines in the United States Congress despite its numerous gridlocks. This holds true for an important bill that, if passed and signed by the President, will help military veterans in both the United States and Israel. Called the United...
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Victim of Terrorism: Zeev’s Story
How sobering it is to know that we are witnessing the last generation of Holocaust survivors in Israel. Most are in their 90s, and many came to their ancestral homeland following the horrific events of World War II. They were broken but determined to fight the war of Israel’s birth…...
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Biblical Israel: Avdat
Located in the modern Negev Desert on the spur of a mountain ridge, overlooking the plain around the canyon of En Avdat (the “Spring of Avdat”), sits the ancient ruins of the Nabatean city of Avdat. Avdat sits along the ancient caravan routes that crossed the barren lands from Elat…...
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Weekly Devotional: Finding God in the Ordinary
“He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap. As you do not know what is the way of the wind, or how the bones grow in the womb of her who is with child, so you do not know the works…...
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UN Human Rights Council Pushes “Human Wrongs” Against Israel
The United Nations initiated the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 after the Nazi genocide of six million Jews. Its words affirmed the dignity of all world citizens, regardless of who or what they were or where they lived. Indeed, it was a fine and desperately needed effort to…...
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Biblical Israel: Shiloh
Shiloh served as the place where the Israelites erected the Tabernacle and placed the Ark of the Covenant after they conquered the land (Joshua 18:1). It became a place for religious pilgrimage and the celebration of festivals (Judges 21:19; 1 Samuel 1:3). The parents of Samuel,...
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Weekly Devotional: Coming in Last to Serve God Best
“For I think that God has displayed us, the apostles, last, as men condemned to death; for we have been made a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men. We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are…...
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When Evil Demands an Encore, Stop It in Its Tracks
In 1925, Hitler’s book, Mein Kampf (“My Struggle”) was published, containing the script for Hitler’s genocidal plan. He wrote it while serving only nine months of a five-year sentence for attempting to overthrow the German Republic in 1923. It began in a beer hall. German...
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New Immigrant: Snezhana’s Story
When Snejana, her husband, and their three children emigrated from Ukraine to Israel in 2018, she had high hopes, despite the obstacles of starting over in a new culture. They found an apartment that looked fresh and clean, and seemed perfect for their family. ...
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Biblical Israel: Megiddo
Situated in the western Jezreel Valley at the foot of the lowlands of Mount Carmel stands the ancient mound of Megiddo. It overlooks where Nahal Iron crosses through the Carmel lowlands, which provided passage for one of the branches of the most important...
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Weekly Devotional: Behold Your God
Life can often distract us. It might be the unrelenting stress and busyness within our own lives, the whirlwind of anxiety often generated by a 24-hour news cycle, or the latest novelty being presented as the solution to our problems. We find ourselves consumed by the worries of the moment…...
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Torah Reading Commentary: Repentance
It is often said that we live in a “secular age,” a term popularized by the title of Charles Taylor’s famous book. For several decades in the lead-up to the turn of the millennium, membership in traditional religious institutions among Americans was always around 70%. Today, it is less than…...
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Iran and Israel: Once Friends, Now Foes
During the Persian Empire and beyond, rulers, religions, and the well-being of the Jewish community shifted like the Middle Eastern desert sands. When it comes to news about Iran, reports today are dominated by deadly threats to Israel from Iran’s Imams, whose goals are set on establishing a modern caliphate with…...
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Business Development: Nathanial’s Story
Nathanial had a rough start in life that could have held him back. He grew up in a poor Israeli neighborhood, with only his mother to offer him encouragement. Yet, this brilliant young man loved computers, and had a vision to make his mark in the field of computer cybernetics....
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Biblical Israel: Arbel
Arbel sits high upon the sheer limestone cliffs along the northwest corner of the lake of Galilee, northwest of Tiberias, overlooking the fertile plain of Gennesar. The Arbel Cliffs form the southern boundary of the plain of Gennesar and provide a striking visual landmark along the northwest shores of the…...
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Weekly Devotional: Sons that Do His Will
“What do you think? A man had two sons; and he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ And he answered, ‘I will not’; but afterward he repented and went. And he went to the second and said the same; and he answered,…...
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Israel’s Memorial and Independence Days: Sorrow and Joy, Back to Back
During Israel’s 2020 Memorial Day observance, Dvora Waysman, an Israeli author and syndicated journalist, observed, “Israel is a country where so many parents have been called upon to bury their children, and the earth is saturated with tears. In the whole land, there is barely a family that has not…...
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New Immigrant Center
Every year, thousands of immigrants travel to Israel—families with children, single men and women, seniors and young people… They come to fulfill a dream: To live in the land of their forefathers and establish roots. But despite their zeal, they face great challenges. ...
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Yom HaAtzma’ut: Israel’s Independence Day
“Who has ever seen anything as strange as this? Who ever heard of such a thing? Has a nation ever been born in a single day? Has a country ever come forth in a mere moment? But by the time Jerusalem’s birth pains begin, her children will be born” (Isaiah…...
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Yom HaZikaron: Israel’s Memorial Day
A week after Yom HaShoah, Israelis mark Yom HaZikaron (“Israel’s Memorial Day”) remembering those who died fighting for the country even before it was established and for those murdered in terror attacks....
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Biblical Israel: Masada
Masada, a palace-fortress built by Herod the Great (Matthew 2), sits on the south-western shore of the Dead Sea, fifteen and a half miles south of Ein Gedi. The fortress sits atop an isolated rock plateau that overlooks the Dead Sea Valley below. This naturally fortified rock was first built…...
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Weekly Devotional: The Power of Legacy
Abraham never saw the fulfillment of God’s promises to his offspring. Yet, because he listened to God’s voice and kept His commandments, God extended the covenant with Isaac and his offspring. We tend to think about our spiritual lives through the lens of ourselves, through the finiteness of our lives....
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Yom HaShoah: Israel Stops and Remembers
Sirens sounded in Israel yesterday at sundown and again at 10 this morning, Israel time. For two minutes cars stopped on the highways. Drivers stepped out and stood. Shoppers paused at cash registers. Crowds walking on sidewalks stopped in their tracks. The nation is pausing together in silence and stillness…...
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Remembering the Holocaust
The Holocaust is etched in Israel’s national memory. Each year, its victims are honored on one special national holiday called Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Memorial Day.) All places of entertainment are closed. That morning, a siren sounds across the country—and everything stops for two...
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Biblical Israel: Dead Sea
The Jordan River flows into the Dead Sea, the lowest place on earth, at 1,300 feet below sea level. It formerly received six million tons of water daily from the Jordan River. It forms part of the Rift Valley. It is forty-three miles long and nine miles wide. It is…...
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Weekly Devotional: He Is Risen
“Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus....
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Torah Reading Commentary: Sacrifice
Indeed, there is a Jewish custom to begin the religious education of a child not with the story of creation, the story of the Exodus, or the grand sweep of Moses’ summation—but with Leviticus. Why? As with so much else, there are multiple interpretations—each of which can be true....
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Holy Week and Passover: Centuries-Old Persecution of Jews
Holy Week took on a new dimension for me on Palm Sunday night. My husband and I attended a Turner Classic Movies Fathom event on the big screen. The epic movie The Ten Commandments was shown as a tribute on its 65th anniversary. Stunning in every way, the movie had…...
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Biblical Israel: Church of the Holy Sepulchre
The traditional location of the crucifixion, burial, and resurrection of Jesus is the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which sits within the heart of the Christian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem. The origin of the church goes back to the Emperor Constantine. His mother the Empress Helena on…...
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Weekly Devotional: The Crucifixion
“And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left. Then Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.’ And they divided His garments and cast lots. And the people stood looking on....
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Passover: The Feast of Unleavened Bread
For thousands of years, the Jewish people have told the story from the book of Exodus on the eve of Passover, “the fourteenth day of the first month” (Leviticus 23:5) in a special meal with symbolic food called a Seder, which means “order” in Hebrew. There are many traditions from…...
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Torah Reading Commentary: The Passover Seder
This year’s Passover Seder will be celebrated on March 27, and we should take time to discover the opportunities that are open to us spiritually and the opportunities we have to improve the world. The Haggadah—the greatest hits of Jewish thought—exists to guide us through that divine journey....
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Think Iran Hasn’t Expanded Its Terror Toolbox? Think Again
Cuba, Iran, North Korea, and Syria are members of an infamous club. The U.S. State Department identifies them as the world’s most dangerous terror nations. Their four leaders are a menace to the world as well as to their own citizens. And Iran—with its foothold in Syria...
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Biblical Israel: Garden of Gethsemane
Mark and Matthew identify Gethsemane as the place Jesus went with His disciples after eating the Passover within the city of Jerusalem, prior to His arrest (Matthew 26:36; Mark 14:32). These two Gospels provide the only mention of this place within ancient sources; thus, pinpointing its location proves difficult. ...
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Weekly Devotional: Not Our Will But Your Will Be Done
“Coming out, He went to the Mount of Olives, as He was accustomed, and His disciples also followed Him. When He came to the place, He said to them, ‘Pray that you may not enter into temptation.’ And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and…...
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Torah Reading Commentary: The Bible and Us
The prerequisite to understanding any story is answering the question: What is its genre? This might seem like an easy task, but it’s really not. Let’s say that someone gets offended by a joke. The jokester says that he was just trying to be funny. The listener says that the…...
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Israel: An Environmental Wonder Making Its Deserts Like Eden
In Israel, the Holy Land, the earth itself is indeed Holy! The earth where Jesus walked overflows with flowers and vineyards that depict nature as a visual symbol of rebirth. With the profusion of emerging plants and vast flocks of migrating birds, the renewal of spring is...
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Single Mother: Sonya’s Story
Ten years ago, Sonya* had just immigrated to Israel, when she met the man she would marry. He was charming, had a great job, and since he was from Israel, he made her feel secure in her new country. They had two children. And for seven years, life seemed good. …...
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Biblical Israel: Mount of Olives
The Mount of Olives is a north-south ridge that sits on the eastern watershed of the hills around Jerusalem. To its east, the land slopes drastically down towards the Jordan River Valley and the area around Jericho, towards the Dead Sea. The steep fall-off of the topography east of the…...
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Weekly Devotional: Remember All That God Has Done
“And He sent Peter and John, saying, ‘Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat.’ So they said to Him, ‘Where do You want us to prepare?’ And He said to them, ‘Behold, when you have entered the city, a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water;…...
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Torah Reading Commentary: Mercy
God could have created the world using any technique and done so instantaneously. Instead, He chose to do so with a succession of expressions, each beginning with “God said.” We are all familiar with the Ten Commandments, but the correct translation is: Ten Words. God’s words are demonstrably powerful and…...
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Iran Aims “Eco-Terrorism” at Israel’s Coastline
In a conversation with Moses, God portrays Israel as “a land flowing with milk and honey” (Exodus 3:8). Israel has certainly fulfilled this description, making their dreams come true in their modern homeland. Recently though, Israeli citizens woke up to a nightmare and learned that oil tar was coming ashore killing…...
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Rescuing Women from Prostitution
In southern Tel Aviv, there once was a proud, working class Jewish neighborhood that deteriorated over the years. Sadly, it is now filled with brothels, addicts, drug dealers, and rampant crime. And prostitution is common there. Young women who look sick and malnourished walk the streets—selling their bodies openly to…...
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Biblical Israel: Jordan River
The most dramatic geographical feature of the biblical land of Israel is the scar of the Rift Valley. Created by the tectonic plates, this forms part of the Syro-African Rift, the longest scar on the face of the planet. Within the land of Israel, the Rift Valley is referred to…...
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Weekly Devotional: The Temple Cleansing
“Then He went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in it, saying to them, ‘It is written, “My house is a house of prayer,” but you have made it a “den of thieves.”’ And He was teaching daily in the temple. But the chief priests, the scribes, and…...
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Torah Reading Commentary: What Might Exodus Say About Clothing?
The person wearing the uniform also feels an enhanced sense of responsibility, as he knows he is literally embodying the values that his or her uniform conveys. And this feeling, though generated by the clothing one puts on, becomes deeply felt....
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Palestinian Textbooks Incite Violence Against Israel
The world marked another International Day Against the Use of Child Soldiers just a few weeks ago on February 12. Yet the Palestinians repeatedly violate this worthy United Nations and UNICEF-sponsored goal in their textbooks. Shaping young minds with erroneous...
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New Immigrant: Sergey’s Story
Working as accountants in Kazakhstan, Sergey and his wife Alina are a Jewish couple who felt drawn to live in Israel. They finally immigrated with their two children. They also had a passion for the world of beauty and hair styling and used the move to change careers. Arriving in…...
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Biblical Israel: Sea of Galilee
The Sea of Galilee is the lowest freshwater lake on earth. It sits 600 feet below sea level. It is a lake, and not a sea; thus, the Evangelist Luke correctly describes it often as a lake (5:1; 8:22, 33). The Lake of Galilee sits in the Jordan River Valley, which…...
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Weekly Devotional: The Triumphal Entry
“Then, as He was now drawing near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen, saying: ‘Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace…...
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Purim: The Story of Esther
It’s a festive time of celebrating, where children dress in costumes to celebrate the Jewish people’s rescue from—and victory over—a wicked government minister who wanted to destroy them thousands of years ago, as recorded in the book of Esther in the Bible....
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Torah Reading Commentary: The Theology of Details
Parshat Mishpatim is full of detail, but in the way all laws are. In order to govern behavior, laws need to predict and describe that behavior—and the only way to accomplish that is with an abundance of detail....
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Purim’s Persian Queen Esther: An Advocate Then and Example Now
Queen Esther is beloved in the pages of biblical history. Her story reflects how one ordinary person responded to God’s call—and how her courage and obedience resulted in an extraordinary rescue of her Jewish community during King Ahasuerus’ reign (486–465 B.C.). God used...
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Biblical Israel: Dan
The Bible identifies Dan as the northernmost point of ancient Israel (Judges 20:1; 1 Samuel 3:20). The site of Dan sits at the southern base of Mount Hermon, in the upper portion of the Jordan River Valley, at the juncture of the ancient north-south and east-west caravan routes. Its location…...
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Weekly Devotional: Learning Meekness
“Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all the people who were on the face of the earth” (Number 12:3 ESV). Our modern culture, even our Christian culture, celebrates strong, bold, and yes, even arrogant, leaders. Moses wouldn’t fit. Yet God selected Moses as the vehicle of His…...
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Torah Reading Commentary: The Genesis of Distinctions
This art of making distinctions also informs Jewish biblical politics, with resonance into the present day. For instance, take a general question: How should we regard the stranger in our midst? It entirely depends, as Parshat Mishpatim says, upon the distinctions we must make....
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A Jewish Patriot of Colonial America: An Example for Future U.S. Support of Israel
Long before Ellis Island became the gateway to America, Haym Salomon, a Jewish immigrant, fled from the political unrest and violence in his native Poland. He settled in New York in the early 1770s and set up a brokerage business that included foreign securities. To protest the British, Solomon joined…...
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Relief for Terror Victims
What if you saw your entire year’s income disappear in minutes? For the last two years, this has been the plight of Israeli farmers living near Gaza. Enemies across the border have been launching fire kites and balloons that burn their crops rapidly and threaten Israel’s food...
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Biblical Israel: Dan Spring
The land of Israel did not merely provide the stage upon which biblical events played out, its flora, fauna, climate, and geology provide the images, metaphors, and vocabulary that biblical writers used to communicate their message whether in narrative, poetry, or prophecy. There are places...
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Weekly Devotional: Where God Dwells
“For thus says the high and lofty one who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with those who are contrite and humble in spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite” (Isaiah…...
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Torah Reading Commentary: Jethro’s Concern
The parsha (Torah portion) we Jews read last week in synagogue was about the greatest moment in the history of humankind: when God gave the Ten Commandments (and, according to some scholars, the entire Torah) to Moses at Mount Sinai....
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Jerusalem’s Temple Mount: Arguably the Most Disputed Real Estate on Earth
Three thousand years of recorded history sit atop, around, and below the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, Israel’s capital city. The 37-acre trapezium-shaped platform rises 2,400 feet above ground. Judaism’s holiest site, the Western Wall (Kotel in Hebrew), is on the southwest side. Built by King Herod during Roman occupation, it’s one…...
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Blessing Arab Communities in Israel
Lost employment, closed businesses, lockdowns…The current pandemic has brought hardship across the Holy Land. And CBN Israel has delivered aid to many during this time. But how do you reach those who are desperate—yet have a hard time asking for help?...
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Biblical Israel: Mount Carmel
Mount Carmel is a limestone ridge that bisects the coastal plain of the land of Israel branching off from the mountains of Samaria west towards the Mediterranean coast. It is most famous as the location for the confrontation between Elijah and the prophets of Ba’al (1 Kings 18:19).Today,...
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Weekly Devotional: What Are You Saying?
“The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom, and their tongues speak what is just. The law of their God is in their hearts; their feet do not slip” (Psalm 37:30-31 NIV). Our modern world has provided each of us with a variety of platforms to communicate and let ourselves be…...
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Torah Reading Commentary: Reversion to the Mean
One of the most important concepts in finance is “reversion to the mean.” Core to everything from options pricing to stock valuation, this concept incorporates the belief that prices will revert to the place where they mostly have been. If a stock is trading at significantly below its historic price-to-earnings…...
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The Israel Law Center: Fighting for Justice on Court Battlegrounds
“Money drives terrorism,” declares prominent American attorney Alan Dershowitz. “If funding is cut, terrorism is reduced.” So says Dershowitz in his review of Nitsana Darshan-Leitner’s 2017 book Harpoon: Inside the Covert War Against Terrorism's Money Masters. The book addresses Israel’s tactics of starving terrorist organizations of the funds they need…...
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School Supplies for Children in Sderot
It’s one of Israel’s poorest cities, and the top target for terrorism. For over 15 years, Sderot has endured constant rocket attacks, day and night—and its children and teens suffer from PTSD. Families who could afford to move away have gone to safer areas—while the rest have been left with…...
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Biblical Israel: First Century Tombs and Burial
Bible readers find the issue of Jewish burial customs and tombs interesting due to the story of the death and resurrection of Jesus. While the Gospels do not provide an exact location for the tomb of Jesus, although tradition and archaeology does support the traditional location of the Holy Sepulchre,...
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Weekly Devotional: Waiting For His Word
“Out of the depths I have cried to You, O Lord; Lord, hear my voice! Let Your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications. … I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His word I do hope” (Psalm 130:1, 5 NKJV). No one likes to…...
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Torah Reading Commentary: Moses, Pharaoh—and Our Religious Experience
It is a cliché to say “there is no such thing as a bad question.” But, unlike most clichés, this one is not true. There are some bad questions. One is: “Is he religious?” There are several reasons why this is a bad question. One is that it is imprecise....
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Tu B’Shvat: Celebrating Nature
“When you enter the land and plant any kind of fruit tree, regard its fruit as forbidden. For three years you are to consider it forbidden; it must not be eaten” (Leviticus 19:23 NIV). Tu B’Shvat is also known as Rosh HaShanah La’Ilanot, the New Year of the Trees. Israel actually…...
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Faith Communities Worldwide Honor International Holocaust Remembrance Day
If we held a moment of silence for every victim of the Holocaust, we would be silent for eleven-and-a-half years. You have probably seen or heard this devastating truism before. Six million European Jews were murdered. Countless others were tortured. Yet we must remember—so that such an atrocity never happens…...
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Holocaust Survivor: Michael’s Story
Jerusalem Central Town, a non-profit organization, is a very special CBN Israel partner. They provide a safe home for people aged 80 and over—all of whom survived World War II and the Holocaust. And Michael, an 87-year-old Holocaust survivor, is their chairman and advocate....
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Biblical Israel: Qumran
Located on the northwestern shore of the Dead Sea, about seven miles south of Jericho and twenty miles north of Ein Gedi, sits the ruins of Qumran. Eleven caves around Qumran yielded, arguably, the most important archaeological discovery of the twentieth century: the Dead Sea Scrolls. The current name, Qumran,…...
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Weekly Devotional: The Quantity of Forgiveness
“Then Peter came up and said to him, ‘Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven’” (Matthew 18:21-22 RSV). Peter came to Jesus asking…...
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Torah Reading Commentary: Moses and Tom Brady
In Exodus 5-6, God prepares to free the Jewish people from many years of torturous and murderous slavery. Yet when God’s prophet, Moses, tells the Jews about their impending change of circumstance, their response is not jubilation, exhilaration, gratitude, or hope. In fact, they had to be commanded to prepare...
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Trump’s Achievements and Hopes for a Robust Biden U.S.-Israel Relationship
Thousands of words have been written about President Donald Trump’s exceptional policies toward Israel and the greater Middle East. His administration’s actions are pretty well known. Yet Israel—a nation familiar with constant hostility, relentless terror......
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Lone Soldier Home
Israel has a national army that requires mandatory service of its citizens. And for Israeli teens, turning 18 means swapping school books for military uniforms, and putting other dreams and goals on hold. But for a young immigrant, the challenges of army life can be far more daunting....
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Biblical Israel: Chorazin
Located two and a half miles north of Capernaum, Chorazin sits in the hills overlooking the lake of Galilee at 45-46 meters above sea level and 267-273 meters above the lake. Although only mentioned once in the Gospels (Matthew 11:21-24; Luke 10:13-16), Jesus cursed the village for not repenting when…...
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Weekly Devotional: Out of the Depths
“Out of the depths I have cried to You, O Lord; Lord, hear my voice! Let Your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications” (Psalm 130:1-2 NKJV). Have you ever been there? In the depths? Have you ever felt so overwhelmed by life and its circumstances that you…...
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Torah Reading Commentary: When Change Happens
The life of our father Jacob—and with it, the book of Genesis—is coming to an end. On his deathbed, Jacob says perhaps the most beautiful and moving expression of love and gratitude ever spoken, “I had not expected to see [even] your face, and behold, God has shown me your…...
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Iran’s Nuclear Quest, Twelvers, and Growing Christian Conversions
Readers, on January 12, just after I completed my column, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., with explosive new intelligence. He stated, “Al-Qaeda has a new home base: it is the Islamic Republic of Iran. As a result, Osama bin Laden’s…...
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Holocaust Survivor: Tanya’s Story
Tanya was just 14 years old when the Nazis invaded Ukraine, bringing on the Holocaust. Looking back, she admits sadly, “I remember life was so normal until that day. The war started, and everything changed. Many of our family and friends died.” Fortunately, her mother worked at a local hospital—so…...
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Biblical Israel: Magdala
The site of Magdala sits a little over three miles north of Tiberias, on the southern edge of the plain of Gennesar, on the shore of the lake of Galilee. Ancient sources seemingly refer to this site by three names; Greek and Latin sources refer to it as Taricheae; Hebrew…...
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Weekly Devotional: Peacemakers
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God” (Matthew 5:9 NIV). Jesus expected His followers to be instruments of peacemaking. Those who do so, according to Jesus, will be called children of God. For Jesus, the peacemaking efforts of His followers is the condition for them…...
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Torah Reading Commentary: Manasseh and Ephraim
Every Friday evening at sundown, we Jews engage in one of the most sacred experiences of being a Jew—and the happiest of being a person. We cease work, turn off all electronics, and focus entirely on the important matter at hand: welcoming God’s special day, Shabbat. We dress in our…...
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Worldwide Religious Persecution: Where Does Israel Stand?
As we enter a new year, religious persecution will undoubtedly continue to impact millions across the globe, with such atrocities as Nigeria’s Christians being massacred, China’s Muslim Uighurs enslaved, and Jews murdered in their synagogues. For three years, an organization called Church in Need tracked Christian persecution in particular saying…...
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Biblical Israel: Capernaum
Mentioned more than any other location in the Gospels, apart from Jerusalem, Capernaum sits on the northern shore of the lake of Galilee. The Gospels indicate it served as an important base during Jesus’ ministry around the lake, with Matthew referring to it as “his own city” (9:1)....
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Weekly Devotional: Going When You Don’t Know Where
“By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place which he was to receive as an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was to go. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents…...
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Torah Reading Commentary: Looking Old
The two greatest people in the world meet. The first is the great man of faith, who lives according to the undeniable and clear direction of God. The second is the most powerful ruler in the world. The person who arranges this meeting is the son of the first man,…...
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Despite the Pandemic, Israel’s 2020 Innovations and Aid Are Not Locked Down
Recent news out of Israel sounds grim. The nation has entered a third national lockdown, with strict regulations and hefty fines for infractions. Not surprisingly, tourists are nowhere to be found. On top...
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Biblical Israel: Herodium
Three miles southeast of Bethlehem sits Herodium, the palace fortress built by Herod the Great (Matthew 2). Overlooking the birthplace of Jesus, Herod’s fortress guarded the eastern roads through the wilderness from Bethlehem to En Gedi....
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Weekly Devotional: The Patience to Wait
“Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah....
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Torah Reading Commentary: Joseph the Interpreter
One of the magnificent gifts of the Bible is how multiple interpretations of the same passage, even when they differ significantly, can teach us truths that can help us live better, happier, and more meaningful lives. A classic example is in the great story of Joseph....
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Bethlehem: Jesus’ Birthplace Endures the Impact of COVID-19 and Ongoing Threats
Each Christmas, we have the opportunity to rediscover the Gospel accounts that covey the most miraculous birth story ever recorded in history. After Mary and Joseph’s 80-mile trek from Nazareth, Mary gave birth to Jesus in the small town of Bethlehem. Located five-and-a-half miles south of Jerusalem, this town was…...
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Hani and the Children’s Club
He never imaged it might come to this. As a child, Hani loved the sense of camaraderie he found at the local children’s club in Jerusalem’s Old City. In fact, he and his friends who still live nearby reminisce about the good times they’d enjoyed in this place of...
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Biblical Israel: Bethlehem
Bethlehem gains its notoriety as the birthplace of Jesus (Matthew 2:1; Luke 2:1-7); however, by the time of Jesus’ birth, the village already had quite a history. Bethlehem first appears in the Amarna Letters (14th century B.C.) as a Canaanite town. Its name comes...
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Weekly Devotional: Glory to God
Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You…...
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Torah Reading Commentary: Joseph the Missionary
We Jews have a concept of the lamed vavnik—that there are 36 people in every generation upon whom the world rests. My family has been deeply fortunate to know many of them....
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The Miracle of the Abraham Accords Shining Brightly During Hanukkah
By Arlene Bridges Samuels Although the eight days of Hanukkah festivities are ending, seasonal miracles are continuing to spread light across the Middle East. When Israeli children play dreidel games, the Hebrew phrase, “A great miracle happened here” is ever-present. Each dreidel (spinning top) is stamped with Hebrew letters that…...
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COVID-19 Food Distribution
With the outbreak of COVID-19 and the resulting economic downturn, a new threat has arisen across Israel: the threat of hunger. Large segments of the population struggle with having enough to eat, and CBN Israel’s food distribution programs have seen the...
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Biblical Israel: Beersheva
The site of Beersheva figures prominently within the Patriarchal stories of the Old Testament, particularly with Abraham. It also became the defining limit of the southern extent of the kingdom of Israel, from Dan to Beersheva...
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Weekly Devotional: Raising Up the Humble
“And His mercy is on those who fear Him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with His arm; He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He has sent away empty. He has helped…...
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Hanukkah: The Festival of Lights
“It was now winter, and Jesus was in Jerusalem at the time of Hanukkah, the Festival of Dedication. He was in the Temple, walking through the section known as Solomon’s Colonnade” (John 10:22-23)....
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Torah Reading Commentary: Deborah – Rebekah’s Nurse
Parsha Vayishlach is packed with several notable events, including Jacob wrestling with an angel, Jacob marrying Rachel and Leah, Jacob and Esau reuniting, and the rape of Dinah and its aftermath. Each of these, and others, is extraordinary....
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The Menorah: Israel’s National Symbol is a Hanukkah Inspiration
The imposing 15-foot-high bronze menorah that stands like a sentinel outside Israel’s Knesset Building has long been a tourist favorite. A photo op in front of this extraordinary candelabrum offers a lasting memory for groups or lone visitors who pose before...
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World War II Veteran: Arkadi’s Story
It was December 1942, and Arkadi was enjoying a relaxing visit with relatives in Minsk, Belarus. Suddenly, the Nazis raided the city overnight. His loved ones were taken away to the ghetto, as he witnessed a massacre—with the dead piled up in the streets....
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Biblical Israel: Nazareth
Nazareth—the boyhood home of Jesus—sits on a limestone ridge (the Nazareth Ridge) in the Lower Galilee that separates the Jezreel Valley to the south from the Beit Netofa Valley to the north. Nazareth first appears in ancient literary sources in the New Testament...
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Weekly Devotional: The Proclamation of Good News
“Zechariah asked the angel, ‘How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.’ The angel said to him, ‘I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you…...
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Torah Reading Commentary: All His Years? Yes!
In the portion of the Torah (the Parsha) that we Jews will read in synagogue on Saturday, Jacob is, per Genesis 32:24, “left alone” and spends the night wrestling with a man and/or an angel. The man/angel, bested in the fight, tells Jacob to let him go. ...
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Obama’s New Book Lacks Important Context and Omits Significant Israel History
Former President Barack Obama has penned a 728-page memoir, A Promised Land, that was released on November 17 and has already amassed record-breaking sales in its first week: 1.7 million copies. Lauded for its eloquent use of language, the book nonetheless has engendered criticism regarding Israel—and I’d like to add…...
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Aiding Ethiopian Families
Imagine walking through the desert for weeks—a long, dangerous trek, where you shed whatever weighs you down. And arriving in a new country with nothing—all to fulfill a dream. This is the plight of Ethiopian Jews who immigrated to Israel, the land of their ancestors....
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Biblical Israel: Caesarea
The book of Acts mentions Caesarea a number of times. In Caesarea, the Gospel came to the Gentiles for the first time as Peter proclaimed Jesus to the God-fearing Roman Centurion Cornelius and his family, who subsequently received the Holy Spirit as the Jews had (Acts 10)....
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Weekly Devotional: Why Have You Been Sent
“And he stood up to read; and there was given to him the book of the prophet Isaiah. He opened the book and found the place where it was written, ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor....
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Torah Reading Commentary: Thanksgiving
In Leviticus 10, the elder sons of Aaron (the high priest who was the older brother of Moses) bring before God a “strange fire that He had not commanded them.” This act, which seems like an ancient display of religious extremism, earns these two young men a penalty. God sends…...
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Mike Pompeo: the 70th United States Secretary of State and True Friend of Israel
When Mike Pompeo stepped onto the soil of the Binyamin region in Israel’s biblical heartland last week, the importance of that event generated a dramatic course correction. Pompeo’s visit was a diplomatic earthquake, the first time a U.S. Secretary of State had visited Judea and Samaria. The eruption that ensued…...
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Single Mother: Shlomit’s Story
She is a single mother of four young children—ages 2, 4, 5, and 7. And living in Israel, Shlomit worked hard at her job as a caretaker for the elderly... until the COVID-19 outbreak.“People are very scared of the virus, so they are taking care of their aging parents themselves,”...
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Biblical Israel: Elah Valley
The biblical writers often assume their readers knew the geographic and regional dynamics of the land of Israel. Sites and locations offer more than simply places on a map; they provide the living landscape that shaped and formed the biblical stories. In addition, the authors of...
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Weekly Devotional: Sufficient for the Day
“Give us this day our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11 NASB). Jesus often alluded to passages from the Old Testament in His teachings. When He taught His disciples to pray, He instructed them to say, “Give us this day our daily bread.” This image would have drawn to the minds...
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Torah Reading Commentary: Parenting
One of the wonderful things about studying the Torah results from its premise: Every word matters. The importance of every word, and sometimes every letter, leads to a fundamental question: What does it mean when every word matters? It is not that every word is crucial to...
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Iran, the Palestinians, and the Future of U.S. Middle East Policy
Most Americans are unaware that the nation of Iran has the United States in its crosshairs. They’re oblivious to the chilling truth that this trigger-happy Middle Eastern country considers us the “Great Satan” and wishes us harm. Israel, however, is all too aware of this ongoing threat. They are forced…...
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Aiding Terror Victims with Disabilities
The attacks were relentless. Living in the Israeli city of Sderot means near-constant bombardment from missiles launched by Gaza’s Hamas terrorists. Many individuals and businesses that could leave the chaos have moved out, destroying the city’s life and economy....
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Weekly Devotional: The Best Laid Plans
Paul wanted to go to Rome. He said as much in his letter to the Romans. Paul wrote to them, having never been to Rome, but now he planned to go—after he delivered an offering from the saints in Greece for those in Judaea....
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Torah Reading Commentary: God’s Deal—Doing Well by Doing Good
In Deuteronomy 6:16, the Torah provides an instruction that seems prosaic: “You must not test the LORD your God as you did when you complained at Massah.” This seems prosaic and even skippable, but then the reader remembers this is the Torah—everything is...
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The United Nations Attempt to Delete Israel’s Ancient History
Imagine waking up one morning to news that the Eiffel Tower is no longer considered French. That the pyramids are not Egyptian. And that the Statue of Liberty is not a beloved symbol of the United States. Your reaction would be astonishment. Yet, here’s a fact that is barely a...
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Holocaust Survivor: Tamara’s Story
As an 84-year-old, Tamara is an optimist—despite enduring the terror of the Holocaust and World War II. Yet, she has spent her twilight years living out her dream in a battle zone. Tamara was a child in a Jewish community in Kyiv, Ukraine, when the war started....
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Weekly Devotional: Abandoning Love
“To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: … ‘I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear evil men but have tested those who call themselves apostles but are not … I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my…...
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Torah Reading Commentary: “Here I am”
One of the most enjoyable aspects of hosting the podcast, “The Rabbi’s Husband,” is learning why my guest chose the passage we are discussing. There are thousands of biblical passages to choose from, and a guest—by virtue of having selected the one under discussion...
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Jesus’ Overlooked Statement That Could Have Changed Jewish History
Is it possible that overlooking one of Jesus’ most profound declarations could have been a leading cause of the cancerous spread of anti-Semitism in churches and communities throughout the world? This cancer has...
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Weekly Devotional: Those That Please God
“Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving; play the lyre to our God, who covers the sky with clouds, prepares rain for the earth, and causes grass to grow on the hills. He provides the animals with their food, and the young ravens, what they cry for. He is not impressed...
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Torah Reading Commentary: Abraham – The Constitution of Faith
One of the many lessons about biblical understanding I have learned from my Christian friends is the principle of “First Mention.” This principle, in the words of Pastor R.T. Kendall, states, “The way a word is first used in the Bible will be the way this word is...
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Abraham Accords Agreement Welcomes Sudan into the “Circle of Peace”
President Trump’s foreign policy is dramatically reshaping the Middle East. The intensely complex, conflict-ridden region is moving into a new era. On a conference call in the Oval Office on October 23, Trump announced Sudan’s entry into the Abraham Accords Peace...
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Victim of Terrorism: Lena’s Story
Lena and her husband were working the factory night shift, when her phone rang. It was the police—reporting that her apartment building was hit by a rocket. The couple rushed home and stood there in shock. Their apartment was gone....
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Weekly Devotional: If God is for Us
Between our 24-hour news cycle and social media, it’s pretty easy to find ourselves overwhelmed by anxiety, fear, and hopelessness. The struggles of today, the worry of tomorrow threaten to drown us in despair—even those who believe in Jesus....
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Torah Reading Commentary: The Right Man?
One of the infinitely great and true aspects of the Torah is the complexity of every major figure. Indeed, perhaps the mark of genuinely knowing a biblical character—from Adam to Abraham, from Rebecca to Miriam, from Jacob to Joseph, from Judah to...
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Not Fake News: Israel Holds its Fourth Christian Media Summit
Mistrust of the media is a modern global phenomenon. Yet on October 18, Israel’s Government Press Office (GPO) extended a warm hand of trust to Christian media organizations from across the world. Despite this summit being a virtual Zoom event due to...
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Single Mother: Natalya’s Story
The attacks were relentless. Living in the Israeli city of Sderot means near-constant bombardment from missiles launched by Gaza’s Hamas terrorists. Many individuals and businesses that could leave the chaos have moved out, destroying the city’s life and economy....
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Weekly Devotional: From Slavery to Servanthood
“For the sons of Israel are My servants; they are My servants whom I brought out from the land of Egypt. I am the LORD your God” (Leviticus 25:55 NASB). In the Exodus from Egypt, God freed the children of Israel. He liberated them...
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Torah Reading Commentary: Cain’s Sin
What was Cain’s sin? Everyone who has heard his name will give the same answer: murdering his brother, Abel. Of course, that is right. But if that were Cain’s only sin, there would not have been a Torah passage about it....
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Red Alert: The 15-Second Window
The dreaded yet familiar alarm sounds outdoors and on mobile phones. Several pedestrians sprint toward a bomb shelter at a bus stop. A dad stops his car, jumps out, and dives into the back seat to cover his children. This is not fiction....
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Victims of Terrorism: Anna’s Story
The attacks were relentless. Living in the Israeli city of Sderot means near-constant bombardment from missiles launched by Gaza’s Hamas terrorists. Many individuals and businesses that could leave the chaos have moved out, destroying the city’s life and economy....
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Weekly Devotional: What You Value Most
“By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was ready to offer us his only son, of whom it was said, ‘Through Isaac shall your descendants be named’” (Hebrews 11:17-18 RSV)....
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Simchat Torah: Celebrating the Torah
On the day following the seven days of Sukkot, Simchat Torah is celebrated, which literally means, “rejoicing with the Torah.” The Bible says on that day to have another “holy convocation” on which sacrifices are offered to the Lord and no work is...
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Torah Reading Commentary: Keeping Our Eyes Undimmed
Perhaps the most puzzling idea in moral thought is that it is okay to do something because it is natural. This idea is, and always has been, so important and prevalent that the great 20th-century Rabbi, Norman Lamm, declared in a 1974 sermon,...
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United Nations at 75 is Usually United Against Israel
Like a giant international shredding machine, the United Nations still betrays its lofty goals enshrined in its 1945 charter. Maintaining world peace, friendliness among nations, respect for human rights, mutual problem solving, and promoting...
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Counseling for Terror Victims in Sderot
Loud sirens blaring… frantic scrambling for shelter… a frightening torrent of rocket attacks… For many, this is life in Sderot—a city in southern Israel near the Gaza border. For residents caught in the crossfire, the challenges are great. Children grow up facing emergency...
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Weekly Devotional: A More Excellent Way
Paul’s community of believers in Corinth was a mess. They had all kinds of issues. A man had taken his stepmother from his father. There was the question of eating meat sacrificed to idols. They abused the Lord’s Supper by the wealthy eating and getting drunk while...
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Sukkot: Feast of Tabernacles
“On the fifteenth day of the seventh month the Lord’s Festival of Tabernacles begins, and it lasts for seven days. The first day is a sacred assembly; do no regular work. For seven days present food offerings to the Lord, and on the eighth day hold a sacred...
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Torah Reading Commentary: What is Worthy? A Challenge from Jonah
One of the abiding principles of Jewish biblical interpretation is that there are “70 faces to the Torah.” This means that there are multiple ways to legitimately interpret and properly learn from any biblical passage (70 is used because seven is the Jewish...
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National Mall Comes Alive with Songs, Shofars, and Speakers
September 26, 2020, in Washington, D.C., is a day that will join history-making prayers from the last few centuries, when tiny groups of Christians and big prayer movements changed nations and advanced missions worldwide....
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Weekly Devotional: The Day of Atonement
“So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God” (Matthew 5:23-24 NLT)....
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Yom Kippur: The Day of Atonement
On the tenth day of the appointed month in early autumn, you must deny yourselves. Neither native-born Israelites nor foreigners living among you may do any kind of work. This is a permanent law for you....
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Torah Reading Commentary: Jonah’s Mistake—and Ours?
There is a magnificent term in boxing: “pound for pound.” It is a sophisticated concept acknowledging that talent and accomplishment cannot be measured by the simple fact that larger fighters could beat smaller opponents....
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Palestinian Leadership Responds to the Abraham Accord
Evangelical Christians have long venerated President Harry Truman for his boldness as the first world leader to recognize Israel’s statehood in the United Nations vote on May 14, 1948. Now, 72 years later, another momentous decision has taken...
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Single Mother: Hagra’s Story
She was out of options and out of time. Hagra had worked hard as a single mother to support herself and her 10-year-old son after her husband abandoned them. But she was suddenly stricken with acute renal failure and needed an urgent kidney transplant....
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Weekly Devotional: When God Rains on Your Parade
“Elijah the Tishbite, from the inhabitants of Gilad, said to Ahab, ‘As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word’” (1 Kings 17:1 NKJV)....
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Rosh Hashanah: Feast of Trumpets
“Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. On the first day of the appointed month in early autumn, you are to observe a day of complete rest. It will be an official day for holy assembly, a day commemorated with loud blasts of a trumpet....
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Torah Reading Commentary: The Truth of Multiple Truths
Every generation produces, in unplanned, organic, and ultimately mysterious ways, its own ways of describing the world. Sometimes the outcomes are of only mild curiosity. For instance, perhaps no one knows or cares why the term “groovy”...
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Israel Launches Another Exodus of Ethiopian Jews
Last week, the Israeli Knesset approved another round of immigration for 2,000 more Ethiopian Jews in 2021—an endeavor bearing a $51 million price tag. The decision represents decades of welcoming this branch of the African diaspora home—...
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Single Mother: Oksana’s Story
Life seemed so ideal when her family moved to Israel from Russia. Married to a pastor, Oksana raised their four children, while he gave inspiring sermons and helped others. Then, her world came crashing down: She discovered her husband was leading a double life....
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Weekly Devotional: A Fast that Pleases God
Have you ever noticed that we can approach God with seemingly the right intentions and desires, but in His eyes, our motivations and desires matter little in light of how we treat others?...
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Archaeology Proves Israel is the Jewish Homeland
No one questions the historic legitimacy of Egypt’s Sphinx, Italy’s Pantheon, or Greece’s Acropolis—nor the indisputable claims to their ancient heritage. Yet many individuals and organizations attempt to submerge Israel’s history and liquidate...
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Single Mother: Nadia’s Story
The teenage girl’s future looked bright. Immigrating to Israel from Russia for an academic program, Nadia finished her economics degree with honors. She found a good job in her field, and her parents and sister planned to move to Israel and join her....
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Weekly Devotional: The God Who Makes the Axe Head Float
“They went to the Jordan and began to cut down trees. As one of them was cutting down a tree, the iron axhead fell into the water. ‘Oh no, my lord!’ he cried out. ‘It was borrowed!’ The man of God asked, ‘Where did it fall?’ When he showed him…...
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Torah Reading Commentary: Like a Blind Man Groping in the Darkness
The Jewish year and, thus, the annual cycle of the Torah reading is coming to an end. As we reach the latter half of the concluding book of the Torah, Deuteronomy, Moses knows that he is soon to die without being able to enter the Promised Land. But he is…...
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Israel: Making Life Better for the World
Israel creates outsized innovations that sometimes border on the impossible. Making water from air and helping paraplegics walk are only two of this nation’s modern-day miracles. Perhaps another of Israel’s most remarkable accomplishments...
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Weekly Devotional: Displeased with God
God’s mercy offends us. When God forgives our sins and we do not receive the reward of our disobedience, we revel in His mercy toward us, and we may even desire such for those like us. But what about those we don’t like, or even our enemies? That is more…...
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Torah Reading Commentary: Love With Rules Is All You Need
Last week, Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli became the latest two people to be sentenced for their crimes in the college admissions scandal—where parents cheated in a variety of ways...
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Hamas Balloon Intifada Takes to the Air Again
“We will get slaughtered if we are not defended,” warned Security Chief Elan Isaacson in summing up the daily terror reality for Jews living near Gaza. “We are stopping two million Palestinians from infiltrating.”...
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Food Distribution for Single Mothers
They are widowed, divorced, or abandoned. They are Israel’s single mothers, making up over 95% of the 130,000 single parent families there. Many are in crisis situations,...
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Weekly Devotional: The One Who Dwells with the Humble
“For the High and Exalted One who lives forever, whose name is Holy says this: ‘I live in a high and holy place, and with the oppressed and lowly of spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and revive the heart of the oppressed.’” (Isaiah 57:15 HCSB). We live…...
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Torah Reading Commentary: Why God Hates Astrology
Jews and Christians are accustomed to think of God in conjunction with “love.” But the author of the Torah, who taught us to think of God this way, occasionally injects something that is discordant and thus causes us to consider deeply the source of and reason for this...
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Brokered by the U.S. the Abraham Accord Goes Modern
Ancient history is once again surfacing in modern times. Several generations have passed since the first of a series of world-changing events occurred—when Israel was reestablished...
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Supplies for the Elderly During COVID-19
It’s tragic that so many of Israel’s elderly survived World War II and the Holocaust—only to face the deadly COVID-19 virus. It hit this group the hardest, with almost all of Israel’s coronavirus-related deaths occurring in...
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Weekly Devotional: The Cares of Life
We refer to the parable that Jesus tells in Luke 8 as “The Parable of the Sower.” The problem, however, is that the sower is not the point of the parable, neither is the seed. The parable is about the soil and the question:...
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Torah Reading Commentary: The Fundamental Question
In Deuteronomy 11:26, God announces what might be the foundational statement of human responsibility: “See, I present before you today a blessing and a curse.” This is the great biblical assertion of free will....
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Israel Offers Aid to Lebanon Amid Catastrophe
Once considered the “Paris of the Middle East,” Beirut has been in decline for decades. And on August 4, a massive explosion blasted a 141-foot-deep crater into the capital city...
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Single Mother: Wendy’s Story
Wendy was frantic… Abandoned by her husband, who refused to pay child support or alimony, she barely made ends meet. How could she support three children on a tiny income? She worked any jobs she could find, just to put...
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Weekly Devotional: The Patience to Wait
“Those who plant in tears will harvest with shouts of joy. They weep as they go to plant their seed, but they sing as they return with the harvest” (Psalm 126:5-6 NLT). Farming in ancient Israel was tough. You cleared your...
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Torah Reading Commentary: The Worst Jew in the Torah
Who is the worst Jew in the Torah? This might seem like the kind of inquiry more appropriate for kids trading sports cards than for those seeking guidance and wisdom from the sacred book of Judaism and the fundamental text...
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U.S. Congress Gets it Right
Imagine for a moment that the United States Congress fulfills a biblical promise in a tangible way. Lawmakers may not connect their legislative decisions to the Bible, but the Lord moves among them in what I call a “divine...
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Weekly Devotional: Broken on the Side of the Road
“As He drew near Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the road begging. Hearing a crowd passing by, he inquired what this meant. ‘Jesus the Nazarene is passing by,’ they told him. So he called out, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on...
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Torah Reading Commentary: Compelling Case for a “Why Do” List
A married man with a loving family goes on a trip and has an affair that ruins his marriage, damages his kids, and destroys his family. A successful executive buys the stock of a...
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Israel and the United States: In it Together
Seven thousand air miles may separate us, but the United States and Israel are adding another layer of friendship and cooperation to our already robust relationship. As our nations face the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic...
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Weekly Devotional: Complaining to God
“Lord, how long will You forget me? Forever? How long will You hide Your face from me? How long will I store up anxious concerns within me, agony in my mind every day? How long will my enemy dominate me? Consider me and answer, Lord my God. Restore brightness to…...
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Torah Reading Commentary: Caleb, Joshua, and the Grasshoppers
As discussed in last week’s column, in Numbers 12 we see God's anger (directed at Aaron and Miriam) when words are used purposelessly to malign another person. In Numbers 13 and 14, we see a similar anger when the Jewish people...
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COVID-19 Food Distribution in Ramla
Imagine living in a community where poverty is rampant, and you fear for your safety—surrounded by crime, drug dealers, and homicides. For those living in Ramla, a city of Jewish and Arab residents, with its roots going...
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I’m a Chassidic Jew, and I Will Not Apologize
In the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests, it’s time for all minorities to stand up and demand equal treatment, civil rights, and cultural liberty. This includes Native Americans, Asian Americans, Hispanic/Latino Americans...
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Weekly Devotional: What Kind of Disciple Are You?
“Teach me Your way, O Lord; I will walk in Your truth; unite my heart to fear Your name” (Psalm 86:11 NKJV). Are you a lifelong learner? Do you desire daily to learn from the Lord? Walking with the Lord, walking in His truth, means that we...
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Torah Reading Commentary: No Perfect People
Everyone in the Torah is flawed. In fact, it is often the best people in the Torah who have the greatest flaws. While the Torah says and shows that a good relationship can help repair a personality defect, no Torah character is without his or her flaws....
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Single Mother: Faina’s Story
When they moved to Israel from Belarus, Faina and her husband had just come to faith in Christ and attended a local congregation with their baby boy. Life was good, and she was happy. But when she became pregnant again, she noticed disturbing changes...
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Weekly Devotional: Sinning Against Others
We often think that God takes more seriously the sins we commit against Him than those we commit against others. It’s not that we think we should sin against others, but we tend to allow ourselves a bit more freedom and grace for these sins. What does the Bible say…...
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Torah Reading Commentary: What We Crave
The Torah, in Numbers 11, offers a tantalizing possibility. In so doing, the Torah performs its wonder in guiding us toward a happier, better, and more meaningful life today—in this case by showing us what might be the most fundamental human need...
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Single Mother: Yamit’s Story
When the terror attack happened years ago in Jerusalem, Yamit believed her husband had fully recovered. Yet the attack left him with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). It surfaced years later—long after he could file an insurance claim to get the treatment he needed....
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Weekly Devotional: A Moment for Awe
Do you ever feel overwhelmed by the world we live in? The daily grind, newscasts filled with bad news, an economic downturn, a frightening diagnosis, or simply the distractions of life? It’s easy to be overwhelmed. We can easily lose sight of God amidst the chaos....
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Torah Reading Commentary: If Moses Needed a Mentor, Don’t We All Need One?
Every week in synagogue, we Jews read a portion (a parsha) of the Torah, scheduled so that we complete the Torah in an annual cycle. The parsha that was read last week was Beha’aloscha, which is in the middle of the...
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Weekly Devotional: Your Will Be Done
“Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done” (Luke 22:42 NASB). How often do we think about Jesus in the garden on the Mount of Olives? How often do we consider His deep resolve to submit to the will of…...
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Holocaust Survivor: Fisher’s Story
They thought the Nazis would never find them. In an isolated village in Ukraine, Fisher and his parents believed they were safe—until German troops came upon them in 1941. From then on, life became one horror after another....
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Weekly Devotional: The Blameless Way
“How blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord. How blessed are those who observe His testimonies, who seek Him with all their heart” (Psalm 119:1-2 NASB). The writers of the Bible, especially the psalmists and prophets,...
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Single Mother: Masaret’s Story
She had run out of options. Although she’d been raised in an ordinary Israeli home, Masaret had made some extraordinarily bad choices. Getting in with the wrong teenage crowd. Drinking heavily. Partying nonstop. Dating a drug...
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Weekly Devotional: Do You Guard Your Mouth?
“The one who guards his mouth preserves his life; the one who opens wide his lips comes to ruin” (Proverbs 13:3 NASB). Our age of social media enables everyone with an opinion to put it out there for everyone to see. We live in an age where people feel they…...
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Holocaust Survivor: Raisa’s Story
She was locked in the basement. It would be years before she’d see the sky again. Raisa was just a child when a family friend rushed her and her mother out of town to safety. For the rest of the war, they stayed with Raisa’s non-Jewish...
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Weekly Devotional: Blessed With Daily Desires
“May our sons in their youth be like plants full grown, our daughters like corner pillars cut for the structure of a palace; may our granaries be full, providing all kinds of produce; may our sheep bring forth thousands and ten thousands in our fields....
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Weekly Devotional: The Promise of the Father
Pentecost was one of the three pilgrimage festivals within ancient Judaism. Along with Passover and Sukkot (Tabernacles), the Law of Moses required every able-bodied male to appear before the Lord on these festivals. In the first century, that meant coming...
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Single Mother: Yevgenia’s Story
She did the right thing. Yevgenia decided to raise her precious little boy even though the father wanted her to abort the child. This single mother, living with her son and caring for her own mother, was blessed with an excellent job...
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Weekly Devotional: Forgive As You Have Been Forgiven
“For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions” (Matthew 6:14-15 NASB)....
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Single Mother: Olesiya’s Story
The one thing she didn’t have was time. Olesiya had to work two jobs just to get by. As soon as she got off her second job, she rushed home to care for her children. The young single mother had never expected to raise her children alone, but her husband…...
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Weekly Devotional: Rain In Its Season
“If you carefully obey my commands I am giving you today, to love the Lord your God and worship Him with all your heart and all your soul, I will provide rain for your land in the proper time, the autumn and spring rains, and you will harvest your grain,…...
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Holocaust Survivor: Boris’ Story
They were terrified. Boris and his mother were standing in line for the gas chamber, separated from his father, who had been judged suitable for doing hard work. Then a soldier recognized Boris’s father as a leather specialist....
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Weekly Devotional: A Life Worthy of Christ
“Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel without…...
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Holocaust Survivor: Polina’s Story
They thought they’d escaped. Instead, Polina and her mother had been caught by the Nazis and sent to Bodina, a cruel place known as a walking death camp. There, they experienced only pain, despair, and sorrow. Polina still tears...
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Weekly Devotional: Seeking God
“He sought God throughout the lifetime of Zechariah, the teacher of the fear of God. During the time that he sought the Lord, God gave him success” (2 Chronicles 26:5 HCSB). These words describe the early days of the reign of King Uzziah of Judah. He started out his r...
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New Immigrant: Julia’s Story
It was not what they expected. Julia and her husband left everything behind and moved to Israel. But they did not expect this kind of adversity. Everything was so new—and overwhelming! The cost of living was expensive and usually, new immigrants were not given...
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Weekly Devotional: Who is My Neighbor?
“Just then an expert in the law stood up to test [Jesus], saying, ‘Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ ‘What is written in the law?’ He asked him. ‘How do you read it?’ He answered: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your…...
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Holocaust Survivor: Arkadi’s Story
He was too young to suspect trickery. Lured by a Nazi guard with the promise of treats, Arkadi reached eagerly for a chocolate. But the ensuing blows left the child with severe brain damage, leading to vocal cord impairment...
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Weekly Devotional: The Lord Who Delivers
“And God spoke all these words, saying: ‘I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me’” (Exodus 20:1-3 NKJV). Why did God begin the Ten Commandments by stating, “I am…...
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