Back from Tel Aviv: Street War Continues

Thoughts and observations of how Israelis have been coping with the craziness of rockets exploding overhead, running for cover during the rocket attacks. As well as continued street warfare since the cease-fire.

 

 

The beach is not a good area to be caught in a rocket storm:

Views from May 2021 Missile Attacks

NOTE: If you’d like to get notifications in realtime as videos like these are posted, click thru to the video host site (or app) and click the SUBSCRIBE button, and then click the bell-shaped icon, which will make sure you get notified when my vids are posted.  There are two relevant channels where I post: “JTOD org” and “Bomb Shelter Bibles.”  Of course, for music, there’s my channel “YerubileeTheBand.”  Thanks. Now to the report:

In May 2021, the Israel DEFENSE Force (IDF) entered into “Operation Guardian of the Walls”  in order to defend Israel’s civilians from missile attacks from the Hamas terror army in Gaza, along with a handful from north of the border with Lebanon.

During this time, I’ve been housesitting in Bat Yam, a coastal city just south of Tel Aviv-Jaffa.

As I learned, beaches aren’t a good place to get caught in a missile storm.  Here are a few techniques that I discovered, with help from Israeli news recommendations and pictures shared in social media among Israelis:

 

Video taken from inside a bomb shelter.  Air raid sirens and ambulance sirens outside, as heard from inside. “Fraidy Cat” hiding out with me in Bat Yam, in the hot missile zone of Tel Aviv-Jaffa.

 

Continuing to keep the prayer meetings and Bible studies going in the midst of the missile hot zone during wartime (18 May 2021):

 

Outer View of the Bomb Shelter & Damage Report:

On Shabbat, May 15, 2021, I facilitated the Bible teaching in two congregational meetings.  Afterwards, I went for a walk towards the beach in Bat Yam, just south of Tel Aviv-Jaffa.  Twenty-Three Missiles exploded over my head as they were detonated mid-air by the Iron Dome (IDF) defense system, before the Gaza missiles managed to strike the civilian targets on the ground.  Here’s the video of my experience:

 

Backing up to the first missile barrages and street riots, earlier in the first week of fighting:

 

While out walking at the beach, Six Missiles over my head, no place to run for cover:

 

Morning after the first missile barrage against Tel Aviv-Jaffa:

Clear Sky Morning Tel Aviv May 14, 2021:

 

 

First night of missile barrages in Tel Aviv-Jaffa (evening on the 11th May, 2021):

First night continued into the 12th May, the missile barrages in Tel Aviv-Jaffa, at 3 am, 4 am, and 5 am:

 

Backing up, the two short videos I recorded on May 10th (Israel Independence Day on the Hebrew Calendar) when the 2021 war began with Gaza missiles launched directly towards the Jerusalem area.  The first:

 

And the second:

 

Finally, a 1:18 view from Wall Street Journal & The Telegram news outlets:

 

 

 

 

Final Day: Supermarket Leaven Report

2021 March 26, Samaria (Shomron):

In the last hours before supermarket closures for Shabbat, everyone is picking up the last-minute items for this Shabbat meal and for the Pessach (Passover) meal, which will occur in the late afternoon during Shabbat this year.

Earlier this week, sections of the shelves were already labeled as “Hametz (leavened)” vs “Kosher for Pessach.” Today, the changes make it all but impossible to achieve any purchase not sanctioned by the Pharisee rabbis. Have a look again at the honey and jelly aisle:

I think this used to be the Doritos and potato chip aisle:

The cereal aisle is forbidden;

Cookies and cakes:

THESE cakes and cookies are kosher for Pessach, what’s left of them, anyway:

This shelf blocks shoppers from something or other, with holiday cheer:

Apparently almond milk and soy milk has leaven and no one can buy it:

We don’t agree that almond milk is leaven, actually. However, the Pharisee thinking is that if the factory is not cleansed from leaven, then the products are leavened. However, there is leaven flying around in the air every day and it would not only be impossible to hermetically seal the whole global atmosphere from it, but when the children of Israel prepared to move out of their Egyptian slave houses, the last thing they would think to do is hermetically seal their apartments. The point of the unleavened bread was the bread of haste: baked without allowing it to rise. Haste because of the urgency to meet YHWH’s exact timing for His deliverance.

Timing is everything.

We are informed in 1 Corinthians 5 that in the same way we (as well as the ex-pagan followers of Y’shua living in Corinth) observe Pessach by removing yeast from the bread, we also remove sin from the congregation. Without the Pessach teaching , the Body in Corinth could not possibly make any sense out of this metaphor. Therefore, Paul taught the ex-pagans to practice Pessach.

Enjoy the leaven-free week during the Feast of Unleavened Bread (חג המצות).

Israeli Ship Struck By Iranian Missile

26 Mar 2021 Jerusalem Post Pg 4:

While the world tries to pretend that the government regime in Iran is as harmless as the Boy Scouts, with a new administration in the US White House, Iran has attacked Israeli ships for two months in a row.

Israel needs our prayers, and courageous prayer warriors on the front lines in Israel.

Yeast-based Vaccine in Development

23 Mar 2021 Jerusalem Post pg 6: Israeli company Oramed Pharmaceuticals has partnered with Indian company Premas Biotech; the partnership is named Oravax Medical Inc with an orally-delivered yeast-based vaccine which is much less costly than the competitors. More below:

Supermarket Leaven Report: 5 Days Out

In these photos of the supermarket aisle, the shelf sections are labeled.  On the left, for example, the honey section is Kosher for Pessach, (כשר לפסח) but the strawberry jams are declared leavened (חמץ).

A view of both sides of that aisle. Check back each day for the updated view.

New Year, Calendar and Bible Chapter Markers

Written in Samaria, Israel, on 2021-03-14: Sunset last night started the Rosh Chodesh (Renewed Month), the New Year (Rosh haShanah), and the countdown to Pessach (Passover). We are now in the first day of the First Month and as in every month the first day is treated as a monthly Shabbat feast and a day of rest, sunset to sunset.

For some, this could relate to a reset back to Proverbs 1 again, for those who correlate Bible chapters numbers with the number of days in the month.

I’d like to add that chapter 31 could be included – and should be – as the special chapter with added attention. Remember that a Biblical month (scientific month) will never ever ever have 31 days so it’s your choice if you’d like to honor that chapter by reading it especially, 4x per month, or 1x per month, or each Erev Shabbat, or whatever, as the Ruach leads.

Creation continues to change due to entropy. It may be possible that in ancient times, a month had a solid perfect 28 days. If true, it would be difficult to prove today. The moon does not have any turbo rocket engines; therefore, it is reasonable to expect the moon to slow down a bit over millennia, even as we observe that manmade satellites also lose speed (and altitude). Currently the moon is slow enough that it takes about 29.585 days to travel around the earth. That is an average: In the spring it tends to be a bit quicker and a bit slower in the autumn; and leads to the use of the Conjunction rather than the first visible sliver to start the month. That explanation needs more space, elsewhere. Similarly, the earth may have traveled around the sun in ancient times in a nice round 360 days, suitable for Enoch and perhaps prophetic spiritual calendars, but currently in the material reality it has slowed down to 364.26 days. However, these problems are not any issue when we follow the observed signs of the greater light (sun) and the lesser light (moon) which The Creator made for us as signs and seasons (Genesis/Beresheet 1:14-18).

In my heart I feel rather than neglect chapter 31, I give it extra attention, as His Bride honors The King. It’s cool that tradition leads husbands to bless their wives each Erev Shabbat with Proverbs 31, so I believe we the Bride can look forward to The King’s special blessings for us each Shabbat. In other words, we could read this chapter as if He is reading it to us in order to bless His Bride each Shabbat.

Note that in one pagan calendar, two pagan kings (Julius and Augustus) honored themselves as gods, renamed pagan months after themselves, and extended those months unscientifically to 31 days in order to give themselves special honor above and beyond the other 10 months/false gods. Remember that it is haughty opposition to “think to change the times and the law” (Daniel 7:25).

But as for Bible chapters it’s also important to recall that the chapter divisions are not necessarily important at all. They are simply manmade marker points to help people quickly locate the section.

Scientifically, a true month these days can either have 29 or 30 days, no more, no less. I see that one book that clearly relates numerically is 1 Chronicles (chronos = time; Hebrew: Dvrei haYamim) with 29 manmade chapter divisions. So for each day of the month, one could also read that chapter in 1 Chronicles, using the same numerology as for Proverbs.

However, it is worthwhile to note that while man has chosen the chapter divisions, and some men have thought to change the times and the laws, YHWH Elohim has set the divisions of days, months, and years. He has created the lights of the heavens for the signs and seasons, and He has announced how they pertain to His declared feasts, which will continue until heaven and earth pass away, after the Millennium (Isaiah 56, 58, & 66; Revelation 21).

Does Scripture Speak of Politics?

Here I see Scriptural encouragement to advocate to remove corrupt judges & politicians and replace them with good people to take their place. It’s with this in mind that I encourage good people to run for office, to avoid political passivity, to take actions like voting and writing their representatives, and to pray for politicians as per 1 Tim. 2:1-9.

Proverbs 28:12: “Strong” clearly parallels “rise to power;”. That strength is not merely the ability to squat heavy weights under the barbell, this is a form of strength that finds expression in the public sphere. This “rise to power” of the righteous increases the Glory: The Glory that the citizens give to the Creator Who created Righteousness, by definition. The people glorify Him when they live and love with Shalom. That increase of Glory continues to draw others into The Father, Creator of all.

That Glory is diminished when the unrighteous people have strength in politics and influence. Verse 15 affirms, adding that an unrighteous ruler treats the poor exactly the way the devil treats all people: like a roaring lion. No wonder because the unrighteous fulfill the actions ans will of the enemy.

How much more do the righteous fulfill the will and good works of the Creator. Pray for all leaders (1 Tim 2:1-9), and support and encourage the righteous leaders to persist in doing Good. Help the Good to succeed and consider what office you might take.

More like this:
Aramaic Lamsa vs KJV: Proverbs 29:2,4,10,16,18

Who Cares About Giving Tuesday?

GIVING TUESDAY:

Yes, we at JTOD are aware that Giving Tuesday exists, at least in the minds of the nonprofits vying for your gifts.

I hope you’ll pray about it and ask our Father in Heaven what He would ask you to do!

I see a lot of potential for JTOD in the coming civil year: Local teaching, worship and praise music and 10-string harps released, men’s fellowship, and more.

Realistically, to realize this vision, we desperately need access to the LORD’s funds.

I’m asking for an expansion of 31 Partners by Dec 31. Set up your partnership now at the Donate button:

Donate

 

 

The term “Black Friday” has become a phrase which is used to boost retail sales every autumn season. Where did the term come from? Is it related to Giving Tuesday, Thanksgiving, or Succot? Check this video to find out.

Is Giving Tuesday Related to Thanksgiving, Black Friday, or Succot?