On the road to St. George Monastery
south of Jerusalem to Jericho, Israel
in the Judean desert
(Photos by Steve Martin, in my Chevy Spark rental car)
May 4, 2017
Standing in support of Israel, Jews, and believers in all the nations, in the name of Jesus (Yeshua). Sharing biblical truth, encouragement, news and prophecy.
Showing posts with label donkey. Show all posts
Showing posts with label donkey. Show all posts
Friday, May 5, 2017
Sunday, February 14, 2016
On Mt. Zion, a Donkey to Redeem Israel is Blessed in Rare Biblical Ritual [PHOTOS] - BREAKING ISRAEL NEWS
On Mt. Zion, a Donkey to Redeem Israel is Blessed in Rare Biblical Ritual [PHOTOS]
“And the firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb; and if thou wilt not redeem it, then thou shalt break its neck. All the firstborn of thy sons thou shalt redeem. And none shall appear before Me empty.” (Exodus 34:20)
The firstborn donkey redeemed in a rare Biblical ritual on Mt. Zion. (Courtesy Behadrey Haredim)
There are many Torah commandments (mitzvot) that even the most observant Jew living outside of Israel will never see or perform. Some of these mitzvot are making a comeback and having a most unanticipated effect.
Last Saturday night, a baby donkey was brought to the Tomb of King David on Mount Zion to be redeemed. What many consider an obscure agricultural ritual turned into a joyous celebration that ended with passionate cries for the coming of the Messiah.
Petter Chamor (redeeming a firstborn donkey) is mentioned three times in the Torah (Exodus 13:13; Exodus 34:20; Numbers 18:15). Redeeming the firstborn donkey is necessary since, when it is born, it is considered Hekdesh, or sanctified, and belonging to God via his emissary, the kohen, or high priest. The owner of the donkey’s mother has the right to use the donkey after he redeems it by giving a sheep to the priest in its place.
The story begins with a man from Bnei Berak who owned a jenny – a female donkey – which gave birth to a foal. He approached Rabbi Berger, the rabbi of King David’s Tomb, which is located in Jerusalem’s Old City.
Rabbi Berger told Breaking Israel News that the man wanted to redeem the donkey in the place that symbolizes the unity of Israel under one king. As Rabbi Berger explained, “This is the place where the entire nation of Israel will be redeemed, so it is only fitting.”
The rabbi was thrilled by the prospect of performing the rare commandment, and arranged for it to be done at the most auspicious time for the Kingdom of David: Saturday night after the Sabbath ends. A special feast, accompanied by music, is usually held at that time at the Tomb of David, but with the addition of one tiny foal, this became an extra-special occasion.
Rabbi Simcha Hacohen Kook, Chief Rabbi of Rehovot and the Hurva Synagogue in Jerusalem, served as the kohanic emissary to receive the young donkey. Other esteemed rabbis, among them Rabbi Aharon Yitzchak Stern and Rabbi Shalom Arush, attended the ceremony as well.
The small donkey was decorated and adorned with a crown, since, as Rabbi Berger explained, “This donkey, by bringing about this mitzvah, connects us to God, so it is fitting we should honor it and make it beautiful.”
Alongside the donkey stood a sheep that would be given in its place to redeem it. The owner of the donkey stood in front of Rabbi Simcha Hacohen Kook, and requested to redeem the donkey.
He then recited the blessing:
Blessed art thou, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with his commandments, and commanded us to redeem the firstborn donkey.
Then he recited the blessing of shehechayanu, a blessing which is said on special occasions when one is celebrating a “first”. The blessing thanks God for sustaining the reciter until this auspicious moment.
Rabbi Berger described the great excitement of the gathered crowd when they heard the rare blessing. Those gathered chanted together, “God, just as you redeemed this donkey, please redeem all of Israel and bring moshiach (messiah) now!”
Breaking Israel News asked Rabbi Berger about the significance of the mitzvah. He explained that it was connected to the Exodus from Egypt, which is one of the major principles of Judaism.
“The Torah says that we do the mitzvah of redeeming the firstborn of a donkey in memory of the final plague in Egypt, in which the firstborn of Egypt were killed (Exodus 11:5). We know that every Jew who has a first-born son must redeem him for this reason as well,” Rabbi Berger said.
The rabbi explained why the donkey, out of all the animals, was chosen for remembering the Exodus. “The Talmud (oral law) says that the mitzvah is a reward for the donkey, a merit it is given through helping Israel connect to God,” he told Breaking Israel News. “It earned this reward by helping Israel carry the Jews and all the wealth out of Egypt. In the Torah, gratitude is very important, so we must show gratitude to the donkeys that carried us out.”
In these days which seem to clearly be paving the way for the messiah, it is exciting to see that every creature, great and small, will play a part.
Monday, September 7, 2015
Eagle vs. Donkey: How Will the Messiah Arrive?
(Photo: Breaking Israel News)
Eagle vs. Donkey: How Will the Messiah Arrive?
“But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” (Isaiah 40:31)
Through the ages, a subject of much discussion and controversy has been over the two traditions of Jewish thought describing the style in which the Messiah will arrive.
The first concept appears in Zechariah 9:9, which describes the appearance of the Messiah on a donkey: “Your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
The second concept, taken from Exodus 19:4, understands the miraculous arrival of the Messiah on “eagle’s wings.” In addition, the concept of Messiah as “a son of man came with the clouds of heaven…” (Daniel 7:13) is ephemeral and transcendent.
These two concepts seem to be at odds. However, Torah sages say that both are possible.
The central rabbinical text known as the Talmud teaches that the manner in which the Messiah will appear is dependent on our actions (Sanhedrin 98:A). If we are deserving, if our actions are deemed meritorious by God, the messiah will come dressed in splendor and glory. If our actions are less worthy, he will arrive accompanied by the smell of sweat and labor.
The Hebrew word for donkey, chamor (חמור), is also the term for material, chomer (חומר). The concept of the messiah riding a chamor is understood as a process oriented, material version of the messiah, more in line with what Jewish tradition refers to as Moshiach ben Yosef, the Messiah from the House of Joseph.
This involves physically restoring the land, rebuilding the Third Temple and restoring the rule of God and the Bible. The process of a final redemption brought about in this matter implies hard work and pushing forward slowly until we arrive to a new messianic reality with very few surprises.
The arrival of the messiah on the wings of eagles represents a process initiated from above, a divinely inspired and almost instantaneous transformation of existence as we suddenly descend into the new messianic reality.
The Exodus from Egypt was a case of redemption on the wings of eagles. It was a non-stop display of God’s will, where even the sea was not allowed to remain unchanged by the process and had to bend itself to God’s will. It was an unnatural, supernatural process. The Exodus illustrates in so many ways that redemption can preclude nature. Even sustenance was provided from above. In a strange twist, coming into the Promised Land was a return to natural processes, a lower level of spirituality, that involved wars being fought, as opposed to relying on miraculous victories brought about by God. The land was farmed and the Temple was built, one stone at a time.
A discussion in the Talmud (Sanhedrin 98a) discusses the verse in Zechariah 9:9. “The Persian King Shevor, asked Shmuel, ‘Why doesn’t your Messiah come riding on a horse? If he lacks one, I’ll be glad to provide him with one of my fast horses!’ In response to the ridicule of the king, Shmuel answers: ‘Do you have a horse that has a hundred shades of color’?” This could be hinting that the mundane process leading up to Messiah could be just as wonderful and awe-inspiring as an instantly delivered, divine process, depending on how you look at it.
The messianic concept of arriving on eagle’s wings has also served as inspiration to modern day Israel. In June 1949, the newly established country launched an operation to bring Yemen’s threatened community of Jews to Israel. British and American transport planes made over 380 flights from Aden in a secret operation that saved 49,000 Jews.
At first, there was some concern that the Yemenites, coming from an undeveloped country, would be reluctant to board the airplanes. To the pilots’ chagrin, they enthusiastically boarded the airplanes and sat calmly during the flight after their rabbis explained that the airplanes were like eagles.
The planes had come to fulfill the prophecy of taking them to the Promised Land on the “Wings of Eagles”, which was the official name of the operation.
Today, we are living in a time where Jews are returning to Israel in fulfillment of Biblical prophecy. The ingathering of the exiles from the four corners of the earth are one step in the larger Messianic process.
Read more at http://www.breakingisraelnews.com/48361/what-can-eagle-donkey-teach-about-process-redemption-jewish-world/#5DZdQFLIMxCceLiy.99
Tuesday, September 9, 2014
Wounded Syrian Boy Rides Donkey to Israel
Wounded Syrian Boy Rides Donkey to Israel
Tuesday, September 09, 2014 | Aviel Schneider ISRAEL TODAY
A badly wounded 12-year-old Syrian boy recently rode a donkey to the safety of neighboring Israel, one of hundreds of his embattled countrymen to make the desperate journey, only to find themselves lovingly embraced by the same Jews they were taught to hate.
The boy and his family suffered serious injuries during bombing of their neighborhood near Damascus as part of Syria’s ongoing civil war.
He was blinded and his arms were badly wounded in the shelling. Doctors at Ziv Medical Center in northern Israel told Israel Today the boy’s harrowing tale.
First, the family made their way from Damascus to Lebanon, where doctors amputated one of his arms, but were able to do little more. The boy was released from the local hospital, but the family was unable to return to Damascus with escalating fighting blocking the roads.
The boy’s brother, desperate and determined, decided to take his sibling to Israel.
As they reached the Syrian side of Mt. Hermon, the older boy loaded his little brother on a donkey and they started the difficult climb to the border, where, to their surprise, they were warmly greeted by Israeli soldiers who immediately transferred them to Ziv Hospital.
Doctors at the hospital told us that their newest Syrian patient has been overwhelmed by the treatment he receives in Israel. While the boy and his brother worry for their family, they constantly express thanks for the Israeli doctors and nurses who have selflessly provided love and care. Given what they were raised to believe about Israel, neither boy could have dreamed of such an outcome to their arduous journey.
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