Showing posts with label shepherds. Show all posts
Showing posts with label shepherds. Show all posts

Friday, December 4, 2015

Here's Why So Many Biblical Leaders Were Shepherds ✡ "A Shepherd with his Brothers" - ISRAEL365

Joseph was seventeen years old and he was a shepherd with his brothers by the flock.

GENESIS (37:2)

יוֹסֵף בֶּן שְׁבַע עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה הָיָה רֹעֶה אֶת אֶחָיו בַּצֹּאן

בראשית לז:ב

yo-sayf ben sh'-va es-ray sha-na ha-ya ro-e et e-khav ba-tzon

Shabbat Inspiration

This week's Torah portion (Genesis 37-39) brings us to the story of Joseph, a shepherdamong his brothers. It is no coincidence that so many of our Biblical heroes were shepherds.The simple profession was ideal for two reasons. On the one hand, the abundance of time for quiet reflection and meditation allowed the shepherd to develop an intimate relationship with the Lord. Additionally, shepherds who excelled in their work acquired a deep sensitivity to the needs of each and every sheep in their flock. What he learned as a young shepherd influenced Joseph to become a paradigm for all future generations in the service of God and the service of man. Learn more in the Israel Bible Reading Plan, where we follow the weekly Torah portions read in the synagogue and provide important overviews, insightful topics and guided discussion questions that take place in a “virtual classroom.”

Nov. 29, 1947: A Vote that Changed the World

On November 29, 1947, the UN voted to end the British Mandate in the Holy Land. A vote that lasted a mere 3 minutes changed the course of history and brought 2000 years of Jewish exile to an end.

Weekly Torah Portion:
From the Sale of Joseph
to the Seeds of Moshiach

Two divergent stories are found in this week's parsha: the sale of Joseph by his brothers, followed by the story of Tamar and Judah. Our Sages teach a beautiful lesson about the juxtaposition of these stories in the Torah.

Book: "The Mystical Meanings of Dreams"

Dream play a prominent role in the biblical account of Joseph's life. In "The Mystical Meanings of Dreams" by Rabbi Avraham Arieh Trugman, the reader is taken into the concealed realms of the mind and the subconscious, as well as into the hidden dimensions of the Torah, in order to understand the origin and significance of dreams. By comprehending the psychological and prophetic nature of our dreams, as well as analyzing the many dreams revealed in the Bible, we learn how to understand dreams and use them to nurture our own spiritual and emotional growth. Paperback, 160 pages

Today's Israel Photo

Today's fabulous photo by Zev Rothkoff brings the Bible to life! A modern-day shepherd is overlooking the 4,000 year old city of Shechem, where the biblical Joseph is buried.

Thank You

Today's Scenes and Inspiration is sponsored by Connie Hanson of Pocatello, Indiana. Todah rabah!

“Enjoy Reading Israel365”

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I enjoy reading Israel365. Thank you for keeping us informed. Israel is so close to my heart even though I live far away in Sri Lanka. The Lord bless Israel. Shalom Isreal Yvonne

We love ISRAEL...We are praying for the Peace of ISRAEL...and KNOW that GOD is watching over the Apple of HIS EYE... Patricia Edwards, Texarkana, Texas
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Tuly Weisz
RabbiTuly@Israel365.com
Copyright © 2015 Israel365, All rights reserved.
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34 Nahal Ein Gedi Apt #17
Beit Shemesh 9909875
Israel

Thursday, April 30, 2015

Meet Avraham the Jewish Shepherd ✡ "His Father's Sheep in Bethlehem"

David would travel back and forth from Saul's presence to tend his father's sheep in Bethlehem.

I SAMUEL (17:15)
 

וְדָוִד הֹלֵךְ וָשָׁב מֵעַל שָׁאוּל לִרְעוֹת אֶת צֹאן אָבִיו בֵּית לָחֶם

שמאול יז:טו

v'-da-vid ho-laykh va-shav may-al sha-ul li-r'-ot et tzon a-veev bayt la-khem

Today's Israel Inspiration

It is no coincidence that so many of our Biblical heroes were shepherds, for this humble trade provided an abundance of time for quiet reflection, leading to an intimate relationship with the Lord. Today in the hills of the Land of Israel, a modern-day shepherd, Avraham Herzlich, has opened his grazing land for visitors to explore and learn about this Biblical way of life. His new interactive Shepherd's Tent attracted many visitors last year from around the world, but the tent was destroyed by severe winter weather. He now looks to rebuild and expand the site to facilitate a flow of expected groups and tours this coming year. You can take part in this building project and have your name in the Visitor's Center! There are many opportunities for everyone to be included, from sponsoring a wooden bench or picnic table, to "adopting" goats, and much more. With special gift options and progress reports, you'll be proud of your connection to the Holy Land.
 

Sneak Peak of the Shepherd's Tent

The life of Avraham the modern Jewish shepherd is a lesson for all in maintaining faith despite hardship. He lost his daughter in a terror attack, and suffered the thievery of his entire flock of sheep by Arabs, yet Avraham continues to rebuild and stand firm in his love of the Land of Israel.

U.S. Veiled Threat to Israel

The US is mulling a drastic change to its approach to the two-state solution, and not in favor of Israel, a top US State Department official confirmed.

Blessing for the Home

A meaningful verse from the Book of Kings is interwoven throughout this gorgeous print, in a form of art called micro-calligraphy. Just in time for Mother's Day, shower the one you love with this beautiful work of art from the Holy Land.

Today's Israel Photo

Today's beautiful photo by Yehoshua Halevi shows a herd of sheep at Nachal Prat, a refreshing stream of water that flows along part of the Judean desert.
 

Thank You

Please help us continue to spread the beauty and significance of the Land of Israel!
 

“Thankful for the Opportunity to Learn”

It’s great to hear from so many of you - stay in touch and let us know where in the world you are enjoying Israel365!
 
I am Lisa and I am from Jamaica, I am thankful for the opportunity to learn about Jerusalem and also pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Be Blessed and be a Blessing!

Thank you for the blessings you give me in your postings. I love G-d and His Chosen people, Judith from Australia.
Shalom,
Rabbi Tuly Weisz
RabbiTuly@Israel365.com
Copyright © 2015 Israel365, All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email because you signed up for daily Israel Scenes and Inspiration on our website,www.israel365.com.

Our mailing address is:
Israel365
34 Nahal Ein Gedi Apt #17
Beit Shemesh 9909875
Israel

Friday, November 1, 2013

Recovering From Church Burns: Advice for the Wounded By Wendy Alsup

Recovering From Church Burns: Advice for the Wounded By Wendy Alsup



Here's my advice for those burned by the church. It's simple, yet profound. Here goes:

Trust the church.

I need to qualify that, right? How do you trust the same entity that wounded you deeply? It's fundamentally helpful to distinguish between the church local and the church global.

The global church is made up of local churches, some with organized denominational structures and some without. When you've been burned by a local congregation or even the larger denominational system with which they are affiliated, it's helpful to zoom out in your own head and remember that the "big C" church is way bigger than the particular group that hurt you.

The group that wounded you is really just a very small subset of the larger body of Christ. And the worst thing you can do after being burned by a local congregation is to allow your beliefs on the larger body to fall apart.

We Need Community and Shepherds

Here are my core convictions on the body of Christ, which I think are well supported by Scripture: We will never reach a point of Christian maturity in which we no longer need community. And we will never reach a point in Christian maturity in which we no longer need shepherds. Furthermore, you will probably never need a community with a shepherd quite as much as you need one after you've been burned by a previous community with a shepherd.

I was burned by a church years ago, but praise God He convinced me that I still needed the church. So I crawled in to a new church, wounded and weary. I had listened to their pastor's sermons on podcasts for months, and I knew that, at least according to the sermons, this church valued the Bible and grace.

For a long time, our family was the last one in to sit down and the first one out when the service was over. I observed, and I listened. And over time, I got the courage to reach out.

Five years later, I have never once regretted opening myself up to that body. Now, this is not to say they are perfect or the pastors never make a mistake. It's not to say that one day I won't be burned by this congregation (or that I won't hurt others). But the bottom line of the Christian life is that we need community, and we need pastors.

Though I may be hurt again by my community or my pastors, I still need them. The possibility of being hurt in the future is there, but it is only a possibility. However, my need for them is not a possibility. It is an actual, factual, present need.

The Good Shepherd

About a year into my time at my current church, my pastor preached this sermon from Philippians 2. He made two particularly important points. First, God's good under shepherds are recognized by their humility, not their giftedness. The Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep, and He is the model for His under shepherds.

Beware the shepherd whose personal burdens and needs drive the church's agenda or eclipse the needs of the sheep. When the needs of the sheep must submit to the needs of the shepherd, this is not leadership like Christ (or Paul, Timothy or Epaphroditis).

Second, when God has brought the humble under shepherd into your life, like Paul's exhortation concerning Epaphroditus in Philippians 2, welcome them with joy and receive them with honor.

The imperfect but humble under shepherd still exists! God didn't abandon us to only poor leaders after Paul, Timothy and Epaphroditus passed on. It is to our benefit, not detriment, to receive them and honor them in the name of Christ. 

My son pulled a hot curling iron down on his hand when he was 1 year old. I picked him up before he even started crying and ran to the sink to run cold water over his hand, followed by an ice pack I held periodically on the burned area. Later, in the emergency room, a nurse told me that was absolutely the best thing to do for his burned hand.

Sure, we got the heat away from his hand first, but then we needed to apply the opposite, a cold ice pack, to really undo the damage the heat - even removed from his hand - was still doing to his skin.

You Need a Pastor

I am growing a firm conviction that this is the remedy for those burned by the church. If you were wounded by a self-serving, proud, authoritarian pastor, the answer is not to never allow yourself to sit under another pastor. The answer is to find a humble, sacrificial pastor who is willing to lay down his interests for those of his sheep.

Sitting under humble leadership is the antidote to the sting of the burn from the proud. Like my son, you may still have a scar when it's all said and done, but the scar of distrusting all Christian community and leadership for all time is so much worse than the one you may have when you allow yourself to re-enter community and sit under Christ like leadership.

If you've been burned by a pastor, you need a pastor.

"So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. 

And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for 'God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble'" (1 Pet. 5:1-5, ESV).

Wendy Alsup

Building Your Life on the 
Basic Truths of Christianity

E-Book-PDF Download
By Larry Kreider
Price: $17.99
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Tuesday, November 27, 2012

19th and early 20th century photographs from the Holy Land

Updates to Previous Posts
with Pictures from the New York Public Library. Yes, the NYPL


 
"Shepherd and sheep." Where? South on Nablus Road in Jerusalem (circa 1900)
The mosque and minaret are still there today. Credit: New York Public Library
The Library of Congress archives of 19th and early 20th century photographs from the Holy Land still has more veins of treasures to be mined by Israel Daily Picture.

But we would like to add two more American Colony pictures which we found in the New York Public Library archives to our previous postings. We thank the NYPL for granting permission to present them here.


Turkish soldiers marching on Nablus
Road past the same minaret
(circa 1900)








The first is a picture of shepherds and sheep. What drew our attention were the buildings and mosque, easily identified in our feature "Jerusalem's Nablus Road -- Where History Marched." The original caption to the photograph of the soldiers notes that they were passing the American Colony residence, located on Nablus Road.

Emperor Wilhelm passing the Colony's
residence. Note the minaret above the
ultra-Orthodox Jew's hat on the left.
(1898)
The Colony's location gave the photographers a front row seat for the arrival of the German Emperor Wilhelm II in 1898.

The second photo found in the New York Public Library is a picture of farming practices in Palestine over 100 years ago. The American Colony photographers frequently shot pictures of mismatched plowing animals.
Peasant plowing (circa 1900)
Credit: New York Public Library





We theorize that the American Colony members, who were well versed in the Old Testament, focused on agricultural prohibitions found in the Bible.

In this particular case, they illustrated the prohibition "Thou shall not plow with an ox and an ass together." (Deuteronomy 20)

They also provided pictures of the prohibition "Thou shall not muzzle an ox in its threshing"
(Deuteronomy 25)

http://www.israeldailypicture.com/2012/11/updates-to-previous-posts-with-pictures.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+IsraelsHistory-APictureADaybeta+%28Israel%27s+History+-+a+Picture+a+Day+%28Beta%29%29