Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Inside an Israeli Winery ✡ "Destroy it not, for a Blessing is in it"

So said the Lord, "As when wine is found in the cluster, and one shall say, "Destroy it not, for a blessing is in it"; so will I do for the sake of My servants, not to destroy everything.

ISAIAH (65:8)
 

כֹּה  אָמַר יְ-הֹוָה כַּאֲשֶׁר יִמָּצֵא הַתִּירוֹשׁ בָּאֶשְׁכּוֹל וְאָמַר אַל תַּשְׁחִיתֵהוּ כִּיבְרָכָה בּוֹ כֵּן אֶעֱשֶׂה לְמַעַן עֲבָדַי לְבִלְתִּי הַשְׁחִית הַכֹּל

יְשַׁעְיָהוּ סה:ח


ko a-mar a-do-nai ka-a-sher yi-ma-tzay ha-tee-rosh ba-esh-kol v'-a-mar al tash-hee-tay-hu kee b'-ra-kha bo kayn e-e-se l'-ma-an a-va-dai l'-vil-tee hash-kheet ha-kol

Today's Israel Inspiration

In today's verse, Isaiah encourages the Jewish people in exile that God will yet bring the redemption. Just like a vine with a few good grapes will not be destroyed, but the good will be extracted for its blessed juice, thus will God redeem His people despite their sins. "Vineyards of Kindness" is a green charity that "finds the blessing in it" by recycling old furniture and used clothing and distributing them to the poor in Israel, along with food and money for urgent needs.
 

Inside the Golan Winery: L'Chaim!

Step into the Golan Heights Winery where award-winning wines are produced right here in the Holy Land.
 

After Effects of Terror

For eleven years, an Israeli family has been haunted by memories of a suicide bus bombing which took place in front of their eyes. Help has come from a surprising place.

Hebrew Name Necklace

Stay connected to your biblical roots by wearing your Hebrew name proudly! Don’t know your Hebrew name? No problem! Many English names derive from Hebrew names in the Bible, and the rest have etymological or spiritual cousins in Biblical sources. Just include your English name and we’ll find the Hebrew name in the Bible that’s most closely connected to yours.

Today's Israel Photo

All hands on deck as newly harvested grapes get a cleaning at a winery in Gush Etzion, before the grapes are turned into wine. This photo was taken shortly before the start of the Sabbatical year of rest for the Land.

Yesterday's Photo Trivia

Yesterday's photo by Grace and Rick Knelsen's featured a craftsman weaving a tallit (prayer shawl) in his Safed studio. One of the laws God gave to the Jewish people are the fringes that are still worn by Jewish men to this very day. We wear the Tzitzit underneath our clothes and the Tallit on top of our clothing during prayer.

Thank You

Today's Scenes and Inspiration is sponsored by Alicia Stensrud from Carlsbad, New Mexico. Toda Raba!
 

“I Read Your Posts Everyday”

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It Is Time Israel - Prophetic Perspective with Rick Joyner


Watch here:


It Is Time Israel
Rick Joyner
Tuesday, January 20, 2015









www.itistimeisrael.org

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

PRAYING FOR YOU by Morris Ruddick

PRAYING FOR YOU

(c)  Morris Ruddick



In Memory of Our Grandson Isaiah Bird
April 1, 2004 - December 24, 2014


"Been praying for you."  How often do we hear, as well as voice these meaningful words? Praying for one another and depending on the prayers of others can be critical, with the substance behind these words deserving closer examination.

Several years ago, on an overseas mission, I recall a time when I entered into a situation with an outcome that only could be redeemed by God. Not even having the presence of mind to know what to pray for at the time, I found myself desperately crying out: "Lord, mobilize some intercessors to pray for me!" Within minutes, I had a calm descend upon me, with an awareness of being prayed for -- and the impossible situation was indeed redeemed.

At the other extreme, I recall a time when, at the urging of a friend in ministry, I spent some time praying with a brother who had hit a season of turbulence. I continued with follow-through for him in my own prayer closet. Some time passed without hearing from him. Then I got a note from him expressing annoyance at receiving a quarterly prayer letter from me. Despite the demands on his time, this man had taken far more time to express his displeasure in my asking for his prayers, than it would have taken to just shoot up a couple of covering prayers.

Even genuinely called intercessors can hit times when the pressures mount and priorities are not clear.

Yet, the reality is that there are times when confronted with spiritual challenges that extend beyond our own faith and prayers in which it is the prayers of others that become the deciding factor. It is the way the Body is supposed to operate. While not every believer is called as an intercessor, we are all called to intercede. For each of us, we have entered a time in which the words of the prophet Samuel should be a constant reminder: "God forbid, that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you."
1 Samuel 12:23

We each have vulnerabilities that can be compensated for -- by the prayers of others.  Peter Wagner wisely advises that those in ministry should have a prayer shield of those who pray for them. His model for a prayer shield includes a handful who serve as a frequent-contact inner circle; a second level of those with whom we are in regular contact, but not with the frequency or detail of the inner circle; and then a third and larger group who we only connect with periodically with a big-picture outlook of developments.

The Reciprocity Factor
Relationships that carry the expectation of people praying for you cannot extend very far, without operating in reciprocity.

Reciprocity is a mutual dependence, activity or influence. It is a cooperative exchange of effort or considerations between two parties, with each looking out for the other. It is a relational thing that in effect serves the common, but higher good. Reciprocity takes maturity and trust to operate. The trust for reciprocity stands on a maturity that is never afraid to risk supporting others and working cooperatively. It operates openly and both ways.

The apostle Paul expressed it this way in his letter to the Galatians:
"Bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ."

Reciprocity in intercession is a significant reflection of the Body operating maturely because of the way it facilitates the paving of new ground that neither party could have accomplished without the other.

Reciprocity will be a key factor as the Body faces a season marked by great turbulence and change. Reciprocity and the combined authority it evokes will have a unique bearing on advancing the Kingdom.

On the other hand, there is a need for wisdom as it relates to the manner in which we extend our availability. Wisdom is needed from the Spirit to avoid overcommitments or matters that would inadvertently distract or suck life from us.

God forbid that mature believers should ever fall short in extending reciprocity.  Operating as a giver of Life, rather than being a taker, was reflected in Paul's words that expressed both the cost and the supernatural impact tied to being Life-givers.
"That the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed-always carrying about in this body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body."
2 Corinthians 4:7-9

God forbid that our zeal for accomplishment in our own callings should blind or override our ability to have a balance in bearing the burdens of those within our sphere.

Judas was the epitome of one-way relationships that never quite grasps the reality of the higher good and approaches relationships as a means to their own end. In a word, Judas was a taker and not a giver. He didn't trust, because in his arrogance he knew he couldn't be trusted. He failed not only because his zeal blinded him to what God was doing, but also because he misused the authority of his position to do his thing independently. The Judas factor illustrates an immature purpose-driven zeal built on an outdated and distorted model.

"God forbid, that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you."

Levels of Intercession
Not unlike Dr. Wagner's model for prayer shields, our model for praying for others should encompass different response levels based on a mix and balance of the burden from the Lord and the relationship with the individual.

The most basic level would involve simply lifting the name of a person before God's throne of grace and asking for blessing and fulfillment in their lives. An intermediate-level response might suggest a more robust form of intercession as described in Ezekiel 22:30"I sought for a man among them who would make up the hedge and stand in the gap." 


This involves discerning the gap or lack in the situation-and then praying in faith with the appropriate scriptures that seal off that gap. Then, the highest level of intercession is what old-time Pentecostals refer to as "praying through" or travailing in prayer until there is a release that affirms that the answer is at hand.

Holding the Rope
Within these levels of intercession is an illustration in Acts 9:25 of "holding the rope." This is the story of when the brethren saved Paul's life from the plots of his persecutors by letting him down the city wall in a basket at night. Those holding the rope of the basket being lowered, which held Paul, illustrate the role that our intercession plays in the lives of those in our sphere.

There will be times when there is only one or two whose spiritual alertness is such that the rope will even be held. Sadly, there are times in which the zeal, the preoccupations and the distractions can be such that there are none to hold the rope. This should not be so.

Again, our willing readiness to grab and then hang onto the rope will be determined by a mix between the burden from the Lord and the relationship with the individual. The degree to which we sacrifice for others in holding the rope or standing in the gap is a mark of spiritual maturity. However, the degree to which the Body is functioning in maturity by standing in the gap or holding the rope for those within their spheres, at each level, was spoken of in Paul's letter to the Ephesians.
"From whom the whole body, being fitted and held together ??by what every joint supplies, according to the ?proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself ??in love."  Ephesians 4:16

"Been praying for you!"

Core Prayer Issues
Abiding in God's Presence. Foremost at the core of praying for others is the reality of the time we spend in God's presence. That time is not designed as an exercise or an obligation. There should be a passion for His presence that turns us into firebrands who go around igniting revival. What we impart to others should be an overflow from that time spent with Him.
"That the excellence of the power may be of God and not us."  2 Corinthians 4:7

While we each need time alone with the Lord, our lives should simultaneously reflect an ongoing consciousness of His presence, a reciprocal flow of spiritual oneness. Jesus described this ongoing oneness with the relational dynamic He had with the Father:"The Son can do nothing of Himself, He can only do what He sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, the Son does also. For the Father loves the Son and shows Him all that He is doing." John 5:19, 20

This truth parallels what Jesus imparted about our "abiding" in Him.
"I am the vine and you are the branches, whoever abides in Me, and I in Him will bear much fruit. Apart from Me, you can do nothing. But if you abide in Me and my words abide in you, you will ask what you will and it will be given you." John 15:5-7

The closer we are to "abiding" when we pray, the closer we are to knowing WHAT to pray, in order to bring results in a given circumstance. THIS is spiritual reciprocity in action -- the dynamic designed to overflow into the way the Body as a whole functions. The Apostle James' decree that broke long-standing Jewish traditions for Gentile converts reflected this reciprocal abiding unity when he said, "it seems good to the Holy Spirit and to us."  Acts 15:28

Imparting the Presence of God. In John 15:13-15 Jesus outlines a level of reciprocity that marks seasoned, mature believers. It is the lifeblood for operating as instruments of God's purpose with results that defy what we consider as the natural order of things. It involves embracing and then extending the presence and friendship of God to those bound by the devil and the precepts of men.

Psalm 15 is a bedrock truth that outlines the parameters for operating in and extending the friendship and presence of God. It deals with some nitty-gritty issues, such as slander and reproach that are tied to how we should be responding to members of the household of faith. Yet, at its core pivots the truth of "walking in integrity, working righteousness and speaking truth in our heart."

For our time in the presence of the Lord to be real, approaching His presence has the requisite of speaking truth in our own hearts. That should not be confused with obsessive introspection. However, it is foundational to extending the love and grace of God. It also means that for us to be able to stand in the gap for others, without being spiritually pummeled as a result, we need to have a realistic appraisal of what is operating in our own hearts.

Operating in our Sphere of Authority. Each of us has a sphere of authority that is tied to our calling. The parameters of that sphere vary with each of us.  However, a realistic grasp of the individual scope of that sphere for the mature believer defines a very powerful arena when it comes to petitioning the Lord on behalf of others. Moses reasoned with the Lord following the Israelite's transgressions in the wilderness. Nehemiah petitioned the Lord on behalf of restoring Israel's dominion over Jerusalem.

Yet, beyond the boundaries of our individual spheres are thresholds that will require a combined authority to truly see the answers to our petitions manifest. It is why unity within the Body is so important to issues such as transformation and the miraculous.

While the importance of individual time in the presence of the Lord can never be diminished or sacrificed, there is special power in prayer that results from the meshing of anointings that reflects an overlap in the "authority spheres" of those praying together for common purposes.

The Spontaneity to Pray
When these core issues converge, there will come a spontaneity-for-prayer-and with that spontaneity, a new level of the Body functioning in maturity. Body maturity and the increase of the miraculous can be expected to go hand in hand. For the miraculous to become the mode rather than the exception is going to require a shift within the Body. While many within the Body do flow on this level, far, far too many are still guided by the precepts of men and operating according to their own strengths as described by 2 Corinthians 4:7. It is a path that falls short.

The shift is from the self-focused mind-set to mind-sets that are intent on imparting Life. Evelyn Roberts used to speak about bringing God into the "everydayness" of our lives. The gap in the dichotomy between the lives we live and the meetings we attend to get a mere touch of His presence should and can be bridged by entering the place in which His presence is ongoing.

Jesus gave a lot of focus to teaching on prayer. Transforming, miraculous prayer is an activity for every believer, rather than it being reserved for those who might be referred to as "the God squad." It was at the core of the vibrancy and spontaneity of the Jesus movement in the late 1960s and the 1970s.

Jesus modeled our priority for prayer and the importance of our time in God's presence by spending entire nights with the Father. However, at a time when everything that Jesus had come to do was converging and in the crucible, the forces working against our seizing the initiative in prayer is illustrated by Jesus' own inner circle falling asleep.

While at Gethsemane, Peter, James and John were simply unable to stay awake to keep watch and pray with Him-for even an hour. Yet, simultaneously, in that very hour, Jesus' own travail in prayer was of such a fervor, that the scripture (Luke 22:44) describes it as Jesus agonizing in prayer to the degree that His sweat was as great drops of blood falling to the ground.

The Apostle James outlined the dimensions of a range of needs and our prayer-response to them. He began with those who were afflicted or suffering evil by telling them simply, to go pray. So often when we're oppressed or depressed, we look for someone to do something for us. James simply said the answer is to get alone with the Lord-and to pray.

James went on to note, that if someone is sick, that it will require getting others involved-to pray over the one who is sick. When that occurs he tells us that the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick and the Lord will raise Him up. Then he adds something else. He says: "And if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven." 

Then James gives the admonition to be open in our relationships by being real about our sins and shortcomings -- AND to pray for one another. This is the model for the type of spontaneous gathering together that happens when there is revival in the air. It is from that point, that he takes a jump to describing Elijah as having been a man with a nature no different from ours; yet who prayed fervently and saw remarkable things happen. So it should be with us today.

The scope of matters covered by James brings this conclusion to the issue of "been praying for you." Prayer needs to be ongoing. It needs to be spontaneous. We should each have what weapons' specialists call a hair-trigger to pray. A hair trigger is one that you barely touch and it goes off. It relates to bringing the Lord into the equation in each dimension of our lives. It should be the natural order of things.

When we hear the words "been praying for you," it should evoke a response of "well then, let me tell you what God has been doing!" When we share the words, "been praying for you," it should be a reflection of imparting Life and holding the rope until we can share in rejoicing about God's intervening goodness. Reciprocity is at the heart of both ends of the spectrum of prayer and intercession. The reciprocity from abiding in and extending God's presence will nurture Body maturity and fuel revival, the miraculous and societal transformation. 

The apostle Peter sums it up with these words:
"As every man has received the gift, even so minister the same as good stewards of the manifold grace of God."  1 Peter 4:10
___________________________________________

The Strategic Intercession Global Network (SIGN) is closing in on its twentieth year of operation. Some members of SIGN I know well. Some I recognize by your email address. Some have been a part of this ministry since its inception. I thank God for each and every one of you--and for the hearts which hunger for more of the Lord that respond in praying into issues so critical to this hour.

I also wanted to say that I've been praying for YOU--and wanted to thank each of you who have spent time in God's presence praying for us. What this ministry represents is clearly beyond the scope of my human abilities. My six marketplace books and the God's economy entrepreneurial program are an outgrowth of throne-room initiatives we have targeted over the last two decades through SIGN. God has been faithful and I am very grateful for your sustaining prayers.

May the effort represented by your prayers and these posts be as a sweet fragrance to the Lord, along with serving as a foundation and catalyst toward the goal described by Paul:
"In attaining to the oneness of the faith and the full knowledge of the Son of God, that we might arrive at mature manhood, the measure of the stature of the fullness and the completeness found in Him." Ephesians 4:13.
___________________________________________________

Morris Ruddick has been a forerunner and spokesman for the call of God in the marketplace since the mid-90s. As founder of Global Initiatives Foundation and designer of the God's Economy Entrepreneurial Equippers Program, Mr. Ruddick imparts hope and equips economic community builders where God's light is dim in both the Western and non-Western world.

He is author of "The Joseph-Daniel Calling;" "Gods Economy, Israel and the Nations;" "The Heart of a King;" "Something More;" "Righteous Power in a Corrupt World;" and "Leadership by Anointing," which address the mobilization of business and governmental leaders called to impact their communities with God's blessings. They are available in print and e-versions from www.Amazon.com,www.BarnesandNoble.com and other popular outlets.

Global Initiatives Foundation (www.strategic-initiatives.org) is a tax-exempt 501 (c) 3 non-profit whose efforts are enabled by the generosity of a remnant of faithful friends and contributors whose vision aligns with God's heart to mobilize the persecuted church to be the head and not the tail. Checks on US banks should be made out to Global Initiatives and mailed to PO Box 370291, Denver CO 80237 or by credit card atsign@strategicintercession.org

Likewise, email us to schedule a seminar for your congregation on the wisdom the persecuted church has for the times emerging in the West.

2015 Copyright Morris Ruddick -- sign@strategicintercession.org

Reproduction is prohibited unless permission is given by a SIGN advisor. Since early 1996, the Strategic Intercession Global Network (SIGN) has mobilized prophetic intercessors and leaders committed to targeting strategic-level issues impacting the Body on a global basis. For previous posts or more information on SIGN, check:http://www.strategicintercession.org
Morris Ruddick
Global Initiatives Foundation
www.strategic-initiatives.org
www.strategicintercession.org

Messianic Jews Declare: We Are Israel

Messianic Jews Declare: We Are Israel

Tuesday, January 20, 2015 |  Israel Today Staff
A group of young Israeli believers in Yeshua (Jesus) have started an online media campaign aimed at driving home that point that they remain an integral part of the Jewish nation and state.
Under the banner “We Are Israel,” the group has published a Hebrew-language website explaining why “a Jew who believes in Yeshua is a Jew, period.”
“Does the faith in the Jewish Jesus of Nazareth cause [Jews] to switch to another religion?” the group asked. “The project ‘We are Israel’ was born to answer this question and more, to present Jesus of Nazareth in a concrete historical and vivid picture.”
To kick off the launch of the campaign, “We Are Israel” posted a YouTube video of reenactments based on actual events.
Watch now (Hebrew dialogue with English subtitles):
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Abortion's Shockwaves Extend Beyond the Womb

Abortion's Shockwaves Extend 

Beyond the Womb



WASHINGTON - Pro-life leaders gathered at the National Press Club just a few days before the Jan. 22 March for Life to announce that a special emphasis this year will be on the many and usually unpublicized ways abortion hurts.

They pointed out abortion has certainly created 56 million victims - the unborn babies killed. But the reverberations from it go way beyond that.

Georgette Forney aborted a child when she was 16 years old and is still grieving 39 years later. She helped found the group Silent No More so she and others can communicate the long-term pain and trauma abortion can inflict.

'Not Like Pulling a Tooth'

"It doesn't happen in this little room and you walk away and it's all gone. It's not like you get a tooth pulled and you get up and you go back to work and it's no big deal," Forney insisted.

"It is a trauma," she continued. "It's life-changing, and not only for the woman herself, but for people around her."

Like the daughter she eventually had, who as an 8-year-old was horrified when she first heard how her older sister had been killed.

"This 8-year-old on my lap knew it wasn't okay, knew it didn't matter if it was legal or illegal, but that it had permanently impacted her life," Forney said.

That little girl couldn't let go of her unborn sister, who would have been named Elizabeth.

"And so she began to have kind of a pretend relationship with Elizabeth that carried on for many years because she had always wanted a big sister," Forney explained.

Forney is hoping an increasing number of older women and those wounded by abortion will guide younger women away from the gruesome procedure.

"How can we protect the next generation? These are our daughters, our granddaughters. We don't want them to repeat the pain," Forney asserted. "Why can't we stop the madness and really help women?"

As for men, Silent No More's Kevin Burke found out recently from a counselor at a maximum security prison how many would-be fathers spin out of control after abortions.

"Ninety percent of the inmates had experienced abortion, and in an informal poll he did many of these men shared that it was part of their descent into crime," Burke said.

He explained men's post-abortive rage and anger can lead to all sorts of trouble.

"Destructive relationships, abusive behaviors, impulsive, risk-taking behaviors," Burke listed. "Some of the men took that risk-taking and impulsive behavior and they went into the military. And they volunteered for front-line service."

'I Mourn the Loss of My Grandchildren'

Janet Morana knows from painful personal experience how much would-be grandparents can be devastated.

"My daughter had two abortions without even telling me. And she knew I was pro-life. She knew she could come to me," this Silent No More co-founder said. "But somehow she felt 'I don't want to disappoint Mom,' and she went off and did that. And so I mourn the loss of my grandchildren."

Father Frank Pavone, the leader of Priests for Life, said the circles of harm go beyond the woman and the family.

"You have the friends who might have helped her to get an abortion or the abortionists themselves and their staff, even the pro-life advocates who try to save that life and fail," Father Pavone explained. "That hurts. And they need to mourn and grieve that child."

At the end of this year's March for Life, as marchers gather in front of the U.S. Supreme Court, Silent No More, Priests for Life and their allies will launch a year-long project called "Healing the Shockwaves of Abortion."

Every month these organizations will pray for and reach out to a different group of people hurt by abortion.

For instance, in February they'll focus on how abortion has especially wounded black families, who have seemed particularly targeted by abortion organizations like Planned Parenthood over the decades.

Throughout the year, each month will highlight a different emphasis. In addtion to February's focus,
March will emphasize grandparents
April the siblings
May the mothers
June the fathers
July the survivors and friends
August the abortion providers
September families in general
October Hispanic families in particular.
November on healing the pro-lifers who actively work to save unborn babies. They see occasional victories but also many painful, wounding defeats.

Finally, the emphasis in December will be on seeking healing through Jesus Christ.

'Kids Are Underbrush'


Marjorie Dannenfelser is president of the Susan B. Anthony List, a pro-life organization promoting pro-life candidates and legislation.

This long-time abortion foe explained how pro-choice advocates believe abortion has saved society from what the Nazis labeled "useless eaters," millions of unproductive young people that would have drained resources.

"Think about the roots of abortion where (Planned Parenthood founder) Margaret Sanger said the way to approach problems with the economy, problems with distribution of resources, is to eliminate the number of people who actually need those resources," Dannenfelser said.

"The thinking behind that, of course, is that kids are underbrush, and that there are certain parts of society that should be cleared out so that the rest of us can actually eat well and live with some distance between you and me," she explained.

"That's not a good way to make a decision. That puts people last, and people should be considered first," she told CBN News.

Father Pavone agreed.

"The continuation of legal abortion is seen by some as an ultimate long-term benefit for society," he explained. "But in reality, it's the opposite."

"Because with a declining population you have not only economic issues, because our greatest economic asset is people, you have national security issues," he continued. "The fabric of society itself is weakened when we allow the killing of the youngest children."

"Think of all the children that were aborted: over 50 million," Morana said, looking across the decades since the practice was legalized nationwide. "And that's just from surgical abortion. They would have been working and paying into society."

"Maybe government would not be shutting down and social security would not be going bankrupt because they would be productive citizens," she said.

'Made for a Purpose'

"The real question is 'can we afford not to have this child given what that child was meant to do and be?'" Dannenfelser asked.

She believes each aborted child could have contributed something important to the world.

"Because we know that each of them was made for a purpose," Dannenfelser said. "Many of those purposes were purposes that were never filled by somebody else."

Canadian FM: Shoulder to Shoulder with Israel

Canadian FM: Shoulder to Shoulder with Israel

PM Benjamin Netanyahu with Canadian FM John Baird



JERUSALEM, Israel -- Canada has more than Israel's back. It's standing by Israel's side, Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird said on Monday.

Canada -- whose prime minister, Stephen Harper, is an evangelical Christian -- is one of the most pro-Israel countries in the world right now.

"As I've said before, Canada doesn't stand behind Israel; we stand shoulder-to-shoulder with it," Baird said during a press conference in Jerusalem with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Netanyahu welcomed Baird as "a great champion of peace and security and as a great champion of the truth." He said Baird had consistently "demonstrated a willingness to stand up for what is right and to oppose what is wrong."

"We're all engaged in a great battle against the terrorism of militant Islam. Israel has been continually attacked by this scourge and so has Canada recently. Indeed many parts of the world are suffering from this violent attack,' Netanyahu said.

"To fight Islamist terrorism, we need clarity and courage. Canada has both. You know who is the aggressor; you know who is the defender. You know that Israel legitimately defends itself against the war crimes of Hamas and other terrorist groups," he continued.

"You know that it's a travesty of justice to haul Israel to the dock in The Hague, and you know that the entire system of international law could unravel because of this travesty," he said.

Netanyahu repeated an earlier statement that Israel would not have its hands tied by the International Criminal Court in its fight to defend itself against terrorism.

The ICC announced it was launching a preliminary investigation against Israel on possible war crimes charges relating to its 50-day war against Hamas last summer. There have been no attempts to investigate Hamas despite its rocket fire against Israeli civilians and using its own civilians as human shields.

Baird said that his grandfather had fought in World War II and stayed in the Canadian armed forces for decades after that.

"The great struggles of his generation were fighting fascism and then in the Canadian forces during the Cold War fighting communism. Well the great struggle of our generation is terrorism," Baird said.

"And far too often the State of Israel and the Jewish people around the world are on the front lines of that struggle. And as I've said before, Canada doesn't stand behind Israel; we stand shoulder-to-shoulder with it."

Israel Photo Trivia ✡ "According to His Flag"

The Children of Israel shall encamp, each man according to his flag.

NUMBERS (2:1)
 

אִישׁ עַל דִּגְלוֹ בְאֹתֹת לְבֵית אֲבֹתָם יַחֲנוּ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל

במדבר ב:א


eesh al dig-lo b'-o-tot l'-bayt a-vo-tam ya-kha-nu b'-nay yis-ra-ayl

Today's Israel Inspiration

As the Children of Israel encamped in the desert, each tribe had a flag with unique insignia. Do you know the symbolism of the modern day flag of Israel? At the First Zionist Congress back in 1897, the organizers wanted an original flag, when one man said, "We have a flag — and it is blue and white. The Tallit (prayer shawl) with which we wrap ourselves when we pray: that is our symbol. Let us take this Tallit from its bag and unroll it before the eyes of Israel and the eyes of all nations." So he ordered a blue and white flag with the Shield of David painted upon it, and that is how the national flag came into being. Today, the insignia of Israel's national blood bank is known to all as providing life-saving blood to all Jews and non Jews in medical need.
 

Blood for the Soldiers

Hear from an Israeli soldier whose life, almost extinguished by Hezbollah, was ultimately saved with 10 units of blood. Heart to Heart supplies 97% of Israel’s blood, and all of the blood of the Israel Defense Forces.
 

Anti-Semitic Hatred Fuels Child Violence

On Christmas day, Ayala, an 11-year old Jewish Israeli girl and her father were driving when their car was targeted, and took a direct hit, by a Molotov cocktail. Contrast that with Israel's life-saving treatment of every person in need, including a Palestinian baby last week.
 

LAST CHANCE: 2015 Israel Calendars $5 & Free Shipping

Our Israel365 Calendar provides daily inspiration with fantastic scenic photos of Israel accompanied by meaningful verses. Last chance to get one, now $5 and FREE shipping.

Israel Photo Trivia

Grace and Rick Knelsen's fantastic photo of a craftsman in his Safed studio. Take a guess at what he's weaving! Send me an email or check out our Facebook page.
 

Thank You

Today's Scenes and Inspiration is sponsored by Rowena Wareham from Arnold's Cove, NL, Canada. Toda Raba!
 

“You Are Awakening Feelings of a Homeland”

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!
 
Dear Rabbi Tuly, Your e-mails are quite inspiring. I look forward to the day when I too would be able to visit the Holy Land. Israel has been in my heart since the age of twelve years. I pray daily for the Holy Land, the peace of Jerusalem and the safety of the Jewish people. Once again thank you for your e-mails. Ursula, Benoni-South Africa

Just a small note to say thank you. You are awakening feelings of a Homeland that I dreamed of since I was a child.- Karen Willis
Shalom,
Rabbi Tuly Weisz
RabbiTuly@Israel365.com
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