Thanksgiving Tradition is For Both Christians and Jews

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On Monday night, approximately one thousand people gathered at the foot of the Temple Mount for the World Creation Concert. However, what took place was not merely wonderful music accompanied by a spectacular light show: the event actually encapsulated several prophetic incidents taking place at once. In the not-so-distant future, the event may be identified as the moment a new, Biblically correct United Nations was established, potentially leading to a new era of global cooperation.

The Sanhedrin and the Mikdash (Temple) Educational Center hosted the World Creation Concert at the Jerusalem Archaeological Park – Davidson Center, arranging for it to take place one day before the 25th of the Hebrew month of Elul, the 5778th anniversary of the creation of the world according to Jewish tradition. The motive behind the timing was to give the event universal significance. The Temple Mount was chosen as the location because, according to Jewish tradition, the creation of the world began at the even shtiya (foundation stone) that lay under the Holy of Holies in the Temple.

The connection between the Temple and the creation of the world was beautifully presented throughout the concert. The music followed the six-days of creation with some sections accompanied by choral presentations of Psalms that mirrored that particular aspect of creation. The creation of light was played while images of the gold menorah were projected onto the ancient walls. The creation of the oceans was accompanied by images of the Sea of Solomon, the brass laver that was used to wash the hands and feet of the priests before they performed the Temple service.

Perhaps the most powerful image was also the most low-tech element. At several points during the performance, the musicians rested their instruments while Kohanim (Jewish male descendants of Aaron the priest) mounted the ramparts in full priestly garb. The blasts of shofarot (rams’ horns) and silver trumpets prepared for use in the Third Temple echoed in the night, recreating the glory of the Temple as it appeared 2,000 years ago.

One non-musical element of the concert was powerfully prophetic. For several months preceding the event, the Sanhedrin had worked to contact foreign governments, inviting them to take their place as representatives of the 70 nations who populated the world, listed in the Bible as the grandsons of Noah. Honduras, Guatemala and Mexico answered the call, sending high-ranking delegations to attend.

Rabbi Hillel Weiss, spokesman for the Sanhedrin described that the concert has a vital role to play in helping the nations of the world in joining together to address these universal threats the world today.

“The world is being threatened in so many ways; ecologically, atomic weapons, terrorism, economically,” Rabbi Weiss told Breaking Israel News. “The United Nations has failed to unite the world in any effort to cope with these issues. That is because the UN is not based on Biblical principles that unite mankind. Human rights originated in the Bible, as did laws governing war. Ecology is a Biblical concept. When the nations came to Jerusalem to pray together in the Temple, they did so in recognition of the human principles that we all share. The United Nations rejected these human principles that bind and as such, has become a political battlefield that only makes these problems worse. They have appointed human rights violators to preside over the Human Rights Council. There is no justice in the International Court of Justice.”

“We are seeing the end of the UN, as the US and Israel separate themselves from it, “Rabbi Weiss said. “The United Nations should have collapsed long ago but it has drawn power from its decision to establish the State of Israel in 1948.”

The Biblical Sanhedrin in Jerusalem was a gathering point for universal cooperation and justice. The high-point of the concert came when the foreign representatives went up to the stage to sign an agreement with the Sanhedrin.

By signing, the nations acknowledged that they were answering a call by the Sanhedrin of Israel to accompany the people of God, as peoples, nations, and individuals toward establishing the Temple in Jerusalem as a house of prayer for all nations as prophesied in the Bible.

And the many peoples shall go and say: “Come, Let us go up to the Mount of Hashem, To the House of the God of Yaakov; That He may instruct us in His ways, And that we may walk in His paths.” For instruction shall come forth from Tzion, The word of Hashem from Yerushalayim. Isaiah 2:3 (The Israel Bible™)

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Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, held a public Bible study session at their official residence, last night. The evening was held in the memory of Shmuel (Samuel) Ben Arzi – a Hebrew teacher and a Tanach (Bible) scholar.

Israel’s first prime minister David Ben-Gurion was so impressed with Ben Arzi’s knowledge that he invited him to take part in the first Bible study session held at the prime minister’s residence. Netanyahu expressed his pride at being able to continue to host such an event, especially in Ben Arzi’s memory.

“Everybody who knew Shmuel was impressed from the depth of light that shone forth from his eyes and from the warmth that emanated from his personality,” said Netanyahu. “In principle, the strength of his faith in the permanence of Israel, the Torah of Israel, in the Tanach and a love for the land of Israel,” he added.

The subject of the study session was “Cyclicality in the spirit of time, nature and history.” Netanyahu remarked that when he and his wife, Sara, recently traveled to Lithuania, they were aware of the rich Jewish life that once thrived there but is now no more. He added that to go as the prime minister of Israel and to see the admiration for the country that he represents, is an especially moving expression of the rebirth and regeneration of the Jewish people.

“That renewal is our secret to life – and learning Tanach is the highest expression of that,” said the prime minister.

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"The people that walked in darkness have seen a brilliant light; On those who dwelt in a land of gloom Light has dawned. Isaiah 9:1 (The Israel Bible™)"

The nascent Sanhedrin released a declaration to the 70 nations for Hanukkah to be read at a ceremony in Jerusalem on the last day of the holiday. The ceremony will include the consecration of a stone altar prepared for use in the Third Temple. The declaration is intended as an invitation to the nations to participate in the Temple and to receive its blessings.

The altar is currently in the form of loose stone blocks ready to be transported to the Temple Mount and stored in a manner that will enable them to be transported and assembled at a moment’s notice. When complete, the altar will be a square nine feet on each side and five feet tall, and includes a ramp for the priests to ascend. The decision to prepare the blocks and all the details of their composition is the result of a long study performed by the members of the Sanhedrin in conjunction with the Temple Institute. The stones are made of aerated concrete and are fit for use in the Temple. There are plans underway to prepare a new set made of actual stones which are considered the ideal material from which to build the altar.

A full-dress reenactment of the Korban Olah Tamid (the daily offering) will take place. Kohanim (Jewish men of the priestly caste descended from Aaron) wearing Biblically mandated garb will lead the ceremony. The location is still unclear as the Jerusalem municipality is weighing security concerns that a Jewish ceremony of this sort will precipitate Muslim violence if performed in view of the Temple Mount. Also at question is whether the Kohanim will ritually slaughter a lamb or whether prepared meat will be brought. Though the Sanhedrin has received all of the necessary permits from the government organizations in charge of slaughtering animals, they are still waiting for the municipality to approve that part of the ceremony. In either case, the meat will be roasted on the newly consecrated altar.

The priests will also perform the korban mincha in which the grain offerings that accompany the korban tamid are offered along with nesachim, a wine libation.

A large menorah will be lit as part of the ceremony. Rabbi Hillel Weiss explained the significance of the ceremony being held on the last day of Hanukkah.

“According to Jewish tradition, the tabernacle and Aaron the Priest were consecrated for service on the last day of Hanukkah,” Rabbi Weiss explained to Breaking Israel News. “It is fitting that we should invite the nations to the ceremony since Hanukkah is about bringing light to the darkness. The Jews were meant to do this for the entire world,” he said, quoting the Prophet Isaiah.

For He has said: “It is too little that you should be My servant In that I raise up the tribes of Yaakov And restore the survivors of Yisrael: I will also make you a light of nations, That My salvation may reach the ends of the earth.” Isaiah 49:6

“The Jews were brought back to Israel for the purpose of spreading the light to the nations,” Rabbi Weiss said. “As the sages instructed the Jews to pray every day, ‘A new light will shine upon Zion,and we should all merit to this light very soon.’ This light is Torah, the light of Torah which comes from Zion, which reveals the hidden aspects of God.”

The ceremony will also be part of the Sanhedrin’s ongoing effort to establish a Bible-based international organization to replace the United Nations. To this end, they charged Rabbi Yoel Schwartz, president of the Sanhedrin’s Court for the Noahides, with preparing a declaration that would describe the spiritual basis for the organization. Rabbi Schwartz is one of the most respected Torah scholars of this generation, a prolific writer, and winner of the Moskowitz Prize for Zionism.

The text of the declaration is printed below:

The Song of Israel and the World – Sanhedrin’s Declaration

“The name Yisrael, by which Jacob was called and all of his descendants after him, indicates the connection of the people of Israel to the Creator, and this connection is also strengthened through the singing of the Song of God, which is achieved through the Book of Psalms. The highest purpose of song is to praise the Creator.

It is for this purpose that on the 25th of Elul (Sept. 3), the Sanhedrin and the Mikdash Educational Center hosted the World Creation Concert as a musical gathering for all nations to give thanksgiving to the creator, to share with all mankind the gratitude for His mercies that fill creation. All of humanity needs to prepare for the day that the Lord will reign in Zion, when they too will make pilgrimage to Jerusalem to take their part in the Temple service.

The sages teach us that the world stands on three things: on Torah, on the Temple Service, and on acts of loving-kindness. Lacking the Temple service the world is like a throne that stands on two legs.

We are very close to the time about which the prophets of Israel prophesied that the God of the world who created everything will be called by the world in the name of the God of Israel, for only the people of Israel remained attached to Him.

Humanity created religions such as Christianity and Islam that served as instruments throughout history to bring humanity closer to this great day, when everyone would recognize the God of the world that was revealed on Mount Sinai in a desert that belongs to no people. It should be emphasized that the Ten Commandments that were given at that time belong to all the nations. They were heard all over the world in 70 languages so that every nation would hear these things in their own language, the echo of things. This is as witnessed by the reality that it is the only book in the world printed in every language that has a printed book and was hinted at by the Prophet Zephaniah.

For then I will make the peoples pure of speech, So that they all invoke Hashem by name And serve Him with one accord. Zephaniah 3:9

At that time, we will all serve the one Creator and fulfill the moral obligations incumbent on all mankind. This was the case since the beginning of creation, when he charged Adam with these obligations, and once again he charged those who left the ark after the Flood and Noah with his sons, and again at Mount Sinai, giving to humanity seven ironclad rules.

These are the seven messages of the Creator of the world to humanity known as the Seven Noahide Laws:

Belief in God: He who created everything. There is none besides Him and no one should turn away from Him.

Blessing Hashem (God, literally ‘the name’): Respecting the Creator and the sages who are familiar with His Torah, and respecting the places of worship where the Torah is learned and prayers are recited to him. It is forbidden, God forbid, to speak harshly against them or to curse them.

Stealing: The preservation of the rights of others to property and honor and body and not to desire to take anything belonging to others that is not for sale.

Laws: To establish courts to judge justice and to direct society and obey the orders and decisions of the courts.

Killing: Do not shorten the lives of people, including the lives of the terminally ill. The opposite is also true; to invest efforts to heal diseases and maintain health.

Have mercy on creatures: Not to be cruel to animals. One of the most forbidden acts is eating the organ or limb from a live animal. The animal must first be killed in a way that is less distressing such as cutting the neck.

Prohibition of prostitution: The mitzvah (Bible commandment) to build a proper family life. It is a severe prohibition to commit adultery with a married woman. It is also forbidden to perform a same-sex marriage. Also forbidden is sexual intercourse with animals and homosexuality.

Therefore, anyone who receives upon himself all of these seven rules in front of a rabbinic court has a special status in Judaism. Even though they are not Jewish, they have entered into a full partnership in the service of God.

God’s call to return his people to his land will show that the belief of some nations that Israel was in exile as a punishment was a mistaken belief. The exile was only in order for Israel to serve as an example to the nations for serving God. Were it not for the exile, Muhammad would not have known God and would have been idolatrous like his other brothers. Were the Jews not in Rome, the idolaters would have remained to this day. The Torah was translated into Greek, and the nations copied the word of God because there were Jews in the Egyptian exile.

Now, it is time for the Creator’s people to return to their land, and from here light will come forth to the world. And when we merit it, and the Temple will be restored and built on its place, then even more will all the nations realize that the time has come to worship God. The crisis of religion today is a preparation for the true worship of the Lord.

In conclusion: Anyone who wants to accompany us, to be a partner in serving God, and to connect with his people, must be a believer in the God who was revealed at Sinai, and to be as the people of Israel who were present there and preserved this status to this day.

We see God’s hand clearly in the miracle of the Jewish state that arose again two thousand years after its destruction. It is incumbent upon all those who accompany us to try as much as possible to spread the belief according to the prophets, just as the Jews guarded and observed their words and to prevent, God forbid, the spread of man-made religions. Those who do so must also aid the Jews in observing what God commanded them. God required of the Jews an additional amount, more than he required from the other nations, since the Jews will serve as the priests of the mankind. And the other nations should not, God forbid, try to influence his people to join their religions.”

Rabbi Dov Stein, Secretary of the Sanhedrin, described the dire need to replace the United Nations. “We now live in an era when threats are global and not limited to one country,” Rabbi Stein told Breaking Israel News. “This is true of weapons, environmental issues, and even social issues. The solutions must come from a universal effort. The United Nations has failed in its mandate by rejecting God as the creator and the Noahide Laws common to all of mankind.”

As an example, Rabbi Stein described the resolution being drafted to make abortions and assisted suicides a “universal human right” which the rabbi said violated the Noahide law prohibiting murder. “They have rejected the basics of humanity that were given at Sinai. We have to re-educate the world in order to address these issues. We need a universal organization that will return to the Bible, re-educate the world. This is not a religious initiative. This is a national initiative with each nation bringing its special aspect, all nations joining together in Jerusalem, where the world was created.”

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Shlomo Katz raising praise and worship during the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem's government courts. The ancient harp of David, restored by Harrari Harp, was played bringing exaltation to the L-rd in Zion.

Picture of our October 2018 Israel Tour group Knesset visit with MK Rabbi Yehuda Glick.

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Menorah Books, a division of Koren Publishers Jerusalem, and Israel365 are publishing a new edition of the Bible, which centers around the land and people of Israel, as well as the dynamic relationship between them.

The 929-chapter Israel Bible, thought to be the world’s first of its kind, is edited by Rabbi Tuly Weisz, founder and CEO of Israel365. The book, which will be available in Israel in time for Israel Independence Day, highlights the verses in the Bible that relate to Israel and attempts to explain God’s focus on the land of Israel through traditional and contemporary commentaries, maps, charts and illustrations. The Israel Bible contains the original Hebrew text alongside the New Jewish Publication Society translation.

Weisz has been working on The Israel Bible for more than five years. He said that in the 70 years since the modern rebirth of the State of Israel, the Jewish state has been at the forefront of the world’s attention.

“Today, there are countless efforts to vilify the Jewish state. Yet, there is also an ever-expanding movement of biblical Zionists who stand alongside the nation of Israel as an expression of their commitment to God’s eternal word,” Weisz explained. “As we seek to understand the clash between these two conflicting ideologies while seeking to make sense of the modern world’s great interest in Israel, the need for The Israel Bible has never been so timely or important.”

Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb, executive vice president emeritus of the Orthodox Union, said The Israel Bible “connects all the dots” and he expects the book will “draw the reader closer to the Almighty, to the Torah, and to the Land of Israel.”

The Israel Bible will be used in April by the Knesset during its second joint Christian-Jewish Bible Study, a project of the Knesset Caucus for the Encouragement of Bible Study, The Schindler Society and Israel365.

According to MK Yehudah Glick (Likud), who runs these studies, he chose The Israel Bible because “you [can] see that Israel is the Torah’s main theme and begin to understand the major role it plays. The Israel Bible helps you understand that the whole Bible is all about the Land of Israel – and that is a message for all of humanity.”

This is the first Bible to be published by Menorah Books, which was acquired by Koren in 2017. Menorah focuses on fiction and non-fiction imprints in the areas of Jewish spirituality and religious experience. Israel365 was founded by Weisz in 2012 to serve as a bridge between the Jews living in Israel and the nations of the world. Weisz served as a rabbi at the Beth Jacob Congregation in Columbus, Ohio before moving to Israel with his family. He attended Yeshiva University.

Further information about the new ‘Israel Bible’ will appear in a feature story in the Frontlines section of Thursday’s holiday newspaper.


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