Hebraic Understanding

Principles of Jewish Prayer

{image_1} Prayer is a precious privilege and a sacred obligation, one that should be exercised, cultivated, and developed by every believer and community of faith. A study of Jewish prayer can illuminate and enrich our understanding and practice of this “service of the heart.”

The Culture of the Bible

{image_1}In my role as International President and CEO of Bridges for Peace, I travel to various places around the world. It is fascinating to visit other countries and absorb the local culture, tasting new foods, learning a bit of the language, enjoying the mannerisms and clothing, and visiting spots of beauty and history. What is ordinary and well understood by those within the culture seems exotic, strange, and unique to me. Outward differences can be readily seen in how we greet one another, how we dress, how we speak, but other differences go much deeper.

Faith: Belief or Action?—Emunah

{image_1} I’ll never forget the conversation I had with Dr. Bernard Resnikov, who at the time was the Director Emeritus of the American Jewish Committee. I knew him as Bernie, a warm grandfatherly man, who had an incredible way of communicating. Bernie was talking with me about the importance of interfaith dialog between Christians and Jews. I knew that he participated in many such gatherings, even sponsoring some of them.

Lessons from the Wilderness

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At a Bridges for Peace staff devotion, we were inspired by a dynamic God-Tube video about the 1992 British Olympic runner, Derek Redmond. Although Redmond had undergone eight surgeries prior to the games, he made the fastest time for the first round of the 400–meter race and also won the quarter–final. However, in the semi–final, his hamstring suddenly snapped, and he fell to the ground in excruciating pain. A stretcher was brought out to the track, and his father ran down from the stands to assist him. But instead of quitting, Redmond chose to finish the race and hobbled down the track holding on to his dad for support to the end. The entire stadium of 65,000 rose for a standing ovation. Though he didn’t win the prize he was after, he certainly taught thousands of people a lesson in endurance.

Coming Together in Unity

{image_1}Occasionally, Bridges for Peace plans special evening events for the volunteer staff in Jerusalem. These opportunities give us a chance to enjoy dialogue with Jewish people and understand them better. Our last event not only included dialogue but music!

God’s Water Ways

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I’m quite sure everyone, in some way, has been moved by water: by the mighty roar of a crashing waterfall, the vast expansiveness of the sea and its unending curling waves pounding the shore, the rush of a river over and around unmovable rocks in its winding path, or the stillness of a pastoral pool. If rocks can cry out (Luke 19:40) and trees can clap their hands (Isa. 55:12), then water can surely speak too. It doesn’t take much reflection time to hear their lessons on life. They are so simple and so apparent that even an unchurched unbeliever can hear or observe them.

Fostering Love for the Bible

{image_1} Avner Netanyahu—son of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife, Sara—won the regional-level, annual Bible quiz in Jerusalem in February. Held at the Bible Lands Museum, family, classmates, and even Avner’s school principal and homeroom teacher cheered him on as he bested 49 competitors and won with a score of 98 out of 100 points.

The Clothing of the Righteous

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In our present-day world, clothing pretty much defines us. It certainly did in the Elizabethan Era in England. Laws governed what kind of fabric and what colour a person could wear. A person’s dress immediately identified their status in society, who was royalty and nobility and who was not, and the consequences were severe if caught wearing something inappropriate.