Ten Letters – Ten Commandments
When we see pictures of the tablets that Moses carried from Mt. Sinai, the tablets are often displayed with only 10 symbols; the first 10 letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
א
Aleph – symbol of strength, leader or first
First commandment: I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. The picture within the letter is the hand of God (top stroke of the letter) and the hand of man (bottom stroke of letter) joined by the vav which symbolizes the nail.
ב
Beit – symbolizes house, in, into
Second commandment: You shall have no other Gods before me. Don’t have other ‘gods’ in the house. In Hebrew, this commandment is to have no other “masks” as masks were used in worship.
ג
Gimel – symbolic of pride, to lift up
Third commandment: You shall not make for yourself a carved image – any likeness of anything that is in heave above or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them not serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments. We are to carry His name, lift it up, make it glorifying
We are not to make light of His name or say the name falsely. Our walk is to be the light of His name. Are you His light in your walk?
ד
Dalet – symbolic of door, pathway to enter
Fourth commandment: Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Shabbat or Sabbath means rest. Yeshua is our rest. Keeping the Shabbat is an act of resting in Yeshua. Yeshua is our doorway to the kingdom
ה
He – symbolic of window, fence; “the”, to reveal
Fifth commandment: Honor your father and your mother that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you. Father of our faith is Abraham; he revealed how to honor the Father.
Parents teach obedience as we are obedient to Yeshua; children learn by watching the parents; they are “windows”
ו
Vav– the nail; symbolic of add, secure, hook
Sixth commandment: You shall not murder. What does a nail do but joins; creates relationships. Killing separates and divides.
ז
Zayin – weapon; symbolic of cutting off
Seventh commandment: You shall not commit adultery. When husband and wife are united in marriage, they become one in the spirit. Unity is destroyed/cut off when one or the other chooses to unite with another.
ח
Chet – fence
Eighth commandment: You shall not steal. A “fence” surrounds and protects; it keeps our possessions safe.
ט
Tet – to surround, support
Ninth commandment: You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. The Serpent is the father of all lies. Don’t lie; treat each other with love; support. Love your neighbor as yourself, the second greatest commandment
י
Yod – the closed hand; deed, work, to make
Tenth commandment: You shall not covet your neighbor’s house, you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife; nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, not anything that is your neighbor’s. Coveting is a picture of a closed hand; it’ s mine! We are to have an open hand to our neighbor; we should be celebrating their blessings, not harboring ill will because they have more than what we have.
Reference: Exodus 20: 1-17
More of rabbi William’s teachings can be heard from the website: www.sarshalommessianic.com
Feast of Trumpets, Rosh Hashana, September 30, and October 1, 2008.
The Jews start the celebration of the Fall Holidays thirty days prior to the Feast of Trumpets, which falls on the first day of the seventh month. For thirty days the shofar is blown every morning in the Synagogue to remind the people that the holy days are approaching, and that they should prepare themselves. Their preparation consists of confessing their sins and seeking forgiveness, and going back to fix mistakes made during the year. It is a period of restoring relationships between them and God, and themselves and others.
The Feast of Trumpets is a powerful prophetic look at the final days and Messiah’s return. The bible teaches that on the Day of Atonement after six thousand years are complete, the Day of the Lord will come. On that day the shofar will sound and the righteous will be resurrected (Rev. 3:7-11).
“For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God…” 1 Thess 4:16
Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur, October 1, 2008. This is a holy day of the Lord that remains “a statute forever.” Day of Atonement is the day in which the people of Israel are to be judged by God and the sins of the nation of Israel are atoned. The holiest day in the Jewish year (a fast day not a feast day), the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), is spent in fasting, prayer, and confession. This was one gracious day a year given by God that each individual could receive forgiveness. Yeshua has provided our atonement, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…” (Rom. 3:23) and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Him.
Feast of Tabernacles, Sukkoth, Sundown, October 13th through October 21st, 2008. The Feast of Tabernacles is the final and most important holiday of the year. The importance of this festival is indicated by the statement, “This is to be a lasting ordinance.” The divine pronouncement, “I am the Lord your God,” concludes this section on the holidays of the seventh month. The Feast of Tabernacles begins five days after Yom Kippur.
It is a drastic change from one of the most solemn holidays in our year to one of the most joyous. The word Sukkoth means “booths,” and refers to the temporary dwellings that Jews are commanded to live in during this holiday, just as the Jews did in the wilderness. The Feast of Tabernacles lasts for seven days and ends on the twenty-first day (3x7) of the Hebrew month of Tishri, which is Israel’s seventh month.
Feast of Tabernacles is celebrated as outlined in Leviticus 23:33-43. This seven-day harvest festival, during which the Jewish people are told to live in “booths,” or temporary shelters, is a reminder to future generations of how the Israelites had also lived in booths when God delivered them out of Egypt. A number of Christians believe this is the date of Yeshua’s birth when He came to “tabernacle among us.” We should look forward expectantly to the Feast of Tabernacles, just as we look forward to the coming of the Messiah to bring His government, His Kingdom, and His laws (Mic. 4:1).
Our Family in the Congregation
With each edition, we will focus on one of the families in our congregation. This will help you to become more familiar with our family in Yeshua.
Meet the Vendler’s
Troy and Tabitha Vendler, their two children and niece make their home in Wayne County. Troy is a stone mason by trade. Since attending Sar Shalom, Troy has given his life to Yeshua and mikvahed. Tabitha is a homemaker and is pursuing a career in nursing that she will continue after their baby is born. Baby is due in December. She has a great love for Yeshua and reading scripture. In their spare time, they enjoy the outdoors while fishing, hiking and camping.
They have been a great blessing and welcome addition to our spiritual family at Sar Shalom!
Milestones and Key Events at Sar Shalom
On June 15 we were thankful to have Michelle Foss ordained as Rabbi William’s Rebbitzin, or Associate. Michelle has a Bachelor’s degree in Pastoral Ministry, with a minor in Counseling, and she has her Clinical Pastoral Education Counseling Certification. She has been involved in multiple ministries, through her church and in her job working with inner-city youth, since 1985. She now considers Sar Shalom her home congregation, hearing the L-rd tell her “you are home” the first time she attended over 3 years ago.
Not only is Michelle a gifted teacher, she is a talented drummer and part of Sar Shalom’s worship team. Michelle is an integral part of our congregation and we are thankful for her service.
If you have a prayer request and would like to have a dedicated group of prayer warriors lifting your requests to Yeshua, contact Letitia Dubusky at ldubusky@gmail.com or Lori Eggeman at reggeman@neo.rr.com. They will submit your requests to the intercessors.
Mikvah at Pleasant Hill State Park, Sunday, September 7, 2008
Ted Pearce Concert – Tuesday, September 16, 2008, 7:00 PM, at the congregation.
Feast of Trumpets, Rosh Hashanah – Evening Service, Monday, September 29, 2008
Feast of Trumpets, Rosh Hashanah – Noon Luncheon, Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Yom Kippur – Evening service, Thursday, October 9, 2008
Sar Shalom Women’s Retreat – November, 2008
Please check the calendar on the web site for more information and specific times.
Our congregation meets every Saturday (the Hebrew Sabbath) at 10:30 AM. Services include praise and worship time with music, Davidic dance, blessing of children, school for the children and the teachings of rabbi William Hallbrook.
A dinner, Oneg, follows the service as announced. Oneg is a “pot luck” event for a time of fellowship and meeting the family at Sar Shalom. The schedule for the dinners are posted on the calendar of events on the website.
Bible study is available every Tuesday evening at 7:00 PM. This is a time of studying the word with a Hebraic perspective.
Parting Comment ….
“The Feast of Tabernacles reflects the principles of the Sabbath. When our work is truly done, we should mark our rest with a time of worship. By requiring a pilgrimage as part of the celebration, the Feast of Tabernacles highlights a universal principle concerning worship. True worship of God always involves a journey. We must leave the regular routines of life and travel with others to a place set apart for the worship of God. Many today like to believe they have no need to join with other worshipers.
The author of the New Testament book of Hebrews wrote, “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing” (Hebrews10:25) We need to journey to enjoy community; we need to travel to be in fellowship – to rejoice together in the presence of the Lord, God is found in His tabernacle. He is found in the midst of His people. He is found in the place of worship. And so our journey each week to our home congregation is a pilgrimage we undertake to fulfill this principle.” (Christ in the Feast of Tabernacles, David Brickner)
Sar Shalom Messianic Congregation offers just such a place of worship and invites you to make the pilgrimage, to be in the midst of His people in His tabernacle.
