n° 915 Shabbat Shalom Newsletter March 6 2021 Shabbat Parah, 22 Adar, 5781 Ki-Tissa כִּי תִשָּׂא Exodus 30:11-34:35 LET’S PRAY TOGETHER We pray every NEWS week for the Jewish IMPORTANT NOTICE Seder experience virtually with our Jewish friends. Many synagogues organize a community Seder for Friendship Ministry HE AST SSUE OF THIS T L I the people who are alone at home, and for Jews who NEWSLETTER WILL BE PUBLISHED are not practicing and don’t know how to celebrate and their partner. I the Seder. This celebration of the Seder can normally NEXT WEEK be a great opportunity to meet Jews or to invite Jews e inform our readers that Parashat into our home or our building to celebrate the Seder. suggest our friends to Vayakhel-Pikudey, which completes the We are just 3 weeks before Passover, and it is time Wbook of Exodus/Shemot on March 13, to prepare a list of Jewish friends and a card of invi- pray from February will be the last newsletter produced and sent by tation to be ready to invite them to your Seder one the World Jewish Adventist Friendship Center. week before the event. It is not necessary to invite We understand the frustration of our readers, people a long time before your event, because if you 28 through March 6, particularly of the leaders of Jewish Adventist invite them right now, there is a good chance they Congregations, however, 8 years of former issues of might forget and not attend. the newsletter can be found on our website: Thus, we suggest that you invite your Jewish for Mark Hart, who is https://wjafc.globalmissioncenters.org/ friends one week before the event, then try to get Just remember that to have access to the mate- their answer one or two days after giving them the the leader of Jewish rial published on this website you have to register invitation. In normal years, it would be important and get permission to access it. for each leader to know how many people will be We are producing a set of books on the Parashoth, attending. The organization of a Seder is expensive Adventist Friendship Haftaroth and Apostolic Writings, in order to replace since it is the organization of a full meal, including the newsletter. Genesis and Exodus are already the 4 servings of grape juice for each participant—so published, and we are working to publish Leviticus, it is important to know how many people will come. ministry in Baltimore, Numbers and Deuteronomy as soon as possible. Then the day before, call your guests to remind them about the great event of the Seder of Passover. Finding MD. As we know our NEXT JEWISH CELEBRATION transportation for people who do not have their own e know that exactly one month after car is also important. Often, you can arrange a ride Purim comes the feast of Pesach or for them with your members, to be sure that each ministry is not easy, Passover. This feast is the first one on guest will be able to come to the event. This year, the W emphasis is on virtual access and set-up. the religious calendar of Israel, since the month of Nisan is the first month of the year. In fact, the first We would like to remind everyone that it is very especially in this of Nisan is the starting point that fixes the dates of appropriate to organize a Seder in our home or in our all the feasts of the year. congregation. The Seder is a meal where Jews remem- time of pandemic, Pesach is not on the first of Nisan, but on the 15th ber the biblical account of the Exodus, using symbolic of Nisan. The 14th Nisan is called Erev Pesach (eve food and drink to recall these events for everyone of Passover). This year, 2021, Erev Pesach is sched- present. For example, to remember the bitterness of when travels are not uled for Shabbat, March 27, and Sunday March 28 slavery, each person eats a small portion of a bitter will be the first day of the feast. This means that herb. To remember the mortar they had to make, Jews Jews will have two consecutive days of Shabbat. prepare a fruit sauce called Charoset (go to the Internet allowed, that is why For Orthodox Jews, the traditional celebration of for a recipe). Each step in the Seder is symbolic of a Passover on Erev Pesach is divided into two parts: part of the Exodus story. We suggest each leader famil- 1) service at the synagogue, and 2) celebrating the iarize themselves with a Seder booklet (Haggadah) Mark Hart needs Seder at home. While this is true in normal times, before Passover, there they will discover many links to this year many Jews will be limiting their celebra- the Messiah, where the Seder teaches the principles more than ever before tion to their home with their family. of salvation and recalls Yeshua and His ministry on In the Jewish Adventist Friendship ministry, it is earth and in heaven. Thus, it is the role of each leader good to focus on the Seder celebrated at home. This to find ways to link the Seder to Yeshua in a way that is our prayers. year we have an opportunity to share our home respectful to our Jewish friend and his faith. Dutch Edition: Emails: Hubert Paulleta English: [email protected] English Edition: SHABBAT SHALOM Richard-Amram Elofer A weekly Journal of information and training published Dutch: [email protected] German Edition: Portuguese: [email protected] Yaw Heiser by the General Conference— Russian: [email protected] Portuguese Edition: Office of Adventist Mission Carlos Muniz Spanish: [email protected] World Jewish Adventist Friendship Center Russian Edition: Italian: [email protected] Alexandra Obrevko https://wjafc.globalmissioncenters.org Spanish Edition: Claudia Masiero They have been quick to leave the COUNTING OR NOT COUNTING? miracle, as it were, that suddenly trans- arashat Ki-Tissa starts by these way that I ordered them to follow, forms yesterday’s simpleton into today’s words: “Then ADONAI spoke to and they have made themselves a wise and inspired man of God.” PMoses saying, ‘When you tally the cast-metal calf. They have bowed sum [ki-tissa] of Bnei-Yisrael by number- down and offered sacrifice to it, HOliNESS OF SHABBAT ing them, then every man must pay a xodus 31 reminds us of the neces- ransom for his soul to ADONAI when you exclaiming, ‘This, Israel, is your sity of celebrating Shabbat: “Then count them, so that no plague will fall on god, who brought you out of EHASHEM spoke to Moshe saying, them. Everyone among them who crosses © pinterest.com Egypt.’ (Exodus 32:8) ‘Speak now to Bnei Yisrael saying, ‘Surely over must give half a shekel according to you must keep My Shabbatot, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout the Sanctuary shekel (which is 20 gerahs): saying, ‘See, I have called by name Bezalel Rabbah 50:2]. (Rabbi Ari Kahn, “The the son of Uri son of Hur, of the tribe of Architect,” aish.com) your generations, that you may know half a shekel as an offering to ADONAI.” that I am HASHEM who sanctifies you’ ” Judah’ ” (Exodus 31:1-2). Not only does Bezalel was not alone in doing all this (Exodus 30:11–13). This donation of half (Exodus 31:12-13). How is Shabbat a sign work—he was helped by Oholiab: “Also Shekel was used to count the people of Hashem know each person by his name, of the relationship between the Almighty Israel. What was the value of this dona- but He also takes care of His people for the look, I Myself have appointed with him and His people? tion? A gerah is a currency weight of 0.568 sake of His work and kingdom. Hashem Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe Ahad Ha’am, a Hebrew writer, said: grams. If the Shekel is 20 gerah, that means knew Bezalel, and He gave him spiritual of Dan. Within the hearts of all who are “More than the Jewish people have kept a Shekel weighed about 11.36 grams which gifts that enabled him to build, to draw, wise-hearted I have placed skill, so that Shabbat, Shabbat has kept the Jewish peo- is 0.40 oz. Thus, the half-shekel requested and to do all the beautiful artistic work they may make everything that I have ple.” Throughout the ages, Shabbat has by God was 5.68 grams or 0.20 oz. The needed for the Sanctuary: “I have filled commanded you” (Exodus 31:6). These been a focal point for the Jewish families quantity is so small that we understand him with the Spirit of Hashem, with wis- men were craftsmen, and it is interesting and community. Shabbat should be high this offering was not of significant mon- dom, understanding and knowledge in to see the gifts Hashem gave to these men on our list as an investment in the spiritu- al future of our family. etary value and was therefore symbolic. all kinds of craftsmanship, to make inge- through the Ruach HaKodesh: Chochmah The Torah continues: “Therefore you Then the people of Israel understood that (Wisdom), Binah (Intelligence), and Da’at PARASHA FOR THIS WEEK nious designs, to forge with gold, silver, are to keep the Shabbat, because it is holy (Knowledge)—these gifts are spiritual it is forbidden to count God’s people. As we and bronze, as well as cutting stones for for you.