"Please pray for the Peace of Israel"  Psalm 122  [Chapter-5] 

Israel's three kidnapped teens, Naftali Frankel, Gilad Shaar, and Eyal
Yifrach, were found murdered on Monday, June 30.  It is believed they
were killed shortly after being abducted.

Israel Heartbroken as Kidnapped Boys Laid to Rest

"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.  Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging."  (Psalm 46:1–3)

                                                                                                                        

The entire nation of Israel remains brokenhearted and united in grief with the devastated families of the three kidnapped Israeli boys, Naftali Frenkel and Gilad Shaar, both 16, and Eyal Yifrach, 19, whose bodies were found. Eighteen days after the teens were abducted and killed, their bodies were discovered at about 5 p.m., bound and partially buried in an open field less than 20 kilometers (12 miles) from where they had been abducted. Israeli security forces had been conducting extensive searches in the area, which had been sealed off and declared a closed military zone.

The Israel Defense Forces pour over maps as they scour the country searching for
the abducted teens.  Their bodies were found Monday evening not far from Hebron,
which is in Judea and Samaria.

Ahead of a massive, joint funeral for the three murdered youths on Tuesday, Bat-Galim Shaar eulogized her son Gilad on Monday during a ceremony in their hometown of Talmon. “I sit in your room and I can’t accept that our worst nightmare came true,” she said. Ofir Shaar, Gilad’s father, said dejectedly, “I sit in your room, I look at your bar mitzvah photo album, and refuse to digest it.”“God’s ways are mysterious, and I don’t know why you have left us so young,” Avi Frenkel, Naftali’s father, said at his son’s service at Kibbutz Shaalvim.  “But your death has led this entire nation forward, and there is some comfort.”

Israeli President Shimon Peres comforts one of the parents of the
kidnapped teens.

Uri Yifrach spoke to Eyal in eulogy, saying, “You had a special kind of love for any man ...  What else do you need?  You told me many times, 'if someone asks me for something, I can't refuse.’”

He continued, "Your siblings want you near them, for you to come and give them a big hug.  For you to hug mom.  Mom said that you are now right by God's side.  She asked you to whisper to God, ask Him to give her strength, to give all of us strength.  It'll be hard without you.  We need strength." Yifrach said to the murderers, "You are wrongdoers, the nation of Israel promises that your day will come. ... We are humanitarians, we have love and it will triumph.  We will not break.  We will not give up.  We're here, and you can't change that.  We're a strong nation."  (Ynet)

In an outpouring of national grief on Tuesday, tens of thousands of Israelis from all walks of life gathered to bid farewell to the murdered victims of last month’s terrorist abduction.

 They were buried side by side in central Israel in a cemetery that is within a 15 km radius of their homes. Their shroud-draped bodies, covered in Israeli flags, were transported to the cemetery after separate funerals in each boy’s hometown of Talmon, Nof Ayalon, and Elad.

Israeli President Shimon Peres speaks at the massive, joint funeral for
the three Israelis found murdered last week Monday.

"We prayed for a miracle, unfortunately a tragedy occurred," President Shimon Peres said at the ceremony. “Gilad, Naftali, Eyal,” Peres said.  “Wonderful boys, sons of the whole nation.  Rest in peace.  We will bow our heads but our spirit will not break.  Dear families, I know your suffering and I also know how you dealt with [it]; you turned your grief into a source of hope for the whole nation.  May you find comfort in the building of Zion and Jerusalem.  May you know no more grief.  May their memories be blessed for eternity.”  (Jwire) Netanyahu also spoke at the funeral, saying, “In the last 18 days the figures of Eyal, Gilad and Naftali were carved on our hearts.  We were charmed by the magic of their smile, their kindness, their joy of youth.  Today became a day of national mourning,” Netanyahu said. “The moral chasm that separates us from our enemies is deep and wide,” the Prime Minister said.  “They revere death and we life.  They revere cruelty and we, pity.  This is the secret of our strength, it is also the base of our unification.” “Life has its own strength, like a river that drags us forward, and gives us hope,” concluded Netanyahu.  “An entire nation cries and embraces you. … They will be a source of comfort.”

             

Until the end, Israel held hope against hope that the teens would be found, and last week Sunday, less than 24 hours before the bodies were found northwest of the city of Hebron in Judea, as many as 100,000 gathered at Rabin Square in Tel Aviv to dance, sing, pray, and call for the release of the abducted youth. Avi Frenkel had high praise for the event and spoke of the national “unity of fate and a very basic feeling of mutuality.  Many people wanted to come here and we barely have time to see them, we barely have time for ourselves, and it’s an opportunity for us to do something with everybody.”  (Ynet) It is believed that the boys were shot to death close to the time of their kidnapping, perhaps in a panic after Gilad managed to call the police hotline in a desperate plea for help, saying quietly in Hebrew, “I’ve been kidnapped.” The two-minute call that was finally broadcast on Tuesday in Israel was initially considered a prank by police. On the recording, one of his captors can be heard saying in Hebrew, “Head down!”  In Arabic, he orders him to hand over the phone.  After that, there are noises that sound like gunshots and cries of pain.

The kidnappers can also be heard singing.

The parents of the three Israeli teens sit side-by-side during a joint
funeral for their sons in Modiin, not far from their homes.

The Shin Bet (Israeli Internal Security) had found a bullet casing, blood, tefillin (phylacteries), and other forensic evidence in a burnt, abandoned Hyundaiclose to the time of the kidnapping that pointed to the boys’ death, but there was still hope that they might be found alive.  (JPost) Several police officers were dismissed in the wake of a probe that found severe misconduct in the handling of the emergency hotline center on the night three teens were kidnapped. Authorities have named two prime suspects, Marwan Kawasme and Amer Abu Aysha, who are confirmed members of Hamas. The two have been missing from their homes since the kidnapping.  According to the Times of Israel, the land where the boys' bodies were found was recently purchased by the Kawasme family.

Tens of thousands gathered Tuesday for the joint funeral of Eyal, Gilad,
and Naftali. 

Israel Calls for Restraint as Murder of Palestinian Teen Is Investigated

"Do not pollute the land where you are.  Bloodshed pollutes the land … Do not defile the land where you live and where I dwell, for I, the Lord, dwell among the Israelites." (Numbers 35:33–34)

Israeli authorities are working to cool the red hot climate in Israel following the brutal murders of three Jewish teens, Naftali Frenkel and Gilad Shaar, both 16, and Eyal Yifrach, 19, and one Palestinian teen, Muhammad Abu Khdair, 17, whose body was found July 2. Palestinian residents reported seeing Abu Khdair forced into a vehicle outside a supermarket in the Shuafat section of Jerusalem on Wednesday.  His body was found just hours after his abduction in the Jerusalem Forest.  It was charred and showed signs of violence.  Post-mortem reports suggest the lad was burned alive. Just one day before, the Jewish teens had been laid to rest; their deaths brought the nation to its knees in united grief and mourning.

                      

Tens of thousands of Israelis gathered united in grief at the small

cemetery in Modiin last Tuesday to bid farewell to the three yeshiva

(Jewish seminary) students after the boys' bodies were discovered in

a shallow grave the day before.  All Israel had been praying they would be

safely returned to their parents.

Just prior to the funeral held in Modiin for Frenkel, Shaar and Yifrach, anti-Arab mobs railed through the streets of Jerusalem, conflicting with Arabs on sight as well as with the Israeli police force standing guard. When one teenage protester was asked why she was protesting, she answered, “We are very angry and we came here to protest the terrorists.  We don’t want to live in fear and we don’t want war with the Arabs, but we want the terrorists to stop doing this because we are Jewish.  This is our country!”  (JPost) As news of the Palestinian boy's death began to spread among Palestinian neighbourhoods, Palestinian protests broke out and continued to expand. On Friday, before and after the Palestinian youth was laid to rest, violent protest once again erupted in Jerusalem as Palestinians clashed with Israeli police.

The clashes continued overnight in Judea and Samaria (West Bank) and spread to Israeli-Arab towns in northern Israel.  Protesters threw stones, burned tires, and attacked Jewish drivers and torched their cars.

"Please pray for the Peace of Israel"  Psalm 122  [Chapter-4] 

Day of mourning in Israel!

From Mourning to Joy

“But be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create, for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy.”  (Isaiah 65:18)

              

The Talmud (Ta'anis 30b) states that “all who mourn over (the destruction of) Jerusalem merit to see her in her joy.” In other words, all of those who mourn the destruction of the Temple and appreciate the enormity of its loss will share in the joy of seeing it again re-established in all its glory. We know that in the coming Messianic age, the Messiah will reign from the rebuilt Temple in Jerusalem.  Today we wait for the imminent return of the Yeshua HaMashiach (Jesus the Messiah) and the establishment of His Messianic age. The Talmud teaches the Jewish People to have hope because following the future redemption of Israel, for which we pray daily, and the rebuilding of the Temple, to which we look forward with great expectation, the fast days will become days of rejoicing and festive occasions.  The summer will become a joyful time. And although Tammuz 17 is obviously not a fast that God instituted through Moses,Zechariah prophetically mentions it as a day that will be transformed into a day of gladness.

“This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘The fasts of the fourth [Tammuz], fifth, seventh and tenth months will become joyful and glad occasions and happy festivals for Judah.  Therefore love truth and peace.’”  (Zechariah 8:19) God will turn our mourning into dancing and clothe us with joy (Psalm 30:11).  Just as the prophet Zechariah prophesied, the 17th of Tammuz will become a feast day of joy.

Jerusalem from its ancient walls.

During this dire period, as Israel seeks to end the siege against her, we must not be overcome with discouragement or fear due to the troubles we see mounting in Israel and around the world.

Although, this three-week period of serious teshuvah with bombs falling, There is also have a sense of joyful expectation knowing that God hears the prayers for the peace in Israel, and for the Jewish people—that they might find their Messiah—will be answered.For the next three weeks especially, those prophetic watchmen on the walls of Jerusalem, making intercession for Israel and the Jewish People.

"I have posted watchmen on your walls, Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night.  You who call on the Lord, give yourselves no rest, and give Him no rest till He establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth."  (Isaiah 62:6–7)

"Have you not brought this on yourselves by forsaking the LORD your God
when He led you in the way?"  (Jeremiah 2:17)

Do you believe in coincidence?, on the 17th of Tammuz, the Jewish People are remembering a tragic coincidence. On this day in both 586 BC and in AD 70, the walls of Jerusalem were breached by the Babylonians and the Romans respectively. And in yet another remarkable coincidence, the First and Second Temples were destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BC and by the Romans in AD 70 three weeks later on the 9th of Av. In Judaism, the breach of Jerusalem's walls and the subsequent destruction of the Temple are considered no mere coincidence.

These great tragedies were the result of rebellion and idolatry. "And in that day I will become angry with them and forsake them....  Many disasters and calamities will come on them, and in that day they will ask, ‘Have not these disasters come on us because our God is not with us?’  And I will certainly hide my face in that day because of all their wickedness in turning to other gods."  (Deuteronomy 31:16-18)

The current walls that surround Jerusalem where built between AD 1535 
and 1538 during the Ottoman Empire.  Around 1000 BC, David and Solomon
extended the original walls that were built by the Jebusites.  Ezra and
Nehemiah rebuilt the walls destroyed by the Babylonians.

Observant Jews are fasting until nightfall in order to mourn the breach of Jerusalem's walls. Also begins a three-week period of teshuvah (repentance) called Bein ha-Metzarim (Between the Straits) or The Three Weeks.  During this period, Orthodox Jews will limit celebrations—not carrying out marriages and avoiding other expressions of joy, such as playing musical instruments and reciting songs of praise.  Although this is a time of mourning, it is also a time of hope since Zechariah prophesied that the 17th of Tammuz would be transformed into a day of joy. "The fasts of the fourth, fifth, seventh and tenth months will become joyful and glad occasions and happy festivals for Judah.  Therefore love truth and peace."  (Zechariah 8:19)

An Jewish man prays at the Western (Wailing)
Wall, the last remnant of the Holy Temple.

The 17th of Tammuz, therefore, is a minor fast that carries the hope of a major promise: Throughout The Three Weeks, the Jewish People look forward tothe coming Third Temple and the Messianic Era when the Sar Shalom(Prince of Peace) will reign in Jerusalem. However, about 99.9% of God's Chosen Jewish People here in Israel do not yet recognize that Yeshua (Jesus) has fulfilled the Messianic prophecies regarding the suffering Messiah (His first coming).  They also do not know, therefore, that He will be returning to rule in Jerusalem as King Messiah.  "I have placed My chosen king on the throne in Jerusalem, on My holy mountain."  (Psalm 2:6)

This 17th of Tammuz, please partner with our ministry here in Jerusalem to share the Good News of Yeshua, who is the Lord of Lords and King of Kings, with Jewish people everywhere.
Time is short.  He is coming soon!

"Please pray for the Peace of Israel"  Psalm 122  [Chapter-3]

While summer weddings are popular in many parts of the world,
traditionally in Judaism, weddings do not take place over the next
three weeks.

Observing Bein HaMetzarim: Between the Straits

“Judah is gone into captivity because of affliction, and because of great servitude: she dwells among the heathen, she finds no rest: all her persecutors overtook her between the straits.”  (Lamentations 1:3)

The three-week period of mourning observances the intensity and culminate on the Ninth of Av (Tisha B’Av), which coincides this year withAugust 5. Such observances include no Jewish weddings or major celebrations. Some abstain from cutting their hair or shaving while others refrain from attending concerts or even listening to music. In Ashkenazi Jewish tradition, the last nine days of the three weeks are especially intense. Many do not eat poultry, red meat or wine, and they refrain from the luxury of wearing freshly laundered clothing and taking warm baths.  Although Sephardi Jews also observe many of these customs, they do so beginning the Sunday before Tisha B’Av.  If the 9th of Av falls on Sunday, however, these customs are dispensed with.

As during the period of the counting of the Omer, the Three Weeks is a time for considering our thoughts and actions.  It is a season of teshuvah (returning to God, repentance) and salvation. While some may wonder the purpose of such days of fasting on the Jewish calendar, Rabbi Eliyahu Kitov explains that they are designed “to awaken hearts towards repentance through recalling our forefathers' misdeeds; misdeeds which led to calamities.”  (Book of Our Heritage) Indeed, as the breach of the wall in Jerusalem is remembered, it is a good time for all Believers not only to stand with Israel, but also to take stock of their lives. Sin can cause a breach or gap in the protective wall surrounding us.  Through that breach, the enemy (Satan) can enter in and wreak havoc in our lives or the lives of those we are responsible for. As we take stock, we should repent and seek God’s never-ending grace for our shortfalls. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”  (1 John 1:9)

The Search for God During the Three Weeks

            

There is a Hassidic (branch of Orthodox Judaism) parable (mashal) that relates to this three-week period of mourning.

A story is told of the grandson of Rabbi Baruch of Medziboz who was playing hide and seek with another child.  After hiding and waiting a long time for his friend to find him, he popped out of his hiding spot only to discover that his friend was not looking for him. The boy ran to his grandfather.  With tears rolling down his face, he explained that his friend had stopped looking for him. In response, the rabbi said, “Indeed.  That is exactly what the Almighty Himself says: ‘I hide myself but nobody wants to look for Me.’”  (Rabbi Aryeh Hendler)

 Although every child enjoys hiding, he still wants to be searched for, and Rabbi Baruch wisely pointed out that God hides Himself because of our sins.  Nevertheless, He wants us to seek Him out and to really desire to find Him. Sadly, like the child’s young friend, we too often fail to respond to the challenge to find Him.  But His promise remains that we will find Him when we search for Him wholeheartedly. “You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.”  (Jeremiah 29:13)

Children play a game of hide and seek.

This three-week period of mourning is an opportune time to seek God with all heart.

The 17th of Tammuz and these next three weeks remind that there have been times when God’s face has been hidden because His people strayed so far that they found themselves beyond the bounds of His protective covering. “And in that day I will become angry with them and forsake them; I will hide My face from them, and they will be destroyed.  Many disasters and calamities will come on them, and in that day they will ask, 'Have not these disasters come on us because our God is not with us?'”  (Deuteronomy 31:17) As we Christians, let us examine our ways and look for possible breaches in the walls that surround our soul in order that we through teshuvah and redemption might repair them and renew our relationship with our Father in Heaven.Let us also pray that not only those who know Him will use this time to renew their relationship with their Creator, but also that all of Israel will sincerely seek Him and find Him. 

Men pray at the Western (Wailing) Wall in Jerusalem.

                                

"Please pray for the Peace of Israel"  Psalm 122  [Chapter-2]

Moses Destroys the Tablets of the Ten
Commandments, by James Tissot

Defying Coincidence

The 17th of Tammuz is a day of ominous coincidences.

As people remember the breach of the wall, this is not the only tragedy that happened on this day.  Throughout history, a host of others occurred, as well.  The Mishnah (book of rabbinic teachings) records five in all.

The first tragedy happened in the days of the Israelites after the Exodus.  When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the Tablets of the Law (Ten Commandments) and saw the Israelites worshiping the Golden Calf, he smashed the tablets.To understand the timing for this, it is helpful to know that Tammuz 17 occurs 40 days after the Jewish holiday of Shavuot (Pentecost).  On Shavuot, Moses ascended Mount Sinai where he remained for 40 days.On the 16th of Tammuz, thinking that Moses would not return, the Israelites constructed the Golden Calf.  The next day, the 17th, when Moses descended, he saw that they were violating the laws God had given and he destroyed the tablets.

Another tragedy occurred during the First Temple Era.  The daily Temple sacrifices were cut off on Tammuz 17 (Taanit 28b) because the city was under siege by the Babylonians, and it was no longer possible to attain the necessary animals for the sacrifices. A year later to that very day, Nebuchadnezzar and his invading army breached the walls of Jerusalem  (2 Kings 25:2–7).  (Although Jeremiah 39:2 and 52:6–7 seem to indicate that this breach happened on the 9th of Tammuz, the Jerusalem Talmud [Tannit 4:5] states that it took place on the 17th and that the timing given in Jeremiah was distorted due to the distress of the times.) Three weeks later, the First Temple was destroyed on Tisha B'av. The Mishnah states that during the Second Temple Era, Titus’ armies also breached the walls on Tammuz 17, and three weeks later, they destroyed the Second Temple on Tisha B’Av in AD 70. The breach of the walls of Jerusalem and the destruction of the First and Second Temples on these same dates, so many years apart, defies coincidence. It speaks of the hand of God and judgment, and that is why the summer is such a time of mourning and repentance. But there is yet more that has happened on these days.

Ancient walls in Jerusalem.

It was also on this date that the Jewish King Manasseh had an idol placed in the Holy Temple (2 Kings 21:7). As well, a Greek oppressor named Apustemus burned the Torah on this day during the time of Antiochus Epiphanies.

Five events in more recent times that also occurred on the 17th of Tammuz include the following:

1.     1239 – Pope Gregory the IX ordered the confiscations of all copies of the Talmud.

2.     1391 – 4,000 Jews were killed in Toledo and Jaen, Spain.

3.     1559 – The Jewish quarter of Prague were burned and looted.

4.     1944 – The entire population of the Kovno ghetto was liquidated.

5.     1970 – Libya ordered the confiscation of all Jewish property.

Civilians looking at the massacre of 68 Jews in the Lietukis garage of
Kovno in Lithuania on June 25 or 27, 1941.