So what's this site all about?

This blog site is my story or walk for the last 10 years, being led like many for some unknown reason to some very deep seated truths regarding The WORD, which has been hidden for centuries, until now that is.

To get the full story, please start with "In The Beginning". You can quickly navigate using Postings By Order on the left, or at bottom by clicking on Newer and Older Posts. You may very well identify with what's written here, and I hope it blesses you.

I also want to share with you the reason for naming this blog "And Now Thus Said Yahweh". It's due to my searching one day for a name to start this blog, and I felt led to simply let the Scriptures fall open to a page, and my finger fall on a verse. When I looked down it was verse 36 stating Yahweh speaking, which we know when He speaks, all of creation happens. In the following verses He says what is going to happen in our future, that He will bring back His people out of all the lands where we've been scattered and bring us back to "the land", Yisra'el. This is the reason why I'm sharing my witness to you, so you understand what's coming some day.

Yirmeyahu (Jeremiah) 32:36-41 The Scriptures '98 (36) "And now, thus said Yahweh, the Elohim of Yisra'ĕl, concerning this city of which you say, 'It shall be given into the hand of the sovereign of Babel by the sword, and by scarcity of food, and by pestilence': (37) 'See, I am gathering them out of all the lands where I have driven them in My displeasure, and in My wrath, and in great rage. And I shall bring them back to this place, and shall let them dwell in safety. (38) 'And they shall be My people, and I shall be their Elohim. (39) 'And I shall give them one heart and one way, to fear Me all the days, for the good of them and of their children after them. (40) 'And I shall make an everlasting covenant with them, that I do not turn back from doing good to them. And I shall put My fear in their hearts so as not to turn aside from Me. (41) 'And I shall rejoice over them to do good to them, and shall plant them in this land in truth, with all My heart and with all My being.'

Crossing Over From Mitsrayim

Crossing Over From Mitsrayim
Yam Suph - Sea of Reeds

Monday, November 12, 2007

Know The End From The Beginning

Isaiah 46:9-10 The Scriptures '98 “Remember the former events of old, for I am El, and there is no one else – Elohim, and there is no one like Me, (10) declaring the end from the beginning, and from of old that which has not yet been done, saying, ‘My counsel does stand, and all My delight I do,’


Throughout many generations people have been claiming that the end is near. Now each day that goes by does make it that much closer, however, when will be the signs of this time, what are the "End Times" called in the Scriptures, and what will occur, and where, and to whom, and are there things surfacing in that day that haven't before?

In order to understand what I'm addressing here, it's important for you to understand the terms in which I'm using:


My Terms - Previously Called

Yahweh - the LORD,the L-rd

Yahshua The Messiah - Jesus Christ

(Yahshua HaMoshiach)

El or Elohim - God, G-d, GOD

Master - Lord

Scripture - Bible

TaNaK - Old Testament

Renewed Covenant - New Testament


The next thing I want to point out is origin. Finding out where something comes from allows us to go back and check the validity of what we're relying on. In this case I'm referring to Scripture. So I rely on getting information from the Hebrew for the TaNaK, and for the Renewed Covenant I use a couple of sources such as ISR's "The Scriptures", and the Peshitta (Aramaic version of the Renewed Covenant) and other sources, such as Eddie Chumney's book: "RESTORING THE TWO HOUSES OF ISRAEL" (RTTHOI).


At times I do take the liberty in changing some words to reflect the original words or names, and so please understand as in the following paragraphs taken from Eddie Chumney's book, I have made some slight changes. I believe in not having to re-invent the wheel, but also in giving credit where it's due.

"The Day of Yahweh" is the end times and the beginning of the Messianic Age:

"The day of Yahweh is a major theme in Scripture especially in the writings of the prophets. The subject of the day of Yahweh in the writings of the prophets mostly concerns the advent of the coming of the Messiah (HaMashiach), the judgment of the nations, the tribulation period (Chevlai shel Mashiach/Ya’acov’s trouble) and the Messianic age (Athid Lavo). Because the Sabbath (Shabbat) is called the day of Yahweh (Isaiah [Yeshayahu] 58:13-14), it is therefore a foreshadowing of the Messianic Age (Athid Lavo)." (RTTHOI)

What Are The "End Times" Called In The Scriptures?


"There are many titles for "The day of Yahweh". Some of these titles will indicate a time of trial, trouble, tribulation and darkness (EVENING = a time of darkness) while other titles will indicate a time of peace and tranquility (MORNING = a time of light)." (RTTHOI)


"In That Day" is a Hebrew idiom for "The Day of Yahweh"

"The day of Yahweh is often referred to in the writings of the prophets with the shortened code form of "in that day." Actually, in that day is a Hebrew idiom for the day of Yahweh. In fact, a major subject and theme of the book of Isaiah (Yeshayahu) are the events that will be taking place during the time period known as the day of Yahweh. In his writings, the prophet Isaiah (Yeshayahu) most often uses the term "in that day" to refer to the day of Yahweh. The term "in that day" can be found in the following verses (Isaiah [Yeshayahu] 2:11, 17, 20, 3:7, 18, 4:1-2, 5:30, 7:18, 21, 23, 10:20, 27, 11:10-11, 16, 12:1, 4, 17:4, 9, 19:16, 18-19, 21, 23-24, 20:6, 22:8, 12, 20, 25, 23:15, 24:21, 25:9, 26:1, 27:1-2, 12-13, 28:5, 29:18, 30:23, 25-26, 31:7, 52:6)." (RTTHOI)


"At That Time" is a Hebrew idiom for "The Day of Yahweh"

"There is another Hebrew idiom which refers to the day of Yahweh. The phrase "at that time" is another code word (Hebrew idiom) for the day of Yahweh. The term, "at that time" can be found in the following verses (Isaiah [Yeshayahu] 18:7, Jeremiah [Yirmeyahu] 3:17, 4:11, 8:1, 31:1, 50:4, 20, Daniel 12:1, Joel (Yo’el) 3:1, Zephaniah 1:12, 3:20)." (RTTHOI)


You may recognize this verse:

Revelation 1:10 I came to be in the Spirit on the Day of Yahweh, and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet,


It's been preached that this refers to Sunday, but in fact it doesn't, this refers to the end times. On first pass I found 29 verses stating this phrase "The Day of Yahweh":

Isaiah 2:12; Isaiah 13:6; Isaiah 13:9; Isaiah 34:8; Jeremiah 46:10; Lamentations 2:22; Ezekiel 13:5; Ezekiel 30:3; Joel 1:15; Joel 2:1; Joel 2:11; Joel 2:31; Joel 3:14; Amos 5:18; Amos 5:20; Obadiah 1:15; Zephaniah 1:7; Zephaniah 1:8; Zephaniah 1:14; Zephaniah 1:18; Zephaniah 2:2; Zephaniah 2:3; Zechariah 14:1; Malachi 4:5; Acts 2:20; 1 Corinthians 5:5; 2 Corinthians 1:14; 1 Thessalonians 5:2; 2 Peter 3:10


There are many more verses yet that refer to this stated in other ways, I will list a few verses here, but these references are by no means exhaustive:


1. The day of visitation (Isaiah 10:3) “What shall you do in the day of visitation, and in the ruin which comes from afar? To whom would you run for help? And where would you leave your wealth?


2. The wrath of Yahweh of hosts (Isaiah 13:13) “So I shall make the heavens tremble, and the earth shall shake from her place, in the wrath of Yahweh of hosts and in the day of the heat of His displeasure.


3. The day of grief and incurable pain (Isaiah 17:11) by day make your plant to grow, and in the morning make your seed to flourish – but the harvest is a heap in the day of grief and incurable pain.


4. The day of trouble or evil (Isaiah 22:5) For it is a day of uproar and treading down and perplexity by the Master Yahweh of hosts in the Valley of Vision – breaking down of a wall and of crying to the mountain.; (Jeremiah 51:2) And I shall send winnowers to Babel, who shall winnow her and empty her land. For they shall be against her all around, in the day of evil.


5. "The Great Day of Yahweh" and "The Day of Yahweh": (Zephaniah 1:14-15) Near is the great day of Yahweh, near and hurrying greatly, the noise of the day of Yahweh. Let the mighty man then bitterly cry out! (15) That day is a day of wrath, a day of distress and trouble, a day of waste and ruin, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness,


There are so many verses regarding "The Day of Yahweh" and most of them are found throughout the TaNaK. With all these prophecies which are yet to be fulfilled, how can anyone say that the TaNaK, (Old Testament) has been done away with? That everything in it has been fulfilled, that we are no more under the "law", and so forth. Frankly it doesn't take long to find out that this is ludicrous thinking and teaching.


I firmly believe each person who gives a darn about where they're going to spend eternity should check things out for themselves, and not just believe the party line that's been preached and rewritten wrongly either by mistake or sometimes on purpose for nearly the last 2 millennia. The first thing that I believe one needs to do is to set into your heart this one thing: Be a person who seeks the truth, and lives that truth no matter what the cost. To do less is to believe a lie and to live in delusion.


2nd Thessalonians 2:10-12 The Scriptures '98 (10) and with all deceit of unrighteousness in those perishing, because they did not receive the love of the truth, in order for them to be saved. (11) And for this reason Elohim sends them a working of delusion, for them to believe the falsehood, (12) in order that all should be judged who did not believe the truth, but have delighted in the unrighteousness.


This time is rapidly approaching, and even at our very door step now. There's so much to learn and so little time. You may identify with this blog site, as I've written about my last ten years when I first started questioning the validity of what was taught for so long. I could all of a sudden see the conflicts, but didn't know where to turn.


(International Sign of Confusion) I later found out many people across the world during this same time had the same thing happen to them! And then I found out why!


Whoa, man if you only knew! It's huge!!! It'll knock your socks off when you find out!!! And it's all there in Scripture waiting for you. It's been prophesied in the book of Daniel about the time of the end:


Daniel 12:4 The Scriptures '98 (4) “But you, Dani’el, hide the words, and seal the book until the time of the end. Many shall diligently search and knowledge shall increase.”


I give plenty of references and resources for you to do your own homework on these pages, so please come and spend some more time, and I promise you won't be disappointed. I suggest starting off with the beginning page and working up from there, as you'll most likely quickly identify what took me so long to go through. In The Beginning


People from 38 countries so far seem to be identifying with these pages I've written, and I hope you will too. It's time to find out what really happened, is really happening, and what's going to happen.

There's a joke I've told for many years, but it seems to be sadly true, and it goes something like this:


"There are 3 types of people in the world, 1) Those that make things happen, 2) Those that watch things happen, and 3) those that say................what happened?


Which one do I want to be? The first, and I hope you do too.


I hope this page has shed some light on establishing "that day" for you. Please again do your own homework and prove these things out. Next I'll be sharing what does "Know the End from the Beginning" hold for us.


May Yahweh Bless You and Guard You,

Yahochanan

Saturday, August 18, 2007

Time To Shake Your Tree

So sorry that it's taken this long to post anything. I've been quite busy these last couple of months, and time has simply slipped by.

Now in my last posting I had stated that I would cover something regarding a title, or more accurately a name. Well there's no sense in reinventing the wheel, so I've copied the article "What Did Leah Really Say?" here for you to read, as I believe it has some very fundamental Scriptural prinicples in it. You should really be aware of these, and to consider applying them to your life.

I will comment at the end of the article in a separate color as shown here, so without further ado:
I have been asked why I do not use the word God and instead use the word Elohim. I will attempt to convey as best as possible the answer to this question. However, this “study” is not for the causal reader but for the ones who are truly seeking to know truth. If you’ve read my articles on the Names of Yahweh and Yahshua you will remember that our Heavenly Father has a personal name. A Name that He has not only given us but has commanded us to call Him and to remember forever.
So if He has a personal Name, why would we continue to call Him by a title? Is the word “God” a title or a name? This “title”, “God”, has been known as His name for many years. But if it isn’t His Name, then whose name is it?
We can find the answer from Leah, one of Jacob’s wives. Let’s look at Genesis 39:11 in 3 versions of Scripture, Hebrew, King James with the numbers from Strong’s Concordance, and Institute for Scripture Research.

Gen 30:11 ותאמר לאה בגד ותקרא את־שׁמו גד׃ (Hebrew)

Gen 30:11 And Leah3812 said,559 A troop cometh:1413 and she called7121 (853) his name8034 Gad.1410 (KJV)

Gen 30:11 And Le’ah said, “With Gad_!” So she called his name Gad_. (ISR)

What exactly was Leah saying? Did she say “a troop cometh”? Or did she say “with Gad”? Looking at the Hebrew and using Strong’s concordance let’s see what we can find. Strong uses the number 1413 and 1410 when quoting and describing what Leah said. Let’s see the definition for these numbers based on Strong’s. Strong’s lists the number, then the Hebrew letters, then the pronunciation, and then his definition. So first let’s look at H1413 and then H1410.
H1413 גּדד ga^dad , gaw-dad'A primitive root (compare H1461); to crowd; also to gash (as if by pressing into): - assemble (selves by troops), gather (selves together, self in troops), cut selves.
H1410 גּד ga^d, gawdFrom H1464; Gad, a son of Jacob, including his tribe and its territory; also a prophet: - Gad.
1. The first thing to notice is that the Hebrew letters are not the same for the two words.
2. Secondly, we notice the pronunciation of the name, gawd or god.
3. Thirdly we should notice that the number 1410 is not a definition of the word but it describes who this person was.

So where is the definition of the word? What does the word mean?
Why are there two different numbers for what she said? Is it really saying “god”?
Now I use Strong’s rather frequently when trying to see what is said in Scripture, but I have found that Mr. Strong was human. Occasionally he makes a mistake. Let’s look at the Hebrew letters above in the verse from Gen. 30:11. For those who can’t really read Hebrew we will just have to look for two groups of letters that look similar.

Here are the two groups of letters for what Leah said about her son. Now notice something very interesting. Remember Hebrew is read from right to left. So the first group of letters are Dalet-Gimmel dg and the second group of letters are different they are Dalet-Gimmel-Bet dgb. In 1413, the first set of Hebrew letters that Strong uses, he uses letters that are different than what is written in the Hebrew. He uses Dalet-Dalet-Gimmel- ddg גּדד . This is not what it says in the original Hebrew, therefore the number he assigns to the first group of letters cannot be 1413, so the definition “troop” would be incorrect. So what number should be assigned?

Let’s look at the second group of letters. The number assigned is 1410, which as I’ve stated is not a definition, but describing who the person became. So what is the definition, or meaning of the word? Let’s look at Strong’s number 1408 and even 1409.

H1408 גּד gad, gadA variation of H1409; Fortune, a Babylonian deity:
H1409 גּד ga^d, gawdFrom H1464 (in the sense of distributing); fortune:

The Hebrew letters are written the same as what was written in our verse above. Why did Mr. Strong not use 1408 or 1409 instead of 1410 or 1413? You can ponder that for a moment.
Now let’s look at Isaiah 65:11

Isa 65:11 But ye859 are they that forsake5800 the LORD,3068 that forget7913 (853) my holy6944 mountain,2022 that prepare6186 a table7979 for that troop,1408 and that furnish4390 the drink offering4469 unto that number.4507 (KJV)

Isa 65:11 "But as for you who forsake the LORD and forget my holy mountain, who spread a table for Fortune and fill bowls of mixed wine for Destiny, (NIV)

Isa 65:11 “But you are those who forsake יהוה, who forget My set-apart mountain, who prepare a table for Gad, and who fill a drink offering for Meni. (ISR)

In the KJV it states that they prepare a table for that “troop” and yet Strong gives it the number 1408. The NIV uses the word “Fortune” based on the 1408 number. Then ISR takes it a step further and uses the Hebrew word or name of Gad. It is clear that the Isaiah 65 verse is talking about the name of a pagan deity named Gad as well as the deity Meni who was the deity of destiny. Isaiah was not talking about a troop or a number. It doesn’t even make sense reading the context of the verse.

Therefore based on the Hebrew letters and the definition of the words, Mr. Strong should have used his number 1408 for the name of Leah’s son instead of 1410. So if Gad in Isaiah 65 is the same as Gad, Leah’s son, just what was she really saying? What Leah was saying was that the deity of Fortune,Remember Jacob’s wives were not necessarily followers or believers of Yahweh as their Elohim or as the only Elohim. Rachel, Leah’s sister, took the idols from their father Laben’s house before they left. Leah and Rachel were no strangers to pagan deities and would not blink an eye to naming their children after one of them.

Gen 31:19 And when Laban had gone to shear his sheep, Raḥel stole the house idols that were her father’s.

Gen 31:34 Now Raḥel had taken the house idols and put them in the camel’s saddle, and sat on them. And Laban searched all about the tent but did not find them.

Gad “God” was and is the name of the mighty one of fortune. We know that as believers in Yahweh we should not be seeking the mighty one of fortune but that Yahweh is our treasure and He will supply our needs. It’s kind of ironic isn’t it that our money states, “In God we trust” Is it in Yahweh we trust or in Fortune?

Apart from Gad, the son of Jacob, Yaacob, there was another “Gad.” The astrologers of Babel called Jupiter (Zeus) by the name “Gad.” He was also well known among the Canaanites (the Kenaanites) where his name was often coupled with Baal, Baal Gad, which according to the Massoretic vowel pointing in the Book of Yehoshua is pronounced: Baal God, or Lord God. This same name is discovered in the ancient Germanic languages as Gott, Goda, Gode, God, Gud, Gade. And searching further back into its Indo-Germanic (Indo-European) roots, we find that it traces back to the word GHODH, which means “union,” even “sexual union”.

I do not call Yahweh my Father, “God” because that is how the name of the pagan deity Gad’s name is pronounced. So if I say God help me, it is the same as saying Gad help me, in pronunciation. I find it better to use the Name of the One True Elohim, the Name He gave us to call Him, Yahweh. I find no reason to give Him a substitute name or title. So I hope that answers the question as to why I use Elohim. Inevitably, someone will say, “Well, I don’t speak Hebrew”. To which I answer, “Do you speak Greek? Babylonian? German? French? Then why use their words but balk at using Hebrew?” If you have ever uttered the word Halleluyah or Immanuel then you are speaking Hebrew. So using another Hebrew word isn’t such a stretch. I realize that habits are hard to break, but consider the following verse:

Exo 23:13 “And in all that I have said to you take heed. And make no mention of the name of other mighty ones, let it not be heard from your mouth.

On this road we travel to walk as righteously as we can, doing what we can to please our Father and Savior, I encourage you to pray about it and see what He speaks to your heart concerning what His Name is and what is pleasing to Him. This choice is yours for the making, I’m only answering the question why I don’t use it. This is between you and Yahweh. Yahweh Bless you!

 Now if you caught what ended up happening in Isaiah 65:11, is that the proper names of the pagan mighty ones were taken out, and replaced with words that aren't names. Then that very name of a pagan mighty one which comes out of Babylon is then used by the translators to replace El, or Elohim throughout Scripture. This bit of trickery then gets us to read and say this name, which is a direct violation of Exodus 23:13. and they cause us to use this name to refer to Yahweh with!
When I found this out, I was upset to the point that I felt violated, and that they (whoever they is) would dare to refer to Yahweh in this manner, especially since they knew what they were doing in the first place! There's no denying the "lie" here.
When pointing this particular issue out, people will often say, "well I don't speak Hebrew". And my response to that is, yes you do, and you don't even know it. Here's but a few words that are borrowed from the Hebrew language:
Abacus, cider, cinnamon, coral, elephant, gopher, halleluYah, jockey, jot,...
And the list goes on and on. This is no excuse for something so dastardly to have ever occured in the first place. While I'm not going to get into it here today, the term "the LORD" is yet another violation of Scripture, replacing Yahweh's Name with another pagan name. You can find out more on your own by reading "Come Out of Her My People", searching the internet, etc., to come to your own conlusions.
You know in the book of Dani'el there's a verse that speaks of the times we're living in:

Daniel 12:4 "But you, Dani’ĕl, hide the words, and seal the book until the time of the end. Many shall diligently search and knowledge shall increase."

Our knowledge of Scripture is growing exponentially in these days. This is something that's never occurred until now. We're at 11:59 "the time of the end" is drawing ever so near. I strongly encourage you to seek His Truth above all else.
May Yahweh Bless You And Guard You,
Yahochanan

Thursday, May 24, 2007

The Sh'ma

Wow, has time flown or what! Sorry to have kept you waiting so long for my next posting, but I've been very busy as of late. I know you've been anxiously awaiting the answer to the question, What is "The Sh'ma"? First off, it's simply pronounced Shema. Let's gain an understanding of the word "Sh'ma". In the Modern Hebrew alephbet as it's spelled Shin-Mem-Ayin as shown below, reading it from right to left.




Ayin-Mem-Shin

Now in the Brown-Driver-Briggs' Hebrew Concordance under Strong's number 8085, it has this to say about the meaning of this word:

1) to hear, listen to, obey (verb)
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to hear (perceive by ear)
1a2) to hear of or concerning
1a3) to hear (have power to hear)
1a4) to hear with attention or interest, listen to
1a5) to understand (language)
1a6) to hear (of judicial cases)
1a7) to listen, give heed
1a7a) to consent, agree
1a7b) to grant request
1a8) to listen to, yield to
1a9) to obey, be obedient
1b) (Niphal)
1b1) to be heard (of voice or sound)
1b2) to be heard of
1b3) to be regarded, be obeyed
1c) (Piel) to cause to hear, call to hear, summon
1d) (Hiphil)
1d1) to cause to hear, tell, proclaim, utter a sound
1d2) to sound aloud (musical term)
1d3) to make proclamation, summon
1d4) to cause to be heard
2) sound (noun masculine)


That's quite a list aye! That "aye" is meant for our dear Canadian friends.

Okay, so when folks refer to "The Sh'ma", the meaning taken is to "Hear" and "Obey". The meaning gets lost in the translation doesn't it. Now what we've been taught through xtianity is that we just have to "Hear" and therefore just "believe". This is the Greek way of thinking. But Yahweh didn't raise up a people to Himself and call them Greek'el, did He! No, He gave the name Yisra'el, and that's who we are to join if we want to worship Him in Spirit and in Truth. What we've been misled is that we don't have to "Obey" and therefore "do". "Do" what you say? That's a great question! We're to do His Mitsvot, His commands, His Written Torah! This is referring to a particular place in Scripture:

Debarim (Deuteronomy) 6:4-9 "Hear, O Yisra'ĕl: hwhy our Elohim, hwhy is one! Blessed is the name of HIS esteemed Kingdom, for all eternity!

Part of The Sh'ma is verse 4, and then added to that as part of the liturgy is what's italicized. The word "one" in this context means "unity". There's more that follows like verses 5-9, known as the V'ahavta, which means "You Shall Love":

Debarim 6:5-9 "And you shall love hwhy your Elohim with all your heart, and with all your being, and with all your might. (6) "And these Words which I am commanding you today shall be in your heart, (7) and you shall impress them upon your children, and shall speak of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise up, (8) and shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. (9) "And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
And who do we Love? Yahweh, and His Word, and who's His Word, Yahoshua HaMoshiach! Which is represented by His Written Torah that He gave us by speaking it and having Moshe (Moses) write it!

Shemoth (Exodus) 24:4 And Mosheh wrote down all the Words of hwhy, and rose up early in the morning, and built an altar at the foot of the mountain, and twelve standing columns for the twelve tribes of Yisra'ĕl.
Now the reason I'm showing your Shemoth (Exodus) 24:4, is that many people have gotten the idea that Yisra'el passed the Torah down orally for many generations. This simply isn't true! This is again stated in Debarim (Deuteronomy) 31:9. You can look this one up.
Alright, back to Debarim 6:5-9 Yahweh tells us to hear and obey, to love Him, to guard and do His Word. To teach our kids, and continually speak of His Word throughout our day, from when we get up, till we end our day by going to sleep. Thinking and doing His Word, along with writing them on our door frames and gates.
Now The Sh'ma along with the V'ahavta are but two of the liturgies in a congregation we once belonged to, where we freely did as part of our worship unto Yahweh. I was blessed to be able to lead the congregation each Shabbat in these and other liturgies as a Cantor or Chazzan (Hebrew). Over a year ago, I just felt Yahweh had put it on my heart to come up with another tune as an alternative to how we do "The Sh'ma". I was told when becoming a Cantor, that I had the liberty to do this if I felt so led. The problem was, I wasn't a song writer, and so we continued to do it the same way, but in the back of my mind was this urge for another tune.

Then some months later on a Shabbat, as my wife and I are driving to where our congregation was meeting, it hit me in an instant! It had to be from Yahweh! I envisioned a shofar, and singing The Sh'ma somewhat like the notes from the shofar! I then started to sing it in this fashion in the van, and it was all there! I felt that this was somehow a proclamation to all of the 12 tribes of Yisra'el that have been disbursed throughout the world. I have to admit while writing this posting, and I went to get the definitions for Sh'ma, I saw: 1d1) to cause to hear, tell, proclaim, utter a sound 1d2) to sound aloud (musical term) 1d3) to make proclamation, summon. It brought me great joy and it was a confirmation to me by the Ruach HaKodesh (Set-Apart Spirit of Yahweh, or Holy Spirit) as to why I was given this.
I now call this Shofar Sh'ma. When we recite this, someone from our congregation will blow the Shofar with the first note short and the second note long, and then we all start. I've recorded it here for you to listen to.

The Shofar Sh'ma:







Now I have to tell you when I first started leading our congregation in doing it this way, that there were a few holdouts, as they preferred to do it the traditional way. After hearing that, I was somewhat discouraged, so I only led the Shofar Sh'ma on occasion. A few months later a wife of an elder came up to me and said that this new way had been ministering to her day and night for a couple weeks, and had been constantly on her mind. Also her sister shared that another meaning of the word "Shofar" is that it's our voices! I was encouraged by what these dear sisters shared.

I had this sudden drive to write about the Sh'ma while writing my last posting. While The Sh'ma posting, and finding out the definition for Sh'ma, along with everything else that occurred, I decided to share this story briefly at our weekly Torah study. Afterward, an elder suggested that I share this with our congregation. So I put together a PowerPoint presentation explaining the chain of events. I pointed out that I firmly believe this was the leading of Yahweh, and that this was given to me to share! He's given us something for us to proclaim to all of Yisra'el with!

Finally I told everyone to "See The Sound in your mind's eye, by Proclaiming the Sh'ma Through Your Shofar, Your Voice to the Twelve Tribes of Yisra'el! HalleluYAH!

One final thought and that is this, did you know our Savior Yahshua HaMoshiach said the Sh'ma as well?! Yes indeed, and it's recorded in Scripture! He also said a portion of the V'ahavta, and the summation of the 10 Commandments too! It's found in Mark:

Mark 12:28-31 And one of the scribes coming near, hearing them reasoning together, knowing that He had answered them well, asked Him, "Which is the first command of all?"

And Yahshua answered him, "The first of all the commands is, 'Hear, O Yisra'el, Yahweh our Elohim, Yahweh is one. 'And you shall love Yahweh your Elohim with all your heart, and with all your being, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.' This is the first command. "And the second, like it, is this, 'You shall love your neighbour as yourself.' There is no other command greater than these."
This is also part of the liturgies that we like to recite too. I hope you will begin to take the Sh'ma to heart, and proclaim this not by rote, but vocally from your heart to the 12 Tribes that have been scattered throughout the world!

When we next meet I think it's going to be time to share something that's really going to shake your tree! It has to do with what's in a title, or should I say name! I know it did mine! Until then...

May Yahweh Bless You and Guard You,
Yahochanan