Shabbat Shalom! from Japan, Shabbat Project: Vayera Challah in Hebrew Letters!

 

 Then Adonai appeared to him at Mamre’s large trees while he was sitting in the entrance of his tent during the heat of the day 

{...}  

Please let a little water be brought so you can wash your feet, and make yourselves comfortable under the tree.  

 And let me bring a bit of bread so that you can refresh yourselves— 

Genesis 18:1~5 (exerpts)

 

Firstly, Shabbat Shalom!!

Secondly, the photo above is from the past week`s Shabbat, a testimony from Japan.  We were blessed to participate in this years Shabbat Project in the Shabbat of `Vayera`.

Yay! We did it!   For the 3rd year I participated in the Shabbat Project.

It is a worldwide initiative where Jewish people all around the world join in to keep the Shabbat together.  They encourage hosting events like Challah bakes, Friday night dinners, learning from the Parsha, or other ways to put in action a gesture of hospitality to reach out to others to celebrate the Shabbat and share God`s love by coming together at the Shabbat Table!  I love this initiative and have had a tradition of making a Challah in the shape of the Hebrew Letters spelling Vayera for this special Shbbat.  And this year added to that a community dinner on Friday night.  Every year it is held on the Parsha of Vayera. 

 

That is the Torah Portion where the LORD appears to Abraham in front of his tent on a hot day and sends angels to tell Abraham and Sarah that they will have the long awaited child and seed from which the Nation of Israel would be established.  Abraham and Sarah always were ready to entertain guests and share about the truth of the one true God.  

 

Vayera means `and He appeared`.  My Vayera prayer according to that word is,  `May the LORD appear to us this Shabbat`.  May He appear to all those who know Him and to those who do not  know Him yet!

In between the rising of the dough, Aimei and I pray from our AHAVA prayer sheet, the week pictured is in Parsha Vayera.

For the past 2 years, this year is my third year, we have participated from Japan in the worldwide initiative to `Keep Shabbat Together` which is called the Shabbat Project.  We do the `challah portion` together on `zoom` from two different parts of Japan.  Please join us next time!!

 

To be continued ....

 

Love,

❤️

Shayndel 

 

 

 

Lech Lecha and Emunah!

 

But this I call to mind.  Therefore I have hope.  The kindness of the LORD has not ended, His mercies are not spent.

They are renewed every morning! Ample is your grace!  Lamentations 3:21~23

The steadfast Love of the LORD never ceases.

May we put our faith in the One who is Faithful!!

We are looking at the Parsha Lech Lecha.

The Hebrew word I made in challah in the week of Parsha Lech Lecha (last week`s parsha, I am catching up on the weeks!) is `Emunah` , or, `faith`.   In the Biblical Hebrew concordance, Strongs (#530), it is  defined as firm, steady, steadfast.

Interestingly, the word "Emunah"does not occur until Exodus 17:12, where Moses has to keep his hands raised and steady to win the battle against Amelek. Aaron and Hur hold up his arms until the sun set.

 How much we can learn from this in being steadfast and steady in the battles we face and the battles we fight.  May we hold up each others arms steady in support, in prayer, and in faith.

 Where we see the word `faith` in the Parsha is from the root word of Emunah which is Aman.  Does Aman sound like any word you know!! Yes!  Amen!!

Amen and Amen!!  and Aman and Emunah!

Abraham, our Father in faith, goes forth (LECH LECHA) on the promises he has not yet seen, purely by faith.

 I hope this Challah cast blesses you.  In addition I have a short part I will add about Exodus 17:12 and that revelation! And also will add some of the scriptures and Strong`s Biblical Hebrew references.   But meanwhile, maybe there is someone out there who would be blessed by this message today, so I am posting this post `in progress`before going to sleep tonight!! 

Blessings and Shavu`a tov.  Love, Shayndel

Amen, Amen I tell you.   Before Abraham was, I am.

John 8:58

Joanne`s Challah-Cast channel!

note:  video updated 12/12/2020

 

Biblical Hebrew Notes,  Strongs Hebrews First occurrences for Emunah, Aman, Amen

Emunah
Strongs # 530
Definition:  firmness, steadfastness, fidelity
First occurrence: Exodus 17:12
Moses` hands grew heavy, so they took a stone, put it under him, and he sat down.  Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on each side.  So his hands were steady until the sun went down.

Aman
Strongs #539
Definition:  to confirm, support
First occurrence:  Genesis 15:6
And because he put his trust in the LORD, He reckoned it to him as righteousness.

Aman
Strongs #540
Definition:  to trust
First occurence: Daniel 2:45
Now the dream is certain, and its interpretation is trustworthy.

Amen
Strongs #543
Definition:  Verily, Truly
First occurrence: Numbers 5:22
The woman is to say `Amen, amen!`

To friends interested in Biblical Hebrew, For a related upload about the word Emunah in Challah, enjoy this link to a Biblical Hebrew class at Tav TEACH where I am given the opportunity to teach a short segment on the Challah Alef-bet,!! You can find it HERE!  

As well as other teachings on Biblical Hebrew words!!

Red Bean Challah for Abraham---and a Lech Lecha Challah-Cast!

Then the LORD said to Abram, 
"Get going out from your land,
and from your relatives,
and from your father's house,
to the land that I will show you.
My heart's desire is to make you into a great nation, to bless you, to make your name great so that you may be a blessing.                    Genesis 12:1~2 

 This week I made a Red Bean Challah for our forefather Abraham, for the week's Parsha, Lech Lecha!

If you are just joining in, this year in the new Torah Cycle I am trying out the idea of doing weekly "challah-casts" as a way to share about the weekly parsha reading and connecting it in some way to the making of challah  or some aspect of the challah making for Shabbat.  This week the topic is making a Red Bean Challah, for Abraham in honor of his setting out to "Go" into himself and obediently walk in the ways of the LORD to form the nation of Israel and be a father of all the many nations!!!
Hope you might enjoy watching the challah-cast !! And check out my new channel in progress,
Joanne's Challah-cast channel! I would welcome your comments and even questions or any feedback--are there are things you learned,?would like to see more of?  questions?  encouragement!!, etc, as it is a new work in progress!

Each week its a learning for me, and I hope there might be something in it for you!  Its a challenge how to make the challah connection to the week's Torah study, as well as a fun challenge in trying to make a short video that  that might be a way of sharing my love of making the challah and reading the weekly Torah, and that God's love might shine through as it all comes out of Love for Him!!

Now without faith it is impossible to please God.  For the one who comes to God must believe that He exists and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.                                             Hebrews 11:6

Blessings and Love!

Shabbat Shalom!!



Preview from this week's challah -cast!

First scene, a short clip from my return trip to Japan, where God showed me Mt. Fuji as He brought on the evening

voice over from the flight:  どうぞ、ごゆっくりを過ごしください。
We wish you a pleasant flight.

Scene switches to me in the kitchen "studio"!
Hi, welcome.
My name is Joanne and this is our weekly Challah-cast.
This is the week of Parsha Lech Lecha.
Welcome!

If you are just joining in,  these challah-casts are weekly broadcasts to go with each week's reading on the Torah Cycle.  We introduce the week's reading as well as connecting it in some way with the making of challah.  Like a pod-cast, but we are using the base of "challah" to make it a "challah-cast"!  Thank you for joining us in this week of Lech Lecha!

Lech Lecha is the third parsha (Torah reading) in the book of Genesis.  Starting with Bereshit, then Noach, and now Lech Lecha.  The story of where Abraham is called out into his mission to set out and be the father of many nations....

 For more on making a red bean challah for Abraham, see other posts including a tutorial on how to make it HERE and various posts related, HERE , HERE, and HERE.

The basic challah recipe I used for this challah in the challah-cast is this Whole Wheat Challah.
Enjoy!


♡

Rainbow in Sand

My son, give your heart to me,

and let your eyes observe my ways.

 Proverbs 23:26

Recently I told my daughter about sand art and showed her a picture of rainbow colors in a bottle and she had never seen it before.  So when I passed by a table today of all these bottles of colored sand,  advertising, Make your own "Sand Art", I felt drawn to make something for her.

And soon knew what I wanted to make, and you can surely know too from the title of the post,
a rainbow!!
A rainbow in sand!!

As I was pouring in the colors little by little, and the instructor was showing me how to do it carefully, grains by grains, it struck me as the perfect expression of God's heart in the conversation we have been having this week and that has been in my creative consciousness, about  rainbows (here) and sand (here).
From Noah to Abraham, the rainbow "smile", to the generations.

Who could resist all the sand in all those colors of the rainbow!!

A little girl was making one near me, she was diligently working on it.  Her mother was by her a little distance away as she worked on it.  Mine was for my daughter, who is now a farther distance away but it was a nice connection to connect to a childlike heart while working on it.  And as it is a little delicate and would be hard to send, I may just have to hand deliver it to her!!

The little girl next to me made this!!

in progress, a smile!!!, adding a "bouquet" and some finishing touches

♡

My heart trusts in Him.

 PS  A Shayndel Torah "takeaway" from these weeks since beginning the book of Genesis, as seen in the experiences with the Rainbow this week and what I felt the Holy Spirit speaking through this sand art rainbow. (see two posts below for background story)
God connects the generations through His rainbow (a.k.a., covenant) and through His promises.  And it is through the faith of Abraham and the Holy Spirit given us through Yeshua that we can enter into a living relationship with the Creator of the Universe.  He is the one who made us and multiplies us like the sands on the seashore.   Each of us, like each of  those "grains" are unique.   I realized too that it is a "circle" rainbow, going around the glass which is also something He showed me in the rainbow going around the whole sky and making an opening for Him to throw down to us the bouquet.  If we look into a minute infinitesimal picture it can expand exponentially to the hugeness of His heart, as He will show us things in a size and scale that we can hold on it.  And then enlarge it for us to walk into .  Honestly, I am not quite at that point yet, and sense He is teaching me to  be ready to walk into all that He has to offer!   He is a loving Father who longs to pour out His love for us.   Now I am also realizing the rainbow was in a glass, as we are a vessel  to receive His Holy Spirit through whom we give our selves to Him and then we can be co-creators using all the amazing colors and resources that He opens up. This coming week there is Jacob's dream of the ladder, and I remember last year in this parsha He showed me a rainbow, and that the ladder is Yeshua, who makes it possible for us to connect to Heaven, here on earth, and bring the things of Heaven down through our prayer and worship.   Oh , and in the sand art we could give it a "use", and so I made it a "memo holder", there is a little clip that can hold a memo, or a drawing, postcard, picture etc.  What will then be created from the loving connection with Him.
Later in the book of Exodus, He says to Let my people go so that they can Worship Me.  It is not just that we are set free, but it is so we can make our lives into lives of worship, in everything we do.  Oh, and lastly, I am not sure if you can see it in the photo, but nestled behind the heart, there is a shimmering present wrapped in turquoise blue the color of the New Jeruslaem.  Yes, He thinks of everything!!

Blessings and Shalom!

❤️

I also saw the holy city---the New Jerusalem---coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
                  ---Revelation 21:2

Morning Glories, and a Challah for Abraham

I will surely bless you, and I will multiply your descendants like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore.    

---Genesis 22:17

The morning glories on the verandah opened in late September this year, or maybe even early October.  I am a little off in terms of the seasons as I was away for all of September and the beginning of October.  I confess I was a little discouraged about the morning glories before I left for my travels in early September, that the morning glories on the veranda still hadn't opened.  But when I came back there were these beautiful blue flowers the color of the sky!!  Even as some of the leaves were starting to dry and turn to brown, the morning glories are still bursting open with the color of sky each morning into these late weeks of October.  And some of the other flowers too were unusually blossoming for this time!   I should mention, a thanks to my husband, who watered the plants when I was gone.

I love morning glories, and how it is a surprise to see them in the morning and how there are these flowers looking out on God's Glory while at the same time created by His Glory.   Everything speaks of His Glory.

About the Challah, I made a Red Bean Challah in connection with the Torah Portion we are in, Lech Lecha.  Where God tells Abraham to set out from his native land to go to where he knows not where.   Lech Lecha, which means go forward, yourself ! also has the meaning to go forth and into one's self.  Which is interesting as I always thought of the going out and setting forth, but the journey to God is also a great journey into our selves as well.

 I pray that from His glorious riches He would grant you to be strengthened in your inner being with power through His Ruach, so that Messiah may dwell in your hearts through faith.                     --Ephesians 3:16~17

Shabbat Shalom!
Shavu'a Tov!

♡

To read about the Challah and Cherry Blossoms story of why a Red Bean Challah for Abraham, please see
HERE  Abraham's Journey and a Challah Tutorial 
 HERE  An Pan Challah and Lech Lecha Parsha, 
 HERE!  A Challah for Abraham,
and HERE  Challah for Abraham, cont'd!.  
(Or,  just enjoy the challah, without explanation!!! ) Thank you for making the journey and stopping by!  Enjoy!

Parsha VaYera (post in progress)

For God so loved the world that He gave
His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. ---John 3:16

 

Challah for Abraham (cont`d)

I embroidered the name of our forefather, `Avraham`on my first Challah Cover!

The swirls of red bean inside the challah remind us of Abraham`s journey!! The seeds sprinkled on top recall the promise to Abraham, that his seed would bless all nations!!

The Challah Cover says `Avraham`.
You can see the swirls of red bean in the bread.

The rainbow remains. (see last week posts from Noah!)

The wonderful thing about reading on the Torah cycle is to see how everything connects and goes back to the beginning.  I like to make the `physical` representations that express what we are reading in the Torah.  It helps me to see how everything connects, and how it connects to me and to life.

By keeping the rainbow on the table from one Shabbat--when we were studying about Noah---to the next, where we meet Abram, it reminds us that Abram came from the generations of Shem, son of Noah, and when we eat the bread and give thanks to the LORD for bringing forth bread from the earth, we give thanks for Messiah Yeshua who is the Bread of Life.  We see directly the connection to Abraham, as He is the seed of Abraham, as well is He who was before Abraham.

Yeshua answered, "Amen, amen I tell you, before Abraham was, I am!"

---John 8:58

I made this challah cover at this time of the cycle last year, and it is exciting to be able to take it out again as we are back to the beginning and reading the Parshiot about Abraham.  It is also a way to share the Torah with my daughter and guests at the Shabbat Table---including you!! Thank you for sharing the Shabbat and the challah.

I hope you might try to follow the tutorial in the post below to make a  red bean challah !! and if you do, please let me know if the steps are easy to follow , and if you learned anything new about the Parsha!! or any insights about how it connects with your life today or anything else about where you are in your journey...

Blessings and Shalom!!


These are the steps from braiding to completion:
(photos to follow)

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........

..........

..........

Abraham`s Journey, and a Challah Tutorial!

The Parsha this week  is Lech Lecha! which is where God tells Abraham (whose name is Abram when he sets out), to Go from his father`s house and leave everything behind.

I wanted to make a special challah to mark the occasion.

The Challah is a Red Bean Challah!
(an Original Challah, begun here @Challah and Cherry Blossoms!See posts HERE!An-Pan Challah and Lech Lecha Parsha, and HERE! A Challah for Abraham for why a Red Bean Challah!)

So in this post I would like to attempt to put the two together...to take you through the steps of making the challah, while relating it to the Parsha this week.  Any questions?!

Are you Ready?   Set , GO!!!

The LORD said to Abram,
"Go forth from your native land and from your father`s house to the land that I will show you."
--Genesis 12:1

1.  God tells Abraham to Go!  Lech Lecha!  Go forth!  Abraham leaves his father`s house with no specifics about where he is going, but in complete faith set out in obedience.  Abraham came from a family of idol worshippers (his father had a business of selling idols) and  found for himself the truth of the One true God. And as such he becomes the first `believer`, the one who we model our faith on!

At this point in the challah making, you start out with preparing the yeast and water, and wait a few minutes for it to become foamy so you know it is activated.

These are some of the ingredients I gathered --- the flours (white and whole wheat), eggs, salt, and the red beans.  The red beans are a product of Hokkaido, the north of Japan.  The oil I use is Grapeseed oil, it makes a smooth texture and dough that is easy to work with.

This sugar is called `tensai-to`てんさい糖. It says `sugar that is kind to the stomach`.  I like this kind of natural sugar, made from Daikon radish.  I don`t know if you can find it outside of Japan, but if you can, I highly recommend it! Or you can find the sugar that is local to where you are!

The yeast is starting to get foamy

Like me, this ingredient is from America. Oatmeal.  I was able to find it at a local food shop.  Am I stretching the Abraham comparison to say that like Abraham, I too set out to a land far from my father`s house!  Though to be honest, when I set out I didn`t know the LORD so I didn`t yet know the meaning of Faith and obedience.  Thus the only part of the comparison that sticks is that of leaving my home country for another land!!

Mixing in the flours (local from Japan) and making a dough

Knead until it looks smooth and arrange into a ball like this. 

Now we introduce the red beans!

  While the dough is in it`s first rise,

2.  Prepare the Red Beans
When I look into the bowl of red beans, I see all the beans, I can barely count them.
I think of God`s promise to Abraham that his offspring will be as countless as the stars in the sky.

I will make of you a great nation,
And I will bless you:
I will make your name great,
And you shall be a blessing.       ---Genesis 12:2

He took him outside and said,
"Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them. "  And He added, "So shall your offspring be."  And because he put his trust in the LORD, He reckoned it to his merit.
---Genesis 15:5~6

And if you belong to Messiah, then you are Abraham`s seed--

heirs according to the promise.   
--Galatians 3:29

This recipe is an oral tradition passed `up` by my daughter!! When she was very young, maybe around six years old, she loved to cook, and she asked my husband`s sister how to make red bean paste!!

3.  The dough has doubled

Abrahams descendants will be multiplied.

Now when God made His promise to Abraham---since He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, saying, "Surely I will bless you, and surely I will multiply you." ---Hebrews 6:13~14

Now we will make the bean paste and fill it,  roll it into the strands, and begin the journey of making.
From one , make it into 6 parts.

 God changed Abram`s name from Avram to Avraham.
From one, a multitude, a Father of nations..

In Japan, red beans are used for celebratory `Red bean rice` on special occasions like weddings, graduations, etc.  Today`s Red Bean Challah is made in Japan, and is a celebration of our forefather Abraham who went forth in obedience to God, and the Faith with which he set forth ! 

notes on the Challah:
The recipe I used for the dough is this WHOLE WHEAT CHALLAH
Follow the recipe,  up to the second rise, with the substitutions or your own variations.
The substitutions I made are as per the post, instead of butter>Grapeseed oil, and for brown sugar>Japanese Tensai-To (sugar made from daikon radish)
After the second rise, divide the dough for your strands, and then roll them and put in the filling.
Add about 5 or 10 minutes to the baking time, as the filled strands might need the extra time.
Tent with foil as needed during baking if the outside gets done quickly.

To be continued....

Toldot! & Another layer of the Challah Cover

Now these are the genealogies of Isaac, Abraham`s son.  

Abraham fathered Isaac.

---first line from Parashat Toldot, Generations

Genesis 25:19

Peeking under the `Isaac` layer to `Abraham.  The Hebrew letter `Nun` represents Messiah Yeshua, connecting the generations in this weeks parsha study, Toldot

Same challah cover, different layering to express this weeks parsha about the generations  of Isaac

 The layers of the Challah Cover keep unfolding (see the four or five `challah cover` posts below!!).  The `Isaac` layer of the challah cover is a shimmery blue.  It seemed to connect to the water and the wells in this weeks parashat. 

 In this post I want to see if I can finish the series and..well...uncover!  some of the things  I saw in this weeks reading.

The title of this weeks Parashat is Toldot! It means `Generations`.  

When I started making the challah cover in the week of the  `Life of Sarah` study, I was inspired by this picture  (left),  a painting of Isaac and Rebecca*. 

Isaac was wearing a clear turquoise blue robe.  It reminded me of water and of the color of the New Jerusalem!   Rebecca was wearing a beautiful soft and flowing pink.  Her color reminded me of the color of Messiah!

The picture inspired my choice of colors for the `Isaac` layer and the `Rebecca` layer of the cloth.  Here is how they look separate, and then layered and over the challah for Shabbat:

`Rivka` = Rebecca, on the pink cloth layer

`Yitzak` = Isaac, on the blue cloth layer

In this week I want to look at the `Isaac` layer,  since we are talking about the generations of Isaac.  The color is a shimmery blue. 

It seemed to connect to the water in this weeks parashat.

Isaac was digging wells.
And not just digging but re-digging wells, the wells that his Father, Abraham, dug before him.
The wells spring from living water.  

What comes to mind and springs forth in our hearts when we hear `living water`?!

"But whoever drinks from this water that I will give him shall never be thirsty.  The water that I give him will become a fountain of water within him, springing up to eternal life."  ---John 14:4

Messiah Yeshua!  He is the Living Water.   It excited me to find how in each week the Torah brings us deeper into and reveals that source of Torah, the very living Torah itself, the Living Water from which Life comes!!!

Then Isaac dug again the wells of water that had been dug in the days of his father Abraham--the Philistines had stopped them up after Abraham`s death.  

                                                                                                      ---Genesis 26:18

The wells that Abraham began were closed up by the Philistines, and we see Isaac re-digging them.
This is said to be about Isaac consolidating the work his Father began.
If the son did not come back to continue the work of his Father, the wells would have remained covered, and imagine how that would have made the Philistines, and everyone else who wanted to cover up the truth, glad.  But Isaac, heir to the promise of his father Abraham, did not let this happen.  In his diligence and carrying on the work of His Father Abraham, he re-digs the wells.  Look at this too in relation to the Father and Son.   Jesus--Yeshua,  the Son , carries out the work of the Father here on earth.  When we see the wells as a symbol of Salvation, this seemingly small part of the parashat reaches very deep.

Back to the challah cover, I forgot to mention something.  Remember when I told you that I ripped out some of the part of my name that needed correction and found that the Hebrew letter `nun` represents Messiah?  Once I found that out, I took out my name from the challah cover completely, and left only the letter `nun` in that space.  So you can see in the picture above, that in this layering there is Abraham, Isaac, and the Hebrew letter `Nun` which represents the Messiah.  Yeshua.  The cloths can be layered in different ways, but in whichever way you layer them, this letter "nun" will be revealed.

Messiah Yeshua is the source that connects all the generations.  He was always there and always is and always will be the source of Life and Living Water.   He is from Abraham`s seed and at the same time He came before Abraham!!

Yeshua answered, "Amen, amen I tell you, before Abraham was, I am!"

---John 8:58  TLV

The third well that Isaac dug was called Wide Spaces.
When I read in this parashat about the wells, I had a sense of the Living Water spreading into wider spaces as  the `generations` of Abraham`s seed continue.

Then he moved from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it.  So he named it Wide Spaces and said "Because now ADONAI has created wide spaces for us and we will be fruitful in the land."
 ---Genesis 26:22



When we observe the Shabbat and study His word,  worship and chose to spend time in His presence,  aren`t we too opening up and re-digging the wells of Abraham?

May the the wells be uncovered for the Living Water to flow as GOD`s great Name and His Shalom spread into all the nations, and deep within in our hearts!!  Shabbat Shalom!

For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord
    as the waters cover the sea.

--Isaiah 11:9