Multiplying `Chai` ~ Challah of Life

 

Multpiplying the word `CHAI`   חַי which means Life, on a heart-shaped challah

A new inspiration to make smaller `Chai` חַי Heart Challah, and multiply the `Chai` which means `LIFE`. First make the heart shape, and then roll out a thin strand to make the word `

חַי

 

I am the bread of life.

 אָנֹכִי הוּא לֶחֶם הַחַיִּים

Anochi Hu Lechem Ha-Chay-im 

John 6:35

`Chai` or חַי in Hebrew means `Life`.  

If you read the scriptures in Hebrew, you will recognize this word in the Bread of Life, Lechem Ha-chay-im (above)~ Yeshua is the Bread of Life.

Or in another life-giving verse,

I am the way, the Truth, and the Life.  John 14:6

אָנֹכִי הַדֶּרֶךְ וְהָאֱמֶת וְהַחַיִּים

Anochi ha-derech v`ha-emet v`ha-chayim

 And if you are following the Torah portions, you will surely recognize it as the root word from the last Torah portion in the book of Genesis, Vayechi, which we just read this past Shabbat.  It means, `And He lived`,  which refers to our patriarch Jacob at the end of his life.  Always in the Torah, `Life` is highlighted as the Torah is a Torah of Life! So even as Jacob is on his last days and blessing his sons and grandsons just before his passing on, the name of the Parsha (Torah Portion) emphasizes that He lived.  

 A few years ago I had the idea of this `Chai` Challah, a Challah of Life, to make for the Shabbat of `Vayechi`.  I started noticing in the last two Torah portions, even as the tribes were about to begin the Exodus in Egypt and a time of darkness, the word `life` is often used in the story of Joseph. Jacob`s favored son, Joseph tells his brothers that God sent him there to save `life` (lives) in an extraordinary deliverance.

But God sent me ahead of you to ensure a remnant in the land and to keep you alive for an extraordinary deliverance.  Genesis 45:7

 Even though they tried to kill him and threw him in a pit, he rose up to be the viceroy second to Pharoah and he became the saviour for the land of Egypt and for his family from Israel (Canaan at the time), and for all who lived in that time and who came to him for bread.  We see a picture of the Saviour, Yeshua, who like the Joseph we see in these readings, is still yet to reveal himself to his brothers.  LIke the story of Joseph, his Jewish bretheren do not any longer recognize him, and yet its happening before our eyes in this exciting time, that He is revealing Himself to them, and, like me, many are beginning to know our Messiah Lives!!

When I had the idea of `Chai` on a Challah, it seemed very fitting as Yeshua is the Bread of Life, and in this portion, Joseph at the time saved his brothers in a great deliverance through his storing up of grain. Bread features prominently in the salvations so what better way to express this life giving bread, then in a blossoming `Chai` Challah!  The variation this time is that I `multiplied` them and made several small Chai in the hearts challah.  Like the loaves that were multiplied by Yeshua, I pray that this bread will feed many and many will be nourished by the Word of God and find life in the Bread of Life, Yeshua!

`Chai` necklace, on Shayndel`s wishlist!

You may recognize this word from the celebratory toast at weddings or bar mitzvahs or other occasion, To Life,  which is `Le-chay-im`.  You may recognize it from the song of the same name in the musical, Fiddler on the Roof.  Or you may recognize it from the חַי chai neckaces that you can find in a Judaica shop. 

If you might like to try making a Chai Challah, I will direct you to my Challah-cast archives HERE , where you can find related posts and uploads that will show you how to make it!!

Let`s make a toast together for the New Year 2023, 

Le-chayim, To Life!

Love and blessings,

❤️

Shayndel

PS Notes*

*For more on Parsha Vayechi, Please find my AHAVA Weekly Prayer Sheet HERE to pray from your loved ones and for Israel with verses based on this parsha and themes of `LIFE` and blessing!

**Have you signed up yet for my weekly Parsha Newsletter?

Please let me know if you would like to receive my weekly `Parsha Newsletter`! Every week receive a weekly prayer sheet and Shayndel`s (Joanne!) insights on the weekly Torah portion, with a word of encouragement or blessing or other sharing! You can let me know in the comments, or send an e-mail to:

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I hope it is a blessing to you.  Please feel free to let me know your thoughts comments, insights, d`var torah (word of Torah), or what else you might like to see in the weekly letters.

Vayechi Shabbat Shalom!

 

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 

 

 

 

Happiokai Sukkah!

Dear Friends, this post is actually from last year`s Sukkot Festival!! I am posting it now as we are coming once again to Sukkot. I apologize for my not posting for so long! And now as we prepare for the Fall Feasts, I am reflecting on the year before we enter into the new year of 5783 and realized that I had written this post and never posted it! I hope it will encourage you to get ready for Sukkot,  and all the Fall Feasts!!  It is now the last week of the month of Elul, a time of Teshuavah, and leading into a time for all God`s people to Tabernacle as One!!

....................... 

Note in the title, `Happiokai` means `Recital`

Every year my voice training teacher makes a student recital for her students, to share songs and encourage one another.  This year the recital was postponed 3 times, for reasons you can imagine due to restrictions on gatherings.  The third time when I checked the date on my Biblical calendar I saw that the date was to be on the first day of the Festival of Sukkot.  I told my teacher I wasn`t sure if I could join.  Then I realized, I could join IF we were able to celebrate the festival.  So I asked her if we could celebrate the festival by having a Sukkah there and sharing about the Feast of the LORD and she agreed.

I was over joyed and as our commandment for the Feast of Sukkot is to rejoice before the LORD, I was already seeing that this was His hand upon the scheduling and that it would be a joyous time and a chance to be a testimony for Him and to share about Sukkot with my community.

It turned out to be a wonderful time and I made the Sukkah specially for the festive time, and brought in flowers and decoration. My singing teacher even contributed the Palm leaves for the top, from her Father`s trees!!  

 I look forward to sharing more of the Feasts and special times of the LORD in Japan, as we know in the days of Moschiach, all the nations will come to Zion to worship the King of Kings and the Glory of the God of Israel will be known throughout the earth!!

 

A Torah for Japan ~ Part 2: The Flying Scroll

Subsequently, the Ark carried its bearers in the air and crossed the Jordan, as it is stated: “When all the people were completely passed over, the Ark of the Lord passed on, and the priests, before the people” (Joshua 4:11)

The Holy One, Blessed be He, said to him:  Uzzah, the Ark carried its bearers when it crossed the Jordan; all the more so is it not clear that it can carry itself?

Another midrash says that rather than being carried by its bearers, the Ark in fact carried its bearers inches above the ground (Sotah 35a)

Like the verses above, I also experienced this in that I didn’t carry the Torah.

God carried it. 

He `sent` ＊ angels ahead of me to lift it at every point from Florida to New York to Japan.  He carried the Torah.

When I arrived in New York JFK with an extra oversized box, My Dad was surprised, to say the least.  I told him his house would be blessed by having the Torah there, sharing with him the story of Obed Edom when King David brought the ark there before returning to Jerusalem. 

Then it was reported to King David saying, "ADONAI has blessed the house of Obed-edom and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of God."  So David went and brought the ark of God up from the house of Obed-edom to the city of David with joy.    2Samuel 6:12

And it was a blessed trip.   All thanks and glory to God for His being with us every step of the way.  I am reminded of that so that when I am in more `regular` seeming moments in my every day life, I remember, yes God is with us always even when it is not that kind of highlighted `adventure`, He is with us!  Reminder to myself, and I hope an encouragement to you!

From New York to Japan was the next challenge.   I had to quarrantine two weeks in Tokyo in two different locations, before being able to fly on another airplane to the city where I live.  It was the time of the strictest regulations in Japan (again all thanks to God, the restrictions were reduced during the last few days of my quarantine it was announced that the restriction had been lifted and shortened to 10 days, shortened from 14!)

I remember one moment that was exhilirating, in an unexpected kind of way.  I was in the taxi going from the first quarantine hotel to the next, feeling a sense of freedom to be released even for this interim!  The box with the Torah scroll was next to me on the seat.  I felt an exhilaration of joy as we passed along Tokyo streets, by shops with  signs and all the letters in Japanese, as a new light was shining on this cityscape, the light of the Torah, as though the letters of the Word could not contain themselves and were being released! 

I hoped to open the scroll in the hotel room quarantine but there was really no place to open it in the  hotel rooms.  I realized I would have to wait until I get back to `the city of Joanne`! I did open the box though,  and found there was a `tallit` with the word `CHAI` (see post below about the Hebrew word Chai) in a word spelling LIFE all over the Tallit.

The scroll was wrapped so well and fit in the box so perfectly that I sensed it was divinely wrapped to make it on the journey.  I didn`t want to open it until it was the right time that I could  have enough space to unfold it.

Once again I lifted up my eyes and behold, I saw a flying scroll!

Then the angel asked me, "What do you see?"   I replied, "I see a flying scroll twenty cubits long and ten cubits wide."

 Zechariah 5:1 ~ 2

Why do I mention the flying scroll? Because at last when I made it to the plane that would take me home, the Pilot of pilots arranged our flight path to fly the Torah directly over the top of Mt. Fuji!!!  A prophetic proclamation and a joyous homecoming,  welcoming the God of Israel with the Torah over Japan...

From the Taxi, the `cloud` of God`s glory!

 

reading Isaiah 42 on the plane, while flying over Japan with the Torah on board...The islands will wait for His Torah!

HalleluYah!!  To be continued...❤️

Pomegranates and a Blossoming `Chai` Challah of Life!

 

Amen, amen I tell you, he who believes has eternal life.     I am the bread of life.

John 6:47~48

Today`s challah is a Challah of Life! 

I call it the Blossoming Chai Challah, and you can see it all started HERE . 

 CHAI is a Hebrew word which means `LIFE` (see header above).

You may have heard it in the famous `toast`,

LE-CHAI-IM, To life!

As I was reading in the last parsashiot of the book of Genesis,  Parasha Vayigash and Parsha Vayechi, I kept seeing that word LIFE!!! Joseph asking `Is my Father still alive`, Jacob asking the same of his son Joseph, and then when the brothers reconcile Joseph tells them it is to `preserve the lives of many` that he was sent to Egypt. And of course, he saved many alive through grain ~~ the `bread` (corn?!)  that he provided for his family and Egypt and all the nations.

And to top it off, the LORD was showing me pomegranates upon pomegranates in the supermarket and fruit stands.  I just had to make the Pomegranate Blossoming Chai Challah !! And kept making them until there were no more pomegranates (and now I found more, so if you would like me to make one for you and you are in Japan, let me know!!).  Every time I open a pomegranate I hear YESHUA`s call to us to be fruitful in Him.  Every time I make a Challah for Shabbat  I taste His goodness and that He is the true Bread of LIFE!  When we drink the cup of redemption with it, we proclaim His LIFE until the day He returns!! 

So without further ado, here is my Blossoming Challah of Life in a Challah-cast upload to share with you!!

I will also include my first Blossoming Chai Challah from last year on this Parsha.  It is exciting how the LORD  shows us new things in His word each time. 

The third is a short upload I did for my brother, lately I have gotten to know some of the care residents he works with at his job, and have been doing mini Challah-casts for them as they are in lockdown and even their Shabbat time is on hold as they quarrantine in their rooms. It is a blessing to share from Japan to NY and  a special way to connect with my brother who I have not seen for a long time with the travel being restricted.

May we say together these words that are said at the end of each book of Torah,  so perfect for strengthening each other! 

CHAZAK, CHAZAK, VENIT CHAZEK!

Be strong, be strong, and let us strengthen one another!

Hope you might enjoy one or all of the Challah of Life and Pomegranate Challah uploads below courtesy of 

Joannes Challah-cast Channel

 Love,

Shayndel　♡ 

 

The recent Blossoming Chai Challah with Pomegranate:

First Chai Challah of life : 

 

Pomegranate challah for my brother and friends:

 

Come, my beloved, Let us go into the open;

Let us lodge among the henna shrubs. Let us go

early to the vineyards; Let us see if the vine has

flowered, if its blossoms have opened, If the

pomegranates are in bloom.

There I will give my love to you.                                       Song of Songs 7:12~13

 

 

 

 

Succot Welcome! Parts 1 &2!!! Welcome!!

 HI friends! Chag Sameach Sukkot! Happy Succot! Hello from the succah ! Sharing a few stories from the week in the succah. Hope you are having an amazing week of dwelling in His presence, and tabernacling with HIm!!! I may come back and add a few photos and scriptures to the post, but meanwhile wanted to invite you to come in to the succa and share a few stories and praise while it is still Sukkot!!! And if we don`t get the typhoon too strong and if I can be in the succa tomorrow, I will invite you again for  succot communion with the Hebrew letters challah that you will see in this upload!! I welcome your prayers that the typhoon will change course and we can keep the succah up till the end of the feast!!!  Enjoy!!  This is part 2!! Part 1 can be seen HERE!

Joanne`s Challah-Cast channel!

Succah, Succot, Mitzvah, Mitzvot!

"Succah"

"Mitzvah"

"Succcot"

"Mitzvot"

 You are to live in sukkot for seven days.  All the native-born in Israel are to live in sukkot, so that your generations may know that I had Bnei-Yisrael to dwell in sukkot when I brought them out of the land of Egypt.  I am ADONAI your God.      

Leviticus 23:42 

 ♡

Happy Sukkot!

Please join me for a few more days and have some challah (Hebrew letters challah spelling Succah!)  and visit  in the Succa!  So much I want to write but for now just sharing a few views from the balcony succa!

Much love and blessings,

Shayndel 

Joanne`s Challah-Cast channel!

Hebrew lesson in Challah:

Succah Challah

Succot Challah

Succot is the plural of Succah !

Mitzvah Challah

Mitzvot Challah

Mitzvot is the plural of Mitzvah!

Chag Sameach Succot! Post in Progress, succah in progress!!

♡

One thing I have asked of ADONAI, that will I seek:  to dwell in the House of ADONAI all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of ADONAI, and to meditate in His Temple.

For in the day of trouble 

He will hide me in His sukkah 

conceal me in the shelter of His tent, and set me high upon a rock.  Then will my head be high above my enemies around me.  In His Tabernacle I will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy.

I will sing, yes, sing praises to ADONAI.

Psalm 27:4~6

Shabbat Shalom!

 A Chag Sameach, joy filled Succot to all!

love, Shayndel

(post in progress, succah in progress!!)

Succot welcome, Challah-cast HERE!!

 

Jonah and rounding up the cycle of Teshuvah!

A song of Ascents.

Out of the depths I cry to You, ADONAI!

Lord, hear my voice!

Let Your ears be attentive to the sound of my supplications.   Psalm 130:1~2

 

On the day before Yom Kippur, I saw this little girl feeding pigeons out of her hand.   I stopped on  my bicycle, and asked her mom if I could take a picture, and she said it was ok. 

Just earlier in that morning I had been reading the book of Jonah, because the book of Jonah is read in the synagogue on Yom Kippur services,  so I wanted to read it in advance.   When I was reading it this time, I saw more than ever how amazing it is as a story of `Teshuvah`.  That of course is why it is read at this time of year.  I  love hearing it, and reading it , partly because I relate to Jonah in my own story of `teshuvah`, or `return.  I relate especially to how he thought he could run away from God, and of course, was found! This year after having been thinking a lot about Teshuvah, I noticed in the text of Jonah`s prayer how it is such an amazing `model` of teshuvah with the way the `turn` back to God is so clearly depicted in that prayer.  

When I saw the girl with the pigeons I knew God was making a connection that He wanted me to see see in that moment!

He knew that I knew that I would see the connection of Jonah and the pigeons!!

Jonah and the pigeons, you ask?

well, yes! Because in Hebrew, the word Jonah

(actually its Yonah in Hebrew), means dove, or pigeon!!

dove, pigeon = יוֹנָה

 Its something I learned this year, and I even call pigeons now `Yonahי

So I saw something in the little girl that was this peace she had and joy in feeding the pigeons, in being so at one with God`s creation!  

Part of our `Teshuvah` is a sense of coming home to who we are in Him, or returning to God as who He meant for us to be, and it can be a little like connecting to the childlike parts of ourselves.   I think that in showing me that little girl, He wanted to show me something of the joy that He has been wanting to return in me.

 I made an on-the-spot upload to express something about that, and just to share a little `pre-Yom Kippur` message, here is the upload and the scenes of little girl!! 

 G`mar Chatima Tovah!

May you be inscribed and sealed in the Book of Life for a good year!

Hope you have/had a good and smooth fast and meaningful Yom Kippur!! Blessings and Love, Shayndel

Round Challah Part 2 and Rosh Hashanah・Shabbat Shuvah diary

 

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.  James 1:17

Would you believe it, this challah  was a gift, sent to me from Tokyo!!  A good and perfect gift from our Father in Heaven, who sent it through the synagogue ,  surprise and touched my heart in ways that only He knows how!! (the perfect round challah in a perfect square box, the box had my name on it hand written all around the box!!!)

L`Shana Tova! A card for you!

This one I made! A three strand braid shaped in a circle like a crown

. 

Praise is awaiting You in Zion, O God,

and to You the vow will be fulfilled.

Psalm 65:2

A few friends asked about how to make the round challah and to see `part 2` of shaping the challah, so I am popping in to share the upload for Part 2,  and share a few reflections on the Feast days and the Ten days of Awe that we are in, as well as about the challah!!

So without further ado, here is Part 2.  Sorry it doesn`t include the receiving of the challah gift described and pictured in top photos above!! I had already filmed the video!! But if you can, just imagine another doorbell ring, like in Part 1 when the sukkah was delivered from Abram the tent maker.  This time it was a Japan postman at the door delivering a Round challah from the King!!!  

 

 Joanne`s Challah-Cast channel!

As I have shared before, the round challah is my recommendation for all the fall `chag` (chag-im) feasts!!   I am thankful for master challah teacher Tamar, who I got a lot of tips from for making the challah this year.   I learned a few new things, including sifting the flour first, using oil instead of flour on the board for rolling and kneading if needed.  I made three of the shapes she taught about (see upload!).  I gave the ones I made to others, including of course one for my daughter, and to neighbors or friends to share about the holiday and God`s goodness.  So I was extra grateful for receiving the challah (from) above! 

The next feast is Yom Kippur, the day of Atonement, and the holiest day on the Kingdom calendar, with the Shabbat of Return (Shabbat Shuvah, or Shabbat Teshuvah!) before that.  It is very wonderful to see this year here in Asia, and many people now in the body of Messiah everywhere around the world,  are  beginning to more and more understand and enter into God`s appointed feasts.   And to  pray for Israel during these days.   Many Jewish people still do not know their (our) Messiah Yeshua.  Over hundreds, thousands, of years of history,  He has become unrecognizable to the Jewish people,  so removed even from His own feasts (*actually another word is `moedim` which means God`s appointed times and seasons).   The Feasts of the LORD are the appointed days that Yeshua  made as part of His plan of creation and redemption and for heaven and earth to meet in Him.  From the beginning it was all in place.  At the Restoration of the Kingdom of God on earth they will be continue to be celebrated and they will be fulfilled by Yeshua Himself, the coming King.   On this Shabbat of Return, and in this year 5781, May He reveal Himself to the Jewish people and to the world that He is the Messiah of Israel and Savior of the World!!  This is a time of restoration of all things and its exciting that we each have a part to play!!! 

 

And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written,

" The Deliverer shall come out of Zion.

He shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob.

And this is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins."

Romans 11:26~27 (referencing Isaiah 59:20~21, 27:9, and Jeremiah 31:31~34)

 

Oh, so of course no challah on Yom Kippur as it is a complete fast, for 25 hours, but you can have a challah prepared in advance for the break-fast, or for the continuing days of the feasts through Succot!! 

By the way I started putting up my Succah today!! Its my first real succah, and I can recall how it harkens back to the Tabernacle and forward to the wonderful day when God will dwell with us here on earth!!!

Blessings and Chag Sameach!

G`mar Chatimah Tovah!!

May you be sealed and inscribed for a good year!!

Love,♡

Shayndel

O the depth of the riches, 

both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!

How unsearchable are His judgments

and how incomprehensible His ways! 

Romans 11:33