While they were staring into heaven as He went up, suddenly two men stood with them in white clothing. They said, "Men of Galilee, why do you keep standing here staring into heaven? This Yeshua, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw Him go into heaven." Acts 1:10~11
Yesterday I stood and stared into heaven! I was outside around 5PM and looked up at the sky, or rather, the sky almost seemed to have come down to meet the earth and brought my glance upwards to see a glorious cloud spotted dome with the sapphire blue of heaven making a supernatural glow and lighting up the early evening.
It seemed to be announcing something special and then I remembered!!
It is the 40th day of the omer and the day that Yeshua went up to heaven as I just wrote about in a post the other day!!
It was so wonderful to stand beneath this Ascension Day Sky and then, I saw eagles circling above!!
A majestic sign of God`s Heavenly love and reminder to be prepared!!
In the scriptures these next 10 days were the days that the disciples waited in expectation for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. On that day 3000 souls were saved! May we too wait expectedly and be in One accord, in one place and ready to receive on Shavuot!! May all our unsaved loved ones receive an outpouring of the Holy Spirit and know their Salvation in Yeshua! May those of us who know Him be brought together as One in the rushing of the Ruach HaKodesh wind!!
Blessings and Love! Happy counting!
Shabbat Shalom everyone!
Love,♡
Shayndel/Joanne!
PS I am also reminded of this verse in the book of Exodus, and the revelation that this description of God`s feet tells us that who could that have been standing on the Sapphire stone of Heaven!! Indeed, Yeshua!!!
They saw the God of Israel, and under His feet was something like a pavement of sapphire, as clear as the very heavens.
I am always full of words when posting but for this post I really don't have words but the more I go through the years on the Torah cycle the more connected I feel to the 6 million Jewish people and souls who were horribly murdered during the Holocaust and the importance to remember. I am posting a page from my Torah Lesson for kids that I started during the time of quarrantine, and at the start of the lesson wanted to pause and dedicate our Torah lesson to those souls. By remembering may it be certain that it can never happen again and may anti-Semitism in all forms be rooted out---pulled out from the roots---from our world. Blessings and Shalom to all.
Mordecai recorded these events and he sent letters to all the Jews throughout the provinces of King Ahasuerus, both near and far, urging them to celebrate the fourteenth and fifteenth days of Adar every year as the days when the Jews got relief from their enemies, and as the month when their sorrow was turned into joy and their mourning into celebration. These were to be days of feasting, celebration and sending presents of food to one another and giving gifts to the poor.
Esther 9:20~22
The Feasts of the LORD are called feasts for good reason.
They are to be feasts!! And at the same time, we are not to neglect those who cannot feast or have not enough, and it is also a big part of Purim to give to those who are in need, as well as share gifts of food with one another.
When it is time to move to the feast, we give thanks to the LORD for all He provides, and for bringing us to this day.
And always, always, have you noticed, everything we make on a Shabbat or Feast day is more delicious than on an "ordinary" day on the calendar. My daughter notices ! Those who join in the feast do too!! Its like God gives us an extra anointing in cooking on those days!!
I love making a special Challah on Purim.
This year I hadn't decided what the Challah would be, until I began to shape it and roll out the dough.
I had the Prune and Sakura fillings (see post below) prepared, so in a moment, I saw to make a Sakura and Prune Challah for Purim!!
As described in the post below, the two fillings together have a special significance for me and in our house in Japan. They express something about my walk with the LORD and hopes for His Salvation for our family. As my daughter is home and here for Purim, I was also thinking about how in a way she is like the Sakura , or cherry blossom, as she is born and grew up in Japan, and even under the cherry blossoms! And the prune is.... me!
Ok, that may not have come out so pretty!! But what I meant is well, yes, there is something generational there too!! Sakura is new and fresh and young and renewing, and Prune as I have explained below, is something as Jewish people we seem to like for as far back as I can remember!! And they are preserved to last a long time!! How is that for a mix!! The new and renewing and the long lasting through the generations!!
We are here because of Esther. In the sense that, if the Jews in the exile had been wiped out by the wicked plan at that time, we wouldn't be here. And I think too what about our Messiah Yeshua? If all the Jews were wiped out? There is so much to think about in one Challah!!
So here is the challah, a special Purim challah. When I shaped it I used the Star of David as my inspiration for shape, but as you can see it rose and baked into a shape of its own!! I thought it looked like a crown!! My daughter said to her it looked like a blossom....yes! A cherry blossom. Oh, that pleased me to hear!!
A few other guests also stopped by for a pre-feast before my daughter came home, dressed as Queen Esther and Mordecai--- no Purim is complete without them!--- we read the
Book of Esther together, using our best character-like voices for all
the parts. I made the additional challah which also contains sakura and prune for our guests. As Esther kept vegetarian in the palace, to keep her Jewish identity hidden as she couldn't express being kosher, I didn't want to offend our guests and thus served a vegetarian Esther's bean stew for the pre-feast. It was followed up when my daughter came home with Kreplach ( non-vegetarian! ) which are another Purim specialty!!
Kreplach in Japanese Dashi and Esther's Persion Bean stew are Purim favorites here!
Recipe links to follow!
A Purim table should express joy!
And speaks of God
bringing together all His people into One in our Messiah
Yeshua, the Bread of Life and the Saviour of the world!
His name was
not mentioned in the book of Esther, but His hand of Deliverance is forever upon
His people!!
Shouts of joy and victory are in the tents of the righteous: ADONAI's right hand is mighty! Psalm 118:15
Blessed be His Name!
Purim Sameach!! Happy Purim!
Love, ♡ Shayndel
Prune and Cherry Blossom, can you see the hidden fillings revealed!?
PS note to my blog friends! Thank you friends for your comments on my Purim posts below!! So happy to share in the gladness of the holiday with YOU and blessed by your comments!! I am still in a Purim whirlwind and now going into Shabbat , so will look forward to reply to follow once I settle !!Much love and a blessed weekend ! Filled with joy and God's great peace.. Shabbat Shalom!!!♡
When I walked down the street to get to the event with my suitcase, it struck me that I have everything I need packed in the suitcase! Then I also saw that this dance was an offering.
Mayim Mayim comes from the Scripture in Isaiah 12:3 which says, Joyfully shall you draw water from the wells of Salvation.
Interestingly, In Japan, many people know the dance to Mayim Mayim.
This dance is taught in elementary schools as a folk dance, so people of
all ages still know the basics and that is probably why everyone caught
on so quickly!! But no one know that it comes from Israel, or that
When we dance to this dance it represents drawing from the wells of Salvation.
In Beppu, water bubbles up in springs from the ground. In our hearts, may the joy of our Salvation spring forth as we dance with delight. Giving thanks to our maker, the Creator of Heaven of Earth.
When I got to the venue, I opened my suitcase, and from there the event began!!
The name of the event was "Israel Dance Wa", it was one of many programs in a month long arts event, Beppu Art Month.
So much to pack in one post, but first, I want to say Thank yous!! Thank you to all for your help and prayers and to all who joined! and next, to share a praise report in the form of a list of {
What to pack for An Israeli Dance `WA`!},
Wa, depending how it is written in Japanese means `Circle` and it also means "Harmony" 「和」
1. Pack a suitcase with everything you need for an Israel Dance Circle!
(subtitle: let's all dance to Mayim Mayim together)
2. Include: music CD`s with the Israeli dances for Mayim Mayim, Hava Nagila, Hora, and more!
Costumes--in this case a specially designed t-shirt for the event!
Hospitality items---tablecloths for tables, plates and cups, a pot of hot coffee if its cold, and Israeli candy. Dreidels to give as a thank you for those who join
3. A backdrop or any props for making it festive
4. Set up your backdrop
5. Grab a microphone and invite people to join!! Give thanks first to the God of Israel for the beautiful weather and for the chance to gather!
Best to do this in an open space where there are many passersby so that you can begin to make a circle and have it grow!!
6. Warming up.
When you have enough people gathered, its time to Stretch!
4. Next turn on the music and let the songs fill the atmosphere
5. Teach the basic steps
6. Together, Rejoice!
7.
Please join in ! (MAYIM MAYIM , here and a few more clips below!)
And, to recap in a poem of praise,
The Beppu Art Month
event went Well!!
There`s even a little
story to tell.
All the talk of water
and of springs
makes us want to
rejoice and sing
So it is fitting that the event
is to dance Mayim Mayim
Did you know that in Japan,
everyone knows this dance!
I was thankful for this
wonderful chance
to share that it comes
from Is-ra-el
And that the words come from
Water (Mayim),
Isaiah,
and the Salvation well
I posted the Hebrew that says Be-sa-son (meaning Joy)
on the trunk of a palm tree!
Gather and see!
A bear with a fountain on his yellow shirt,
and a girl who is wearing a Mt. Fuji skirt
formed the backdrop for the outside event
There was a great roof, so no need for a tent.
Children and shoppers, moms, dads and friends
joined in for the dances
they learned the steps quick and we all held hands.
In Japanese Yoroko-bi「 喜び」means joy,
so I end this post with a thank you to
each girl and boy,
along with a little Hannukah toy!!
Blessings and Shalom!!
I packed all the dance in a suitcase With thanks for the chance to rejoice in that place Arms lifted high towards a clear and blue sky Hands held together!
Praise ADONAI!
Joyfully shall you draw water from the wells of Salvation. --Isaiah 12:3
あなたがたは喜べながら救いの水を汲む ーイザヤ書１２：３
Ushavem
Mayim bessason mimainei haYeshua. ---words in transliterated Hebrew from Isaiah 12:3 which
are the lyrics for the folk dance and song, Mayim Mayim
This event was a part of Beppu Art Month. The location was at Beppu Tokiwa, outside in the large entrance space plaza, so that passersby could join in. The event was called `Israel Dance `Wa``
Wa in Japanese has several meaning, depending on what Japanese character is used.
I wanted to express a double meaning of WA , Harmony,
with Wa, Circle。。。and post note, p.s. I just noticed another play, as WA is the first two letters of...WATER!! *yes! Water, Water Mayim means {Water} in Hebrew
Photo credit: thank you Taeko-san! To whom I just handed the camera and asked her to take a few photos at the last minute, and she took the videos too! Please see related post from an earlier guest interview with Teresa, from Rejoice in the Dance. Thank you Teresa for teaching the dance steps, and sharing her inspiring vision. See postHERE.
This High Holy Day week (actually 10 days) has been like a great homecoming, and I just wanted all the foods that go with it. Returning to my Jewish heritage--through Yeshua!--after forty years in the wilderness---was something that I truly celebrated in this week.
We live in a small city in the South of Japan. There is no way to find Jewish holiday foods anywhere around here, so I searched a recipe and decided to make kreplach myself, after finding out that it is a traditional food to eat before the fast on Yom Kippur (recipe here). A food my grandmother might have made and generations even before that. As I was rolling out the little squares of dough and putting in the meat filling, I thought about the holiday, which is about repentance and atonement. We---"both the native-born and the outsider dwelling among you"--- are to observe this most Holy day on the Kingdom calendar year after year throughout the generations, as commanded in the Torah.
"It
is to be a statute to you forever, that in the seventh month, on the
tenth day of the month, you are to afflict your souls, and do no kind of
work--both the native-born and the outsider dwelling among you. For on
this day atonement will be made for you, to cleanse you. From all
your sins you will be clean before ADONAI. It is a Shabbat of solemn
rest to you, and you are to afflict your souls. It is a statute
forever." ---Leviticus 16: 29 〜 30
On this "tenth day of the seventh month" as it was now, I reflected on the miracle that my eyes were opened through Yeshua here in Japan just a few years ago. Through His Salvation I was brought back to God and the Torah and to the Jewish roots of our faith. Recently I watched the movie musical of Fiddler on the Roof. Seeing it now I realized how it was the story of my ancestors. Like Tevye and his family in the story, they had to leave their small towns in Russia and Eastern Europe because of their Jewish faith. The scene was touching where they are packing to go. The Rabbi takes the Torah and carries it on his shoulder. The mother packs her Sabbath candlesticks in with their few belongings. They were going to America!! Something about seeing that story touched my heart as I realized my family too started that way. My grandfather's parents had to flee their towns, which were actually closer to this side of the world where I am now. They came all the way to America, like Tevye the milkman in the musical and his family. For the first time I could imagine my family that way, probably with their few belongings too, bringing what was most dear to them and especially the faith in their hearts. How could I have wanted to run away from my heritage, what was it I wanted to hide and turn away from? I had no sense of the preciousness of what they were carrying. I thought I could just decide to turn away from it and I did. I didn't observe Yom Kippur all my years in Japan. I had a lot to repent for on this day. I looked at the flour covered board and the plump little dumplings, the dough covering and concealing the inside filling....just meditating on this first Yom Kippur in Japan, preparing for the fast....making .... kreplach...
It is also said that it's good to eat melon before a fast. I had watermelon. The fast was very easy this year. I don't know if it was because of the watermelon, or because being in God's presence is so nourishing that I didn't hunger at all but rather felt very filled the whole day through from His word!
My children, I am writing these things to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an Intercessor with the Father--the righteous Messiah Yeshua. He is the atonement for our sins, and not only for our sins but also for the whole world.
