Matzah Brei and Timbrels, A taste of Deliverance, and beginning the Omer count!!

In Your love You lead the people You redeemed;
In Your strength You guide them to Your holy abode.
Exodus 15:13

The seven (or eight) days of Passover pass by so quickly.   I am never quite ready to go back to "leaven"  until another week or so after that!   If you still have matzah, I invite you to make Matzah Brei!! Do you know Matzah brei?  A divine comfort food that is a little like "french toast", but with matzah!!  It will be something you can try while at home, and it will give you a taste of deliverance when topped with Charoset and Yogurt, for a special Passover ending to top off and round up the holiday.  Thankfully when one holiday of the LORD "ends" another is already beginning, and that is especially so at Passover, as we start counting the days, or 7 weeks, up to "Shavuot" in expectation.  These are the days which led up to the giving of the Torah at Mt. Sinai, and the pouring out of the Holy Spirit in the Upper Room when the disciples would have also counted up to that day in great expectation.   The counting started at the second night of Passover,

Tonite we count the eighth day of the Omer.

In my Challah -cast this week I go out with my timbrels and Praise the LORD with the tambourine before heading inside to make the Matzah brei!!  Is there a connection between the two??  I invite you to take up your timbrels, to make Matzah brei,  and to watch the "Challah-cast" this week!!

Blessings and Love,

♡

Shayndel (and Joanne's Challah-cast Channel!)

Matzah Brei and timbrels, for the seventh day of Passover

Matzah brei with Charoset and yogurt!! Divine Passover comfort food!!

Pre-Passover, thoughts on the go, posted Post-Passover!

♡

For the LORD is a great God 

and a great King above all gods.

Psalm 95:3

Note:  This post is from last year (Spring 2019)  before Passover, and I never ended up posting it.
Somehow I saw it today when I was going to edit a post, it was in "drafts".   I didn't purposely mean to post it but I posted it.  That seemed strange but as it was what it was, I decided to leave it!!! And see how it speaks to us today!! Hope it blesses someone or speaks even to me in some way about this Year's Passover--and actually I just read it and amazingly, it completely does speak of this year "where God's people are some here, some there, may we all join our hearts as One , as we prepare for the ultimate Redemption..."(read on!)

***

(Note:  I started this post "on the go" before Passover, so it is from  a few weeks  past already!  I was too rushed to post !!  I went "up" to Tokyo for Passover.  
 I made a trip to Tokyo to have Passover with my daughter, and attend a community seder on the second night.  These were  pictures, before my Passover "journey"to Tokyo! Of sharing a matzah and grape juice "communion" before actual Passover.  Just sharing it now as we can always eat the bread and drink the cup as Yeshua tells us to and as the first Passover was taken in a rush to get out of Egypt, this "Passover to-go" set reminds me of getting rid of anything we still may be enslaved to and set out in this season free of those things that are full of "hametz", and trade them in for those qualities fitting for being freed as a child of God.)

As I am scurrying to get ready, to have the house cleaned of all the hametz.   I confess (?!) I started eating matzah already, sharing in communion even over a week before Passover.  Things with leaven already look heavy, bread so puffed up, and sinful!  I am ready for the week of matzah, and no leaven.  Today I had matzah standing up.   Because in my cleaning I still had things around and there was no place to sit. When standing up  I think of the Israelites who were commanded to eat the Passover in haste, not leaving anything leftover.  They were to stand.  In preparation to leave quickly for their Exodus.

Exodus 12:10~11

Being set free happens at once and yet once set free there is still our lifetime to work out our salvation.  At moments like these when we realize or start to , what it means to be set free and die to ourselves, sometimes we can't even sit down.  And surely there are those moments when we can't even stand up, and have to kneel down and cry in sheer thanks to our Saviour for the finished work of what He has done for us.   But the work we need to do is not finished, our work to come together as One in Him.  On this holiday where God's people are some here, some there, may we all join our hearts as One , as we prepare for the ultimate Redemption...Well, these are just some thoughts on the go on the day before Passover!!

I give you a new commandment, that you love one another.  Just as I have loved you, so also you must love one another.  By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.
John 13:34~35


Many blessings...Love to all  and a Chag Sameach Pesach!!

 

For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you—that the Lord Yeshua, on the night He was betrayed, took matzah; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you. Do this in memory of Me.” In the same way, He also took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in memory of Me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.

―1 Corinthians 11:23-26

First Blossoms, Shabbat of Song, A new Challah-cast, and Happy Tu B'shevat!!

Plum blossoms, and can you see , the "Tu B'shevat" moon?! 

Thou in Thy love hast led the people that Thou hast redeemed; Thou hast guided them in Thy strength to Thy holy habitation.        

                                                          Exodus 15:13

This Shabbat is known as the Shabbat of Song.
I love the sound of that, and the readings in the book of Exodus and the book of Judges this week that contain the Song of Miriam and the Song of Deborah.  Joyful and Triumphant songs of Praise and Redemption!!!  Isn't it amazing how Miriam had her timbrels all packed and ready on the Exodus, she was so confident of the Victory that would be seen from the mighty hand of God that she had all her worship instruments ready to take out and break out into leading the women in song and dance!! Praise God!! He is mighty!! The horse and rider He has thrown into the sea!!

In this week's Parsha, Parsha Beshalach we are also introduced to the manna which God sends down to the Children of Israel.  I love this parsha for the song, for the freedom, for the manna!!!

I talk about the manna and God as our provider in this week's Challah-cast.  You can see it  at the end of post or HERE   if you are moved to please do watch and to  let me know any comments!! I am trying to find a good balance between Torah and Challah, and each week's continues to be a learning experience  how to put it together.  You may notice in this one, I mostly talk! I do hope to include more of the challah-making as I go along and can find the good way to set it up!! I did some scenes this time but as I kept talking I was adding more and more flour and I lost my concentration on the challah, so I didn't include those scenes this time!!
Enjoy if you do have a chance to watch.

This Shabbat also comes around the time of the first blossoms of spring!!   The first blossoms we see here in Japan are Plum Blossoms, called UME (pronounced u-may) in Japanese.  I have a special love for these first blossoming trees and how their opening also corresponds to the season in which  the holiday of Tu B'Shevat is celebrated in Israel. 

Tu B'Shevat is the new year for trees!!

The trees start to 'wake up' as the sap and movements that we can't see yet begin to be activated from underground that gives rise to the opening of beautiful flowering blossoms!!  We can also tap into that creative unleashing in ourselves as we ask the LORD to help us to reach our creative potential and use our gifts for His glory.  May we all blossom in our gifts and use them for His glory!!

Blossoms appear in the land.  The time for singing has come.
Song of Songs...

Happy Tu B'Shevat !!!  Take a walk around, admire the blossoms!
Sing a song of Praise to the maker of all Creation, to the Redeemer who set us free so that we can worship Him!!! What a wonderful purpose to have!!!

🎵The LORD is my Strength and my Song! And He has also become my Salvation*!🎶

*my Yeshua!! ♫

 Under the blossoms, so fragrant,  I want to say, Thank you LORD for you are my Strength and my Song.  And you  have become my Salvation!!!  Thank you for saving me!! Creating me!  Setting me free!!  You are my Messiah, My Yeshua, and I love YOU!

Blessings and love!
♡
Shayndel (aka "Joanne" on the Challh-cast!!)

A tambourine  as part of the table setting for the Shabbat of Parsha Beshalach and the Shabbat of Song!! To remember Miriam leading the women with timbrels and the Songs of Praise !!

The very first Plum Blossom this year!!

Matzah and Blossoms, Spring Green and Tambourine, Pesach Sameach

A long title, and a short post to wish you a Pesach Sameach!! As the Blossoms turn to spring green, reflected in a Tambourine!!  Time to change the header to "Matzah and Cherry Blossoms"!!

A song of Praise,
with blessings,
with LOVE !

The singers go before, the musicians last, between maidens beating tambourines.

"Bless God in the congregations--

ADONAI, from the fountain of Israel".   Psalm 68:26~27

♡