The Hebrew word for friend is חֲבֵר (chaver). The root: ח ב ר means to ‘join, connect’. Friends are people who are joined together around a similar interest or cause. A written composition is a חיבור (chi-vur) because words are joined together. An author, writer or composer is a מחבר (m’cha-ber) because they join together…
Nugget# 999: A Hearing Heart
A Hearing Heart In 1 Kings 3:3, God appeared to King Solomon in a dream as he offered sacrifices in Gibeon and said, “Ask what I shall give thee.” Solomon’s request is recorded in verse 9: “Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart.” God told Solomon that his prayer was answered and hence Solomon became the…
Nugget 239: The Seer Who Could Not See
Walking Against God’s Will. As we saw last week, Israel had begun the final leg of the journey to Canaan land. Traveling northward along the King’s highway, they would pass directly through the land of Moab. Balak, the king of Moab, felt threatened by Israel so he sent an emissary to Balaam in Mesopotamia asking…
Nugget #238: Take the King’s Highway Home
Esau’s Inheritance. The book of Numbers is partly a narrative of Israel’s desert wanderings interspersed with the laws and requirements of the offerings and also, rules for dividing the land of Canaan. Deuteronomy recounts (and summarizes) the events of the desert years and here we find God’s command to Moses to begin the final leg of…
Nugget #237: Happy Father’s Day
Honoring Our Fathers When God gave the Ten Commandments, He was establishing the foundation for society and truly “western civilization” and esp. the laws of the United States are built upon them. Their importance cannot be denied (although many people try to do so in this day). The Ten Commandments are generally divided into two…
Nugget #236: Teachers and their Students
Teachers and Their Students There is a strong logical connection between teaching and learning. We cannot teach without learning and the best teachers are those who are lifelong students. Also, we can learn a new subject better if we also simultaneously teach someone else what we are learning. Both learning and teaching have always been very…
Nugget #235: Shavu’ot and Pentecost
The Hebrew word שָׁבֻעֹת֙ – Shavuot (sha-vu-ote) literally means ‘weeks’. The word ‘week’ in Modern Hebrew is שבוע – shavuah. Exodus 34:22 says, “And thou shalt observe the feast of weeks, of the firstfruits of wheat harvest.” The phrase ‘feast of weeks’ is from the Hebrew – חַ֤ג שָׁבֻעֹת֙ – chag shavu’ot. In Modern Hebrew, the word חג – means ‘holiday’. The time of shavuot…
Nugget #234: Jerusalem! Jerusalem!
Jerusalem: The City of Peace Jerusalem Day (Hebrew: יום ירושלים, Yom Yerushalayim) is an Israeli national holiday commemorating the reunification of Jerusalem and the establishment of Israeli control over the Old City in June 1967. When Israel declared its independence in 1948, it was attacked en masse by its Arab neighbors. Jordan took over east Jerusalem and the Old City and the Jewish residents who had…
Nugget #233: The Miracle Nation
The Most Crowded Hours in History At 4:00 pm on Friday, Iyar 5th, 5708 (May 15th, 1948), David Ben Gurion Listen to David Ben Gurion reading the Declaration of Independence (English Subtitles) (who would be the first Prime Minister of the new state) stood in the Tel Aviv Museum (today known as Independence Hall) and…
Nugget #232: Remember the Six Million
Remember the Six Million Yom HaShoah (Heb: יום השואה ) begins tonite at sundown. The official name is [Heb: יום הזיכרון לשואה ולגבורה ] – Yom HaZikaron laShoah v’laG’vurah. Let us examine these words etymologically. The Hebrew word Yom (יום) means ‘day’ and Shō’āh Heb: (שאוה ) means ‘catastrophe’. It is found once in the T’nakh in Proverbs…