Tear down the wall . . . metaphor

Last week I had an opportunity to put feet to some of my pro-Israel advocacy, and it centered on the "wall," the Israeli security barrier, which has become an icon for everything wrong with Israel among those who can't remember what everyone was complaining about before the barrier was built. The University of New Mexico…

A no to divestment

Over the past couple of months I've gotten drawn into the battle a lot of advocacy for Israel and the Jewish people. I helped draft and disseminate a statement on the crazy Ralph Messer-Eddie Long Torah ceremony that went viral on You Tube back in January, and a couple of statements concerning the "Christ at…

Resurrection and redemption

“On that night we were redeemed, and on that night we shall be redeemed.” The Passover Seder is made up of two halves, roughly divided by the festive meal itself. The first part commemorates the redemption from Egypt as we retell the whole story of the departure from Egypt, starting with “Avadim hayinu, we were…

Remember his death–the Last Supper

Whenever I read Rav Shaul’s account of Messiah’s last Seder, I always wonder at his concluding phrase: “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes” (1 Cor. 11:26). Why “the Lord’s death”? Don’t we celebrate Messiah’s resurrection and his life among us when…

Passover: Insiders and Outsiders

The tenth day of Nisan has just ended, four days before Passover, which is the day on which the Torah commanded every household to select a lamb to be sacrificed four days later on Passover. It's also the day that Yeshua entered Jerusalem during his last Passover, riding on a donkey to fulfill the words…