Shabbat Musings #1 - Tzitzit

Shabbat Musings: Wearing Tzitzit!

July 7th, 2012 - Shabbat Shalom!

Good morning! Today, I've been thinking about tzitzits and how great they are! 

For family and friends who aren't familiar with the commandment to wear tzitzit, let's go over to Bemidbar (Numbers) 15:37-40:

"And Yahuah spoke to Mosheh, saying, 'Speak to the children of Yisra'el and you shall say to them to make tzitzit on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and to put a blue cord in the tzitzit of the corners. And it shall be to you for a tzitzit and you shall see it, and shall remember all the commands of Yahuah and shall do them, and not search after your own heart and your own eyes after which you went whoring, so that you remember, and shall do all My commands, and be set-apart unto your Elohim."

Debarim (Deuteronomy) 22:12 "Make tassels on the four corners of the garment with which you cover yourself."

But in the modern times, do we really have to follow this small, seemingly insignificant commandment? Our Messiah has the answer! 

Mattithyahu (Matthew) 5:17-19:

Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.  For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished.  Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

It seems as if the Messiah was calling his taught ones to follow all the commands, even the smallest, most "insignificant" ones. If he called them to obey, why shouldn't we?


Also, the Messiah wore these tassles himself!

Mattitiyahu 9:20-22:"And see, a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years came from behind and touched the edge of His garment. For she said to herself, 'If I only touch His garment, I shall be healed'. But Yahushua turned and when He saw her He said, 'Take courage, daughter, your belief has healed you.' And the woman was healed from that hour."

 The word "edge" there according to the Greek version of Mattithyahu is spedon meaning fringe or tassel!


Now, a lot of people will try to point to Mattithyahu 23:5-6 to say we aren't supposed to wear tzitzit as sort of a 'slam' on tzitzit wearing by Yahushua, but in fact, he's condemning the lengthening and thickening of tzitzit to kind of "parade your faith".

Mattithyahu 23:5-6: "And they do all their works to be seen by men, and they make their t'fillen wide and lengthen the tzitzit of their garments, and they love the best place at feasts, and the best seats in the congregations."

Now, I've had someone recently tell me that I've "ruined my shirt" by wearing tzitzit! How deeply offensive! I wear tzitzit as a reminder of the Commandments of Yahuah as I am commanded to do according to Scripture. The only "law" that was fulfilled was the "law" concerning the previous priesthood. The command to wear tzitzits is one of the least of the commands, but those who follow the least of these will be greatest in the Kingdom!

Try telling the Messiah not to wear His tzitzit! Remember, it's Satan's job to tell you not to obey!

Shalom! 

Baruch Haba B'Shem Yahuah! 

(Blessed Is He Who Comes In The Name Of Yahuah!)

Breastfeeding in Public

Breastfeeding in Public

July 6th, 2012 - Preparation Day

We've all heard of people getting dirty looks from people in stores for breastfeeding in public, but I don't think I've ever seen anything like this before:

I am from Saudi Arabia and I agree with Americans. For woman to feed baby with breast in public is disgusting and filthy habit. A woman must always be discreet and stay in house - best place to feed baby. Outside is not for woman with baby, inside better for woman and baby and family honor. In my family woman with baby stay in house for one year - never go out. Safer, cleaner and more honor. 

Breast in public is work of devil!

Oh, hell no. Sounds like you can go back to Saudi Arabia, thanks! A filthy habit? So, since when is feeding my child a filthy habit? Since when is it healthy for a woman to be cooped up in her house for the first year of their sweet darling baby's life? 

When a weak liberal minded society who doesn't have a tonge to speak out against this indecent, inappropriate, cheap, lowclass behavior, such as public breastfeeding, how long will it be till society 200 years down the road starts condoning Urinating-Defacating in public...its a slippery slope. 
Public breastfeeding is rude, its disrespectful, its shameful and a sexual act of perversion among the women who chooses to expose her sexual private parts in front of everyone to see so we can take the blame of being insinuated as a pervert just for making a complaint to the restaurant manager about it.

Cheap? Low-class? Women have been breastfeeding since the creation of the world. So, tell me, how is it that in "200 years down the road" society will condone urinating/defecating in public if it hasn't been condoned by now? And by the way -- breasts are multi-purpose, you know. Yes, they CAN BE sexual, but their PRIMARY function is nourishment! 

Is it cheap and low-class to expose your mouth in public? I'm sure you've kissed someone at some point in your life, unless you're a total prude in that area too. If you want to follow that train of thought, any part of your body that can be used for "sexual" purposes should be hidden away too, right? Your hands, your mouth...hell, what about the creep-o's that get their jollies by looking at people's feet, huh? Women should all wear burkas then just so nothing "indecent" is showing, right? So what if I go to nurse and a wee bit of side-boob shows? Or what if my baby pulls away for a split-second and heaven forbid, you see a little more than that? I'm not going around parading my breasts on purpose, but everyone on the planet knows that women have breasts. It's no secret. 

We must not allow these foreign heathen habits come into our sacred land. If a baby wants to eat, why, there is so much good food in the stores - why all this breast exposure.

First off, since when is America "sacred"? Don't get me started... Second, have you read the labels of the "good food" in the stores? Don't you know that breastmilk is a PERFECT food for babies and toddlers? They get nutrients from it that you just can't reproduce. 

 Keep it covered! Geez. Religion's got nothing to do with exposing yourself in public like that. All you're gonna do is attract perverts, especially in the US. It's such a deeply personal act and we are not animals with cubs. We are taught to have manners. Sorry. Use a breast pump and get it before you go out. Compromise!

 There are perverts out there looking for any excuse to be creepy whether I nurse in public or not. And compromise? You must not have mammary glands at all if you wrote this. Do you know how hard it is to just "use a breast pump"? Women aren't faucets! You can't just say, "I know my baby is going to need exactly six bottles of milk today" and pump that much! It's supply and demand. Plus, most women need their babies latched on to create a milk let-down. You can't get that with a pump. And what about the bonding with your baby? Bottles can't do that.

It has to do with the fact that I'm with my four year-old nephew at a breakfast restaurant and before we receive our eggs we have to see someone's putrid, disgusting nipple exposed and I have to comfort my screaming nephew because he is so shocked and appalled and confused. 
For god's sake, do you want to see a man whip out his genitals and pee behind his truck? No! Then why should I have to watch some flabby boob flopping around and ruining my appetite when I'm about to eat breakfast?

 Your nephew was only shocked, appalled and confused because some "person whose attitude toward breast feeding has been impeded/hindered/delayed in development" (which are other synonyms for the word 'retard', the word I originally used here to describe said person -- didn't mean to offend, folks!)  taught him that breasts are "putrid and disgusting". I wish him luck with any intimate relations as an adult, because if he's scared of breasts now, wait til he gets married. 


I don't advocate having your entire breast out while nursing in public, but remember, my child has a right to eat just as much as you do. You're just as welcome to go take your food and eat it in the bathroom as my child.

"If You Give a Mom a Blank Check..."

If You Give A Mom A Blank Check...

July 1st, 2012 -- 1st Day

It's no secret. We all have a wishlist. You know, things we'd buy/do if we had access to stupid amounts of money. Now, I'm not a "big house, big car" kind of a person. I don't want a swimming pool with sharks in it! I'm more interested in practical things...like, paying off the little debt that we have. :)

You know what would be really cool, being able to completely sustain my family with the food supply from our garden, complete with irrigation system, raised beds, etc. And of course, new tools, a tiller of my own, and a little shed in which I can put all my gardening paraphernalia. It would be neat and organized, with veggies, fruit, herbs, flowers here and there...a wooden gate surrounding it. Ahh, that would be the life!

And of course, what would be better for gardening with a baby than something to carry him around in without straining yourself, right? See, I love my Moby Wrap to death, and it's so wonderful for small babies (I haven't figured out a wrap for Godzilla babies like my dear son...) but I'm looking for something a little more sturdy. Upon looking around online for something to meet my specifications, I stumbled upon a homesteading mother who swears by her Ergo Baby Carrier! Ahhh, the things I could do with it! My son does come outside with me into the garden in his stroller, and sure, the stroller is great for the grocery store/going out to eat (I don't trust public high-chairs for anything...too gross), but for walking and being outside...yes, this is perfect. :)

And then there's the car. Ahh, my lovely ex-cop car. I really do love it. And since we only one child (for now), it works perfectly! A little tune-up is all it needs for now, but I'm sure eventually we will acquire a larger vehicle for more children. :)

 

And then, there's my dear darling laundry room! Oh, how I want to paint, plan, and just make it a welcoming spot for me to get to work. I can see it now: my washer in place with my dryer tucked in a corner for rainy-days when I can't use my clothesline. The walls painted a green or a yellow (not too bright though!). A specific place just for my home-made laundry detergent and other cleaning supplies. But you know what would be really neat? A small table for children in the corner so they can look forward to hanging out with mama in the laundry room with special books/coloring pages just for the occasion of being with me while I get some laundry done! Hurrah for dual purposes!

Moving back outside...I dream of a chicken coop, a field of wheat, a bigger clothesline (that isn't tied between two trees, although I'm not complaining!) an area for keeping turkeys (lots of meat), and some dairy goats. Ooooh, the fun I could have...:D 

Looking at this little wish-list of mine, I realize that yes, it costs money, time, and effort...but my dreams aren't so far off! Next week we will have our very own chicken flock. Starting this September, we're putting out the wheat field and our winter veggie garden...next year we will look at goats as well...but it makes me step back and think of the verse in Scripture: "Ask and it shall be given to you, seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened to you." Mattithyahu (Matthew) 7:7

And it's so true, you know? Yahuah knows my heart's desires and He is already blessing me with the resources to fulfill my dreams of homesteading so my family can be healthy, well fed, and less-reliant on money and more reliant on Him!

Shalom! :) Have a great week. 

A Rant

A Rant on Society

June 29th, 2012 -- Preparation Day

Just a quick little rant. Nothing personal to anyone. :)


NOTE: THIS NOT TO JUDGE ANYONE. :) Many women have different situations in life that they have to deal with! Not everyone can be a stay-at-home mother. A lot of women have to put their children in day-care, and that's okay! But this is simply my personal rant towards people who judge me for my decisions over many things: to stay home, to not vaccinate, and to consider my husband my headship. That's all! <3


Yes. I didn't go to college. No, I never slept around before I got married. I've been married almost two years at twenty and I have a 7 month old son. This does not mean that I'm uneducated. It means that I'm not going to spend years and endless amounts of money on a degree that doesn't really mean anything in my true field of expertice: being a wife, homemaker, and mother! It means that I don't subscribe to waiting until you're thirty or so to have children when my body is in it's prime to give birth! This is what I was made for. 


 I don't celebrate Christmas or Easter. I use the Set-Apart Names to describe my Heavenly Father and Messiah. I'm modest and that's WEIRD to most people! I go into the grocery store with my head covered and my tzitzits on the four corners of my garment and I get odd looks every time. This does not mean that I'm a part of some sort of a "cult". It means that I do not blindly accept the "Mystery Religion" of the day and that I can think for myself. I don't need a "man in a tie telling a lie" to give me instruction. I have one Teacher. He is the Messiah. 


I'm going to home school and not vaccinate my children. Yes, multiple children. You can close your mouth now. :)


To continue my tangent...what's with the "standards" we set for women in today's society? Go to work, drop your kid off at day-care, be a good patient when you go to your MD (which, of course, stands for Minor Deity) and blindly accept their sage advice. You must thrust yourself into the world of men and "prove" yourself to it.


And then there's the other side of the camp, "Yay, I'm a stay-at-home mom and I have the freedom to just bum it out on the couch all day!"


Both aren't for me. They may be for other people, but not me. My child will never go to day-care. They have Mommy-care. I understand that some women don't have a choice in the matter, but I am forever thankful to Yah that I do have a choice. I go to great lengths to put healthy, tasty food on the table every night before my Husband gets home. He works all day and it is the least I can do to have a nutritious meal hot and ready for his arrival. 


Ooohh, do I hear the femmie camp getting angry? 


Yes, I DO believe that there is a spiritual family hierarchy: Yahuah, the Husband, the Wife, and the Children. My husband is my headship. We each have our specific roles within our home. They are very different, yet equal. 

My job is to save every penny he earns. I provide nourishment for the family. I keep our home in good order -- clean every morning when we wake, and clean every night before we go to sleep whenever possible. I take care of our son. We both do. And, because I respect myself, I keep my body as in-shape as I can and I don't use "oh, but I've had babies" as an excuse. 


My husband goes to work and works hard. He gets dirty. He crawls under houses and deals with the nastiest critters you can imagine. Men work and they work hard! Society doesn't give men the credit and respect they deserve. 


This rant isn't directed toward anyone and I don't have a single person in my mind as I write this. I'm just disgusted at what society has turned families into. It truly is sad. It's sad that a woman can't stay at home and provide for her family there and not be treated as "just a mom."


Women -- rejoice that you have a home and a husband and children! It is your kingdom. "In Planet Home, You are Mother Earth." As much as I dislike the whole "mother earth" concept, that's a spot-on statement! Bless your home!


Men -- reclaim your loving responsibility as head of your household and do not abuse that Yah-given position.




Okay. I'm done. :) Time to prepare for Shabbat.

Two-Dollar Eddie and the Watermelon Stand

Two-Dollar Eddie and the Watermelon Stand

June 28, 2012 - 5th Day

Up at the watermelon stand with my sweet landlady this morning, she and I had some interesting encounters with the citizens of this back-water town. I thought I'd write up a bit of it so you could experience it for yourself. I probably couldn't remember it all, but it really was funny:

"Eddie, hold up a second and let me get you do to something for me."

Kitzi stepped out out from under the shade of the blue-canvased watermelon stand into the hot Georgia sun to approach an older, thin black gentleman who stopped his bike as soon as he heard the small blonde woman "holler" at him.

"Eddie, I was gonna ask you if you would do me a favor," she said as she started fishing around in her pockets. "If I give you some money, would you run up to Gunn's and get me a diet coke?"

She pulled out two dollars and put it in his hand. "And make sure you get yourself one too."

Eddie nodded several times. "Yessma'am, Kitzi. You want that now or later, cuz I'm gonna be a little later gettin back now."

"That'd be fine, Eddie. Take your time."

The man pocked the money and continued biking down the road at an unbelievably slow pace.

Kitzi looked over at me and smiled. "That was 'Two-Dollar Eddie'. He's always asking everyone for two dollars. No one knows what he wants with those two dollars, but he never asks you twice. I reckon he's asked just about everyone in town though."

As I tried to calculate how much money Two-Dollar Eddie could make by getting two dollars from everyone in town, an oversized, red truck pulled up to the watermelon stand. Kitzi and I watched as an equally oversized white man with dark sunglasses and a blue polo shirt stepped out of the vehicle, causing it shift and creak as the added weight was removed from the truck.

"Howdy-do, ladies," the man said with a casual wave of his hand and a nod of his head. "Hot weather we're-a-havin' today."

"Yessir," Kitzi and I chimed in together as I tried not to look too wide eyed at the man who could have come straight out of a comedy skit making fun of Southern folk.

"I hear we're gonna have a hard time of it come this weekend. Gonna be blazin' out here. Whoo, look at them there watermelons! I was here two weeks past lookin out for them beans you've been growing, but I ain't seen 'em yet, now. Now my brother Jeff, he can grow some beans. He lives over yonder past the county line. You would-a seen where he stays there, Kitzi, when you go a-ridin' your bicycle down into town off-a highway 20, you know where I'm-a-talkin'bout, don'tcha?"

By this point, Kitzi and I were just nodding and saying, "Mhm-hmm, yessir" like good southern ladies, smiling the whole time.

"Well, speakin of that heat I was talkin' bout, you gotta get used to it out here. Yes ma'am, you do. I'm Georgia born-'an-raised, originally from DeKalb county. Me and my wife have traveled 'round three states with my job but she just can't seem to settle on a place I like. She ain't like us country folk, 'cuz she says we're too far out from the city."

"Can you be too far out? I didn't think you could be," Kitzi said now that the man had taken a breath.

"No ma'am, I reckon you can't be too far out. See, I'm a Hartley and my mamma was a MacIntosh and all her sisters were MacIntoshes. Her mamma ain't never had no boys so that name ain't too familiar round these part no more, but them Hartleys...you know 'bout us Hartleys, right Mrs. Kitzi? My grandmama Hartley was a Connaway back 'fore she got married to my granddaddy and you here 'bout them all over town. The Connaways used to own that building that's been a pizza place off-a the main road over there through town 'bout three times. I wanna see that place succeed, but there just ain't enough people 'round here wantin' pizza when you could just go up to the IGA or the Dollar Store and get you a frozen one. People just ain't want'n to wait nowadays."

The man took a breath. Finally.

"Well, lemme get my hands on one of them melons there, Kitzi. Boy, do they look fine. Well, I gotta head on back to the house. It was sure good to see you ladies. I hope you have a blessed day."

He waddled/walked back to his truck, but remembered something, turned around and said to me, "Ma'am, I bet you if you want to sell them yellow squash you've been growin', let 'em get a little bit bigger. The black folk round here just love 'em big to slice and fry. Ya'll have a good day now, ladies."

________________________

I love this town. :)

The Refiner's Fire - Look It Up!

Link Share - The Refiner's Fire

June 26th, 2012 -- 3rd Day

Just wanted to pass along a wonderful link to a website called http://www.therefinersfire.org/. 

The Refiner's Fire is a wonderful Messianic website that challenges everything you thought was true about Scripture. This is a good website for all my beloved family and friends who are interested in what I believe. 

Was the Messiah a Christian: http://www.therefinersfire.org/yeshua_not_christian.htm (This is a really, really good one!)

Who Changed the Sabbath: http://therefinersfire.org/true_sabbath_day1.htm

Is the Torah a Curse?: http://www.therefinersfire.org/churchianity.htm

This website is a WONDERFUL tool for Messianic believers and I highly recomend sharing it fellow believers and Christians alike. :)

SHALOM! :)

Clean/Unclean Foods in Scripture

Unclean Food: Does This Still Apply?

June 20th, 2012 -- 4th Day

A while back, someone I know quoted a verse in Scripture about how "we should eat everything that is set before us" as far as clean and unclean foods go. This truly bothered me, as I was not familiar with this verse in Scripture. I was thinking about it, so I decided to do some research and post my findings.

The verse that was quoted was 1 Timothy (Timotiyos Aleph) 4:4: "Because every creature of Elohim is good, and none is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving."

What does this mean for Messianic believers such as myself? Well, let's read it in context, starting with verse 1.

"But the Spirit distinctly says that in latter times some shall fall away from the belief, paying attention to misleading spirits, and teachings of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having been branded on their own conscience, forbidding to marry, saying to abstain from foods which Elohim created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. Because every creature of Elohim is good, and none is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving for it is set apart by the Word of Elohim and prayer."

Looks like Sha'ul is getting confusing again! Does he mean that all foods are "cleansed" now?

Note what he's saying here: "saying to abstain from foods which Elohim created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. Because every creature of Elohim is good, and none is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving for it is set apart by the Word of Elohim and prayer."  When you think about it, there ARE foods that are set apart just for His people in Torah (Leviticus/Deuteronomy). These foods already have been set apart for His chosen ones through His Word. Sha'ul says that this good food is set apart, but  also that it is received with thanksgiving!

Go back to Isaiah (Yeshayahu 66:15-17) where he is prophesying about the end of days: "For look, Yahuah comes with fire and with His chariots, like a whirlwind, to render His displeasure with burning, and His rebuke with flames of fire. For by fire and by His sword Yahuah shall judge all flesh and the slain of Yahuah shall be many -- those who set themselves apart and cleanse themselves at the gardens after 'One' in the midst, eating flesh of pigs and the abomination and the mouse , are snatched away together', declares Yahuah."

Wow, he's pretty serious about people claiming to be "holy" and set-apart, but continue to break His laws!

But, what about Peter (Kepha)'s dream? Acts (Ma'asei) 10:9-19: "And on the next day, as they were on their way and approaching the city, Kepha went up on the house-top to pray, about the sixth hour. And he became hungry and wished to eat. But while they were preparing, he fell into a trance, and he saw the heaven opened and a certain vessel like a great sheet bound at the four corners, descending to him and let down to the earth,

in which were all kinds of four-footed beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping creatures, and the birds of the heavens.

And a voice came to him, 'Rise up, Kepha, slay and eat.' But Kepha said, 'Not at all, Master! Because I have never eaten whatever is common or unclean.'

And a voice came to him again the second time, 'What Elohim has cleansed you do not consider common.'

And this took place three times, and the vessel was taken back to the heavens. And while Kepha was doubting within himself about what the vision might mean, look, the men who had been sent from Cornelius, having asked for the house of Shim'on stood at the gate, and calling out, they enquired whether Shim'on, also known as Kepha, was staying there.

And as Kepha was thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, 'See, three men seek you."

Does this mean we can eat whatever we want to now? Unlikely. This was 10 year AFTER the Messiah's death, and Kepha still had not eaten any unclean thing. The vision was about accepting other nations/Gentiles into belief. 

Acts (Ma'asei) 10:28 -- "And he said to them, You know that a Yehudi man is not allowed to associate with or go to one of another race. But Elohim has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean."

Believers, you can't just pick a verse out of Scripture and use it to defend your taste for pork chops and shrimp scampi! I know this is hard for a lot of people to hear -- it's how you grew up, right? And what if you stopped eating pork, what would you family and friends think?

It's not about what they think, it's about what Yah thinks! Read the entire chapter of Leviticus 11 (Wayyiqra), to get a clear picture of the food laws that are STILL in effect today!

And now...I will go to bed. :)