Biblical Heritage Center Blog

"This Week In The Middle East" by Gil Elan, President and CEO of Southwest Jewish Congress . At the opening plenum session of the UN General Assembly on Monday,   President Obama said   that any resolution in Syria must include the removal of Bashar Al-Assad as president. President Putin, in his speech, insisted that   Assad was not the problem   and that his exit would enable the Sunni Jihadists, mainly ISIS and Al-Qaeda affiliated Jabhat Al-Nusra, to take over the country. Putin's argument has merit. Obama's incessant calls for the removal of Assad is a continuation of the well-intended but totally naive, misguided and eventually disastrous US policy during the so-called "Arab Spring" of assisting with the overthrow of secular, stabilizing, pro-Western dictators in favor of "democratic elections". And we all know   how that turned out. Read the complete article at -- http://swjcdallas.blogspot.com/2015/09/putins-syria-strategy.html...

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has published a new book called “Palestine,” a 416-page screed against the Jewish state in which he makes his position clear from the start: Israel has no right to exist as a state. His strategy for the destruction of Israel is not based on anti-Semitism, which he describes as a European phenomenon. His position is instead based on “well-established Islamic principles.” One principle is that a land that falls under Muslim rule, even briefly, can never again be ceded to non-Muslims. What matters in Islam is ownership of a land’s government, even if the majority of inhabitants are non-Muslims. Dozens of maps circulate in the Muslim world showing the extent of Muslim territories lost to the Infidel that must be recovered. These include large parts of Russia and Europe, almost a third of China, the whole of India and parts of the Philippines and Thailand. Khamenei insists he is not recommending “classical wars” to wipe Israel off the map, nor does he want to “ma...

This is a speech well worth reading and its loaded with TOV Values --  http://www.newrepublic.com/article/122916/pope-franciss-address-united-nations-transcript-his-full

Following notes written by an English traveler in the early 19th century and two French pilots in the 1950s, Pierre Tallet made a stunning discovery: a set of 30 caves honeycombed into limestone hills but sealed up and hidden from view in a remote part of the Egyptian desert, a few miles inland from the Red Sea, far from any city, ancient or modern. During his first digging season, in 2011, he established that the caves had served as a kind of boat storage depot during the fourth dynasty of the Old Kingdom, about 4,600 years ago. Then, in 2013, during his third digging season, he came upon something quite unexpected: entire rolls of papyrus, some a few feet long and still relatively intact, written in hieroglyphics as well as hieratic, the cursive script the ancient Egyptians used for everyday communication. Tallet realized that he was dealing with the oldest known papyri in the world. Astonishingly, the papyri were written by men who participated in the building of the Great Pyramid, ...

This is a very important subject that every American needs to understand. Please take a few minutes to watch Frances Larson’s Ted Talk. “We're fulfilling the murderer's desire to be seen. When the victim of a decapitation is bound and defenseless,   he or she essentially becomes a pawn in their killer's show.   Unlike a trophy head that's taken in battle,   that represents the luck and skill it takes to win a fight,   when a beheading is staged,   when it's essentially a piece of theater,   the power comes from the reception the killer receives as he performs.   In other words, watching is very much part of the event.” View the video at -- http://www.ted.com/talks/frances_larson_why_public_beheadings_get_millions_of_views#t-10979

Rasheed Abdul Aziz, 40, entered the Corinth Missionary Baptist Church in Bullard Texas hours after the regular Sunday morning service and asked to see the pastor.   As Aziz was shown into the conference room, “Every hair on my neck just stood up,” said Rev. Johnson, 45. “It was almost like you could just like feel the presence of just negative energy.” Aziz was dressed in camouflage fatigue pants and boots, a black T-shirt and a tactical vest. He was sweating heavily. As Johnson extended his hand, Aziz began yelling about being a “man of Islam” and how his god said he was authorized to take the lives of infidels. He specifically mentioned killing Jews and Christians because their doctrine was contradictory to Islam. Read the complete article at -- http://www.clarionproject.org/news/us-pastor-talks-down-islamist-gunmen-while-saving-parishers

Lessons About Prayer from the Jewish Culture of Yeshua Series #3 The Times for Prayer Now Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth   hour . (Acts 3:1) What time was the ninth hour? Read the complete article at -- http://therealyesua.blogspot.com/2015/09/lessons-about-prayer-times-for-prayer.html

Lessons About Prayer from the Jewish Culture of Yeshua Series #2 Prayers That Will Not Be Answered The Talmud tells us that God will not answer some kinds of prayer. God will not answer a prayer: that is: (1) that is not sincere (2) that asks Him to break one of His own laws (3) that asks for Him to do what we ourselves should be doing (4) that asks Him to help us by hurting others Read the complete article by CLICKING HERE .

Lessons About Prayer from the Jewish Culture of Yeshua Series #1 Whom Should I Thank? Once a boy who had just eaten lunch turned to his mother and said, “Thank you very much.” But his mother said, “You should not thank me alone, for I only prepared the food.” The boy wondered, “Whom should I thank?” He went to the grocery store and saw the grocer.  “Thank you, Mr. Grocer, for the very fine bread that I ate at lunchtime.”  “Oh,” said the grocer, “you should not thank me alone. I only sell the bread. I do not bake it.” Read the complete article at by CLICKING HERE .

The Shady Family Behind America’s Iran Lobby. This Iran lobby, publicly represented by the National Iranian American Council (NIAC), has become a staunch institutional ally of the White House selling the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, as the nuclear deal is known. But while NIAC has done the heavy-lifting—the ad-buying, the leafleting, and Congressional meet-and-greets, all designed to sell lawmakers on the Iran deal—its political efforts also underwrite the economic interests of one very well connected but low-profile Iranian family, the Namazis, who played a key role as intellectual architects of NIAC. Before you make up your mind about the Iran deal, “study” this article & its supporting documents -- http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/09/15/the-shady-family-behind-america-s-iran-lobby.html

In August 2002, Aviya Kushner left Jerusalem, where she had been a correspondent for the   Jerusalem Post , returned to her parents’ home in Monsey, New York, and then drove a thousand miles west to Iowa City to begin an MFA program in nonfiction writing.   A native Hebrew speaker with an expressive face, Kushner would prompt her professor to stop and ask what it was that she found so surprising in the class discussions of the text. At first, Kushner thought that explaining the differences would be easy, but slowly it dawned on her that the gaps in understanding were not so easily bridged. Kushner came to realize that the experience of studying Bible in English with her classmates began with her needing to know what they brought to the text as they read. “I found that my classmates believed all sorts of things that I did not think were possible,” she said, but eventually “I understood where they were coming from, and I had a lot of empathy for them.” Read complete article at ...

“There is clearly a growing, solid, overwhelming majority of Israelis who are unhappy about the way religion and state are linked and impacting the lives of individuals and the state." The survey found that 95 percent of secular respondents are dissatisfied with the government’s handling of religious issues, with large majorities favoring civil marriage or civil unions and official recognition of non-Orthodox conversions. But the survey also reported dissatisfaction with religious policy among 81 percent of haredi Orthodox Israelis, despite the fact that haredi parties regained control over the Religious Affairs Ministry and the powerful Knesset Finance Committee following the March elections.  Read the complete article at -- http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Survey-Religious-and-secular-Israelis-dissatisfied-with-religious-policy-416188

The oldest Egyptian leather manuscript has been found in the shelves of the Egyptian museum in Cairo, where it was stored and forgotten for more than 70 years. Dating from the late Old Kingdom to the early Middle Kingdom (2300-2000 BCE), the roll measures about 8.2 feet long and is filled with texts and colorful drawings of the finest quality. Basically a portable religious manuscript, the more than 4,000-year-old roll, contains depictions of divine and supernatural beings which predate the famous drawings found in the Book of the Dead manuscripts and the so-called Netherworld Books from the New Kingdom onwards (1550 BCE onwards). See pictures and read the complete article at -- http://news.discovery.com/history/archaeology/oldest-and-longest-ancient-egyptian-leather-manuscript-found-150914.htm

Tonight starts the Jewish High Holy Days with Rosh Ha'Shanah (literally, the Head of the year ). Many people mistakenly think this is the New Year on the Hebrew calendar. Actually the Jewish new year or first month happens in the spring. The Hebrew month of Nisan , begins the Hebrew/Jewish calendar. People will greet you with Happy New Year, but this is the seventh month. Maybe this time period had some agricultural or fiscal importance in ancient times. The Hebrew greeting, L'Shanah TOV ah , To a Good Year, a TOV year! Remember, TOV also means, “ Words, Thoughts and Actions that Preserve Life, Protect Life, Make Life More Functional and Increases the Quality of Life .” But the TOV doesn't stop there! Read Rabbi Leynor’s latest blog at -- http://tovcenter.blogspot.com/2015/09/tov-to-left-of-me-tov-to-right-of-me.html

His name is Ali Khamenei, and he has a lot to say about Jews. With the return of Iran to the world scene, he will emerge as the symbol of hate like never before. Ben Cohen’s article about the currents that flow beneath the surface of the current controversy over nuclear reactors is well worth reading -- http://www.thetower.org/article/global-anti-semitism-now-has-a-leader/

Southwest Jewish Congress  Weekly Update 09/13/15 Gil Elan After covering the (mostly) disconcerting political, diplomatic, security and domestic news about Israel and the Middle East over the past year, I've decided that my first column of the year 5776 will be dedicated exclusively to positive and uplifting stories about how Israel is making the world a better, safer, healthier, happier and more secure place for everyone, through technology, ingenuity, initiative...and maybe a little chutzpah. Read Gil Elan’s article at by clicking here . 

Rosh Hashanah, the   Jewish   New Year,   is celebrated in 2015   from sundown on Sept. 13 to the evening of Sept. 15. In the   Hebrew calendar it falls on 1 and 2 Tishrei 5775. Though   Rosh Hashanah   literally means "head of the year," the holiday actually takes place on the first two days of the Hebrew month of Tishrei, which is the seventh month on the Hebrew calendar. This is because Rosh Hashanah, one of four   new years in the Jewish year, is considered the new year of people, animals and legal contracts. In the Jewish oral tradition, Rosh Hashanah marks the completion of the creation of the world. Read complete article and watch short video at -- http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/rosh-hashanah-2015-the-jewish-new-year-begins_55f36590e4b077ca094f3f14

A t first glance, the nature of prophecy would appear to be a relatively marginal feature of Jewish thought. In fact, discerning prophecy’s essence was critically important to leading medieval Jewish philosophers, including Saadiah, Maimonides, Yehuda HaLevi, and Ibn Ezra. Their ideas on the topic, many of which are not widely known, are complex, and are often very distant from the popular notion of God speaking directly to the prophet. Prophecy may be viewed in the two ways:  is it a natural phenomenon, stemming from a human being’s innate ability to encounter the divine, or is it more of a supernatural phenomenon, representing God’s active involvement in communicating with humans? To put it differently, what is God’s precise role in the prophecy? Read the complete article at -- http://thetorah.com/what-is-prophecy/

This coming weekend we will say goodbye to the Jewish year 5775 and welcome 5776 with our traditional wish: "Let a year and its curses end, let a year and its blessings begin". Unfortunately, events in the Middle East over 5775 portend that the "curses" of this year - masses of refugees fleeing Syria and Iraq, political instability, ISIS, al-Qaeda, terrorism and Iranian nukes will not only spill over into 5776, but will grow, strengthen and expand in ways that, according to many experts and analysts, will change the so called "world order" as we know it (or think we know it) today. I want to make it clear at the outset that when I use the phrase "New World Order" I'm not referring to Illuminati conspiracy theories, biblical prophesies, Woodrow Wilson's post WWI "fourteen points" or H.G. Wells' 1940 book of the same name. I'm referring to the geo-politic changes that are happening right now in the Middle East and Europe,...

What is human power? What power options do humans have? Find out at --  http://tovcenter.blogspot.com/2015/09/somethings-you-should-know-about-human.html

Social institutions in America have been under heavy attack over the past five decades, specifically political, economic and religious institutions. Social institutions are like rivets that hold a society together. Remove the rivets from the pieces of metal in the above picture and all of the pieces come apart. Read the complete blog at -- http://tovcenter.blogspot.com/2015/09/are-local-police-departments-important.html

Thousands of women and girls have been abducted, raped and sold into sexual slavery by Islamic State since the militant group declared a caliphate across swathes of Syria and Iraq last summer, according to the United Nations and rights groups. "The most aggressive terrorist group in the world today ...(is) using (rape) as a center point of their terror and their way of destroying communities and families," she told a British parliamentary committee on Tuesday. Read complete article at -- http://www.jpost.com/International/Angelina-Jolie-warns-Islamic-State-using-rape-on-unprecedented-scale-415643 ? 

Israel and the Middle East DALLAS Briefing with Gil Elan Free and open to the public. (We accept donations for the JFS Food Bank.) Gil Elan When: Wednesday, September 9 -- 7:00 - 8:30 p.m. Where: Aaron Family JCC - 7900 Northaven Road – Dallas, TX (JCC security requires ID at the entrance) Message from Gil: This weekend we welcome the new Jewish year. Will 5776 be a "Shana Tova" ... a "good new year"? Probably not based on the way the current year is ending. At tomorrow's briefing (Wednesday, September 9), we will look at the major Middle East events of the past twelve months and how they have set into motion several irreversible and mostly unstoppable geo-political chain reactions that are evolving into a "new world order". We'll discuss the causes and effects of: (1) The growing mass migration of Syrians and Iraqis into Europe (hints: main cause - US foreign policy...or lack thereof. Possible effect - rise of right-...

An important archaeological discovery was announced in Greece that was found underwater in Kiladha Bay on the Peloponnese Peninsula south of Athens. Resting there for millennia, the remnants of an ancient Greek village of the 3rd millennium B.C. were found by divers just under the surface of the bay that forms part of the Argolic Gulf of southern Greece.   The Bronze Age sunken village dates back to before 2,000 years B.C. The team of underwater archaeologists discovered stone defensive structures that are of a “massive nature, unknown in Greece until now,” said Beck. See pictures and read article at -- http://www.speroforum.com/a/TJGTRQPMJA31/76356-Bronze-Age-Greek-city-found-underwater#.Ve0I_hFVikq

An intriguing find consisting of an impressive pyramid-shaped staircase constructed of large ashlar stones was uncovered in an archaeological excavation currently conducted by the Israel Antiquities Authority. The excavation is located in the Jerusalem Walls National Park in the City of David, site of ancient Jerusalem, and is being carried out in cooperation with the Israel Nature and Parks Authority and the City of David Foundation. This structure, situated alongside the 2,000 year old Second Temple stepped street, which carried pilgrims on their way from the Shiloah (Siloam) Pool to the Temple, which stood atop the Temple Mount.   See picture and read article at -- http://jpupdates.com/2015/08/31/2000-year-old-podium-unveiled-in-the-city-of-david/

The world’s oldest bible – dating back to the 4th century AD – is to go on display at the British Museum. The Codex Sinaiticus, which is handwritten in Greek, will be part of an exhibition called 'Egypt: faith after the Pharoahs' from October to February,   The Guardian   reported.  It is normally kept at the British Library and has only been lent out once before – also to the British Museum in 1990 – since it was bought from the Soviet Union in 1933. See picture and read article at -- http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/news/worlds-oldest-bible-codex-sinaiticus-to-go-on-display-at-british-museum-10473944.html

Prayer is the human side of an unending dialog between God and man. It is through the Scriptures that God speaks to man. Man’s response to God is prayer. Most Hebrew prayers are expressions of adoration and gratitude. They are prayers of thanksgiving and praise for God’s boundless mercy and goodness, for His providential love and beneficence to all His creatures. Prayers also play an educational role, especially petitionary prayers. Read the complete article at -- http://therealyesua.blogspot.com/2015/09/prayer-in-real-yeshuas-jewish-culture.html

Last week's deadly rocket fire between Israel and Syria was not an accidental falling of munitions inside Israel during one of the Syrian civil war battles, nor was it just another minor tit-for-tat exchange started by a terrorist organization for whatever reason. On the contrary - it was a major event that gives us a good indication of Iran's strategy, based on its long-term declared goals: eradication of Israel, establishment of hegemonic control over large swathes of the Middle East and an ongoing, death-by-a-thousand-cuts humiliation of the United States. What happened last week? On Thursday, for the first time since the Yom Kippur War in 1973, four rockets were deliberately fired at an Israeli community in the Galilee from an area under the control of Bashir al-Assad's military. Read the complete blog at -- http://swjcdallas.blogspot.com/2015/08/irans-strange-syrian-gambit.html