Biblical Heritage Center Blog

The Haggadah is a Jewish text that sets forth the order of the Passover Seder. Reading the Haggadah at the Seder table is a fulfillment of the Scriptural commandment to each Jew to "tell your son" of the Jewish liberation from slavery in Egypt as described in the Book of Exodus in the Torah. Download a Free Passover Haggadah and read the story in your home. It also contains prayers, blessings and much more. Download at -- http://jewishfederation.org/images/uploads/holiday_images/39497.pdf

Pesach, Passover, begins tonight April 22, 2016 at sundown. The link below will give you a glimpse of the magnitude of the celebration in first century Jerusalem before the Temple was destroyed. The entire Jewish nation converged on Jerusalem from all corners of the ancient world to celebrate Passover in the Holy City. Some lived nearby, and had a comparatively easy journey; some came from neighboring lands and others traveled great distances, even from as far away as Rome. The pilgrims came in caravans, numbering hundreds and sometimes even thousands of participants. Each group brought the obligatory "half-shekel" donation to the Temple treasury, on behalf of their respective constituency. Preparations in Jerusalem for the influx of such large numbers began early. On the first day of Adar, a full six weeks before the festival, special agents appointed by the Rabbinical court went about the countryside "to repair the roads, squares, and mikvaot, and to insure t...

This issue of Guideposts (May 2016) has a great article by 60 Minutes reporter Lesley Stahl. She has just published her new book, Becoming Grandma , the name of the article is too (pages 26-30). Enjoy! We get to reboot with our grandkids, fix the mistakes or make amends for what we did as parents. Of course, our grandchildren force us to confront our age. . . During parenthood, we’re burdened with responsibility and fear (not to mention lack of sleep). Grandparents’ love is unfettered, pure. . . The balance shifts when our children become parents. We grands begin holding our tongues (we try, anyway). We live by their rules now. And rule number one is: “Do it their way. . . .” This role of grandmother inspired me to write a book, Becoming Grandma , asking all sorts of experts about “the joys and science of the new grandparenting,” as the book’s subtitle puts it. Of all the interviews, one conversation stands out. It was with a psychiatrist named Nancy Davis, of Bradenton, Flo...

Most people recognize “ You shall not murder ” as one of the Ten Commandments, but few know where the commandment “ You shall not get angry ” is. How many people have violated that commandment? Read the latest Teachings of the Real Yeshua newsletter – Murder, Anger & God – at http://www.biblicalheritage.org/teachings_of_yeshua_2016_number_02.html

This Friday is the first seder of Passover. I hear complaints from many people, myself included, about not only eating matzah for a week, but no leavened products at all! Matzah tends to be like cardboard, depends what you put on it, but the Infamous Passover desserts, OMG. Some, until recently, were used by three letter agencies instead of waterboarding to extract information! By the way, I do not hold with the thought that eating leaven during Passover will bring Divine Punishment – but I do take the lesson and the discipline of it seriously! Read Rabbi Leynor’s complete blog at -- http://tovcenter.blogspot.com/2016/04/living-without-leaven.html

Psalm 133:1 was one of my favorite songs long before I understood what TOV meant. Now that the TOV Center exist, it is even better. Psalm 133 is a Song of Ascents . Many scholars believe the title indicates that these psalms were sung by worshippers as they ascended the road to Jerusalem to attend the three pilgrim festivals, while others think they were sung by the Levite singers as they ascended the fifteen steps to minister at the Temple in Jerusalem. Today, it is sung in synagogues and churches around the world. It is something that Jews and Christians share -- and feel -- its importance. Rabbi Leynor and I are witnesses to its message. Below are the words in English and a transliteration of the Hebrew words. Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! Hine(y) ma tov u’ma-nayim shevet ach-im gam ya-chad. Below are links to my favorite two videos Hine Ma Tov. The first is a Christian version in English, while the second is ...

It's coming! That time when were not allowed what's risen, only what's not risen. Passover is upon us. . . We read the story of the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt, the remembrance of an historical event . . . In a number of ways, the Exodus story reflects part of our journey through life. Many times, we must leave the familiar and the known and we are either kicked out, or forced to leave the familiar for the midbar , the wilderness of the unknown . Read Rabbi Leynor’s blog at -- http://tovcenter.blogspot.com/2016/04/enter-matzoy.html