| Exodus 24:12 | |
12 ADONAI said to Moshe, "Come up to me on the mountain, and stay there. I will give you the stone tablets with the Torah and the mitzvot I have written on them, so that you can teach them."
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Sephardim Hope News
...And the regathered shall inherit the Negev. Obadiah 1:20
Iyar 5773 May 2013 |
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Greetings! ,
| Do�a Gracia Serrano |
Happy 65st Anniversary Israel, and Hag Sameach for Shavuot!
"Who has seen such things?
Shall the earth be made to give birth in one day?
Or shall a nation be born at once?
For as soon as Zion was in labor,
She gave birth to her children."Isaiah 66:8
Shavuot Torah Readings
Exodus 19:1-20:23; Deuteronomy 14:22--16:17
On the sixth day of the third month (Sivan), seven weeks after the Exodus, the Children of Israel camped opposite Mount Sinai, where Ha Shem chose Israel to be His "kingdom of priests" and "holy nation." The B'nai Israel responded by proclaiming, "All that G-d has spoken, we will do."
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Approaching Shavuot
During Shavuot this May 14, 15 we praise the great G-d of the universe who gave us the Torah at Mt Sinai. Shavuot is attached to the last day of Pesach, (Passover) by the ritual called, "The Counting of the Omer", fifty days to Shavuot, (Pentecost).
From the day after the Sabbath, the day that you bring the sheaf of wave offering, you shall keep count until seven full weeks have elapsed; you shall count 50 days until the day after the seventh week, then you shall bring an offering of new grain to Adonai. You shall bring from your settlements two full loaves of bread as a wave-offering. On that same day you shall hold a celebration, it shall be a sacred occasion for you. Lev 23:15-21
Today a number of traditions are associated with Shavuot.
The Book of Ruth: It is customary, in many synagogues, that the Book of Ruth is read on the second day of Shavuot. There are several reasons for this custom, among which are:
A) Shavuot is the birthday and yahrtzeit (anniversary of passing) of King David, and the Book of Ruth records his ancestry. Ruth and her redeemer, Boaz were King David's great-grandparents.
B) The scenes of harvesting described in the book of Ruth are appropriate to the Festival of Harvest.
This reading section is called the "Ketuvim", and is not normally read. What a perfect setting for the "Barley Harvest" and then "Wheat Offering"!
Adorning the Home with Flowers and Why we eat milk products on Shavuot:
Since Shavuot is also called the "Harvest Festival," it is customary to adorn the home and synagogue with flowers and greens. The first fruit harvest offerings to Ha Shem, were taken to the Temple in Jerusalem, carried on carts, pulled by oxen decorated with beautiful flower wreaths.
It is customary to eat dairy foods on the first day of Shavuot. There are a number of reasons for this tradition:
On Shavuot, a two-loaf bread offering was brought in the Temple where they were waved to Ha Shem. To commemorate this, we can eat two meals on Shavuot -- first a dairy meal, and then, after a short interruption, we eat the traditional holiday meat-meal.
With the giving of the Torah instructions, the Jews now became obligated to observe the laws of Kosher.
As the Torah was given on Shabbat no cattle could be slaughtered, nor could utensils be koshered, and thus they ate the dairy food that was available.
The Torah is also likened to nourishing milk and the promised land as "milk and honey"(or "milky honey" as some have said). The Hebrew word for milk is "chalav."
When the numerical value of each of the letters in the word chalav are added together - 8, 30, 2 - the total is forty. Moses spent 40 days on Mount Sinai when receiving the Torah, the "Ten Words"!
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~ Shavuot Tribute to My Father, Yose Muro Serrano ~
| Serrano circa 1945 in Buffalo NY |
Born March, 1914 in Guadelajara, Jalisco, MX
Migrated to the US under the Brasero Act in 1945
Made his Final Aliyah on
E'rev Shavuot 5766
Blessed Be His Memory
Jer. 23:3, 4 "Therefore I shall gather the remnant of My flock out of all the lands where I have driven them, and shall bring them back to their fold. And they shall bear and increase. And I shall raise up shepherds over them, and they shall feed them. And they shall fear no more, nor be discouraged, nor shall they be lacking, declares Adonai."
My Abba, Yosef, blessed be his memory, passed away on E'rev Shavuot in 2006 at the age of 92. His written notarized affidavit to the truth of our family's Jewish roots, is a valuable document to this effect. He could never erase who he really was, nor his Jewish family legacy that he carried in secret. Baruch Ha Shem for its revealing!
| Click on Book Cover to Order |
Some of this family history is documented in my new book, Anousim Awake.
We are receiving some wonderful feedback as many seem to be awakening to their lost Jewish past and being touched by the familiar resonance of their own family history. May Ha Shem bless and use this book to encourage many lost Jewish families.
Read the Five Star Reviews on Barnes and Noble.com here. Scroll down to the Customer Review section to see the reviews.
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Educational Efforts Must Increase
We know that the work that has to be done for the encouragement and educational efforts must increase. We are asking for assistance to help us implement conferences that may be offered in the many areas of need.
Our blog contains many articles for the educational purpose of informing about the new developments in the diaspora of our lost and returning people. As anti-semitism rises, so does the need and desire of many of our lost Sephardi in the nations.
S.H.I. continues to stand with those who hear the cries of our people for their hearts desire of aliyah to the land.
We continue to stand with Israel, in its efforts for safety, protection and desire for peace.
This month I sang for a great event for Magen David Adom, in support of one of this most important organizations in Israel. The Magen David Adom (equivalent to the Red Cross of the USA) is not government sponsored and supplies all the blood needed to the IDF and also to 97% of the Israeli citizens in need. They also reach beyond Israel's borders to do a great work of support to other nations in need during tragedy. If you are interested in finding out more about this great organization check out the link to to American Friends of Magen David Adom here.
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Loving Shalom, Do�a Gracia Serrano Fenn Sephardim Hope International |
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