Игорь Свидерский, Автор в Эц-Хаим

Контрольный список для Песаха

Игорь Свидерский — Mon, 03 Apr 2023 11:17:08 +0000

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Сообщение Контрольный список для Песаха появились сначала на Эц-Хаим.

Где найти шалом?

Игорь Свидерский — Mon, 16 May 2022 15:07:48 +0000

Where can one find shalom? Aren't all our aspirations, such as getting a good education, finding a partner, creating a family, getting a good job, achieving financial independence, improving our health, taking a vacation, etc.) directed to the search for this «peace»? In fact, this is the most pressing question of people of all times, and especially people of the fast current 21st century. Surprisingly, the Jewish idea of a «Messiah» gives us the answer.....

Сообщение Где найти шалом? появились сначала на Эц-Хаим.

Цель еврейской мессианской общины

Игорь Свидерский — Mon, 16 May 2022 15:01:28 +0000

Kirk Gliby, rabbi of the Jewish Messianic Synagogue in Skokie, Chicago, USA, explains the benefits of being part of a community of people who believe in Yeshua and the purpose of the Jewish Messianic community.

Сообщение Цель еврейской мессианской общины появились сначала на Эц-Хаим.

Чем ты кормишь свою душу?

Игорь Свидерский — Mon, 16 May 2022 14:55:42 +0000

How do I change from the inside out? A man who forgets to feed his soul builds a castle without a foundation. The view is beautiful until the wind blows, the rivers flow, and the foundation is revealed... But what is my foundation? What fills me? Where does my fear come from? Why do I explode at people? What is this weakness in me? And what am I supposed to do? Do I just build a beautiful facade? ...

Сообщение Чем ты кормишь свою душу? появились сначала на Эц-Хаим.

Прощение: оставь груз жизни позади

Игорь Свидерский — Mon, 16 May 2022 14:48:42 +0000

Forgiveness is a great power! It frees us from emotional burdens and heals the wounds of the heart. But what does it really mean to forgive another person? How do I do it? And, in fact, on what basis should I forgive someone or someone else?

Сообщение Прощение: оставь груз жизни позади появились сначала на Эц-Хаим.

Разве евреи отвергли Иисуса?

Игорь Свидерский — Mon, 16 May 2022 14:40:39 +0000

For almost twenty centuries Jews have been accused of killing Jesus. So-called «Christian anti-Semitism» is essentially based on this accusation. The indescribable suffering of our people, including countless pogroms and murders, is due to this very accusation. But is this accusation fair? Dr. Fisher, rabbi of the Or Hadash Jewish Messianic Synagogue in Clearwater, Florida, USA ((https://ohrchadash.org) shows that the ‘Brit Hadasha’ (New Testament) paints a completely different picture.https://ohrchadash.org) shows that the Brit Hadasha (New Testament) paints a very different picture.

Yeshua didn't just come to the Jews, He came to His creation.

«Breishit a-ya a-davar» («In the beginning was the Word» Hebrew; Johanan 1:1) is how the Gospel of Johanan begins. But a few verses further on we read a statement often subject to misinterpretation:

«He came to His own, and His own received Him not.»
Johanan 1:11

Because of our lack of understanding of this and other such places, we as a people have been accused of the evil we have done to Yeshua and of turning away from Him - the One who came to walk among us. For the past two millennia, we have paid for this with the lives of our people. Sadly, this story has not ended in our time either. Because if we Jews have turned our backs on the Messiah as a gift from G-d, we must suffer the corresponding curse and be worthy of what is happening to us. However, it is not that simple.

So, in the beginning was the Word. Two verses later we read that all things were created by Him:

«By Him all things began to be, and without Him nothing began to be that began to be.»
Yohanan 1:3

In the context of this idea, who are we talking about when we read that He came to His own? If we are talking about His creation, we are talking about the whole world, for He created everything and everyone. In other words, it is not talking about us as a people turning away from Him. But that is not all. There is another reason that supports this idea. It is recorded in the Gospels.

The reaction of the Jews of the 1st century CE to Yeshua and His teaching

Mark narrates:

«...And the multitude of the people listened to Him with pleasure.»
Mark 12:37

Yeshua is in Israel among His people, the Jews. It was the Jews who listened to Him with pleasure. The people respected Him so much that when the chief priests and their staff wanted to get rid of Yeshua, they were afraid to do so because of the people:

«...and they schemed to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him. But not during the festival,” they said, “or there may be a riot among the people.»
Matityahu 26:4-5

In other words, crowds of Jews followed Yeshua and loved Him.

Yochanan describes Yeshua in the words of those around Him:

Still, many in the crowd believed in Him. They said, “When the Messiah comes, will he perform more signs than this man?”
Jochanan 7:31

Many of the Jewish people believed in Him! A few chapters later the same Jochanan writes:

"The P'rushim (pharisees) said to each other, "Look, you're getting nowhere! Why, the whole world has gone after him!""
Jochanan 12:19

Religious leaders who try to take action against Yeshua accuse Him of having «the whole world» follow His teachings. By this expression «the whole world» they mean the vast number of Jews who followed Yeshua. A little earlier in chapter 6, Jochanan wrote:

"Yeshua knew that they were on the point of coming and seizing Him, in order to make Him king; so He went back to the hills again. This time He went by Himself."
Jochanan 6:15

The Jews wanted to make Him their King. They wanted to anoint Him to be their anointed king. Mashiach.

Yeshua is the recognized Mashiach of Israel

How do we know that everything we are talking about right now is true? Let's take a trip back in history to an event called «Palm Sunday» in Christianity. The situation leading up to this event is as follows: a few days before Passover, Yeshua descends on a donkey from the Mount of Olives and approaches Jerusalem through the Kidron Valley, entering the city through the eastern gate. At this time, Jerusalem is crowded with religious Jews who have come to celebrate the festival. When they see Yeshua, they greet Him:

"Crowds of people carpeted the road with their clothing, while others cut branches from trees and spread them on the road. The crowds ahead of him and behind shouted, "Please! Deliver us!" to the Son of David; "Blessed is he who comes in the name of ADONAI!" "You in the highest heaven! Please! Deliver us!"
Matityahu 21:8-9

If a group of people in those days wanted to welcome an important guest, they would cut palm leaves and lay them on the road. That is, the religious Jews, seeing Yeshua coming, cut palm branches and laid them on the road in front of Him, welcoming Him as their king.

Notice what they say as they do so. The first word we read is «Hosanna". Some think that with this word they were praising Yeshua. However, in Hebrew the word is Hoshana (Save us now). They were not praising Him, but praying to Him!

During the holiday of Sukkot, there is a «Great Day of Sukkot («Hoshana Raba» Hebrew)». On this day, special prayers called Hoshanot are recited. These prayers are addressed to the one who is called by the Messianic title"Branch of David"Notice that it is with these prayers that the people address Yeshua. However, instead of «Branch of David» they call Him"son of David",Because «Son of David» was the most common title for the Messiah at that time. I.e., they actually call Him the Messiah.

Their next exclamation is «blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!». The ancient rabbis taught that if you have the opportunity to personally greet the Messiah when He comes, this is what you should say to Him: "Baruch haba beshem Adonai" ("Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord"). The people welcome Yeshua the way our rabbis taught us to welcome the Messiah!

So, in this passage, Matityahu shows four important points by which the Jews welcomed Yeshua:

Palm leaves representing the greeting of the great king;
The recitation of Messianic prayers;
They call Yeshua the Messiah, the Son of David;
They welcome Him as the Messiah, in accordance with the teachings of the rabbis.

All of this clearly shows that the Jewish people did not reject Yeshua, but accepted Him as the Messiah. This is what we read in the Gospels, no matter how misunderstood they are sometimes.

Who were those who demanded Yeshua's execution?

However, immediately after these events, something happens that causes Yeshua to be executed. But before we touch on this topic, let's look at one more thing. Luke describes the event of Yeshua being led out of Jerusalem to be executed:

"Large numbers of people followed, including women crying and wailing over him."
Luke 23:27

Why are they crying? Because their Messiah is being led to execution.

A common question some people ask is: What happened to the people who welcomed Yeshua as the Messiah? Luke tells us that the Jewish people wept as He was led away to be executed.

What had happened shortly before? The high priest and his staff have sent soldiers to arrest Yeshua. Yeshua is brought to the courtyard of the Roman governor, the procurator Pontius Pilate, where the people are also present, shouting: «crucify him!».

If you have been to Jerusalem and have seen Pilate's court, you have certainly noticed that the court could hold no more than a hundred people. How many Jewish pilgrims who came to celebrate Passover were in Jerusalem at this time? It is known that about 200,000 people converged on this feast each year. At this time, there were about 2.5 million people living in Israel. So 100 out of 2.7 million people shouted «crucify Him.» There were about 8 million Jews living in the entire Roman Empire at this time. That is, 100 out of 8 million Jews demanded that Pilate execute Yeshua.

Who were these 100 men standing before Pilate? We know that the day Yeshua appeared before Pilate was the day of preparation for Passover. According to Jewish tradition, Jews spend this day at home preparing for the great feast. Which of them, leaving their preparations behind, rushed to the courtyard of the Roman governor in the early morning to demand Yeshua's death? Certainly they were men chosen specifically for this task and who came at the insistence of the high priest and his staff.

There is another detail overlooked by those who believe that the Jews did not recognize and crucify their Messiah. When you read chapter 18-20 of the Gospel of Yohanan, you notice that it was the high priest and his men who demanded execution for Yeshua. Did Pilate honor their request? No, he did what he wanted to do himself.

Pontius Pilate, as we know him from history, was an extremely negative person. He hated the Jews and found pleasure in hurting them. And now he was willing to do anything to make them angry. Eventually the Roman authorities removed him from Judea. The Jews would not be able to force this Pilate to follow their will. Luke gives us Yeshua's words to his disciples just before His execution:

«But when he had withdrawn his twelve disciples, he said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things written through the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished: for they shall deliver him up to the Gentiles, and shall mock him, and shall insult him, and shall spit upon him, and shall scourge him, and shall beat him, and shall kill him: and the third day he shall rise again»
Luke 18:31-33

Who did Yeshua say would kill Him? Gentiles, not Jews at all.

The events following Yeshua's resurrection

What happened after Yeshua's death and resurrection on the Feast of Shavuot? His disciple Shimon preaches to a great number of people about the resurrection from the dead, which proves that Yeshua is the promised Messiah of Israel and Lord of the whole world. Luke tells us (Luke 2:41) that the three thousand Jews who came to the feast believed it.

However, this is an inaccurate figure. According to the tradition of the time, women and children were not counted. We can safely assume that there were as many women and probably at least twice as many children. In other words, we are probably talking about 12,000 people who heard Shimon preach and believed in Yeshua. That's a lot of people.

But two chapters later we read of another 2,000,000 men (Acts 21:20), which by our calculations could be 8,000 Jewish men women and children. Then we come to chapter 21 and witness a dialog between Rabbi Shaul (Paul) and the leader of the Jerusalem Messianic congregation, Yeshua's own brother, Jacob, who, along with other members of the congregation, reports:

"On hearing it, they praised God; but they also said to Him, "You see, brother, how many tens of thousands of believers there are among the Judeans, and they are all zealots for the Torah."
Acts 21:20

The way Luke wrote these words leads us to believe that there were 30,000 Messianic Jews living in Jerusalem who believed in Messiah Yeshua. At this time the population of Jerusalem consisted of 70,000 people. Messianic Jews made up just under half the population of Jerusalem.

This is quite consistent with what we have already read in the Gospels. If the Jews had gladly followed Yeshua before His death, it makes sense that now, after His resurrection from the dead, they would believe in Him as their Messiah, joining the community of Yeshua's followers.

Some time after these events, we read in the letter of Neander - the one who is called the father of church history - that by the end of the first century there were about 1 million Messianic Jews living in Israel, which had a population of 2.5 million. We were once a very large number.

Famous personalities among the Messianic Jews of the 1st century

Among Yeshua's followers were also the leaders of the nation of Israel. We read about this in the Gospels:

"Nevertheless, many of the leaders did believe in Him..."
Yochanan 12:42

It goes without saying that after His resurrection from the dead, there were significantly more of them.

"So the word of God continued to spread. The number of talmidim in Yerushalayim increased rapidly, and a large crowd of cohanim were becoming obedient to the faith."
Acts 6:7

Two of these leaders played important roles in Jewish history. One of them was named Menachem (Acts 13:1). This same Menachem is mentioned in the Talmud, where he is described as the one who became a follower of Yeshua. He was the second person in the Sanhedrin after Hillel, the most influential rabbi of the time.

Another is an addressee of Luke's epistles (Gospels and Acts) named Theophilus (Luke 1:1), for whom the author uses the word «venerable (honored)». This man was the high priest in A.D. 37-41. Faith in Yeshua reached the elite of Israel as well.

Usually, this biblical perspective is ignored. But it is the one that is especially emphasized by the authors of the Gospels, who were eyewitnesses to these events. Because so many people completely misunderstand this story, having been taught that we rejected our Messiah from the beginning and killed Him. This lie caused the mass persecution and murder of the Jewish people. Now this story has been entrusted to us to tell it correctly!

Сообщение Разве евреи отвергли Иисуса? появились сначала на Эц-Хаим.

То, что никто Вам не говорил о Ханукe

Игорь Свидерский — Mon, 16 May 2022 13:51:19 +0000

Who are Jews and what does it mean to be a Jew? These questions are answered by one wonderful holiday: Hanukkah! Many people think of Hanukkah as a holiday of lights and oil for candles. «The menorah burned for eight days with oil that was only supposed to be enough for one day,» they usually say. So supposedly we light Hanukkiah for eight days in a row and eat cakes baked with oil. But the real story of the holiday and its meaning is completely different! Here is what we find about Chanukah in the books of the Maccabees ....

Сообщение То, что никто Вам не говорил о Ханукe появились сначала на Эц-Хаим.

Кто даст мне надежду: история молодой вдовы

Игорь Свидерский — Mon, 16 May 2022 13:37:35 +0000

In June 2019, our Jewish Messianic congregation in Munich «Etz-Haim» («Tree of Life») traveled to a similar congregation in Stuttgart, «Adon Yeshua», to celebrate together the joyous Jewish holiday of Shavuot. And on Shavuot, they read the amazing Hebrew story of Ruth (Ruth in Hebrew). This story gives us today hope even in the most hopeless situations. And all the more so if we hear it from the mouth of an eyewitness!

Сообщение Кто даст мне надежду: история молодой вдовы появились сначала на Эц-Хаим.

Насколько опасны прививки от коронaвируса?

Игорь Свидерский — Mon, 01 Feb 2021 15:01:19 +0000

Interview with Dr. Siegfried Scherer, Professor at the Technical University of Munich. Siegfried Scherer. Questions from Igor Svidersky and the Jewish Messianic Community Etz-Haim.

Prof. Dr. Scherer in his university laboratory. He is a microbiologist and has been researching pathogens for many years. As a believer in Joshua man, he also thinks of the coronavirus in terms of his faith.

Dear Dr. Dr. Scherer, you have already given us an interview about coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), when only the virus started spreading around the world in March 2020 (read here). Unfortunately, this virus and the disease COVID-19 are still being felt around the world. As a biologist who studies pathogens, how do you see the potential development of the COVID-19 situation? in the world in the next 20 years?

COVID-19 virus is new to most people. Although there have been cases of infection with a nearly identical virus for about 20 years, they have only occurred in parts of Asia. This means that most people are not yet immune to the COVID-19 vi-virus. That will change in the next few years. Humanity is adapting to this virus in the same way that it adapted, for example, to the influenza vi-virus (Influenza). That is, the immunity of the population will grow. Perhaps in a few years we will have the same situation with the corona virus as we have today with the influenza virus.

Adaptation to such pathogens is based on an ingenious immune system, which the Creator gave not only to man, but to all living beings. If the Creator had not provided us with an immune system, we would not have been able to survive at all.

Arek Socha from Pixabay" class="wp-image-1715" width="315" height="189"/>

Image by. Arek Socha from Pixabay

Sounds hopeful. Can the COVID-19 vaccine actually defeat the virus and bring back the «good old days»? How feasible is it?

COVID-19 vaccination is, in my opinion, an important factor in limiting the virus. However, for various reasons, we will probably not be able to eradicate it completely, as was the case with influenza. But it is possible to significantly reduce the number of people who become infected with COVID-19. Nevertheless, I believe that there will continue to be fatal cases. The number will depend mainly on how well we can protect the vulnerable segments of our population, in part through vaccination. This is especially true for the elderly and people with previous illnesses.

The purpose of vaccination is to prepare an immune response to a specific virus. How exactly does this work in conventional vaccines?

Several vaccines against coronavirus are currently in development. Many of these vaccines are built on traditional principles. For example, adenovirus is genetically modified so that it can form a small, harmless portion of the pathogen against which protection is required. This modified, relatively harmless adenovirus is grown by pharmaceutical companies in chicken eggs or in so-called cell cultures, purified and injected into the patient during vaccination. Our immune system then also recognizes the adenovirus part of the pathogen and forms an immune response (antibody formation). If a person later becomes infected with the pathogen, our immune system is already very well prepared and can quickly neutralize the pathogen: either the person does not get sick at all or the disease is milder.

So how is the new mRNA (matrix ribonucleic acid) vaccine technology different?

With the new RNA vaccines, so-called mRNA, which is the «assembly instructions» for the coronavirus particle, is injected into the human body. Human cells use this blueprint to produce the innocuous coronavirus particle. Our immune system reacts and produces an immune response against it, i.e. antibodies are also produced here. If a vaccinated person is actually attacked by the coronavirus in the future, they will be able to defend themselves against it very quickly.

Is it known how mRNA vaccines are produced?

Yes, this information is common knowledge and available. There is nothing mysterious about it.

The Secret of Happiness #1

How long does the mRNA of the virus remain in the human body after vaccination?

Injected mRNA is cleaved in the human body within about two days. This cleavage process is very well known and is one of the normal biochemical mechanisms operating in every human cell.

Interesting. So, after mRNA vaccination, the virus does not stay in the human body permanently, but only for a few days. Then what happens to the antibodies formed against the coronavirus?

Antibodies against COVID-19 remain in the body for several months. Over time, the concentration of these antibodies decreases. However, we retain special cells of the immune system that remember this virus for a long time. Thus, immunity is maintained for a longer period of time. However, we do not yet know exactly how long the antibodies persist and how long the memory cells persist.

The mRNA technology currently used in the COVID-19 vaccine is new. To what extent have the uses and implications of this technology already been investigated?

Although the use of mRNA vaccines is new, some experience with this technology has been gained over the past few years. It is true that the first mRNA-based vaccines have only recently been approved. But based on controlled studies on more than 100,000 vaccinated people it is known that this vaccine has no currently recognizable side effects that are not yet known for other vaccines. This is also fully confirmed by the patients vaccinated in the current vaccination programs, of which there are already about three million in Israel alone.

However, since the vaccine is only administered for a short time, it is not known whether there could be late side effects. Based on the information available to me, I assume that possible late side effects would not be fundamentally different from those seen in very rare cases with classical vaccines. But, to say for sure, you'll have to be patient.

Can we say that the vaccine authorization procedures were rushed and not careful enough?

As far as I know, all important safety aspects have been taken into account, despite the fact that the authorization was granted unprecedentedly quickly. However, there is one weakness: it has not yet been possible to investigate possible late side effects.

This is probably because it usually takes decades to study all the long-term effects of vaccination. But you still think that the risk of late effects with mRNA vaccination is not higher than with conventional vaccination against other viruses?

I see no reason why new vaccines should produce special late effects that will be different from the single late effects of other vaccines. However, we won't know for sure until a few years from now.

Photo by. Anna Shvets from Pexels

There are already numerous rumors and even conspiracy theories circulating on the subject, which creates a certain amount of uncertainty in people.

Yes, unfortunately there are actually a lot of rumors and conspiracy theories going around. It's very sad and it happens again and again when people are afraid or don't feel understood in their fears - including by the government. But I'm not embarrassed by it.

For example, is it possible that coronavirus vaccinations implant electronic chips into humans?

No, it's just a rumor.

Then what are the real risks of vaccination against COVID-19?

It is more accurate to talk about side effects. In general, there are a number of side effects of vaccination. It can't be otherwise, because the purpose of the vaccine is to trigger an immune system response. These often involve mild inflammation at the injection site, sometimes redness and swelling, sometimes also fever, joint pain or a feeling of weakness. This is normal and these symptoms usually go away very quickly. This is exactly what is seen with the corona vaccination.

About eight weeks ago, I was vaccinated against Herpes Zoster virus, as well as the flu virus, and before that, at the end of the summer, against some bacteria. When I was vaccinated against the Herpes Zoster virus, I clearly observed the aforementioned side effects in myself, both with the first and second dose. This indicated to me that the vaccination was successful, then I took a day of physical rest and rested, after which the symptoms disappeared.

However, there is no hiding the fact that in very rare cases vaccinations can also have serious side effects, which in this case are real risks in the true sense of the word. In the case of the corona vaccination, for example, severe side effects have been observed in allergic people. Therefore, true allergy sufferers should not be vaccinated.

It has now also been shown that vaccination can be risky for very elderly and seriously ill people, even leading to isolated deaths, such as in Norway. But even in this respect, to my knowledge, the new SRAS-CoV-2 vaccine is no different from other vaccines. In any case, ask your doctor if vaccination is recommended in your case.

As a general rule, no medical procedure is completely risk-free. Therefore, it is necessary to weigh the risk associated with vaccination against the risk of getting sick without vaccination.

But a lot of people have allergies. For example, I have a hay runny nose and pollen allergy in spring. Should I not be vaccinated against COVID-19 in this case?

By now we only know to be careful if you have already had an allergic shock reaction. Then it can become dangerous. Hay fever or food intolerance is not an obstacle.

That is, with the exception of people who have already suffered allergic shock, this vaccination is harmless. Can we also say that this vaccine cannot cause COVOD-19 disease itself, aggravate other chronic diseases, or cause organ failure?

In no case can vaccination lead to coronavirus disease, this is excluded. As mentioned above, elderly people with severe pre-existing illnesses should consult their family physician before any vaccination; this also applies to coronavirus vaccination.

Is this vaccination compatible with other vaccines, especially for older adults? That is, if you were already vaccinated against influenza, pneumonia, and herpes a few months ago, does it make sense to get vaccinated against COVID-19 now, or will it be too taxing on your immune system?

As far as I know, there should be enough time between two vaccinations, a few months is not a problem. Again, it depends on the type of vaccination and also on your personal health, your family doctor can judge this well.

How likely is it that an mRNA vaccine can alter human DNA?

Image by. Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

For chemical reasons, injected mRNA cannot cause a direct change in human DNA. However, mRNA can be «rewritten» into DNA by special enzymes derived from other viruses. This process is unlikely, but it can also alter human DNA.

By the way, adenoviruses (i.e. some common vaccines) inject large amounts of viral DNA into humans. No changes in human DNA have ever been observed. But even if there were changes in human DNA, they would not be harmful - according to everything we know about it so far.

In other words, DNA changes in humans as a result of mRNA vaccination are highly unlikely. But what exactly do you mean by «harmless» if we are talking about possible changes in our DNA? Do such «harmless changes» often occur in human DNA?

Yes, our DNA changes all the time, but with a low probability. It happens for example in some viral infections or through the DNA of the plants and animals we eat. Our body was designed by the Creator in such a way that we can handle such DNA changes very well, as far as I know, I don't see any potential danger here.

It is claimed that young women can become infertile due to antibodies produced by the mRNA vaccine.

To my knowledge there is no known scientific evidence for this claim. Incidentally, this is also true of the antibodies that humans produce during natural SARS-CoV-2 infection. In 40,000 pregnant women in the US who tested positive for coronavirus, no particular pregnancy complications were observed.

Is it true that cells from aborted human embryos are used to create SARS-Cov-2 vaccines?

No, this method is not fundamentally applicable to mRNA vaccines.

The human kidney cell line «HEK 293», derived in 1973 from a female embryo aborted in Holland, is sometimes used to produce viruses required for vaccination in conventional vaccines. I understand that this is the case for the coronavirus vaccines produced by AstraZeneca, CanSino and Gamaleya.

In 1973 in Holland, abortions were allowed only if the mother's life was in danger, but the circumstances of the girl's abortion were unknown. It is everyone's personal ethical decision to accept for themselves a vaccine produced on this basis.

Are there good reasons to completely abandon mRNA vaccination and wait for the classical vaccination against COVID-19? Or are there reasons to prefer mRNA vaccination?

There are already vaccines against coronavirus that are conventionally produced. Personally, based on current scientific findings, I believe that an mRNA vaccine is preferable to a conventionally produced vaccine.

What do you think about the Russian vaccine Sputnik 5 and will it be possible to vaccinate with this substance in Germany?

The Sputnik 5 vaccine is a vaccine produced according to classical methods. It uses a genetically modified, harmless adenovirus. Once the vaccine is approved by the German authorities (which will probably be considered in February), nothing can be said against this vaccine due to safety aspects, as far as I know. Again, a family doctor should be consulted beforehand here.

Should I volunteer to be vaccinated against COVID-19?

On the one hand, it is a matter of personal risk assessment. It is well known that people aged 60 years and older sometimes have to fear a severe course of the disease if infected with COVID-19. A very large number of deaths from COVID-19 occur in the over-75 age group. Therefore, I recommend that these people should be vaccinated if their physician agrees.

I am of medium risk due to my age and pre-existing conditions, and will be vaccinated with the mRNA vaccine in the near future. I am convinced that the benefits far outweigh the risks.

On the other hand, one should also think about the positive effects of the vaccine in that the vaccinated person probably largely ceases to be a carrier of the coronavirus and thus protects the people around them.

As people of faith, we can certainly applaud medical advances. Personally, I would not be alive today if it were not for high-tech medicine in our country. As a Christian, I believe that God has given us our minds so that through science, among other things, we can develop medical techniques that can protect and save lives. So I thank God for the medical facilities that are available to us in our country.

Do you think vaccination will become mandatory - officially or unofficially?

At present, German politicians are virtually unanimous in their promise that this will not happen. I naturally expect the government to keep these promises. Personally, I do not believe that this situation with COVID-19 requires the introduction of «compulsory» vaccination for medical reasons.

The last book of the Bible, the book of Revelation, sees a world in our future in which all people are governed in such a way that «no one can buy or sell unless he has a sign, namely, the name of the beast or the number of his name» (Rev. 13:17). As a follower of Joshua, How likely do you think it is that the current situation will lead to such a future?

Personally, I believe that the Revelation of the Apostle John predicts spiritually important aspects of the future world. Some of it has already happened, some of it is yet to come. Now we can already imagine what it might look like technically when «no one can buy or sell.» But in my opinion, this has nothing to do with COVID-19. I believe it has much more to do with the abolition of cash as planned by some interest groups. Once we reach the point where we can only pay electronically, i.e. by credit card or bank card or cell phone or with actual electronic chips implanted under the skin, then we will be subject to total electronic control: Then, with the click of a mouse, our bank account could be blocked and, from one moment to the next, we would no longer be able to buy groceries, we would no longer be able to use the subway, and we would no longer be able to get gasoline at the gas station. This possibility of control may seem harmless at first glance in a democracy, but it can very easily be used by dictatorial states to control people completely.

That is why I strongly and emphatically oppose the abolition of cash in our country; I find such plans extremely disturbing and very dangerous.

I think we can increasingly see at least some of the events predicted in Revelation looming on the horizon of world history. But God, He is the Lord of history. As people of faith, we have no reason to be afraid because Yeshua said, when speaking of the end times, «When these things begin to come true, straighten your backs and lift up your heads-your deliverance is near!» (Luke 21:28). I thank God for the marvelous hope He has given us in His Word, and I look forward to the future with confidence and joy because Yeshua, our Lord, is coming!

Dear Dr. Sherer, I thank you also on behalf of our Munich Jewish-Messianic community «Etz-Haim» (Tree of Life) for this valuable and fascinating interview with you. Be well and may Joshua continues to guide and strengthen you!

Сообщение Насколько опасны прививки от коронaвируса? появились сначала на Эц-Хаим.

Как праздновать Хануку?

Игорь Свидерский — Wed, 09 Dec 2020 18:09:04 +0000

Hanukkah is the Jewish holiday of light and joy, victory over a great enemy and hope for a better future. And these are just the elements we have all been missing this year, aren't they? So it's definitely worth celebrating Hanukkah!

Here's what you'll need:

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Understanding the Hanukkah story
Hanukkah candles and how to light them
Hanukkah dishes
Hanukkah entertainment (songs, games, readings, gifts)

History of Hanukkah

Knowing the main events of the Hanukkah story, we can easily understand the entire holiday and its rituals. Things were extremely tragic for the Jews living in Israel in the second century BC. The Greek king, Antiochus Epiphanes the 4th decided to unite his gigantic empire, stretching almost 5000 kilometers from Turkey to India, forcing everyone to live only Greek culture. Jewish rituals, festivals and belief in one G-d were an eyesore for Epiphanes. To re-educate the Jews, the evil king ordered severe punishments - up to and including the death penalty - for observing Shabbat, circumcising boys, learning Torah, and other practices of Jewish life. The turning point of this horrific violence occurred in 167 B.C., when the Greeks slaughtered a pig as a sacrifice to their gods on the altar of the Temple in Jerusalem. We simply had nothing more to lose!

Matityahu, an elderly Jewish priest, refused to bow to Greek idols and began a revolt against the Greeks with his five sons, who were soon joined by other brave and righteous Jews. After Matityahu's death just a year later, his son Yehuda, nicknamed Maccabeus (Hammer), took over the leadership of the revolt, and, to the great amazement of all involved in the conflict, eventually defeated the incomparably superior Greek army in 165 BC.

The first thing the victors did was to cleanse the Temple in Jerusalem and rededicate it to Adonai. The Hebrew word Hanukkah means «dedication»! Since the victory over the Greeks and the dedication of the Temple did not take place until December, the Jews could not celebrate the great fall festival of Sukkot, commanded in the Torah, an eight-day celebration of G-d's presence and blessing. So they decided to simply celebrate Sukkot in December, which explains why Chanukah lasts exactly 8 days. This is how the primary sources tell it (especially 2 Maccabees 1:9). Read more here!

The more popular traditional explanation states that during the cleansing of the Temple, where the Menorah (menorah) was to burn incessantly, only one undamaged vessel of pure olive oil was found to light it. And it took eight days to make new oil. But instead of postponing the dedication of the Temple for another eight days, the Jews decided to light the surviving oil and hope for a miracle. And so it happened: the menorah with one day's supply of oil burned for eight days until new, pure oil was made.

In any case, in honor of this great victory and the light of hope that shone on our forefathers, we have been celebrating this joyous eight-day holiday ever since!

How to light Hanukkah candles

So, in honor of the eight days of Hanukkah, eight candles are lit - one for each day of the holiday. That is, one candle is lit on the first day, and eight candles on the eighth day. And there are several rules

The candles are inserted into the Chanukiah from right to left.
The auxiliary candle «shamash» is always lit first. But they don't count - they just light the other candles.
The candle «shamash» is lit from left to right so that the candle of the day (n.p. on the third day - the third) is lit first.

Messianic Jewish blessing over Hanukkah candles:

«Blessed are You, L-rd our G-d, King of the universe, who sanctified us with Your commandments, and commanded us to be a light to the nations, and gave us Yeshua, our Messiah, the Light of the world.»

Baruch Ata Adonai Eloeinu Melech aolam asher kidshanu bemitzvotav vezivanu lihyot or lagoyim veenatan lanu et Yehoshua mashihaynu or aolam.

בּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵנוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו וְצִוָּנוּ לְהִיוֹת אוֹר לַגּוֹיִם וְנָתַן-לָנוּ אֶת יֵשׁוּעַ מְשִׁיחֵנוּ אוֹר הָעוְָֹם

She asa nishim:

«Blessed are You, L-rd our G-d, King of the universe, Who did wonders to our fathers in those days at this time.»

Baruch Ata Adonai Eloaynu Melech aolam sheasa nisim la-avoteinu bayamim aem bazman azeh.

בּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵנוּ מֶלֶךְ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם שֶׁעָשָׂה נִסִּים לַאֲבוֹתֵינוּ בַּיָּמִים הָהֵם בַּזְּמַן נַזֶה.

She-eheyanu (only on the first night of Hanukkah):

«Blessed are You, O L-rd our G-d, Lord of the universe, who gave us life, and sustained it in us, and let us live to this time!»

Baruch Ata Adonai Eloaynu Eloaynu Melech aolam she-eheyanu vekimanu veigiyanu lasman azeh.

בּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵנוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם שֶׁהֶחֱיָנוּ וְקִיְמָנוּ וְהִגִיעָנוּ לָזּמַן הַזֶּה

Hanukkah dishes

Since the dedication of the Temple required oil to light the Menorah, and the traditional explanation says that the oil for one day burned eight, various Jewish dishes cooked in oil are eaten on Hanukkah. Especially popular are potato pancakes and jelly cakes. Other Hanukkah meal ideas can be found here.

Hanukkah entertainment

Here are a number of traditional Hanukkah activities:

Sing or listen to Hanukkah songs (here)
Play dreidle (explanation of the rules of the game here)
The books of the Macabees are available for reading (here) or listening (here), and how Hanukkah was celebrated by himself Messiah Yeshua can be found here: Johanan 10:22-42
Everyone loves to receive gifts, but it is especially customary for children to give Hanukkah geld (Hanukkah money) on Hanukkah.

Have a nice and bright holiday!

If you would like to celebrate the first night of Hanukkah (10.12.2020) with our congregation online, please call or send us a message.

Сообщение Как праздновать Хануку? появились сначала на Эц-Хаим.