Beit Ariel Messianic Jewish Congregation

28/05/2026

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28/05/2026

When Faith Grows Quiet… Zephaniah Speaks
by Sandra Aviv, Israel Bible Centre
Today we turn to one of the most overlooked voices among the Minor Prophets: Zephaniah. His book is short, only three chapters, and yet it carries an astonishing emotional movement: from judgment and collapse… to tenderness, restoration, and even divine singing.

Zephaniah prophesied during the reign of King Josiah, around the late seventh century BCE, before the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem.

Outwardly, Judah still functioned as a kingdom. The Temple
still stood. Religious rituals still continued. But beneath the surface, something had quietly fractured. Read more

28/05/2026

Hineni - הִנֵּנִי – 'Here I am” - Being Present

The Three "Hinenis" for Spiritual Growth:

One of the most famous and troubling stories in the Torah is the Akedah—the binding of Isaac. In this story, God commands Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac. The narrative has disturbed readers for centuries, and it should. It confronts us with difficult questions about faith, obedience, morality, and the nature of spiritual devotion itself.

At the beginning of the story, when God calls out to Abraham, Abraham responds with a single Hebrew word: Hineni- “Here I am.” Later, when the angel of the Lord calls out to stop Abraham from slaying his son, Abraham once again responds:
Hineni. Read more

28/05/2026

Saturday 29th May 2026 14th Sivan 5786
PARASHAT NASSO
Numbers 4:21-7:89; Judges 13:2-25; Luke 1:11-20
One day, a man and his young son went grocery shopping, but as soon as they walked in the child began to throw a temper tantrum. As they went down the aisles the child screamed, threw items in and out of the cart, and was generally disruptive. Despite the scene his son was causing, the father was cool, calm, and collected; slowly and soothingly alternating between, “Don’t worry Donald, it’ll be alright,” “Control yourself Donald, we’re almost finished,” and “We’ll be home soon Donald.”

A nearby mother was very impressed with the father’s self-control and wanted to express her admiration for such calm parenting. “Sir, I’m amazed that you are able to be so calm! It’s not every day I see such patient and gracious parenting.” She bent down to the boy and said, “What’s wrong Donald? Maybe I can help.”
The father interrupted her, “You misunderstood; my son’s name is Henry. My name is Donald.” Read more

21/05/2026

When God Erased His Own Name By: Shira Schechter
There is a pile of papers sitting in my house that I cannot throw away. Prayerbooks with torn covers, printed Torah commentaries, pages from Torah classes I have given — all of them waiting for burial because they contain the name of God, and you simply do not put God’s name in the trash. Every observant Jewish home has a pile like this.
Which makes what happens in this week’s Torah portion of Naso so striking.
A man has grown suspicious of his wife. He has no witnesses, no proof — only suspicion, and the cloud it casts over their marriage. Left unresolved, that suspicion will poison everything. The Torah prescribes an elaborate procedure: the woman is brought before the priest at the Temple, a solemn oath is administered, and then the priest writes the curses on a scroll and washes the ink off into bitter water.

When God Erased His Own Name By: Shira SchechterThere is a pile of papers sitting in my house that I cannot throw away. Prayerbooks with torn covers, printed Torah commentaries, pages from Torah classes I have given — all of them waiting for burial because they contain the name of God, and you sim...

21/05/2026

THE SOURCE OF ALL BLESSING By: Sara Lamm
Rachel Goldberg Polin was a regular woman living a regular life in Jerusalem, American-born, Israeli by choice, mother of five. She was anonymous. Ordinary. Blessed.
Then, on October 7, 2023, her eldest child and only son, Hersh, was ripped from a music festival in the Negev desert alongside 251 others taken hostage, on a day when Hamas terrorists murdered more than 1,200 people in Israel. Hersh was held in the tunnels of Gaza, starved and tortured, for 328 days before he was killed.
Since then, she has written a memoir, When We See You Again. I have not been able to put it down. https://www.beitariel.org/single-post/the-source-of-all-blessing

21/05/2026

The Anointing and the Anointed One Tom Clark
Members often ask the leaders of a congregation to anoint them with oil, especially if they are unwell.
In the book of Ya’akov/James 5, we read that “the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. If he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 So confess your offenses to one another and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous person is very powerful” (James 5:15-16).
We have the example of the disciples doing this in Mark 6:13, and we follow the instructions for ourselves in James 5:14. https://www.beitariel.org/single-post/the-anointing-and-the-anointed-one

21/05/2026

Saturday 23rd May 2026 7th Sivan 5786
SHAVOUT
Exodus 19:1–20:23; Ezekiel 1:1–28, 3:12; Acts 2:1-21

In Leviticus 23, the festivals, including the Sabbath, are referred to as G-d’s mo’adim – His appointed times.
The Festival of Sukkot concludes with the 8th day festivity 0f Shemini Atzeret – the Eighth Day of the Solemn Assembly - and it functions as an independent holiday designed for intimate spiritual connection after the universal, public celebrations of Sukkot. It completes the festival of Sukkot.
The Talmud presents a famous parable of a king who hosts a massive week-long feast for international guests (representing the 70 bulls sacrificed on Sukkot for the 70 nations). When everyone leaves, he whispers to his beloved children, "Please, stay with me one more day; your departure is difficult for me." Shemini Atzeret is that extra, intimate day.
Similarly, the completion of Passover is Shavuot. It is the atzeret of Pesach and the two chaggim are interconnected. At Pesach, we received our physical redemption but physical redemption in itself is incomplete without its spiritual counterpart. And so, exactly 50 days after their deliverance from the Egyptian oppression, they stood as one before the Mountain of Revelation to receive the Father’s self-revelation and the atzeret of the deliverance experience, the giving and receiving of the Torah. https://www.beitariel.org/single-post/shavout

21/05/2026

Discover the meaning and readings for SHAVOUT — a deep dive into the appointed time described in Leviticus and its scriptural readings for 7th Sivan 5786. Read the full post for reflections and context. https://wix.to/DjcSvfY

Saturday 23rd May 2026 7th Sivan 5786SHAVOUT Exodus 19:1–20:23; Ezekiel 1:1–28, 3:12; Acts 2:1-21 In Leviticus 23, the festivals, including the Sabbath, are referred to as G-d’s mo’adim – His appointed times.The Festival of Sukkot concludes with the 8th day festivity 0f Shemini Atzeret –...

14/05/2026

Join us for SHAVUOT at Beit Ariel — a joyful evening of worship, fellowship and a MILCHIK finger supper (no meat or chicken). Date: Friday 22 May 2026 • Time: 18:15 • Venue: NG, Upper Union Street, Tamboerskloof. We can’t wait to celebrate together at this appointed feast of our King. Bring a dairy/vegetarian finger dish to share. More details: https://wix.to/2lIGIs9

SHAVUOT CELEBRATION instructions! 🥰👇🏼 Date: Friday 22nd May 2026Time: 18h15Venue: NG in Upper Union Street. TamboerskloofMAP REF of address: https://maps.app.goo.gI/yhwZojwLiV6K4tGq5We look so forward to BEING ALL TOGETHER at this appointed FEAST of our KING. To make it extra special, here ...