The following is a story about Rabbi Yisrael ben Eliezer (Baal Shem Tov) and his scribe, who were once stranded on an isolated island. They were both frightened and discouraged, and had forgotten all they once studied. “Can’t you remember anything?” said the rabbi to his scribe. “Nothing, rabbi,” answered the scribe, “only . . .” “Only […]
Did you know that the glue on Israeli postage stamps is kosher? These stamps are certified kosher (“proper food”) by the chief rabbis of Israel, because most people lick the glue to affix stamps. Did you know that Israeli cows produce more milk per cow than in almost any other country in the world? And […]
“And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Also another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, by what they had done.” (Rev. 20:12) God has a library. Unlike the Caspari library, it […]
“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.” (Isaiah […]
In the rare moments we are quite honest with ourselves we, followers of Jesus, sometimes admit that many of our Master’s statements don’t actually make any sense. I am referring to sayings like “man’s life does not depend on the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:15), “everything is possible for one who believes” (Mark 9:23), […]
Alexander Goldberg, Israel Director at the Caspari Center, is the new Dean of Beit HaYeshua’s Bible school. Last year, Beit HaYeshua congregation in Jerusalem established a Bible school for ex-drug addicts, where Goldberg taught. This year, he will play a much more significant role at the school. – I’m responsible for the curriculum and I […]
Entering a new year is always special. In a way, it gives us a new start, a feeling that it’s possible to leave something behind. According to the Jewish calendar, in the month of September we will enter the year תשע”ו, or 5776. Almost every date noted in Israel will have two entries, one beside […]
This summer Hamas published some videos from their youth camps in the Middle East. Only 100 kilometers from Jerusalem, they literally trained kids for battle. It was a very different kind of summer camp than people expect in the Western world. The boys were taught to jump through a burning wheel and to reload their […]
Living in Israel isn’t always easy, as those who have tried it can attest. For new-comers, moving to Israel requires an adjustment to the Middle-Eastern mindset, temperament, and ways of doing things. As in any new country, it requires adaptability, flexibility, and patience. You need to learn everything anew and it’s a very humbling experience. There […]
When I first moved to Israel, I learned very quickly to distinguish between two groups: “Notsrim” (Christians) and “Yehudim Meshichim” (Messianic Jews). Messianic Jews are Jews who believe in Yeshua/Jesus as the Messiah, but they avoid using the term “Notsrim” because the word has a negative connotation for them as Jews. In spite of sharing […]