On the Monday morning of our tour, we arrived in the Old City just in time to hear a drum and tambourines announce the procession of a Bar Mitzvah - son of the commandment. (bar means "son" and mitzvah means "commandment" - as we are learning in The Gospel on the Ground). A Bar Mitzvah is a special, sacred ceremony when a thirteen-year-old Jewish boy recites a portion of the Torah (the first five books of the Old Testament), taking the commandments on for himself. (It is called a Bat Mitzvah for girls or daughter of the commandment.) It was delightful to sense and feel their excitement as they entered the Holy City from chauffeured limousines and proceeded to the Kotel (the Western Wall), dancing and laughing and clapping joyously in excitement for the ceremony. Later, we saw families continuing their joyous celebration with picnic dinners served in the shade of the cool stone alcoves of the ancient city.
Notice how dressed up they are for the occasion! I assume the young man in the ornate white shirt is the honoree.
Of course, the temple where 12-year-old Jesus discussed the Torah has been destroyed but the above scene helps me imagine the processional into Jerusalem for the feast days when Mary and Joseph ascended the temple steps with Jesus to celebrate Passover and Pentecost. Also, the honor the Jews give the Torah makes me realize the importance of celebrating the reading of the sacred, Holy Word of God in our worship services and even at home during our personal study time. We are blessed to have the Holy Spirit as our Teacher and Helper and the many translations and aids at our fingertips!
Until recently, I looked at the first five books of the Bible as the books of the Law and I really did not want to study the Law. I thought of them as rules and regulations that were too hard to study, let alone follow. And then, Randy's cousin, Marilyn, showed us that "law" in Hebrew is Torah and actually means "instructions". McClellan's study teaches that the Hebrew word for commandment, Mitzvah, comes from the Hebrew root tzavta which carries the idea of "attachment". We learned, "Keeping the Lord's laws (instructions) helps us live on God's path and attaches us to the living God. The Scriptures are like an adhesive. They bind us to the Lord in shalom (peace) and wholeness."
"The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul." Psalm 19:7
This weekend we attended the graveside memorial for a dear, sweet neighbor who blessed me through the years with gifts from her garden, cakes for my birthdays, and common-sense wisdom that comes with surviving nearly a century. We called her the Mayor of our rural community because she was the first to phone the electric company when the power went off, she made sure the county kept the gravel roads passable and she was as proud of each accomplishment of the local children as if they were her own. When we wept in sadness or sorrow, she wept in sadness or sorrow. Most likely, each household in the area and the households of those who moved from the area contain at least one quilt or afghan hand-quilted or crocheted by our dear "Niecy". I know she was a God-fearing woman because there was a time or two when she was frustrated with one of her own and she laughed and said, "I'd like to kill him/her and tell God I didn't."
Here are a couple of Niecy's recipes that she shared with me:
Spinach Salad
Lettuce and spinach, torn
1 pint strawberries, hulled and halved
3 Tbl. sesame seeds
dill weed to taste
Dressing: 1/4 C wine vinegar, 1//2 C olive oil, 1/4 C sugar, 1tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp
onion powder.
Angel Food Cake
Sift together 3 times: 1 C Cake flour, 1 1/2 C powdered sugar
Beat 1/2 C egg whites (room temperature) at high speed until frothy
Add 1/4 tsp salt and 1 1/2 tsp cream of tartar.
Continue beating until mixture holds a point. Gradually add 1 cup granulated sugar and 1 tsp vanilla flavoring and 1tsp almond flavoring. Gently fold in flour and powdered sugar mixture. Pour in tube pan and bake 375 degrees for 40 minutes. Cool and remove from pan.
Serve as is with fruit or ice with buttercream or cream cheese icing. Enjoy!
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