The summer is near over in Middle East but the "Arab Spring" is far from over. In fact "The Arab Spring" has also infected a very large segment of Israeli society and all over Israel there are demonstrations asking for social justice. These demonstrations have brought hundreds of thousands of mainly young Israelis to the streets and they demand social justice, but when you break their demands to more details they are actually asking for cheaper housing, lower prices for basic commodities, more equitable educational opportunities for both children and University Students, and many more smaller things like the price of cottage cheese in the supermarkets. When I look at the whole picture in the Middle East and may be in London, Madrid, Athens - Greece, and other places it seems to me that we are experiencing something much bigger and deeper than meets the eye that sees only the present. The demands of the demonstrators in all these places are actually a change in the way that the populous sees government and authority. Government and authorities are seen by the younger educated and upward mobile generation as being there for the purpose of providing service for the people. It is written in the Constitution of the United States of America, "Government of the people, by the people, and for the people." Only now we see in the Middle East and I should say in Israel, which is the only democracy in the whole Middle East, a move of the people for the people and against the government in its present constellation. In a way what is happening is good, because it makes democracy a very tangible thing when masses of people take to the streets and make their demands known. It is a participation in the process of governing by the very grass roots of society. On the other hand this is a revolution and like any and every other revolution people know how they can get into it but they can never know how they are going to get out of it. People know how it starts but they can never know how it is going to finish. As you can see in Syria the Assad government has already killed near 2000 people in these riots, and the end is not yet seen even in the horizon.
As disciples of Yeshua and decedents of the Prophets the issue of social justice is very important for me, and it should be important for every disciple of Yeshua. We should all pray for the guidance and protection of all these revolutionary riots that are taking place in the so called, "Arab Spring" but also in whatever is happening in Israel. Good could come out of all these riots, but also they could turn and become something of a tool for destruction and chaos that will disrupt the life in Israel as it has in Syria, Libya and other places like Yemen. Prayer is important because in a movement as wide and deep as this only God can really bring out the good.
We have received some interesting e-mail messages in the last month. These e-mails have been a great encouragement for me. Yesterday I received the following e-mail from Dovid Bates: "I was brought to Yeshua from your commentaries, Please inform me if you plan to reprint the commentary on acts again. Toda Raba - (thank you)." This is the second time that we have received notice from people who have become followers of Yeshua through the commentaries that we have written. We have also received many questions and requests asking when are we going to re-print the commentary on Acts and the commentary on Romans. Well, the commentary on Acts is actually ready for printing, but after long negotiations with a possible publisher in the United States we have come to the conclusion that the best thing for Netivyah is to print and self publish this book. We are praying for the funds necessary for the printing of these two volumes of more than 1700 pages total. The cost estimated for this reprint in hard cover is 25,000 dollars for 1,500 copies. We will re-print the commentaries of the Jewish Roots of the Book of Acts just as soon as finances are provided by God's Grace.
The summer is almost over and we are beginning to get ready for the holidays of the month of Tishrei – the seventh month. The preparation of these holidays come with what is called in Hebrew “Selichot.” “Selichot” means “forgiveness.” The men get up at dawn and go to pray in the Synagogues and these are very special prayers of repentance and confession and begging God for forgiveness. This starts one month before Rosh HaShana – the Jewish New Year, and actually intensifies during the ten days between Rosh HaShana and Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. I don't know of any other nation that has such an intense period of repentance and confession of sins and prayer for forgiveness as does the Jewish nation. We all know that there is no forgiveness of sins today without Yeshua, but the zeal that Israel has during this period of the year is something to admire and may be even to be jealous for. We as Disciples of Yeshua have to pray for three things: a) That we as believers in the Messiah should have the same zeal for repentance and confession and forgiveness for our sins. b) That God will use this period of near 40 days to open the hearts of the people of Israel for Yeshua and His teaching. c) That our own personal zeal for repentance and forgiveness of our sins should be sincere and our prayers be heard and received by the Almighty God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Our list of prayer requests for healing is growing. We have a very fine young man, husband and father, by the name of Neryah who is in the hospital already a month with Kidney failure. He had a Kidney transplant a few years ago, and now that Kidney is not functioning. Please pray for Neryah! I have spoken to Ruby in Oklahoma, and she has some deterioration in her health, and we will continue to pray for her and wait to see the Lord's hand move for Ruby's healing. Ahuva our dear sister in Jerusalem is in need of special prayer to be able and find the right volunteer to help her at home. Ahuva is very near 90 years old. She is a lady who has done so many great and wonderful things for the Lord and for Israel. We have Zvi who is also approaching 90 years old and Sara that is well over 80 years old who are both wonderful and faithful brothers in the congregation for many years, and they both need strength and healing. We pray for Sarit, Marcia, Miriam, Leah, Ilana, and Tim Tucker, Ishiida San and his family, Mrs. Sadako who is well over 90 years old and still continues to pray for more than 70 years for the salvation of Israel. Please pray for all these people who need healing.
Barry my son is actually right now in the Vanderbilt Hospital in Nashville undergoing some tests for some serious abdomen pains. Please lift up Barry in your prayers. We pray that there is nothing seriously wrong with Barry and that he will soon diagnosed and treated and return home.
My car has been in the garage for the last few days. It is already nine years old, and in the last few months it has been in the garage more than four times. I am beginning to pray for a new car. My car is used 95% for ministry.
The work on the Anussim Conference for December 2012 is progressing. We are, the Lord willing, going to have a very important conference that will take the Anussim case one more step toward acceptance and restoration. We need you to pray for the success of this conference and God's opening the doors for these captives of more than 500 years.
God bless you for your dedication and prayer for the salvation of Israel and of the whole world.
Joseph Shulam
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