Feast of Trumpets

And יהוה spoke to Moses saying "Speak to the Children of Israel saying, in the seventh month. on the first day of the month, you will have a Sabbath (Feast of Trumpets), a memorial of the blowing of trumpets, a sacred convocation. Leviticus 23: 23-24 (The Messianic Alef Tav Scriptures)

You may know this day as Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, but it is good to go back and remember YHVH's original purpose for observing this day. It's a call to examine ourselves over the next ten days known as The Ten Days of Awe leading up to Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement and repent of the sins in our lives. I realize I may be preaching to the choir but this is for those of you who may be new to this walk and just learning. This is my 5th year of observing the Feast Days and tonight I'll go outside, sound my shofar and start to consider my ways.

And so....Chag Samaech Dear Ones!

Help On The Door Of My Refrigerator

I've wanted to learn the Hebrew language for some time and I've had an on-again-off-again experience with it. I just get so far and then slack off for a while so it's back to review time and time again. I've come up with a project that might be an answer to my dilemma and one that might inspire a reader or two.

I'm sure you've seen those colorful, plastic letters with magnets on them. You know...the ones that children like to play with on the door of the refrigerator.  These magnetic letters are available in Hebrew but bright, primary colors and plastic are not my favorite form of decor so I've devised my own version of Hebrew letters. While attempting to find material in my own stash of supplies, I've gone back to good old felt.

First I made simple block letter templates of cardstock.

I decided on what word I would spell out first...shofar. I cut out the appropriate size background felt for my letters...white. But because my refrigerator, where I would be displaying my word is white, I decided to place the white background onto a larger piece of green felt. That would make each letter stand out better. I cut out both the white and the green felt with pinking shears to give it some character.

I traced each letter onto the white felt and outlined it with embroidery thread. Then I cut out a less full letter of the green felt to apply inside the outline. Lastly I glued sheet magnet to the back of each letter.

The letters progress until...

I haven't completed all of the letters I will need to spell out words in the future but I will add them until I have enough to do the job.

The finished word 'shofar'.

Each week I'll post a new word or two. Because I am often passing by the fridge I can't help but have the word posted implanted in my memory.

As I was composing this post I realized that I forgot to add the vowel marks to this word. I will add them next week and connect the word shofar to that post.

And what is a shofar you ask? According to Wikipedia, a shofar is a horn, traditionally that of a ram, and used for Jewish religious purposes. But that only scratches the surface of the matter. Come back next week and see how this applies to the Fall Feasts.

Fitting Your Faith Into Everyday

I have a little hutch in my kitchen where I display some of my favorite things. On this hutch is where I keep my shofar. Behind my shofar was a blank space in the hutch. What better way to compliment  the shofar than to show a Scripture pertaining to it. So a banner was born!

An appropriate Scripture was chosen.

Fitting the banner into my display.

I made the banner by simply hemming a piece of linen and making a pocket to fit a dowel through at the top of the banner. Then I penciled in the words and painted over the pencil marks using a liner brush and acrylic paint. I gathered some various colored ribbon to match my design and tacked it to the top corners of the banner.

If you are not a sewer you can still make the hems of the banner by using an iron on binding tape. Instead of painting words on the surface of the fabric you could embroider the letters. There are so many ways to do these things.

And just think.  Every time you look at what was added to your surroundings Yahweh will be gorified and your spirit will be edified.