Digging with Darren » Shavuot

Shavuot 5711/2011

Darren — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 00:40:49 +0000

Just wanted to write a quick post letting all of our friends who we might expect to see us in Hudson, WI this week for Shavuot (Pentecost) know that we had to cancel our trip at the last moment due to uncontrollable circumstances. We will miss you all! We hope to have a small gathering of friends here for Shavuot and enjoy celebrate the giving of the Torah together here. Many blessings to you all! May your Shavuot be filled with Simcha (Joy) and the Ruach (Spirit) of our Mighty God!Similar Posts:

Shavuot Conference at Beth Immanuel

Darren — Sun, 16 May 2010 18:40:44 +0000

Today begins this year’s Shavuot conference at Beth Immanuel in Hudson, WI. Outside of Passover, this has been the highlight of our year for the last three years. This year is no exception. We arrived Friday afternoon and were able to enjoy Shabbat with the Beth Immanuel community and some of the people who came early for the conference as well. It’s been great to see familiar faces and experience the unique dynamic of Beth Immanuel, and be challenged by Daniel Lancaster in person.

This Sabbath was extra special in that we got to experience both a Bar Mitzvah and a Bat Mitzvah. It was wonderful for our children to be able to experience this.

Well, tonight starts the conference, and I look forward to everything that will be shared. I’ll try to post every now and again about what’s going on.Similar Posts:

Counting the Omer

Darren — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 19:48:34 +0000

Invariably our family misses some days Counting the Omer each year. This year we decided to challenge both our family and our community in not missing a single day of Counting the Omer. To aid us in keeping track of this for our family, I have created a wall chart and stickers to cut out and paste (or tape) on to each day as it is counted. I have posted it here for your use. There are two PDF files. The first is the chart and the second is the stickers.

Please let me know if you and your family get some use out of it.

Counting the Omer Chart 2010

Omer stickersSimilar Posts:

Your Favs – Shavuot 09

Darren — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 13:31:53 +0000

I would like to hear about your highlights for this year’s Shavuot, especially from you who attended the FFOZ Conference in Hudson. Leave me a comment with a special memory to share with others!Similar Posts:

Final Session, Shavuot ’09

Darren — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 12:53:35 +0000

I failed to mention the final session of the FFOZ Shavuot ’09 conference, which was taught by Daniel Lancaster. This was probably the biggest “aha!” moment at the conference for most attendees and ended with a long, standing, round of applause.

Daniel took a long, 2-part session to go into great detail and offer up an almost air-tight case for the proper interpretation of the terminology and analogy of the book of Hebrews (particularly chapters 7-10).

He first set his teaching up with three arguments typical of Christian theology & interpretation based on the book of Hebrews. With each of these, he presented the problems associated with such a perspective with an expression with Talmudic sentiments, “This is a difficulty.” Of course, he stated that the goal was to be able to reach the actual Talmudic statement, “There is no difficulty here” (for which he did—at least in my estimation).

He specifically addressed issues such as how to resolve phrases that seem to negate the Mosaic covenant, overthrow the Aaronic priesthood and the belittle the function of the Temple service.

His second part systematically worked through each of these “difficulties” and resolved them to what appears to be great satisfaction. Lord willing, I’ll be cleaning up my notes over the next few days and posting them. However, I believe Daniel is planning on posting a full, 30-page article (I am pretty sure I heard) on this teaching in the next Messiah Journal (which we all eagerly await!).

Thank you FFOZ for all of your hard work and diligent study, and for sharing it with us.Similar Posts:

FFOZ Shavuot 09 Conference

Darren — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 01:25:42 +0000

The FFOZ Shavuot 09 Conference in Hudson, Wisconsin ended yesterday afternoon, and it was sad. We left Wisconsin this morning and are on our way back to Arkansas. The conference was really great and everyone involved did such a great job. It was difficult to leave. We made so many great new friends. I want to thank everyone who took the time to say hi and let me know that you knew me from diggingwithdarren and we were finally able to meet face to face. I look forward to getting to know you all better, soon.

Also, Lord willing, I will be posting notes and overall thoughts from the conference over the next few days. Many blessings!Similar Posts:

Brief note on Session 1

Darren — Thu, 28 May 2009 22:05:17 +0000

I wanted to post a brief note on Session 1 from this morning (Shavuot Conference 09) in which Aaron Eby did an excellent job at making a definitive disconnect between the Jewish “rejection” of Yeshua and the destruction of the Temple. He did an excellent job in showing that the destruction of the Temple was not due to the rejection of the theological assent to Yeshua as Messiah, but the rejection of Yeshua’s central message of teshuva /repentance and acceptance of the Kingdom as the authority over one’s every day life. His mission was to call people to repentance, returning them to the Torah of Moses which defines proper conduct. He (Eby) stressed time and again that Yeshua’s message was, “Kindness takes precedence over Temple service. Without kindness, there will be no service,” saying that his message actually revolved around his love for his Father’s House (the Temple), with the ultimate message being that we will only see redemption when we personally carry out the teachings of our Master (Yeshua) in our lives. Great stuff…!Similar Posts:

Session 2 update 3

Darren — Thu, 28 May 2009 21:57:35 +0000

Session 2 just wrapped up with Joseph Good explaining how to get around the multiple issues surrounding the red heifer and inauguration of the priesthood and Temple. It involved a complex system (which has already been set in place) of Kohanim who would be born in a controlled environment and raised free from ritual impurity in order that in adulthood they would be able to slaughter the red heifer in a ritually pure state.Similar Posts:

Session 2 Update 2

Darren — Thu, 28 May 2009 20:41:06 +0000

Joseph Good is now teaching on the Soreg, the dividing wall on the Temple Mount which was the furthest place for which non-Jews could enter, and the place which Paul was accused of taking non-Jews past in the account in the book of Acts. He is comparing the descriptions of the Mishna with Josephus and resolving discrepancies between the two accounts.Similar Posts:

Session 2 update

Darren — Thu, 28 May 2009 19:51:57 +0000

Joseph Good is now asking the question “where were the toilets” in the Temple complex. It may seem a little crass, but it is actually a very good, practical question of which there are several problems in resolving the issues revolving around the topic. His current working texts are from b.Yoma 32 and 33.Similar Posts:

Live Blogging? Shavuot 09

Darren — Thu, 28 May 2009 19:23:16 +0000

Aaron Eby suggested that I live blog from the conference (today would be the only day, since the rest of the week will be holy days), so I thought I would give it a small attempt…

Currently, I am sitting & listening to Joseph Good teach his second session on the Temple. He recently recovered from technical difficulties (thanks to Jeremy & Joel) and is back on track. He is speaking about the specifications of the Monumental Stairway & showing photos from the 1800s to present of the area.Similar Posts:

Shavuot ’09 with FFOZ

Darren — Thu, 28 May 2009 13:11:19 +0000

Again, this year, we are spending Shavuot with FFOZ at their Shavuot Conference in Hudson, WI. We got in just a couple of hours before sessions began last night and were in a whirlwind to get settled before the first session.

The theme for this year’s conference is the Beit HaMikdash (The Temple). Boaz Michael opened up the conference with a discussion of the significance of Psalm 84 in relationship to the Temple as a segue into the next session, lead by Joseph Good of Hatikva Ministries. Mr. Good will be leading the bulk of all of the sessions this year, as his knowledge of the Temple is encyclopedic. His past and current work with the Temple Institute are a testimony of his extensive knowledge on the subject. (On a side note, he mentioned last night that he was going to have to go next week to tell the constituents of the Temple Institute that their placement of the new bronze Laver is incorrect. Do you know anyone else respected enough in this area to be able to do that? Wow…)

Mr. Good gave us roughly a two-hour introductory session last night an an orientation to the minute details involved in Temple Research. I was fortunate to meet a few people from Mr. Good’s congregation a few years ago, and their description for listening to his teaching is probably the best I have heard. They said it’s like drinking from a fire hydrant. This is definitely the case. At the end of the session last night he asked, “Does anyone have any questions?” to which the response was a hearty round of laughter. We all knew that there was no time to ask all of the questions that were necessary and we would just have to make due and try to take as many notes as possible.

Lastly, I am also looking forward to hearing another speaker which I haven’t heard in a while. Grant Luton, from Akron, OH, is scheduled to speak as well this weekend. My family and I were privileged to spend time with his family and congregation a few years back and enjoyed ourselves immensely. We look forward to this time as well. I’ll try to keep you posted here and there. Blessings!Similar Posts:

Avot & The Omer

Darren — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 18:03:03 +0000

As we’re counting the omer in anticipation of Shavuot, it is traditional to study Pirkei Avot each week. If you don’t have a copy of it, you can study it online for free at my other site where I plan on making more texts like these available.

Study Pirkei Avot here.Similar Posts: