Shalom Dean & Susan,
      May the Father’s peace dwell with you and may you always feel the need to share with others as you do now. You’ll never know, on this earth, what good you’re really doing.
      I had to write this letter and thank you both for Hebrew Roots. I read every issue and listen to your tapes when I can. If my sister orders your tapes I listen to hers, and that saves you money. I fully realize the expense incurred in sending material and tapes. I feel you have some marvelous truth and nuggets dug out from Yahweh’s word. I pray for you both, please keep sending me material. I thank Yahweh for you both.
      Everyday I am amazed and overwhelmed at what we can understand if we search out his word diligently and let Yahweh’s set apart Spirit lead us.
      Please pray for me that I’ll have an ear to hear what he is saying to his people, and I surely know the message is going forth.
      Yahweh bless and keep you
      Yahweh make his face to shine upon you.
      Yahweh give you peace.
            Love in Yahshua,

                  AB

~

Shalom Aleichem AB,
      Words fail us in trying to communicate how much your support in words and prayer mean to us. Yes, it does cost money to produce the materials we send out, but the most important thing we can receive from our readers is their heartfelt prayers that our heavenly Father will bless our endeavors and keep us from expounding error in any way, shape or form.
            May the peace of YHVH
                  be with you always,

                  DEW & SAW

Hi Dean and Susan,
      Enjoy your paper. One comment: If you’re not going to use the Jewish year 5759, leave it off all together. It’s too Gentile to put 5999/6000. Is that a Church of God thing?

            RR

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Shalom Aleichem RR,
      Nice to hear from you, we tire pleased that you enjoy Hebrew Roots.
      The date on our masthead is not a "Church of God thing," in fact it is a Messianic Jewish thing, and even a Rabbinic Jewish thing, at least that is where we got our information. It seems that many of the Jewish rabbis recognize that the dating they use does not match Biblical chronology, and that well over two hundred years need to be added to the current year's date in order to match up with the Scriptures.
      We cannot be adamant that the current year really is 6000, but we feel that it is very close. To get a complete rundown on this dating you might want to check out Avi Ben Mordecai's book; Signs in the Heavens.
            May the peace of God
                  be with you always,

                  DEW & SAW

Shalom Eleichim Dean and Susan,
      We appreciate the calendar page that you sent us giving the weekly Torah portion readings. Our Friday evening study group made several copies of it to place in our bibles for quick and easy reference.
      Your Feast of Dedication article is informative and thought provoking. It, however, contains one major error. On page 9, second paragraph, it speculates ... that Yeshua was probably conceived during Hanukkah. It then continues to state the Believers "need to recognize that FACT" emphasis mine. The article then began tying all that follows in that section to this proven fact.
      Nowhere in the Christian Scriptures does it state precisely when Yeshua was conceived or born. Do you suppose that this was an accidental oversight? Sorry, my friend. A speculation may be based on apparently solid ground, but it is still just a speculation.
            Shalom to you and yours,

                  CE

~

Shalom Aleichem CE,
      Thank you for your observation about the Hanukkah article. We try very hard to separate fact from speculation and did state that: "it seems most likely that Yeshua, ... was conceived during Hanukkah..." You are, of course correct that we then did say that: "As Believers, we need to recognize that fact, and learn what this important festival has to teach us." What should have been said was: “...we need to recognize this as a possibility, and learn what such a possibility might teach us about this festival."
      But we ask that you also cut us some slack There are some in the world who would say that our belief that Yeshua is the promised Messiah of the Old Testament Scriptures is merely a speculation, but we proclaim it to be a fact! As for us, we know it is a fact, and fully expect to be resurrected, or changed to spirit life, by Him when He returns!
      We believe the conception of Yeshua took place during the festival of Hanukkah. however, as writers and editors we should have caught that anomaly and not let the statement go out as originally written.
      We will try and watch for such ‘errors’, stemming from our personal conviction and faith, in future issues.
            May the peace of God
                  be with you always,

                  DEW & SAW

Hi Dean & Susan,
      I want to thank you for all the help you have given me. But it looks like I need your help still. I want to ask, is there 13 months in all Sabbatical years? I want to ask, was the flood in a Sabbatical year? Did Noah start a new in a Jubilee year?

            WG

~

Shalom Aleichem WG,
      Nice to hear from you again, you keep us busy with your questions.
      The current Jewish calendar designates the following years as leap years (13 month years) within each nineteen year time cycle: 3rd, 6th, 8th, 14th, 17th and 19th. Given this pattern it is not possible to have a leap year occur every seven years. However, it must be remembered that when the Temple stood in Jerusalem the months and years were not calculated on astronomical information, but by the physical sighting of the new moon, subject to approval by the Sanhedrin. Also, the new year was declared based on the physical evidence that ripe barley ears would be available for harvesting at the time of Passover Thus, it seems well nigh impossible to have it always work out that the Sabbatical years were always leap years.
      As to your questions about the Flood being a Sabbatical year and Noah starting new in a Jubilee year, once again I don’t believe we can know for sure. It certainly seems to be a possibility.
            May the peace of God
                  be with you always,

                  DEW & SAW

Dear Gary,
      The Feast of Dedication in the Scriptures has absolutely nothing in common with the present-day celebration of Hanukkah by the Jews.
      In your article in Hebrew Roots, September/October 1998 issue, you state in paragraph two, last sentence:
      "In 1998, Hanukkah will begin at sundown on December 13th and end at sundown on December 21st.” How can you align your statement with John 10:22-23 ... And it was winter. Your dates are prior to the winter solstice, therefore, your dates are bogus....
      ...Ezra 6:16 gives us the correct date for the Feast of Dedication (i.e. hanukkah).
            YAH Bless,

            MF

~

Shalom Aleichem MF,
      Thank you for your letter (By the way, my name is Dean not Gary.) We can now add the Hanukkah controversy’ to the Calendar, Passover, and Pentecost controversies. It never ceases to amaze us how many things Believers can find to argue about.
      Your point is well taken, however, may we point out that there is no tradition of Hanukkah (Dedication) being tied to the dedication of the second temple in Ezra’s day. Josephus does not mention it, nor do any of the other early sources of which we are aware. However Hanukkah, in the month of Kislev, is mentioned as being celebrated as the “Feast of Dedication.” or the ‘Festival of Lights.”
      Now about the question of ‘winter.’ A check of the traditional Jewish calendar over the last sixty years reveals that Hanukkah fell totally within winter on 13 occasions, partially within winter during 16 years, and totally outside of winter on 31 years. This means that Hanukkah was either totally or partially within winter 48% of the time. So what we may well have in John 10 is a hint as to what year the event of Yeshua’s presence at the Temple during Hanukkah took place.
      If you wish to celebrate Hanukkah on 3 Adar (or on the 14th of Nisan since it is unclear exactly when that dedication took place) that is perfectly all right with us. But we will not be joining you until a lot more proof comes our way.
      By the way, this is another one of those non-salvational issues which do more to divide brethren than bring them together. We hope it is not too big a sticking point with you.
            May the peace of God
                  be with you always,

                  DEW & SAW

Dear Dean & Susan,
      I want to thank you very much for faithfully producing and sending "Hebrew Roots" to me. It has been a tremendous help to understanding a lot of the background to the things I believe. How much we need to know more about the context and cultural and historical origins of the things we believe, so that we can grow. I recently went through the back issues explaining the multiple meanings of Rosh HaShanah, the "days of awe," Yom Kippur, The Feast of Tabernacles (Succot), and Shemini Atzeret, as we entered the Fall Holy Days period, and I was able to keep them with so much more understanding.
      Thank you for your zeal and dedication in producing this research--and in such a readable and easily understood form. I hope you do continue for as long as possible, as I don’t know of any other sources one can obtain this information from our somewhat unique perspective.
      Your efforts are much appreciated!
            Sincerely,

            SH

~

Shalom Aleichem SH,
      Your comments are much appreciated. The amazing thing to us as we learn more and more about our ‘Hebrew Roots’ is that this information has always been out there, however few Believers bothered to look into it and teach it to others.
      Of course we have had mentors in this project. The main one has been Joseph Good of Hatikva Ministries, P0 Box E, Nederland, TX 77627. Joe’s teachings were instrumental in bringing us to an understanding about these matters.
      With the blossoming of the Messianic Jewish movement, there is now much information becoming available. Many Evangelical scholars are also taking up the call for ‘Jewish Roots,’ and many fine books are available in Christian bookstores that were not there four or five years ago. Information is exploding in this area. We can only attribute this phenomena to the hand of God moving a great number of people in this direction at this time.
      It is our belief that God is calling His own out of all of the various churches, wherever He has been hiding them over the past years, and that a great spiritual awakening is taking place throughout the world.
            May the peace of God
                  be with you always,

                  DEW & SAW

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