Transcript
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We closed two books of the Tanakh
together, the book of Joshua and the
book of Judges, Yehoshua and Shoftim.
And there are hundreds, even thousands
of us walking through them together over
these months in the Prophets of Israel
daily. And I want to take a moment and
celebrate this achievement.
Uh to make a small Siyum, like I said.
Now, here's the beautiful thing. There
is a Jewish tradition that when you
finish a book of Torah, the entire
community says together, "Hazak, hazak,
u'vanit hazak."
Be strong, be strong, and may we be
strengthened.
Three words of of strength, because we
did something hard together. And because
we are about to begin something new. So,
in a moment, on the count of three, I
want everyone in this fellowship to say
it together with me out loud, wherever
you are sitting in the world.
Right? Be strong, be strong, and be
strengthened. Whether you've been with
us through every chapter of the Prophets
of Israel daily, or just some of them,
or a lot of them, or whether tonight is
your first night, say it with us,
because you're part of this family now.
But before we say it, I want to share
why I think it's so deeply right.
So deeply right that we are completing
these two books in this exact week, in
this exact time.
Because look at the the arc of the story
that we have just walked through
together. Yehoshua, Joshua, is the book
of entry, of coming into the land, of
crossing the Arden, the Jordan River, of
marching around Jericho, Jericho, until
the walls fell, of the inheritance of
the tribes, of every single tribe
receiving its portion. Yehoshua is the
book of inheriting the land. And Shoftim
is the book of living in the land.
Imperfectly, yes, with chaos, with
confusion, with great heroes and great
failure, with moments of brilliance and
moments where, as the very last verse of
Shofetim says, "Ein melech b'Yisrael,
ish hayashar b'einav ya'aseh." There was
no king in Israel. Every man did what
was right in his eyes.
And then immediately after Shofetim,
what comes next?
Sefer Shmuel.
The Book of Samuel, where a king rises.
Where David is anointed. Where David
conquers Yerushalayim and makes it the
capital of the eternal Jewish kingdom.
So, look at where we are right now, my
friends.
Yehoshua enters the land.
He enters the land. Shofetim
struggles through the land. And then
Yerushalayim. Jerusalem is what comes
next. Yerushalayim,
Mashiach, the Beit Hamikdash, redemption
is what the entire story has been
building towards. And here we are in the
year of 5786, otherwise known as 2026.
And we're completing Joshua and Judges
at this very week as we approach Yom
Yerushalayim. I mean, you can't make
this stuff up. The very holiday that
celebrates our return to the city that
came after Joshua and Judges. We are
literally living the the story that we
just finished reading.
And we're reading Behar and Bechukotai,
the parshas that tells us that the land
is alive. The parshas that tells us that
Hashem walks with us in the land. In the
same week that we say, "Har Habayit
b'yadeinu." The Temple Mount is in our
hands. This is not a coincidence, my
friends. We all know it. There's no such
thing as a coincidence. This is Hashem
doing what Hashem always does. Hashem is
choreographing history and bringing us
to the cusp of redemption. So, please,
wherever you are, say it with me on the
count of three.
One, two, three.
Chazak
>> Chazak, chazak
venitchazek.
>> venitchazek. May we be strong,
may we be strong, and may we strengthen
one another.
And so, my friends, let's take a moment
and thank Hashem for these great times
and these great miracles.
Hashem, thank you.
Thank you for this Torah.
Thank you for this land. Thank you for
this fellowship. Thank you for the
prophets that we are learning in the
prophets of Israel daily every single
day.
Thank you for the chance to walk these
hills again in person or vicariously
through each other or in spirit
in the company of people that we love in
the unfolding story of Israel's return
and in the quiet, breathtaking privilege
of drawing close to you once again
in the very mountains where the story
began. My name is Ari and I live here on
the edge of the Judean frontier. And
just as the prophets foretold, the
mountains of Judah are coming to life.
The in-gathering of the exile is taking
place right before our eyes.
And the final prophecy is manifesting as
the righteous of the nations are coming
together with humble hearts here in the
land of Israel fellowship. And now I'm
inviting you to join us along with
hundreds of Jewish and Christian
families from all around the world to
experience the beauty and the holiness
and the magnificence of our fellowship.
So, click below so you can taste the
beauty and the holiness that is
happening on this mountain.
>> [music]
