Psalm 23

Mllions of people think of Psalm 23 as the gentle comfort of the loving Shepherd embodied in words. It’s true. It is a picture of comfort that has lived down through the ages. I like to look at familiar Scriptures and see if there is anything that I missed on the first reading. Recently, when I read Psalm 23, I began to see some additional insights.

Conscience Of The Holocaust

Thoughts on the Death of Simon Wiesenthal

“When history looks back, I want people to know the Nazis weren’t able to kill millions of people and get away with it…” Simon Wiesenthal, who died in his sleep on September 20, 2005, was often called the “conscience of the Holocaust.” He died in his home in Vienna at the age of 96. During the Holocaust, he lost 89 family members, survived 12 Nazi camps, and weighed less than 100 pounds when he was liberated from Mauthausen in 1945.

Awaiting the Son of David

In October during the High Holy Days, the nation of Israel welcomed in Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year), celebrating it by dipping apple slices in honey and wishing one another shana tovah u’metuka––a year that is good and sweet. The meaning of this simple sounding salutation runs far deeper than the outwardly corresponding “Happy New Year!” that we Gentiles ritually wish to each other at the end of every cycle of the Gregorian calendar.

Words Are Not Enough

“I love you, I love you, I love you. Thank you Becky!” Golda’s eyes sparkled as she kissed my cheeks one after the other. As an immigrant from the former Soviet Union, Golda receives food from the Bridges for Peace food bank. I attempted to start a deeper conversation only to realize that she had already spoken all of the English she knew. Switching to Hebrew, I found that we were able to converse a little better, albeit in a halting fashion. Finally we called over Boris, who translated from Russian. Golda’s story is special. After her brother and his wife were killed in a terror incident in the former Soviet Union, she adopted their four children. All five of them immigrated to Israel.

God is Bigger

Since the day of her inception, the State of Israel has struggled to survive. The birth of Israel on May 14, 1948 was followed immediately by an all out war from five neighboring countries. War has followed war, and miraculously Israel has won every one, often against incredible odds. Israel has been referred to as a miracle nation. Certainly Bible lovers can see the miracle-working hand of God in Israel’s rebirth, the ingathering of the Jewish people, and the restoration of the Land.

From My Heart…

The International Board of Bridges for Peace announces the appointment of Rebecca Brimmer as our chief executive officer (CEO).

Double-Decker Tour Bus

This past summer, Jerusalem inaugurated a new “City Tour” bus line, utilizing a bright red double-decker bus. If you have ever visited London, you have probably enjoyed sightseeing from the top of such a bus; now you can have the same kind of experience in Jerusalem.

Cell-Phone Service Tracks Children

With the push of a few buttons on a cellular phone, Israeli parents will soon be able to detect the real-time location of their children. Two Israeli cell-phone companies announced that they will be providing a service through which customers will be able to track the precise location of their child within seconds.

Date Palm Sprouts After 2,000 Years

Israeli researchers have germinated a sapling date palm from seeds 2,000 years old, in a bid to find new medicines that will benefit future generations.

Less “Ouch” When Donating Blood

If the painful pinprick in your finger to determine if you are anemic has kept you from donating blood, you may no longer have an excuse. A noninvasive, Israeli-developed device, worn on the finger for a few seconds to determine hemoglobin levels, is already in use in Israel.

“Annihilate the Infidels” : PA Anti-British Religious Hatred

Less than 24 hours after the July 7 terrorist bombings in London, a Palestinian Authority (PA) television sermon called for the extermination of every single infidel: “Annihilate the infidels and the polytheists! Your [i.e., Allah’s] enemies are the enemies of the religion! Allah, disperse their gathering and break up their unity and turn on them, the evil adversaries. Allah, count them and kill them to the last one and don’t leave even one”
(Suleiman Al-Satari, PA TV, July 8, 2005).

Calling All Engines

An Internet search engine, using voice-recognition software, a microphone, and speakers, has been developed by researchers at Ben-Gurion University (BGU) of the Negev in Beersheva. The system, which conducts searches in response to spoken instructions rather than words keyed in as text, operates on any personal computer.